Vingt-cinque (25) Facts About Moi

As an ‘ambush’ task, I came up with 25 ‘trivial’ or simple facts about myself.  I want to share these with you. I already shared these over at my facebook account.

1. My complete name is ADDISON PINEDA OPLIMO JR. Yes my father’s name is ADDISON too. In his birth certificate, his complete name is Santiago Adizon G. Oplimo. Dad hated his name because his initials were S.A.G.O. So he dropped the S in college and since then, Addison was his name. Eventually it was mine too.

2. I was born under the Zodiac sign of the Goat, the Capricorn. Like all the toggenbergs, the ibexes and the domestic grass eaters, I love to go to high and cool places like Baguio City, Dalaguete or Busay in Cebu, Bukidnon. I dreamed about Sagada and Banaue and the Cordilleras too. Capricorns love challenges. As much as I could, I would veer away from anything that demands great challenge. But in the end, I would find myself in the heap of the tasks.

3. I went to a sectarian school run by the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul. I went to Colegio de la Inmaculada Concepcion from Kinder to Prep until Grade School. In CIC Mandaue, there were boys and girls in the primary level. Our school hymn was in Spanish and it was about the Inmaculadistas. Even after I graduated from elementary, I did not understand what the song was all about. But I remember one time that I mom and dad forgot to fetch me from school. The nuns took me in to their quarters. It was the first and only time that I saw the nuns took off their wimples and habits. I saw how their hair looked like and they were freaking scary.

4. I got 4 sisters and a brother. Mom was very productive from 1975 up to 1988. Reproductive health and family planning were farthest from my parents minds. I am second to the eldest and our youngest is my brother. After mom gave birth to the fifth child, out of curiosity, I took off the umbilical cord from my sister’s navel, thinking that it was just a dirty string. Mom was so horrified when she saw me remove the dark dehydrated cord. I hid behind the bed as mom’s step-in shoes flew in the air towards the back of the headboard.

5. I developed allergies from eating eggs. I mean, eggs from hens, not men, mind you. Back in CIC Mandaue years, mom would always cook eggs for breakfast and sunny side ups for lunch. She would insert the cooked eggs in my Tupperware® and everyday, it’s always like this. Sometimes a pair of sautéed shrimps would be inserted on top of the scrambled eggs to provide variation. It was no longer a surprise to my classmates. They became aware that I always had eggs for lunch. Mom was surprised though that one day, I asked her to fetch me from school because I saw redness and swelling all over my body. It was the first time that I learned that Histacort is for allergies.

6. I have an imbalanced hearing ability. Icould not hear much from my right ear. When I was young, I used to share a bed with my younger sister. Since our bed was small, I would always sleep on my right side. Back when I was I child, I often get colds. I think the fluids in my nasal cavity would go to the right sight of my head and filled up the spaces in my middle right ear. I remembered what it’s like to suffer from vertigo. I told my mom about my verigo and my hearing difficulties. She brought me to a specialist but my hearing did not improve after several intake of meds.

7. I am a leftist. I write with my left hand. I hold the spoon in my left hand too. When I play tennis or badminton, I do strokes with my left hand. It follows too that I jack off with it. My left hand is over-used. My left eye could see much better than my right eye. My right lobe seemed to function more than it should.

8. I am a product of a public high school. I went to Cebu City Science High School for four years. Our school was like 25 km away from our house. School starts at 7am. To avoid getting late for class, we would wake up at 4.30am everyday and leave the house before the sun even rises. My parents forced me to commute to and from school.

9. I hated basketball. I never developed the passion for the sport. Several times, dad bought me basketballs but I never get to use them much. I tried to dribble the ball. I even tried shooting it into the basket but even so, I told myself that I would never be a James Naismith fan. I like cheerleading more than basketball. I like synchronized swimming and figure-skating too.

10. I am a chemical engineer. I started in University of the Philippines Diliman but eventually, I transferred to University of San Carlos. I accepted the fact that I was no way smart with physics. After high school, I really wanted to take enrol in a medical school. I wanted to be a doctor but dad slapped my face and brought me to earth and made me understand that they could never afford to send me to a medical school. I chose chemical engineering for practical reasons and graduated in October of 2000.

