The Fundamentals
I…

• go by Tara-Chan, TC, T-Chan, Teecee, Tara, and other variations.
• like to say that my other name is Mairi Nathaira.
• was born on January 19, 1985. Do the math. Don’t ask for my age.
• reside in Seoul, South Korea.
• am not a Korean citizen.
• am Asian, if one wants to know what my ethnic background is. Confused yet?

The Tree of Knowledge
I…

• went to an elementary (K-6) and a high school (7-12). Middle school did not exist for me.
• graduated cum laude from high school, with a 3.57 gpa.
• am a college graduate from University of Maryland University College, with a Bachelor of Arts in English.
• graduated from university as cum laude, with a 3.85 gpa.
• also have an Associate of Arts degree in General Curriculum.
• have no idea what to do with those two degrees with my life.
• am currently a postgraduate student at Michigan State University, studying Youth Development.

The Musical Maestro
I…

• learned to play the piano because my mother was a typical Korean mother. She also believed that if I had chosen a wind instrument, my cheeks morphed into that of a chipmunk.
• had an on and off relationship with the piano since first grade to twelfth grade.
• regularly played the piano after my high school years.
• disobeyed my mother’s wishes in seventh grade and took up the alto saxophone, to which I played all throughout my high school years in band.
• can play the tenor saxophone — but it hurts my back, and I vibrate along with the horn — and the soprano saxophone — but that sounds like a dead oboe.
• can blast about four notes on the trumpet and the baritone.
• play with various percussion instruments toys.
• only can play about 3% of a guitar.

The Dreariness of the Real World
I…

• did the Summer Hire programme for four years — where for one month of each summer, I worked and did menial tasks that nobody else wanted to do for below minimum wage.
• assisted various teachers as a volunteer aide.
• mastered the art of photocopying, sadistically graded tests and assignments, and helped earn money through various fund-raising projects — where one time I prevented some small building from burning down.
• substituted at the high school (Alma mater), middle school, and elementary school (Alma mater), for four years, where candy briberies occurred.
• was a program assistant, a childcare provider, at a daycare, where I had gotten sick at least once a month since I’ve started in November 2007.
• made sure the children, under the age of six, did not kill each other and learn the meaning of life. It’s ironic that I do not like children much.
• am currently a technology lab monitor who ensures that the teenagers do not abuse and kill the computers that are available for educational purposes.

The Expected Nerdy-ness
I…

• like blogging, duh.
• wish I could meet the late Kurt Vonnegut.
• surprisingly like Ernest Hemingway.
• am an avid gamer, especially on the DS-Lite or the PlayStation consoles and handhelds.
• love animes and mangas, more specifically the BL and yaoi variety.
• enjoy reading random stuff on Wikipedia and TV Tropes.
• am snarky, cynical, and pessimistic.
• am multilingual trilingual in American English, British English, and Korean. Occasionally you will see bits of Korean in this website. I like to think I’m multilingual, but that will be the day after I learn more than 0.0000001% Japanese.

See the full list of my hobbies and interests here.

The Summary

In other words, I’m a girl in my mid-twenties, who has no life aside from sitting in front of this computer. Well, not really, but if one wanted to label me, I’m a nerd and proud of it. I like many geeky things. My only problem is that I don’t have the brain of a mathematician or a programmer to take advantage of my interest in technology. Yes, I don’t fit the Asian stereotype of being ridiculously outstanding in math. Instead, I’ve taken after the opposite spectrum of enjoying words and literature, which led me to get a degree in English. Ever met an English major who doesn’t exactly like classical literature? I happen to be one.

Yes, I’m made of many contradictions. I’m an oxymoron, an eclectic person with too many interests and hobbies. It is because of my varied likes and dislikes that I’ve come upon what I call a “quarter-life crisis.” I have absolutely no bloody clue on where I want to go with my life now. Oi. Talk about being stuck in the middle of road. Where is that proverbial hand, stick — ANYTHING — that will guide me to my future? I personally think it disappeared after I finished school. My life feels empty without the constant stress and pressure of exams, projects, and essays. It is safe to assume that I will always want to learn, always want to be a student. Alas! Let me go win the lottery, and then I’ll do whatever I want.

In the meantime, I shall just continue to be my weird self. I’ll continue to express what little opinions I have in British English. Watch me butcher the language up while I’m at it. (P.S. — I am not this weird. Exhaustion causes it.)

Contacting Me and Other Portals

If you, the readers, have this mysterious urge to contact me, here are the following methods.

• AOL IM: Mairi Nathaira
• GoogleTalk: tarachan[at]gmail[dot]com
• Email: tara[at]aigoo-chamna[dot]net or tarachan[at]gmail[dot]com
• Musical Me: Personal Website
• Twitter
• Anime List I (Anime News Network) | Anime List II (My Anime List)
• Manga List I (Baka Updates) | Manga List II (My Anime List)
• Video Game List I (Backloggery) | Video Game List II (Game FAQs)
• IMDB List

Technorati Profile