It's a new year. Let's try something new.
This is the 30 Day Picture Challenge.
Day One
A picture of yourself with fifteen facts
Let's try to make this as interesting as possible. I'll shoot for facts that most people in my life do not know. That isn't to say that my closest friends and family don't know these facts.
1. I'm a no poo-er.
I've been an on-and-off no poo-er since the end of high school (I believe). Though I wasn't 100%, I would only use shampoo once every month or so. However, for the last three years in college, I seldomly used shampoo...probably a few times per year. As of today, the last time I used shampoo was May 2013.
2. I learned to swim when I was 18 years old...
...widely thanks to my friends Wing, Jason, and Shi Yu. Before facing my fear of swimming, I had 3 traumatic experiences with "deep" water: once during McGuane Park Summer Camp when a counselor dunked me into the water while I did not hold my breath, once being flipped over in my donut in a waterpark wave pool, and I can't remember the last one. Maybe I don't have a third one. Not sure.
3. I am atheist.
Personally, I find it impossible to grasp the idea that a higher being may exist. I cannot get the smallest part of myself to believe that there is one or any. Although I think religion is great, religion is just completely not for me.
4. My dream job is to be a mailman.
I have a very romanticized idea of sorting letters & packages, strolling out early in the morning, delivering mail door-to-door, and amicably greeting friends and neighbors. I wonder if Mr. Roger's Neighborhood has anything to do with this?
5. I was arrested for ~9 hours once for not paying the CTA train fare.
It was one of the funnest 9 hours ever! Talking and joking with the police officers, sergeant, two gangbangers that were in the cells across from mine, and a cell mate. Oh yeah! I had a push-up contest with a Latin King and beat him. Easy. I got props!
Though evidence of the arrest has been cleared, I will always remember what a great experience that was.
Everyone should experience getting arrested at least once in life. Get arrested for something important though... not something as stupid as not paying $2.50 for the train.
6. I was bit by a squirrel once.
It happened in the spring of 2013 while I was trying to feed it with my hand. I bled for about an hour.
7. Subsequently, I had my first admittance into a hospital because of this experience.
Like 5 days later, I went into the hospital to get a tetanus shot but I entered through the E.R. only because that was the closest entrance. However, they charged me as actually using the E.R. Bogus, but I guess it counts.
Never enter through the E.R. for a shot. You're in the wrong part of the hospital. That ain't the clinic.
8. I had a life-changing dream about being best friends with a hawk.
Why this is a big deal is because this made me far less afraid of birds (though I am still highly afraid of birds). Oh yeah! There's another fact: I'm scared of birds...but a lot of people already know that.
Anyways, here's a condensed version of the full dream. I was walking alone through a giant dessert. I heard a squawk and saw the hawk from far away. I figured, "Okay... if I stand here completely still, it'll just fly past me and not notice me." A few minutes later, I never saw it fly past but I look over my shoulder and BAM! It's perched right on my shoulder. [time lapse] We become best friends and it becomes one of those montages of all our moments together. [time lapse] We're in front of this building where I have to pick up food stamps but hawks aren't allowed. I need food, so I tell the hawk he has to wait out here for a little bit. I go into the basement of the building but as I walk through this long hallway, I realize I couldn't do this without my hawk best friend so I turn around and race back out only to find my hawk isn't there anymore.
The end.
I woke up really, really sad...a lot less scared of birds and I admire hawks sooo much now.
9. Since my sophomore year, I've been working as a personal assistant for students with physical disabilities on campus.
I help them with activities of daily living such as bathrooming, cleaning, getting out of and into bed, showering, eating, dressing. This job has probably been one of the most influential experiences of my life, and my clients have become some of my closest friends. I wanted to include this, because I feel like a lot of people (including my best friends) don't really know what my job really entails.
10. I'm bisexual.
I knew around 8th grade-ish to end of freshman year of high school... sometime between then. I know it's weird to get so personal, but I did say I'll try to make it interesting. Besides, I'm pretty comfortable with my sexuality, so there's nothing to hide.
11. Once in first grade, I pulled an earring out of a girl's earlobe
She kept making fun of me.... She also bullied me everyday. That still doesn't give me the right though. Whoops.
12. I set neutral pictures of inanimate objects as my phone wallpaper
Why? I never set it as family or friends, because I would feel guilty if I got sick of seeing that picture every time I opened my phone. It is currently a picture of a laundry hamper.
13. I have two scars on my elbows.
One from when my friends and I attempted to play soccer and I fell and scraped skin off. Another from PK-ing on my bike because a package got caught between the tire and frame whilst I was delivering it. Thank you Carmen for patching me up that day. I was probably being a baby.
14. I have a tendency to wear one sock indoors.
In the house, I have a subconscious tendency to remove one sock. Not sure why.
15. Dislikes...
...cleaning cups, dirty dishes, climbing trees, vanilla and chocolate pudding, P. Diddy and will.i.am and 50 Cent songs, titty twisters/purple nurples, getting splashed in the pool, wasting food, Minions from Despicable Me