Submit your Article

Cleaning a home can be such an ordeal, especially during the dry season when everything tends to get dusty just a couple of hours after you have given it a good wipe-down. You wish you could close the windows but then the allure of a cross-breeze will tempt you to throw them wide open. Here are three simple hacks that can make keeping your house clean much easier than ever before. You will wish you had known them sooner.

 Dust like a pro so that you don’t have to dust more

When dusting, start at the highest point and work your way down. As you dust, particles will fall, so if you dust lower shelves before upper shelves, you will probably find yourself having to go over those lower shelves again. Create a simple cleaning solution of one part vinegar, two parts water, a dash of liquid soap, and some olive oil and keep this in a spray bottle. Use this on your surfaces when dusting. This will repel dust and keep your surfaces clean for a longer period. You can also use baby oil to bring back the shine on wooden and steel surfaces. Just add a drop or two on a microfiber cloth and polish away.

 Use a lint roller for hard-to-reach spots. You can use it to clean lampshades, upholstery, and curtains. Paintbrushes, in various sizes, can be great to clean the nooks and corners of small trinkets. When you are feeling extremely lazy to clean, put on a pair of socks on your hands and just run them over dusty surfaces like the window sill or the blinds.

 Make your home smell nice to give an illusion of cleanliness

A great smelling home can feel welcoming and nice. It lends it an air of freshness, which can give the impression of cleanliness. Take a cotton ball, soak it in essential oil, and drop it in random places, including the trash bin (underneath the liner or the bag). This is an easy and inexpensive odor-fighter that helps keep your house fresh as well as your trash from getting too pungent. We recommend rose or lavender essential oil as these ones smell really great.

 Alternatively, light scented candles or incense and keep them in various parts of the house. We don’t recommend air fresheners as these often have harsh chemicals that can mess with your hormones. Keep teabags in closets and other closed spaces that tend to give off a murky smell when they have been shut for too long. These are great to get rid of any trapped odor. If you aren’t a fan of scents, try to neutralize odor instead. Bags of activated charcoal in stench-prone areas, like the shoe cabinet or the laundry basket, can help.

 Remember there’s pretty much nothing baking soda can’t do

Baking powder is a gentle abrasive and a great deodorizer. It’s the one item that you must have in your cleaning supplies. You can get tannin stains off teaspoons and the inside of cups by rubbing them with a paste made up of baking soda and a little water. Use it to absorb food odors by keeping a napkin soaked in it inside the fridge. You can clean countertops, kitchen sinks, microwaves, and pots with a paste made of baking soda, dish soap, and water. Sprinkle baking soda on carpets, furniture, and even pet beds, leave it for 15 minutes and then vacuum thoroughly. To bring back the shine on your sterling silverwares, make up a paste (three parts baking soda to one part water) and apply with a soft cloth and then rinse.

Summer is here and I couldn’t be more grateful for longer days and shorter nights but the heat makes me not want to do things. It kind of limits the things me and my husband can do during the weekend. Hikes are out of question. So are picnics or short trips around Kathmandu because of all the pollution.

I find it difficult to concentrate so I feel listless during our weekly movie nights. My husband doesn’t like it when either the fan or the air conditioner is on. The room feels oppressive even with the windows open. The only thing I can seem to focus on are, thankfully, books. But even there, it seems like I have a certain preference. And I found out that it wasn’t just me.

I was talking to some colleagues recently and, while on the subject of books, they mentioned certain books made summer heat more bearable. Or so it seemed. Long, tragic stories were out and fun, lighthearted books were in. All of us liked reading something upbeat to tackle the monotony. We started giving each other recommendations of what we had enjoyed over the past couple of weeks and I thought it made for such a great list that I decided to share it.

So, this week, I bring to you some summer book recommendations, guaranteed to make you not regret skipping that family lunch or a day out with your friends and instead enjoy lounging in bed with a tall glass of iced tea next to you. Since most people I meet tend to like reading physical books compared to e-books, I’ve only included ones that can easily be found at local bookstores in this list. The five books here will fill your days with cheer and put you in a good mood.

Beach Read by Emily Henry

This is Emily Henry’s debut novel that came out in 2020. Since then, she’s gone on to publish a few other works but ‘Beach Read’ is arguably the most popular. We meet January Andrews, a romance writer, when she is given a key to her father’s secret beach house—one that he shared with another woman during his marriage. January heads there with hopes of using the time to write her next novel while clearing out the house. She finds out her college rival, Augustus Everett, lives next-door. Gus is a ‘serious’ writer who thinks romance is fickle. Since both of them are struggling with their work, they strike a deal—January must write a ‘serious’ novel while Gus must come up with something with a happy ending. Read the book to find out where that leads them and be ready to be sucked up in their world.

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

Rachel Chu has no idea just how filthy rich her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, is, when she agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with him and attend a family wedding. The culture shock she gets when she meets his family is made worse by the fact that Nick happens to be one of Asia’s most eligible bachelors. Then there’s Eleanor, Nick’s mother. She has strong feelings about the kind of woman her son should marry, and Rachel doesn’t fit the bill. Reading ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ feels a little like watching an Indian television serial. It has all the glamor, drama, gossip, and scheming—just perfect for a hot summer weekend. It’s outrageously funny, addictive, and filled with moments that will make you gasp in awe and surprise.  

