1. I have tons of phobias: cats, heights, tall buildings, riding elevators (but I developed the skill of pretending to be not afraid of it), closed spaces, crowded places, dark and murky waters, riding a boat or big ships, back seat of the bus or a van, all forms of reptiles (especially snake) and amphibians (especially frogs) and sometimes even cold blooded animals like fish.

2. In relation to #1 – I don’t like animals at all but I pretend to. Though I dislike animals (actually, I’m hell scared of animals) I still believe I am an environmentalist. I believe not liking or being scared of animals doesn’t necessarily mean I am not an environmentalist.

3. I used to watch Batibot, That’s Entertainment, Eat Bulaga, the Inday Badiday show (was it Eye for Eye or something?) and all those classic Filipino TV programs back in the mid-80’s to early 90’s. The ironic thing is, I am a Disney-Sesame Street baby.

4. I pretend to be extremely apolitical but I’m a political junkie in mind, body and soul.

5. I’ve always wanted to be a princess but I know that’s far from reality so I gave up dreaming about it. I’m a girl (straight!) deep inside even if I sometimes appear tough and behave in a tomboy-ish manner.

6. I’ve always wanted to be a beauty queen and/or model but I don’t think I’ll ever pass their standards.

7. I am addicted to the beach! I LOVE THE BEACH!!! and I don’t care if I get negra after. I also love water sports. Right now I enjoy surfing but I hate riding large ships and boats.

8. I don’t like going up the mountains. It scares the hell out of me.

9. I am an extremely OC person and a control freak when it comes with deadlines, priorities, tasks and schedules. I have high uncertainty avoidance that I always make it a point to plan my schedules and tasks weeks ahead. I have two planners that I cannot live without: one for writing my general agenda and overview of weekly schedules and one for jotting all necessary details per agenda and schedule to make sure nothing goes wrong with my schedules and that I don’t miss anything. I spend a lot of time jotting things down in my planners and carefully think of the things I need to write.

10. In relation to # 9 – I always carry with me a pencil case containing an eraser, two mechanical pencils (one for back-up), colored pens and a case of extra lead for my two mechanical pencils, which I use to write in my two planners. I also have a set of mini transparent post-its (pink, blue, green, yellow, orange and clear white) that I can stick in my planners in case I run out of space or I need to emphasize an important task. In short, the things written down in my planner are extremely organized by color coded notes and pen colors.

11. The things I mentioned in #’s 9 and 10 equal to half of the total weight of the load of the bags I carry to work everyday. The other half is mentioned in #12.

12. I am a walking National Bookstore, Kikay Kit and Mercury Drug – other stuff you can see in my bag includes the following:

- a pair of scissors

- a roll of scotch tape

- a ruler

- a chalk case and holder

- highlighter pens (usually 3 different colors)

- correction tape (I used to carry fluid)

- a stack of business cards to give out to people I meet for work-related matters

- tea bags in case I eat out and the place where I’ll eat doesn’t serve tea

- a bottle of cologne or perfume – a bottle of moisturizing water spray (usually Evian or Avene)

- a tube of Nivea face sunblock

- Nivea day moisturizer for sensitive skin

- Facial Wash (usually Nivea or Cetaphil)

- Nivea lip balm

- Nivea lip balm with spf

- Nivea hand lotion

- The Face Shop face powder with spf

- The Face Shop mascara

- an eyelash curler

- a blush on

- travel make up brushes

- a palette of eyeshadow

- a tube of lip gloss

- a comb

- a roller brush

- clips or pins for extreme hair emergencies

- sometimes a bottle of hair spray

- a toothpaste and of course a toothbrush

- my not-so-reliable anti-stress balm

- a nail file and a nail cutter

- tissue paper (traveler’s pack)

- wet wipes

- a bottle of hand sanitizer

- a bottle of Acalka medicine for my kidneys

- a banig of Vitamin C and Multivitamins

- a bottle of Kamillosan spray in case I get a sore throat

- a small medicine organizer containing Biogesic, Bioflu, my tummy ache medicines such as Pariet (in case I get hyperacidic attacks), Motilium (in case I get indigestion out of eating too much), Buscopan (in case I get stomach cramps) and anti-histamine medicines (in case I get an allergic reaction to a food or to something in the air or environment)

13. In reference to #’s 9-12 – I always carry two heavy bags to work everyday (and I commute – take the tricycle, the jeep, the FX, the bus and train!!!). I never go to work carrying only one small bag because I always try to control things and anticipate emergencies (from breaking a nail to having something green thing stuck in between my teeth to getting a severe migraine on my way home).

14. I am a die hard fan of Nivea and The Face Shop (refer to #12) since they’re the beauty products that really matches my skin type. They should pay me for this endorsement!

15. I don’t have a bed in my room at home because my brother took mine so I sleep Japanese style!

16. Because I love drinking tea, I got the habit of drinking a cup early in the morning before breakfast and most of the time after every meal. Because of that, I can easily tell what type of tea I am drinking.

17. When I was 4 years old, I have a favorite stuffed toy which I used to call “Bilog” because it’s round. I don’t have it anymore because one of my playmates stole it from me.

18. I miss dancing a lot. I wish I could still dance ballet, jazz and hip hop.

19. I also miss painting, sketching and playing the piano.

20. I can’t find a time and sometimes, the energy to do #’s 18 and 19 anymore

21. I love encountering different cultures, trying out and eating a new dish, meeting new people, going places and traveling (my goal is to travel to 20-30 countries before I reach 40!) I also love learning a new language and I can speak French and Spanish but I need to practice and master the languages more. I am also starting to learn Japanese, Italian and some German.

22. I love writing essays, composing an article or writing about anything that interests me. In fact I own a blog account, but I get lazy at times so I don’t update it regularly anymore. I think after this I will try to write something.

23. In the morning, I allot a minimum of 15 minutes for prayer time, try to hear mass at the college chapel in Ateneo at noon and also allot around 10 minutes for prayer time before I go to bed everyday.

24. I wish I could be a political analyst-diplomat-economist-social entrepreneur-fighter jet pilot-fashion designer-ballerina-beauty queen-writer-crime scene investigator-social concerns and peace advocate-policy lobbyist and analyst-college professor-historian-anthropologist-cultural analyst all at the same time

25. I am so deeply in love with the nicest, most wonderful and greatest guy in the world and I always pray to God that he will bless us both.