Dreaming is a taboo for grownups. They dream, but boring stuff. Like financial independence, grocery that appears magically and a TV remote that works. Which is all fine except where’s the fun stuff? What about being able to fly, if not across the world, then across the room over the bed? What about adding a jet pack to a snail or a Toyota Corolla?
Some lose the power to really dream, while others hold onto it for dear life. We bring you the extremes this week. RS never stops dreaming especially about the day it will rule the world with an iron fist. Wait, did we type it out loud?
~ Ehsanur Raza Ronny, RS Editor
Did you dream of being a pirate?
We had dreams once. We dreamt of being pirates, of being policemen, great warriors even. Now you'll find a bunch of big babies crying about how we never made it to where we wanted to be, how we sold ourselves out to The Man. RS snorts derisively and points out how you're exactly where you are supposed to be.
Pirates
Pirates are supremely romanticised: living on the high seas, caring nothing for the world, getting all the treasure and a lot of leisure. In fact, life on a pirate ship is horrible. All the regular duties of a sailor are applicable. You barely have time to sleep between shifts. There're bad teeth, bad food and the captain can chuck you overboard if you step out of line. You have treasure, but nowhere to spend it.
Modern equivalent: Private bankers. Six days a week, 9am-10pm work hours. Weekends are spent sleeping. Lots of money, but no suitably satisfying expense. Also, shaky job security. Welcome aboard, matey!
Wizards
Such class! Such power! The manic giddiness that comes from swaying the crowd with your magnificent display of sorcery, while your beard and hair [nose-hair, ear-hair, hair-hair] flies in the wind. The smugness when the king survives that dreadful ailment thanks to your potions is priceless. There's of course the other kind: dirty old folks cutting up animals to tell fortunes from their entrails. Generally avoided by all, they live in little huts all by themselves.
Modern equivalent: Pharmacists. You make medicines and show people a world without headaches. You foretell the pain shall recede and that it's because of your amazing cure. Then there are your cousins who take to the streets and preach… well, we can't really say what they preach. Needless to say, you avoid them steadfastly, though the general populace does not.
Cowboys
Riding on worn horses, you herd the cows in the sloping plains of Wild West. You sleep under the open sky and your spurs jingle when you deign to honour the ground with your boots. Rugged, with your cool hat, you roam the country and if someone annoys you, BANG, you are quick on the draw.
Modern equivalent: School teachers. You think you are building the nation when you are actually herding a bunch of cows and trying to coax them into going into the right direction. Your clothes are worn and the pay is so bad, you end up sleeping under the sky anyway. But woe betides the student that steps out of line, because BANG, they got detention! But somehow, they always hear you approaching. Must be the spurs.
Actors
You have unshakable faith in your abilities. You'll be a better actor than Christian Bale and more famous than Tom Cruise. You practice your smile and deliver blithe lines to your parents, your siblings, your friends and your girlfriends. Specially your girlfriends.
Modern equivalent: Politicians. You have made it, as a reality TV star. Everything you say or do in public is an act, a show. And just like reality TV, people see through the scripted bits. But for some reason, they just can't look away.
Zookeeper
Like everything about childhood, this is also seen through rose-tinted glasses. You love birds. You like giraffes and zebras and lions. You envy monkeys and their never-ending supply of fruits. You dream of taming tigers who will daintily eat off your hand. In real life, zoos stink and your job is to make sure the stink doesn't become unbearable. In between hauling 30kgs of grass for the elephant and cleaning out the gigantic poo of the rhinos, you barely manage to take a shower. And the monkeys are the worst of the lot, flinging poo everywhere.
Modern equivalent: RS editor. The meetings give us headaches. Where's a wizard when you need one?
Mug Cakes
The simplest way to show off cooking skills if/when you don’t have any
Not many of us have time to go into the kitchen and make something for ourselves. With school, coaching, sports, community service or just life keeping us busy, the craving for that something sweet goes unsatisfied - after all, baking cookies or brownies takes at least 45 minutes. And then there isn't always enough ingredients to make something to satisfy the appetite of one - recipes usually deal with multiple servings, especially where baking is concerned.
Allow us to introduce the Mug Cake. Those of you who like to cook or experiment have already heard of the mug cake. It's simple, it's easy, requires small amounts of ingredients, and best of all: it's really fast. All you need is a microwave. To make a mug cake, you need the same ingredients you'd need to make a REAL cake. Like normal cakes, there's a lot of variety in mug cakes. If you're out of a certain ingredient, it won't be hard to find a recipe that doesn't require it, whether it's vanilla flavouring, baking powder, cocoa or even eggs. If you feel like strawberry flavoured cakes, there's probably a recipe for that too.
The most fun part of a mug cake is the embellishments. From chocolate chunks to M&Ms, fruit bits to nuts, you could treat your cake like a Cream 'n Fudge buffet. There isn't much you can't put in there (although vinegar and baking soda would be a bad idea) and once you get to experimenting, you can probably find a few good ones to come back to every time you need a quick fix.
One of the things to really watch out for with a mug cake is that they overheat really quickly. One minute you've set the counter to 3 measly minutes, and then suddenly there's a pungent burning smell permeating the house and your bua is yelling at you for stinking up her kitchen while your mother is berating you for going into the kitchen. While it might come in handy if you're trying to prove that women do not belong in the kitchen, this is really not how you want your first encounter with mug cakes to go. So, at least the first time, watch the microwave to make sure that the cake isn't emitting a weird smell or turning black. If it isn't, all's well and you can sit back with a spoon and enjoy your mug cake.
By Sifana Sohail
Take some time to rant. Feel better? Go to our Facebook page for more. Link below.
Humanoid Storm
Anime soundtracks? 'Incomplete' is the only word. Man, it was a TOTAL disappointment. Hope to see a BIGGER list next time. Keep 'em coming. Please.
Tania Hossain Firoz
I liked the article "Anime Soundtracks" by Jawad. It would be really nice if you guys publish more write-ups for the growing (but still minority!) fanbase of J-pop/rock and even for the newer group of K-pop fans. But I think a few good soundtracks got left out too, like the opening themes of Ao No Exorcist, which were the coolest thing about the anime.
Fuad Hassan
As the hawker didn't get me any newspaper this Thursday, I had to walk 1 km and again travel 4.5 kilometers by bus to get the RS. But when I got it, I breathed a sigh of relief.
Sameen Rahman (via email)
The story about the mice was a brilliant satire. I know RS is aimed at young readers but it should do more of these to generate more interest about day to day events. Speaking of which, whatever happened to Week In Rearview?
Rearview has been shelved for a while to give other writers some space. - RS
Our cover art last week drew a lot of attention namely Superman's underwear or lack of.
Taiaba Binte Amin
Superman without underwear? who stole them?!
Sousan Suha Amin
The superman moved my heart! Btw, who stole his underwear?
Fahim Hossain (via email)
What? No Super undies? Or is it finally on the inside like mere mortals?
