When we were Young!
Scrimmaging through some old stuff I came across an old picture. It was a picture of me when I was younger. I picked the picture up and walked over to a mirror. I lined it up next to my face and looked at the similarities. I wanted to look at what I had started off as and what I had now become.
Unfortunately it was a pretty pointless exercise. Looking at a before and after picture of your childhood does not tell you much about anything.
I decided to take it one step further. I closed my eyes and tried to remember what I was like in my early teens. I tried to simulate in my mind what me in my early teens would think or say if he met the current me now.
Would he say, “Well done sir you have done well”? Or would he be like “What happened to you old man, how did you let it come to this??!!”
What would kiddy you say to current you if you met?
I tried to think back at what I wanted to do and what I wanted to be when I was younger. I think at one point or the other I wanted to play football or basketball. But in terms of 9-5 real life work I don’t think that I ever had a clue.
I ended up studying IT because I was competent with computers and heard that the pay was good. I didn’t know what part of IT I wanted to get into, I just decided to jump on it and see where it takes me too. It was not until I was like 21 or so deep into university life that I thought to myself that it would be cool to become a programmer.
But during my 11-20 year old period I don’t think I ever said to myself I want a career as a [Insert career title here] or my dream job is doing [Insert dream job title here] (A pimp doesn’t count as a real job right?). Is that weird or normal? At the age of 13 did you guy have your hearts set on becoming doctors, lawyers and interior decorators? If you were, was it something what you actually want to do or your parents’ wishes?
I think that your circle of friends can have quite a big affect on how you end up (especially when you are young). Would you say that your friends helped you in a positive or negative way growing up?
I guess I learnt street stuff from some of the nuts I used to run with. chance to do it all again I think I would have chosen a bit more carefully…
Tags: Childhood, Food for thought, Life, Reflection
Nino (55)
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lina (31)
Jamaipanese (26)
Chris B (20)
sixmats (20)
Renee Khan (18)
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Tokyo Grindhouse CEO (16)
Dutch Donut Girl (15)
May 20th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
Hello Monsieur:
1. I laughed when you lined up the picture close to the mirror I can see it all being played out. Too cute.
2. A kiddy self would definitely say ‘what happened to you; I didn’t recognize you.’
3. I don’t think I ever knew what I wanted to be. It was always more what would be your job never what would be your profession.
4. I definitely think friends when teens can take a persons life right off track. That was not my experience but I saw it happen way to often.
I love the post.
Hope you are having a great day.
I think if I was a younger you, I would say ‘Wow dude, look at you living the life in Tokyo, Japan.’ I think that is really something.
Love Renee xoxox
May 20th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
I just wanted to be rich!!!
May 20th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
@Renee Khan
Bonjour Mademoiselle
>1. I laughed when you lined up the picture close to the mirror I can see it all being played out. Too cute.
lol your making me blush @_@
>2. A kiddy self would definitely say ‘what happened to you; I didn’t recognize you.’
Hopefully in a good way
>4. I definitely think friends when teens can take a persons life right off track. That was not my experience but I saw it happen way to often
What sort of area did you grow up in?
>I think if I was a younger you, I would say ‘Wow dude, look at you living the life in Tokyo, Japan.’ I think that is really something.
lol yeah i dont think i even knew where Japan was until I hit like 17-18 lol.
Nice day to you too
@mr condescending
I had no plan.. But I wanted to be rich lol..
Me 2
May 20th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
I think we would all choose more carefully given the chance but without those questionable choices we all made at some point we would never gain the insight to want to choose more carefully
May 20th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
If the little me could see me now… she’d say “DAMN WOMAN wtf happened to your perfect legs?!”
No, I’m serious.
May 20th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
@ms bliss
Yeah I get what you mean. But I guess I meant on a whole. Like I prolly know people who are dead or in jail cause of their friends. So was it that bad that you would completely replace them or was it not really that bad kinda
thing.
@nashe
What are you doing to get them back??
May 20th, 2009 at 10:54 pm
I don’t remember what I wanted to be when I was little. The multitude of things every boy wants to be, I’m sure, but really? I just wanted to enjoy life.
May 20th, 2009 at 11:35 pm
You are already on the right track. This isn’t about retrospective. It is about being available for what’s next. The fact that you are thinking deep tells all of us that you are ready.
I took a telephone call one evening in 1985. It was from my local church, asking if I would be interested in hosting a Japanese student at my house for three weeks. I knew nothing about the people, about the country.
I moved there five years later. My life has never been the same since.
Thanks for posting this, and thanks for comparing your images. Frankly, I like what you’ve become. Keep up the great work.
ExpatFromHell
May 21st, 2009 at 3:07 am
I kind of love that picture. It’s so emo.
May 21st, 2009 at 4:51 am
Major changes are in the sky. I’m talking about graduating, finding a job, moving, living on my own and not having that university bubble/view of the world.
My kiddy self would have laughed and said ‘what are you worried about, whatever you decide to do with your life, you’ll do great’. My grown up self is freaking out a little. Not knowing what you want to do with the rest of your life is a bit unnerving to say the least. But thank god I’m still a kid at heart.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:01 am
@Badass Geek
hmm is there a universal set of things all guys want to be when they are young? Or is enivronment dependant?
@Kent
Thanks for the story. Always cool to find out how people end up deviating from the norm. Hopefully we are both making kiddy us proud hehe!
Pretty awesome. If you weren’t nice enough to take that person in you might have never made it to Japan
@LiLu
Yah its pretty cool huh. I wish I could design. I would make some awesome pics
@Dutch Donut Girl
Looks like you have some fun times ahead
I like the kiddy you’s view on things. I guess when we become adults we sometimes take things a bit too seriously!
May 23rd, 2009 at 9:04 am
Om my lordie, what an interesting blog. I think the younger me would have TOO much to say that the older me would shut her up and lock her in some basement. I’m always thinking of things I could’ve done better, should’ve done sooner– but now is now… and only when you realize what you need to do is when you can actually do it!
Luckily a bit of kiddy me can play with colors and such for school, but adult me is saying I should’ve done this ages ago and been finished with it instead of being lazy!
June 17th, 2010 at 6:21 pm
Hi, love the Madagaskar movies, great movie!