The House of Life That Will Probably Kill You

Back in December, I bought a book about Feng Shui as a Christmas gift to myself. Ever since, I've gained a greater practical understanding of how exterior/interior design effects mood and well-being. I have also been hyper-aware of bad Feng Shui...

Pretty, but you'll never have a good night's sleep in this bed.

This morning, I turned on my television and caught a little bit of Extreme Homes on HGTV. One of the interesting homes they showed was: Bioscleave.

The idea is that this house will keep you active physically and mentally. This constant activity is meant to enhance your metabolism, nervous system, and overall life. Bioscleave is designed to help its inhabitants live longer. 

But I'm not quite convinced.

Just looking at this house takes minutes off my life! Perhaps I'm too lazy to navigate the mountain-climbing floors and plug my devices in sideways, but I couldn't imagine coming home to this insane house! I feel that, in order for this home to work as it should, you'd have to reduce stress in all areas of your life. Imagine coming home from an exhausting day of work to that house.

"I just want to go to bed!!!"

Children are not allowed in the Bioscleave House, and adults must sign a waiver before entering the house. Why? Because you could lose your footing walking through the house and injury your self. This house is the antonym of Feng Shui.

There are also no doors in this house. (Not even the bathroom.) Privacy is almost non-existent. At any given time, your roommate in Bioscleave House could come over a hill in the floor and catch you on the can!

Look at all of the colors and the shape of this place! It's meant to be a visual stimulant that triggers brain activity, thus helping your think better? But it looks like someone played LEGOs with a bunch of other houses. It's loud and busy, and I know I would hate it.

What kind of car do you park here?

Bioscleave is an impressive feat of architecture, for sure. An important point of Feng Shui That Makes Sense is that Feng Shui is subjective; the practice has guidelines but if something works for you, then go with that. However, I doubt this house will be any kind of health benefit. I'm pretty sure this house is more likely to cause anxiety and other health problems to the people who live there.

Also: The website for the design company is just as impractical and busy as the house!

Would You Be Able to Live In Bioscleave House?

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My Quarter-Life Crisis

"Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive." - Elbert Hubbard

Many people reach the middle of their lives and begin taking stock: How much time do I have left? What have I accomplished thus far? Have I ever truly felt alive? 

This internal struggle - commonly referred to as a mid-life crisis - usually manifests itself outwardly through risky/outrageous acts, spontaneous trips, and expensive purchases.

As painful as a mid-life crisis is, this is not the only crisis of the modern world some of us are bound to face...

Before you can even reach the "What Have I Done With My Life?" crisis, you must first encounter the "What Am I Going To Do With My Life" crisis: The Quarter-Life Crisis.

The overwhelming panic of being thrust into the "real world" clueless of what the future holds can be a terrible experience for us in our early 20s to 30s: What am I going to do with my life? Did I go to school for the right thing? Or have I screwed it all up already? Is happiness even a real thing?

Unlike a mid-life crisis, young people typically don't have the option to spend their savings on something to help cure their crisis. So what do you do?

Here's how I've been spending my quarter-life crisis...

Becoming A Warrior

Lately, my interest in martial arts has become a small hobby. Israeli Krav Maga, in particular, has piqued my interest, and I've been practicing a few techniques I found online. Feeling my punches have been weak (and my stamina should be better), I've also begun doing strength-building yoga from a book I bought a while back.

Becoming A Feng Shui Master & Fashion Stylist

My quarter-life crisis has brought out my creative side. Around Christmas time, I mentioned I bought a book about feng shui, and I love interior decorating! I've been watching a lot of HGTV and pinning a lot of home decor on Pinterest.

When I grow bored of interior design, I turn to exterior design. I watch Fashion Star and create outfits on Polyvore (inspired by music that I like).

Connecting To Culture

I've begun watching a period anime, Samurai Champloo, with deep plots in each episode and the smoothest music! This show has simultaneously educated me about Japan in the Edo period and reminded me of what hip hop used to mean before... what it is now...

This thought of culture has me into spoken word again, too. I actually got the urge to write a poem after a hard day at work while listening to the above song. (That melody soothes me.) I've also started listening to poetry on YouTube - which I strongly recommend on a bad day.

What are your suggestions for coping with a Quarter-Life Crisis?

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2 Intriguing Amazon Purchases

As humans, there are many things that remain a mystery to us. Whether it's aspects of a different culture or strange religious beliefs, it is impossible to be familiar with everything our world has to offer. In fact, many of us don't readily accept ideals and practices different from our own.

It has always been my philosophy to be open-minded to new things and (even if I abhor it) try to understand why other people like it and find some value in my having experienced it myself.

This brings me to the early Christmas gifts I bought myself from Amazon!!!

The Original Rider Waite Tarot Pack

A couple of weeks ago, I found myself bored on the Internet and began watching tutorials on Howcast. I found the "How to Develop Psychic Powers" video series particularly interesting, especially the video about tarot cards.

They suggested I buy the Rider Waite Tarot Deck, and - sure enough - it was available on Amazon on sale for about $15.

After learning a little about what the cards mean and the positions the cards are placed in, I have to say that this is the best $15 I've spent in a long time! Do I believe the cards have mystical powers? No. However, I think that the amount of thought you put into a difficult situation with the help of these card is more than valuable.

The entertainment value of finding out how accurate your reading was is priceless.

Feng Shui That Makes Sense by Cathleen McCandless

On the same odd-but-insightful note as the tarot cards, I decided to buy a book about feng shui. Feng Shui is a practice shrouded in misinterpretation. To put it simply, feng shui is "the study of the environment and how it affects people".

No, not that "environment".

Rather,...

...these environments. The environments you occupy the most in your lives: home, work, and wherever you spend your free time. The design and positioning of objects in these places can play a more major role in our lives than we think! Learning the art(?) of feng shui could really be valuable. 

Many think of the myths associated with feng shui and deem it to be a waste of time, but I've learned from this book that feng shui really isn't as mystical as it is practical, and it makes a lot of sense in regards to the way people think. 

So, those are the odd Christmas gifts I bought myself this year. The take-away from all this is to keep an open-mind regarding things that are unfamiliar to you, and try to explore the unknown instead of hiding from it.

My next exploration: Handwriting analysis!

What odd things peek your interest? What are you getting yourself for the holidays?

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