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100 things about me (Random order)
1. I was born in the Philippines but grew up in Australia.
2. My father is Spanish and my mother is a mixture of Spanish (Mexican), Chinese, Portugese and Filipina.
3. I have two brothers (one deceased) and two sisters.
4. I speak four languages (English, Spanish, Tagalog, Indonesian).
5. I only went up to second year high school in my education.
6. I've been in love 5 times, married once. (Falling in love is very easy for me because I love romance)
7. I have ONE un-requited love. (The only one that seriously broke my heart)
8. I am a widow. (a very young widow)
9. I love animals more than any thing else in the whole world.
10. My favorite color is emerald green.
11. I love Zodiacs/horoscopes/astrology. (I am a Scorpio...with a temper to match).
12. I love cooking.
13. I love old movies (pre 1960's)
14. I love romantic old songs and singers (pre 1960's)
15. I am a consumate romantic and believe every story should have a happy ending.
16. Given a choice I would have been a vet or a forensic scientist...but top of the list would be Ranger at a wildlife reserve in Africa.
17. I have a wicked sense of humor (I love to be wicked and funny at the same time) and laughter is my best medicine.
18. I am an accident always waiting to happen, I have a habit of getting myself into serious trouble.
19. Boredom is my very worst enemy.
20. My phobias are (not necessarily in order)..dead beings, dentists, being under water, flying, heights, claustrophobia, ghosts, public speaking, and getting a hair cut.
21. The joy in my life at the moment are all my adopted stray cats.
22. I am currently an expat living and working in Jakarta.
23. I love Ancient Egyptian history and American Indians (history).
24. I have recently discovered the joys of Photography.
25. I love travelling (except for the flying part) and have been to almost every country in South East Asia and California in the USA.
26. Animal Welfare in Asia is my passion and I am a member of Animals Asia Foundation...specifically the plight of Moon Bears in China.
27. The most amazing creatures I have ever fallen in love with are the orang-utans in Kalimantan....I lived with them for a little over a week.
28. One of my most gratifying careers (dont laugh) was selling Tupperware in Australia...I became a Unit Manager (the gratifying part) and received a brand new car to drive around in and qualified for many trips and many, many gifts. In the 3 years I did this, I promoted out 12 new sales units and was very successful at it.
29. I am too kind-hearted for my own good and take on too many problems to my detriment. I am passionate about human rights and always stand up for and defend all minorities.
30. I am a Catholic, but I am not "religious" in that I do not go to church on Sundays....I believe religion is between God and the individual.
31. I am not pro-abortion but I am pro-choice....I believe a woman has the right to choose for herself, and it is between her and God.
32. I believe President Obama's election is one of the most stupendous world events in my life-time. (ranks with moon landing and fall of Berlin wall)
33. I love people and make friends easily. I will defend a friend to the death, but if crossed, I can be totally unforgiving.
35. I have a very bad temper but I have learned not to lose it too frequently.
36. I believe patience is a virtue and good things happen to those who wait.
37. I love shoes....Imelda Marcos is my only competition. (if she's still alive)
38. My very bestest friend in the whole world is a gay gentleman who (for over 15 years) I have been threatening to marry one day.
39. My ultimate dream one day (before I die) is to see the Grand Canyon, experience the wildlife in Africa, and visit the Amazon Jungle.
40. I have been rich, I have been very poor....the best is in-between.
41. Recently I discovered that I can write stories and hope to write a book one day.
42. The one thing I believe people hate about me is....I always "try" too hard to be liked.....some believe my nice-ness is not always sincere or genuine, and this hurts me more than anything.
43. I hate bigotry, mean spirited people, judgemental people, and those who think the world owes them a living.
44. I hate people who disrespect themselves by getting drunk, or put themselves in compromising situations on purpose.
45. When I question my faith in God, I look at beautiful flowers, beautiful animals, kind people, beautiful scenery, and I believe only God could create these things.
46. I dont think or believe I will ever get married again....but I wouldnt mind a nice loving relationship one day.....sometime in the future.
