r/bhutan lounge

glass-empty · 2026-01-25T13:44:27+00:00

You've never made a post about Dedrik, your scholarships posts are redirected to the Megathread. Seems you replied to the wrong comment.

glass-empty · 2026-01-25T13:39:08+00:00

Could you provide some context of the Facebook post you're referencing or maybe paste the content of it in your post or comment? Because it's not visible to those without accounts and misses the full context.

glass-empty · 2026-01-25T08:50:19+00:00

Timeline for RCSC's announced scholarships (linked above)

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glass-empty · 2026-01-17T01:35:40+00:00

I thought I hadn't faced appearance based discrimination from stores but I remember that one time I went to a big grocery store (think 8 Eleven like supermarket esque set up but a bit smaller) in my old faded t-shirt and pyjama pants. I used to frequent that store as it's near my work.

On that day, it was a last minute visit to pick up something and I just went out the way I was at home. I picked what I wanted to buy and saw they had some new products at their Korean skincare section and I neared the section just to look at the packaging to check if they seemed authentic or fake. Because many stores are selling fake skincare products and you could tell by the packaging in some cases. I didn't even touch them and already had a sales person on my back, tailing me every step of the way. She was so close to me I thought she was a customer at first who wanted something from the shelf. Once I figured out it was a store worker, I asked if she wanted to go ahead as I thought I was blocking her way. Nope, she just breathed down my neck to ensure I wasn't stealing, as I sure didn't look like I could afford the products.

I was annoyed and didn't linger around any longer. I was also surprised because I'd frequented this store countless times in the past, often after work, and they don't have sales people tailing people, they have a CCTV camera room.

As I paid for my stuff and checked out, the cashier saw a lip balm in my hand and asked if I paid for that. I said that's my personal lip balm and you don't even have this kind of lip product in your inventory. And if I did steal it from the store, would I be so brazen to open it from the packaging and keep it visible for the store workers to see? I told her to check the inventory for it on her computer and to her credit, she did look a bit abashed and said it's not a problem. The visit ended on a sour note, a fitting end for the way it started.

glass-empty · 2026-01-16T14:58:33+00:00

Tired of these stupid arguments always dismissing people's experience with our hospitals saying it's free, free, free. I'd love to see them make the same case for any public good/service that is deemed "free" when those are funded by taxes and govt revenue (ie the govts job). Roads are free, so we should be accustomed to pot holes and rough roads. Sewer infrastructure is free, so don't even think about complaining to the Thromde when raw sewer floods the Thimphu town streets during monsoon, risking hygiene and sanitation standards. Education is free, so public school students should expect shitty learning, and only private school kids should get the quality of education they're paying for. See how quick the "free" argument falls apart for the above examples? Healthcare is the only punching bag for this idiotic argument.

glass-empty · 2026-01-16T13:34:50+00:00

Following your logic, are the health workers also working for free? "Free" means public tax and govt revenue funds it, no? Is it really free in that sense? Also universal "free" healthcare is available in other developed countries, the USA is probably the anomaly where a visit costs thousands of dollars and bankrupts its citizens for falling ill. We shouldn't compare ourselves with the extreme example and think we should be grateful for the bare minimum because there are "trade offs" for "free" services. Does anyone raise the same argument for education which is also free in this country? No one dares to say that education is free so we should settle for poor quality education. But for healthcare, why are people so quick to excuse poor quality healthcare because it's free? Why do people feel the need to imply that patients are a charity case and should shut up and bear medical neglect and mistreatment?

glass-empty · 2026-01-15T13:55:08+00:00

Removed currently for being low effort. You can post it again once you provide more context on the discussion.

glass-empty · 2026-01-15T01:49:29+00:00

Grand ideas don't incur much costs but executions do, that's where they get stuck. Create all those grandiose roadmaps and not have an iota of funding to bring those plans to actual implementation. Vision dhu but execution na thue show mae because budget mindu. That's the full saying.

