Twitter

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I have given in to peer pressure. Admittedly, about a year or two too late. Nevertheless, I am now one of those Twitter-ers. Or Tweeple (Tweeps?).

Twitter was all the rage in my online community more than a year ago. Not to say that I was never tempted. But I was lazy. In a moment of weakness, I did try signing up but for some reason, possibly due to very heavy traffic, I couldn't. And my laziness could only be challenged so much so I left it at that.

Fast forward to about a month ago when I finally had a chance to hang out with the Man-bloggers again. Everyone had apparently already migrated to Plurk. And I was still not micro-blogging. Because really, what can you possibly write in only 140 characters? Sure, in an era when ADHD is the norm, it does make sense to let self-expression out in little spurts. Maybe somehow, your 140-character splash of brilliance would not get drowned in everyone else's pools of 140-character splashes of brilliance. And maybe Ade would stop saying that I'm stuck in 2006. ("She's on Multiply. How 2006!")

But those weren't really what sent me a-twittering. I was curious, for one. And perhaps also because I am work-obsessed (there, I finally admitted it). One day I came across @DavidFeng's article on who to follow when it comes to #china twitter posts. If you still don't know (then perhaps you are also stuck in 2006), Twitter-ers break news faster than traditional media. The Mandarin Oriental fire in Beijing, for one, made the rounds of tweets and retweets before news agencies finally reported on it. See, I take all these China stuff very seriously. I have to know everything. Otherwise I'm not happy. So this is really all about my happiness when you think about it.

As with anything short and sweet, it is harder to work at the sweetness should it only be this short. I must admit I am one selfish Twitter-er. I tend to take more than I give. I suppose for many that would be a relief. Nothing witty to say? Then shut up. So in a way my tweeting life is more or less guided by that philosophy. I have very few followers, in fact. I am under no illusion that anyone would want to read live updates on what I'm doing every hour. And I admittedly find it hard to keep track of the 40 or so Twitter-ers I follow. I suppose it's all part of the new media: streams and streams of information flowing onto you, some are useful while most aren't, some will be interesting and sometimes you'll get lucky to get information you need at just the right time, just as you will miss many others without even knowing it. Very much like tuning out mindless chatter in a bus once you've deemed it worthless. So yeah, like life really, if you know what I mean.

And I just made my 100th update with my "is blogging about micro-blogging" post half an hour ago.

Boracay Feb 2009

Tagaytay get-away!! Feb 2009

Ron's Despedida

And he's back in Australia... So we all trooped to his house the night before he was scheduled to leave and demanded that he feed us.

25 Random Things

I actually got tagged on Facebook. But since I spent all that time coming up with 25 random things about me, I might as well post them here too. :p

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.

To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.

1. I will do everything I can to finish every bit of morsel of food on my plate no matter how full I am. Wasted food weighs heavy on my conscience.

2. I eat a lot. Rice, especially. And I'm very thankful that it doesn't show.

3. I need to take iron (ferrous sulfate) in the morning otherwise I will be on the verge of falling asleep the rest of the day.

4. I have never flown a kite in my whole life.

5. I have a pack of baby wipes in my bag that I carry around almost everywhere. One time I suddenly felt the need to go to the bathroom but could not find any establishment in the vicinity that sells tissues. I had to substitute with the baby wipes. I love them now.

6. I love gel pens. I have them in different colors: dark brown, dark blue, green, purple, metallic blue, metallic green, etc. The funny thing is I only use them on my planner.

7. I was an emcee in two speed dating events in the past. Tomorrow, I will be one of the daters. I realize now how that is so much scarier.

8. It is highly unlikely that I will date a guy shorter than me. I like my men tall.

9. I had been rumored to be a lesbian at least twice. I think it is mildly amusing. And perhaps the rumors will make me seem more interesting than I really am.

10. I never make the first move because I'm chickenshit.

11. I love moisturizers. I like keeping my skin well-hydrated.

12. I belatedly discovered that I like perfumes, too. But not as much as moisturizers.

13. I don't use deodorants. I am under the impression that I don't need them. Please tell me if I am mistaken.

14. I never learned how to drive and I seriously think I have underdeveloped motor skills. I cannot coordinate hand and leg movements. I can't dance. I can't play any sports. And I stumble on my own feet.

15. I have a very bad sense of direction. Maybe I have an underdeveloped brain, period.

16. I was made to memorize the multiplication table in (Fukien) Chinese before I started kindergarten. So at least some part of my brain has hopefully developed fine. I do have a good memory. And it comes out when I least expect it.

17. Once I decide something is worth learning and is not beyond the limited capabilities of my brain (I wouldn't, for example, attempt to learn the tango), I can get obsessively disciplined about it. The current passion is relearning Mandarin.

18. Aside from Facebook, I am also on Multiply and Friendster. I have been deleting my accounts on other social networking sites. Sometimes I forget I even have accounts on them.

19. I am always thrilled to be told by somebody that s/he reads my blog. Blogging is one of the things that keep my sanity. Or some semblance of it.

20. Email and IM are my preferred means of communication. Other than face-to-face for close friends. I only text when I have to. But then again maybe that's because I have not had a serious relationship in a long time. I would probably appreciate texting more if there were messages to look forward to reading. And replying.

21. There are times when I would worry that I'd be alone forever. And then I'd realize it's not the worst thing in the world.

22. My laughter sounds weird. I have been told this many times. I'm not sure how laughters are supposed to sound.

23. I do not give people many chances. Once I have labeled a person unworthy of my time (and this may most probably be based on some past proof of betrayal/stupidity/meanness), I very rarely change my mind. People who have earned my trust and respect though can expect a lifetime of loyalty. It's just that way in my world.

24. Cherries are my favorite fruit. And I hate how they're so expensive here.

25. Whenever I think about my life in general, I am almost always caught by surprise at the intensity of my gratitude. I am well aware of how blessed I am despite my propensity to whine about my petty concerns. Maybe age has something to do with it. And even more delightfully surprising is the fact that I genuinely like the person that I have become. That is coming a long way from the kid who used to wish she had never been born.

Ron is back!

...and the Constancia kids all trooped over to Zaifu at Rockwell so he could treat us to dinner.

Annual Post-New Year's Celebration 2009

Something to look forward to when the holiday season approaches is our annual get-together with college friends that happens at around the first week of the year. So we would meet erratically all throughout the year but make it a point to show up, in whatever state we are in, every year to listen to John's lecture on life and love.

Because that's how it is.