I started a list like this a few years ago but I kept deleting stuff from it as things in my life changed. This time, I resolve not to delete anything I write here — only edit them as needed.

So here goes… 101 Things About Me:

1. There are 16 letters in my name — something I share with my boyfriend and my siblings (which by the way, my mom didn’t plan).
2. I was named after a place (Fatima, a city in Portugal famous for the Marian apparitions that took place there in 1917) and a saint (St. Anne, the mother of the Virgin Mary) because my mom is very religious. She was born with a congenital heart disease and her doctors discouraged another pregnancy after my sister. There was a 50/50 chance that she wouldn’t survive. But she wanted another baby so badly that she left it all to God, started a novena to St. Anne and pledged to name her baby Fatima Anne. I was born a few weeks premature but otherwise healthy.
3. My mom was hoping for twins. If I had been born with a twin, one of us would have been named Beverly Anne or Phyllis Anne. I am so happy it turned out to be just me!
4. I am a last-born, the youngest of three siblings. I have a 30-year-old brother and a 28-year-old sister.
5. I’m not as religious as my mom but I truly believe in God. And although I am opposed to the idea of organized religion, I am happy being a Roman Catholic.
6. I used to play the piano. I wish I hadn’t stopped taking lessons. It’s one of my frustrations. I tried to start playing again in 2006 but my fingers are too “weak” now. I get cramps from drawing/painting and working on the computer a lot.
7. I took ballet lessons when I was five.
8. If I see a plate number with three consecutive eight’s (888), I make a wish.
9. I started wearing eyeglasses when I was about six. I had LASIK surgery on 27 July 2007 and I’m now enjoying life without glasses.
10. I believe that my mind is my best asset.
11. I started school right after I turned three. I’ve always excelled academically but contrary to what most people think, I don’t really like studying. I love to learn. There’s a big difference. It’s the thirst for knowledge that drives me.
12. I studied in Catholic schools for most of my academic life. I went to a Montessori school for nursery, transferred to a Catholic prep, went back to the Montessori for first through third grade, then transferred to another Catholic school for the rest of elementary and high school. I went to a Catholic university for my Psych degree then went to that uni’s sister college for my second degree.
13. I was the Associate Editor for my high school newspaper. Copyreading was one of the tasks I loved most.
14. I won first place in the Health Reporting category in the DSSPC in my time as Associate Editor. The topic was smoking. I didn’t expect to win any award because I was entered in two different categories and the events took place at the same time! You can just imagine the (time) pressure involved. I was convinced my pieces weren’t any good. I almost didn’t come up to the stage during the awarding ceremony because I thought they had made a mistake! LOL.
15. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. After graduation I enrolled in a degree program unrelated to it, Bachelor of Arts in Multimedia Arts, and finished 3 terms before I decided to go on a leave of absence. It’s the reason I am practically broke.
16. I wish I’d taken up Literature or Library and Information Science instead.
17. I have always been considered a “jack of all trades, master of none” but I take it as a compliment. After all, the full quote is, “Jack of all trades, master of none, though ofttimes better than master of one.”
18. Before I started high school, I was painfully shy. My English teacher used to say I was like Charlie Chaplin. I am still shy. I tend to come across as indifferent or aloof but nothing could be farther from the truth. I care a lot about other people.
19. I had Citizens’ Army Training (CAT) in high school. My platoon was given the “Best Platoon Award” during graduation. I opted to join the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) in college rather than the Civic Welfare Training Service (CWTS). I was part of the 247th De La Salle University-Naval Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, Shore Patrol Bravo ‘03. Those 6 months were great!
20. My first language was English. I didn’t learn Tagalog/Filipino until I started going to school.
21. I learned to read when I was only two years old — I started with newspapers then moved on to storybooks. I’ve been a bookworm ever since. I am rarely seen without a book in hand. Wherever I go, I usually have at least one book in my bag.
22. George R. R. Martin is one of my favorite authors. I think he is a master of fantasy in his own right, after J. R. R. Tolkien. If you are a mature reader and ask me to recommend a book, I will tell you to read GRRM’s A Song of Ice and Fire.
23. I read historical romances but I don’t think they gave me unrealistic notions about love.
24. I own more books than I will probably be able to read in this lifetime.
25. I am right-handed but my mom says I was supposed to be a lefty — that happens a lot in my family.
26. I miss Daddy, my maternal grandfather, more than anything and I can’t wait to see him, hug him and feel like a little girl in his arms again.
27. I love Mom, my maternal grandmother, very much. My best childhood memories revolve around her. I am afraid of disappointing her because she holds me in such high esteem.
28. I’ve always wanted to learn how to cook but I never seem to have the time to actually work in the kitchen. Instead, I pore over cookbooks and watch the Food Network. Mom and I usually end up talking about Iron Chef and recipes when she calls.
