100 Things About Me

Blogger was down yesterday, but this lengthy post will make up for it. Presenting 100 things you probably not know about me:


1. My favourite food is curry, especially the one sinfully made with coconut milk which gets so thick your noodles can float on the gravy.
2. My first ever ambition as a child was to be an artist.
3. I don't particularly hate sweating, but I loath the sticky feeling of soaked tops on my skin. That's why I prefer swimming, an activity where you cannot feel yourself sweat.
4. Ny name was given by my granddad; if my dad had his way, I'd be called Min Zhao.
5. I bake, desserts mostly, but sometimes I feel festive enough for a stuffed chicken.
6. I really should inherit/learn a lot of classic dishes (of all races) since most aren't always passed down to the next generation in today's society.
7. The sexiest part of my body (in my opinion) are my fingers.
8. I am a situational perfectionist; I may leave things as they are, but when I sort things out I want them spick and spotlessly arranged.
9. I had crushes on members of both sexes in high school, but only sexual attraction for the obvious.
10. I thank my dad's relatively horrid cooking during my childhood for my wide range of dietary preferences and my tolerance for almost all food.

11. My favourite movie is currently Black Swan. It was previously Memento. In retrospect, maybe they are tied...
12. I wanted to laugh so much when I watched Burn After Reading, but no one in the cinema was laughing, so I pathetically conformed.
13. I play video games; it has been a compulsive thing in the past, but today I enjoy analyzing games and reading about new concepts of gamifying the world.
14. I don't ride rollercoasters; I feel completely vulnerable when I ride it although I know where the tracks lead.
15. I almost always have popcorn at the movies, caramel with small layers of salted butter in between.
16. In total, I have lost two and broke one of my previous phones. My current one is more ancient the other three, but is lasting much longer.
17. I carry a chequebook wallet (which is not a clutch no matter how you look at it) because my previous wallets couldn't withstand my sweaty pockets and I can't stand the large mass which sticks out on one side.
18. There aren't any cheques inside though. Not yet, at least.
19. I am a terribly bad haggler, a total oppposite from my dad.
20. My preferred forms of alcohol are coffee/cream based liquors, followed by other sweet liquors/ale/wines, followed by liquors in general, followed by wines, and beers at the end.

21. I learnt to play the Gu Zheng, or the Chinese zither, but I decided to forgo it to concentrate on my piano.
22. I did choral speaking in primary school and choir in secondary school.
23. I'm still using a prepaid plan for my handphone. Once, I lasted almost a year without reloading during my university life.
24. I peed on my maid's face before; apparently I was sleep-peeing.
25. I peed in my kindergarden before; we were practicing a dance for the annual ball and I asked the teacher for permission but was denied. The teacher scolded me for not going myself after, tsk.
26. Just to clarify things, I currently have a very well-trained bladder.
27. I was a bookworm when I was small, digesting graphical encyclopedias like no tomorrow. I think that was the biggest reason I could survive school without much issue.
28. In Form 5, I took the Malaysian Mensa Society's IQ Test and scored 180. (Yes I'm smart, but seriously IQ Tests are beatable.)
29. When I take a vacation, I prefer to slowly take in the surroundings and mix with the locals rather than hurriedly visit tourist hotspots.
30. I am a little awkward about my height most of the time unless I'm with taller friends; I stand at 6' 1"/185 cm.

31. My favourite colour is red.
32. The dish I can eat as every meal of every day of my life is the Pan Mee you get at Restoran Gembira, Taman Megah; I've grown up on this and I have never gotten bored.
33. To me, Doraemon is one of the, if not the most innovative comic of its time.
34. If you are a big fan of psychothrillers/crime stories and haven't read Liar Game by Shinobu Kaitani, please do. It's one of my favourite manga.
35. Every morning, it is a habit for me to drink tonnes of water to flush everything out.
36. I unconsciously grind my teeth at night, and I wear a mouthguard to circumvent that.
37. I played with soft toys when I was young, and it did help improve my imagination loads. My favourite is a monkey named Monkeney (I was young...).
38. My favourite toy as of now is Lego; just three days ago, I learnt to join two pieces in a way I have never thought was possible.
39. I loved big four-wheel drives before, but after driving in PJ for so long, I currently love small cars and my dream car is now a BMW 1 Series.
40. At my job interview, when asked whether I liked any adverts, I answered that I don't particularly like any adverts in general. I still got the job...

41. My favourite classical music piece is Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 or better known as the Emperor Concerto. The best rendition to me was played by Krystian Zimerman and conducted by Leonard Bernstein with the Wiener Philharmoniker.
42. Despite my preference for classical music, I listen to K-Pop a lot.
43. I desperately want to learn a piece for two pianos with someone.
44. If you have never seen competition level aerobic gymnastics, try watching some online; I think the male doubles category is seriously disturbing despite being gay and all.
45. I am not afraid of growing old, but I want to do it gracefully.
46. I do not use hair products unless the bush on my head needs serious taming; I hate it when sweat mixes with whatever I use and trickle down my forehead.
47. I have only visited five foreign countries: Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, China and Australia.
48. I have a very stringent biological clock which does not let me reclaim lost sleep easily; once, I slept at 4 am after finishing my project and wanted to sleep in but automatically woke up at 7 am. I couldn't sleep again until the next night.
49. The furthest I have driven to is Ipoh.
50. I can sleep anywhere even in almost upright positions.

