33 Things I’ve Never Told You (or, How to Re-Introduce Yourself and Kick Your Watered-Down Self in the Ass)

March 25, 2012


Today, I turned 33

To kick off this new chapter in my blogging life, I’m going to start by sharing 33 things you may not know about me. Hopefully you’ll know more about the real me after reading this. And then later, if I get back to not sounding like my full self on the blog again, you can call me on it, OK?

There’s no turning back now. Here we go:

1.       I’m 33, but my friends range from early 20s to mid-60s. Just last week I met a friend in his 20s in the afternoon, and then had dinner with my teachers and two friends in their late 50s. Age is in your mind.

      

2.       I believe firmly in attachment parenting and find that this approach is very intuitive to me. This means that I breastfeed, babywear, and co-sleep. I do not spank or let my child “cry it out”.

3.       I enjoy nature and the outdoors and want my child to spend a lot of time outdoors being physically active too.

                                                                        Playing and swimming party (Staycation) at our garden.

4.       My closest friends are funny as fuck. Seriously. Sense of humor is one of the most attractive qualities in a person to me. I have a huge group of friends I’ve known since high school and college. When we get together, everyone is a comedian. I love it. The sad thing is, as I get older, I find it harder to find new friends who I can be funny with. Humor becomes less and less a part of new relationships. I would like to change that.

                               with my UST college friends

                                                                                   

                                                                                                                             

5.       I worked all the way through college. I grew up poor and didn’t know that getting loans and going away to college was really an option. So, I got a part time job when I was 17 working for the UST Library as student assistant and at the same time, at Jollibee as counter crew. So, Time and money is so precious to me.

6.       I am connected to the Best Universities in Asia. Studying and working in these institutions makes my Momma proud. I think the only institution I wasn't able to attend/work is the Ateneo De Manila University. I guess, I'll be working on it soon! 

7.       I am considering doing a PhD in corporate social responsibility and consider issues related to consumer ethics when deciding which products to buy for my family. How about PhD in Parenting? Is there a university who offer this degree?

8.       I’m secretly jealous of creative people, like artists, musicians and actors. Luckily I get to hang out with lots of creative people. Oh, and I guess I’m a writer now, so I should probably embrace this as my craft and stop being jealous. Or shut up and start making art, music or acting.

9.       I have always wanted to be a singer. Always. That’s due to my family’s musical stylings and the feeling has only grown stronger as I’ve aged. This is made somewhat complicated, however, by the fact that I don’t have a great voice. Lately, I’ve been singing to Adele’s “Turning Tables”. Hmmmm...

10.   I am ERASERHEADS fanatico. I’m an avid fan of Eraserheads- the Beatles of the Philippines. I grew up with their music. I know most of their songs. And even though they’ve already disbanded, I’m still a fan. Their songs are still alive and their music is still a trend.

with my idol Raimund Marasigan.

                                                                      

11.   My favorite book is Hunger Games. I almost never read fiction. I probably read one fiction book for every 5 non-fiction books, and I only finish about 10 books a year. My DLSZ/UP friends consistently read 2+ books every week, almost entirely fiction. And as a school librarian, I should read more often. BTW, there’s Hunger Games movie, I am excited to watch it!

12.   I could watch E.T. forever. That little alien still makes me tear up.

                                                   

13.   I breed dogs. Labrador, Belgian Malinois, Border Collie, Bulldog.

  

      14.   I am very happy that my sisters and I are close. We argue and quarrel during childhood, but  over the last few years we realized two things: that we’re actually pretty similar in personality, and that it’s nearly impossible for us to travel together without making incredible (often childhood) memories.

15.   Sagada is one of my favorite place in the Philippines. I love to travel as what I claim I am “Rhoda the explorer”. Sagada is a breath taking experience for me. I have to go back again in that place to have a “soul searching”. Anyone wants to join my trip?

 spelunking at Sumaging cave w/ my DLSU-D officemates

                                                                        

16.   Paris and Italy. My dream. I want to travel and visit this country. 2-3 years from now, perhaps?

17.   I want a tattoo. I don’t know of what and I don’t know where it’ll go, but it’s going to happen. My main goal, honestly, is to make sure I’m fully (at least mostly) sober when it does.

18.   Did I mention I have a bad memory? You know those friends who always know the exact date something happened, and who are constantly reminding you of funny things that happened 10 years ago? I’m not one of those people.

19.   I could never get up early. It's a great effort to do it. It seems that my body clock did not come well set from the factory. My ideal day would begin if I wake up at 12 noon. At night I feel is the best time of the day. That's why I read and do my thesis at night. My senses awaken and the best of me comes alive --or this is what I think, 'cause everybody is sleeping and can't see it :)

20.   My perfect day would begin with my son’s smile and end with making dinner
        at home with a nice mug of brewed coffee and then going to bed early.

21.   My strengths and weaknesses :
       My family and Luigi.

 22.   I love everything about the ‘80s. The hair, the  clothes,  the attitudes, the TV shows, the music. I am an 80’s kid. I love Super Mario Bros. One of the reason why my son's  name is “Luigi”.

23.   I have always thought it would be fun to be a  waitress. But now that I am a mom and basically am a  waitress (a cook as well), I no longer have this dream.

24 . I read to my child. I believe that books can open up new worlds. Most of my
     reading right now is children’s’ literature.  

25.   I believe in diversity. I want my child to be exposed to people from different 
        cultures, different generations, different sexual orientations, and different levels of
        income.

26.   I love RED colors, anything that is red… shoes, lipstick, bag, nail polish, watch, dress...etc. They make me happy.

   27.   I am a sniffer. I have the bad habit of smelling things...even gross things.

  28. A couple of relationships in my life have gone terribly wrong. I think about them often. I would have done things differently in both cases, but you can’t hold yourself responsible for other people’s happiness.

29. I feel things in extreme.. If I am sad, my heart aches. This applies to those whom I love as well, and I empathize deeply with them and their lives.

30.  I am not a martyr. I know how to love and when to let go.

      31. I cry at weddings. Yep. I admit it. There is a point in every wedding that I attended that will  
             make me tear up. Whether it’s the private moment between father and daughter before he
             walks her down the aisle or a particular look or vow between the bride and groom or maybe
             the best man’s speech at the reception. So imagine me at my sister’s wedding..
             Ohmygoodness!
             http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJ-9zCPu52A

32.   I am kind of an optimist, I always expect the best outcome (which is sometimes a problem!) and I am happiest when others are happy too.

33.    I’m scared of death. I don’t really know what else to say about that. I don’t think I can accept the idea of not being alive — of not knowing that the world is going to continue to change without me. I realize, er, that’s a bit morbid, but the thought has been weighing on my mind a lot recently.

I know exactly why, too: I’m worried that I’ll somehow pass away without making a difference in the world. This is one of those situations, though, where my fear is driving me forward, where it’s pushing me to take my destiny in my own hands and make it as meaningful as possible. That’s a good thing, I think.

  
I’m surprised that it was so easy to come up with these 33 things, and pleased that I actually have a lot more to share. Maybe this self-expression thing won’t be so hard after all.

Thanks for reading! If you resonate with the soul I’ve just bared, subscribe to this blog, friend me on Facebook, or write me an email. If I’ve offended you or turned you off, thanks for reading anyway. I know that I won’t appeal to everyone, and that’s OK.