Submit your Article

I’m a 19-year-old student, and I have a very short attention span. I zone out mid conversation and forget what was being said after a while. Sometimes I’m doing alright, sometimes I’m hyperactive, and sometimes I just don’t feel like doing anything. I have extreme mood swings. I try focusing on a certain task but then I get distracted easily. Is this just laziness or is it a symptom of ADHD? What should I do?—L.I. Answered by Aditya Dangol, counseling psychologist, Happy Minds First, I want to start by appreciating your self-awareness, which is a major step for further improving your mental state. The frustration is palpable and it indicates that you might be quite overwhelmed and confused, which is completely valid. One thing I can let you know for sure is that the symptoms you have mentioned are definitely not of laziness, but it might be associated with ADHD or anxiety. There are a few things you can try on your own to reduce those symptoms. With issues like mood swings, lack of concentration, and forgetfulness, it’s usually helpful if you make a schedule. That will structure your day and make you feel less anxious. You can set reminders for yourself in order to remember what you need to do. Include things that you love doing to avoid monotony. It doesn’t always have to be productive tasks, but things like watching a movie or going out for coffee could be on the list too. Reward yourself when you complete your daily tasks. It will motivate you to remain consistent with your routine. Having a support system is very important in this situation. Surround yourself with people who love and care about you and don’t shy away from sharing how you feel. Getting your feelings validated can be a calming experience. If you are an introvert, it might be difficult for you to open up. In that case, take baby steps. Start by sharing something small and see how that goes. You will eventually find someone you are comfortable enough to talk to, but you need to start somewhere.  If you know anyone who is going through the same issues, try asking him/her what he/she does in order to lessen those symptoms. Although the same thing might not work for you, it’s worth a try. Exercise is also beneficial in improving your mental health. But only minimizing the symptoms isn’t enough. It’s necessary for you to get a proper diagnosis in order to find out what is causing the problems in the first place. For that, you will have to visit a mental health professional. There are a few tests that you will need to go through since your symptoms can be related with ADHD, anxiety, or can simply be caused by stress. I would not suggest self-diagnosis because you might not always come to the right conclusion. There are a lot of factors like family history and physical health that need to be analyzed. Before visiting a psychologist, jot down your symptoms in a journal. This will help your therapist to understand what exactly you are going through, advise necessary tests, and come to a proper conclusion. Even if you get diagnosed with ADHD, don’t worry. It’s manageable. Follow the suggestions your therapist provides you, and you will be just fine.

Good food and an even better ambience are what we usually look for in a restaurant, which is why we believe Cafe Timila in Patan, Lalitpur, deserves all the praises it can get. Not only does it have a great menu selection, but it has also beautifully showcased Nepali culture through its architecture, traditional Nepali artworks, and vintage Nepali items like radios, old lamps, and karuwa, offering a unique dining experience. We recommend you to start with the Chicken Tikka. Boneless chicken is marinated with yogurt, a blend of spices like cumin, coriander, turmeric, and garam masala, with a dash of lemon for additional flavor. The chicken is well cooked and tender, and served with mint chutney on the side, which adds a refreshing burst of flavor to each bite. It’s best if you share a plate with a friend, as the dish is slightly heavy.  You could also try the Crunchy Momo. The dumplings are first steamed and they’re then coated with breadcrumbs and deep-fried. It comes with tomato and chili based sauce on the side, and is an absolute delight.  For the main course, we suggest you order the Pork Chop. It’s a non-vegetarian’s delight. The meat is tender and flavorful, and comes with sauteed vegetables, fried or mashed potatoes, and a gravy. The portion is just right.  If you don’t like or eat pork, try the Chicken Parmigiana, also known as Chicken Parmesan. It includes breaded and fried chicken cutlets topped with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. The meat is well-cooked and tender. The dish is zesty and sweet, with the mozzarella adding a smooth and creamy texture. They also have a number of choices for desert, but the Banana Split is definitely the best of all. As the name suggests, a banana is cut in half, and filled with vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice-cream. It’s a light dessert that goes perfectly with a heavy meal. If you are looking for a slightly heavier desert, try the French Crêpe. They are thin and delicate pancakes, and have a rich filling which is slightly sweet and creamy.  We must also mention their impeccable interior. Everything from their furniture to the garden area is doing beautifully, exuding much charm and warmth. Cafe Timila is perfect for a lazy weekend of basking in the sun or a quick lunch during a busy weekday. Their specials:

