Alittle over a year ago I joined this forum, and I posted on occasion. But it was only when my job started in May of this year, that I started prowling around the forums seeking for threads where I could post. I've said much about my past here, and there within these forums but here is a recap.
I seem to have been born destined to travel. When I was but 3 days old I rode my first airplane to Hawaii. When I was 4 we moved from the US to Hong Kong, much to my mothers disappointment, (She's always wanted that house with the white picket fence where everybody knows everybody, and in a city like Hong Kong with 7 million residents, thats alittle on the rough side).
I decided when I was 5 years old that I wanted to be a paleontologist. There was nothing I wanted more then to find the bones the dinosaures left behind, and figure out why they disappeared. I felt like the world was a lesser place because we didnt have the dinosaures anymore, and I wanted to find out as much as I could about them.
If my parents drove me anywhere I was constantly telling them things I had learned in books and at school, and I constantly plagued them with questions about things I did not understand. After tolerating my questions for years my parents got me a book that was basically, "Everything you ever wanted to know." They were disappointed when they found out they had already answered all the questions that the book answered during our car rides.
I was 2 years old when my dad brought home a Calico Vision, and showed me what a video game was. From that moment on I was hooked. Except for a brief relapse when the Sega Saturn came out, I have owned every single system that ever came out. I have every intention of being able to wake up at 5:00 in the morning, beating my own kids at whatever games we own when that day comes.
When I turned 5 my mother decided that I was going to learn to read books. I screamed and railed at her. I hated being made to do "school" stuff during my spare time. My mother was persistant and I am very glad she was. I grew up reading Bernstein Bears and Moon Bird. I started reading educational books about zoology. I developed a passion for understanding the animal and plant world. My dad brought home a British produced documentary on predatory cats in Africa, and I LOVED it. From that day on I love nothing better then to watch a good documentary.
When I was 8, we moved from Hong Kong to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was hard for me because I was 8 years old and I had friends in Hong Kong.
Malaysia was a riot to live in. I think the most important lesson I ever learned there was to think about the results of ones actions. In 5th grade I had loads of friends. and one of my best friends was a boy named Scott. We setup a rotation where every friday either I would spend the night at his house, or he would spend the night at my house. One friday after having played video games, basketball, jumped on the trampoline, we were bored. We were just talking and one of us mentioned how awesome it was a week ago when somebody had called in a bomb threat to the school and we all got to go home early.
We thought it would be highly entertaining to call one in ourselves, and to see the results. I guess I sort of half thought it would be funny, and half thought nobody would take a 5th grade kid seriously. The school took our call VERY seriously, and the school was evacuated. We thought it was halarious. We found out all about it in the school newsletter on monday. Of course what good is a rebelious deed if nobody knows that it was you? Scott and I discussed it, and decided ont one person that we could tell that we could trust. Our trust was misplaced, (which was not neccesarily a bad thing) and by the end of the day, most of the kids in our school knew Scott and I were responsible for friday's incident.
I was at home monday evening and Scott, (who was supposed to be calling his parents) called me and said, "They just got me at school, I just wanted to warn you that they are probably going to call you very soon." I did not know then that that would be the last time I ever spoke with Scott again. Sure enough it all came crashing down, and I was eventually punished with a week of suspension as well as 3 days of in school suspension. In school suspension is a one of the worst punishments. They sat me at a desk, and I was allowed to do literally nothing all day long. I was so bored that I pulled the elastic strings out of my socks, and used them to make pictures on my desk. When I endured my week of out of school suspension, a small part of me enjoyed the idea of getting a week off of school. My mom never the fool saw this immedietly, and remedied it.
We lived in a HUGE house in Malaysia due to real estate prices being low. My mom had me clean the entire house that entire week. It seriously took me all day for 5 days to clean the entire thing.
I found out that week that my friend Scott had been expelled from school. The logic was since it was actually him that had been recorded making the bomb threat over the phone and that I had been merely in the room that I was an accomplist, not the perpetrator. TBH I felt like I was being treated too leniently compared to Scott, as I too had tried to call in a bomb threat but nobody had answered.
