30 things about me

1.     Short

I am short. When I had my bone age measured when I was 6 or 7, the doctor told me that my bones are a year younger than my actual age. Although both my parents are not short, my height seems to disobey biological inheritance. My sleeping habits – staying up until late at night – seems to contribute to my height. One of my friends would say that my height is just right for her to lean on.

2.     Penguin

My nickname has been penguin since when I was a kindergartener; even when I met a new group of friends and they were not aware of my previous nickname, I was always nicknamed as penguin. Maybe my height contributed to getting this nickname. I don’t know. My friends told me that my facial expressions and behavior reminded them of penguin. I am not sure whether I was nicknamed first or I liked penguin first; I remember mimicking a penguin when I was a kindergartener, being satisfied with my height similar to those of emperor penguin. It somehow became my spirit animal.

3.     Samuchim / Minjok orchestra

Most of my freshman year was devoted to both Samuchim and Minjok orchestra practices. I love my club activities, and I put my best in it. Due to overlapping practice schedules, I oftentimes skipped lunch/dinner. Thanks to frequent practices, I was able to gain strength and power to carry those heavy instruments and play them thoroughly. Worn out, I was always with pain-killing patch and bandages. Although the preparation was tough, the performance was fun! Taking care of other instruments’ sound and creating music altogether, it was always exciting to perform as a team together with club members.

4.     Friends

I like my friends. Once I trust someone, I tend to dismiss whatever they do even if it somewhat bothers me. I try to give meaningful birthday presents that both fulfill their necessities and fit their taste, considering their favorite color or object etc. I even sent some presents abroad to the United States a couple of years after returning to Korea. However, living in KMLA, it is hard for me to prepare presents for my friends since I cannot go buy presents.

5.     Semi- perfectionist

I had a tendency to possess perfectness in whatever I do, attempting to complete every single detail to an extent where I can satisfy my standards. For example, when I was preparing science fair in middle school, I had to measure all the widths and heights of paper and board to place them at the right place (aligned in the center). When writing something, I had to write it on my laptop firsthand to avoid spelling errors and use of correction tapes. When I became busy with multiple assignments to do, I found out that I was using up too much time on each that I would eventually either run out of time or be too much stressed. Then I started to learn to compromise with myself.

6.     Puzzles/ Quizzes

Whether it be jigsaw puzzles, mensa quizzes, Sudoku, logic puzzle and etc, I love spending time thinking and solving those puzzles or quizzes. I have logic puzzle apps downloaded on my phone as well as some mensa quizlet books on my bookshelf. When I took the mensa quiz online with my friends, although it may not be a credible test, it told me that I have an IQ of 149 when I was an 8th grader.

7.     Stationary

I like stationary items as well- notebooks, pens, color pencils, etc. Although I already have tons of them in my room and in my house, I cannot stop myself from buying them; whenever I visit stationary shops, I buy something. However, because I am not able to online shop items and because I cannot go to those offline shops frequently, I do not spend a lot of money. In accord with my semi- perfectionist tendency, I also like arranging those items neatly by color. It makes me feel good.

8.   Desserts

I love desserts. I am one of the people who believe desserts can substitute meals. During vacation, I tried over 10 different cakes as my lunch.

9.  Animals

I love animals- the species don’t matter. Among the domestic ones, of course, pets-especially cats and dogs- are the most familiar and favorite ones. Although I haven’t raised either dogs or cats (I have only raised chicks and fish when I was young), I always watched TV programs about them, read webtoons about them, and paid attention on issues related to them. Recently, I found out that there were a lot of stray cats around the area where I spent most of time during vacations. After coming across them several times, I bought snacks for them. For several weeks, I have been feeding those cats. After giving away one pack of snacks, I bought one more. For unexpected encounter, I carry those snacks around everyday with me in my pocket.

10.  Detective stories

Fell in love with Sherlock Holmes series and animation Detective Conan, I continued to either watch or read detective/mystery genre. I love how the main characters go through the details and match up the possible methods to cypher the secret.  

11.  Soksakim

One of the club activities I have invested most of my time as well. I like talking with people, listening to their stories and think together to have a better day :). Although I am sometimes overtly emotional or immersed into some stories that I am too concerned with other’s business, I hope for their best. I want my peers to seize their happy day.

12.  Animation

Since my friend recommended me to watch several Japanese animations when I was a 7th grader, I started to expand my internet use. Watching over 60 series of animation, I learned to speak some Japanese. Although I am not a big fan of TV watching since it makes me bored easily, I instead started doing my homework(solving math questions, etc.) while watching them on screen. I paused watching animation after entering KMLA.

