I wish...

Hey readers,

Turning 22 this week has had me not thinking but rather wishing things I could have. No, it is not something I wish to have as a gift but something I could have had education-wise. Don’t get me wrong, my parents gave me the best education that helps me think and ask questions like why and why not which I think is the only purpose of educating a person. To make people ponder on how and why the things work like they do- in short to get your thought process working is the purpose of education, rest is the easy road to travel. So today I’m going to state things I wish were different or that they were practiced when I was in school.

I wish we had more assistance from the education system for opting the correct career. Career is something one has to live with and for their entire life. It’s connected with the passion and desire that drives a person. To recognize such passion in young age where chatting on messaging platforms, hanging out with friends and being cool is more interesting than choosing the right career path is really difficult.

I wish that my school had more options than plain bland options like Commerce/ Science / Arts where we could choose individual subjects that entices us and venture more in self development of our inherent skills. A combined syllabus where I could learn physics along with literature and finance, rather than being defined by the stream of course that I have to opt.

I wish we had a Career Day somewhere in 7th/ 8th grade where people could guide us how we can transform our talents into career options and possible ways to pursue it. To know that there are different careers other than engineering, doctor, accountant or banking would have been a blessing and I bet there are many kids out there who are clueless about what they should pursue and worse cases are those who follow their friends or relatives’ career.

So for the parents, elder brothers and sisters, uncle-aunties... whoever is out there to care for the young minds of your family, help them find their passion. They might not know but they do need your guidance. Sometimes finding what their passion is difficult for kids because they don’t understand the depth of that word/ phrase.  Instead ask them to identify their favorite thing to do, something that gives them joy and for which they won’t mind taking time out from their schedules. For instance, Watching T.V is not a thing but loving to watch Witty advertisement can lead you to career option like making such ads. Search about it. Find out if it’s your cup of tea. If not then don’t fret, move on to another interest. You are too young and have enough time to stumble upon the correct one.

So I end my post by wishing you a good day and a very bright future ahead.

Have a quirky wicked day, readers !

Lost in time

Hey readers,

First of all, wish you very happy New Year readers and may you have a fulfilling year ahead. As the New Year begins, we like to reflect on the time in the past and this post does exactly the same thing.

Few days ago me and my nephew found an old toy truck- a companion of my early days of life and couldn't stop from reminiscing the things that I used to do at his age. While I was listing things, I realized he has neither done nor experienced those things and my best childhood memories are lost in time. It was difficult making him understand few things that he has never heard of or either seen. I suddenly had an urge to think about the things lost in time now...And here are few that were frequent items in my childhood.

Chocolate coins:

They used to be stored in a jar and just the sight of them awoke Alibaba in the kids and these coin chocolates became their treasure to be guarded with life whenever bought for them. Peeling the foil and eating them while smearing the face with chocolate!! It still does look like a treasure to unravel and teasing me sitting in this picture. I wonder where can I get a handful of these ! Yum !!

Tazo :

Now these were a huge craze in my time. They ruled the market before Bay-blades and Doremon. As far as I can remember they used to come as freebies in Cheetos. Collecting them with passion, sulking when got the same character and later exchanging it for a different one. But apart from this, the ultimate part was battle of Tazos, where if won, could earn tazo of the loser. Ah! Golden time!!!

Fountain pen:

I first held a fountain pen in my fifth grade, hand-down by my brother who told me to guard it with my life and as typical me I didn't ( still holding a grudge ! ). Writing with ink pen was so common those days. Men having a ink blotch near their pocket due to leak, ink in the pen finishing while we are half way through the exam papers and realizing we didn't bring a spare one, splashing ink on someone who coincidentally happened to be dressed in white (Yikes !!),etc were few most hilarious moment connected to it. I'm sure others might have had at least one of these experiences in firsthand

Cassette/ Walkman :

Before smart phones or mobile with FM were invented, these were the loyal companions of the commuters. Sometimes while listening to the songs, they would start sounding funny (the strip comes out of the cassette track) and the singer suddenly develops chipmunk voice!!

Mario/ Tank/ Shaktimaan/ Mowgli/ The Flinstones :

 These were my favorite summer pastime with my elder brother. We used to wait for my mom to leave for work and then sneak out these video games- mario & tank. I personally never liked tank, because I sucked at it and still do. But that was the fun part as I would challenge my brother for next day and the chain goes on. Mowgli and Shaktimaan were the only shows I used to watch on DD One channel. Mimicking Shaktimaan by spinning around with mom's red dupatta tied around the neck like cape and singing the intro song of Mowgli are the instant memories cropping up when remembering them.

Milton bottles:

The company is still working but they have changed the appearance of the bottles with the changing times. But I miss the bottles that we used to hang around our neck and used to have the cap of the bottle chained to the bottle itself. The image shown beside is the standard water bottle we used to carry in the school and due to identical bottles, our mothers would ink our name at bottom of the bottle or on its body. The best feature of these bottles was that they were handy in fights too as they were damn heavy with water filled in it.

Big babol/ Kismi/ Nutties/ Pop rocks candy :

Please note that mentioning these candies has nothing to do with my growling hunger!! These candies are not yet extinct in the market…Thank god for that ! But are not easy to get a hand on them. Recently I saw the advertisement of Kismi and I hope to find them in my nearby stores soon. In this list I have my favorite - POP ROCKS (hands-down winner!!). How can someone not love a candy that pop like crackers in your mouth? Must try list! If see any of these in the stores, do not hesitate to buy. You will love them- my guarantee!!

Personal letters :

This is the last one.

An emotional one.

I remember when I was 1st taught to write a letter, we were given homework in the following holidays to write one to our grandparents. I didn't post it as they lived within 10 minutes drive. But I did write a letter and handed it to them and they were so delighted. I can still remember their happy faces. I was so proud…Hehe... Innocent but proud. I cannot find kids doing these things anymore. I wonder why anyone wouldn’t want to see such faces lit with pure love and adoration anymore.

 Here is a short poem “How to write a letter “by Elizabeth Turner-

Maria intended a letter to write,

But could not begin (as she thought) to incite,

So went to her mother with pencil and slate,

Containing "Dear Sister," and also a date.

"With nothing to say, my dear girl, do not think

Of wasting your time over paper and ink;

But certainly this is an excellent way,

To try with your slate to find something to say.

"I will give you a rule," said her mother, "my dear,

Just think for a moment your sister is here:

And what would you tell her? Consider, and then,

Though silent your tongue, you can speak with your pen."

 You can always look back in past but do not dwell on changing the present in accordance to better times spent in the past. Because always remember if Cinderella went back to pick up her shoes, then she wouldn't have become a princess. 

On this emotional note, I take a leave and end my post here.

Until next time...

Have a quirky wicked day, readers!

P.S - Changed above line from 'have a wicked day, readers' to 'have a quirky wicked day, readers’. New Year resolution- Maintain originality. 

What's yours?