It Will All End One Day

I'm a huge fan of apocalypse movies and Tina and I were like giddy schoolchildren as we scurried over to the local cinema for Roland Emmerich's 2012. In all honesty though, it wasn't as much fun as I had hoped, though it was a dazzling eye-candy-fest of devastation.

With all the doomsday fears swirling around from crackpots and legitimate sources alike, I've been doing a lot more thinking about the "end of the world." And you know what, it's really not that bad. Now before you think I'm a lunatic, gimme a minute to explain.

Everything is going to end one day. That's the truth. Whether it's simply our death or the actual end of the world, life as you and I know it is finite. But that is actually a tremendous relief. Think about it: no matter what happens in life, it will all end someday.

Is your life grand and fabulous? Well savor and enjoy it, because it will all end one day. Is your life a crap stew? Well no one can promise that it will get better, but at least it will all end one day. Are you nervous about your career trajectory and stalling on important decisions? Well get on the ball, because it will all end one day. Anything unrelenting is torture, even life. But don't sweat it. It will all end one day.

Chinese Homemade Tattoos

Anyone who has been in China has certainly seen them, but perhaps hasn't noticed them unless they're really big or hideous. Since becoming an ink-ophile, my tattoo radar has gotten really sharp and I see them all over the place, particularly on middle-aged guys' forearms. I don't want to generalize but the majority of dudes sporting this particular style of ink seem a bit blue-collar, though I have seen all types flossing their style, from dads to taxi drivers to hairstylists to street vendors.

The thing that strikes me about this unusual phenomenon is the prevalence of homemade tattoos. I imagine that most of these guys and girls got their tattoos during their wild tempestuous youth, flying high on a cloud of rebellion (not-so-subtle sarcasm alert). More than likely it was out of boredom, and a buddy had a needle, a pen, and a cigarette lighter and mumbled, "I'll get one if you get one first." Viola, a memento of one's impulsive childhood.

Another thing is the choice of subject matter. I see quite a few hand-poked dragons and flowers, but I've also come across a lot of Chinese characters, probably the bearer's name or zodiac sign, and today I saw a man with a small foot on his left arm. Say wha?


Guy Pearce in Memento, an excellent do-it-yourself tattoo tutorial.