13.  Music

I like listening to music. I usually listen to Korean pop songs or American pop songs. Once I start listening to music of certain groups, I go through the whole list of their music. However, because I have repetitively listened to those music, now I often find myself falling asleep whenever I listen to them even when the music is loud and powerful. I used to sing a lot when I was younger. My music teacher told me that I have an absolute pitch when I was young. My friends and I made a karaoke team to regularly go sing together at school karaoke.

14.  Drawing

I liked drawing ever since I was a kindergartener. When I was an elementary school student, I even dreamt of becoming an animation movie director. I used to attend drawing competitions and singing contests every year by then. Although I don’t draw as often as I used to do, I still draw sometimes for myself or to give my drawings to others.

- Most of my drawings are left in my elementary school. I'm not sure if those are still being kept.

15.  Lab

Since I like experiments, I like the laboratory itself as well. Watching some TV programs and reading some books about people with laboratory in their house, I have dreamt of having one for my own as well. I like the environment of it, filled with chemicals and scientific tools. After visiting Caltech Lab where students were studying AIDS cure and protein crystallization as a ninth grader, I also became interested in the field that studies diseases and cures. I want to conduct various experiments in a laboratory, nearly living in it. I am also interested in NGOs.

16.  Making weird sounds

I make weird sounds to my friends. I don’t remember why, but making such sounds started after I attended middle school. Although I started making those sounds intentionally, now it seems to dominate my unconsciousness; they come out of my throat anytime.

17.  Contact lenses/ Glasses

I wore glasses since when I was a third grader. Annoyed with my look wearing glasses and realizing how uncomfortable it is, I started wearing contact lenses when I became a middle school student. Now, too used to wearing contacts, I barely take them off. Sleeping with them on isn’t really good for my eyes, but I like the vision of the moment I wake up wearing them: I can read my clock right away. Whenever I feel itchy, I tend to wear glasses instead. Sometimes, my friends won’t recognize me when I wear glasses.

18.  Taekwondo

I like taekwondo, but all my friends hate it due to the influence of morning exercise. I wanted to learn taekwondo when I was a kindergartener, but my parents didn’t let me because they were told that learning martial arts in youth may prevent kids from growing since kids may hurt themselves. Thus, ironically, I started learning taekwondo in America as a club activity. Although both the club president and vice president resigned, my friend and I successfully maintained the club. Returning to Korea, I got into KMLA, and became a taekwondo morning exercise PA. Spending two years worth of morning, I acquired the 2nd dan certificate.

19. Semi- workaholic

I am usually busy, and I am quite satisfied with my state. During both my freshman year and my sophomore year, my schedule was occupied with 10+club activities and other personal duties. Thinking of list of things I have to do and of things I want to do, there are endless endeavor for me to do. Maybe my tendency to do something while watching videos attributes to this as well.

20.  I’m 20

Studying abroad in the United States for 2 years, the difference in school systems made me a year older than others in my class. I’ve tried not to tell others I’m older than them, but after a year and half in KMLA, somehow most people now got to know. Although I can legally drink alcohol now, I have never tried yet.

21.  loud voice

I have loud voice. Because I am not really talkative, people usually forget I do have such voice. People notice that I have a loud voice during school sports events because I would shout as a cheer member(응원단장).

22.  200 crickets at school

In order to conduct an experiment on biology field study, I raised 200 crickets at school with one of my friends. Distinguishing their gender and providing their habitat with enough water and food was a hard work; since we didn’t have enough time nor supplies initially, my friend and I constructed all the boxes out of parcel boxes, turned on and off the lamps by hand every 6, 12 or 18 hours. Overcoming some catastrophe of those crickets escaping the boxes, the most of the leftover crickets after the experiment were released into the field.

23.  I can stay up all night and appear quite okay

Am I really okay though? My longest record without sleep is about 65 hours.

24.  I fall asleep quickly

Seems like I will never have sleeping disorders; I sleep as soon as I lie down and close my eyes. Sometimes my roommates were afraid if I’m dead or not. I usually sleep deep;I usually become unconscious while asleep, so I don’t remember how I had replied to other who were attempting to wake me up. Those who have attempted told me that another persona of me comes out when I am asleep.

25.   Blue

My favorite color is blue. I like the freshness and the puffiness the color sky blue reminds me. Considering that I liked cinderella’s dress when I was very young, it seems like I liked this color for a long time.

26.  I keep notes of my dreams

I dream often when I sleep- usually fantasies mixed up with my current reality. Because I don't want to forget those entertaining stories, I try to write them as soon as I wake up on my notebook. Thesedays, since I don't have much time to write my dreams on my notebook, I keep note of theme everywhere: on my phone, on my laptop, or on scrach paper.

27.  I nearly drowned once when I was a kindergartener.

28.  I don't eat hamburgers eversince I heard a story of both mother and her son found dead due to the consumption of hamburger.

29.  Due to GLPS, I have two more blogs on blogger. I can even see Mr. Garrioch's comments on it.