On Dying at 25

The Mayans predicted it a long time ago, doomsday will happen in 2012, or in their calendar, 13.0.0.0.0. Scared? Oh yeah, hell shit scared I was. I was barely a houseman for a year when that happens, I haven't even got the chance to travel around the world yet, it's just seemed all too soon!!!

But I was still keen in watching 2012.

I give it a 10 out of 10, with extra bonus stars if possible. Because I'm just so amazed with the Noah's arc that managed to save the few hundred thousands of people where majority of them survivors bought their seats using their chequebooks while maybe less than a tenth were the normal Chinese workers who were given the opportunity after Dr. Adrian changed the minds of all the other world leaders, because he said "how could you watch the people die?"

I couldn't. I don't think I could if I was already in that ship and there are still a few thousands other at the dock because some selfish captain decided to close the gate. I would do what most of the other leaders did as well. If we were to die, then we shall die together. We're all in this together, we weren't given a choice.

I was definitely moved when Dr. Adrian called his dad to let him know about the doomsday, when his dad told him that he's had a great life together with his mum, and he's proud that he has a great son. I watched in awe as the bizzare earthquakes shattered the lives of the unexpecting people in the major cities. I almost cried when Tony called up his son in Tokyo only to hear his grand-daughter asking if he was her grandpa, just in time before he heard his son's family screamed in fear as their lives ended. I jerked every time crusts of the earth hit the ground as Jackson was driving as fast as he could towards the little plane for his own and his daughter's life. And I was on the verge of tears when Dr. Wilson found out her President father didn't board the Air Force One and decided to stay back to tell the people of the United States of the America they're all going to die.

I came back to look up on this 2012 that they've been hooha-ing about. The Mayans had a linear calendar back then, where they calculated their days in blocks of 20, called uinal. 18 uinals (360 days) makes a tun. 20 tuns make a katun. 20 (144000) katun makes a baktun. So to the Mayans, 8.5.3.12.15 means 8 baktun 5 katun 3 tun 12 uinals and 15 days since creations. And since the Mayan calendar stopped abruptly at 13.0.0.0.0, to which most interpreted as the year 2012, many believed it's the doomsday.

Perhaps it's the pessimistic nature of the human beings that, many interpreted the abrupt end of the Mayan calendar at 13.0.0.0.0 means there'll be apocalypse happening in that year. And of course, the media comes in. History Channel first aired "Decoding the Past: Mayan Doomsday Prophecy" in 2006 which was based loosely on some loose theories, but it proved to be popular so there were more sequels following that. 2012, End of Days (2006), The Last Days on Earth (2008), Seven Signs of the Apocalypse (2008), and Nostradamus 2012 (2008). Like that's not enough, Discovery Channel also aired "2012 Apocalypse" this year, suggesting that massive solar storms, flipping of the magnetic poles, earthquakes, super volcanoes, and more may occur in 2012.

Now that I've watched the movie and do some reading, I've at least gotten my anxiety calmed down and stopped it from progressing into depression and letting me die a schizophrenia.

See, many of us, me included, were so ever keen in watching this movie because of the strong message in the advertisments and trailers. We were curious and anxious, what would really happen in 2012. After all, it's just 3 years from now! And who would have thought, doomsday in our lifetime? But clearly, it's all the mind games Columbia Pictures is trying to get more people into watching this movie. And I guess they succeeded.

But then again, when it comes to supernatural phenomena like this, many would turn into religion and they would get really fanatic. I'm sure you'd know what I mean. If you watched Apocalypto directed by Mel Gibson, then probably you'd imagine at the end of the world there'd be fanatic ladies like that in The Mist who'd get non-believers to be sacrificed so that God would be pleased and save us all!

Absurd fanatic crazy wacko doncha' think?

There were scenes in 2012 where the Christians pray in Vatican but to be crushed by the dome of St. Peter's, and the Rinpoche hitting on the giant bell when the tsunami hits. But there were none of that involving Mekkah. Allah saves them all.

But I shall leave that as it is.

I think when 2012 comes, if there really are some tectonic plates flipping, supervolcanos, massive earthquakes with 29,000 feet high tsunami, I'd pray that I'll die a short death. Crushed by the collapsing building. Died in the tsunami. Fall into the earth's crater. Pierced by the stones from the volcano eruptions. You get the drift. One second you're alive and the next you see the head gone. Stuff like that.

If I were lucky enough to board the Noah's Arc for the future, but I'd have to bear the thoughts of my loved ones dying in the natural catastrophe, I'd give my ticket to those who worked their arses off in building the Noah's Arc. Because it's a living hell staying alive and starting all over again like you're in the Paleolitic period.

So be it. If I die at 25, I'll want to die like how Dr. Satnam do, hugging his wife and boy, watching the gigantic tsunami coming their way. Because no matter how far you run, you'll still die. Everybody dies. That's it. Full stop. Period.

By the way, I think young monk Tenzin is a beauty. I don't know. I just felt so connected.