20 Things You May Not Know About Me

At last! That moment has arrived when you few readers get to know me, as a human being, who can be just like you in so many ways. Maybe you and me have some of these things in common. Or not.

Enjoy!

1. I love classical music. Mostly I just love the more modern classical music that's been around lately. Ever heard of the Piano Guys? Ludovico Einaudi? Mark Mancina? Look them up, they're AMAZING!
2. My favorite book (at the moment) is "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Greene. As far as classics go, my favorite would be "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee. No wait, scratch that. It's "Rebecca" by Daphne Du Maurier.
3. My favorite color is purple. Mostly I just like darker shades of purple with some red or pink in them such as mauve and magenta. 
4. I am 5'11 (1.78 m). And, just so you know, that's the same height as Taylor Swift and Blake Lively. Just saying...
5. I love to bake. That's all.
6. I've never worn high heels before. In public, that is.
7. I took voice lessons in middle school.
8. An unknown hobby of mine (that many people don't know about) is that I like art. Drawing, painting, photography...the whole package.
9. When I grow up, I want to become a teacher. My dream is actually to teach TCKs in Asia, at schools just like the one I go to now.
10. One thing I dislike the most about living in Cambodia is that you can't buy decent books here. No good classics, and definitely no decent teen fiction. And it's all overpriced.
11. I'm a neat freak. If my desk isn't tidy, I can't do homework. If my room isn't clean, I can't go to sleep at night. If my word documents don't look professional, they aren't worthy of being looked at by other people. And that's just me.
12. I've been keeping a journal since I was 8. I took a break for a few years because I ran out of things to talk about, but started again when I was 11. I have been writing in my journal ever since.
13. I have never seen snow in my life. Sure, I've been on mountains, but that doesn't really count.
14. I've been playing the piano since I was six. 
15. I'm terrible at soccer. I mean, seriously! That's what, um, HANDS are for...
16. I LOVE coffee. Absolutely LOVE it. My mom and me alike. She always has coffee available for me to drink, and I adore her for it.
17. I've been on the school swim team since I was in third grade.
18. I have a terrible sweet tooth. In other words, give me a plate of cookies and I will eat them all.
19. At the moment, I have three besties, and they're all from different countries. Maggie's from the USA, Jasmine's from Australia and Eden's from the UK.
20. On the school volleyball team, my position is middle blocker. I love to spike, though, so I've played as outside hitter too.

Before the Storm

I love that moment before the storm.

The world is a grey, gloomy mess, the harsh, excited wind stirring up dust and debris everywhere, allowing the curtains of every house to flap around like raging idiots. The trees are alive, swaying around like menacing beasts int he sharp tug of the wind. The grass is a like a crowd on crack doing the Mexican wave.

And then the rain comes.

It slams its loud, demanding presence down onto the earth in torrents, wiping away any last sign of that raging debris in the air, weighing down on the suddenly fragile-seeming trees that buckle under the immense weight of the pouring rain. The world is still gray - only a lighter, hazier hue, like rapidly moving fog in the air.

My world is crisp, clean and comfy, and as the world is seemingly ending out there in the demanding harshness of the rain, I am here in my room, watching its familiar menace like a fascinated stranger.