15 Inconsequential Things About Me...

...you might want to know.

Though I don't know why you'd want to, heh.

(A totally self-serving post, I know. But it might help you to get to know the, er, (usually) sane person behind this blog.)

that's me in my natural habitat

1. I’m obsessed with vegetable gardening—I particularly love growing Asian vegetables.

2. I received my driver's license when I was 35, and only after I got a Toyota Corolla (model '96) as a gift from a boss who got tired of me getting stuck in traffic. Before I could get to his confidential office, I had to wade through an hour and a half of EDSA traffic—a stretch of highway that’s actually a 20-minute drive (from house to office) sans the vehicular obstacle course.

image by taralets! photography

3. I’m terrified of lizards of any kind and size. Ditto with shrimp. Don’t ask why.

4. Korean dramas are my preferred creativity booster. Absent a good romcom, you can find me methodically going through a children’s coloring book. :)

5. I once had a TOP SECRET security clearance…and the intelligence officer who did a background check inadvertently knocked on my apartment door, thinking he was going to meet with a neighbor. Heh.

6. In high school, I wrote one-act plays for our freshman English class. We were required to mount a drama presentation every three months.
7. I don’t like watching horror movies—my imagination won’t let me sleep for days afterwards.

8. Proud to say I’m sorta ambidextrous. Not quite, just sort of: I can write and draw with my left hand if needed, but the scribbling looks like that of a first-grader. And tapping your hand while rubbing your tummy? It's a cinch. ;)

9. My late grandmother was a court stenographer, and watching her write those mysterious, scrawling squiggles fascinated me no end. But for all my curiosity, sad to say I never learned how to write shorthand. :(

10. My baccalaureate diploma says I majored in hotel and restaurant administration. If you let me manage a restaurant or hotel today, I’d still know how. But I made my living as a writer, and my knack for creative writing was my ticket to my Executive Assistant career.

11. I grew up in the midst of a 10-hectare rice farm with my maternal grandfather—for miles around, all you could see were ricefields. My nearest playmate (who happened to be an aunt my age) probably lived a couple of miles away.

12. I love the smell of new mown grass—clean, crisp and invigorating. For some reason, my husband hates it. Opposites attract?

13. Fetishes? A brand new notebook and pens. What can I say, I am a writer.

14. Growing up in a farm, I had a dog as a bodyguard—her name was Jacqueline. She’s so smart that once, she brought home a cleaned pig’s head and we had it for dinner. I also wasn’t allowed to go far without her.

15. For spending money in high school, I rented out my romance novels. I also got paid writing love letters and essays for the boys. A Dear John letter costs thrice more than one where the boy is making his intentions known for the first time. Go figure.