LOL! I love it!

I just took a facebook quiz thingy, about how normal I am in comparison to everyone else.

The results: Congratulations! You are 21% normal. Everyone has a right to be weird, you just abuse the privilege!

How very true! I enjoy being weird/different/special/unique! Just semantics, baby!

It's a testament of how much books mean to me when I remember any little detail I ever learnt that has to do with books.

Lone was testing my Chinese knowledge a few days ago, asking me about the 'penjodoh bilangan', you know, like, a loaf of bread, a pack of wolves, and etc.

So he asked me, what 'penjodoh bilangan' do you use for a person?

一 (blank) 人?

I said I didn't know. He asked me to guess. I couldn't, coz it wasn't something I studied recently, he asked just to see how much I knew.

He ended up telling me, 一个人, yi ge ren.

What about for fish? 一 (blank) 鱼?

I didn't know. He answered, 一条鱼， yi tiao yu.

So far so good, I'm learning new words.

Then he asked. What about books?

And I surprised both of us by jumping up and saying, "I know, I know!!"

"一本书！！" yi ben shu!

I replied so fast that I startled the both of us, and he laughed at me because he found it hilarious that I knew the answer to this particular one.

What does that say about me? That I don't remember the 'penjodoh bilangan' for everything else, but I remember the one for books!

In fact, the main reason I'm even trying to learn Chinese now, after all these years, is just so I can read Chinese history books in their original language! I didn't want to read the English translations of Chinese history because too many things get lost in translation, and there are many imbedded meanings in the Chinese language that can be stories in and of itself.

And god help me if I don't love stories.

The things I do for my books...

Lately I've been thinking about a lot of things... you know, life and stuff.

I'm happier now than I've ever been. I'm content and peaceful and all that, and this is what I wanted. But it feels a little boring...

Ok, not boring exactly, but we all need a little excitement in our lives once in a while.

I was just thinking, earlier today, contemplating and reminiscing about my youth (as if I'm really so old now) back when I was fresh out of high school, and all the mishaps and drama I got myself into.

You know those soap operas that most of us drama queens love to watch? Well, I lived them.

Not all of them of course, but I had more than my fair share of drama. And you know what the funny thing is? While there were many tears and fears and love and hate and many things in between, and it really really hurt while I was going through many of those dramas, I can't help but look back now on all those amazing experiences I had, and say to myself, "That was fun, wasn't it?"

If I had to do it all over again, I would, and I'd do much more of it too!

I guess the saying is really true, you don't regret the things you did, you only regret the things you didn't do. And you know what I regret? I regret that I didn't do more of what I did. LOL!

But I'm content with leaving it all in the past. That's the good thing about being really wild and childish and free when you're young, you don't bring your childhood with you into adulthood.

I'm an adult now, and while I still enjoy being childish (as opposed to immature) and having fun, I know my limits, and I don't go wild the way a teenager would. I did all that as a teenager, and I'm ready to grow up now.

I still wish I was a little more carefree and wild, but I'm ready to grow up.

I know some people who didn't have enough fun or freedom when they were young, and they spend their adult lives trying to live their childhood. It's sad coz they never really live their lives, they just spend it trying to capture the feeling of being alive.

And then there's the other kinds of people, who have had so much fun and freedom and yet they don't know how to grow up. It's like they're stuck doing the only things they know how to do, and can't move to another level. These people are so afraid of not being able to live their lives to the fullest, that they spend it in fear of growing up, and live so recklessly that they may just get their wish of never growing up.

But then again, who am I to judge? Maybe these people got it right. Maybe we are just meant to live hedonistically. Or maybe we are all meant to live it the way we want our lives to be. That's what makes everyone different after all.

Contradicting what I said earlier about wishing I had done more of what I did when I was younger, I feel sometimes that I had a little too much drama in my life. Too much pain, anger, tears, betrayal... whatever. And I'm not the kind of person who handles all these stresses well. That's the reason I decided that I didn't want anymore drama in my life.

