This story dates back to a mildly cold night in October 1985; to be precise, October 25th, 1985, 2100 hrs.
Ladies and Gentlemen, this was the day and time when 'I' was born.
Like every other parent, my folks too, were thoroughly excited about my arrival, celebrations were underway and congratulatory messages were being passed around.
Again, like every other child, no stones were left un-turned in ensuring that I was being loved, cared for and raised to be the knight in shining armor to my parents. I am in Dubai, the land of gold, and so the shining armor part has probably been taken care of. But knight?; I doubt.
I was born to a Naval officer and a school teacher. Both well qualified and achievers in whatever field they chose.
My journey back then, was only beginning. Little did I know what sort of a roller coaster ride it would turn out to be.
My mother always told me and probably still maintains that as a kid, I was always ahead of my class. Be it sports, extra-curricular activities or even academics, I was always there. Surprisingly for me, I always notched that first prize. They said that if I came home after an exam and seemed worried about that one question, it would always turn out that I would have only just missed that one answer in my test. Irony is, I don't know where that part of me has vanished. That zeal for success, that thirst to be amongst the best; where did it go?. Where did I lose my 'SELF'?
As days and years passed by, a part of my original 'SELF' seemed to be fading away into the dark.
I went from bright and over achieving in primary school, to meagre and average in middle school, to even barely achieving or in some cases, a total failure by the time I got to high school and graduation.
Now I would understand if academics was the only lacking point. Maybe I wasn't all that bright after all. I may have mastered primary school but maybe my brain was not designed for the later levels of education. The funny part here is that along with academics, went extra-curricular and sports too.
It was, but with great difficulty that I managed to scrape past school and college. I thought the world was mine when I finished my graduation after a shameless 7 year period. What I did not realize at that point was that in the time that I finished my graduation, people generally finished a masters and probably also a doctorate.
Nonetheless, the drive to move on and make a living, took me into the world of call centers.
It was awesome; it was different. There was this sense of freedom associated with being able to pay for your meals. Once again, I made the mistake of believing that this was 'IT'. I believed that I had gotten past the education phase, had started earning and so everything would be smooth sailing from here. Little did I know that I was heading down a river that lead to a waterfall.
It was in the late 2000's that I finally decided that enough was enough and that I had to start catching up with friends and peers before I got completely left out in this race of life.
With bags packed and ambitions on full throttle I set foot into Dubai. A place where I thought I would never fit in.
Like every other person who has maybe lost out on a lot in life, I only wanted to make up for lost time. Career options were varied and vast but I decided to follow my education and enter the field of mechanics, air conditioning and construction.
Now I wouldn't say that I didn't try. I made every effort to excel. But somehow from deep inside I kept feeling that something was missing. That I was missing a part of my 'SELF'.
Four years in the Gulf and four different jobs later, I am still searching. I have a secured job. If I channelize my focus and make an effort I might succeed. But in all this, I just don't see my 'SELF'.
Heart in heart, I want to do a lot of other things. I want to venture into a different stream, want to attain that other degree which may help me get a job that I would perhaps enjoy; a job where excellence would come naturally. A profession where I would find my 'SELF'.
With every passing day, I am growing older. If I don't act fast, it might be too late. I definitely do not wish to see myself whining about my job and life when i'm headed for retirement.
I wish to follow a career path where I felt like my 'SELF' and not the person that I have transformed into.
I want to move out;Canada has been a dream destination for me. I want to go and explore my opportunities. I want to LIVE the LIFE that I have ALWAYS wanted.
How and when?; well that remains a mystery. If life has taught me anything then it is this; you can plan all you want or try as hard as you wish, but you will undoubtedly, always get what you are destined for. People might say loads of crap about hard work and determination but then what they miss out on is the factor called luck and something called fate.
To keep things short and to avoid the reader from falling off to sleep, i'll put an end to my life's miseries.
I probably have missed out on mentioning certain details but that's okay. I'm sure you get the picture.
