Thursday, 2 February 2023

17 again

Every Thursday, I felt extremely nostalgic, thanks to social media and the internet. The term #throwbackthursday is first popularized by the Kardashians by posting their old photos on Twitter and social media. It can be either food, movies, music, photos etc. This year, I am going to write a special blog dedicated to Nostalgia.

It was back in the year 2005, I was just a 17 year old girl studying in Class 10. At the same time, Shummi was in her 2nd year of engineering at MIT (Printing and Media Engineering). Afsha was in the 1st semester of MBBS, Afrah was in the 8th standard  wheras all our cousins are in MIT except for Imran (who is in Nitte) and Hanan (who started her B.sc in audiology) whereas Deena, Samreen and Nawal were just kids; we also had a pet dog named Spike as well as our servant Reshma. It was also a time when smartphones and  Twitter doesn't exist (it was launched a year later in 2006), YouTube was launched whereas Facebook is in its inital stages, the days of cable tv, MTV, VH1, DVDs, reality tv shows, The O.C., Our obsession with the sitcom  F.R.I.E.N.D.S, Ekta Kapoor's stupid serials, Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, American Idol, Indian Idol (in which Abhijith Sawant won), George W. Bush, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston's divorce, SaniaMania, Emergence of M.S. Dhoni, Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter books and movies, Sidney Shelon novels, Sonu Nigam's Chanda ki Doli, low waist jeans, Emraan Hashmi and  Himesh Reshammiya ruling Bollywood through their movies and  songs, playing songs in the car, Kajra re, Nokia, Motorola and Sony Ericsson cell phones, Windows XP, Windows Media Player, Winamp, flash games, the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Internet Explorer  etc. It is also a time when my house underwent rennovation, my mom and dad as well as Aman Chacha and Rasheeda Auntry celebrated their 25th wedding anniversaries on the 25th and the 26th of May in the same year with an awful lunch at LX Brassiere in Udupi. 

The best part of 2005 was in the months of September, November and December when all the family members went to Kudremukh for the picnic; this was then followed by daddy coming home for the vacations from Bahrain. Then, we went to Bangalore to stay at bade dadi's house as well as visiting Bangerghatta and a trip  to Sagar in Shimoga to meet our family friend, Prakash as well as his family who were residing in Sagar, which is near to the Jog falls. One month later, we celebrated Nawal's birthday at our house with a visit to Malpe beach with all the family members. Then a few days later, Afrah, Afsha and Dolly came to our house to stay with us as well as to celebrate Afrah's birthday. On the day of Afrah's birthday (17 December), we went to Planet Cafe in Manipal and we had nice and juicy burgers. Then on the same day, we roamed all around Udupi and Manipal and in the evening at home Shummi, Afrah, Afsha and me danced all night with lots of fun and hungama. Then the next day, we went to hotspot for some yummy dishes like chicken curry and kerala parotta and on the same day, Afrah and Afsha went back home. Then the year ended with lot of shopping and a visit to Udupi Utsav as well as the new year celebrations near to our home (now this place is occupied by an apartment).













I MISS 2005!!!!!!









Wednesday, 15 December 2021

A Picnic to remember

Picnics, one of the most cherished things and pastimes ever in our daily lives are fast disappearing due to the recent COVID - 19 pandemic, declining family values, addiction to technology (particularly smartphones and the internet), rapid urbanization, a busy but sedentary lifestyle and globalization. Picnics can be of anything, be it school, college (in the term of field trip), corporate (in the term of team outing) as well as involving family members, friends and neighbors. Any child, who grew up in the 1980s, 1990s and the early 2000s would remember those fantastic and  memorable picnics destination, be it a hill station,a  zoo, a beach or even a park. This time, I will be going back in time i.e., in my class 4  school picnic, which was considered as the best one in my life. 

