Friday, March 11, 2005

100 things about me

It seems the trend in blogging lately is to write 100 things about oneself. So I have. By the way, it seems nobody can comment at the moment, which is sad. Anyway, this was all written after a wine or three on a Friday night, so here goes.

100 things about me

1. I have three tattoos
2. I tried twice to have a belly button piercing but my body rejected it both times
3. I almost got arrested for kissing in public in the Dominican Republic
4. I met somebody recently who had the same experience, in the same place (the monument in Santiago de los Caballeros)
5. She may have been having me on, but it’s a good story anyway
6. I have been to 34 countries (but having read my profile, you already know that)
7. I have lived in 8 countries on 4 continents (if you count North and South America as separate continents; not everybody does)
8. I have never been to Africa
9. I have seen the great pyramids of Egypt
10. The plane stopped to refuel in Cairo, and we weren’t allowed off, but the pyramids were lit up when we flew over
11. The last time I ate red meat was on World Vegetarian Day in 1998
12. I am a seafood vegetarian, have been for years, but quite a lot of my family still tries to feed me meat
13. I have had three great loves in my life (so far), for which I feel blessed
14. I am a godmother twice over, and I love the fact that I’ve been chosen to be one
15. I love that I can go and live in New Zealand whenever I please
16. I love what I do for a living
17. I probably would have been earning three times as much if I’d stayed in the corporate world
18. I met Short and Sweet at said corporate job
19. Also the mother of my godson
20. And the workplace paid for me to do my masters degree
21. So I wouldn’t be where I am today without my sojourn in the corporate world
22. I’ve had one marriage proposal
23. It was repeated on many drunken occasions
24. Although when I was 14 a Russian sailor in Calais went down on one knee and took my hand and said something, it may have been a proposal of some kind
25. I am the youngest of four sisters
26. I’ve always felt like I had a lot to prove, but haven now gotten my PhD, I should be over that
27. I’ve always felt that I’m the honorary boy of the family
28. A lot of my childhood memories involve being ganged up on by my older sisters
29. Like when they would tie me to pretend railway tracks and I had to free myself before they rode over me with their bikes
30. Or when they would use me as a marker to see how far they could jump off the swing
31. But I also have wonderful memories of creating books together
32. And building an igloo once under the clothesline
33. And making up games
34. The Editter was always really bossy though
35. There was this game where she would tell us to go to sleep and then we had to make up dreams to tell her
36. A remarkable number of my friends come from families of four
37. I love maps
38. I didn’t do terribly well in geography at school
39. I can read a map
40. I seem to have more of a male brain in that respect
41. But I still have no sense of direction
42. I used to be in a band called Mibutt
43. I played flute with Mibutt
44. Mibutt was really tight
45. We played in a Battle of the Bands and came nowhere
46. I also played ukulele in Queenie Wahine Papaya
47. There were lots of short-lived bands in Hamilton, and I was involved with some of them
48. I once submitted a story to New Idea (I think it was), but it was rejected
49. I don’t take failure well
50. I once passed a violin exam only by promising I wouldn’t continue
51. I was amongst the top students for music theory in my town when I was in high school
52. I didn’t turn up to the ceremony to get the medal from the mayor cos I didn’t realise what a big deal it was
53. I broke my thumb in a motorcycle accident
54. I was sitting the test to get my over 250CC license
55. I failed
56. I’ve been too scared to ride a motorcycle since
57. I once fell out of bed drunk and landed on my face
58. When I’m drunk I think I can speak other languages better than I can
59. I actually do speak fluent Spanish and Dutch
60. My German and French could use some work
61. I wish I could speak Maori better
62. I’ve had dreadlocks for over three years
63. I’m going to cut them off soon
64. I hate having short hair
65. I’m a yellow belt in hapkido
66. I don’t think I’ll be able to practice martial arts again, what with my broken thumb
67. I adore the ocean
68. I was almost swept out to sea at Hot Water Beach when I was five
69. I was scuba diving in the recent tsunami in South East Asia
70. When I tell people this, I almost feel a little guilty that me and mine escaped unscathed
71. My uncle gave me all his scuba gear shortly before he (unexpectedly) died, and it means an awful lot to me
72. My favourite thing about scuba diving is doing somersaults underwater
73. I spent years avoiding water sports because I had such bad eyesight I couldn’t see anything
74. I got laser surgery in Colombia
75. Colombia is one of my favourite countries, and has to be one of the most underrated countries in the world
76. I met some of the FARC (revolutionary armed forces of Colombia) once
77. My sister (the Editter) tried to teach them how to play backgammon
78. She thought they were the neighbours
79. The only bad thing to have happened to me in Colombia is that a taxi driver stole my wallet
80. I was throwing up out the taxi door at the time, so I guess I only have myself to blame
81. Aguardiente makes me behave strangely
82. I love weddings
83. I love all ritual celebrations
84. I make silver jewellery
85. I’m impatient and get bored easily, so I’m not very good at making similar pieces or even at finishing stuff
86. My favourite piece was a hairclip I made for a friend with Colombian silver and New Zealand paua shell
87. I think the New Zealand flag should be changed
88. I don’t particularly like any of the designs they’ve come up with though
89. I’m struggling to think of ten more interesting things
90. I probably think I’m more fascinating than I actually am
91. Although I have to admit I’m fairly fascinating
92. I’m probably the most fascinating person I know
93. That was reference to Napolean Dynamite
94. I can’t believe I’ve watched Napolean Dynamite three times
95. I hated it on first viewing
96. Now I find myself quoting from it
97. Delicious sea bass, anyone?
98. I cannot bring myself to end on this tone
99. I love books, and I read constantly
100. One day, I think I will write a book of some description

Phew.

R.