Diez Cosas Extrañas Sobre Me

(...or Ten Weird Things About Myself)

The d-Eva tagged me today.

The rules are: Once you've been tagged, you write a blog with 10 weird random things, facts, or habits about yourself.
At the end you choose 5 people to be tagged, and list their names.
Don't forget to leave a comment that says 'you are tagged', and tell them to read your latest blog.

I've never really been tagged before. Unless of course, we count actually playing "Tag". Then, I suppose i WAS "tagged" about a billion times a single game. (Bad stamina. *chuckles*) Right. So if the concept of being "tagged" still works the same way as the kid's game, then it's now my turn to chase fellow hooligans down the street in the blinkin' heat, catch them and then slap them hard in the face, yelling "Tag, You're IT!"

Why do we have to yell "You're IT!" anyway? Dictionary.com says, "it" is used to represent an inanimate thing understood. What a marvel. When playing a game of Tag, we're anything but inanimate! But once again, I sidetrack.

Thankfully, being tagged in the Wonderful World of Blogdom is nothing more than a game, created to conquer "writer's bock"( i believe), to save bloggers/bloggerettes from hacking at the crannies of their gray matter to come up with a forced entry. I think some of you may beg to differ; arguing that it was harder to come up with a list than with the usual entry. Or some of you may have even found that being "tagged" was fun (god-forbid)! Thus, to not offend, I respect all your preferences.

Regardless of what we individually think, we are all (yes, even me!) now waiting for yours truly to come up with her idiosyncratic list -beginning with this juicy bit: 1) When in deep thought, i tend to twirl a favorite bit of hair with my left index finger and it's neighbor, alternately. A habit cultivated since age five. I seldom twirl my hair in public, but see if you can spot me in the act sometime! *laughs*

2) I had my first pimple breakout at age 19. If you don't find that weird - well, i don't really care. For me, it was as pleasant as watching Mr. Bean's Holiday! Too many cliches (repeated monstrosities) and most of the time, i was clueless as to how to react. I remember being frustrated for the better part of the movie. Likewise, my pimple breakout was one of the most harrowing experiences for any person to go through. *solemn* I still live with scars. *sighs ruefully* Any good scar-removing treatments?

3) I'm an English freak. Reading the English dictionary was a favorite pass time, alongside books authored by Carolyn Keene, Enid Blyton and C.S. Lewis. Then ever since the dawn of the internet era, I began working with the likes of Dictionary.com and M-w.com, switching dictionaries indefinitely. I also began reading Agatha Christie, Philip Pullman, Nicholas Sparks, Alfred Hitchcock, Jane Austen, etc.

I began to develop this thing for written grammar when i was 11 or 12, which later in time, (as some would know) morphed into this mild obsession. I would correct someone's written spelling or grammar if i knew for sure that they were wrong. If I wasn't sure, I'd pull out Dictionary.com to find out first before going ahead. Not kidding. (**Note: I only correct written errors, not whilst verbal/audible conversations. That would just be weird.) I may not always be accurate, but i constantly strive to better my English whenever I can. My best friend found this word today, sprachgefuhl (pronounced shprakh-guh-fuel. Doesn't that sound so coo?). He told me it was an apt description of myself. *chuckles* I absolutely loved the word as soon as i read it!

I participated in who-knows-how-many competitions such as story-telling, choral-speaking, debate, and drama when in school and college.

I also became a registered member of Writing.com (then Stories.com) to explore the world of creative writing a little more, as i had written a lot of poetry and had no idea where to put them. I wasn't familiar with blogging at the age of 12. Writing.com was awesome as there are veteran and amateur writers alike, reading and commenting your stuff. In addition, they also have this gift-point system that really fuels you to keep going. I'm no longer an active member now, but those days were memorable. Wow, I've rambled so much about this. Time for point 4.

4) I have never left the country. I have never flown on a plane, save one domestic flight between Penang to Kuala Lumpur for an intercollege debate competition. And believe me, i had my face glued to the window of that aircraft for the whole of thirty minutes, both ways. *laughs sheepishly* I was a kid at Christmas that day.

5) I have a fascination for shiny things. But I never ogle out loud. I'd just phase out for a couple of seconds whilst looking at whatever it may be. Hardly anybody notices. The stuff that usually catch my attention are as follows:

- The stickers on original DVDs/VCDs/the like.
- The reflection of the sun on clear puddles, lakes, etc.
- The bit on a credit card
- Silver/Chrome accessories
- I bought a silver lipstick and eye shadow once because it was all shiny and metallic. I was 11.
- Metallic ink gel pens
- I bought a bit of silver cloth and had it taylored into a pair of pants as a dance costume. I was 15.
- Glitter
- Christmas decorations
- Twinkling Stars
- Night Sea/City view from a balcony or any elevated plateau.

6) I morphed myself into a tomboy throughout the duration of my secondary school. I had a boycut hairdo, bought huge school Tees and pants, spoke all rough-like, cussed *hangs head in shame*, the works! Needless to say i was a different person at home. I had thought it would save me from all the backtalk and gossip, but it didn't. I grew some and learned that I should just be myself and not be people benders. So, I grew my hair and concentrated on more "refined" language. To those who may have known me during my "cussing" phase, I am terribly sorry for setting such an example, though it may have only been one and a half years. I am changed now. Truly.

7) I like the number 13. NO, not because i like to toy with superstition and no, i don't have a dark soul. No, i don't like black cats and no, i don't take notice of many "Unlucky Friday the 13th(s)". I was born on the 13th. It marked the beginning of my life. That's all. End of story.

8) I like pencils, and color pencils. I doodle a lot and those are my choice mediums. I'm not that great a doodler. But once in awhile, I can come up with pretty good stuff. *smiles* Still practicing. Hoping to better my doodles to more sophisticated art.

9) I like cartoons, Disney movies, flash movies, the works! I like the BACKYARDIGANS (Nickelodeon)! I love CARS and ROBOTS (Disney Movies)! I like BEAR IN THE BIG BLUE HOUSE (Playhouse Disney)! I love MAKING FIENDS (flash series)! I love VEGGIE TALES (BigIdea)! I especially like deals that include awesome music, excellent play of words, humor, down-to-earth ideas, originality and the adorability factor. Aside that, I'm an ardent follower of two particular webcomic strips, "Beaver And Steve" as well as "You'll Have That". Very coo.

10) I've had to enlarge my nostrils by removing the extra layer of tissues that had accumulated, through an operation. My nose was bleeding for a fortnight after that! And if that wasn't enough, I tasted rotten blood every morning throughout my recuperation period. My friends found it disgusting but hey, it was essential for my survival. *chuckles* Being a former bronchitis patient, my lungs tend to get all congested with phlegm real fast (I have sinuses too) and this affects my breathing a lot. My ENT doc eventually suggested i go through the operation. So yeah, you CAN say I've had an internal nose job.

So that's it from me. I hereby "tag":

1) Joash
2) Eric Teng
3) Lam
4) Adrian
5) Eunice L

"TAG, YOU'RE DEATH-DEFYINGLY IT!"