25 Random Things

I can't believe I'm being tagged for random things about myself (again), the only difference is this time round, I'm being tagged by peng & esther. I've no idea how many days will I take to complete it! If you didn't read my previous post, (for your info) I took 7 days to complete just 16 random things about me.

Okay, I'll try my best.

As usual, you are tagged if you
1. Know me in person
2. Own a blog
3. Reading my current post
4. Haven't been tagged 25 Random Things before

Rules: Once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it’s because I want to know more about you!


[1.] Volunteer
I get very emotionally unbalanced/deprived (I just can't think of an exact word to describe my feeling) if I don't do volunteer work for a prolong period of time. I find myself searching for various overseas volunteer project that I can join. Not that there aren't any VWOs in Singapore, I just feel that people in 3rd world country need more help than those in our homeland. At least you don't hear of people dying in Singapore due to starvation.


[2.] Third World Countries
With reference to point 1; Even if I don't volunteer myself at these third world countries, I have the urge to travel to these places and have a feel of how their lives are and to learn about the culture. I've no idea where the urge comes from. (Alert: Calling for esther & peiwen!)

I secretly hope that one day, I'll be part of World Vision invovling in humanitarian relief/aid.


[3.] Sensitive
I am a highly sensitive person, literally. I have sensitive eyes, sensitive nose, sensitive skin and sensitive stomach. That explains why my eyes get eyes, nose, skin and stomach gets irritated easily, and that often results in more serious problems.

Did I mention that I'm a sensitive person on a whole? *grins*


[4.] Falling Sick
As a result of my sensitive organs and my weak immunity, I've always been taking medicine on a 'on off' basis since young. I am so familiar with my condition and sicknesses that when my sensitivity 'acts up' or when I fall sick, I know exactly what happens to me, what medication will be prescribed for me, the dosage of the medicine and whether I will be given an MC (if I am, I can estimate the number of days) before I even visit the doctor.

I use this set of 'knowledge' to treat myself when I have excess medication (from leftovers previously) and I don't need MC. I also use this set of 'knowledge' on my dogs; when they're ill, I self medicate them at times.


[5.] Smells
As a result of my sensitive nose (refer to point 3), I am highly sensitive to smells. I, or rathermy nose can easily detect what's boiling in the kitchen to what ingredients are used in the dishes.



[6.] Odours
Due to point 5, I react greatly to artificial frgrances; Most times, I sneeze endlessly when I smell perfumes, air fresheners or soaps (with strong fragrances like those from Crabtree & Evelyn). I smell odours easily too. Sometimes, these bad smells affect me so much that I feel nausea, especially when I take car rides with artificial fragrances or worse still, dried pandan leaves. I simply hate the smell of 'stale fragrances'.


[7.] Fishy Smells
Due to my highly sensitive nose, I have minimal tolerance for fishy smells. The fish I eat must be fresh and never smell fishy. I will puke (and I mean it) when I smell these unpleasant fishy smell. Thus, I'm very particular about the seafood and related products I eat. That's the same reason why the fish I eat must be skinless. The only exception is fried fish skin (those that are served in restaurants in Hong Kong).


[8.] Fish
Just to add on a little, I'm lousy at eating fish. The fish I eat must be boneless, otherwise I'll get someone to debone the fish that I eat. If not, I'll give the fish a skip or I'll smash the bone till I'm sure that there are no bones, then I'll eat it.

I have fear of swallowing fish bones.

I have no idea how some people are able to put a big slice of fish in their mouth and spit out many bones within a minute. I'll probably swallow half the amount of bones.


[9.] Beauty Products
For similar reasons (with reference to point 5), I do not use commercial beauty products such as those from The Body Shop. Moreover, most commercial products contain artificial colouring, preservatives and many other chemicals that I'm allergic to. Using these products will 'uglify' my looks instead of beautifying them.


[10.] Cosmetics
That's the reason why i only use certain brands of cosmetics. Even YSL cosmetics doesn't 'qualify' for my skin; I just had a rash outbreak using them last week.


[11.] Soft Toys
If you ever buy me soft toys as presents (for whatever ocassion), you sure do not know me well enough. Though I love soft toys, I'm usually upon receiving it because I'm highly sensitive person (refer to pont 3). I can neither hug these toys nor put them on my beds or shelves, because I'm highly sensitive to dirt and dust mites. Since soft toys are good at picking up dusts and are great breeding grounds for dust mites, it's suicidal to have one in close proximity with me.


[12.] Dresses
I like wearing dresses but I can hardly find one that i like that suits me. Even if I do, I seldom wear it because I look so out of place in a country where t-shits, shorts and slippers are the most common attire.


[13.] Berrets
I love wearing berrets. I've got a few of them with varying designs and materials (from leather to cloth to PVC) but I hardly ever wear them. I tried wearing a couple of times but I got weird stares that made me feel really uncomfortable, especially when I'm on public transports. That's the reason why I hardly ever wear them now.


[14.] Classical Music
I love classical music but I hardly mention it because my friends will frown upon me when I told them. I have no idea what pieces I'm listening to, what majors or minors they are in or which period of time do they belong to. I just know I enjoy listening to classical music and I get mesmerised by orchestras performing.


