Mid-Life Crisis at Age 30

Remember how our ancestors from long ago used to kick the bucket in their 40s and 50s and were too pre-occupied about their basic needs of food and shelter to spare the time to think about other things? Well now that most people in the modern times have a longer life expectancy due to fewer diseases (or so they claim), greater law & order and the advancement of science, we also seem to have more time to ponder about other things when we cross a certain stage in our lives. People have this notion that mid-life crisis occurs when you're halfway through your life. Since life expectancy is roughly 80yrs old, mid-life crisis occurs around 40, right? Wrong! I believe mid-life crisis is linked more to a person's financial stability and their career progression and how much of his/her life has been dedicated to his/her work. For example I've worked 7 years but my 7 yrs is easily equal to an average worker's 14 or 21years. Not in terms of hours spent but how much value I have contributed. A surgeon can save a life in a 4hr operation while a cinema attendant would have oversaw 2 movie showings. Not that a movie attendant is insignificant because everyone's role is interlinked. It is just a fact that different jobs create different types and degree of value. So even though I am only 29 this year, in terms of work years I'm easily 36 or 43yrs old. Which sounds about right for a mid-life crisis. I'm sure we have all heard of the typical successful businessmen in their 40s who start driving flashy cars, picking up expensive hobbies such as yachting, golfing, mistresses etc.

Of course I am nowhere near their level of prosperity so my mid-life crisis is definitely on a smaller-scale. I've been increasingly thinking of doing wildlife conservation work and work with strays and abandoned animals locally and overseas. Animals together with Mother Nature, are the true victims of mankind's modernization.

I've also had the unexplainable urge to learn new technical skills such as motor-riding, scuba-diving, power craft license, private pilot's license, sky-diving and more. I'm also more open to experiment with trends I previously did not consider. Such as pedicures, manicures, tattoo, wardrobe change, making new friends etc. At the end of the day, my guess is that everyone experiences this mid-life crisis. It's simply us being human and being curious, wondering how different our life would have been if we had made a different choice somewhere back then when we were young and not so stupid.

Obsessive Compulsive Liar

I had the fortune/misfortune of meeting a compulsive liar recently and I must say, it startled yet intrigued me at the same time. Here is a list of lies he told and the truth according to sources:

1a) Lie: He has 10 girlfriends, one who likes audi, another likes honda, and another is only 18.

(any experienced liar will tell you NEVER to use a convenient number like 10, 20 etc).

1b) Truth: He has NEVER had a girlfriend.

2a) Lie: He goes to the gym to work out so he can look good during bedroom action.

2b) Truth: He is still a V-boy.

3a) Lie: He has an 80% accuracy in profiling people.

3b) Truth: He attempted to profile me and wasn't even 20% right.

4a) He's moved house before.

4b) He's never moved!

5a) He keeps spare clothes in his car.

5b) He doesn't even have as much as a rag in his car.

Why was I startled? Because nobody likes to be lied to. It's insulting especially when you don't know this person at all. What incentive is there for you to lie to a complete stranger? Not only was his web of lies not entertaining, it was a complete waste of my time.

Why was I intrigued? Imagine you came across a guy with 3 eyes. Who wouldn't be intrigued by a freak of nature!

But after the initial excitement. I am now starting to turn a little worried. It's natural for people to lie about what they did: that you slept early that night even though you were out partying, or that you did your homework even though you haven't. But it's not usual for people to lie about who they are. The most logical reason I can think of is because this person has very low self-esteem. He is clearly unhappy with himself and has created an alter ego that he wishes to be. Either that or he feels trapped in the environment he is in and an alter ego allows him to freely pursue what he desires. Considering he comes from an upper-class family, is about to complete his degree and is merely 21, I believe it is more of the self-esteem rather than entrapment that is causing him to lie.

The boy needs professional help. Asking him to stop lying will not solve the true issue of his esteem. His deep rooted problem will merely manifest in a different way. From what I know, he has suffered from depression before as a teenager of around 17-19 years old. I wish him the best in life.

To Kill or Not to Kill?

Where there has been civilization, there has been law and punishment. Undoubtedly one of the most debated upon punishment is capital punishment. To be or not to be? Those who are pro-life would argue, who are we to take the life of another man/woman when we ourselves are but mere mortals? This I agree to a certain extent. I would very much rather have this criminal serve out his punishment in a more useful way, provided he is capable of doing so. I would force them to empathize with others, the fastest being through personal experience.