Scott and his family moved back to Texas a week later, and because I was grounded, even though Scott had a farewell party, and all his friends including me were invited, I was not allowed to go.
I am glad that I went through my rebelious phase when I was in 5th grade, it hurt so much to learn that lesson, but it was a valuable one.
My family moved back to Hong Kong after the school year ended, and I spent the next 8 years in Hong Kong. It was a wonderful time in my life, I fell in love for the first time in my life, and I also had my heart broken for the first time in my life. I rediscovered music, and learned the base clarinet, as well as the piano. I started composing my own music on the piano, and I still do so to this day. I still wanted to be a paleontologist until I was 17 and my biology teacher simply asked, "What point is there to being a paleontologist?" That sentence made me reevalute my plan, and I realized that I wanted to work a job that makes a real difference in peoples lives.
When I turned 19, I served a 2 year mission in Taizhong Taiwan, and learned mandarin. You'd think with all the time I had spent in Hong Kong I would already know Chinese, but people in HK are just too fluent at English for most foreigners to feel motivated to learn Chinese. I had a very hard but very wonderful experience in Taiwan. I matured very much in those 2 years and there are things I learned there that I do not think I would have learned as well had I simply gone to the US for college.
When I was 21 I became a freshman in college, and I started out trying to do criminal justice as a major, as I felt I could really help people within the field. After 1.5 years, I threw in the towel and accepted that I just did not have the right kind of mind for criminal investigation. My best friend Josh, (we grew up in Hong Kong together,) suggested I try political science. I attended a class and fell in love with it. I am working hard to get my bachelors in PolySci, and I plan on persuing a career with a govt agency overseas as an analyst. If that fails I am seriously thinking of trying out a legal class, (my criminal justice days still gave me an interest in law) and trying out law school.
About 2 years ago I read my first Orson Scott Card book ,(Enders Game.) Its strange it took me so long, I am a voracious reader. I loved Mr. Cards stories, and especially his characters. I devoured every OSC book I could get my hands on.
I used to go to a particular forum frequently and one day it dawned on me that I would be interested in being a part of a community of people that enjoyed Mr. Cards literary contributions. I figured that I would meet others that I could readily relate to within such a forum, and I found my way to Hatrack.
Eventually you guys won me over, and I spend the vast majority of my forum time posting in this one. I have greately enjoyed my time at Hatrack, and I have found that the time I spend with this community has been very educational.
I am sorry this post is so lengthy, and I WOULD promise to be more concise in my posts, but I have found it is just so hard for me to limit my posting length, it would be dishonest for me to promise something like that. When I ramble I ramble.
I look forward to many many more days using Hatrack as a means to break the monotiny of the day, and I would like to thank all of your for your diverse and yet inteligent points of view.
I have felt comfortable posting threads of a personal nature, and based on my experience here, feel very confident that the community will reach out and help in whatever way they can. I appreciate that greatly.
See you all very soon in other threads of a less selfish nature Thanks again everybody!
edited: for grammar and clarity.
[ August 15, 2006, 01:31 PM: Message edited by: BlackBlade ]
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
quote:I am working hard to get my bachelors in PolySci, and I plan on persuing a career with a govt agency overseas as an analyst.
What point is there to being a political scientist?
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
quote:Originally posted by TomDavidson:
quote:I am working hard to get my bachelors in PolySci, and I plan on persuing a career with a govt agency overseas as an analyst.
What point is there to being a political scientist?
I saw this question coming. I want to be a political analyst in China as I feel I am well equipped to understand the Chinese mind set, and I really do see China as either a terrible danger, or a bomb that will never go off. I would like to be there in the thick of things interpreting whats going on, and seeing if there is anything I can do to influence events there. Alot of this has to do with China's threat to invade Taiwan if they ever declare independance.
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
I don't think you were rambling, very interesting post! Happy 1000th Posted by Nell Gwyn (Member # 8291) on :
I decided I wanted to be a paleontologist when I was five, too. For me, though, that desire only lasted a year or two before I fluttered off to some other shiny profession that caught my eye.
Nice landmark! I enjoyed learning more about you. Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
Yes, I forgot to add that I, too, wanted to be a paleontologist at five. I don't know what it is, but dinosaurs are just so COOL to little kids. I still love seeing the bones and footprints.