It was back in the year 1998, I was just a 10 year old and a 4th standard  kid in the Indian School Bahrain (4K) (at that time, there was no social media, internet, smartphones). In the beginning, Our class teacher, Stella teacher made an announcement to all the friends and classmates of Standard 4K about a picnic field trip to the Italian Circus and many of my friends are very excited about it. For that, we have to pay 10 dinars for the trip. Then on Tuesday, May 12th 1998, it was the day of the trip and all my friends and classmates are extremely excited about going to the circus, so there is no class at that same time,  but we concluded the class with only 4 subjects each. After all the classes for the 4 subjects are over, we got ready for the picnic i.e., field trip for the circus. Immediately after reaching the circus, all the 4th standard children  along with their class teachers of all classes screamed as they reached the circus and then the show started. It began with an acrobatic performances of the circus acrobats, which was then followed by animal performing  various stunts, clowns doing the comedy sketches, juggling and funny pranks, as well as magic shows and tightrope walkers When the first interval is almost over, all the kids and teachers had a lunch, which was then followed by a second interval, which consists of mainly acrobatic performances again, as well as unicyclists,  trapezes, dance acts etc. with a grand finale of all the performers bidding farewell to the show. the show ended and the kids and class teachers went back to school and their respective classes.

Fast forward to 2021, we are all gown up, married with our kids, social media and the internet invaded our lives as well as the COVID -19 pandemic. Once the pandemic gets over, we will plan for a picnic, travel abroad for the holidays. get a job as well as to shun social media and plan a picnic in the near future. 



Wednesday, 14 July 2021

My first COVID 19 vaccine

On  the night of March 31st 2021, me, Aftab and Aymaan left Bangalore for Udupi for summer holidays as well as taking my 1st COVID-19 vaccine shot, spending Ramadan and Eid with my parents as travelling during COVID - 19  pandemic is very dangerous but luckily we traveled before the 2nd wave of COVID - 19 started in April. On the morning of the next day, we reached Udupi on the morning of the next next day (April 1st 2021). For four days, we spent all the time going to the nearby Malpe beach (when Aymaan got scared of the sea water) and enjoying a chicken tikka party until Aftab left for Bangalore on Sunday evening (April 4th 2021).

Searching and waiting for the vaccination center

Earlier, both my mom and dad got their COVID-19 jabs twice (one in January and another in April) at T.M.A Pai Hospital in Udupi, it was also my turn to get the jab at the same hospital. When the news of the COVID -19 vaccine for the age group of 18 - 44  is announced by the government  in the month of April (starting from May 1st), I felt very happy and delighted about my turn. As Ramadan is going on on the last few weeks of May, my mom called the administrators of the hospital about the  availability of the vaccines as well as the COVID - 19 vaccine appointment, they told that the vaccines were not available until further notice because of the shortage of the  vaccines. Then on the last week of May, they announced that the vaccines for the age group of 18 - 44 years old  is for 3 days (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays).  Then, I went to the Co-Win website to register for the vaccination online as well as the Co-Win app on my mobile phone as well as on my laptop (the Co-Win website is working on the laptop but its mobile app has some issues). I tried to book the Vaccination at T.M.A Pai hospital for Monday May 7th but as  soon as I reached the hospital, the hospital staff and administrators told that my name is not mentioned as I was not registered as it is also fully booked. Instead, they told me to register in the hospital's website. When I went to the hospital's website, it it showing the hospital number and I tried to enter the beneficiary ID or the hospital number but unfortunately the software error came in he hospital's website as the number of the hospital is required. Then my mom tried to call several hospitals for the availability of the COVID -19 vaccine in Udupi but there is no response at all in any of these hospitals (In government hospitals, the vaccines are free whereas in private hospitals, they are all paid). Then my mom called my cousin Deena about why all the vaccination centers in Udupi are showing fully booked and then Deena suggested that there are lot of vaccination centers in Manipal  and she informed my mom that there  are a lot of COVID -19 vaccination centres in Manipal and she gave me the pincode  of  Manipal  that is  576 104 (Udupi's pin code is 576 105). Then on Saturday evening (12th June 2021), I logged in into the Co-Win website via my laptop by registering my mobile number and password and  I found the vaccination center for the Covishield in Manipal and I finally found one vaccination center in Manipal i.e., KMC Manipal - Site  9 (Marena Sports complex), which was scheduled on Monday (14th June 2021) at 10:30 a.m. and then I booked it immediately, which was then receiving, downloading and saving my appointment slip via my gmail id and smartphone.

