2.  It’s overly complicated, simply because my mother wanted it to be.  The “Maria” part was only added to balance the next two names. “Mayumi” is actually the most thought-out of the three.  “Louella” came from my father’s name, Louie.

3.  I wasn’t born in a hospital. It was storming (my parents say it was a super typhoon) and they couldn’t get my mother to one on time.  I don’t usually do anything special when my time of the year comes. I treat it as any other normal day. My mother would beg to differ, though.

4.  I was originally born in Tigaon, but I’ve lived in Naga longer. Villa Karangahan – Naga City – has been my home for an entirety of my life.  I don’t have much to say about it, except that when it rains hard, don’t try to expect positive results – it almost always gets flooded with water.

5.  My parents met while they were training to be police officers, though my mother ranks higher than my father – he was supposed to be a nurse.  I actually think I inherited more traits from my father than my mother. My mother’s strict and authoritarian – of course, I love her for it – and I’ve got more of my father’s careless side ingrained in me, to be honest.

6.  I like reading. I learn lots of stuff when I read, and I especially like it when the material moves me to the point where I have to wipe away tears.  I’m a geek, but more of a literary geek. I can’t write any good essays or poems to save my life, but I write fictional stories in my spare time.

7.  I’m a daydreamer. I’m not sure if this counts as a hobby (although I think it is), but sometimes I stare off into nothing, thinking about things that I probably wouldn’t remember after a few minutes.  I also like playing games – any kind of game, be it a simple “Nanay, Tatay” or a rousing game of Hide and Seek.

8.  I’m not much of a talker when I feel overwhelmed by the person I’m talking to (really, who is?), but I’m a very loud person once I’m comfortable enough.  I’m usually a “hot-and-cold” type of person. Sometimes I can’t care less about a topic, and sometimes I’m too interested.

9.  I’m easily guilty. I can’t stomach it if I’m made aware of the things I’ve done wrong, and it usually leaves me feeling a little solemn.  I’m pretty confident about myself, most of the time. That doesn’t mean I don’t have any insecurities – trust me, I have a lot – but I can make myself forget about it if I try hard enough.

10.  I’m sort of a “pushover”. It’s not that I can’t stand up for myself, just that I’m easily swayed when I think I’ve disappointed someone. The words “Okay then”, gets me every time.  I’m a bit – okay, most say it’s a lot – boyish. I never really thought I was (it was just how I acted around people) and most of the time I find it funny, but sometimes it irritates me.

11.  I’m a little overprotective of my friends and family. This manifests mostly when a female friend of my gets sexually harassed (cat- calls, wolf-whistles, elevator eyes) in front of me by a random person we don’t even know.  When I was a little kid, I was painfully shy around everyone not blood-related to me. Now, this shows whenever I get nervous about new things.

12.  I talk really fast when I’m nervous. Mostly, the words turn into gibberish and the point I’m trying to get across sinks.  I’ve noticed that I cover my mouth lightly when I don’t know what to do. It’s a little mannerism that’s stayed with me even when I’ve realized its purpose.  I’m also a very bodily-oriented type of person. Whenever I talk, it almost always has an action accompanying it.

14. The opinions stated are merely that – opinions. It was not intended to hurt, insult, or bash anyone or anything. They were purely a product of my mind.