Hello, SteemIt! Brandon here with my introduction post!

 So Tell Me About Yourself

Does that question stun you when asked by someone you're meeting for the first time only to finally gather yourself and give them this generic reply that in no way truly represents your personality or character?

I genuinely hate that question.

Maybe it's because I link it to all the times it's been asked of me in an interview by a stranger with authority who has no actual interest to get to know me better but rather is just following the interview procedure and protocol. 

Or maybe the question itself is just too general. How and where does one begin to start? Long walks on the beach?

I do believe everyone is complex in their own way and there's an interesting story to unravel if you ask the right questions. So what are the "right" questions? I dunno, man. People are complex :P 

"What are your hobbies and interests? What do you do for fun?". What better way to get to know someone better than figuring out what makes them tick, what fires up their brain, and how they would rather use up every second of their time.

So without further delay, allow me to introduce myself through my hobbies and interest :)

Hey, everyone! My name is Brandon and I'm from the ever sunny(mostly) Malaysia! Just a quick overview, I'm 30(at the time of writing this post), I'm a banana(term used in Malaysia to describe a Chinese who can't speak, read or write Mandarin), I'm happily married, and I've been working in the 3D animation industry for ten years(much regret, another post for another time). And these are my hobbies and interests!

1. MMA
Boxing, kickboxing, muaythai, and jiu-jitsu. Love watching it all but nothing screams true combat sports other than MMA(mixed martial arts) where they combine the striking and grappling. It's an exciting sport where two individuals face off against one another in violent fashion(but not unintelligently so) using the skills and strategies trained and sharpened months in advance with the single purpose of besting their opponent and leaving the cage as the victor.

2. Gaming
I grew up gaming. It's a part of me! Started at 5 years old when I went over to my cousin's house in Singapore for a trip and spent a lot of time playing wrestling and contra on his Sega Genesis. And now all I do is complain about how they keep churning out Assassin's Creed games! But in all seriousness, I think gaming is one of the best forms of escapism just as long as you don't forget your duties and responsibilities. Cos then it's not a gaming problem. It's a problem with having an addictive personality! Some of my favourites are Final Fantasy VII, Tekken series, Uncharted, God of War series, and a whole lot more that deserves its own posts!

3. Movies&TV Series
Yeah, I know EVERYONE loves movies and TV and that's probably true. I do really like to talk about them though! Used to do a podcast with a bunch of friends where we would spend hours just discussing movies, what we liked or didn't like about it and at the end give it our review using the 5 or 10 star system. Yeah, not very structured but it was fun! 

4. Podcasting
I started podcasting back in 2014. Nothing too serious. It was just a bunch of friends coming together to talk about our interests. We didn't really even have a proper setup. Just two mics and a really stuffy and hot room. Haven't been doing it for over a year now and was thinking of bringing it back. Since I'm on SteemIt, it might just be the right time!

5. Cats&Dogs(animals in general)
Love cats. Who doesn't? Used to only love dogs til wife and I got cats. Now we officially have two cats and unofficially 5-6 of em(it's complicated). If you've never had a cat you probably don't know that they each have their own unique personalities and that they, just like dogs, actually just want to be loved.

6. Travel
Truth is that I haven't been many places. Right now it's just the UK, Singapore, and Japan. I would really love to revisit those countries and explore new ones but due to financial difficulties it's probably going to take me and the wife awhile before we can accomplish that. It's hard to beat that feeling of traveling to a new country. It's planned but yet there's a sense of unknown and adventure. Not to mention that you're there purely for the purpose of having a great time and whatever stress or worry you had is now like that crying son that you left back home with your mum. Forgotten. I'm just kidding! I don't have a son :)

So that's it from me for now! Thanks for reading, guys and girls! I hope to be an active member on the SteemIt community! Until next time!