Umm I was Tagged: 6 Degrees of Weirdness

I usually don't allow anyone to tag me (suplada?!). I'm too lazy to be part of a chain and, really, I'm not much of a chain material. But since malakas sa akin si Ody (naks!), the one who tagged me, I shall indulge.

Let's see.

"Each player of this game starts with 6 weird things about them. People who get tagged need to write a list of their own 6 weird things as well as state the rule clearly. In the end, they need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. They should also leave a comment to the ones they are tagging that says, ‘you are tagged,’ and tell them to read the tagger’s blog."

Six Degrees of Weirdness:

1. Most people would think I love reading books, but it is a common misconception. I used to hate books or, more like, I’m afraid of them. There are some good books I would not have read back in college if they were handed to me in "book" form. Therefore, photocopies worked to my advantage. It gave me the feeling that I'm in control since I can write on them whenever I want. (Control freak, am I?) So now that's what I do with my books. I write on them. I jot down my reactions whenever I feel like it. I even highlight parts I want to highlight. Somehow it affirms my control over the book. Still, I’m not into novels. Thick books never fail to frighten me, except grammar books, dictionaries, and word trivia books—the types of which I seem to gravitate to.

2. In rare occasions when I do read books, novels that usually don’t go beyond 400 pages, it takes me a long time to finish them. Thanks to my short attention span and my penchant for reading aloud. Reading often lulls me to sleep, regardless of how engrossed I am. What usually happens when I’m at a reading streak is, I read then I fall asleep, when I wake up I’ll read again only to fall asleep again and so it goes. Just imagine how much of my time the whole process eats. Probably the reason why I read aloud is to keep me awake. But it also has a lot to do with me understanding what I’m reading. Let’s just say hearing what I read contributes a lot to my ability to comprehend. Then again, sometimes I get distracted by my own voice; hence I have to re-read the parts where my thoughts drifted off. Finally, my vocal cords, unlike any normal reader’s mind, cannot continue reading for hours. Perhaps that’s another reason why I fall asleep.

3. Well, I’ve already said this a lot: I talk to myself aloud. And if I’m absorbed with the “conversation,” I think I even display appropriate facial expressions and gestures which is weird because I am talking to myself. Sometimes, I will utter a joke to which I will laugh. Huh, sounds typical but wait ‘til you catch me doing it. And, by the way, I get embarrassed whenever I get caught.

4. I guess, I have a bit of autistic tendencies as I can be in the middle of people talking yet I wouldn’t hear them. I don’t know. I shut them off, I guess. They can even be talking about me but I wouldn’t know because I’m too absorbed in thinking of something else or I’m just not in the moment and my thoughts are afloat.

5. I make my own superstitions rather than observing the more traditional ones. I think it started when I was in grade school. I avoided ending the designs in my notebooks—the ones that mark a new quarter (grading period) in class—with elements that go down or at least seem to move down to avoid grades that go down. Then there’s me believing that it’s unlucky to buy a wallet for oneself. I don’t think I will be buying me one. I wouldn’t risk being trapped with a wallet that’s always empty. I once talked a friend into buying me a wallet and in turn I had to buy her one so that she, too, will be lucky. Another lucky charm is me seeing my name on plate numbers of cars. I feel like winning a misfortune-immunity challenge whenever I spot a vehicle’s plate number with my name on it. Must explain the smile.

6. Six? Hmm…I’ve never had a boyfriend. Since birth. Isn’t that weird. (Final sentence was intentionally structured as a statement of ironic fact rather than as a question.)

I’d say the number six is not enough to cover my quirks. But I guess, it’s good enough to list down the first six things that came to mind. Maybe I’d reveal another six if I get tagged again, who knows?

Now it’s Faith’s, Christmas’, Aleth’s, Nikka’s, Kate's and Annie’s turn to weirdness--the lucky six I’ve chosen to tag.