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11 Things You May or May Not Have Wanted to Know About Me

by | Blog, Musings

So there’s been this thing going around (stomach flu? yeah, got that) on the blogs about answering 11 questions that someone asked you.  Thing is, to participate, you need someone to tag you.  My little blog here is new, and I very much doubt anyone is going to tag me, so, what to do?

Once upon a time, I was new in the States, shy, speaking very little English and really didn’t know how to socialize.  I was upset that the other kids wouldn’t play with me, and got all resentful about it.  My mom told me that I can’t wait around (like a greek goddess on a settee, eating grapes) for friends to come TO me, I have to get up off my behind and go MAKE friends.  It’s an active and ongoing process – I’m still not terribly good at small talk and socializing, but I’m learning and growing.  So, here I am, not WAITING for someone to tag me.  I’m going to answer some questions that Maybe Matilda threw out in an open-ended tag, and go MAKE some new friends.

 

1. Since I admitted my celebrity crushes, past and present . . . go ahead and name one (or two, or three) of yours. Male or female. Heaven knows I have plenty of each.
In no particular order:  a young Colin Firth, James McAvoy, Ryan Reynolds, and a very young Richard Dean Anderson in true 1980s MacGyver style, charming me with his bubblegum and paper clips.

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Hmmm, my female crushes?  Natalie Portman, and then Glenn Close, Emily Procter, and Allison Janney, just because I’ve been watching the West Wing, and they are just awesomely strong, independent women (at least their characters are) exuding a grace and confidence that I envy.

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2. What’s your favorite book?

My husband makes so much fun of me for re-reading the same books over and over, but to me, it’s like getting together with old friends!  I don’t buy many books (I borrow from the library), so the books I do own are ones I go back to again and again, comforting me like a hot bowl of pho.  I love The Count of Monte Cristo – the treasure, the unrequited yet incredibly deep love of Edmond Dantes, the intricacy of revenge!  Then there’s Pride and Prejudice of course (see Colin Firth above), and The Anne of Green Gables series, Gone With the Wind, The Little Princess, Little Women, and on a whole different track, the Belgarion and Mallorean series by fantasy writer David Eddings.  A strange assortment, I know, and definitely not one book.  Oh well, what can I say?  I’m a reader!

3. What are your 5 favorite TV shows?

Yikes, this one’s a bit hard, since I haven’t really watched TV since Christmas when Drew started playing Skyrim EVERY night.  I used to watch Law and Order all the time, back when I was single, enjoying a Law and Order marathon while gorging myself on a big plate of blue crabs.  But ever since I got pregnant, I couldn’t stand the thought of a victim, much less a young victim, and I found myself bawling at the most ridiculous things, so I have since avoided all crime dramas.  Nowadays, we put away the Skyrim for episodes of Downton Abbey and The League, both of which are emotionally safe and allow me to get through the evening without needing a box of tissues.  And then there is The West Wing, my ultimate favorite.  I’ve watched it so many times my dvds are starting to skip.

4. Guilty pleasure?

Um, Jersey Shore, occasionally?  Those people drive me crazy, but I can’t turn away!  Plus, now Drew wants us to visit the shore next time we go to Jersey, and there are some really beautiful little towns along the coast, not JUST Jenks!

Hmm, what else?  Some nights, I make Drew go out to the 7 Eleven to buy ice cream bars for the both of us, but that hasn’t happened in a while.  We also don’t normally keep soda or iced teas in the house, but will get it as a treat.

5. Any goals you’re currently working on?

Does “not yet started” count as “currently working on”?  I have a goal of getting healthy, but haven’t made it to the basement to work out, yet.  Between work, having a baby, not sleeping, and now blogging and crafting, I just haven’t made time for it.  But I’m feeling flabby and muffin top-y, skin-baring season is coming up, and if I ever want another kid, I need to get in shape, ’cause the last pregnancy/birth messed me up big time, physically and emotionally.  So there’s 3 very good reasons to get moving.  I think I’ll start documenting it here as well, since I’ve heard that publicizing your goals is often the best motivation to keep going!

6. A trend or style you’ve wanted to try, but been scared to?

Headbands.  They’re cute, easy to make, and did I mention they’re really cute?  But I’m in my 30s, can I still wear headbands?  Do I really want to look “cute”?  And are there any that won’t give me a headache like it’s squeezing the brains right out of my head?

7. A skill you’d love to learn?

Oh boy.  Would it be too nerdy to say I want to learn how to program in Java/C++/Tcl/Perl, once and for all?  In college, I took programming classes and algorithm classes, and I find myself in situations often where a bit of Tcl/Perl would be useful, but nothing sticks!  The syntax just rolls off my brain like water on a baby otter.  Ok, maybe I don’t really want to learn how to program.  Something like pottery or painting or woodworking or ballroom dancing might be more fun.  I’ve dabbled in them all, but not good enough to really say I know how (except maybe the ballroom dancing).  What is that phrase?  “Jack of all trades, master of none”.  Yeah, that’s me.

8. If you had a day to yourself with unlimited money to spend and no obligations, what would you do?

Only a day?  Ok, greedy, I know!  I’d probably sleep in, first of all.  Then eat.  In a day, I can make it to New York City and eat until I blow up – Ippudo ramen and Korean bbq and Bao House and dim sum and Little Italy and lots of seafood.  If I had more than a day, I’d go to other places to eat – mostly seafood and authentic Asian – Thailand?  or Baja California?  Oh, I’d fit in some spa treatments here and there, while I digest, and maybe spend some time laying on the grass somewhere, enjoying the wind and the sunshine.  Then I’d go looking for my next meal.

