doctor3Yesterday was medical checkup day (or kenkou shindan in Japanese). As I was hurriedly filling up the form containing health-related questions, the following items left me wondering how I’m supposed to answer:

A) Answer YES or NO to the following:
a.1) I exercise more than 30 minutes at least twice a week
–> Ummmm…. is finger exercise counted? (I can type really, really fast) How about the mental exercise I get from watching all those fitness program infomercials on TV?

a.2) I walk more than an hour a day
–> Ummmm…. is walking to and from the restroom every 2 hours or so counted?

a.3) In comparison with other people, I eat fast
–> Depends on whether I’m extremely famished or not that hungry at the time.

a.4) I don’ take breakfast more than 3 times a week
–> Ummm… yeah… **blushing**

a.5) Do you intended to improve exercise and eating habits?
–> It depends. How bad do you think my current state is?

B) Select what aspect do you wish to improve on within one year?
b.1) Nothing
–> I can’t bear the thought of selecting this

b.2) Exercise
–> Selected. My conscience won’t let me choose otherwise.

b.3) Meal
–> Selected. Looks like I would have to make an effort to drag myself from bed earlier than I’m used to just to get a proper breakfast.

b.4) Diet
–> Diet? What diet?

b.5) No smoking
–> Thank God for childhood asthma. I don’t smoke. Never had. Never will.

b.6) Refrain from liquor
–> Ok. There goes my Saturday night happy time.

Then I leave the office after more than 8 hours of nothing but finger & brain activity whilst staring at the computer monitor. I get home and see my cable TV, DVDs, PC and the bookshelf that’s groaning under the weight of all the books it houses. It was only recently that I’ve decided to finally wean myself off video games by selling my PS3, only to get hooked on yet another online game.

Suddenly, it hit me like a road to Damascus experience. At the rate I’m going, I might not live long enough to see my grandchildren (considering that I don’t even have kids of my own to begin with).

I see myself going up to the podium in one of those addiction intervention meetings. I raise a blushing face and muster as much volume as my shame-ridden self could: I am Makemydayfriday. A couch addict.

This is baaad. Really baaad.