51. I am a 'banana person' (literal translation from the Chinese phrase used to denote Chinese people who do not know any form of the Chinese language). Technically, my mothertongue was English, so I can't be blamed.
52. I am seven eighths part Hakka (Ho Poh) and an eighth part Cantonese.
53. Whenever I see an old coin (the ones that has big numbers on the heads portion), I keep it and add it to my collection. It's a casual collecting hobby with almost no effort required.
54. My last watch slipped into the ocean while I was kayaking from Lumut to Pangkor. It has been seven and a half year since.
55. Currently, I think A&W is a better option than McDonald's. Similarly, I think Popeye's is a better option than KFC. Subway trumps all though.
56. Since I'm on the topic of trumps, I know how to play bridge, and I think it is one of the most exciting card games ever.
57. I write using black pens, or black-blue at least. My staple is a Black G 1 Grip.
58. I hate wearing full formal; it is uncomfortable and definitely not Malaysian weather friendly.
59. My favourite fish, which I was first exposed to at the Sydney Aquarium, is the cowfish.
60. I started sleeping naked a few months ago after reading someone's blog.

61. I am very picky about the apples and oranges I eat: Japanese Fuji and Royal Gala apples as well as Navel oranges.
62. I don't like eating pineapples by itself; even though the eyes are all removed, they still leave a raw sensation on my tongue.
63. Due to genetics, I cannot roll my tongue and I have half moon nails.
64. In high school, everyone thought that I should be a debater/lawyer because I can talk assertively. However, I don't have the same composure on stage or in front of a crowd.
65. I have never seen any ghosts or spirits before. I believe they exist, but I'm glad that I was not given the gift/curse.
66. I have the stamina of a long distance walker, not a short distance runner, which makes me a perfect hiker/trekker but a horrible marathoner. One of my goals is to run a marathon without stopping to walk.
67. I love snacking on pagoda, a type of Indian murukku.
68. When I go to a bistro or a relatively higher class restaurant, I tend to order a burger.
69. I was thrice an editor, pioneering 3 separate newsletters.
70. I am an avid reader of Malcolm Gladwell, which means I don't believe in reading Robert Kiyosaki, Donald Trump, or Mark Zuckerberg.

71. The series of books I am trying to find, which I first did in the Malaysian National Library, is called 'Uncle', which tells a story of a land ruled by an elephant king and his adventures with the animal folk.
72. I couldn't even finish the first book of Lord of the Rings; I slept when I reached the part where the main group met Arwen.
73. My favourite cooking base to start with are caramelized onions.
74. I prefer using desktops compared to laptops, probably because of my preference for gaming. My current one has lasted almost six years.
75. I am not allergic to any food, but I had several rare and isolated cases of allergies where I had to take anti-histamines.
76. I only have four shoes: one each for hiking, running, all-purpose and formal.
77. One of my biggest flaw is my tendency to forget to drink water, especially when I am engrossed in an activity which requires concentration.
78. I prefer coffee over tea, but I love both very much.
79. Many individuals have left Malaysia for greener pastures, which is to me a very valid reason. One of the reasons I'm staying back is because I believe that there is still so much potential for change and growth.
80. My previous job application was to work for a musical production firm. It didn't work out.

81. I am the eldest and only son of the eldest son of the eldest son. I have a legacy to live, but...
82. I do not like eating unboned fish because of all the small bone incidents when I was small; I'm too lazy to eat carefully.
83. A common dish I have been making for myself lately is scrambled eggs + prawns + chickpeas + chopped seeded cucumber salad, all made in one pot.
84. My proudest dessert is the fabled dacquoise, but I haven't even come close to perfecting it yet. The runner up would be the classic tiramisu.
85. My biggest fear is of being alone.
86. I do not regret anything I have done in life. Everything in the past is the reason I exist.
87. I find folding origami to be very cathartic.
88. It bothers me much when I can see/hear something in my head but cannot accurately produce it on paper/the piano.
89. I got slapped by a teacher in primary school for calling her stupid for selling custom art block paper for a competition. She is the only teacher I think should be stripped of her position.
90. I am a Christian, a doubtful one at best. Faith without doubt is knowing, and knowing is not believing.

91. I am bad at dealing with young children. I can try to be nice to them, but it drains me much.
92. I own a nostril hair trimmer.
93. During my high school days, I was a wanderer: I knew a lot of people, but wasn't particularly close to anyone.
94. Each time my handphone receives a message, I optimistically claim that I am famous. However, it usually is some system service reminder or spam...
95. I have not taken any subject tuition ever, I only take tuition for musical instruments or memory.
96. I see myself teaching at least once in my life.
97. When I pass away, I do not wish to be buried, rather cremated and spread all over the world.
98. Once, I mistaken salt for sugar, spoiling the entire batch. That is the first and (hopefully) last time this will happen.
99. Brothers are usually protective of their sisters; I am not. My two sisters are women of great power who will kick ass if thats what it calls for.
100. I am happiest when the people that matter to me are happy, as long as I'm not too deep in misery.

There you go. it was indeed a huge challenge to write it all without making them look repetitive.