For example, sentencing a murderer or drug trafficker to death would be too convenient as the criminal learns nothing or at least does not get to apply what he/she has learnt in this life. Instead, I would have this criminal save another man's life to compensate having taken away a life. How can he/she save a life? Easy! I'd get him/her to choose to donate an organ of his preference. It could be a cornea, a kidney, part of his lung, bone marrow, skin graft and more. For every life he/she saves, his sentence would be reduced, subject to a minimum. Of course, the suitability of his/her donations will be subject to the standard tests as with all organ donors. The criminal gets to see the before and after life of his/her recipient (reality tv), and they themselves will now live a 'compromised' life (for the lack of a better word). This forces his/her mind to follow his/her body and accept the harshness of such a life. If you want to change a mindset, it's always easier to start with the body and your mind will eventually follow through.

So what kind of criminals should go through this Pay-It-Forward Program? This is very much negotiable. The no-brainers would be murderers, man slaughterers, rapists, pedophiles, drug traffickers, terrorists and arms dealers. How much damage can a person do when he/she is already blind (both eyes donated), only has one kidney and part of the liver removed and is released from jail only when he/she is 50? I would also be open to the idea of public voting. As for those petty criminals, they would at the very least be subject to hard labour as a contribution back to society. Create farms within the prisons for them to produce vegetables and such which are then used to feed themselves and charitable organizations. Production of clothes which are then also given to welfare groups and even as disaster relief aid. The options are endless.

Then who are the ones who should still be sentenced to death? Those who are sickly, old (above 65yrs old) or mentally unsound. Because they would not be able to significantly contribute to the rest and would be a mere liability. This is consistent with my earlier blog that certain people should just be put to sleep.

Tell me, what would instill greater fear in those in society who are more inclined to commit crime? An outright death sentence or the prospect of being a living dead (no eyes, 1 kidney, half a liver and more)?

Intensity is My Middle Name

I've had my fair share of better days and today cetainly wasn't one. I had an IN moment. IN is my short form for intense. It was triggered by a rushed movie, a meaningless trip home and 20mins of idle time, waiting for an appt that never materialized.

I've always been an intense person. In fact, intense is the only thing I've ever known. When I was around 12, I remember staying up late nights to complete a pc strategy game during the school holidays. Strange thing was that even though I had completed the game before, I would replay the game again and not stop until I completed it once more. Now mind you, this game took weeks to complete. And during those weeks. I would have only 1 task in sight: to complete the game. Even before I was introduced into the wonderful world of computers, I displayed the same intensity playing with my lego. Twice every year, I would bring out my "patchwork-like" collection of lego (from different models) and build the exact same house, with the exact same garden, and my lego family in the exact same positions. Once the task was done, I would dismantle my lego, keep it back in it's box (a shoe box), and tuck it away until the next semester.

Of course one might argue that it's easy to be intense about something you like, a hobby. But I displayed this same intensity in school and at work. And who the heck treats either a hobby?! I never settled for anything less than an A in school. I had a system all worked out. And would not stop until I completed the work plan for the day. At work, I remember working so hard for 2 weeks straight when I was less than 6 months into the job, that I finally cracked one Saturday afternoon. I took the sub home, got back around 3-4pm in the afternoon and slept all the way till Sunday evening 7pm. That was how intense I was about my work. My mind had to stop only because my body couldn't take it.

Intensity is like a ritual to me. I seem to not be able to (or perhaps not want to) control or stop myself until my task was completed. Does it mean I'm more of a process-oriented that result-oriented person? Oh i don't think so. Because I clearly thrive on results rather than the process. Even in my love life. It didn't matter how I got my guy. In fact, it was always a different way that led to my success (no 2 men are alike!), but it was the thrill of eventually getting him that I pursued.

Why then, do I exhibit this inexplicable trait of intensely pursuing a task until the deed is done? Well for starters, I believe it is genetically encoded in each of us. We are all guilty of pulling late-nights just to complete the latest season of our favourite tv series. We are all guilty of spending the entire day playing a certain pc/console/online game just so we level up, complete a mission/quest etc. So the question again is why do we do it? Well heck it would be quite freaky if I actually knew the answer to this question. But what I will tell you is that this amazing ability that we all have, the ability to single-mindedly focus, 100% on a specific task/goal, can bring out the best or worst in you.

