Shatter the Illusion

I was tagged by Victor Gregor, and I am supposed to write 10 random things about me, one of which should be a lie. But then again, there is in the blogsphere a 25 random things happening, and, ambitious that I am, I think I’d like to opt for that, but put in the bit about one being a lie. Not to mention that I’ve been tagged in one of my social networks as well, which means I’m gonna cannibalize this post for all its worth. Haha!

1. I am a pencil-pusher, a numbers-cruncher, a table-hugger, a bookkeeper. I am an accountant, but that is just my work.

2. Work is one of my addictions. I am known to work for ten to sixteen hours a day, especially when deadlines are about. Thankfully, I’m trying to lessen it.

3. IT is one of my favorite books by Stephen King, about a monster who feeds on the fears and lives of children, and the group of misfits who defeated him. The story takes place 35 years after they first defeated the monster, and now, IT is back to take revenge. The novel has also been made into a movie for TV.

4. TV has been out of my system for more than two years now, which is big, considering I was such a couch potato. I don’t really miss it, except for Discovery Channel and cartoons.

5. Cartoons and anime has been part of my life since I can remember; from The Flying House to Visionaries, and now, Avatar and Bleach. Now that I don’t watch TV, most of my cartoon fix come from my local pirate shop.

6. Shopping doesn’t really do it for me. I don’t get the emotional high or the rush other people experience when they shop for clothes and shoes. I get more excited when I go to the hardware shop, and more so when I go to the bookstore. That’s the reason why I have more books.

7. Booksale is my favorite place, ever. I always go to their store, wherever there is one. More than half my collection of hardbound books has come from this store. And seeing as this is my third bit about books, I have just effectively typified myself as the classic nerd/bookworm. I think I should really stop this kind of talk.

8. Talking is the least of my talents. I get easily tongue-tied, and I stutter. I am also prone to talking to inanimate objects, especially to my office computer and photocopier, whenever it malfunctions; or to electronic doors, when it wouldn’t let me pass.

9. Passive-aggressiveness is another trait I am not proud of, but am prone to practicing.

10. Practicing my profession as a CPA has always been nagged at me. People see it as such a waste that I passed the board, but I don’t practice. People also nag me about my apprehension to study law, stating that being a CPA-Lawyer is da bomb!

11. Bomb-making using common kitchen ingredients has become a hobby of mine ever since I watched the movie Fight Club, and intensified when I read Chuck Palahniuk’s novel.

12. Novelty songs should be banned. They have no intrinsic and artistic values whatsoever. Also, it promotes low IQ. I mean, come on, what does boom-tarat-tarat mean?

13. Meanings – whether blatant or hidden – of words and its etymology has been a pass-time for me since high school. We used to have an encyclopedic dictionary at home and I can kill hours poring over it, looking for words and learning its definitions. I was prone to reading that till I hurt my eyes.

14. My eyesight, though far from perfect, is still manageable. I did own a pair of glasses once, which I started wearing while I was reviewing for the board exam, but the frame got broken after a couple of years. I bought a second pair after that, but that too, got broken. I haven’t bothered myself to buy a new one.

15. One of the pets we have now is a dachshund, which my brother christened Odie. My niece has a pet as well, a half-breed mix of dachshund and pincher, called Cosmo. Odie and Cosmo live at the topmost floor of our house, playing tag, humping each other, and basically driving my mom bonkers with the mess they create.

16. Creating attempts at poetry is an activity that is, sadly, becoming farther and farther from being practiced nowadays. I used to churn out half-decent lines during high school thru college, but unfortunately, I think my muse got lost along the way.

17. Way back in high school, we were subdivided into “shops”, where each shop has a technical specialty, like Industrial Drafting, or Mechanical Engineering. My shop specialized in Electrical Engineering, and, upon graduation, we were awarded, aside from our academic diploma, a technical diploma which certified us as apprentice-level electricians. Whatever I learned back then was somehow lost during college.

18. College days were not spent boozing and partying, as the typical college-themed movie would have us believe. Somehow it was spent studying, with only the occasional party to break the monotony. Unfortunately, said party is rather tame, for most of my blockmates suffer from what I call the Cinderella Complex, meaning, they have to be home before the clock strikes twelve.

19. Twelve things you will find in my room: 1) a shoe rack hanging at the back of the door; 2) a mask I borrowed two Christmases ago, but haven’t returned yet; 3) a study table that’s full of clutter, there’s no place there to study; 4) a bookshelf filled, half with books, and half with assorted knick knacks I never bothered to clean; 5) a toiletry bag hanging on the door knob; 6) a winter jacket I use when entering the store’s walk-in freezer; 7) a laundry basket brimming with at least a week’s worth of dirty laundry 8) two green umbrellas, one of which is broken 9) a bed with six pillows and a comforter; 10) a steam iron I use for my clothes; 11) two dream catcher pendants hanging on my bedpost; 12) a native rain-summoning device my mom got from Palawan.

20. Palawan is one of those local places I have always dreamt of going to, but have never gone to. Going there seems far more expensive than going to Boracay. But still, one should be able to experience going to the underground river, at least once in your lifetime.

21. Timepieces have no appeal for me. I no longer own a watch, and the last time I owned one was during freshman high school. It was a digital talking watch that tells you the time in a funny accent and has an alarm that crows like a rooster.

22. Rooster is my Chinese Zodiac sign, although when you look at some calendars, they point out that my year of birth is a Dog year. This is because I was born before the Chinese New Year, which follows the lunar cycle.

23. Cycling (that is, bicycling, motor biking or mountain biking) is an activity that is unknown to me. I never learned how to ride a bike, or anything on just two wheels. There was a time way, way back, that I tried, but I failed, and landed on my back.

24. Back aches are a common thing for me, thanks to my scoliosis. I’ve had it since I was little, but I have never once had it checked. If you’re going to grade me in guts, I guess my grade would be poor.

25. Poor Man’s Grave is my favorite song by the Eraserheads. You can’t beat those lyrics and that guitar intro! Other favorites include Anggun’s Snow on the Sahara; John Mayer’s Love Song for No One; Annie Lenox’s Into the West (from the soundtrack of Return of the King); Incubus’ Pardon Me; The Verb Pipe’s Bittersweet Symphony (from the soundtrack of Cruel Intentions); Linkin Park’s Crawling; Evanescence’s Bring Me to Life; Paula Cole’s I don’t Want to Wait; and Korn’s Freak on a Leash.


So there you have it, 25 things about me. So I guess you know more about me. But then, again, you don’t know me at all. Haha!