Lisa Napoli's Blog, page 57
April 15, 2011
Foods of the Kingdom of Bhutan
The book is by dear LA native and university student in Boston, Erik Nagamatsu, who isn't Bhutanese but is a 100% Bhutan-phile. (I've actually seen him there myself at Rabten Apartments!)
His book just won a prestigious cookbook award, and is now available on Amazon. (Very limited availability; until now the book's only been for sale in Bhutan itself, which never quite made sense to me.) Proceeds go to Tarayana Foundation and the Bhutan Foundation.
From the Bhutan Foundation website:
"Fiddlehead Fern Curry, Roasted Barley Soup and Spicy Dired Pork with Spinach are few of the delicious recipes featured in Foods of the Kingdom of Bhutan. The cookbook was launched in Thimphu during the 2010 Tarayana Fair by HRH Ashi Kesang Wangmo Wangchuck. The book is printed in Bhutan and all proceeds go to Tarayana Foundation and the Bhutan Foundation."
April 14, 2011
Bhutanese refugees demand return
The Prime Minister of Bhutan's visiting Nepal and the evicted ethnic Nepalese living in refugee camps are demanding they be allowed to return. Here's more on that and some background on the issue:
The ring
Today a woman who'd driven two hours to meet me at the Huntington Beach Library (more about that glorious wondrous place later) asked if she could see the ring I write about in RSL. I was ashamed to say that I actually took it off for a day! (I wore the silver necklace my friend Jimmy gave me when the book came out and no way could I wear gold with THAT.) The lovely woman left before I got her email address; her name was Elena. Are you out there Elena from San Diego?
For anyone else out there who wants to see, here is the Bhutanese wedding ring that I typically wear every single day.
What not to wear
Dress codes around the world, including Bhutan's, and the whys/wherefores. Foreign Policy magazine roundup. (Thanks, Kent and Cyd!)
((As reader Adele from Brooklyn pointed out in an email after 
, we gals here in the US have our own sort of dress code. Short black dresses and boots. Obviously, the difference is ours isn't mandatory. Just psychological.))
Archery in Bhutan
Story on The World yesterday about the 
in the heart of Thimphu, Bhutan. If you're reading this, you probably know that archery is Bhutan's national sport.
Here's the audio.
April 13, 2011
The secrets to happiness, from Action for Happiness
(Sorry the graphic got sliced from the last post.) (The acronym they use to sum this up is "GREAT DREAM," as you can see if you take the first letter of each item and string em together.)
1. GIVING
Do things for others – volunteer to work for a charity in your spare time
2. RELATING
Connect with people – get in touch with friends with whom you have lost contact
3. EXERCISING
Take care of your body – go for a run.
4. APPRECIATING
Notice the world around – take time to appreciate wildlife in your area.
5. TRYING OUT
Keep learning new things – learn a new language.
6. DIRECTION
Have goals to look forward to – make resolutions and stick to them.
7. RESILIENCE
Find ways to bounce back – learn from defeats to do things better in the future.
8. EMOTION
Take a positive approach – focus on the happy moments of your life rather than the sad.
9. ACCEPTANCE
Be comfortable with who you are – do not dwell on your flaws.
10. MEANING
Be part of something bigger – join a society or club.
The action for happiness campaign
Launched yesterday in Britain. This story in the Telegraph explains that despite a marked increase in material wealth, people are less happy than ever before: "…Britons have become miserable because they are selfish, unfit, and antisocial." I don't think the Brits have a lock on this problem.
The new Action for Happiness movement offers a raft of solutions and antidotes, all simple, really, but then again, not quite:
Cancelled/added Shangri-La events
Had to cancel my event at One More Page Books in Arlington, VA on April 27th–sorry!
Added one at Idlewild Books in NYC on Sunday, May 15th at 4pm–hope you can make it!
Midwest tour shaping up:
Prairie Lights in Iowa City on May 31st. (7pm)
Left Bank Books in St. Louis on June 2nd. (7pm)
Schedule's still not out for Printer's Row in Chicago on June 4th.
Whee!
Stay tuned for Seattle at the end of summer.
Suggestions for more (and invitations!) always welcome.
Thanks
Lisa
Ready, set, change!
I hate how yoga has become a trendy almost competitive exercise, but I do love the words of wisdom conveyed around the ads in Yoga Journal. These arrived in the morning e-mail and have particular resonance for me today as I dig into a new project:
Excerpt:
"How is it that when life is spun around by circumstances, benign or otherwise, some people flail while others sail? Why do some of us wallow in that place where we're so shocked and unhappy about an unexpected turn of events that we resist reality and find ourselves mired in bitterness or fear or hopelessness? Instead of accepting change with grace, we dig in our heels and suffer through each day of things not being what we think they shouldbe. What's the secret to riding each new wave gracefully?
You can learn to accept change with equanimity, absorbing each phase in stride and learning from each new experience. Instead of running for the hills each time a change arises, deal with change in three distinct stages: Loosen your grip, separate your feelings, and tap into wisdom. Learning to make peace with life's calamities—lost jobs, romances, dreams—does not mean you have to be passive.
Prepare for life's ups and downs with a daily practice. Every morning, repeat a gatha (mindfulness verse): "Great is the matter of birth and death; impermanence surrounds us. Be awake each moment; do not waste your life." Life doesn't give you breathing room, but if you stop grasping for control of the uncontrollable, you can learn to breathe through it all."
Motorcycles in Bhutan
My friend and former colleague Vince has one of those dream jobs, running a motorcycle magazine. He asked about motorcycling in Bhutan, and shared this link with me about a rider who had a problem while navigating those winding roads. Boy, was he lucky:
http://www.bmwmoa.org/club/bmw_moa_club_news/medjetassist_proves_worth_with_bmw_moa_member
Then my friend Aby in Bhutan hooked us up with a link to a tour operator in the Kingdom who specializes in motorcycle travel. A very different sort of Bhutan adventure than, say, trekking…for sure. Especially when the Bhutanese papers are filled each day with vehicle accidents.
What their site doesn't tell you is that first you have to get *into the country, which is a far pricier proposition than is conveyed here.
http://www.motorcyclebhutan.com/roadtrip.htm