As for now, I'll settle down into bed for the night. I can always resume the hunt for my 'SELF' tomorrow!
Ladies and Gentlemen, this was the day and time when 'I' was born.
Like every other parent, my folks too, were thoroughly excited about my arrival, celebrations were underway and congratulatory messages were being passed around.
Again, like every other child, no stones were left un-turned in ensuring that I was being loved, cared for and raised to be the knight in shining armor to my parents. I am in Dubai, the land of gold, and so the shining armor part has probably been taken care of. But knight?; I doubt.
I was born to a Naval officer and a school teacher. Both well qualified and achievers in whatever field they chose.
My journey back then, was only beginning. Little did I know what sort of a roller coaster ride it would turn out to be.
My mother always told me and probably still maintains that as a kid, I was always ahead of my class. Be it sports, extra-curricular activities or even academics, I was always there. Surprisingly for me, I always notched that first prize. They said that if I came home after an exam and seemed worried about that one question, it would always turn out that I would have only just missed that one answer in my test. Irony is, I don't know where that part of me has vanished. That zeal for success, that thirst to be amongst the best; where did it go?. Where did I lose my 'SELF'?
As days and years passed by, a part of my original 'SELF' seemed to be fading away into the dark.
I went from bright and over achieving in primary school, to meagre and average in middle school, to even barely achieving or in some cases, a total failure by the time I got to high school and graduation.
Now I would understand if academics was the only lacking point. Maybe I wasn't all that bright after all. I may have mastered primary school but maybe my brain was not designed for the later levels of education. The funny part here is that along with academics, went extra-curricular and sports too.
It was, but with great difficulty that I managed to scrape past school and college. I thought the world was mine when I finished my graduation after a shameless 7 year period. What I did not realize at that point was that in the time that I finished my graduation, people generally finished a masters and probably also a doctorate.
Nonetheless, the drive to move on and make a living, took me into the world of call centers.
It was awesome; it was different. There was this sense of freedom associated with being able to pay for your meals. Once again, I made the mistake of believing that this was 'IT'. I believed that I had gotten past the education phase, had started earning and so everything would be smooth sailing from here. Little did I know that I was heading down a river that lead to a waterfall.
It was in the late 2000's that I finally decided that enough was enough and that I had to start catching up with friends and peers before I got completely left out in this race of life.
With bags packed and ambitions on full throttle I set foot into Dubai. A place where I thought I would never fit in.
Like every other person who has maybe lost out on a lot in life, I only wanted to make up for lost time. Career options were varied and vast but I decided to follow my education and enter the field of mechanics, air conditioning and construction.
Now I wouldn't say that I didn't try. I made every effort to excel. But somehow from deep inside I kept feeling that something was missing. That I was missing a part of my 'SELF'.
Four years in the Gulf and four different jobs later, I am still searching. I have a secured job. If I channelize my focus and make an effort I might succeed. But in all this, I just don't see my 'SELF'.
Heart in heart, I want to do a lot of other things. I want to venture into a different stream, want to attain that other degree which may help me get a job that I would perhaps enjoy; a job where excellence would come naturally. A profession where I would find my 'SELF'.
With every passing day, I am growing older. If I don't act fast, it might be too late. I definitely do not wish to see myself whining about my job and life when i'm headed for retirement.
I wish to follow a career path where I felt like my 'SELF' and not the person that I have transformed into.
I want to move out;Canada has been a dream destination for me. I want to go and explore my opportunities. I want to LIVE the LIFE that I have ALWAYS wanted.
How and when?; well that remains a mystery. If life has taught me anything then it is this; you can plan all you want or try as hard as you wish, but you will undoubtedly, always get what you are destined for. People might say loads of crap about hard work and determination but then what they miss out on is the factor called luck and something called fate.
To keep things short and to avoid the reader from falling off to sleep, i'll put an end to my life's miseries.
I probably have missed out on mentioning certain details but that's okay. I'm sure you get the picture.
As for now, I'll settle down into bed for the night. I can always resume the hunt for my 'SELF' tomorrow!