Posted by sarfa (Member # 579) on :
I'd be a political scientist too, if I could perform experiments on politicians (like testing the effects of gravity on falling politicians, or discovering the melting point of politicians )
Posted by Jeesh (Member # 9163) on :
I was seven when I wanted to be a paleontologist.
Happy 1000th, I always like reading about the other Hatrackers.
Posted by James Tiberius Kirk (Member # 2832) on :
Happy landmark, BB.
--j_k
Posted by The Pixiest (Member # 1863) on :
When I was 5 I wanted to be a child forever. Some things never change.
BTW, don't HKs speak Cantonese, not Mandarin?
Happy 1000th!
Pix
Posted by Stan the man (Member # 6249) on :
quote: I am sorry this post is so lengthy
I don't see a need to apologize. It's rather an enjoyable read. I wish the best of luck to you in all your future endeavors.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
quote:Originally posted by The Pixiest: When I was 5 I wanted to be a child forever. Some things never change.
BTW, don't HKs speak Cantonese, not Mandarin?
Happy 1000th!
Pix
Yes Pixiest most of them speak Cantonese, but a VERY large # of them also speak mandarin, some of the people who immigrate there are also from Mainland China and do not speak Cantonese so Mandarin is still quite useful in Hong Kong.
Since a little after 1997 Mandarin is also required as a lesson for students in their curriculum. And there is an increasing stigma being attached to those in Hong Kong who cannot speak Mandarin.
See you saturday by the way Posted by Mathematician (Member # 9586) on :
quote:Originally posted by TomDavidson:
quote:I am working hard to get my bachelors in PolySci, and I plan on persuing a career with a govt agency overseas as an analyst.
What point is there to being a political scientist?
My dad once asked me what the point is to being a mathematician (especially because the kind of math I like probably won't impact any non-mathematicians...ever)
My reply: "No one ever goes to the grand canyon, peers over the edge, and says 'what's the point?'"
Sometimes you do things because you have a passion for them. Or because they're so beautiful, you'd feel it was a crime NOT to do them.
And more on topic, congratulations!
*Edited to add a period.*
Posted by GaalDornick (Member # 8880) on :
quote:I constantly plagued them with questions about things I did not understand. After tolerating my questions for years my parents got me a book that was basically, "Everything you ever wanted to know."
Wow, that sounds exactly like what happened to me. I used to always ask my parents questions about everything and they always felt bad because they didn't know the answers to them. Then they got me a book for my birthday, I think it was called "The big book of tell me why" or something like that.
*goes off to look for it*
Edit: By any chance, do you remember if this is the one your parents bought for you? Man, I loved that book.
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
Cool landmark, thanks BlackBlade.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
Thanks for the opportunity to get to know you better. You've been everywhere, man!
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
GaalDornick: Actually the book is called, "Deans Tell Me The Answer"
I still have the book and its on a shelf in my apt. If I have a kid who around the age of 4 starts asking questions about nature, Ill hand him the book long before my parents handed it to me If they don't ask I might prod their curiosity.
Tante Shvester: Once I hit South America Ill have been to every inhabited continent. When I find the money Ill go to Antarctica and cover all of the continents. Its been a goal of mine for some time. Future land mark threads will have more of my travel exploits. I really think I might subscribe to the idea that instead of buying tons of presents for my kids for Christmas, to instead go on a trip with my family and let them bring something back from the country we visit. Trips are so much more memorable and educational and the things you bring back from them are so much cooler than anything I could buy at Toys R Us.
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
Somebody needs to start Trips R Us. Great landmark! I was also one of the question-askers who drove their parents crazy. And I wanted to be a paleontologist when I was 29.
Posted by Eduardo St. Elmo (Member # 9566) on :
quote:Originally posted by BlackBlade: When I ramble I ramble.
Ramble On!
But seriously, congrats on your landmark and don't worry about the length of your writings, just as long as you keep them interesting.
Posted by Flaming Toad on a Stick (Member # 9302) on :
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Thanks again everybody!![[Smile]](smile.gif)
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