Imagine if one leveraged on this power at school or work. Think of the straight As one would get. Think of the climb straight up the corporate ladder. No detours, no derailing, no getting sidetracked.
Then imagine if one abused this power and turned into a gaming addict, not able to say NO to the latest big game of the season. Is this not true of all addicts? Alcohol, drugs, junk food, porn, gambling. It is the abuse of the mind's ability to be intense, to be absolute about something, be it a feeling, a habit, or a mindset.

Perhaps the best example of this unrivaled gift of intensity is most parents' ability to unconditionally love their children. This mission starts upon pregnancy, and ends in someone's grave. Undoubtedly, the marathon of all marathons for focusing on a single-task. I too hope that one day, I will be able to summon this great power of intensity within me and use it for good. As someone once said: "With great power comes great responsiblity."
I have no doubt about that. And that responsiblity begins with yourself. Are you ready?

Was my grandfather a chimpanzee?

I've always found the Theory of Evolution fishy. Everytime I go to the zoo and I look at the monkeys there, I seriously doubt that our ancestors were just like them. But recently, a few encounters of the younger generation have led me to be increasingly convinced that this Evolution Theory might just be true.

You see, ever so often, I encounter the offsprings of some happily married couple behaving VERY primitively. Just this morning, a father was on the sub with his 2 young sons, apparently on the way to the zoo (maybe they have 1st cousins there who are the main attractions of the animal show). This awesome dad had absolutely NO control of his sons. They ran around the carriage, jumped on and off seats, swung around the overhead handles, and they REALLY resembled monkeys in clothes! This let me to reflect more on my countless previous encounters of primate-behaving children. And then, as some famous talk-show host would call it, I had an "ah-ha" moment. By golly, all this evidence that we come from a long line of mutated primates has been around us ALL THIS TIME!!!

You know they always say that children are the most innocent, pure, true, unpretentious little angels? I am a total convert now. Their endless insane and hair-ripping behaviour is merely them expressing human's primal need to behave like monkeys! Even adults are beginning to lapse into this primal behaviour that we have supposedly evolved from. We are getting lazier and lazier (elevators, escalators) because monkeys never did like walking or running much. We are using our thumbs more and more (think texting on the phone, playing computer games rather than real sports) because our primal forefathers LOVED using their thumbs! We are getting increasingly liberal (teenagers start mating at the age of 14) because our primal daddies and mommies had to mate with anyone and everyone to ensure their genes survived. So really, we are just de-evolving and lapsing back to our God-given nature!
Maybe scientists should look to the mankind of today for the long-lost answer of our ancestral line, rather than spend all that money randomly digging up the soil for bones of the dead WHO CAN'T TALK. Afterall, we are their descendants, I'm pretty sure we can dig up some amazing revelation from ourselves.

Darwin, you're a genius. Either that, or you created this Theory because your neighbour's or sister's children probably drove you up the wall with their primate-like behaviour and you decided to throw in the ultimate insult to mankind. Kudos to you bro!

My baby or yours?

Ok, I've had this conversation (women's code for debate) with my boyfriend previously and recently, a similar conversation with 2 friends of mind, triggered my recollection: having children.

Firstly: I don't really want to have any children. Why? Well they cramp your style (maternity clothes are NEVER cool, nor are diaper bags and prams), and they suck your money dry. Motherhood isn't something you can retire from. Once you have a child, it's for LIFE. What if you do it for a couple of years and you realize it's not your calling??? That's too big a risk for me to take. I prefer pets, especially dogs. They walk around naked, they eat cold food, they don't talk back at you, and you can tell them all the secrets in the world without worrying they'll ever tell on you. They love you regardless whether you showered today or 2 days ago and when your first dog dies after like 15 yrs, that's THE END. You can choose not to get another one, or you can choose to get a fish instead. With pets, there's variety and chance for a fresh start. With children, it's a whole new level of commitment. Even a husband can be gotten rid of through divorce and your girlfriends may even support you to make that choice. But with children? NNOOO, put them up for adoption and you instantly become the scum of the world. That's why children are WAY out of my league.

But suppose I give into my boyfriend's wishes and have a token child (he can conceive the subsequent ones himself). Should I adopt or conceive one? Well what matters most to me is that my child is healthy and he's a HE. To even attempt to raise a girl in this time and age is going to be Mt Everest. Being female myself, I can blatantly say boys have wanted to get into my pants since 16 and thank heavens that I am a psychopath who was completely uninterested in sex till I become an adult (21). But I can't count on my daughter being a psycho too! And what if it was the other way around? What if she was insanely mad about sex? I'm not raising grandchildren when my daughter's only 16! So no girls for me! A son would be a much better fit. He could screw around outside and not bring the thrash home, and even if he turned gay, well I would have no objections because I have gay friends. Plus, his dad can do all the manly crap with him.

