23 Random Facts

It's been some time I have been meme-tagged. In fact, it's been some time since I posted anything worthy to be called a "blog post". Whoops! So I guess it's better than nothing... Sorry if I've blogged about some of these before!

1. Let's start with the gross. I've had permanent surgeries to sever the toenail roots because of recurring in-grown toenails. The family doctor tried non-destructive methods first, but by the 8th surgery (split evenly between both big toes), I've had enough and opted for the disfiguring surgery. So I now have weird looking toenails. This happened in my early teens. Was it caused by tight footwear? Bad nail-cutting? Predisposed with it? I'll never know.
    
2. I've never played a single Facebook game and have no intentions whatsoever to try. So stop inviting me!
    
3. I have extremely tight hamstrings - the bane of every dancer and fitness instructor. Tight hamstrings can also cause back injury as it "pulls" on lower back muscles - which I suspect has happened. It's a bit too late for me to fully extend myself. I have sometimes wondered if there's any surgery to loosen hamstrings - but have decided against it as it would probably lead to muscle weakness.
    
4. I have white hair since I was 12 - mom's genetics! I have alternated between dyeing my hair, being proud of my flaws, and dyeing my hair again for vanity :-) Recently I found a white nostril hair. Wondering if it could "spread" down south anytime soon?
    
5. I was born on the Winter Solstice (22 Dec) which complicates which star sign I really am - Sagittarius or Capricorn? For most of my life I've leaned towards dependable Capricorn, but I recently found an old notebook containing an astrologists calculations. And it said there that I am born in the age of Sagi.
    
6. I secretly bought a razor when I was 12 out of interest to be a "big boy" and began shaving. I still remember hiding in my aunt's toilet and trying to shave without a mirror! Some say that the more you shave, the faster it grows. Is that why my beard grows frighteningly quick? I have to shave everyday to avoid looking like a hobo.
    
7. I am not fond of dizzying heights and cramped spaces. I don't get phobic as my rational mind prevails, but I do get a sinking feeling in my gut if I have to look down or crawl in confined caves.
    
8. Despite playing computers since 13 and working with computers everyday, I still have strong eyesight! I'm truly blessed in this area.
    
9. The only other body part I feel blessed is.... my set of nice teeth. They grew pretty well without major deformaties. There was a period in my childhood where I loathed brushing my teeth, but somehow I didn't do irreparable damage. Only had a few fillings in my teeth. Started learning to floss recently to make sure I take care of this asset! Dental care is freaking expensive and scary!
    
10. My mom loved making mixtapes and I also grew quite competent in dubbing tapes and making compilations for friends and family! We used to buy our albums from the pirated guys. They'll have photo albums of the cassette jackets where we pick what we want. I think it was around RM10 per cassette.
     
11. None of the toilet bowls in my house are working properly. One of them doesn't have water supply so we need to fill it up manually. The one in the master bedroom and my old room has a broken handle and a faulty ballcock. Consequently we have to flush it very manually (reach in the tank and release the stopper) and also take care that we stop the water supply once it is full. Finally, the one in the guest room (my new room) is the least problematic with just a minor leak. Sure, we could get them all repaired, but I guess Dad doesn't place a premium on pristine waste disposal facilities.
     
12. Dad and I have much love for Panasonic products. We have a National fridge that is almost as old as I am, but it has never failed once! Our top-loading washing machine has been operating faithfully for more than 3 years without issues too. Recently we changed 3 faulty air-cons to Panasonic models as well - 2 of them were Carrier (died of old age) and the other Hitachi (died prematurely). Our 29" TV is also from... OK, I'll stop now.
     
13. I'm currently wearing a Swatch watch that was originally bought by Dad for himself. It's more than a decade old but still ticking well with only minor scratches. Surprisingly the design still looks modern after 10 years!
     
14. I don't decorate the house for Chinese New Year because no one visits and (mainly) we don't really bother. That's what you get when the residents are a bachelor and divorcee. If not for the feng shui mirror above our front door, people wouldn't know there are chinese people living inside!
     
15. On the theme of CNY, I don't bother with buying "new year clothes". I shop throughout the year. There have been many instances where I liked a shirt but it was sold out when I went back to the shop a few weeks later. So I'm more willing to give in to impulse buys nowadays. Somehow though, Mum will make sure I have some new clothes to wear on the first few days on CNY...
     
16. After SPM, one of the courses I was interested in was Biotechnology but Dad steered me towards IT instead. Looking back, it was a very logical reason. Biotech today is a growing field, but locally it hasn't really taken off.
     
17. I've never traveled outside Asia and further than Beijing. A few years ago I declared that I have had enough of visiting developing South East Asian countries!!  Bring on the Caucasian-majority countries! Alas, the financial damage expected is a bit too high to make it worthwhile.
     
18. I wear US Size 11 shoes (*hint* *hint*).
     
19. Thanks to my height, it's not obvious that I have a size 34 waist. Some of it is from midsection flab, but mostly it's from my wide hips. I will never be able to get thin enough to fit into size 30 skinny jeans unless I shave off a few inches from my hip bone. Which is a very, very, stupid thing to do.
     
20. I'm pretty much an ectomorph - I have trouble gaining muscle! But I know that I can have a buff body if I devote more time to the gym, measuring everything I eat, and maintain a strict lifestyle. Too bad, I don't place that much importance on looking like a Men's Health model. A beautiful body and a healthy lifestyle are mutually exclusive. I'd rather enjoy what I have rather than stress what I don't have (or what the media wants us to believe we need to have).
     
21. I'm so gonna get flamed for saying that I think Lady Gaga doesn't have particularly strong vocals, songwriting capability, or beauty. But I still love her music and videos for her sheer "in-your-face" creativity. No one has ever come close to matching Madonna's queenship, but I believe Gaga has a fighting chance. A true entertainer! Let's hope she keeps re-inventing herself over the next 20 years.
22. One of my interests in IT is in the field of usability and user experience design. My final year project had a huge emphasis on usability and I still pay attention to making delightful software in my work. Unfortunately, I'm way behind the curve when it comes to picking up new design technology like WPF.
     
23. I'm allergic to an antibiotic called bactrim. I apparently had a reaction when I so young that I don't remember it. But the name has been drilled into my head! Though, I doubt I'll come across it again. With my frequent tonsilitis in my teens, I have gradually upgraded to stronger pills.

OMG that was freaking hard to complete! Well, back into blog hibernation for 2 months.

As a public service, I'm not tagging anyone.