As 2018 ends, here are 18 random facts about yours truly…

1. I was born 4 days later than predicted. Had I been born on November 20th, I would have been a Scorpio instead of a Sagittarius.
2. There were 2 abortions before I came about. If there were no abortions, I would have been the third child instead of the eldest one.
3. I had my first smoke at the age of 7. My father taught it would be funny for some reason to offer me his cigarette and not knowing any better, I just tried – and coughed profusely (because I have asthma as well). My mother saw the whole thing. She scolded me, and then she went after my father for the trolling. Of course, that was also my last smoke.
4. I can bend both my thumbs straight.
5. I started speaking only at the age of 6, and in proper sentences a year later.
6. As early as 8 years old, I developed an unexplained urge to arrange and organize things neatly around the house. To this day, I keep my surrounding environment and even my computer files in the most orderly fashion manner.
7. I had been first in class. I had been in the middle of the class. I had also been last in class.
8. I learned my first line of HTML coding when I was 13. I built my first pages on Geocities, Angelfire, Blogger, and the first HTML Editor I used was Netscape Composer. I am still keeping and using the 2002 Macromedia Dreamweaver MX to this day.
9. Some of my high school mates are still remembered to this day for a notorious incident of playing truant (ponteng) at school. They were caught by the discipline teacher for trying to leave past the school fence during school hours. What everyone else didn’t know was that I was part of the story — I was already at the Damansara Uptown cyber cafe waiting for my friends (I ponteng’ed school that day) Thanks for not ratting me out, but hey I already told you don’t go to school in the first place right? Just meet me straight at the cyber cafe.
10. I used to do modding for Half-Life and Counter-Strike games when I was 15 to 17 years old, and built basic maps for these games. I actually thought I could build a career off these games after school, by being a game modder.
11. I’ve never been good at RTS games, always been more of an FPS person.
12. I saved a dude from a drunk driving accident on one late night in 2013. The scenario could have played out differently many times. The decision to help or just watch, the decision to rest the victim near the vehicle on fire or risk carrying him again despite having broken bones. I was not alone fortunately, and about a minute after we moved the victim, the car exploded and sending small shock waves nearby. Glad we took all the right actions that night!
13. I’ve been the one sending reports to Facebook to memorialize the accounts of my friends that had passed on.
14. I still have my smelly pillow from 8 years old!
15. I inherit my mother’s height and my father’s hair (if only it was the other way around!)
16. I am the only one in my family and extended family not to wear specs or contact lens. Ironic, I’ve always been told as a kid not to sit too close to the TV or in front of the computer for prolonged hours lest I want to spoil my eyes. My older folks that lectured me and their children had the honors of wearing them first.
17. This blog has been here since 2007! 12 years and counting! I update it now and then still, with a paranoia in case anything happens to Facebook (or my account for that matter) and if anything should happen to me, this blog will preserve my memory to others!
18. The origin of my name “Edmund Loh Aik Mun”. Before I came about, my father had a company after my Chinese name (which didn’t do well) and my mother was expecting me, they decided on the name. The Christian name “Edmund” was given by my mother, and the Chinese name “Aik Mun”??? in Mandarin) meaning “hundreds of millions” was given by my dad. Partly so the name rhymes, but the main was mainly given at a time they were not doing so well, and in hopes that I will be financially successful.