[15.] Charging Batteries
I HATE charging my gadgets, be it handphone, iPod touch, laptop, DS Lite, PSP, camera etc. As long as it requires charging, I simply detest it. I dread it even more when different gadgets require different chargers and I have to keep these wires and plugs neat in places that are reachable.

There was a period of time I didn't play my DS Lite and PSP simply because I didn't feel like charging them. That's the same reason why my handphone is unreachable at times; it's off because it's left uncharged.

I wish all gadgets have a universal charger or better still, charge using solar energy. Life will be a bliss for me then.


[16.] Gadgets
I won't die if my IT gadgets die on me, simply because I'm not reliant on them. To me, they are just conveniences. If there's no internet, no handphone, no computer, no mp3 player, I can still continue living at ease without discomfort. In fact, I think life without a handphone is good; I have the urge to not re-contract my phone line at times.

I think the people around me will die faster trying to contact me =X
(For some reasons, people around me are always trying to reach me. Ahems. )


[17.] Facebook
I think Facebook is really scary; people can literally stalk me and track what I'm doing without actually knowing me in reality. It became so horrifying (to me) that I had the urge to delete all photos of myself or deleting my account altogether.


[18.] Tired but Awake
I have this bad habit of not wanting to sleep even though I'm dead tired. I have no idea why. I will really like to kick this habit (even though a part of me is unwilling to), simply because it's taking a toll on my health.

I'm always tired and not sleeping enough. I think 24 hours is not enough for my use. It could be that or just bad time management on my part.


[19.] Indecisive Procrastinator
I'm a great indecisive procrastinator who cannot stop procrastinating when making decisions. Just look at the progress of my study plans and you'll know.


[20.] Bus vs Train
I dislike taking the train, especially during peak hours. It's during these rush hours that you have difficulty identifying whether strangers take advantage of you with the intention to, or did they fall accidentally on you due to the momentum of the train.

I'd very much prefer to travel on the bus. I miss those days when non-aircon buses were everywhere. I love sitting by the window (especially on the upper deck of double deckers) with the windows wide opened. I simply can't resist the feeling of cool wind blowing against my face. Woah~ I like sitting on the left seats, unless the sun is shining in from that window. I'll usually get migraines if the sun shines strongly with the aircon blasting me.

Anyway that's partially the reason why I chose NP over SP.


[21.] Endless Tears
Crying is my 'universal' way of expressing myself. I cry when I'm happy, sad, frustrated, irritated, angry and frustrated (especially).

I know many people who know me will find it hard to believe.


[22.] Strays
My parents and I care for the cat population that resides near my block. My parents practice responsible feeding and at the same time, observe the cats for sickness or injuries.

If any of the cats are sick or wounded, I'll be the one who double check on their condition and decides if their condition is serious enough to be brought to the vet. I'm also responsible for sending the cats to the vet and cleaning up their wounds if the cats are not hospitalised. Sometimes, he will help me with it too.

Sad to say, one of the cats that I brought to the vet was a victim of abuse. Good thing was, she survived.


[23.] Trap Neuter Return/Release
Though I'm not exactly comfortable with the thought of sterilising animals, I still proceed to sterilise the stray cats. The deal is this, if sterilising the cats can save their lives then why not?

For your information, our local authorities euthanise an alarming number of stray cats and dogs so as to 'curb' their population and to appease complainants (who complain against these cats and dogs). It used to be the case whereby sterilised cats and dogs will not be captured and euthanised, but now the authorities seem to pay little attention to that.

However, we still continue to practice TNRM in hope that the stray population can be controlled and that euthanisia will stop taking place. Taking care of strays are years of time, efforts, hardwork and money. Stray feeders fork out money for food, sterilisation, vet fees and medication out of their own pockets. Many still innocently thought that stray feeders are sponspored and backed up by charity welfare organisations.

Anyway, for the best interest of people who hae no idea what euthanisia is. Euthanisia is the killing of animals (usually) with lethal injection that is supposedly 'pain free'. Put to sleep is another term for euthanisia.

Note: Please don't debate/argue with me on how cruel or inhumane sterilisation is. If you think sterilisation is cruel, then how humane is it to euthanise animals that are in the pink of health?


[24.] Bulk Purchase
As I refuse to compromise on the quality of pet food I feed my furries with, I have to do so on cost saving, thus I practice economy of scale when purchasing pet food supplies. I always try to source for the best deals at both brick & mortar and online pet shops. Every cent count with the number of (furry) mouths my family and I have got to feed.

I usually purchase dog food, cat food and rabbit food in cartons or the biggest pack available. You can drop me a message if you'll like to purchase cheaper quality pet food. I can share with you what brand of food I feeding my furries with and how much cheaper they cost than the usual market price.


[25.] Long Winded
I think I'm pretty long winded when writing random stuff about myself. I realise that most people write each point with only one sentence, while I usually write more than one paragraph, explaining every single point. Maybe I'll try not to be so long winded the next time. Try.