11. If I were a girl, I would have been pregnant when I was 17 years old. Something happened 4 days after my 17th birthday. And because of it, we reached our 13th year anniversary.

12. I worked in Bicol (Jose Panganiban, Camarines Norte) as a process engineer. I lasted only 4 months. I went back to Cebu, studied and took the board exams in November of 2001. Prior to the Bicol job, I worked at a credit investigation bureau and reported for just one day. I did not return to work and resigned the next day. Of course I did not include it in my curriculum vitae.

13. I was active in a socio-civic group before. I used to be a member of the Rotaract Club. At one point, I was made chairman of the Council of Rotaract Club presidents in Cebu. One of the highlights in my involvement in Rotaract was the activity we organized for HACI (the handicapped association of the Philippines). I would like to believe that my values were formed partly because of this club. Not to mention also the network of friends and people I met and talked with.

14. I was born on January14, 1978. Yes, I’m on my fourth decade. Who knows how many decades more I could experience? I am losing hair on a fast pace. Perhaps stress-related but then at 31, I am starting to worry about hair loss. I am a beaver. I have hair in almost every part of my body. And I regret using Mane and Tail on my head.

15. I was employed in a Petrochemical Manufacturing firm in Cavite for 5 years. I started out as a cadet engineer and worked my ass up and became the production manager. I stayed for 5 years because I wanted to gain that number of years of experience as a way to justify the 5 years I spent studying under the chemical engineering course. I am actually a five-year planner. Ask me how I would see myself 5 years from now and I would tell you that I would be in a different organization or a different career or a different lifestyle.

16. I like to learn languages other than my tongue and that of the Englishmen in New York. I used to study Nihonggo. I was fond of the hiragana and the katagana. I used to scribble the characters on blank sheets of paper. But now, Nihonggo is a blur. I could not remember the Japanese words except wakarimasen or chin chin taberu or okama desu ka. I have moved on to a European language. I got interested in the French language in 2004. Five years after, I still haven’t reached the breakthrough level. I used to study at Alliance Francaise de Manille. I’m taking French classes now at Les Amis de la France here in Cebu.

17. I have hepatomegaly. God knows what exactly it’s all about. My doctor said that I generally have a fatty liver. I have elevated levels of Cholesterol, triglycerides and lipids. I also have high level of uric acid. At some point in my life as 30-year old I suffered from gouty arthritis while attending a wedding of a high school friend.

18. I am now employed in Merck Inc., a chemical and pharmaceutical company. I made a career shift into sales after I reached five years in my previous job. I am already into my 3rd year of employment in Merck as a member of the dealer management group.

19. I met my first and only boyfriend when I was in UP Diliman. We were apart for several years and were reunited in 2004. My status has changed from “it’s complicated” to “in a relationship.” We treat ourselves as partners now. I call him Bro Bear and he calls me Kuya Bear. We don’t need Goldilocks and one more bear to complete the fairy tale.

20. I am half Ilonggo, half Cebuano. But I am also half-Filipino and half-Filipina. I don’t do cross dressing. I just like the way I am. I am satisfied with what I have.

21. I like to travel, even if I’m limited to the places all over the Philippines. My job allows me to be in places that I could visit. I’ve been to all the major cities and towns in the Visayas and Mindanao, I was able to visit places in Luzon, and of course, I got frequent trips to the capital. There’s a certain joy in travelling, and I could not forget a few wonderful trips with my Bro Bear like Corregidor, Boracay, our great Visayan road trip and not to forget our food trips. Most importantly, the domestic travels I made had opened windows for me to understand the history of the place and in the process; I get to meet people and friends.

22. I am alcohol-intolerant. Let me drink a bottle of San Mig Light and you would see me transform into a hellboy in a sec. Social drinking for me involves only an 8-proof red wine or bottomless iced tea.

23. I read books when I have the time. I buy magazines more than I buy books. The last book I read was Resil B. Mojares’s War Against the Americans. Books I want to read do not include Twilight and Dan Brown books.

24. I love to sing, even if my vocal chords fail me.

25. I believe that good things unravel when we least expect it. But the finer things in life are those that we worked hard for.