So I’ve posted this once before, but I figure it’ll be interesting for those that haven’t seen it before. Inspired by Cynthia who also overcame this herculean task many many years prior.
100 Facts you may or may not have known about Elmer
1. My family and friends are two of the most important things to me.
2. While I have a lot of friends, I only have a handful of close ones; and to them I’m fiercely loyal.
3. I’ve played the violin since I was 4½ years old.
4. I had to get glasses for my vision in third grade, because I did too much reading. Not because of TV or video games.
5. Upon meeting people, I tend to trust them and give them the benefit of the doubt. But should anyone lose that trust, it’s extremely difficult to get it back.
6. When I was young I had a Sega Genesis and NOT a Nintendo. I grew up with Sonic, not Mario.
7. When I love a song I can, will, and have played it nonstop for days.
8. I love writing, despite the fact that I can never find time for it.
9. Until the age of 10, I only listened to classical music.
10. After the age of 10, I started listening to the radio; in particular 93.1 DRQ which led to me being a teenybopper for the beginning portion of my music listening career.
11. My favorite brand of clothing is American Eagle, followed by Eddie Bauer.
12. I’ve been skiing since the age of 6. Instead of learning to snowboard, I instead decided to learn how to do tricks on my skis instead.
13. It seems to me, my maturity and mental state adapts for whoever I tend to hang out with. (ie: more mature when hanging out with older people, and vice versa for younger kids)
14. I am quite the Sony fan boy. I adamantly support the Playstation™, and all its derivatives.
15. I’ve never really followed sports of any kind. I mostly just understand how the game plays.
16. Between any two seemingly random thoughts I have, there are 2 degrees of separation, on average, between them.
17. I am unable to hold grudges. The longest grudge I’ve held is for 3 hours.
18. As a result of the previous fact, I have a pretty easy time forgiving and forgetting.
19. I am not a morning person. I prefer being nocturnal than waking up early.
20. One of my favorite things to do in the world is to lie down at night, indoors or outdoors (preferably outdoors since there are stars) and just stare at the ceiling and talk for hours.
21. My biggest pet peeves include: Dishonesty, Ignorance, and Gloating.
22. From a young age, I’ve always been extremely hyper, which has led to me being annoying. My boundless energy has been a blessing and a curse.
23. I am an avid fan of the Final Fantasy series of video games. FFVII & VIII are probably my favorites.
24. My favorite movie for a while now has been Ratatouille; it never ceases to make me smile at the end of it.
25. I’ve always enjoyed giving people advice, helping and counseling them when they are in times of need.
26. Orange Juice and Cranberry Juice are my two favorite non-water drinks.
27. I don’t like to show emotion other than being happy; the others just tend to get bottled up until they fade away…or explode.
28. The reason behind fact 27 is because as a freshman in high school, there was a time when someone said that they couldn’t look at me without smiling because I was always smiling and/or happy. So I wanted to be that person all the time.
29. In High School I only ever studied twice. Once for AP Calculus Test, and once for my GeneticsBacteriologyEmbryology Final. Most homework was done before school, during lunch, or during class. Sometimes within 1 hour after school ended while watching TV.
30. The first computer game I remember playing is Dune 2 by Westwood Studios, which ignited my interest for computers and gaming.
31. When I went to preschool (or so I’m told by my mother) I didn’t know any English, I only spoke mandarin. So all my English I learned was through public schools.
32. On more than one occasion I’ve had a serious case of Déjà vu where I dreamed something, and it happened, and I can remember the dream that caused the Déjà vu; in short I believe I have prophetic dreams.
33. While I am an only child, there is one person I truly consider to be my sister and part of my family (figure it out).
34. I’ve always thought of myself as a quick learner. Even slightly quicker than the average quick learner. I pick up new skills, tasks, and can place patterns in systems pretty quickly.
35. I don’t watch a lot of TV. The only shows I keep up with are: Heroes, House M.D., Scrubs, and Family Guy.
36. I believe in fate, but I also believe that you are able to influence and shape your own destiny.
37. I often have times when I just want to sit around and be a hermit for a day/night or longer. Usually these spells occurs when I have a lot on my mind.
38. I am an only child, and was very spoiled. Fortunately, I’m not a brat (I think).
39. I’ve always liked creating things. I get a great sense of satisfaction after spending hours working on something and seeing the fruits of my labors.
40. My mom still buys me a good portion of my clothes to this day, this keeps me fashionable.
41. When I was in 4th and 5th grade, I learned how to horseback ride (English style).
42. I took figure skating from 2nd to 3rd grade I think.
43. If I could have a superpower, I would want to have either Telekinesis/Telepathy, cold manipulation (like Iceman), or Teleportation. If I couldn’t have both Telekinesis and Telepathy I’d choose Telekinesis.
44. I’ve liked X-Men since 2nd grade. I have binders of X-Men cards, and full sets of some of the card sets.
45. I have had my screen name since I was 11. Evilmanta was developed when I needed a screen name for MPlayer. It’s origin comes from the fact I wanted to be an animal, but Viper, Tiger, and Dolphin was taken. So I remembered a presentation I did in third grade about deep sea creatures and chose manta rays! But that was taken too, but then I remembered an episode of space cases about doppelgangers, so I made an Evil-manta.
