Tagged I have been

So, I've been tagged by Nicole.

I've never been tagged before.

Lemme see, I am supposed to state the rule of the tag, and then respond to it. OK, so this particular tag says that:

"People who are tagged should write a blog post of 6 weird things about them as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says ‘you are tagged’ in their comments and tell them to read your blog."

I guess I have to write something about my weirdnesses. I was thinking, what is weird to me may be normal to someone else. The definition of weirdness could be quite relative and subjective. Therefore I may think I am weird but you may see me as perfectly normal. On the other hand, I may see myself as normal but someone else may look at me thinking that I have gone bonkers. Of course, some habits or behaviour patterns could be considered peculiar or weird in the light of generally acceptable culture and social conventions. But then, diversity is the spice of life, no?

Here in random order, I list my so-called weirdnesses and oddities and idiosyncracies.


Weirdness No. 1

I like to read labels. Especially labels on food packaging. I want to know how many servings, serving size, net weight, ingredients, type of preservatives and additives, number of packets inside, nutritional value (mostly zero), number of calories, percent daily values, expiry date, date of manufacture, place of manufacture, address of manufacturer, number of languages the label is written in, type of packaging (plastic, paper, glass, aluminium, Tetrak, etc). Basically, I ingest a lot of useless data.


Weirdness No. 2

I don't take directions very well. I read maps instead. I prefer a complicated map rather than confusing turn-by-turn directions. So don't tell me to "turn left, and then turn right and then go straight and turn second left and look for the Shell station and then third traffic lights and then right and call me if you're lost." Just give me the full address and I'll look it up on the map.


Weirdness No. 3

I get lost in shopping malls, but not in the jungle. I have to ask for directions from the information counter at Megamall and 1Utama and Pyramid. I would rather get lost diving a coral reef or hiking a mountain than walking aimlessly in Megamall looking for the escalator to the labyrinth also known as car park Level P4 Section G Row 13. There was once I searched like almost one whole section of level B1 at 1U but couldn't find my car. I almost panicked, until I realised that I had parked at level B2.


Weirdness No. 4

I type with all ten fingers. I was taught the proper way to type at the age of 11, and I've used all ten fingers ever since. On a QWERTY keyboard, left little finger hits the Q, A and Z keys. Left ring finger hits the W, S and X keys. Left middle finger hits the E, D and C keys. Left index finger hits the R, T, F, G, V and B keys. Right index finger hits the Y, U, H, J, N and M keys. Right middle finger hits the I, K and comma keys. Right ring finger hits the O, L and full stop keys. Right little finger hits the P, semicolon and forward slash keys. Thumbs are for the space bar. Little fingers are for Shift.


Weirdness No. 5

If you give me a sheet of paper (blank or printed/written), my first reflex is to flip it over to see if there's anything on the reverse side and to make sure I don't miss out anything important. It's a built-in neuromotor reflex mechanism left over from the prehistoric days when cavemen flipped bones over to make sure they didn't miss out any of the meat for dinner.


Weirdness No. 6

I start reading a book from anywhere but the first page. I usually start in the middle or second half and reach near the end, then I'll jump back to the earlier parts to find out how the story built up to the climax. Then I'll go to the end and piece everything together. And if I have enough time left I'll read Chapter 1 and see how the writer started it all. That's why it's difficult for me to read novels. I hate it when I find out about the ending before I have a chance to read the beginning. Or I don't understand what is happening now because I don't know what happened earlier. I also read the copyright page to check the year of copyright.


Weirdness No. 6

When taking photos in landscape/horizontal format I look through the viewfinder with my right eye. When taking in portrait/vertical I use my left eye. Email me if you want to know why.


Weirdness No. 6

I don't stay up to watch English Premier League. I like Arsenal, but I'm OK if they lose. It's just a game.


Weirdness No. 6

I can't count.


I hereby tag the following kind souls:

1. Aun & Jacqui
2. Colin
3. Rudi
4. Kat
5. Hedonese
6. Biscottie
6. Charis
6. Snoflek
6. Jon