First off, I’d like to mention that he reads this blog. I’d like to say that this blog entry is in no way an attempt to shoeshine or suck up to the man. That said, I find him a most interesting character.

Here’s some of the interesting stuff:

• Besides owning this business (web hosting and development) and being an awesome programmer, he is the table tennis state coach.
• He grew up in a farm. You know, slaughtering sheep, chicken and fighting with snakes. He even showed me the knife he used to slaughter sheep with.
• He can headshot a moving target a mile away. Targets include kangaroos and snakes. As you can tell, he doesn’t really like snakes.
• Speaking of snakes, if he doesn’t have a gun, he can kill a snake using a shovel. We’re talking about huge, fast and poisonous Australian bush snakes here!
• Previous businesses include, refridgerator repairs and computer sales/service. He told me about how refridgerator gas can kill you.
• He has 12 siblings and has 5 children. Probably about 50 something cousins. They even have a family tree book!
• He can beat his 3 sons in Starcraft using one hand. I think he likes to use Protoss.
• Owns a gold limited edition Sgt Peppers vinyl!
• Used to party hard. Like the time he and his friends bought a bag of weed 2 feet high. He told me that Lava Lamps are for that specific purpose, get high and see the extra patterns!

Sure, some of these stuff makes him sound like he’s a violent person. No, he’s a jovial good chap with a sense of humour.  Everytime we have lunch, I learn something new.  Wonder what’s next ?

ps: oh , anyone knows where you can find weed in Brisbane ?

Do you feel any of this ?

• feeling “not good enough” because one can’t find a job that is at one’s academic/intellectual level
• frustration with relationships, the working world, and finding a suitable job or career
• nostalgia for university, college, high school or elementary school life
• insecurity regarding the near future
• tendency to hold stronger opinions
• loss of closeness to high school and college friends
• a sense that everyone is, somehow, doing better than you

If you feel any of those, then you might just have a quarter life crisis.

These feelings usually occur right after graduation from university, when one enters the ‘real world’. The pressures of working life contrasts greatly with the relatively sheltered existence of academia. The fact that nobody wants to admit these feelings makes it even worse!

Personally, I’ve been through this quarter life crisis before. It’s a dark place, where the negativity just reinforces itself and inertia just creeps up on you. Due to my indecision and non-commitment, I’ve even lost someone I loved very much. Not to mention all that wasted time bumming around when I should have been doing something productive instead.

Like my friend Kenny said, there’s a big difference between your desires and your commitment. For example, one may desire to be rich, but what is that person doing to get to that goal ?

I’m in a much better place now. I’ve somewhat fulfilled some of the dreams I’ve set for myself. Today I felt a little proud, working in the day and studying at night. Sure I was tired as hell, but I felt like every step was worth it, because it was taking me in the direction of where I want to be.

Most of all, I think this blog entry is a reminder to myself:

“If I didn’t push myself off the proverbial nest, I wouldn’t have learnt how to fly”

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Links:

• Wikipedia entry on quarter life crisis
• Adrian got me thinking about it on his blog entry. Guess he was going through the same thing. Hang in the buddy, we’re all in this together.