I don't want stormy relationships where I scream and fight with my bf every other day, and then make up with sweet words and kisses on the other days. I don't want to stab my best friend in the back because I'm in love with the guy she's with, or have her stab my back when she's telling all my secrets to our other friends. I don't want to be the other woman who ends up becoming friends with his girlfriend and feeling bad that we're fooling around behind her back. I don't want ten guys, all of whom are friends, fighting over me and then hating me and each other when I favor one or the other. I don't want anyone attempting suicide or threatening suicide coz I dumped them or I stole their bfs.

Not that any of the above actually happened, but you know what I'm getting at.

It's all really dramatic and great to watch on tv, and probably fun to imagine too, but really... I just want a nice, normal, simple life.

Which I have. Now.

Which is kind of... uneventful. (Read: boring.)

You know, I'm glad I don't have anymore drama in my life, but that doesn't mean I don't want some excitement or adventure.

I'll still take boring over drama anytime, but I really gotta get myself some adventures.

Know where I can find some?

As you can see from the previous test post, I'm doing 43 things. I used it a couple of years ago, but then priorities changed and etc, so I ended up slacking on it.

I've continued planning my goals and all in my daily planner, but I remembered 43 things, and I thought it might be a good idea to use it again. Right now everything I have there is outdated and obsolete. But I'll update as soon as I get everything organized.

It's a really great way to keep yourself on track. It's not just that it's organized, but there are also many people there who may have the same goals as you do, and they help motivate and inspire you to follow through with everything. And it also motivates you when you keep track of how you're progressing with your goals, it helps you see where you are, and how much further you have to go, and how far you've already gone.

I can't wait to see how far I'm gonna go. =)

I am doing 43 things.

I haven't blogged in weeks!

I don't know what's wrong with me, I'm a little out of it... Just started the next phase of my studies. I'm doing a double degree in Holistic Nutrition and Natural Health now. Whew!

The problem with me is I tend to do things to the extreme. I'm so excited about starting this new phase that for the last couple of weeks, I've neglected *everything* except my studies. The good news is that I'm well ahead of schedule on my studies, and doing very very well. (All in a matter of two weeks!)

The not so good news is that I'm behind on my reviews and my other assignments unrelated to studies. And I've also neglected my blog, my piano lessons, my Chinese lessons... =(

I need to find a balance.

The good news is, I'm trying to get back on track with everything else and hoping that it won't mean slowing down on my studies. I've started another blog where I can practise and learn Mandarin...

It's Lone's idea, coz he's doing it too, to learn his Japanese. As for my Chinese blog, it's pretty boring and embarrassing. I won't be writing anything profound there, it's just for little, simple sentences, and Lone (my Chinese teacher!) will correct any mistakes I make.

我会加油！
wo hui jia you!
I will work hard!
(Literal translation: "I will add gas!" LOL!)

I'm 25 years old today!!

Half a century old! OMG! (Edited: Dammit!! I meant to say QUARTER of a century old! You were right, zza! Took me two weeks to see this, I *am* getting old!)

But still young as ever in heart, I hope! LOL! I sometimes feel that I'm still young in mind though... I can still be a little immature sometimes.

Not that I'm proud of it, but as long as I keep on improving each day.

I have a 'motto' that I live by... I don't like to compare myself with others, because that's never a fair or practical comparison either way, but I do like to compare myself with what I was before...

So my motto is that I need to improve each and every day, be a better person, more mature, more intelligent, wiser, kinder, nicer, more patient, more motivated, successful....whatever. The point is that I need to be a better me everyday that passes.

And I am! I'm not the best that I can be, of course, how could I ever be? That would mean that I couldn't improve anymore, and if there's no room for growth then it's time to die.

But I'm only a quarter of a century old, I have 3 more of these to go. I'm only at 25% of my full potential, I have a long long wayyyyy to go... and it's fun...growing, learning, making mistakes and learning from them, becoming a better me, a happier me...

