The RubeTube

Finally, here's the answer to "Six things you probably didn't know about me, but one of them isn't true". I'm tackling the "facts" one by one and I'll reveal which is the odd one out.

1. I flunked the entrance exam to Ateneo Grade School. I ended up studying in Don Bosco for two years. I took the Ateneo Grade School exam again and got in when I was in Grade 2. The difference? I didn't become smarter. I took the exam the first time in Filipino, and in English the second time around.
   
   TRUE. I still am better taking tests in English than in Filipino. Who isn't?
   
   
2. I wasn't before, but I'm currently allergic to alcohol in alcoholic drinks; I get rashes and have difficulty breathing. Alcohol is not such a bad thing to be allergic to, in my opinion. Better than being lactose intolerant.
   
   TRUE. Sad, but true. Yet also quite fortunate. What's the big deal with alcohol anyway?
   
   
3. For as long as I can remember, my parents have played mahjong with their friends regularly, usually several nights a week. With mahjong such a big part of our daily life (and family income) I know the rules of the game, but strangely enough, I have never played an actual game in my life.
   
   FALSE. This may come as a surprise for most of you who know me quite well, but this one is totally false. But actually, it's mostly true, except that I have played an actual game of mahjong, twice or thrice. Tricky, tricky!
   
   
4. I learned to play the guitar during my first year of high school. One of my classmates ("IC" was his nickname) taught me the first song I learned to play: Ang Huling El Bimbo. My parents bought my my first guitar for my birthday that year. It was colored "toothpaste/Aquafresh blue", as I liked to describe it.
   
   TRUE. G-A7-C-G for the verse and chorus, and Em-G-C-D for the pre-chorus/refrain; how can I forget? Sadly, the toothpaste blue guitar is now broken.
   
   
5. I have never stepped foot inside a casino my whole life. Of course, the first 21 years of my life leading up to the legal gambling age hardly count, but still...
   
   TRUE. The inside of a casino is still a mystery to me. And I prefer to keep my innocence.
   
   
6. And now, for the most embarrassing thing you probably don't know about me... I was once a (closet) Backstreet Boys and Spice Girls fan. Much like every other guy in my generation, except that they're not man enough to admit it.
   
   TRUE. I've had the balls to admit it. Do you?

No one was able to figure out that #3 was the stinker. To everyone's credit, even my girlfriend failed to get it correctly on the first try; her first guess was #5 and she was deciding between that and #3. Akie (we chatted over YM) was the worst; by process of eliminating the other five choices, he finally got the answer.

Labels: facts, Punzki, tagged

With me not being used to having a lot of work pile up, I haven't had much time to blog lately. But I will take a break from my blogging hiatus to respond to Aids and Bernard who have "tagged" me to tell five things you probably don't know about me.

But I'm going to take matters into my own hands and add my own little twist. Instead of jotting down five things, I'm going to make a list of six things you probably don't know about me, but one of them isn't true; you'll have to guess which one that is. I'll reveal the answer in a later post and you'll still end up finding out five things you probably didn't know about me. In the meantime, mark your guess by leaving a comment.

Six things you probably don't know about me (but one of them isn't true!):

1. I flunked the entrance exam to Ateneo Grade School. I ended up studying in Don Bosco for two years. I took the Ateneo Grade School exam again and got in when I was in Grade 2. The difference? I didn't become smarter. I took the exam the first time in Filipino, and in English the second time around.
   
   
2. I wasn't before, but I'm currently allergic to alcohol in alcoholic drinks; I get rashes and have difficulty breathing. Alcohol is not such a bad thing to be allergic to, in my opinion. Better than being lactose intolerant.
   
   
3. For as long as I can remember, my parents have played mahjong with their friends regularly, usually several nights a week. With mahjong such a big part of our daily life (and family income) I know the rules of the game, but strangely enough, I have never played an actual game in my life.
   
   
4. I learned to play the guitar during my first year of high school. One of my classmates ("IC" was his nickname) taught me the first song I learned to play: Ang Huling El Bimbo. My parents bought my my first guitar for my birthday that year. It was colored "toothpaste/Aquafresh blue", as I liked to describe it.
   