46. The only concerts I’ve been to were with my parents, and if I can remember they were Celine Dion, Chicago, The Eagles, and the 93.1 DRQ Heat Rave to see Vitamin C and Smash Mouth (I think Destiny’s Child was there too). Oh and in college I went to see Ben Fold’s at the Michigan Theater.
47. I really like candles, they provide light AND they make the room smell pretty.
48. My first “date” was going to see Flubber in 7th grade. My parents told me to sit in a row with the girl and instead of following us in, they sat a good number of rows behind us, and I didn’t realize it till after we had sat down.
49. I have never read the Lord of the Rings Books. I got halfway through Fellowship for an accelerated reader test for middle school, before I couldn’t deal with any more pages of the group trudging through the icy mountaintops.
50. I’m only halfway done???!!!! What the heck. I’m gypping you guys of a fact, because I’m so astonished that it’s taken me 3 sittings to get only halfway through.
51. I’ve been out of the country twice. Once to France when I was 14, and once to Taiwan when I was 21. Both trips were for a week. I don’t count Canada as out of the country, sorry Canadians.
52. I have a wide assortment of skills, a jack-of-all-trades if you will. Unfortunately I’m not great at anything; I am just good at a lot of things. Wow I sound pretentious.
53. I love candy; have always, will always.
54. I don’t eat a lot usually, but I will drink juice/water like I’ve been trapped in the Sahara for a week.
55. I have never liked coffee, and still haven’t tried it since my initial tasting when my parents let me try some.
56. I believe that true love exists, and that everyone has soul mates. However, I do believe that you have more than one soul mate; you just have to meet one of them.
57. I played Magic: The Gathering when I was in late elementary school till early middle school. Then in senior high school, picked it up again with my friend Ryan. We owned everyone.
58. I enjoy watching people play video games. Sometimes playing the game distracts you from the story, amazing environments, and beautiful details that were put in when designing the game.
59. Two of my oldest favorite songs that I like to listen to when I need to think, or when I need to clear my head are Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel”, and Phil Collins’ “You’ll be in my heart”.
60. I believe that people don’t change. Well, until your 18-25 (varies from individual to individual) you’re going to change no matter what. But after a certain point (for me I think this point was when I was 20) you are the same person, barring major life-altering experiences. In 5 years when you guys talk to me, I’m going to basically be the same Elmer, but I might respond differently to certain stimuli than I used to. That’s a surface change, at the core I’m still the same person. Humans are creatures of habit and routine, and they don’t change unless they have to. They learn, but they don’t change who they are.
61. I first pondered about fact #60 when my friend’s mom died of breast cancer when I was a junior in high school, and she had left two of her children in elementary school and one in middle school. My mom told me it was sad, because she’d never see how her kids would grow up. When I questioned her, my mom told me that I was more or less going to be the same person for the rest of my life, so if she died she’d be happy. It was an interesting thought, and from experience and observations of people I just continue to believe it.
62. The first CD I owned was Britney Spears’ first album, bought form the Virgin Megastore in Paris, France on the Champs-Élysées.
63. I am a hopeless romantic, having grown up on Disney movies, and gaining any and all relationship ideas from TV shows and movies.
64. I love to make plans, organize people, and deal with logistics. I like to think on my feet and coordinate things like that. It just gives me a great sense of self-satisfaction.
65. I learned how to do laundry at a sleep away camp called Exploration. I was at Yale for three weeks, and was left instructions on a post-it by my mom and that’s how I learned to do my own laundry!
66. My two favorite books are Peter Pan and the Phantom Tollbooth.
67. I am adamantly opposed to medication for ADD or ADHD. I feel like a majority of the “cases” of it are just lazy parents not wanting to deal with hyper children. I am pretty sure I had ADHD, but I learned to deal with it, and developed my own coping mechanisms. Giving children medications just makes them dependant and puts them in a chemical environment.
68. I tend to make friends with people based on their personality, and whether I like hanging out with them, regardless of age.
69. I learned to rave when I was 15 at Exploration Summer Camp at Yale from my friend Ilya!
70. I recently developed a passion for film and film-making. It started when I worked at iD Tech Camps with Nikki Stowers who ignited a passion that I hope carries on the rest of my life.
71. At night, I like to listen to very mellow, ambient music (preferably acoustic guitar) whilst I contemplate and ponder life’s mysteries, friends and their impact, and try to unravel the ambiguity of society.
72. One of my great talents is being able to read people. I am very proud of this because, it allows me to more or less figure out a person and how they think. It also allows me to predict how they will respond or react to certain stimuli.
73. I have always had this need to have fun gadgets to play with and keep me occupied.
74. One of the greatest gifts that I have, that I am eternally grateful for are my friends. I know this may sound like a repeat, but it’s very important to me. They help me through the tough times, and they celebrate with me through the good times. It’s like one of them has said, “A good friend will bail you out of jail. A best friend will be there beside you saying ‘man that was some crazy shit.’”
