MEMBER: JOANNE LEE

What are some hobbies?

I love to read. When I was a kid, I used to read literally every free minute that I had and would actually get in trouble for reading too much. I don’t have as much time to read anymore, but still love a great book. I’m not a book snob though – I enjoy all types of reading, including garbage like US Magazine. But I don’t read People magazine, because I’m not interested in the “regular” people stories. I’m also addicted to Sodoku and enjoy running and spending time outdoors.

If you had all the money in the world, what would you do?

I would quit my job and travel the world in style. For me, travelling in style includes two very important things: (1) I am terrified of bedbugs in hotels so I would spend a considerable amount of my riches to send in a cleaning crew to sanitize the hotel before I arrived and (2) I am also paranoid about airlines losing my luggage so I always pack light enough so that I don’t have to check any luggage. If I have to check luggage, I divide my clothes into 2 separate bags so that just in case one gets lost, I still have the other bag! (And yes, I am aware of my OCD tendencies.) If I had all the money in the world, I could just re-buy everything if my luggage was lost… Or actually, maybe I would have my own private jet so I didn’t have to worry about losing luggage.

What is your favorite food/dish?

I love ice cream and can eat it every day without getting sick of it. I am a purist and like exactly 2 scoops in a bowl, rather than on a cone, and with no toppings.

Are there any family traditions that are interesting?

I don’t know if it’s interesting to anyone else, but a family tradition I look forward to is celebrating every family member’s birthday. Even though my siblings and I are all grown up now, we still get together to celebrate each other’s birthdays. Despite everyone’s busy schedules, it’s nice to know that I’ll still get to see my whole family almost every month for someone’s birthday.

If you knew the world was ending, what would you do differently?

If I knew the world was ending, I would stop worrying about stupid stuff (e.g, bedbugs and losing luggage). I am a worrier by nature and spend a lot of time worrying about stuff that has a small chance of actually happening.

What did you do growing up that got you into trouble?

I didn’t give my parents much trouble growing up. But I did go through a phase during my teenage years where I would lie to my parents about where I was hanging out. Unfortunately, my mom somehow always knew when I was lying and would always call me on it so that I couldn’t get away with anything. It used to make me really mad that my mom always figured out my lies, but now I am thankful she is so smart. As an adult now, I cannot tell a lie for the life of me, except when I’m trying to play a joke on someone. If I tell a real lie, my face starts to twitch.

What story does your family always tell about you?

Among family and old family friends, I am legendary for how much I used to CRY. When I was an infant, I cried whenever someone even so much as glanced at me. I was a very sensitive kid and would cry about pretty much everything. My most overused phrase (with arms crossed for emphasis) was, “You hurt my feelings.” And then I would cry. When I was in second grade (or around there), I was so tired of everyone complaining about how much I cried that I became determined to never cry. I never cried again, not even once, until middle school. Even now as an adult, I hardly ever cry.