100 Things About Me

Wow, it's my 100th post! I am shamelessly borrowing this idea from Sognatrice over at Bleeding Espresso: celebrate this milestone by listing down 100 Things About Me.

I've said in the past that I couldn't even think of Five Things About Me that I wanted to share; uh, I guess I was wrong. This is a testament either to my dedication to writing or my extreme self-centeredness. So read on if you've got the patience :)


1) I go to the gym on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays -- and I need every ounce of willpower to get there.
2) But stepping onto the treadmill really gets my endorphins going, and after 5 minutes (running or walking) I'm usually fantasizing about finishing marathons.
3) Or fantasizing about creating spectacular food dishes on the Food Network.
4) But since I'm doing the San Francisco Bay to Breakers run again this year, I've been thinking more about marathons than marshmallows.
5) In three weeks I've gone from being able to walk 3 miles to being able to run 5. It took me an hour to finish, but just being able to keep running for 1 hour is accomplishment enough for me.


6) It's still my dream to be able to do a proper chin-up.
7) Or be able to swing across the monkey bars in the playground.
8) Growing up in the Philippines, we never had any monkey bars to swing across. They just weren't very popular for some reason.
9) I've been able to make it to about 70% of my body weight, working on one of those hydraulic-assisted chin-up stations at the gym. But then for some reason I lose interest or get bored and change my exercise routine.
10) I may have to accept the fact that I will never be able to carry my own body weight.


11) When guests come to stay (usually my parents or in-laws), my exercise routine goes out the window.
12) Even though it's the perfect opportunity to leave the kids to bond with their grandparents, I just get lazy. And we like to go on hikes and do other things together anyway, so I figure I'm still getting some exercise.
13) Plus, my mother-in-law loves sweet snacks as much as I do, so we're a bad influence on each other.
14) This time, I'm determined not to let that happen.
15) (But I've already missed one day at the gym)


16) I think I would cook from scratch more often if I bought everything pre-chopped (especially chicken, which I hate touching) and pre-measured, but I'm so cheap I can't bring myself to buy things that way.
17) I hate using recipes to cook because I can't be bothered to measure out ingredients.
18) I prefer to throw things into a pot and see what comes out.
19) Sometimes this results in dishes that are too salty, too spicy, or practically inedible.
20) But sometimes I manage to produce a memorable, never-to-be-repeated dinner.


21) I used to have humongous moles under my left ribs and beside my right earlobe.
22) I had them cauterized away in my early twenties.
23) That was only the second "surgery" I've ever had in my life (knock on wood).
24) My first was to remove four impacted molars. Instead of the more common outpatient procedure, I went under general anesthesia and spend the night in the hospital.
25) No I did not deliver my twins via Caesarian surgery (most people are amazed by this). I was all prepped for surgery in case there were any complications that required it, but I was lucky, my boys were both born the old-fashioned way. Well, as old-fashioned as you can get considering the epidural and vacuum extractor and fetal monitors and team of about 6 people in the OR.


26) Now that it's spring cleaning time, I've turned into the Used Toy and Clothing Lady. I sell all of my kids old toys and clothes on Craigslist or through my local mother's club.
27) I never sell on Ebay because I'm nervous about having to ship items out to buyers.
28) I hate it when people commit to buying an item then try to bargain when they come to pick the item up.
29) My biggest pet-peeve bargaining tactic is when people tell me that they only brought just a little less petty cash than the item costs, like $7 to pay for a $10-item, but they do have a $100 bill, so unless I can make change, will I accept the $7 ?
30) I always price used items at very good prices and have multiple people interested, so I tell them (very nicely) I can always sell it to the next buyer. They have always managed to come up enough change in their car...


31) I also buy stuff off Craigslist and my parent's club email list.
32) I have bought exactly 10 things on Ebay, all of them odds-and-ends for my kids.
33) I hold my breath until the item arrives in the post.
34) See, I know someone who got scammed on Ebay and I'm praying it won't happen to me.
35) But so far, I've never bought anything from someone that I wasn't highly pleased with, so I think sellers in general are honest people.


36) If we won the lottery, the first thing we'd do is sign our names on the ticket and photocopy the ticket.
37) Then we'd book a family trip to The Kea Lani in Maui.
38) If there was enough money left over, we'd pay off our mortgage.
39) After that, we'd book another family trip, probably to the Bellagio in Las Vegas.
40) After that, I'd buy a 5-series BMW. My husband thinks that's weird, because I would still have to drive our van anyway. But he has spoiled me for nice cars and I like the idea of owning a brand-new Beamer again.


