Semi-Identical Twins?

My husband YMed me this news article a few nights ago and being appreciably a twin, I found it amusing and spot-on. "Well, it's about time!" I thought back.

The news relates the discovery of semi-identical twins, a process which involves a rare fertilisation of one egg by two sperms and thereon split into two embryos.

As echoed by the researcher that "the current classification of twins is an oversimplification", I sometime have this nagging feeling that I might be one of the rare cases. But not ruling out anything, my suspected differences could also be due to the so-called epigenetic changes, which 'are the result of chemical exposure, dietary habits and other environmental factors.' So it all boils down to the reaction of our genes to external influences, be it social, spiritual, female bonding, exercise regiment and many others.

It seems like a no-brainer that outside factors will ease their ways into our physical health. After all, people have always attributed the degeneration of our bodies to heredity, recklessness or lack of proper care on our part. As such, the cumulative effects of a lifetime of experiences on a person's 'gene expression' should never be underestimated and taken lightly.

Back to the real world, I did ponder the possibility if my twin and I were in fact NOT identical twins. After all, I mean aside from the outward yet fleeting similarities in our physical appearance, we are two very different individuals. Fleeting in the sense that as soon as you get to know us better, you could detect the differences.

Let me bring you through a slew of for examples: (a) her facial shape is oval and mine leans more on the squarish/roundish side, (b) she has a mole above the right side of her lips while I have a birthmark (or mole) on my left arm, (c) I have a long torso and a short pair of legs and the exact opposite for her, (d) her voice is high-pitched whereas I'm more that of a baritone, (e) my hair is curlier than hers, (f) she has poise, collectedness and a 'well-timed' reserved manner as opposed to my batty, rambunctious and scatterbrained disposition.

Predictably, we also share dissimilar interests such as in food (she loves beef, I love prawns), music (she likes R&B, I don't), books (contemporary vs classics), friends and even the type of men we love! (well, that is, save for Brad Pitt!). And no, for the record, as some people might counter, these variables are not borne out of a conscious-decision to be different. There are just the set of preferences we have nurtured and cultivated over the years.

Not that I'm complaining about our diverse qualities but for some people to make sweeping generalisations about us is annoying at best and judgmental at worst. I guess it goes with the territory of being twins. People compare. Based on the distinctive characteristics delineated above, I find the argument strong that my twin and I might be one of the long-lost semi-identical twins! Sigh...If only things were that simple.....

As my husband aptly put it, he has known me for so long as an individual - with no twin attached - before eventually meeting my twin. The first thing that came up was that "You guys are not the same at all. Similar but not the same."

Similar-yet-different-twins. I like that. :)