The Omnivore Experiment

When I got out of the mental hospital in 2016, I committed to quit my addictions and replace them with better addictions. Hihi.

Instead of spending my weekends doing extreme outdoor sports, I did the unthinkable. I practiced yoga and learned how to sit still in meditation. Yikes.

(I can’t believe I am teaching yoga now. o_o)

Instead of drinking alcohol, I turned to smoothies and fruit juices.

Instead of coffee, I had jasmine, camomile, and green teas. Hibiscus tea was my favorite.

Instead of rice, meat, and eggs, I had a bowl of fruity oatmeal for breakfast.

Instead of hanging out with drunken friends and outdoor sports junkies, I hung out with yogis and writers. It was hard. This one felt like a brain reset.

Instead of depressing “literary” books, I read ancient literature and romance poetry.

And indie films? I quit them altogether. I stopped snacking on films due to the dying culture of piratebay.

Regardless, I missed the old internet, when I could download indie films on a whim. Now it’s just popcorn Netflix culture.

The internet was shifting rapidly. And what was once a safe and quiet haven for my thoughts, became littered with sharks and creeps.

Suddenly everybody was online posting videos, going viral, and creating spikes of growth in the deep interwebz.

Then after going vegan for five years, I realized I looked so much younger than my age.

People mistook me for a fresh graduate — I even looked younger than when I graduated.

In 2022, I made an experiment to go back to my old habits.

I started eating meat, sugary drinks, and chips again. I drank some coffee and a little liquor.

I hung out with my old drunk friends (they haven’t changed). I read Henry Miller and Anais Nin.

I tried social media, but no matter what happened, it still couldn’t replace real life.

I’ve had more water sports such as snorkeling and swimming, and was close to doing dragonboat again.

When my ex Vincent and I started talking, he noticed that I have “matured”. Lol.

In just three months of incorporating more fish, shrimps, squid, crabs, chicken, eggs, and sugar in my diet, I started looking older.

I mean, in just three months, I literally aged five years. And in one year, I probably aged 10 to 15 years.

It was interesting to notice how eating animals can make me feel older, look older, and even feel slow and fatigued.

I had slept more than usual. And my dreams weren’t so good.

By the end of the year’s omnivore experiment, I have started looking the same as the people my age.

Like those people who were battered by life. I looked like a mother, with kids, and I am not used to it.

Not to mention I felt crankier than usual.

I think the worse addictions that I reviewed were (1) COFFEE and (2) ALCOHOL. These are the worst — when you’re clean these two will fuck up with your system.

Anyway here’s me at my real age. I’m slowly going back to my plant-based diet, and I’m sure I’ll transform back to my younger self in no time.

// 14 Jan 2024