WEEK 32 - Scales and Archers: Five (5) Facts About Me

Week 32 and I got tagged on Instagram to do an introduction. Seeing how we are well into the year, I thought it would be a good time for a re-introduction. 

So Hi, I’m Joelyn Alexandra and here are five (5) facts about me: 

If I really pursued what I wanted to be when I was a kid, I would either be an Actress or part of the K-9 Unit now.

Actress because I was and still am a fan of performing. I kinda make up for this with the TTRPGs (TableTop Role-Playing Games) I play and all the storytelling I do with my fiction. And wibbling with that IGTV or YouTube channel I’ve been meaning to start. LOL.

Part of the K-9 Unit because I grew up loving doggos and somehow got into my head that I wanted to be in the police force for a while. 

My favourite game, come day or night, is MAHJONG.

So much so that I'm writing a novel with mahjong as a central subject. Caveat - I don’t like to play mahjong where money is involved. I play for kicks, not so much for a gamble.

My Mandarin improved only after school, and I’m looking to better learn Malay and Japanese.

It took me most of my 20s to realise that I didn’t hate Mandarin lessons, I hated how they were being taught and assessed. My Mandarin has improved since school (not by a lot but I’m not turned off by the idea of reading Chinese now). My Teochew and Cantonese are still my preferred go-to, depending on whether I have been watching anything in those languages in the first place (/stares at Ru Yi Zhuan, TVB, or Pili).

That said, the next couple of languages I want to improve / pick up again would be Malay and Japanese. 

I tend to lean towards exercise that doesn’t feel like exercise - so dance and martial arts.

Loosely translated, I like exercise but find running very boring. Enter Dance and Martial Arts - specifically Zumba and Taichi for the moment. And BodyBalance (usually a combination of yoga, pilates, and taichi). 

I love puzzles and games mostly because they provide some level of certainty 

There is an “end” to them and also that “effort in often = rewards reaped” in many of the games I play - Pokemon, Stardew Valley, Escape Room games, Visual Novels etc… In short, many games give me a level of certainty, and a safe(ish) space to explore.

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And that’s it from me! See you all next week!

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