Ten Things You Didn't Know About Me

I have been given the Honest Scrap Award by Mhean and Nikki, two amazing ladies who share my love for mineral makeup and polishes (and Mhean and I love MAC as well). Nikki was my schoolmate in high school (and elementary, correct?). We were educated in a Catholic all-girls' school run by strict nuns. Our hair ribbons had to be only white, blue and black, the colors of our school uniform. No makeup and nail polish could be worn at school. What did all that repression do to us? We became addicted to makeup and polish and now run beauty blogs later in life! Hahahaha!

This award comes with this "requirement":

“When accepting this auspicious award, you must write a post bragging about it, including the name of the misguided soul who thinks you deserve such acclaim, and link back to the said person so everyone knows she/he is real. Choose a minimum of seven (7) blogs that you find brilliant in content or design. Or improvise by including bloggers who have no idea who you are because you don’t have seven friends. Show the seven random victims’ names and links and leave a harassing comment informing them that they were prized with Honest Weblog. Well, there’s no prize, but they can keep the nifty icon. List at least ten (10) honest things about yourself. Then pass it on!”

Here are the 10 honest things about me:



1. I love books. I could read books all day and night. I don't read any kind, though. When I was in high school, I loved romances (like everybody else at that time), then now I am so into forensic science, political suspense and thriller/suspense. I used to love Patricia Cornwell but lately her recent works aren't that thrilling anymore. I loved her earlier writings, though. The stories are really fascinating, engrossing and outright gripping, keeping me awake till the wee hours of the morning. I also love how the smallest of clues, like a small feather found in the gown of the victim, or the lingering scent of maple syrup in the crime scene, eventually led to the identity of the killer. It's a classic "whodunit" story with a modern forensic science twist. Now, I am more into David Baldacci (love Absolute Power, Total Control and the rest of his subsequent novels), and Dean Koontz (heart-stopping suspense!). All this book-reading in tandem with my regular dose of Forensic Files and The Investigators on Tru TV actually help me live out my fantasies as a forensic scientist without the blood, gore, and stench of decomposing human flesh. Gross. Haha!

2. As I said, I love Court (now renamed Tru) TV. While working on my blog late at night, my TV is turned on to Forensic Files. I am really fascinated with how the smallest of clues can lead to the killer. And before you ask, no, I am NOT into CSI. I prefer documented, real cases with real people in it. Case in point: I've seen this episode in Forensic Files about a girl from the Philippines who became a mail-order bride because of the extreme poverty of their family. Her family lived in one of the poorest, most desolate places in Cebu (the narrator pronounced this as "See-boo" ), and her father declared that the only way for her family to escape this plight was for her to be a mail-order bride. Following the proddings of her dad, she had her name and picture and contact details published in Cherry Blossoms, a publication specifically for Americans who are looking for mail-order brides. She eventually married this rich, old American who came from the military and fought during the Korean war. The American began to make good his deal with the girl's dad, sending $250 every month to Cebu which by the way was a small fortune compared to the $3 the father would earn a week.

She had a son with him, and after a few years, she mysteriously disappeared. To make a long story short, her American husband killed her by drowning her and buried her in a shallow grave. Digging into the past of her husband, the authorities found out that 2 of his ex-wives died under mysterious circumstances (the Filipina was wife no. 4), the 2nd wife's death was ruled a suicide and the 3rd wife, a Japanese woman, died drowning, as her husband claimed. They eventually found him guilty of murder and liable for the death of these 2 ex-wives; and eventually, through the help of forensic science, they were able to locate the shallow grave of the Filipina and identify her through her dental records. In short, the American was convicted for the murder of 3 of his wives.

Throughout the whole narration, there was never any mention again of the Filipina's family in Cebu. The whole time I was watching this, I had a very heavy heart and was thinking of the family. Were they blaming themselves for the death of their daughter? What was the father thinking? Did he realize he just pushed his daughter to her death by marrying the American? And after her death, were they able to get out of the desperate poverty they were in, or were they still in their old ramshackled one-room home living a hand-to-mouth existence? It boggles me to no end how fate can somehow make a 180-degree turn and punch you in the face. And what about the 3-year old boy, where did he end up after his dad went to prison and his mother got murdered? There was also evidence that the little boy was with his dad at the time the latter buried his mother. That would have definitely left deep emotional and mental trauma on the child that no amount of counselling can somehow completely erase. My heart really reached out to him.

This is why I probably like real-life drama more than fictional sitcoms - in this mundane world filled with inanities, these kinds of shows somehow make me stop dead on my tracks and think deep, mull things and their consequences, ponder upon possibilities and what-could-have-beens, and thank God for His immense blessings upon me. Of course, I wouldn't mind a whole night of SATC re-runs too. I love Carrie Bradshaw anyway.

3. OMG, I'm just in number 3? Better make this quick, then. I hate tomatoes in anything (in sandwiches, cooked food, salads), but I love salsa. I could drink/eat it straight up. Go figure.

4. My favorite shoes are sling-back peeptoe heels. They really show off my pedicures but they are professional enough for work.

5. I used to be addicted to the Yahoo game Literati. I would spend the whole day playing with other people in the Intermediate boards. Haha. My score reached 2100+ but I just stopped playing.

6.
I have one son. I love him to death and more than life itself. He's 2 in this picture (he's 5 now), and one of the smartest kids I've seen. His teacher in preschool even told me to have him tested for giftedness, but we refused because we want him to have a regular childhood. So far, he's still being challenged in school because he does advanced classes.

7. My husband's (and my) most favorite place in the world are the white sand beaches of the Philippines. We vowed that one day we would buy a property there.

8. I sleep with six pillows- two under my foot two under my leg when my body is turned sideways, one under the head and one over my head.

9. I am allergic to alcoholic drinks. Anything alcoholic. I believe that is why I don't think I will ever be caught driving under the influence.

10. I love bubble teas. I could have one everyday if only I weren't that concerned about sugar and all that. My favorites are the boba milk tea and almond milk tea. I love it with squid balls. Yum!

I might be double-tagging a lot of the bloggers because it took me a while to respond, hence this Award might have spread all over blog-landia by now. In any event, I'm passing this award to:


Olga
Dayna
Phyrra


I was about to tag 4 more, but as expected, they already have and passed on this Award when I checked their blogs.

Thanks for reading!