Meaning Of Life... *ahem*

Today a new cubicle-decoration circulated amongst our team.

A poster which most of us promptly pinned-up on our cubicle walls the moment we got our hands on it. Granted, it was a very eye-catching poster.

Simply titled "Meaning Of Life", it is precisely what the title says. Summarizing the meaning of our entire life, all in a single 8.5 x 11 inch sheet of paper. And, strange and amusing as it may seem, it DOES cover pretty much everything in life. Here's what it wrote...

Meaning Of Life

Be born. Go to school. Do well. Graduate. Look for a Job. Find a Job. Make money. Make more money. Save money. Meet somebody. Go out with somebody. Move in with somebody. Marry somebody. Make money. Move up the ladder at work. Make more money. Have a baby. Buy a house. Make money. Get up and go to work. Come home and watch television. Have another baby. Make more money. Buy things at Wal-Mart. Mow the lawn. Make more money. Have another Baby. Buy a car that can seat a family of six. Buy Elmo videos for the kids. Make money. Have another baby. Go see the latest romantic comedy movie. Make more money. Take a vacation to Disneyland. Eat at McDonald's. Call the plumber when the sink is broken. Make more money. Say "I love you" to your spouse on occasion. Send the kids to school. Make more money. Cast your vote for "American Idol". Go to your High-School Reunion. Make more money. Take up Golf. Give the kids advice about stuff. Send the kids to college. Take Bayer aspirin for your Arthritis. Get kind of fat. Become a Grandparent. Finish making money. Retire. Get old. Die.

Pretty thought-provoking stuff. No doubt, it was amusing, but yet profound.

And it made me think. Sometimes it's funny how we tend to look at life as something so totally complicated. We spend so much time just thinking of what we want to do, what's gonna happen in the future, what about purpose in life, and stuff like that. When in actual fact, most of life is spent on those seemingly 'simple' things which we don't even sit down and think about. That's probably the realist's way of looking at things.

Then came my pessimistic side, interrupting my train of realist thoughts...

What if life just isn't as complicated or as 'meaningful' as we feel it is? Too often, I spend ages sitting and thinking of what the future will be like, what I'll be doing, will I achieve my goals and ambitions, you get the drift. Would I be driving my dream car, with my fave Ibanez electric guitar in the trunk, as my two hands fumble to switch gears, cling on to the steering wheel, forage for my lipgloss nestled somewhere inside my Dior handbag as I speed-dial my hairstylist for my appointment in the afternoon. And usually, life isn't that dramatic after all. I guess only time will tell how the future would actually be.

Then another thought crosses my mind. Why don't I make a checklist from all the items in the article, and check them off one-by-one as I achieve them? Obviously, I have the ability to check every item in the list, except the last one, i.e. "Die" (like you had to ask). Of course, I could tell everyone about my list, so when I finally "cease-inhaling-oxygen-and-exhaling-carbon-dioxide", someone could help to check it, and frame it up, and place it over my tombstone or something creepy of that sort. Then again, that's a lil too creepy for my liking. Oh well.

I guess that's what life's all about. It's not just the extravagant, outrageous stuff which movies talk of... you know, things that feeble, mere mortals *ahem* like me would sit and imagine having someday (nevermind the fact that it's almost out-of-reach, a little dreaming never hurt anyone) - Like getting a record deal, playing alongside Joe Satriani, John Petrucci and Steve Vai in a G3 concert, driving a coupe that changes color according to my mood with an uber-cool audio system, two golden retrievers clad in Burberry coats and a shih-tzu with a haircare regimen that rivals Jennifer Aniston.

I guess sometimes the little things matter too, trivial things we do that we never realize the significance of. Having the chance to spend time with the people who mean a lot to us. Or playing music and enjoying it even if I may never have the chance to play alongside Joe Satriani, John Petrucci and Steve Vai. Things like that.

It jolts the mind whenever a reality-check like this kicks in. And it makes me wonder if my life (whatever's left of it, at least) would have the tiniest glimmer of hope to turn out extraordinarily. Or if it's not even gonna be all of the stuff in that 8.5 x 11 inch sheet of paper.

And I know it may not be possible to have all that I wish for. But deep inside, I do hope for at least a little more than just the ordinary.