Author Archives: One Change At A Time

05.11.11
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What occupation did you want as a child?

As a child, I was determined to become a doctor. No, my parents never planted that thought in my head. I still remember that day in my third grade class when my teacher asked us to draw what we wanted to become when we grew up and I drew a girl in a white coat with a stethoscope hanging around her neck. I also clearly remember being very happy drawing that and knew in my heart there was a very very good chance I would become one because I always wanted to help people, save lives and service humanity. Up until the tenth grade, Biology was my favorite subject after Math. Number 3 spot was shared by Physics and Chemistry.

In the Indian school system, after the tenth grade exams, you graduate from school and enter what we call “Junior College” which is 2 years of education before picking your undergrad major. I did really well in my exams and scored 97% in Biology and overall an A grade in my marksheet which gave me the luxury of picking the college I wanted.

After a lot of thinking, I decided not to pick Biology because I could not see myself dissecting a rat or a bird. At first I was a bit disappointed in myself but then soon I realized that there were many other ways to help people, save lives and serve humanity.Then after my twelfth grade exams, I wanted to study aeronautics/astronomy. I really did. If you remember, in one my earlier posts on the moon, I mentioned that I have always been fascinated by the moon and ET space itself. This time, it also seemed doable. There was nothing I could think of as a hindrance in achieving this dream. I forgot 2 things:

  1. There wasn’t at that time, any university which offered a good (if any) program for astronomy or aeronautics in India.
  2. My parents were not going to let their 18 year old go all the way to the US to get a degree in a field for which they saw no job possibilities back in India.

So there I was, trying so hard to convince my parents to send me to Georgia Tech, one of the top 3 universities at that time for this program. In the end, it was 2 against 1 and I conceded to my parents’ wishes. That’s an Indian cultural thing, especially for daughters.

Finally I chose telecommunications and became an engineer and today I absolutely love what I am doing :) No regrets, no disappointments.

What occupation did you want as a child?

03.22.11
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Happy World Poetry Day

In honor of World Poetry Day (March 21st), I am sharing a poem by William Wordsworth:

London, 1802

by: William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

MILTON! thou shouldst be living at this hour:
England hath need of thee: she is a fen
Of stagnant waters: altar, sword, and pen,
Fireside, the heroic wealth of hall and bower,
Have forfeited their ancient English dower
Of inward happiness. We are selfish men;
Oh! raise us up, return to us again;
And give us manners, virtue, freedom, power.
Thy soul was like a Star, and dwelt apart:
Thou hadst a voice whose sound was like the sea:
Pure as the naked heavens, majestic, free,
So didst thou travel on life’s common way,
In cheerful godliness; and yet thy heart
The lowliest duties on herself did lay.

Find out more about the great poet here: William Wordsworth

03.11.11
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2 Minutes Of Silence

Dear readers,

Let’s send out prayers, love and much needed strength for our brothers and sisters in Japan and other parts of the world that have been affected by the earthquake and tsunami.

Let’s spend 2 minutes in silence and pray for them. May God be with them in their hour of need. May He comfort them and give them strength to get through this.

Thank you all for joining me.

03.03.11
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Olly The Owl Talks About Doctor (W)Hoo

I am overcome with exhilaration right now as I write my first post for “All of time and space”.

Earlier this evening, as I sat on my couch thinking about what topic to pick, a topic that would make a good first post by me, Olly my cute lil owly that usually keeps me company at home suggested I write about Doctor (W)hoo. I smiled, of course it had to be Doctor Who…. So in honor of the author of this wonderful blog – doctorwhofan98, I decided to dedicate my first post to Doctor Who.

Olly the Owly

Doctor Who and TARDIS in the background

I was reading up on Doctor Who and found some cool trivia on the series.

  • TARDIS, an acronym for Time And Relative Dimension(s) in Space – a time machine which on the outside looks like a blue 1950s British police box
  • It is the longest running science fiction (sci-fi) television show in the world
  • Apparently, it is also the most successful sci-fi series of all time
  • The character of the “Doctor” has been played by 11 actors
  • Doctor Who first appeared on BBC on November 23, 1963
  • This show’s audience ranges from children, adults, family, to scifi fans
  • As a Time Lord, the Doctor has the ability to regenerate his body when near death
  • The doctor always shares his adventures with about three companions

I am sure Doctor Who’s fan will have more cool information to share with us :)

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