41) If we had enough money, I'd have my nails done more often.
42) I'd have facials and body scrubs at the swanky day spa just a couple of blocks away.
43) I'd buy fresh flowers every week. Tulips, I think. Yes, I love tulips.
44) I'd have someone come in to do my laundry. And ironing. I hate laundry and ironing.
45) I'd give the plastic surgeons free reign over my body: LASIK eye surgery, tummy tuck, breast lift, lipo. I wouldn't mind getting a little help.

46) I used to wake up at 6AM every day, which is late for people in the Philippines (everyone wants to be up and about while it's cool, before the sun gets too hot).
47) When I was single and working, I rarely got out of bed before 1oAM on weekends.
48) I was seriously sleep-deprived in the first year of my twins' life.
49) I used to struggle to get my daughter to preschool by 9:30AM.
50) But now I get her to kindergarten by 8:10 without much of a struggle. It's all about routine.


51) I am hopeless at mental math.
52) I cannot, for the life of me, type out numbers or symbols on the keyboard, even though I learned to touch-type and do pretty well with letters.
53) I have never learned to iron clothes properly.
54) I would rather buy a new pair of shoes than clean old scruffy ones with shoe polish and a brush.
55) And my husband thinks I'm too heavy on the accelerator when I drive.


56) But if there's a low airfare to somewhere we need to get to, I'll find it.
57) I get all my kids' clothes used or on clearance.
58) I have a nice singing voice (but I'm not delusional like some American Idol rejects).
59) I throw really nice childrens' birthday parties.
60) And I have a knack for directions (which I get from my mother) and I never let my husband forget it.


61) When I was a girl of 11 or 12, I wanted to be a doctor.
62) I wanted to get married at 26.
63) I wanted to have five children: four boys in succession, then a girl.
64) None of those children were twins because I never really thought I could have twins since they didn't run in our family.
65) I thought I'd live in the Philippines forever.


66) As I got older, I wanted to travel the world and live in another country or two, but return to the Philippines and live there forever.
67) I wanted to start dating the man I would marry at 26, so that we'd have enought time to get to know one another before marrying.
68) I thought I would never, ever go to bed angry (and not speaking to) my future husband, whoever he was, otherwise it spelled trouble for our relationship.
69) I thought having twins, especially boy twins, would be the worst possible way to begin life as a parent.
70) Boy, was I wrong on all those counts!


71) My mother always kept my hair short when I was a child.
72) I always thought I looked like a boy.
73) I was always the tallest one in my all-girls elementary school class, so I played the part of the prince/hero/boy in all of our school plays.
74) Every time I got a wish (blowing out my birthday cake, tossing a coin into a fountain, etc..), I wished for long hair.
75) As soon as I was allowed, I grew my hair long, and have kept it long to this day.


76) Speaking of hair, when I was a baby, my hair was curly.
77) After the first curls were cut off, it grew straight.
78) It started to get really wavy at around age 11. I hated it and was always trying to straighten it out.
79) Once I moved to California at age 22, the lack of humidity made my hair lie straight and flat. I always wish it would curl up more.
80) It gets wavy/frizzy when it rains and whenever I go back to Manila.


81) Yes, my husband and I have gone to bed not speaking to each other.
82) But we always make up the next day.
83) He is much better at letting go of grudges and making up than I am.
84) I told him long ago that I didn't really mind if he never bought me flowers.
85) But I've changed my mind.


86) We had an in-utero nickname for our oldest daughter, but our twins were just Baby A and Baby B.
87) We had pet nicknames for all our kids but don't use them anymore.
88) I'm a little bit worried (and my husband is more than a little bit worried) about using my kids' real names on this blog.
89) Even though our address is not on this blog, I'm pretty free about posting photos, so maybe I ought to be more concerned. The blog is primarily for family and friends but I know there are all kinds of sickos on the internet.
90) I'm seriously considering going back to all 100 of my blog posts and replacing their real names with their old nicknames.


91) My sister and her family drove 14 hours to be with us this past Christmas. I'm ashamed to say it, but I'm not so sure I'd be strong enough to return the favor. Maybe when the kids are older...
92) I hate chatting on the phone, so I'm not good at keeping touch.
93) I'm lucky to have a family that loves me enough to keep me close.
94) I wish we did live closer to our families so my kids could have closer relationships with their grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
95) And I'm a little bit selfish too: I'd love to have a little bit of help and someone to drop the kids off with occasionally while I go out with my husband.


96) I question myself constantly about whether I'm a good parent.
97) I question myself constantly about whether I'm living up to my potential as a person, not just a mom.
98) I thrive on praise and get defensive when subjected to comments and criticism.
99) I do believe my children's behavior and habits are a reflection on our parenting skills.
100) But I'm not self-centered, I'm really not!