Vaccination Day

On June 14th 2021 (Monday), I woke up very early in the morning and I had my breakfast immediately. Afterwards, I got ready for my first jab, which was scheduled to be at 10:30 a.m. in the morning at the Marena Sport Complex in Manipal (KMC Manipal - Site 9). I kept all the important things such as Aadhar card, cash as well as all the appointment slip for the vaccination and me and daddy left home at 10:00 a.m. via a rickshaw. Then,  15 minutes later, we reached the vaccination center and Daddy told me to get the seat by taking the token number 9 i.e., the batch who are taking the vaccine. After I took the token, the health workers gave me the feedback paper for filling the details before going for the vaccination. Then I filled all of them and I went to the vaccination center for my first dose of the Covishield vaccine (I am extremely afraid of needles and injections). After I received the jab, I went to the observation room for an 1 hour observation until 11:30 a.m.(some  people who received the jabs at for 1/2 an hour after getting their first or second jabs respectively). Afterwards, I left the observation room and told daddy to take the first vaccine photo. Coincidentally, I noticed that my cousin Deena who is also taking her jab on the same day along with her sister Hanan, then daddy took the photo of my 1st jab shot frame, which was then followed a special  pizza treat.

First Dose Certificate

Nearly a  month after I got my 1st jab (Monday, 5th July 2021), my husband Aftab gave me a missed call as well as the Whatsapp message regarding the certificate for the 1st dose of the COVID -19 vaccine. He told me that he will download the vaccine certificate and send it via Gmail. Then I went to my Gmail account and I immediately downloaded the vaccine certificate in my smartphone  for the 1st dose.

                                                           NEXT DOSE - IN SEPTEMBER!

Sunday, 11 April 2021

When I was 20

                                                                    When I was 20


I ceased being a child and teenager but not yet an adult,
I got my first bank account,
I am a BCA student at the same time, 
I rode on a horse for a first time on a trip to Mysore,
I went to college on my own,
I witnessed my sister's wedding,
I was separated from my school and college friends as they are in different places, colleges and courses but I contact them via Gmail and Orkut or else Facebook,
I joined Facebook.

and at last,

I stood on my own feet and learned to be independent at the same time.


Saturday, 5 September 2020

College Days - Part 2

(This blog is dedicated to all the MBA aspirants as well as all the bachelor degree holders of any field who wanted to study MBA degree in the near future). 

After I scored both the B grades in the last 2 semesters of BCA (5th and 6th), the 3 months (March-June 2010) final semester team project for "tours and travels management" with my classmates Rashmi and Vasanti under the guidance of Roopashree Madam from as well as clearing the pending 2 subjects for the 2nd and 4th semesters, I am thinking of doing my masters in either MCA or MBA at Sikkim Manipal University - Distance Education or in any other college in Bangalore or in Udupi but after I saw Aamir Khan's movie 3 Idiots, I decided to choose MBA over MCA  because it is considered to be one of the most popular and the most pursued degrees in each and every college/university all over the world whereas the MCA course is done via correspondence and it will be tougher than the BCA course as it has lot of  subjects involving mathematics as well as 6 semesters for the bachelor degree holder of any field of engineering (especially B. tech, B.E., B. sc, B. tech) whereas for  the BCA holder, it is 4 semesters each. Meanwhile, the MBA degree is  a two year, four semester course and it is open to all the degree holders, regardless of any stream and it consists of so many fields and specializations (finance, economics, global management, marketing, human resources, logistics/operations, healthcare, marketing, information technology/information science, media, events, clothing/textiles/fashion,  business etc.,). In India, there are two entrance tests for the bachelors degree holder to pursue the MBA degree; one is the CAT (Common Admission Test) and another one is the most recent CMAT (Common Management Admission Test). But the CAT admission test is the most widely used admission test for the MBA degree and it was mostly recognized by the IIMs (Indian Institute of Management) as well as reputed college/universities and business schools in metro cities; however, the CAT entrance test is not applicable for those who want to pursue the MBA degree via the distance education mode of various colleges/universities but it can be done via learning centres. In case if a bachelor degree holder of any course want  to pursue the MBA degree abroad, there are two types of tests; one is the test for the English language for a non - native speaker in order to study, work or immigrate abroad and another one is for the MBA program in a top business school anywhere in the world. They are: -

1. TOEFL/IELTS/PTE (tests for the English speaking course for a non - native speaker for the purpose of study, work and immigration).
2. GMAT/GRE (tests for the MBA degree for studying in the reputed business school/university abroad).

