Age Freeze

I haven't been feeling well since Eid' Fitr. I attribute it to the sudden shifts in the weather. I think I'm becoming more sensitive to climate changes. (Parang si Storm, heheheh.) At least, I haven't been wheezing, which is what normally happens when there's a shift.

Accomplishing the Real Age test, I found out that my body's "older" than my chronological age of 35, thanks mostly to my smoking. But those who read my blog regularly would know that I've settled on 26 as my "fantasy" age, or the age I've chosen to be...forever! (Cue lightning and thunder.)

So I've been 26 since the turn of the century, and I'll be turning 26 on my next birthday. Despite the little changes I've been noticing in my body--thinning hair, wrinkles on the forehead, an incidental joint ache and memory lapses--I feel intact. What they say is true...age is but a number. Just choose one you want to be, and live it, yet allowing your maturity and wisdom to continue their growth. Oh, and acting like a twenty-something can be extremely liberating.

An article in Psychology Today says that folks in the arts and design field are more sensitive to their own physical "imperfections." Because they have a more sensitive eye to the visually harmonious, they view their own appearances more critically. An extreme version, called body dysmorphic disorder or BDD, is chracterized by "obsession with imagined or slight imperfections in appearance." Yes, they have a name for it.

So maybe I am conscious about my appearance. There's the gym-based body sculpting and cardio, which I'm scheduled to get back to next month. (I miss street dancing class.) I've actually tried those facial formulations on occassion, and have gone to Let's Face It twice. I'm eating less meat and more veggies. And if you believe coffee is teeming with anti-oxidants, well, I've got a warehouse of anti-oxidants given the half-liter I drink a day. However, God knows I've hardly the patience to obsess over a long-term regimen.

Which reminds me: I haven't cut my toenails in over a month. :-P

More importantly, there's the issue of endurance. It's only been recently that I've actually focused on comics, apart from the full-time job, and I know I have a lot more to learn and do. Newer and younger Pinoy comics artists have cropped up whose works I really admire from a technical standpoint, and I've found myself spewing affectionate profanities. I can't help but compare my work to theirs, but be nonetheless inspired by them. Those who draw comics know how physically taxing it can be, so endurance counts a lot. With the other things I need to do, I don't want to run out of steam too soon.

Comments

Anonymous said…
i can relate, i can relate! hehe. at 36, my seams are showing, too. but yeah, age is but a state of mind. :) gogogo, draw more comics and give us more characters to love! :)

gibbs cadiz
jactinglim said…
hehehe ako I'd love to be 21 forever :D
Anonymous said…
gibbs... ay, nakakairita. I thought you were around 28. :-(

heheheheh.

jac... ay, forever college girl ka! :-)
tsop said…
me too! At 50, I can feel the cold in my bones here. :)
Anonymous said…
Paolo... ay, kahit 50, mukhang beybi pa rin.

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