• Crunchy Momo
• Pork Chop
• Chicken Parmigiana

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) gained 8.15 points to close at 2,173.25 points on Tuesday. Similarly, the sensitive index surged by 2.53 points to close at 415. 54 points. Meanwhile, a total of 8,300,187 unit shares of 248 companies were traded for Rs 3. 00 billion. Meanwhile, Sanima GIC Insurance Limited was the top gainer today, with its price surging by 10. 00 percent. Mailung Khola Jal Vidhyut Company Limited was the top loser as its price fell by 5.48 percent. At the end of the day, total market capitalization stood at Rs 3. 13 trillion.

Sandipa Amgai, a 26-year-old taekwondo player from Chandragiri, Kathmandu, started training as an athlete at the age of 12, although her family was against it. Despite not having her family’s support, Amgai chose to remain persistent and is now one of the players representing Nepal in various international championships. Born and raised in Syuchatar, a village in Nagarjun Municipality, Kathmandu, Amgai’s fascination for taekwondo started after watching students from her village take classes every day, wearing ‘dobok’, the taekwondo uniform. “I always imagined myself wearing a dobok and practicing along with them,” she says. But her father, a retired army officer, never agreed to it. She says he was scared his daughter would get hurt. Amgai didn’t want to disobey her father, although she knew she wanted to become a taekwondo player. “I suppressed my feelings as a child and let myself believe that it was just a phase,” she says. However, the training took place near her house, and letting it go was easier said than done. She often daydreamed about becoming one of the trainees until one day she finally got a chance. In 2006, her father left for Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, and that, Amgai says, was an opportunity for her to secretly join a taekwondo class. “I had to convince my mother but it didn’t take very long and I began my training immediately,” she adds. She got enrolled in Kathmandu Taekwondo Dojang, a training institution in Bafal, Kalimati. “I attended classes early in the morning, and then I would go to school. I often missed the first period,” she says. Her instructors told her she was a quick learner. In a short period of time, Amgai made a lot of progress, and was also attending a closed training with the national team. The training went smoothly for one and a half years, until her father returned. “He eventually found out about my training and was furious,” she says. She was forced to quit her training mid-way. “I was devastated,” she says. She had to refrain from participating in several competitions. “Although he meant well and didn’t want to see me get hurt, a part of me was always disappointed,” she adds, “Because he never tried to understand my passion for taekwondo.” Amgai believed that to be the end, until her father went to Japan for work soon after his return from Dubai. “He knew I continued my training because I used to tell him about my achievements,” she says, “But he didn’t want to hear about it, let alone appreciate my efforts.” Soon after resuming her training, Amgai won a gold medal in the ‘First Youth Games’ that took place in 2008/09. That was the starting point, she says, because after that she got to participate in many national competitions. She came second in the Narayani Zonal Level Competition in 2009, bagged a gold medal in the Second Youth Games in 2010, and won first position in the first and second Nekos Taekwondo Championship organized by the Nepal Sports Federation. Although her father could never fully accept what she was doing, she says he eventually understood her love for taekwondo. He took her to Japan, hoping she would be able to participate in international championships. She completed high school, and also continued her training in King Bombs Dojang, a training institution in Tokyo, Japan. But it wasn’t until 2016 that she was able to compete internationally. She competed in the IFOTC Championship in Portland, USA and bagged a gold medal in 2016, won third place in the 20th Jordan Open Championship held in Barcelona, Spain in 2018, and a silver medal in the Sarawak Borneo Cup International Taekwondo Championship held in Malaysia in the same year. “During my first international competition in 2016, I was nervous and equally excited,” she says. “But I got used to the feeling after a few competitions.” During the lockdown, Amgai taught herself Pomsae, one of the techniques in taekwondo. “I watched several YouTube videos and mastered the trick,” she says. She won the gold medal in the Kathmandu Open Online Taekwondo Poomsae Championship held in 2020. Amgai also passed the International Online Referee Course in 2022 and was also one of the referees for the Virginia Cup held in the USA, and 3rd Mount Everest G-2 Taekwondo Championship held in Pokhara. She also passed the Level One Coaching Course from the USA the same year, and was the coach for the Nepalis team in the 11th Asian Junior Taekwondo Championship held in Vietnam, and a trainer at Everest Taekwondo Dojang and Sitapaila Taekwondo Dojang in Kathmandu. Currently, she is training in Japan, while preparing for a championship that is to be held in the USA. Besides Taekwondo, Amgai is also involved in social work. She has been supporting athletes from the Chepang Community in Chitwan, and has been providing financial assistance to several child care and old age homes in Nepal. In Oct 2022, she also gave self-defense training to the students of Rameshwari High School in Bungkot, Gorkha. She is also studying to become a software engineer, she confesses she has always wanted to hold a degree. “But I will not be leaving taekwondo,” she says. “Either as a player, a coach, or a referee, I will always be involved.”