9. A person (living or dead) you’d love to meet?

This one is hard!  I’m not capable of thinking too hard right now, so I’m going to cop out a bit and say Barack Obama.  He is in such an incredible position of power, yet there is a real person there – the father, husband, joker, sports fan, nerd.

10. If you weren’t doing the career you’re doing now (being a stay-at-home mom counts as a career), what would you want to be doing instead?

In my senior year of college, as Computer Engineering was driving me to the brink of insanity, I considered giving it all up to become a chef.  Nowadays, I know more about what it takes to be a chef, and it makes me want to stay in my comfortable desk job.  But if not the engineering desk job, I think I’d like to be creative – a graphic designer, an event planner, an interior designer, an architect.  I’d want to draw and scribble and think about colors and shapes and light, help people and immerse myself in glorious creative details.  Can I be a professional Pinterest-er?

 

11. What are the names you want/wanted to give your kids until your meanie-pants spouse vetoed them?

Well, I don’t want to rub it in, but I got what I wanted!  Josh is named after Joshua Lyman from the West Wing, which I watched non-stop while I was preggo.  Elliot was turned down (but is now an owl), and I turned down Drew’s suggestion of Ethan.

Now, I guess it’s my turn to ask some questions!  I’m also going to leave this open-ended, and not tag anyone, so feel free to answer in the comments or link up your own post, I’d love to learn more about all you fun people.

1. Where is the favorite place you’ve lived?

2. Favorite store to shop at? Or, would want to shop at, if given an unlimited budget?

3. What do you do during the day?  Out of the house job, or at home job?  (Staying at home with a kid/s counts as a way mucho serious job.)

4. Do you believe in allowances for kids, and at what age?

5. Favorite food(s)?

6. What do you like most about yourself?

7.  What is the first trait you notice about someone when you meet him/her?

8.  What is your next big home project?

9.  Have you been disillusioned about something that you believed when you were younger?

10.  What got you into blogging?

11.  Favorite book?

Can’t wait to see your answers!

 

6 Comments

  1. Grateful4Crochet

    I loved this post- I love reading random facts, and yours are great!!!
    I know this will probably sound strange, But I got tagged a couple of weeks ago, and I haven’t followed through with it, same as you, too much work, not enough time etc, but I was going to tag you as one of the people when I did it!
    I also love reading, for some reason it makes me happy reading about people who also love reading!!!!
    Awesome questions, have a great weekend.
    Also, I’m having a giveaway at my blog if u want to enter, I’m kind of nervous no one will!!!

  2. Kari at A Grace Full Life

    Love these kind of posts! And I would have totally tagged you (the virtual equivalent of picking you for my team in second grade gym class) if I had one of those parties. So there, hmm! 🙂

  3. Jamie

    Haha, I did the 11 things post this morning and was totally gonna tag you, but you beat me to it! Anyway, I’m with you on headbands. I like them but apparently my head is shaped like a sphere or something cause whenever I try it feels like the band is wrapping tighter, tighter, tighter around my brain and then I have to tear it off before my skull shatters into a million tiny agonized pieces. Travis says it’s cause I have a big brain. He’s just trying to score points, lol.

  4. Ellie

    I had so much fun reading through your answers and I think it’s great that you took the initiative to do something you wanted to do! I’m going to be a copycat and answer your questions on my blog later this week.

    I love reading but haven’t read anything since my youngest son was born (9 month ago) and my Mom was here to keep up the house and entertain my boys. Speaking of whom, the middle names of two of our sons are Ethan and Elliot. Josh was on the list for first names for this third baby, but since I had a dog named Josh when I was little, it got the boot. We still haven’t had a girl, but I love Emma and my husband has told me NO WAY! You win some, you lose some!

  5. Rachel

    Okay, this settles it: we need to be real life best buds. AMEN to the crush on young Colin Firth . . . he’s a total dreamboat. And I love that you re-read old favorite books–I feel the same way about them–you know you love them and it’s just so comforting to revisit an old favorite! I’ve owned the Count of Monte Cristo for years but have never read it–I’m going to bump it up on my to-read list. Also, speaking of Jersey Shore, quite a few of the (I want to say actors, but what do you call them when it’s a reality show?) people on it are actually from a town in NY not too far from where I grew up . . . a totally ghetto, nasty town that we all made fun of. I’m not proud to have grown up near them. They are as guilty as guilty pleasures get 😉

  6. rayleenht

    ChiWei! Your blog was such fun to read – feel like catching up after a zillion years — you’re so cute still :P. OK, let see:

    1. Where is the favorite place you’ve lived?
    NJ – i miss yards, farm stands, apple picking & delicious orchards!

    2. Favorite store to shop at? Or, would want to shop at, if given an unlimited budget?
    anthropologie

    3. What do you do during the day? Out of the house job, or at home job? (Staying at home with a kid/s counts as a way mucho serious job.)
    out of house job 🙁

    4. Do you believe in allowances for kids, and at what age?
    hrmm… i think i believe in it, but this is coming from someone that never had one 😛

    5. Favorite food(s)?
    everything :). especially carbs – any way you can make rice, pasta, bread… seafood is delicious too… and leafy vegetables. and meat…

    6. What do you like most about yourself?
    my height

    7. What is the first trait you notice about someone when you meet him/her?
    whether they’re smiling

    8. What is your next big home project?
    bathroom or closet… its a toss-up

    9. Have you been disillusioned about something that you believed when you were younger?
    i believed engineers ruled the world 😛 some days, i still believe it 🙂

    10. What got you into blogging?
    sorry, haven’t yet

    11. Favorite book?
    secret garden, a short history of nearly everything, george r.r. martin, atlas shrugged, little women (at least in my current mood :P)

    And ok, you’ve got me convinced… you’re the first blog i’ve ever followed…

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