STANDARDIZED TESTS FOR THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND SPEAKING SKILLS

i. TOEFL: - TOEFL is the first standardized test for the English language for the non - native speaker for the purpose of study, work and immigration to countries where English is the dominant language. Its full form is Test of English as a Foreign Language and it was the trademark of the Educational Testing service, the world's largest non - profit testing and assessment organization. It was established in 1964 by the Modern Language Association, a language society associated with language and literature but its first test was conducted a year later, in 1965; it was recognized by more than 11, 000+ universities in more than 130+ countries and it was funded by the Ford and Danforth Foundations. Its total score is between 0 to 120 points whereas its test format was divided into two main formats: -one is the  iBT (Internet based test) and the second one is the paper based test as well as 4 sections (reading, writing, speaking and listening) with the time duration of more than 3 hours in each of these two tests.
ii. IELTS: - Like TOEFL, IELTS is also a standardized test for the fluency of the English language for a non - native speaker for the purpose of study, work and immigration to the English - speaking world, particularly in the British Commonwealth (the UK,  Australia, New Zealand and Ireland) as well as the USA. Its full name is the International English Language Testing System and it was established in 1980 jointly by the British Council, IDP (International Development Program) Education  and Cambridge Assessment English with its first test been conducted 9 years later, in 1989. It is the only English -speaking test to be approved by the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) section of the British Government for those who want to immigrate, study or work in the United Kingdom and it was recognized by more than 10, 000+ colleges, universities and institutions in more than 140 countries. Like TOEFL, its test divided into two parts i.e., the computer-based and paper-based with the total time of 2 hours and 45 minutes. Although it has 4 sections (reading, writing, speaking and listening), its reading and writing sections are divided into 2 parts i.e., the General training (for the purpose of work and immigration) and Academic training (for the purpose of studying abroad).
iii. PTE: -  PTE is the most recent test for the fluency of English languages for a non - native speaker for the purpose of  study, work and immigration to foreign countries. Its full name is the Pearson Language Test and it was the part of the Pearson PLC group, a multinational publishing and Educational company; unlike TOEFL and IELTS, which are both standardized tests, it is a very simple and quick test with its results is ready within 5 days, its reading and writing sections are together  and a computerized test. It is endorsed and supported by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) as well as universities and business schools like London Business School, Harvard Business School, Yale University and many others and it is the only test for the English language to be accepted for study, work and immigration to Australia. Its total duration is 3 hours with 3 sections (reading & writing, listening and speaking) but it is divided into 2 sections : - PTE Academic (for the purpose of studying abroad) and PTE General (for the purpose of work and immigration). It also has a separate test called PTE Young Learners Tests, which was mainly targeted for young children from 7 -12 years old but it consists of mainly four skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening). 

STANDARDIZED TESTS FOR THE MBA DEGREE

1.  GMAT:- GMAT is one of the most recognized standardized tests for the MBA degree for getting admission to the top business schools globally. Its full name is the Graduate Management Admission Test and it was founded in 1953 by its parent company Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), an international non - profit organizations which was actively committed to providing the art and science of admission to the top business schools/universities in the world as well as offering the first class products and services. It is a multi-choice as well as the computer based and adaptive standardized test which is often recommended by various organizations and educational institutions (colleges/universities/ in order to examine the candidates' analytical, verbal, quantitative (reading and writing) and integrated reasoning skills in written English and it also requires some certain knowledge of a specific grammar as well as mathematical skills such as arithmetic, algebra, geometry. It was recognized and accepted by more than 2,300+ business schools as a part of their criteria for their programs. Its total score is between 0 - 800 with 4 sections each; they are : -
 i.  analytical writing assessment (0 - 6 points).
 ii. integrated reasoning (1 - 8 points).
iii. verbal reasoning (6 - 51 points).
iv. quantitative reasoning (6 -51 points).

2. GRE: - Like GMAT, GRE is a similar as well as the oldest standardized test for the MBA degree for getting admission to the top business schools in the world. Its full name is Graduate Record Examinations and it is owned its parent company The Educational Testing Service, the world's largest non - profit testing and assessment organization which also owns TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) but it was established in 1936 by its original owner, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. This test  was taken by more than half a million candidates in more than 160+ countries every year as well as being accepted and recognized by more than 1, 200+ top ranking business school and universities around the world, including Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Columbia. It is a computerized based test which consists of 5 sections each i.e., analytical writing (1), Verbal reasoning (2) and quantitative reasoning (2) and with  a total score of  more than 340 points.

