Stages of Life

Year 1: Milk, food, bankie, sleep

Year 12: Girls are strange. Girls are dirty (hey, it was an innocent, literal 'dirty' then!)

Year 18: I'm cool. I'm the head prefect of the school, and Vice-Chairman of the first-aid unit. And I bet the chicks really dig this pair of white Guess jeans I'm wearing, and this moustache I have on my face

Year 21: Wow, I'm finally an adult (still on an allowance)! I have wheels (a hand-me-down pimped out Proton Wira).

Year 25: Check out those hot 21 year olds!

Year 30: WTF? 10 years of medical education, and I have another 2 years to go before I'm finally done training? And I need to work harder on my papers and get them published!

Year 35 (almost): Hmm. I wonder if that Rogaine stuff will work for me? Or maybe I should shave it all off; why fight it? And oh yea, is it just me, or are women in their 40s sexy? Uh oh, I think I hear the baby crying.

That pretty much sums up the years so far. Yea, I turn 35 tomorrow. Well, technically since I was born on Malaysian-time, I'd be sometime today. I was just sharing these with my wife the other day; it's amusing how one's priorities and thoughts change.

For one, yes, I used to have several pairs of designer white jeans. I thought they were cool. Kinda still do, but my wife has threatened to disown me should I wear them (she allowed me to wear them once on a date many years ago, but that attracted one too many stares). And so the expensive Guess and 501 jeans were donated away. Now I only embarass her in other ways.

For a guy, obviously a big interest in life are the girls. Even now (oh yes, the wife and I are allowed to admire eye candy. See no touch). But it's funny how when I was in highschool, I thought the epitomy of sexy womanhood was a matured girl who was 18. And then it became 21 years of age. And then 28? And now, I catch myself mentioning to Kristin things like, "Check out that woman", and then to realize she's in her 40s or 50s. If you asked me who is THE sexiest woman around after my wife, I'd say Diane Lane. And she's what, 46?

Priorities change. Yes, I'm still working like a dog, probably harder than I'd like to. But at this stage of my life the priority isn't work (it's a necessary evil) or buffing up the CV with publications, or presenting research posters. It's not to dress up and look good and party and impress girls (the only 2 I wanna impress are the 2 honeys still tucked away in bed in my house). It's not money. No, now, more than ever it's family. And I have much to be thankful for.

P/S: If you really want to know what I want for my birthday, it's a 2nd hand (I never get it new) Halo Reach.