75. I have a habit of going through mood swings on occasion. I believe some of my friends refer to it as male PMS. Usually there is some external trigger that causes it to flare up in me though.
76. I am selfish. I admit it, there are a lot of things I do for myself, or which indirectly benefit myself. But I like to think that when push comes to shove (and I think there has been occasion), I will put that aside for the greater good or for someone I cherish.
77. I am fluent in conversational mandarin. I am truly bilingual, and fake trilingual. With English and Mandarin there is no intermediate translation step to go from one language to another like I have to do with French.
78. I am a ninja. Further explanation is not needed if you know me.
79. Very recently I was explained a concept involving gnomes. When something is way too convenient and coincidental to be a coincidence, you say it’s the gnomes. I like this concept very much, and so if you want further explanation feel free to ask me!
80. The only organized sport I have a passion to play is Ultimate Frisbee, and technically Capture the Flag.
81. I can honestly say I’ve been in love. Whenever I’m around her, I’m just happy to be with her.
82. I always find some epiphany relating to any of my current troubles when I watch Scrubs. It’s not because I’m looking for a relation, usually I’ll just randomly choose an episode, and it will jump out at me. It’s kind of creepy.
83. I have always thought a cane would be a fun and cool accessory to have when you’re out places. I have been granted such a gift, and can affirm that thought.
84. Sometimes I focus on a single emotion too much, and it can lead to a dark place.
85. After being a camp counselor, and still talking to some of the campers that care to keep in touch, I have come to the conclusion that adults, and older kids very much take for granted how much kids observe and know. Whilst they may be a little naïve or innocent about some topics or situations, maybe it’s a perspective that needs to be taken into consideration.
86. I don’t know where I want to live when I’m older. I know I want a wife and kids, and maybe a pet. Not sure about the pet though. Pygmy hippopotamus, ferret, dog, hedgehog. Who knows.
87. I live life with very few regrets. I can honestly say there are only a couple things that I regret having done, or not done. But overall, I’m happy with every decision I’ve made. Whether it’s me finding justification or rationalizing, everything has always worked out for the better when considering the alternative.
88. I come to rely on my closest circle of friends as others have come to rely on their siblings. Being an only child, and having pretty much all of my cousins living in another state, and (until recently) not being that close to the only cousin living in-state with me, my inner circle were all I had, and still they are all I have (but also nowadays, cousins that are here).
89. I am a pack rat. I still have worksheets and homeworks in my basement from when I was in first grade. I am trying very hard to correct this habit.
90. I don’t floss, I am trying to fix that, but I have never regularly flossed.
91. I don’t like socks. If I could wear sandals all the time, all year round I would. Bare feet or Sandals, those are my favorite options for footwear. Fun Fact: I didn’t have tennis shoes, so I tried playing tennis barefoot once. It worked well, but I had a giant blister on my foot after the fact.
92. I have been teased about my name all my life, it gets better the older I get, but people can never resist making some kind of joke with either Elmer or Wang.
93. One of my favorite Chinese desserts is Dragon’s Beard Candy. It’s made with maltose sugar, and I remember when my uncle made some for a Chinese school culture show, and I got to help him make it. It was a lot of fun, and I recently bought some maltose in an attempt to remake this delicious treat.
94. I am politically apathetic, but I classify myself as a democrat. If I had more interest or time to follow political agendas, I might change my mind, but so far it’s been a follow the parents (or more recently friends) who do follow political issues.
95. Almost done…While I don’t really like being in the spotlight, I like to get recognition for helping out, or doing a support role. I’m generally pretty humble or modest.
96. I’m not exactly a neat freak, but I like things organized and in their right place. Things shouldn’t look messy, and should have some sense of order.
97. I believe people should follow their dreams. I feel like so many people are caught in the rat race of life that they forget about the dreams they have or at least used to have. They become complacent and settle for a life that’s comfortable, even if it’s not what they want. However, they should also be able to accommodate the basics of food, water, and shelter.
98. Happiness is what you make of it. Life is hard, but you gotta live it, and enjoy it. I like the fact that I can find a silver lining on anything. I believe a friend of mine once told me, “Elmer, you could find the silver lining on a cloud in a thunderstorm.” Of course another friend also told me “You usually cause the thunderstorm.” Regardless, life is what you make of it, and while it may be hard sometimes you need to do the work, and live it no matter how hard it may be, because sometimes the rewards are worth the work.
99. I hate online journals that just detail the day’s events. It’s just not for me. If I write anything in my xanga, or equivalent online journal. I like it to make people think, or to have some kind of message. Something that makes people scratch their heads.
100. Whew! All done! This was way harder than I thought it would be, and took 6 or 7 sittings to finish. I forget. I recommend everyone try to do this. You find out a lot about yourself.
I hope more people do this. It’s pretty hard, and I definitely cheated some of the facts when I did them, but I was surprised at how hard it was to come up with 100 facts. This is a little dated, but I’m sure most of it is still relevant, and I sure as hell am not going to go through all 100 to make sure they are up to date.
A Non-Sequitur Haze 
waaaaaait a minute. this is a game???