MY MBA DAYS

The first semester of the MBA degree started on the Monday, September 13th 2010 at 9:30 a.m.  with 7 students including me as well as the clerk who is also doing the MBA course but via correspondence and also working in the Tracks India Infotech office. I met and made a lot of new friends, such as Akshay Rao, Asha Mendonca, Movin Pereira, Joylin Inish Corda, Chetana Moolya and Ankitha Shetty but I am surprised that both Joylin and Chetana studied in St. Mary's college in Shirva with my cousin Shaishta as their senior. Before the first subject begins, the students introduces themselves and about their native places, previous courses and even the topic of their choice but I decided to speak about globalization as a topic of my choice. There was another student called Archana Bhat, who joined the MBA course a month later but via lateral entry. The first subject in each and every course is Communication Skills, which is called in the MBA degree as Business Communication. But the Communication Skills or else English language and grammar (in some colleges) of the first semester of any degree is a staple subject of  each and every bachelors and masters degree subjects and field, particularly B.E., BBM/B.Com/B.Sc/B.Tech/BCA/BA/M.Tech/MCA and many others. Unlike the Communication Skills subject of the BCA degree, which reminds me of school grammar as well as communication skills like language and communication, reading, writing, listening, sign language, organizational communication etc., It consists of mainly lessons related to workplace communication i.e., business communication, such as various types of communication, listening, sign language, reading skills such as SQ3R (Survey, question, read, recite and review), principles of writing (general and business), types of meeting, internal and external business communication (writing of resumes, CVs, memos, circulars and notices, writing business letter writing), group discussions, debates etc. in addition to that, we also conducted some group discussions as well as debates with our seniors as well and even a group presentation with me, Joylin, Chethana, Ankitha discussing about ITC whereas Akshay, Movin and Asha were discussing about Hindustan Unilever. During  break times, we sometimes chat with each other about certain topics like movies, music, hobbies, food etc. but sometimes we discuss about assignments questions and answers of various subjects. However, the first semester subjects such as Human Resources Management and Financial and Management Accounting would later become our respective specializations in the third and fourth semesters respectively.

Unlike my BCA days, my MBA days are of utmost fun as well as enjoyable. One day when we planned to see the movie No Problem at the nearby Aashirwad Theatre, I took my classmates Joylin, Chethana and Ankitha to my home via the autorickshaw; then I introduced them to my mom and she's very happy and delighted. Then I took them to the tour of my house which was then followed by a mouth-watering lunch of idli and sambhar which was then followed by Maggi noodles with peas. After the lunch is over, we then proceed to Aashirwad theatre via a walk whereas Akshay, Asha and Movin already reached there via their own bikes. After we all got the tickets, we all sat together and we enjoyed the movie. This was followed by the 1st semester exams in the month of January, the last ever exams to be written in pen and paper just before the SMU exams go online.

Two months later, the second semester began with a mixed response from me as well as my classmates. It began with 2 subjects i.e., Production and Operations Management and Financial Management but the easiest of them all is Marketing Management, which has lots of interesting business related theories and lessons whereas Operations Research and Management Information Systems being the toughest ones. Although we concentrated on our studies, we also have amazing fun times especially during festivals and birthdays  as well as various ups and downs we sometimes face. During breaktimes, we sometimes chat with our seniors as well as discussing various topics like movies, tv shows, games, the stuff we bring from foreign countries, like chocolates, music, mobile phones and even the questions and answers of various subjects for various assignments. The second semester ended with the end semester exams in the month of July - August and it was the last time we were together as  classmates of the same degree before being divided into two fields (finance and human resources) instead of marketing and information systems. I scored the highest marks in the toughest subject of the second semester (Operations Research) but I flunked in the Management Information Systems (MIS) which I would later clear it in the November re-examination whereas Archana failed in Operations Research, in which she later cleared in the Spring Examination in February 2012.