47. I am absolutely the worst house-keeper in the world. I hate ironing, laundry, cleaning.....and yet I hate dirt and clutter in the house.
48. I love sun-baking on the beach on a tropical island...but I hate getting into the sea or ocean for a swim.....I am terrified of it.
49. I love dolphins...I think they are capable of forming a relationship with humans.
50. Most of my friends are male.....I get on much better with men than with women.
51. I was a tom-boy when I was a kid....I never played with dolls but always liked "roughing" it with the boys.
52. The worst thing I hate about myself is my height.....I am exactly 5 ft and zero inches tall......followed by not being around when they were handing out acceptable sizes in the boobs department.
53. The other worst thing I hate about myself is when I lose my temper, I swear like an absolute trooper...it seems to make me feel better when I say those terrible words.
54. I believe I've had a very fortunuate life (inspite of the downers) and wouldnt change any of it if given the chance...mistakes and all.
55. When I was little, I was a fibber, but one big fib came back and bit me on the butt with very serious consequences....a lesson I never forgot.
56. I am pretty much a jeans and t-shirt type girl....great looking shoes look terrific with a nice pair of jeans.
57. I've been told (mostly by guys) that my best features are my legs and my bum.....by the girls it's my hair.
58. I dont ever see myself as a prim and proper lady....I think there's too much of a "kid" in me to be prim and proper.
59. I ALWAYS cry at sad movies....or even movies that have such an emotional story, even if it's a nice one....I cry.
60. I guess I could say I am a very emotional person.
61. I cant sleep in the nuddy (naked).....I always have to have at least a singlet (tank top?) and undies on.....and always need a blanket.
62. I am a night person.....sleep very late...and hate mornings.
63. I love Asian food much more than western food....I always have to have my rice with my meals.
64. I love sweets.....anything with MERINGUE or custard and I love lemon flavored desserts....Lemon Meringue pie is top of the list followed by Creme Brulee.
65. I love weekends and prefer to do nothing at all except veg out with a good movie or a good book....or blog.
66. I hate gardening but I do love plants and flowers. I prefer potted ones (because I hate gardening).
67. My favorite flowers are anything white.....I love white roses, white gardenias, white azaleas and white jasmine.
68. Talking about white, when I die, I want a white coffin.....only a white one will do. (open to anyone's interpretation).
69. When I die, I want to be cremated.....I am claustrophic....being placed in a box will never do.
70. I have never had a specific ambition in my life....I have never focused on any one single thing to achieve it. I have always been a person who continually moves from one thing to another.
72. The single, most terrible thing I have ever done in my life-time is have an affair with a married man.
73. The single bestest experience in my life is the one week I spent with orang-utans in Kalimantan.
74. The biggest regret in my life.......not focusing on becoming a vet (specifically a wildlife vet in Africa).
75. The most terrifying experience in my adult life is when I flew back from Phuket to Perth....the plane dropped a couple of thousand meters.
76. The most terrifying experience as a child was being made to kiss a dead person. (I wrote an article about this entitled Death)
77. I have a serious problem with motion sickness. I get sick in a swimming pool, in a bath-tub, in cars, planes, boats, even had a waterbed once, got rid of it because I could never get used to the movement of the water.
78. I have never had a single broken bone in my body. The only time I've ever been to a hospital was here in Jakarta but not an over-night stay, just a few hours at the most....first time when I had denghe fever (or suspected) and second time when I had a serious splinter in my toe which had to be surgically removed.
79. I have been incarcerated once, but only for a few hours in Kalimantan.
80. The only thing fearless about me is my sense of adventure. I like going places where tourists dont go, and I like to travel alone.
81. I do not confront my fears, I just meet them when they happen....basically I am a coward at heart.
82. My top choice of guests for dinner would be (not in order) the Dalai Lama, Steve Irwin (if he was alive) Barack and Michelle Obama, Nelson Mandela, (my conservative blogster friends....lol), Neil Armstrong, John (my very bestest friend in the world), Simon Cowell, (need someone to put a damper on the whole event....lol), John Lennon (if he was alive), Jill Robinson (Founder of Animals Asia Foundation), Sidney Poitier, Bill Cosby, Michael Buble, Frank Sinatra (if he was alive), my Mom, Bob Hawke.
