'The 25'....

Boa Noite!

So...around 5 months ago I got a rather amusing email from a very good friend of mine. Apparently after I boycotted the social networking monopoly of Facebook in November I missed some interesting social networking type events...and 'the 25' was one of them. What is 'the 25'? Well I am to type 25 very random facts about myself (most likely for your amusement), then you read them, and then you know 25 very random things about me. Its just that simple. Before I get any further with my hitch here in Malongo, I think it is vitally important that I deliver 'the 25'. Here we go......

1. Most of you already know this...but I am afraid of nearly everything. Bugs, Flying, Driving, Germs, Disease,...I freak out (sometimes in my head but mostly out loud) when involved in or exposed to any of the above activities/items. Talk about being a freak!

2. I am VERY competetive. As a child I was always competing against my brother (sorry Jeff)...anything he could do by god I could (and would try) to do it too. I am pretty sure that this had something to do with my tomboyishness and my career choice later in life

3. I LOVE music. I enjoy listening to all types of music as well as playing a few instruments on my own. I am pretty sure this flows in my blood since my father was a music teacher for more than 40 years and my cousin David (now Dr. Dick btw) has a PHD in performance music....pretty sure it was a given when the talent cards were handed out in 1982.

4. With relation to the above item, I have also won about 100 grammy awards in the shower during my lifetime.

5. I have a very difficult time letting people 'all the way in'. I hide behind a happy face and only let certain people past my guard. I am working on this but its not easy.

6. I am a full blown caffine addict. I function at less than 50% efficiency in the morning sans caffine.

7. I am also addicted to sugar. I can not enter a candy store without buying something. Also, I can not be within 10 feet of dark chocolate witout eating it. It is possible that I might actually kill for dark chocolate, please don't test me.

8. I have really bad luck. Really random things often happen to me with no explanation. At work, at play, it really doesn't matter..I have been labelled Hurricane Yulia as a result.

9. When I was a child, I wanted to be a fire-fighter...not because they are heroes or because they fight fires...I just wanted to have acess to the giant water hose. This dream died shortly after the super-soaker was invented.

10. I hate dirty things....(especially when related to hygene!!)

11. With regards to the above, when I first arrived in Malongo I had to pretend I was camping to get through the Angolan dirty factor of the living accomodations. Pretend camping continued until I purchased my own cleaning products and cleaned the room myself so that I knew I had rid the room of "dirty". I still 'camp' while offshore and attempt to clean the shared bathrooms etc. with antibacterial wipes before use.

12. I HATE the colour purple...but am actually starting to (secretly) like the colour pink.

13. I am a crazy cat lady. Maybe not to the extent of some other people I know (Lyndsay and Sherice) but I am close...

14. As much as I love Mr. Kitty, I hate his shedding and his poo feet and try not to think about it too much to avoid freaking out.

15. As a teenager, a special friend of mine we will call her jane (all names have been changed to protect the innocent) and I dabbled in witchcraft and tried to cast a spell on a fellow co-worker who was mean to us.

16. When I was a kid I used to believe that there really was a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow and even tried to ride my bike to the end of a few...never could quite make it.

17. No matter how early I go to bed I struggle to get out of bed in the morning.

18. I sleep like the dead..or so I have been told. I make no sound and can not be awakened without extreme force or very loud noises.

19. I love to read.

20. I hate winter and am honestly convinced that I am actually allergic to cold weather.

21. Food is one of my greatest weaknesses. I love trying new foods and quite honestly I really enjoy eating! Although I am quite conscious about the foods I buy and cook for myself, I can't say no when offered something tasty. I am truely amazed that I am not over 300 lbs.

22. I am a sucker for tattoos. I have a secret celebrity crush on Travis Barker because of this.

23. I am deathly afraid of public washrooms and will only use if ABSOLUTELY necessary.

24. I am a nerd. I may appear 'cool' on the outside, but underneath these clothes is 100% nerdy. I coined the self description 'Charismatic Nerd' after taking the Halliburton personality test...very suiting I might add...

25. I could not function witout hand sanitizer in Africa. I carry it with me everywhere...in my purse, in my coveralls pocket, on the plane..everywhere. I use said sanitizer more than 5 times per day. I even use it after washing my hands to kill any germs that I might have picked up from the tap or from door knobs etc.

There it is, 'the 25'. Hope you enjoyed. Off to QUP Sanha tomorrow, wish me luck as I will need as much of it as I can get!

Beijos xxx,

Julie