   
5. I have never stepped foot inside a casino my whole life. Of course, the first 21 years of my life leading up to the legal gambling age hardly count, but still...
   
   
6. And now, for the most embarrassing thing you probably don't know about me... I was once a (closet) Backstreet Boys and Spice Girls fan. Much like every other guy in my generation, except that they're not man enough to admit it.
   

And with my blogging obligations heretofore accomplished, I tag the following unlucky souls: Akie, Arbi, Borgy, Pau, and Cu.

(Update: Find out the answer here!)

Labels: facts, Punzki, tagged

In belated celebration of the 21 years and 1 week of my life, here are 21 random facts about myself. Exclusively on the RubeTube, of course.

1. My all-time favorite food is bacon. I'd eat it for breakfast without hesitation. Same goes for lunch and dinner. I like 'em slightly burnt, toasted to a crisp, with all the excess fatty oil removed.
   
2. A teacher from fourth grade (Mr. Angeles) in Ateneo Grade School was the one who gave me the nickname "Punzki". He wasn't even one of my regular teachers; he just proctored us for one of our quarterly exams. He announced the top scorers for each subject and he got tired of saying my full name so he came up with this ridiculous nickname.
3. I failed Biology in Philippine Science High School in my third year for one quarter. I flunked because I didn't do my lab reports and I always went to lab sessions unprepared.
4. 17 is my favorite number. It's the most beautiful number one can think of. Prime numbers are inherently beautiful, and 17 is the "most prime" prime number. And 17 is so obviously prime. You can't say the same for "2" or "29" or "97". 13 comes a close second though.
5. My parents say I looked like E.T. when I was a baby. And sadly, it's true.
6. My preschool years were spent at G.O.A.L. Montessori, a school inside our subdivision. G.O.A.L. stands for "Gift of Advanced Learning". I'm not sure if I ever learned anything advanced.
7. I am one of the most asymmetrical people you will ever meet. My left hand fingers are longer. I can hear better with my left ear. My left foot is bigger and that makes it hard to buy shoes. When I say every part of my is asymmetrical, I mean every part.
8. I've always been good at math, but I never really liked the subject. I just wanted the A's.
9. I first used a computer when I was 5 years old. I started with GW-BASIC on a Philips 286 PC clone which cost a fortune back then.
10. My first email address was mark@freemail.webquest.com. Webquest is a long-dead Philippine ISP. I remember having to use Eudora Lite as my POP3 email client. Do people still use that?
    
11. My ICQ number is 19812952. Now when was the last time I used it? Heck, I had to search for myself on their People Search to remember my number. I'm pretty sure that's me unless there's another Mark Punzalan born on August 22, 1985 nicknamed "Punzki".
12. I learned how to whistle by sucking air in instead of blowing it out. I always thought that was the way most people did it.
13. I composed the musical arrangement for our high school batch's graduation song. Well, most of it anyway.
14. I once had an allergic reaction from eating a choco-flavored lollipop. I thought it was absurd to get an allergy from a choco-flavored lollipop but I've never had any since then.
15. I actually like airline food. Most of the time.
16. I have never played DotA and I've only played Counter-Strike once. I don't like to be "in" when it comes to gaming.
17. I never learned how to properly eat with a spoon until I was 16 years old, in high school. I always thought you were supposed to hold it like a shovel at all times until someone pointed out my lack of dining etiquette.
18. I totally pissed my brother off when I deleted the hard disk partition from our 286. I was 6 years old then and I was curious if "fdisk" was a game.
19. My favorite computer game of all time is Civilization. Sid Meier is a genius. Who cares if it's unrealistic that a phalanx can defeat a battleship?
20. I puke whenever I try to eat squash or any of its derivatives.
21. I can't swim to save my life. They say it's impossible for a human being not to float in water but I'll never believe them. I don't float.

As a bonus, here is a cute (?) kiddie photo of me, circa 1988:


Boy, this is gonna be much harder next year...

Labels: birthday, facts, Punzki