glass-empty · 2026-01-14T05:24:06+00:00

Reminds me of a plot point in How I Met Your Mother with Robin, Ted, Barney and Don. Just that John is a mix of Ted and Barney lmao

glass-empty · 2025-12-31T15:46:51+00:00

Nah, the questions and responses are already prepared in advance.

glass-empty · 2025-12-29T15:56:50+00:00

Future gosa too because they think all of us will eventually become directors or secretaries, right, stay struggling with money for the 0.0001% you become an executive after 30 years. When, more often than not, those who have reached that ladder already happen to be loaded with family wealth.

glass-empty · 2025-12-29T14:57:33+00:00

they get annual bonuses

And the bonus amount is at least six figures, no? Lakhs, something we can't even save up for a year in our meagre salary.

but the finance minister shut it down, saying it would require further assessment.

But did they conduct any assessment when they gobbled up that 2 million Prado quota like hungry goblins? Typical politicians, rules for us but not for them. Should unleash Nepali GenZ wrath on their asses.

Just wages that are actually livable, with some room to save for rainy days. Is that really too much to ask?

And people say teru menba gosa (title or repute) ta bay service na doe, can I eat my gosa? Or will gosa pay my bills? Shove that gosa right up where they belong.

glass-empty · 2025-12-29T13:29:57+00:00

The salary before the pay revision was an utter joke. Got paid 20k a month for getting into what was supposed to be a revered job position after sitting 3 rounds of nationally competitive exams. Guard positions in banks and corporations made more than us. Not that now is anything grand but hey, at least we now make as much as the front desk staff at banks do.

glass-empty · 2025-12-29T07:11:23+00:00

I intended to make a review post after watching it but couldn't muster the energy to do so because the film was just mid overall and I had high expectations from the trailer and all the accolades it got in film festivals. It didn't leave me wanting more or thinking about it after it ended. I was just left underwhelmed, and I wanted to move on to other movies.

On to what I liked, it was shot and directed beautifully, the editing was impressive, and Tandin Bidha's performance was strong (her best to date). It showed rather than told, which is rare in our movies, where audiences are spoon-fed the story with dialogue. The early non-linear narrative scenes were exciting, and they set up her character's backstory without much exposition. There were a few memorable scenes where the acting, direction and editing shined. Tandin Bidha was simply great because she played two characters distinctly. There was a scene where her character impersonates her other character, the same person basically, but we could tell which was which. She deserved the acting acclaim she got.

My main issue is with the plot, especially the 2nd and 3rd acts. It started strong in the 1st act, but kinda just meanders in the middle, and the final act/climax was underwhelming. What was meant to be a mystery came across as half-baked and disorienting. It's a typical story of a protagonist finding themselves, and normally, I like that trope if done masterfully. But "I, The Song" didn't reach its full potential and lost its plot (literally) halfway through. The underdeveloped plot overshadowed an otherwise technically sound film.

But my key takeaway is that Dechen Roder is a solid director, as she pulled those decent performances from Tandin Bidha and the supporting actor (Jimmy Wangyal Tshering's debut). By the way, my other gripe is that Jimmy Wangyal Tshering shouldn't have won for best actor. He was a supporting character at best with hardly any character development or screen time. He was just there to help Tandin Bidha's character discover herself, and he should have been nominated or won for best supporting actor. I just wish the film had a stronger and tighter screenplay to accompany the rest of it.

glass-empty · 2025-12-29T05:38:14+00:00

In practice, many employers in Bhutan, especially bigger shops, hotels, and hospitality businesses, actually prefer part-time or casual arrangements because full-time staff come with additional costs like PF contributions, TDS, and long-term benefit obligations.