29. I miss Mom’s cooking. Nothing tastes better than the food she makes.
30. I love having pets. My first pet was a purebred Japanese Spitz named Lady. She was given to me by Daddy. I also had six rabbits (from my favorite uncle, Herman) and two pairs of lovebirds (from my mom). My favorite was Charlie, he was green — the others were blue and white. He was a fat, sweet bird and I still mourn his death. But I will always prefer dogs.
31. I have never smoked cigarettes nor done any illegal drugs.
32. I used to get sick a lot up until high school. I was hospitalized at least once a year. It was mostly stomach-related — I was on a restricted diet for years. I don’t remember much of what I wasn’t allowed to eat but I do remember that the only “candy” I could eat was Pastillas de leche (milk candy).
33. I used to get motion sickness when I was a kid — cars, buses, trains, etc. Lime and orange air fresheners made it worse.
34. I have terrible migraine headaches. My eyes become even more sensitive to light and I can’t open them.
35. I have very sensitive skin. I bruise, get wounds and scar very easily. As of writing this, I am sporting a bruise on my left knee, one on my left hip and another on my right arm.
36. I am anemic. I was diagnosed in high school and I’m pretty sure I would have been cured years ago if only I didn’t keep forgetting to take my iron supplements.
37. I have dextroscoliosis. My orthopedist says it’s not expected to get any worse because I’ve reached bone maturity but I’m supposed to have yearly check-ups to monitor the curve — my last check-up was in 2006.
38. I sleep on my left side (or on my back) on the left side of the bed. I’m much more comfortable sleeping on my right side but my friend who is a physical therapist says it’s bad for my back.
39. I have a flat, very dark brown mole on the side of my right toe. People say it means that I like to go out a lot. But I’m a homebody so I think it means something bigger. I want to travel around the world and see as much of it as I can before I die!
40. I have a small, light brown, oval-shaped birthmark on my left hand. When I was younger, I used it as a reminder of which direction was left/west and right/east.
41. I love taking long baths. I am obsessed with cleanliness when it comes to personal hygiene but my room is always in a lovely state of disarray — READ: organized clutter.
42. I sing in the shower.
43. My favorite color is Blue, always has been and always will be. I’m partial to Royal Blue (both the traditional color and the webcolor) and Medium Blue (webcolor).
44. I LOVE to eat.
45. I love peanut butter. I love peanut butter and banana sandwiches too. But mostly I just love peanut butter. LOL.
46. I once swore off red meat for a whole year. I ate chicken everyday (my family kept joking that I was going to grow wings) but I developed an allergy so I went back to eating pork and beef.
47. I’ve loved Fruity Pebbles since I was a kid and still eat it at ALL times of the day whenever I can. It’s my comfort food.
48. I am a dreamer.
49. I am a pessimistic optimist — which basically means that I think about everything that could possibly go wrong in any given situation but always manage to talk myself out of them.
50. I have a tendency to be obsessive-compulsive.
51. I want to see AND hear the Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis.
52. One of my greatest fears is drowning — I almost drowned when I was three years old. Because of that, I never learned how to swim; partly because of my fear and partly because I don’t trust anyone enough to teach me. That changed when I met Jim. If I’m ever going to learn how to swim, he’s the only one I’d trust to teach me.
53. I used to be afraid of heights. Once, I crossed a metal bridge (it was only a few feet high and right under it was solid ground) with my siblings and my knees started knocking so hard that I had to sit down. But I love airplanes and roller coasters. Hmmn..I think I’m just afraid of falling?
54. I am scared of needles. I always need someone to hold my hand or hug me when I get an injection.
55. I’m afraid of clowns. They give me nightmares.
56. I used to play MMORPG’s.
57. I love the name Aislinn, it means “dream” or “vision” in Gaelic. It’s the name of the main character of the original fiction I started writing in high school (I hope to finish it someday). Eventually I used it as my online alias. A lot of people still call me Aislinn or Ais (mostly people from my gaming days), sometimes even offline.
58. The Land Before Time (1988) always makes me cry.
59. I am Cera. I know, I know — our personalities are totally different. But the first time I saw TLBT, I wanted to be her. My cousin Jason was Littlefoot.
60. I was April in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. My brother Karl was Leonardo, my sister Leslee was Michelangelo, my favorite cousin Benette was Donatello, and Jason was Raphael. They chose their characters by color. I was born too late (they’d been role-playing for ages before I started playing with them) or I would have insisted on being Donatello, not because I love purple but because I am the family genius. LOL.
61. When I had trouble sleeping, I sometimes used to take my favorite pillow and blanket and sleep in my parents’ bedroom.
62. My first dream car was a Corvette. Right now I am in love with Dean Winchester’s ‘67 Chevy Impala (The Metallicar) in Supernatural.
63. I love Jensen Ackles. Not in a crazed fangirl way or delusional romantic way, I just love him.
64. My hair is my only vanity. From prep until my senior year of high school, it fell past my waist. Then I got depressed (I use this term loosely because I was never clinically-diagnosed with depression) and got it cut chin-length. Since then I’ve promised myself not to take out my frustrations on my hair. I love having long hair.
