As promised, Gina Choy, Id post my Five Fun Facts About Me once I get full access to my own computer: 1. Im part Danish and part Filipino, and this fact alone means that I speak and/or understand several languages. I speak and understand fluent English and Danish. Knowing Danish also allows me to converse in other Scandinavian languages (Norwegian and Swedish). I understand fluent Tagalog, but Im not a competent speaker. The same is true of Spanish. 2. Grew up among the privileged in Manila, but my upbringing was very different from the typical urban Conyo kid because I had a Dad, who was in the timber industry, and who was an amateur ornithologist and entomologist. The typical family vacation involved going to the Philippine wilderness well off the beaten track so that my Dad could pursue his ornithological and entomological passion. This involved a lot of wilderness survival, camping, hunting, trekking, etc.. Every year, during summer breaks from school, we would travel back to Denmark, where I would live out in the Danish countryside with my uncle, who managed a forest reservation. I got to assist him in forestry work (planting trees, felling trees, hunting/culling deers and other animals, feeding deers, harvesting hay, etc.). 3. I grew up in what can only be defined as a zoo. I had pets. I had lots and lots of pets. You name it... and I probably had it. I had dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, mice, an eagle, an owl, parrots, mynas, pigeons, chickens, a goose, turtles, a snake, goldfish, and best of all a very naughty monkey. Oh the tales I could tell you about each and every one of them! Living in the city, of course, meant that I did not have farm animals like cows, horses, goats. But if I did live out in the country, then Id probably have had those animals too! Anyways, I was responsible for all of them even though I was only a kid. As it turns out, this has made me into a pretty darn good Dad. Caring for a baby is not that much different than caring for many many many pets. 4. Im a member of the Danish Naval Home Guard. The Home Guard is unpaid voluntary work -- sorta like volunteering for the Red Cross or some other community service organization -- but it is still a military organization. What I get out of it are a lot of free courses and training that are also useful in civilian life (e.g. first aid, speed boat certification, radio communications, etc.), and the satisfaction knowing that I can help my country when needed. Im in a maritime force protection unit tasked with guarding naval assets and civilian ports/harbors. My function in the unit is as a section medic -- Im the dude, who patches up people when they get injured. Ive been deployed for real a few times -- the biggest one being when the Home Guard was asked to assist the police in Copenhagen during the United Nations climate change conference back in 2009. 5. I share the same nerdy secret vice as J.R.R.Tolkien, author of Lord of the Rings. While some people construct models of ships and airplanes, Tolkien and I construct models of languages. Tolkien had his Elven and Dwarven Tongues. I have my pet project called Boreanesia.
Posted on: Thu, 07 Aug 2014 14:46:40 +0000