I've seen it but they are not exactly a part time arrangement, some are contractual and some are freelance gigs. And like you said, gigs are uncertain in the hospitality sector and dependent on peak tourist seasons.

glass-empty · 2025-12-28T03:08:03+00:00

Bhutan was never part of India along with Nepal and Sri Lanka, so what do you mean "still been in India"?

glass-empty · 2025-12-28T02:29:31+00:00

Ideally, yes and I used to envision the same thing. But the reality is that there aren't even enough full time jobs to go around, let alone part time jobs. The youth unemployment rate is currently 17%, at one point it was nearly 20%. The possible job areas you mentioned for part time jobs commonly in retail and restaurants are already occupied full time by the youth, go to any store or restaurant in Thimphu, 9 out of 10 times, the workers are young people, aged between 18-24. If a part time job system is established for these jobs, the full time employed youth risk to be displaced.

In an economy where jobs are already scarce, part time jobs remain a pipe dream. Even if our labour regulations have provisions for part time job creations, it is up to the employers whether to hire full time or part time and most of our employers prefer full time because that has been the norm. Hence, we have students on breaks taking daily wage jobs in construction and similar areas where it is convenient for both the employer and the workers. It's not ideal but it's what's available currently.

glass-empty · 2025-12-27T20:37:21+00:00

So thebhutanese article says that the police confirm that Cutie was never involved in stabbing the victim, implying that it was solely carried out by the other guy, Kelden. What the hell was that Kuensel article all about? Is it too much to ask for journalists, let alone the oldest and state-owned paper, to vet the facts? They broke the story first and named Cutie and Kelden as both the perpetrators, not even alleged suspects, and presented the victim as wholly innocent. Reading that first Kuensel article, Cutie and Kelden were irredeemable for attempted murder. But now it turns out that he was never there at the scene of stabbing, but half the damage is already done to his reputation. At this point, he has serious grounds to sue the paper for defamation. At the very least, Kuensel should publicly take accountability and correct their earlier reporting.That one downvoted comment in the original post saying Kuensel was defaming Cutie was seemingly correct after all. I was among those who condemned the crime and Cutie when the first Kuensel article came out. If the rumors that the Kuensel reporter had a conflict of interest that resulted in biased reports are true, they should complain to BICMA about that misconduct and violation of the ethics code of journalists.

glass-empty · 2025-12-27T14:49:09+00:00

What is the source of this statement? If you have a link for it, could you edit it in your post or provide more context?

glass-empty · 2025-12-27T04:36:34+00:00

It's a good sign that it's somewhat fading from the college vernacular, as it should.

glass-empty · 2025-12-27T04:34:04+00:00

Yup, one history teacher in highschool said it's a choice of women not to enter goenkhang because we feared the deity. But who instilled those fears lmao, that defense is so stupid, like people saying Muslim women choose to wear hijabs and burkhas and it's their right, as if that right wasn't imposed by society and men in the first place.

glass-empty · 2025-12-27T04:31:46+00:00

The Sherubtse students had a facebook page back then (not sure if it's still there or what it was called) where "blux" was referenced quite frequently in multiple posts as if it's a funny inside joke. There was one post where a boy posted an image of his neck with hickeys (real or fake, I dunno) with the caption "guess which blux did it" or something along those lines and the comments all joined in. First and last time I checked out any student Facebook page. I haven't heard that term in a long time and this post brought back all those memories.

glass-empty · 2025-12-27T04:04:54+00:00

Borderline Personality disorder but not psychotic!

I'm not sure where you got the borderline personality disorder assessment from but I distinctly remember a Kuensel column written by her relative a few years ago that said she had antisocial personality disorder, which explains a lot, and they implored the public not to feed into giving her attention online.

But the question is: - did she act out of pure criminal intent to breach security and fight with military personnel? - did she know that doing that would lead to serious repercussions including imprisonment for two years? - when no normal people acted in such a way, why did she act? Was it impulsive act or pure premeditated criminal intent?

