I find it’s easier if I split up the random knowledge about yours truly according to “category”. Go ahead, read away and be amused.

run-of-the-mill

Ariane [Kinoshita]…

  • is better known to other people as Carol (Ann) (Ariane being an inside-joke/play on these first names.)
  • is a 100% Chinese lass from Malaysia. No, even though her “name” implies such, she isn’t actually Anglo-Japanese.
  • is sometimes, although rarely, known by the moniker of Kay.
  • stands at a height of 5′1″-ish (156 cm). Blame my dad’s short-genes.
  • has dark hair that’s as long as nearly half of her height. Oh my.
  • came into being on the 21st of July – and would appreciate some form of freebies on said day, thank you very much. =D
    (Nosey parkers: I was born in 1992 – do the math.)
  • divides her time between Negaraku and Britannia – she’s been studying in an English boarding school since 2007.
  • has a younger sibling better known as Jerry, who you probably won’t have come across online at any point.

we don’t need no education!

Ariane…

  • spent up till the equiv of the end of middle school (9th grade) in Malaysian primary (K-6th grade) and secondary schools (7th grade onwards) – before bailing to an English boarding school in Somerset.
  • was only allowed to pack her bags for England because the school offered her a music scholarship – 50% off fees and free music lessons for 2+ instruments.
  • is polylingual. Language fluency covers (but isn’t limited to) English, Malay, Mandarin, and [partial fluency in] Japanese + Hokkien + Cantonese.
  • will be obtaining a total of 12 GCSEs in Jul 2009 – that’s in English (2, plus GCSE lit), Maths (plus GCSE Stats), Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mandarin, Food Technology, Music and Drama. Balanced mix, ei?
  • is in the top sets (meaning, top 20+ odd people in the year – touch wood) for ALL the streamed subjects (English + Lit, Maths + Stats, Biology, Chemistry, Physics.)
  • can’t decide whether to go science + maths-ey or to take the musical route when A-levels come a-calling. I love them both, and I’m actually good at them!

inane interests, trying talent

Ariane…

  • has an ever-expanding “inventory” of hobbies/interests and related skills, most of which are self-taught.
  • has, to date, taught herself the following (with the help of guidebooks and so on): webdesign/programming (HTML, PHP, MySQL), graphic design, Japanese, (botched) hip-hop, various crafts (clay, paper + origami, yarn/string etc) singing (with Ebooks – that’s when her music teacher jumped ship after less than a year), Cubase + FruityLoops/FL Studio (music sequencing).
  • also has 1) photographic memory and 2) speedy-comprehensive abilities, both of which probably contribute to the fact that I could pick up the above skills. 1) is probably the reason I tend to remember a lot of lesser-known bygone incidents/details, however.
  • participated in a variety of storytelling and public speaking competitions since 1st grade onwards. That perhaps accounts for her talkative nature.
  • also enjoys taking part in writing competitions – her best achievement to date is being the runner up for the Senior category in her school for the year 2008.
  • served on her old school’s Editorial Board on both the writing and graphic design teams for a total of 3 years.
  • won 3rd place with 3 other friends in a street dance competition hosted by her school in 2006.
  • has both her parents (mainly her dad/”oyajii”) to thank for her talent – both of them are advocates of self-learning, being able to create a variety of handcrafted gifts by just reading guidebooks.
  • can’t decide whether to go science + maths-ey or to take the musical route when A-levels come a-calling. She loves them both!
  • is surprisingly horrible at playing videogames, though – except for those from the Pokemon and the “Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training” franchise. (On the flip side, my brother Jerry is a master at them.)

    • musical musings

    Music deserves its own section, simply because I’ve realised that it’s such a prominent factor in my life. =D

    Ariane…

    • plays the piano, violin, viola and harmonica, and is also a mezzo-soprano (but sings alto in the school choir.) She’s preparing for ABRSM Grade 8 for the first two instruments.
    • has her mum to thank for being the driving force, music-wise. Who else would enrol their kids in Yamaha’s Junior Music course from 3 onwards, and violin courses next when her kids expressed interest in the instrument?
    • picked up the violin “by accident” – at 7/8, she read that Haydn had fashioned a pretend violin out of two wooden sticks. She then proceeded to make her “violin” from a chopstick and her brother’s toy guitar (which didn’t work – duh!) Of course, her mum saw it all – the rest is history…
    • has perfect pitch. ‘Nuff said.
    • has more Japanese than American + British music in her player – 97% of her tracks are J-pop/rock/urban, in fact.
    • has a highly varied taste in music – she’ll listen to anything except for techno/trance and heavy metal. She’s impartial to jazz(-inspired) tunes and anything with a good beat + melody, however.
    • rates Jamiroquai, UVERworld, Simply Red, m-flo and mihimaru GT as her “top artists” on her player.
    • wants to be involved in music production/songwriting at some point!

    miscellany

    Ariane…

    • is semi-ambidextrous – I write with my right, but I can somehow do other things with my left. (I think it’s due to the fact that I’m a pianist, so that’s been “partial training”
    • can pass for an American-born Chinese – her proper spoken English (when she’s not using Manglish/Malaysian Pidgin) sounds Californian, and she uses words like “trash” instead of rubbish. This “she’s American!” suggestion was further confirmed by her schoolmates in England. (Ironically, she pronounces words like aunt, can’t and dance the British way!)
    • can read in a moving vehicle without getting motion sickness.
    • is a speedy reader (to get an idea, she completed Harry Potter and the Order Of The Phoenix in a matter of hours.)