The third semester began in September 2011 with 2 non - specialization subjects i.e.,  Research Methodology and Legal Aspects of Business. After these two subjects are over, our MBA batch was divided into two specializations i.e., Finance (Akshay, Asha and Movin) and Human Resources (Me, Joylin, Chethana, Ankitha and Archana). The only time when we are all together is during Movin's birthday we had lot of fun and enthusiasm. This was soon repeated in the fourth and final semester of the MBA degree which began in the first week of March after the third semester exams are over. This was the last time when we sat together as classmates i.e., is for the 2 non - specialization subjects  of International Business Management and Strategic Management and Business Policy. After these two subjects are over, we are divided  into the same specializations again. During my birthday, my friends Joylin and Chethana came to my house and they gave me a mug as a birthday present. After the birthday lunch and cake cutting was over, we all went to Aashirwad Theatre to see the Vidya Balan movie Kahaani. Afterwards, we have started our individual project reports for 3 months with a special class for discussing our own projects every Saturday. Unlike my BCA project of "tours and travels management" which are team based, the MBA projects are individually based and it consists of mainly topics that are related to the MBA degree in the finance and human resources specializations with mine being the "Promotion and Reward Policy" in the nearby branch of State Bank of India. After we submitted and presented our individual projects in the last week of June, the teachers appreciated our work we have done for the past 3 months, which was then followed by the final year exams in the month of August 2012. After the last exams of the MBA degree got over, we said goodbye to each other and we are officially MBA graduates 3 months later! And it is also a time my education got over.

For those who miss college days, you must see this video: -





Wednesday, 26 August 2020

An Autobiography of a Schoolbus

(This story was written back in 2003 when I was in 9th standard. Now 17 years later, I am writing this on my blog as a tribute to bus number 23)

I am a school bus. I was manufactured 2 years ago in a factory in Udupi. On school day in December 2001, I was added along with 3 other buses during this time. I started working in July last year and I carried more than 40 children and 2 teachers in the bus. This year, 11 children and 1 teacher from Santhekatte had shifted their bus from me to my fellow bus no. 3 because they found me that I am conjusted. I felt very sad and I miss them a lot. They joined me on July last year but I felt very happy to see them again in the future. 

I am almost lonely and sad when they left me. I was almost uncomfortable mainly when other children and teachers came to me. The happiest moment in my life was the children and teachers from Santhekatte came from bus no 15. Then in May this year, I was so happy to see my name in the Brahmavar - Santhekatte route and my life changed a lot. The worst movement of my life was in  February this year when a 7th standard boy brought liquor and everybody thinks it is smelly. I wanted to be very happy again in my whole life. 

Thursday, 13 August 2020

Facts that will make you feel old

  1. Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge was released 25 years ago.
  2. Windows XP was released 19 years ago in 2001.
  3. The 'new' millennium is more than 2 decades old.
  4. Chethan Bhagat's antics have been going on for 16 years. 
  5. Pierce Brosnan last acted as James Bond 18 years ago. 
  6. The Delhi metro has been going on for the past 18 years.
  7. It's been 19 years since 9/11.
  8. The Matrix came out 21 years ago. Keanu Reeves is 55 today!
  9. Mother Teresa and Lady Diana have been dead for 23 years.
  10.  Remember "Jungle Book" on Doordarshan? It was 24 years ago.
  11.  Sushmita Sen and Aishwarya Rai became Miss Universe and Miss World 26 years ago, and yes they're old too!!!
  12. Macaulay Culkin is 40 years old. The movie Home Alone came out 30 years ago.
  13. Terminator 2 - Judgement Day was released 29 years ago. Edward Furlong, who played the kid John Connor is now 41 years old. 
  14.  Sean Connery is 89 years old and is retired now.
  15. The youngest Spice Girl is 44, the oldest Backstreet Boy is 48, Gwen Stefani is 50, Madonna is 61.
  16. VHSs, Floppy Discs and Walkman's are obsolete now. 
  17. Akshay Kumar is older than the moon landing. He was born in 1967.
  18. The first Harry Potter book was published 23 years ago.
  19. The first season of  F.R.I.E.N.D.S  was aired 26 years ago. All the cast members are middle aged.
  20. Arnold Schwarzenegger is older than Independent India. He was born on July 30th 1947.
  21. Kids born in 2002 can legally drive, drink and vote this year.
  22. Jurassic Park is older than Justin Bieber.
  23. Rajiv Gandhi has been dead for 29 years.
  24. Bryan Adams' cult song "Summer of 69" was released 35 years ago. 
  25. Kids, whom you remember in their diapers and posting their pics on Facebook.
  26. Facebook has been around for the past 16 years whereas Orkut was shut down 6 years ago.
  27. Maruti Zen was launched 27 years ago.
  28. Remember the little girl from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai? She is now 32 years old (Sana Saeed).
  29. And the Rasna Girl is a fully grown woman and she has a family on her own.

Don't smile while reading this. You must realize that time is moving at an alarmingly fast rate. The more you grow older, you  will soon become history in the near future.