83. I have my own house in Perth, but after 7 years of neglect, it needs serious maintenance/renovations. I will be a very busy girl when I go home for good.
84. I still have my husband's ashes in a very special container in my bedroom in Perth. One day I will scatter it somewhere.
85. Even though I have a fear of public speaking, I think my best asset is my "gift of the gab". I love to talk and sometimes I bore people to death.
86. My favorite movies are the really romantic ones....Ghost, Sleepless in Seattle, and such...but I also love anything to do with courts and lawyers....my favorite author is John Grisham, I love his books and the movies made from his books. One of my favorite shows on TV is Boston Legal. My guilty secret is watching Judge Judy, but only in Australia....dont get that show here in Jakarta.
87. I love reality shows like American Idol but my favorite TV Channel is Animal Planet, followed by the news channels.
88. I only have one friend left here in Jakarta...all the other expats I met when I first got here have been posted somewhere else or have gone home.
89. Even though there's a huge culture difference, I love Indonesian people....the most outstanding thing I have personally experienced is their humility. Such humble people.
90. My favorite vacation spot is Bali..almost my second home.
91. I have absolutely no idea what I will be doing when I go home to Perth for good. I can go home any time I want after November this year. I might consider going back to school but have no idea what I want to study.
92. Although I am not really very artistic, I love craft work....I love making pretty (crafty) things.
93. I love crossword puzzles...especially cryptics, and I love scrabble.
94. I have a serious issue with spelling...I hate to see spelling mistakes and when I'm reading I cant focus on what I'm reading because I focus too much on any spelling mistakes. Maybe a job proof-reading might be the go.
95. Only because I love animals so much, I am (almost) a vegetarian...or I could be a devout vegetarian. I love vegetables so it wouldnt be a problem. The reason I cant say for a fact that I am is because I do get easily tempted to a nice looking roast chicken or a leg of ham or a nice hamburger. As long as I dont think about the animal that sacrificed it's life for this meal, I can sit and enjoy it. If I'm eating a really delicious lamb chop I'm okay until a mental picture of a cute little lamb crosses my mind, and then I cant eat it anymore. Most of the time, the meals I prepare for myself here is vegetarian, tofu is a staple here in Indonesia...and I really love it. Mushrooms and legumes are favorites and I use them as substitutes for meat in any dish.
96. According to most people who know me, my worst habit is I leave things to the very last possible minute. I dont know why because this has never had a negative effect on me. I do things much better when I've only got a very short time to do it. I do my Christmas shopping on Christmas eve, that way I dont procrastinate about getting him/her this or would they prefer that. When I do things at the very last possible moment, I find I am much more methodical and there's no room for "buyer's remorse". The same thing when I'm packing for a trip, I get my suitcase out half an hour before I have to leave for the airport, that way I dont have to make decisions about what to take...the essentials go in the suitcase and that's that. I dont see anything wrong with this habit.
97. What most seriously drives me up the wall is people who dont know me and assume I am stupid. Even though I only got up to second year in high school the worst mistake anyone can make is to assume I lack intelligence. This is the only thing I refuse to be modest about.
98. I am modest....one of the things I've had serious lessons in throughout my life is the ability to be humble. Many things humble me....and there's not too much I take for granted. I am always grateful for what I have....it is something I work on every day. Especially here in Asia, I look at the poverty around me and think...."There but for the Grace of God go I". I dont dress extravagantly and dont wear extravagant jewelery. Even my gorgeous shoes are cheapies....lol.
99. I have started dyeing my hair this year....I took after my mother...she started going grey when she was in her early 30's....I wish they would invent something that would stop anyone going grey...they've put a man on the moon for heaven's sakes.....what's so difficult???
100. The most difficult thing I have ever had to write is this "100 things about me". This is the first time in my whole life I have ever looked at myself and if you've never done it, you should try it....it is not easy.
WHEW!!!!!
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