Everyday I see some kind of progress in whichever area of my life, and I'm happy because this is the life! This *is* the life!

I know the changes I want to make, the improvements I want to make... and I see them manifest, everyday of my life.

Even though sometimes I'm not doing the things I think I should do, or wasting time on things I think I shouldn't do, but I make more and more choices that brings me towards the things I want, and away from the things I don't want.

I have more to improve on, and it's fun. It's like working on a lifelong project, in which you add something beautiful and new everyday, and it only gets better and better. And the thing is, the project is you!

I am so loving every minute of my life.

I don't want to waste a minute having bad thoughts or bad feelings, or making bad choices. Why should I, when I can have great thoughts and happy feelings and wonderful experiences?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

I've come a long way. =)

I can't believe that they killed Sara Tancredi off the show!!!

And by decapitation!

This just sucks...

They said they had to kill her because they needed to give Michael some motivation to make the show more interesting, and Sara Wayne Callies (who plays Sara Tancredi) is pregnant and didn't want to do the show. I guess they had to do it...

But then again, it could just be an elaborate hoax, which I admit could just be wishful thinking on my part, but you never know. Wait til you hear the theory though...

So let's see, they need Michael to be motivated, and Sara Wayne Callies is pregnant. So they pretend to kill Sara Tancredi, to give Michael his motivation, and SWC the time she needs for her family. Then they make a big deal out of it, and release news reports and all that about how Sara needed to be killed, and SWC didn't want to act...blah blah blah.

And then much later, we'll find out... Sara Tancredi isn't really dead!!! Yayy!

She comes back towards the end of the season, or maybe she comes back next season, and we find out that it wasn't really her head in the box. It was another dead woman's head that they operated on to look like Sara Tancredi (they're good with plastic surgery, remember the bitch Senator's brother?). The evil Susan didn't really have Sara Tancredi in her hands to kill, so she sent someone else's head as Sara's to motivate Michael to do as they want.

The show goes on, Michael is motivated, Sara Wayne Callies gets her time with her family and gets to come back later, publicity/ratings for the show soars, and the fans are happy! It's win-win-win-win-win for all!

I only wish it was true...

Well, time will tell, though I'm pretty sure it's just wishful thinking. But you never know... there's always the possibility.

This postcard from Postsecret touched me so much that I just had to post it up here. It's so beautiful.

I hope one day I can do something like this.

I recently reviewed a book, A Secret of the Universe by Stephen L. Gibson, which made me curious about the Bible.

I'm not a Christian, and I've never actually read the Bible, but I do know about the stories of the Bible. You know, like Noah's ark, Adam and Eve, Moses' 10 Commandments, etc. And I enjoy those stories, it's just that I've never read the Bible to see what the Bible actually says.

I've known for a while that the Bible contradicts itself many times. What else can you expect from a book which was written by dozens of different people and translated from dozens of different languages? Something was bound to get lost in translation somewhere.

I meant to read the Bible for myself one day, so I could read the stories, and the contradictions, for myself (better to argue theology when you know about the other's points), but I wasn't interested enough to do it.

Stephen L. Gibson's novel A Secret of the Universe has made me so interested that I have now started reading a chapter of the Bible a day, starting from the book of Genesis.

Already I've found something which many Christians conveniently ignore;

If Adam and Eve were the first people, and they gave birth to Cain, Abel, and Seth, then who was it that Cain took as a wife? Where did she come from? And why was he so afraid that other men might judge him for killing his brother? Where did those other men come from?

It's just the first in a long long list of questionable statements in the Bible. This is why, though I enjoy the Bible stories, I would never really believe them. I take them the way I would take any other fantasy story.

Even with fictional books, readers question certain things that don't make sense in the story, why should we do any less with the Bible? Especially with the Bible, in fact. If it doesn't make sense, I'll pick at it. It's fun! =P

But it's really interesting too, you know.