Wicked by Gregory Maguire

While we were talking about books to read this summer, a lot of fantasy recommendations came up. Books by Sarah J. Maas and Sabaa Tahir came up quite a few times. But the one I chose to include in this list is ‘Wicked’ because all of us agreed it had an old-world charm and made most of us nostalgic about our childhoods. As children, most of us have read ‘The Wizard of Oz’. Wicked is a retelling of that favorite childhood story but from the perspective of the evil witch. When Dorothy triumphed over the Wicked Witch of the West in L. Frank Baum’s classic tale, we heard only her side of the story. In Wicked, you meet her arch-nemesis, the mysterious witch. You find out where she came from and what made her who she is. It’s a stunning novel full of rich imagery that will hook you from the first page.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

I loved ‘Twilight’ when it first came out. The first book in a four-part series, Twilight, is a love story of Edward and Bella. Only Edward is a vampire and Bella is human. I know a lot of people hate this book. The writing is bad, they say. The story is so cliché, others add. But it’s guaranteed to take your mind off the heat because there is drama and suspense at every turn. It’s easy to put yourself in Bella’s shoes and be swayed by an idea of romance that is so insane that you wish for it to be true. An element of thrill is added when the vampire community considers Bella to be a threat and wants to end her. Twilight then shifts from a pleasantly chilling love story to a taut chase thriller. The tension levels escalate as Bella’s hunter closes in and the stakes for her survival become high.

The Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Though all the books on this list are light and fun, ‘The Confessions of a Shopaholic’ by Sophie Kinsella will have you in splits. Alternatively titled ‘Confessions of a Shopaholic’ the story follows Rebecca (Becky) Bloomwood who loves to shop. Whether she can afford it is another matter altogether. Becky is a financial journalist. She tells other people how to manage their money. In reality, she doesn’t have a grip on her finances. The answer to all her problems is retail therapy. She knows it’s not a good habit but she can’t stop. This gets her in messy situations which get even messier when she tries to find a way out of them. The Confessions of a Shopaholic is the first book in the series so there’s more in store for you if you feel like you haven’t had enough after reading the book.

Labor Day is a time to recognize and celebrate the contributions of workers in our society. While a day to honor the laborers is a good thing, its significance can be diminished if there’s a lack of tangible support or services throughout the year. Rastrika Shakya from ApEx talked to three people to find out what changes they would like to see so that life can be better.

Lok Bahadur Shrestha, 53

I’m originally from Ramechhap, and I’ve been working as a laborer in Lalitpur for the past 30 years. I earn a basic income and provide for my family’s basic needs. To me, no work is too big or too small. Every job deserves equal respect.

I’ve never celebrated Labor Day. Work is essential for sustaining our lives, and although I’ve heard of Labor Day, I’ve never taken a holiday from work for it. We survive on a basic wage, so even one day’s pay is valuable to us. It’s disheartening to see the lack of government support for laborers like myself. The government should provide us with services and ensure our safety. I’m not a member of the worker’s union. I’ve heard they provide services, but I’ve never seen them in action, so I don’t really trust them, and I’m not involved with them either.

Lok B Shrestha, 32

I’ve been working at a catering service for three years now. For me, anything that contributes to making a living is work, and it requires hard work. I help out at a catering service, and the income I earn is sufficient to support my family. However, our work isn’t permanent, and it’s not consistent. We work based on people’s needs. There are days when I work, but there might not be any work the next day, which can be challenging. I hope for better income opportunities for us. We rely on a basic income, but I wish for more stability. I want my children to have good opportunities, which require a good education, and that requires money. Labor Day holidays are appreciated, but we need more ongoing assistance and support.

Yubraj Shrestha, 35

I’ve been working as a laborer for the past six years. For me, work is simply a means to live, to survive, really. I don’t possess any other skills to earn money, so working as a laborer is my only option. I provide for my family with the basic wages I earn. Sometimes, I even take loans just to get by. I’m doing my best to educate my children with the limited income I have.

I wish governments would provide us with skillful training, services, and employment opportunities that would enable us to earn a decent income. I want to be able to provide a good education for my children. Laborers want to feel respected by society too. That’s something I truly wish for.

Education is the foundation of personal growth and empowerment, enabling people to pursue their aspirations and make meaningful contributions to society. But is education in Nepal shaping our futures in the way it should and putting us on the right track? Rastrika Shakya from ApEx talked to three people to find out what changes they would like to see in our education system.

Preeti Karniyar

When it comes to recognizing the current challenges and opportunities, there are various potential areas to focus on such as infrastructure development, vocational training, community engagement, and teacher training. But, in my opinion, curriculum enhancement is one of the most important areas, as it reflects our education standards.

Moreover, with modern educational practices and standards, integrating technology into the curriculum could help students develop digital literacy skills and opportunities for the coming days of artificial intelligence. Enhancing the curriculum offers students with interdisciplinary learning opportunities that indirectly help develop creative and critical thinking skills.

Pushpa Bhandari

The recent appointment of Sumana Shrestha as the education minister is promising. In comparison to the past, education in Nepal is a lot better. The free and compulsory education act ensures that students across Nepal receive basic education. Kathmandu mayor Balen Shah has created the provision of scholarships for high school students, and many institutions have been authorized to run international courses such as the IB and A levels. But there are still some gaps and loopholes in the education system. As a BA student under the TU curriculum, I constantly find my exams being delayed and results being published late. In many cases, exam papers have been lost and all of that is extremely disheartening.

Krish Dangol

Nepal’s education system is progressing, with increasing awareness among people about the importance of education. However, the country’s diverse socio economic landscape presents challenges, as not everyone can afford the expenses associated with good education. It’s concerning to observe schools imposing high fees under various guises such as sports, transportation, and library charges, even at the primary level, which is unacceptable.

One crucial change I would like to see is reforming the education system to ensure that every individual, regardless of their background, has access to quality education. Education is a fundamental right for all, and it’s imperative to provide adequate facilities and ensure accessibility for students despite their backgrounds.