Three houses were destroyed in the earthquake in Bajhang and Bajura on Tuesday. Two houses were destroyed in Badimalika Rural Municipality of Bajura. DSP Surya Thapa said that the houses of Harka Gurung and Harichand Padhyay were destroyed in the earthquake. He said that there were no human casualties. DSP Thapa said that police have not been able to contact the locals of Bichchaya, the epicenter of the earthquake. The snowfall coupled with rain has disrupted electricity and telephone service in Bajura since this morning. Likewise, the earthquake also destroyed a building in Bajhang. The Armed Police Force had been using that building. An earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale hit Bajura district at 2:43 pm today, National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Centre said.

A youth attempted self-immolation in New Baneshwor on Tuesday. Prem Acharya of Panchakanya, Ilam set himself on fire and attempted suicide this afternoon, Kathmandu District Police Range spokesperson Dinesh Raj Mainali said. Mainali said that he was rescued immediately and rushed to the Burn Hospital in Kirtipur. He said that they are looking into the case.  

US Ambassador to Nepal Dean R. Thompson paid a courtesy call on Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Rabi Lamichhane on Tuesday. During the meeting held at the Home Ministry, the two exchanged views on further strengthening the bilateral relations and mutual cooperation, according to the Secretariat of the Home Minister. Matters relating to the US support to Nepal’s infrastructure development, increment of people’s access to education and health sectors, mitigation of climate change impact, energy development and technology handover and so on were also discussed on the occasion. US Embassy deputy chief of mission Jason P. Meeks and representatives, and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs were also present in the meeting.  

Laxmi Intercontinental, the authorized distributor of Hyundai vehicles in Nepal, has launched the all-new Hyundai Venue in the Nepali market with a tagline- "New Style New Statement". The new Venue is among the first four-wheelers launched in the Nepali market after the government lifted import restrictions on automobiles in early December. "This brings lots of expectations and excitement in the Nepali auto sector and Hyundai Venue is sure to lead this journey," the company said in a press statement. The company said that after capturing the imagination of customers across Nepal with the earlier variants of Venue, it believes that the new and advanced All-New Hyundai Venue will set a new benchmark in the competitive compact SUV market. According to the statement, the new Venue has set new standards worldwide with its aesthetic design, features, performance and safety. The all-new Hyundai Venue is powered by a 1.2 L Petrol engine and 1.0 L Turbo engine that comes in 5-speed manual and 7-speed DCT respectively that carries a powerful punch. With a ground clearance of 195 mm, alloy wheels, puddle lamps & roof rail; the all-new Venue is perfectly suited for the city as well as adventurous drive. The redesigned parametric front chrome grille and The Shark Fin Antenna integrate well with the roof design and gives the all-new Venue a rich and sporty look that gives it a distinct edge over its competitors with its strong street presence. All-new Hyundai Venue comes equipped with an LED headlamp, an ergonomically designed driver seat, an 8’’ infotainment system, a cooled glove box, dual airbags, and a sunroof. The interior of the all-new Hyundai Venue feels luxurious and homely due to its spacious layout and two-tone Black Greige interiors. The compact SUV has alluring new features like a 60:40 split seat that expands the boot's space, a rear center armrest with a cup holder, two rear USB chargers, and a 2-step rear reclining seat that makes your driving experience more convenient and exhilarating. The all-new Venue also comes equipped with a rear parking assist camera, dual-zone climate control AC, a Tyre pressure monitoring system, electronic stability control, vehicle stability management, and hill assist control. The all-new Hyundai Venue comes in three variants E, S, and SX with the starting price set at Rs 3.996 million. The company said that Hyundai Venue is backed by excellent customer and after sales services. The company has a pan Nepal presence with 17 dealers and 19 Service Centres across the country for easy purchase as well as servicing of all Hyundai vehicles.