TAGGED! 10 Things You May Not Know About The Average Jane...

For the months I've been blogging, I have made it a point not to divulge a lot of personal details about me for a number of reasons, but mainly because I want this blog to be set away from my professional life as much as possible.  I started this blog mainly as a sort of stress reliever.  My professional life has always been full of deadlines and tensions that I wanted another creative outlet than the usual ones I was already indulging myself.

However, blackshirt13, another fellow blogger, tagged me into doing this really interesting blog exercise.  I found it so fascinating and fun, hence have decided to divuldge 10 things that readers of this blog may not know about me.

So without further adeiu, I present 10 things you may not know about The Average Jane.  =)


1. Contrary to popular belief, my name really isn't Jane.  Hehehe!  Yes, I know my blog title says so (I apologize for the confusion), but my real name is Christine. 

I chose the title The Average Jane to signify the inner workings of an "average" person who tries to view the mundane world in an extraordinary way.  I am no celebrity, nor am I an heiress (I wish!)  Just an ordinary person who has decided to view my everyday "boring" experiences into an adventure of sorts.  =)

2. I am a Human Resources person by profession, and have been for almost 7 odd years already.  Although HR people lead a very hectic life (i.e. there really is no day-off for those in our profession when it comes to answering an employee's most pressing concerns.  Believe me), it is a field that I extremely love and enjoy being in.  I am so dedicated to it that I have actually pursued my Masters degree in this field as well (addicted much?  Hehehe!)

Although I am currently on a sabbatical of sorts, I still have plans of returning to my field soon.  For now, I am content with doing some freelance writing work and managing a small buy-and-sell business.

Oh!  And did I mention I am also open to doling out some HR-related advice to anyone who asks me.  Provided, that is, if I know the answer to your questions.  Hehehe!

3. I try to be creative.  My chosen professional field involves a lot of formal structures, hence I try to incorporate creativity in many other aspects of my life, as much as I can.

I love anything cutesy and artsy.  It's a great stress reliever and also a good way to try to get my more creative juices flowing (all work and no play and all the jazz...)  So as much as possible, I do try to incorporate a few non-professional stuff here and there.

Like I said, I started this blog with that goal in mind.  I am also into photography and dabble with a few arts and crafts activities once in a while.  My most recent obsession is with polymer clay (watch out for that entry!)

Now that I have a lot more free time, I try to squeeze in a few more creative projects.  I guess I'm trying to make up for all the years I was too busy at work and in school to focus on anything else except the 2.

4. I love reading fiction books.  It's a habit that has been instilled in me since childhood.  In fact, our house has one whole wall full of bookshelves and 2 more self-standing shelves in the 2nd storey hallway; plus a stack of shelves each in both my brother's and my rooms for added measure.  These are all filled with my mom's, bro's and my book collections.

5. I hate being idle, hence I always find myself multi-tasking.  It's a trait that has been instilled in me through my years in Human Resources.  A usual workday for me would include answering phone calls and inquiries from staff; preparing memos, and even arranging my schedule for the week, which I would normally do all at the same time.  The only time I would focus on only 1 task was when I had to prepare and review reports; or when I had to develop new policies for the company.  I need my full concentration on those matters.

Nowadays, I find it hard to shake this trait off.  Take for instance, while waiting for a website to load, I'd try to squeeze in a few paragraphs from this baby book I'm trying to finish or do something else that needs to be done.  I can't help it!

6. I'd like to think of myself as a practical and pragmatic person.  I weigh each decision a number of times before fully committing to anything.  A lot of people say it may be because I am an eldest child and have come to handle responsibility at such an early age (my bro and I were actually left home alone during the summers as early as grade 2 since both our parents were working.)

This has also gone over to my shopping philosophy as well (the main inspiration for my Style for Less series.  Don't get me wrong!  I love to shop!  But I'm just as content window shopping during days when my budget doesn't allow for any type of extravagance or when I have to save for something I really, really want.  Oh!  Plus I don't think half a million is a reasonable price for a bag, no matter how much they say it will probably last longer than me.  =D

7. I don't usually watch Pinoy shows, and that includes movies, telenovelas, variety shows and the like.  Oy!  It's not that I'm a snob or anything but I think most Filipino-made shows are extremely boring and an insult to the Pinoy intelligence.

There are a few exceptions, though.  I watch old Regal films (the ones with Roderick Paulate, Maricel Soriano and company) and for a while, I was adicted to Rubi (all because of the Shaina Magdayao and Jake Cuenca match!  Cheesy, but I think they make such a cute couple!  Hehehe!)

8. I was an extremely obese teenager -- as in 50 pounds overweight!  It finally came to the point where I was extremely unhappy and have decided to lose all the excess poundage (this was during college.)  I am happy to say that I was able to lose all the excess pounds within a span of 3 years with an extreme change in my diet.

Since I am now pregnant, I have added on quite a few pounds again (as of last count around 30.  Huhuhu!)  But I plan to loose it all again once I give birth.  Wish me luck!  =)

9. I have a mild case of OCD (not officially diagnosed, though.)  It's not as severe as Adrian Monk's, but I love being organized, having always believed that everything has it's own place (a product of having moved to 6 different houses in the span of my life, so far.)

As such, I also love writing and preparing to-do lists.  It's another habit I've developed through the years when everything just seems too overwhelming for me.  Making and arranging all my tasks into piles and lists creates order and peace in my world, plus I love seeing how many items I've accomplished already.  It gives me a really gratifying sense of accomplishment.

10. I try to lessen my carbon footprint.  I try to recycle and am conscious of everything that I purchase.  I hate waste and am so angry at people who keep on throwing trash everywhere yet complain that the government is not doing enough to eradicate floods.  My blood boils just thinking about it.  Hay!

And there you go.  10 things you may not know about me.  =)

P.S.  I'd also love to know more about you.  So if you've been tagged by someone else or would like to share some interesting tidbits about yourself, please feel free to leave a comment/s or a link to your post.  I'd definitely love to read it!  =)