O que significa quirky?

I was going through some profiles on penpalworld, which by the way is a great website for those who want to get in touch with foreigners and learn a lot from them, when I came across a guy trying to describe himself. Among the many things he said, what caught my attention was that he considered himself a shy guy, but with a very quirky personality. But what does quirky mean?

As you can see, he used the adjective quirky much as kind of a way to compensate the fact he's shy. Not that being shy is a flaw, but why would being quirky a positive side? Well, after looking up that word to make sure I did understand it quite well, suddenly a character from one of my favorite sitcoms came to mind: Phoebe. Is there anyone else in the world quirkier than Phoebe?

If you don't know who I'm talking about, which I find very unlikely, here's what Phoebe represents; She is unconventional, surprising, odd, weird, but all in a good way. Imagine you have a friend who's always got the best lines, act in a very unconventional way, with very odd ideas - which kind of make them a little bit crazy - but still, you love being around them. That person is quirky.

You can also describe things as being quirky. In fashion, sometimes you see a lot of weird things going on. Some of them take odd to such an advanced degree that they become cool in some way. And sometimes, what makes it weird is also what makes it cool. The effect it causes on society, the shock it leaves you with when you're first confronted by an unusual piece of clothing or a trend is what makes it weird in a good way.