So how do I ensure that my child is a boy? First: IVF. Red flag! My boyfriend feels that it's wrong because it's unnatural and goes against his religion. Pointed taken and accepted.
Second: Adoption. Bing! Perfectly acceptable! And I even get to pick a son who has double eyelids like me and not single eye SLITS like my boyfriend. Bonus point!
This my boyfriend is not too keen on because he feels the need to have his own flesh and blood. This I can understand but I do not see why we humans have to act on emotions ALL.THE.TIME. You mean if I FELT hungry at 3am in the morning, I should just go grab a burger? You mean if I FELT like playing computer games all day I should just do it and not care about going to work tomorrow? You get my point right?

Anyway, isn't motherhood/parenthood supposed to be about unconditional love? If you're saying you prefer your flesh and blood, doesn't that make the love conditional already? I on the otherhand, am perfectly capable to love an adopted child as long as he is a boy. So yes, that's conditional too, but so what? It just means we have different conditions. For others, it's the DNA issue. For me, it's the gender issue. Does that make me any less human than you? I don't think so!

Of course, there is that part of me that secretly wonders how pregnancy will be like. It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience reserved only for women (blessing or curse?) and I am lucky enough to be fertile. But is this a NEED-to-have experience or a WANT-to-have one? I believe it's only a desire and not a necessity so I'm ok to do away with it. I'm not those impulse-buying woman who shop their entire family to bankruptcy just because they can't control their urges.

Well so for now, my inclination is no children or an adopted token child whom I will of course love and care for. I maybe psycho but I am also responsible for the people in my charge.

Humans, the ultimate pest!

Ok so we all know this world is overpopulated, but what should we do? We can't stop making babies because we haven't found the elixir to eternal life yet. So developed countries have too many old and fat people and not enough babies, and Third World nations are popping babies like hamsters and their people hardly live beyond the ripe old age of 50. Weird isn't it? Seems like we are never meant to have our pie and eat it. What's the solution? Is there even a solution? Well, I've got a couple of ideas so hear me out first before you judge me.

Old people: I propose that ANYONE above the age of 65 should be put to sleep (which means die). Forgive me for being direct but what point is there in keeping an old fart who cannot even remember their own name or is living off social welfare or pension that the state is paying using taxpayer's money?
Unless you own a certain amount of wealth, maybe $10million or have a Nobel Peace prize sitting on your bookshelf, it's time for you to GO buddy. You've had 65yrs, give other people a chance. It has its upsides too. You don't have to scrimp and save like the Grouch, not knowing whether to spend your hard-earned money or not since you don't know when you're going to die.
With a dateline in sight, you can spend your last dollar without worrying about tomorrow because you know there's not going to be a tomorrow. There's less chance that you'll die without a will because you know you'll die by 65 regardless. So we'll see less squabbles over family heritance. Peace on earth!

Sick people: I've really got something against this. Why are we spending SOOO much money on healthcare for the sickly when Mother Nature would have left them to die. Everyone knows that in the wild, it's the survival of the fittest. The sick and weak die and the fittest live on. It's a natural cycle and we're now tempering with it! I say people with cancer, AIDS, organ problems, mental disorders should all GO. Think about the tonnes of money we save on that and think about the quality of our genes in the future. Our gene pool simply gets better and better in quality, ensuring that the future generation have lesser and lesser of these problems. So really, though we maybe wiping out a gazillion people now, but much lesser of our future generation will die from such ailments. We will also see a spike in people taking real ownership of their health. Those who allow themselves to eat to obesity and diabetics DO NOT deserve our help. Why should we help people who choose to self-destruct? You might as well give your money to the drug addict on the streets! It's the same!

Yes many lives will be lost initially as a result of this radical reformation. But if we are truly selfless, we will undeniably recognize that the future generation have alot more to benefit than if we were to continue the way we are now. Less unnecessary people = earth lasting longer = more time for mankind to find ways to reverse pollution before EVERYONE DIES.
Less money spent on healthcare and welfare on the sick and old = more money for law enforcement, education, infrastructure, research on pollution.

If you think you're smart enough to outwit Mother Nature, then you're really dumb. Mother Nature MADE you. And Her Law says that it's survival of the fittest. So start respecting that people.