Girl on the move

Now I don't know how many of you remember the 80s American comedy-drama called The Wonder Years, but it sure was a major part of my childhood when they re-aired it in the 90s. A few weeks back however, I stumbled upon something that reminded me of a scene from the popular show and a few clicks later I found myself going down the memory lane with Kevin, Paul and Winnie. Few series have been able to capture the pain and triumph of the adolescence as The Wonder Years, and fewer still, have been able to touch the audience at those sensitive spots in their hearts. 


Watching the show again made me feel like I was missing out on so much. I mean seriously, where's the life? We've all turned into this crazy technology driven race with close to no touch with what matters. We've accepted the virtual as the truth. I've been in Singapore for over 2 years now and I can honestly say that if this race were devoid of all the miracles of modern day science, they'd literally just be clueless on how to get on with life. For instance, I travel on the subway quite frequently and all I see are these zombies trudging to work. There is absolutely no sense of community, everyone is drowning into their own gadgets without giving so much as a passing glance to their fellow commuters.


Where're those close circle of friends, the actual conversations, the running in the streets, the waiting for a  post-card from a long distance friend, the genuine happiness on reconnecting with a loved one, the picnics, the innocence of discovering life at its own pace..


I'd personally be lost without my PC (I'd also be out of work), but that's not even the sad bit. I've witnessed parents exposing their infants to apps on their iphones and ipads, i mean  seriously! What about the good old fashioned legos and train sets? 
I wish life were simpler again..




All right maybe the song was a tad bit too depressing but hello! it's been raining 9 hours straight now and rain makes me gloomy and cranky :\ 

A kanger, kangri, or kangar, a pot filled with hot embers used by Kashmiris beneath their traditional clothing to keep the chill at bay

The pinkish colored salted tea called "noon chai" or "sheer chai"

The traditional kashmiri green tea made with saffron, spices, and almonds or walnuts, here served with one of many forms of mouth savoring Kashmiri breads.

The traditional winter wear: Pheren

Haven't we all faced this question like a gazzilion times when we were young? Often drove me crazy cuz I never really knew what to answer. I wanted to be so many different things at once. Here's a list of my standard replies over the years:


1. Pilot - I loved the uniform. But dropped the idea eventually when I realized that pilots are actually supposed to fly, at a great height above the ground, which even my 6-year old brain could associate with an enormous risk of falling down.




2. Neurologist - Quite a leap I must say. I got this fun-science book on the human body for Christmas (among other cool things okay? I wasn't a nerd) when I was 10 I think, and in that book, I read this term and many fascinating things about this term that went straight over my head but it all sounded so impressive that I just had to pose it as my most probable career option.




3. Pediatrician - By now, I knew what a neurologist actually did and how complex a human brain actually was, and not to forget, I'd gauged exactly how lazy I'd become, so my work had to be a little more fun than that, and kids are fun! As long as I still got to be a smart-ass doctor, who cared?


4. Private Detective - This was the phase where I was on an over-dose of those Enid Blyton books (Famous Five, Secret Seven, The Mystery Series n all), not to forget, the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes. All in all, I was quite ready to start my own Private Eye Co. I only needed an office, a desk, a magnifying glass and an overcoat. But I never got any of those, so my dream remained a dream *touche*
5. Veterinarian-  I'm mad about animals, love every one of them!! Even the pigs! With their stubby lil noses and cute lil feet which makes it look like they're walking on high heels (anyone ever notice this?) We didn't have a pet when I was really young so I made friends with a few street dogs, they used to follow me back home and I used to feed them. I even had a name for all of them. We moved to a new location eventually though, but on the plus side, I got to have my very own german shepherd! :)
6. Wildlife Conservationist - To be quite honest, this dream still remains. I'm sure all of us have been hooked to one of those discovery channel or national geographic channel shows where those awesome people get down into the woods, saving animals, protecting the forests, with all their cool gadgets and amazing skills and non-exhaustive knowledge about every leaf in vicinity. Ah, that would be such a life.


7. Computer Engineer-  Reality Check! Med School was way too long for my liking and everything else too vague. Although this was never my reply to the above question at any point of time, but this is exactly what I'll end up being when I graduate college next year. Oh well.






8. Restaurant Chain Owner-  but guess what, I'm still dreaming!! :D so considering how interested I am in my own field, I'm probably gonna stick around for just as long as I earn myself enough independence and security, and then I'll spend all my time and effort on my ultimate love - FOOD!! given of course that I don't change my mind by then, which is a hard thing for me to guarantee.
So tell me...what are all the wildest/weirdest/variant career prospects that you've considered in your life, or are you the with a one-track mind who always knew what you wanted? :)