100 Random Things

Miss me? I don't have much knitting to talk about so here's this to tide you over. [LOOONNGG POST]

1. I was born in the Philippines and moved to the US when I was 3 years old.

2. I didn't become a citizen until I was 22. My coworkers threw me a party and I was very surprised - I had kinda taken it for granted.

3. Every weekend my parents' Filipino friends would get together and play mahjong until 2am. The kids played cards and bet with black jelly beans.

4. I do not speak Tagalog anymore.

5. I have learned French, Spanish and Japanese.

6. Carolina Girl 1989 and 1997, BS in Business and MS in Information Science.
7. I avoided computers until 1990 when I had to use one for work.

8. I was married to my college sweetheart in 1990.

9. I got divorced when I was 24.

10. My mother's best friend taught me how to crochet when I was little but it never took.

11. I had a kid's knitting machine, the kind that created a tube after you threaded yarn on the spool and turned a crank. That was my first introduction to knitting.

12. Skin care products are one of my weaknesses.

13. I have driven a stick shift since I was 22.

14. When I was 16, I won a writing competition at school but couldn't advance it any further because I wasn't a US citizen.

15. I was the news editor for my high school newspaper.

16. I was the business manager for the indie paper in college for a couple of years.

17. I learned to ski at 24.

18. I have been running since I was 18.

19. I have a tendency to date men with German or Norwegian heritage.

20. Photography became a serious hobby at 22.

21. I own at least 13 film cameras.

22. At the moment, I have 2 digital cameras.

23. My dogs' names were Ferdie, Sally, Tasha, Mathias, Stella, Woody and Jessie. Only Tasha, Woody and Jessie are still alive. They have other owners.

24. My cats' names were Cat, Big Kitty and Little Kitty. Cat ran away before I moved to California. Big and Little are current.

25. The tallest mountain I have hiked to the summit is Mt Sneffels in Colorado at 14,150 feet.

26. I have skied at Killington, Alta, Snowbird, Kirkwood, Sugar Bowl, Okemo, Sierra, North Star, Heavenly, Squaw, Alpine Meadows, Mt Rose, Sun Valley, Blackcomb, Whistler, Breckenridge, Vail, Keystone and Mammoth.

27. I have run the Bay to Breakers 4 times, the Bridge to Bridge twice.

28. I have ridden 65 miles twice, my longest bike rides.

29. My backhand is pretty mean.

30. Longest drive was 230 yards with a men's 3-wood.

31. I was not allowed to participate in any sports when I was a kid.

32. 80s music is another weakness.

33. I don't know exactly why, but I really like airports.

34. I cook everything but Filipino food.

35. Filipino food is tastier than other Asian food but you will develop heart disease faster.

36. I hate leftovers. They're just former meals.

37. I officially stand at 4'11" but my driver's license says I'm taller.

38. My mother says I'm short because I stubbornly refused to drink milk as a baby.

39. I have two younger brothers who both studied art history in college but ended up in the IT industry. Go figure.

40. I first read The Hobbit in 5th grade.

41. I always knew I'd live in California at some point.

42. I didn't have a Southern accent growing up. Everyone thought I was from California.

43. I will live in North Carolina again some day.

44. Countries I have visited: England, France, Germany, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, the Philippines, Taiwan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand.

45. Countries still on my list: China, Iceland, Japan, Singapore, Antartica, Peru.

46. I am embarassed to admit being a huge Duran Duran fan back in the 80s. Roger Taylor was my favorite.

47. I also had a crush on John McEnroe. You can't be serious!

48. In my teenage daydreams, I thought I would be happily married by age 32 with 2 or more kids and being a stay-at-home mom.

49. Um...I'm 38, divorced once, kidless and working full-time...but happy nevertheless.

50. I thought I would grow up when I turned 30 but soon realized that maturity does not come with age.

51. Penguins are my favorite birds because they are short, can't fly and seem to have fun all the time.

52. My favorite time to write is when I've had a glass or two of wine, a la Truman Capote.

53. Secretly, I love to dance but can't find any guys to dance with. Karl does. not. dance. at all.

54. I "stole" Karl from another woman. She didn't deserve him anyway.

55. I can be very demanding. Because I'm a perfectionist. Some tell me I'm high maintenance.

56. Clutter makes me nervous.

57. Travelling, the actual travelling part like being on a plane or train, is strangely soothing.

58. My friends think I'm an electronic gadget geek. OK, what's wrong with having 4 cell phones???

59. I faint at the sight of my own blood. I passed out once when I had to had to have my finger pricked.

60. I do not drink milk or any white beverages.

61. I am very nearsighted but this condition wasn't discovered until I was third grade. Up to that point, my memories are all blurry.

62. I broke 3 teeth in a rollerblading accident.

63. I have torn both rotator cuffs because of skiing.

64. Oh, and I also tore my left ACL going down a stupid easy blue run. I had to be put on a stretcher and taken across the ski resort behind a snowmobile.

65. Snowmobiles are sexy when you're riding on one with your arms wrapped around your man under a cold clear starry night.

66. My first name was originally Maria. I dropped it when I became a citizen.

67. Filipinos like to give their children 4 names and call them by their second.

68. I am really not very Filipino. I think my mother subconsciously agonizes over that.

69. There is a hoard of snacks in my desk drawer at work but I hardly eat them. Control.

70. On the other hand, I cannot eat just one bag of Ruffles Sour Cream and Cheddar potato chips.

71. My favorite city is Boston. It has romantic connotations for me.

72. My favorite plant is lavender (not orchids, although I love those too). My yard is covered with lavender of all kinds.

73. I could really use a glass of wine right now.

74. I wish I was more happy go lucky.

75. Every now and then, I tell Karl what my favorite whatever is..fruit, color, item of clothing, etc., just in case we are ever on the Newlywed Game. And just in case he forgets those things.

76. I never had allergies until I moved to California.

77. My first volcano experience was on the Big Island where I hiked across a dormant caldera.

78. I get along better with men rather than women most of the time. This is curious. I think it's because with men, I can take 'em or leave 'em and they don't care. Or I don't care, anyway.

79. Money talk causes great anxiety.

80. Religion - don't go there with me. Actually, that's not completely true...I believe in believing in a higher, ethereal spirit. Organized religion bothers me.

81. I have a true soft spot for dogs of any breed. There's something about them that makes me feel very motherly. They are like little toddlers.

82. Cats do not inspire the same feelings, however. They are like...little evil toddlers.

83. My favorite color was black until about 3 years ago when I started knitting. I can't stand knitting with black yarn.

84. I grew up very sheltered and introverted.

85. Now most people think I'm quite outgoing.

86. Certainly everyone knows I like to organize trips, dinners, menus, anything that can be organized.

87. I used to want to be a travel agent specializing in ski vacations until I found out it didn't make much money.

89. My ideal job would be working as a photojournalist for a travel and/or cooking magazine. Wouldn't that be cool. Travel, eat, take pictures and blog about it.

90. It's taking me too long to write 100 things.

91. Ants give me the creeps but I like lizards (a California thing).

92. We came upon a rattlesnake while hiking in Yosemite. Then I rode by a couple on the bike trail around town.

93. I have run over 2 squirrels on my bike. My friends call me "Squirrel Killer".
94. I am not a fan of coconut.

95. Given the choice between a sweet chocolately bonbon versus a salty crunch snack, I will always go for the salt and the crunch.

96. Rain and thunderstorms always make me feel nostalgic for home.

97. There are a lot more than 100 things that are random about me.

98. Can you tell I like lists?

99. Change is good for you.

100. Favorite quote: "Know where you're going in life... you may already be there."