65. I think a lot. My mom tells me that it’s the reason I have migraine headaches. I can’t help it! There’s always something going on in my head. I’m restless. Except when I’m talking with Jim. He always puts my mind at ease. The way I feel when I hear his voice at the end of the day is a bit like the way I used to feel when I came home to my parents’ house after a long, tiring week at the dorm/college — supremely happy and content. “There’s no place like home.” I have the best boyfriend in the world!
66. I don’t share my friends’ view on marriage. When we talk about matrimony, they immediately think of building a family — a husband AND kids. I believe that you are a family even if it’s just you and your husband.
67. Don’t get me wrong, I love children and want to have my own someday. I’m not in a hurry though. I want to be able to enjoy having my husband to myself. And honestly, I am quite daunted by the idea of being responsible for another human being.
68. I hate politics. But I know it’s something we can’t escape. I believe that some politicians really do start off with good intentions but eventually, they realize that they can’t beat or change the system so they end up just like their predecessors.
69. I am a generally happy person. I laugh a lot. It annoys my brother but people remember me because of it. They might forget my name but they never forget my smile and my laugh.
70. I can find humor in the strangest places.
71. I like to stare into other people’s eyes. I used to say that it’s because I like to make people squirm but the truth is, I’ve always believed that “the eyes are the windows to the soul.” I think you can learn a lot from someone just by looking into their eyes.
72. I love surprises.
73. I hate shopping. It’s one of the things that really test my patience.
74. And I am an incredibly patient person.
75. I hate being late. I would rather be the one waiting than the one who’s late — even if it’s just for a few minutes.
76. I get cold easily. It’s one of the reasons I like wearing socks.
77. There was a time when my closest friends were ten years (or more) older than me. They told me that they forgot how young I was when we started talking about Life. Every one of them has come to me for advice at some point in their lives.
78. I am friends with a lot of different people from a lot of different backgrounds. People say that means I’m adaptable. I can fit in anywhere, with anyone. In other words, I am easy to get along with.
79. Just don’t piss me off. I’m scary when I’m angry. At least, that’s what my friends say. But I rarely ever get mad.
80. I have a lot of nicknames. My family calls me Non. My favorite cousin calls me Nonnyppe (a result of our obsession with animé). My sister calls me Principessa. My grandpa was the only one who used to call me Fam. My youngest uncle calls me “his little Japanese girl.” My closest friends each have a different nickname for me; all related to food such as Muffin, Chocolate, Honeystars, Cheesecake, Cornflakes, Mallows, Mozzarella, Twix, Peanut Butter… LOL.
81. People often mistake me for a Japanese or a Korean. When I graduated from elementary, my mom actually tried to return my graduation pictures because she thought they gave her the wrong prints! She said, “This isn’t my daughter!” My own mother! LOL.
82. I was born and raised in the Philippines. My ancestors were pure Spanish and pure Chinese but I consider myself a true Filipina.
83. I never thought I’d have an American boyfriend. No, I never thought I’d have a foreigner for a boyfriend. But I honestly couldn’t be happier that Jim is my boyfriend. He is the most wonderful man I have ever met.
84. I believe that no one is worth losing your best friend over. This is even more true for me now because my boyfriend is my best friend.
85. I love sunrises, sunsets, moonrises and moonsets…
86. It makes me sad that the whole human race (yes, including me) is so reliant on technology.
87. I think The Beatles were the greatest band that ever lived. The Eagles come in second.
88. I have VERY bad short-term memory. I lose my train of thought easily.
89. I really don’t like wearing make-up. But my sister tries to get me to try stuff all the time.
90. Unlike most of the people I know, I don’t like Tulips. I seriously don’t get why women like them so much. I love Roses, Carnations, Lily-of-the-Valley’s and Forget-me-not’s.
91. I don’t like wearing heels. I’m happy with my height.
92. I love watching movies and TV series. I enjoy it even more when I’m watching with someone I love, all snuggled up on the couch.
93. I love, love, LOVE cuddling and pretzel hugs.
94. I love satin/silk pajamas and chemise nightgowns. I have an aunt who always gives me one or two on my birthday or for Christmas.
95. I love The Sound of Music and I never get tired of watching it. I used to have a thing for Baron von Trapp and got all warm and fuzzy inside every time I heard him sing Edelweiss. For this reason, I still follow Christopher Plummer’s acting endeavors.
96. I like watching sports — basketball, football, volleyball, hockey, tennis, etc. Even when I don’t understand the mechanics of the game. Seriously.
97. I am honest to a fault. I don’t lie for my family nor my friends. And I don’t lie to myself.
98. I love taking walks, especially after it just rained.
99. I love waking up to the sound and smell of rain.
100. I like staying up late AND getting up early. I always wake up early no matter how late I go to bed.
101. I plan on being cremated when I die because I absolutely do NOT want to become worm food.

Done! Did you actually read the whole list?!