Blogger's Meet

All 34 of the bloggers who made it to the Bloggers Meet recently have blogged about it sharing the nostalgia of having met many wonderful people. And I seem to be the only one, left behind ( nothing Unusual!). As I type this, I'm reminded of some typical speeches we make during many such occasions. Take for instance, you are attending a farewell dinner and you just go there because you are required to. Suddenly, you find everybody taking turns in giving speeches and you are the next one in line. You go all red, thousand streams of hot blood shoot to your face and you go red! But they don't spare you, you got to make that speech. Well, if smart enough, you would clear your throat as if getting the words right out of your system and then making a solemn face you utter,"When hearts are full, words fail!so Safe Journey and we'll miss you!" There! You've done it! and done it efficiently, making the person whose farewell it is shed tears of sadness.

Coming to the point, well, I just couldn't hatch an alibi line like that and sit with nothing on it. To be brutally honest,I tend to be doing nothing but sitting on things now. But I had to get this Meet talked about in my blog too ( didn't I just attend a Blogger's Meet? So to qualify as one, I ought to! )

Shucks! This is not the reason I've started typing this. I'm doing it to celebrate all the wonderful souls I met. And I can't help but put down the list of people I connected with but mind you, the chronological order in which I mention each does not in anyway reflect the order of importance I'm placing on each individual.

First one ( seriously) I need to thank Rima Reyka for nudging me out of the shell I've cocooned myself in. From Singapore she writes to me,"Will you come for the Blogger's meet if I come all the way from here?" And she is in Bhutan already! How can I not go? So I finally click "going" button on the event's page.

But then after that I see my heart in a ballroom with many tiny fluttering butterflies whistling to nervous jingles. Do I qualify to be called a blogger? I hardly write substance! and Haven't written one in ages. I scroll through the list of people who have already signed in their attendance. I see Luzee, Kuenza, Rekha, Dasho Lingi and many others. I'm tempted. Like seriously tempted like a High School girl falling in love for the first time. I've read these people's write-ups and I wanted to know them personally so that I could flaunt to people that I know people of their like.

So, I pump in the air of a blogger ( although my heart yells at me, 'No, you aint!') and walk proudly out of the car. The first person I meet is Dawa Knight. This young lad, who blogs bluntly on many issues and deserves applause for the voice he is. "Dawa?" I offer my hand, "I'm Chador." I don't wait for him to mull on "Who Chador?" for long. I simply add, "This looks like the venue for our meeting, right?" Well, this ought to tell him I'm a fellow blogger too, atleast in attendance. :)

As I climb up the stairs, I meet up with Sonam Dema and Peky Samal (Cherished journalists from Bhutan Times times- I used to read their articles and envy their writing style). I'm atleast glad that I know Sonam Dema from our childhood, so with two of my soldiers to shield my nervous heart, I walk in with a pretentious boldness.

....Then on, it's like the curtain has been raised and all I could do is wander here and there hoping to catch hold of everyone in the room. I meet Kuenza, I land up telling her my whole geography and history. I sit with Rekha and before I glide onto others or she leaves me, I tell her how I've followed her blog and upon her book reviews been hitting the book stores to buy the books. I easily connect with Ata Tshering Dorji, I hope he remembers me now though! and Dasho Lingi.

Then I open up to whole bunch of people in the room. I met Amrith Sir of DYS, who is a walking Inspiration. Two Ghalleyni's whom I pulled into my circle of relationship. Langa Tenzin and Sogyel were like two acquaintances and talking to them didn't feel like it was the first time we were meeting.

I didn't touch anyother drink than the Iced-tea I had carried to the room but I was drunk with the euphoria of meeting so many enthusiasm packed individual. Tharchen surely is such motivating force to reckon with. I feel sorry that there were still few left with whom I didn't get a chance to talk but I did smile at everybody and made a silent connection. It felt like such a familiar jaunt that I didn't flinch a bit while asking Dumcho Wangdi sir to reach me home. And Lobzang Nima, it didn't take us much effort to connect- Teachers that we are, I mean I "was". Hehe.

It was worth taking that journey to that Meet. And If you are asking me, no photographs? Well,this proves my nervousness-Ta..da! I forgot my phone in the car and my husband had driven it home after reaching me to the venue.

But next meet, I am not going to be nervous! I'm gonna be there with my phone and take a lot of pictures with the wonderful lot!


Passu and Nawang Sir are their usual, two men I always look up to.