As time goes by

Think about how your priorities change as time goes by. When I was a kid, all that mattered was playing Barbie with my little sister and constructing the doll house (which was made out of a cardboard box with floors put up sealed with cellotape). My brother would occassionally come by and be the tornado - literally ploughing through the house and upsetting his elder sisters. Nothing would give him more pleasure.

Now we've all grown up. And what are the things that concern us?

Do I have a good healthcare package? Do I get enough leave? Do I have enough money for my loan installments?

Not that worry is the only thing attached with adulthood. I often say that adults are children who pay taxes (under duress). We have a great time as well. We go off on holidays, trek, we are up and away whenever we want to have dinner out, we can buy chocolate whenever we want, we can watch whatever we want.

Ofcourse all this is subject to your purse strings. Now my job don't pay me that well. But I have the most awesome leave scenario. Not that I can take all the leave I want, but if I do all my work on time and keep my nose clean, I will be able to enjoy what I like doing best - read, travel and trek.

Thankfully at least in India, these things don't require too much money. I do like going out to eat occassionally, but after a while you do crave for ghar ka khana.

Plus, things have changed so much since a decade back. I think I thought it was best reflected in a movie I saw called The Pink Panther movie when Steve Martin is asked if he gets bored living alone; Steve Martin's reply was "Not since the Internet" (in a French accent ofcourse).

The world has become flat - or hot, flat and crowded as Friedman would say. Communications are now so damn simple that it's difficult to explain to your 80 year old grandfather how you can speak to your sister whose in the United States for free through google talk for over an hour and how you can hear her just by looking at the laptop. Even I can't explain it. But technology is phenomenal.

I'm sure someone somewhere has composed a song "As time goes by". I hope I get to hear it. :) But one thing my Mom keeps telling me - you never really grow up. You're still the same kid at heart.