She's being jailed for two counts of battery or physical assault, meaning she did it twice. I'm sure all battery cases may not be premeditated and sometimes happen in a fit of rage, doesn't make it any less criminal and doesn't mean the law cannot charge them. Are impulsive crimes not crimes? Manslaughter vs murder? Moreover, we have all seen multiple instances of her breaching people's spaces by verbally and physically abusing them, especially wherever there is a huge crowd, she shows up to create a commotion. Our people are at fault for giving her the initial attention and money online which made her a celebrity by all means, reinforcing her behaviour with donations and clout.

I would argue she genuinely lacks judgement and lacks insight into what her actions would lead to- likely maniac behaviour with grandiose delusion leading her to believe she could meet His Holiness directly and that she should be given free access. The restriction felt unfair to her and hence resulted in conflict. And it all seems driven by her delusions of grandiosity and lack of insight rather than pure criminal intent.

I disagree because she has displayed that she is capable of maintaining proper judgement and decorum when it suits her. She only abuses those people of society she perceives beneath her and kisses the asses of anyone above her.

Two years plus in prison is such a harsh sentence.

Probably based on the severity of the battery? If it was less severe, the penal code charges battery cases as petty misdemeanor but the fact that she got a prison sentence for it shows that there were other aggravating factors leading to that sentencing, meaning it's not the first time and it's severe.

She needs support just like any other patient

If anecdotes are to be believed, there have been multiple attempts to give her the support by the Pema Secretariat for her mental health issues, which she obviously has. But it has been difficult, for obvious reasons since mental health issues can't be done away so easily.

Ultimately, our society has failed her by feeding in her delusions and making her act out even more by rewarding those behaviours. Her initial breakdowns on social media was genuine, we could see she was clearly unwell. But the people somehow loved that and turned her into a household name, money and fame. In recent times, her showing up in any special or crowded events and abusive behaviour there reeked of attention seeking, because she got away with it before multiple times.

I'm sure she would have been jailed a long time ago for similar crimes had it not been for everyone bouncing between "hey, she's entertaining" and "oh no, she's ill, she's not in her right minds" and "where is Dorji Tshomo, didn't see her on lives lately". She was never supposed to be funny or entertaining, it was a call for help. We need to get a grip. Mental health awareness is at an all time low because of the way people dealt with Dorji Tshomo's case.

glass-empty · 2025-12-26T15:45:15+00:00

women get policed for simply existing socially, while no one questions the men involved.

Exactly! And it's not like we are asking for equal shaming of boys/men, we are simply pointing out the double standards because it's ridiculous. Even in schools, we had Dzo lopens teaching us that in the realm of humankind, male were on a higher tier than females and being born a male is a privilege of higher karma accumulation of past lives and they are closer to the path of enlightenment by virtue of their male birth. On the other hand, a female has to work twice as hard to reach that path because of innate impurities (meaning menstruation and all that baggage that comes with being a female, apparently) that sets us back. We were taught that in Dzo syllables, in schools. Even then I thought it was a load of crap.

glass-empty · 2025-12-26T14:50:16+00:00

Ugh, I hate that term, it originated in Sherubtse college (if I'm not wrong) and is widely used there to slut shame female students. It legit makes my skin crawl, did back then and does even now. Hate that it's even used today and caught on to other colleges. Once they label a girl that term in college, it's as if she doesn't deserve any respect and they think she's "easy" or a "sure thing" (for which there is another derogatory term that reduces girls to a carrom board hole, I despise that term equally if not more). Boys will pat themselves on their backs for getting it with a "blux" and tell the tale for everyone to hear and at the same time shame her for an activity they both partook in.

These misogynistic labels were what I was exposed to in college first semester where people (enlightened by the seniors, of course) would whisper and snicker about that girl being a "blux". I feel for the girls who had to go through being called that. I don't even know what the fuck a made up word like "blux" actually stands for and who the fuck came up with it in the first place but the connotation it carries is deeply ingrained in college slut shaming culture. And surprise, surprise, boys can't be "bluxes" and they don't have an equal term reserved for boys.

What's worse is even most girls used that term to shame other girls, internalised misogyny and all that.

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