There are a lot of things about me that two short pages and countless interviews cannot cover, and though it isn’t relevant to job hunting, I have to get it out there.

• Rachel Berry: I can cry on command. It is one of my many talents.
• I live an hour away from the high school I went to, and the only time I was late was because of the school service. When I started going to school via public transportation, I was always at least thirty minutes early. That is how punctual I am.
• I still go to school even when I am sick. Heck, some professors even remember me as the girl who had a plastic for tissue paper since flu-induced fever never hindered me from taking examinations. The only instances that I missed school because of health reasons were the times that I had chicken pox, measles, and when I got confined in a hospital for one night back in first grade.
• I enjoy jogging with my dog. Rox keeps me running and we do not stop. When I say jogging and I am in the company of other people, I end up brisk walking. And gossiping.. Wait.. Sometimes we even eat!
• The person who has the highest expectations for me is myself. I know it’s a good thing, but some days, it is so frustrating.
• In relation to the previous bullet, I like beating my own high scores.
• My body clock’s default alarm is at 5:30 in the morning. I have to be really tired (or sick) to stay in bed past 7 AM.
• However, I do get sleepy when it’s too bright. Weird.
• I make up nicknames for random people I ride with in public transportation. It gets more accurate if I get to ride with them for more than once (i.e. Kulangot Boy as I always manage to catch him doing the deed; Bukaka Girl as she wears a short skirt and sits with her legs apart, exposing her panty-covered crotch; Bling Bling Boy, the guy who goes to St. Paul College Manila who always wear a lot of bling on Wednesdays, etc).
• I also like to wonder what goes on in their lives. Sometimes, I make up a story about how their day goes.
• My “game face” is a smiling face. Hah!
• I excel at gift giving (unless my friends are faking it) and surprise planning. I’ve always helped my friends’ girlfriends and boyfriends, knowing that they will do the same for me.
• I bake when I’m stressed. My thesis mates got stuffed with all kinds of cupcakes and cookies.
• Sometimes, I do a little dance (privately, where no one can see me), to shake off negative energy.
• There are a lot of times wherein I turn into Marshall Eriksen and sing about whatever it was that I am doing.
• On most days, I find “pretty and charming” (exact words, true story) a compliment. But as the main reason for a job offer, it is an insult. I value myself enough to know I am competent without the genes I was born with. I may not be the prettiest of all the land, but I am aware that it’s not the sole thing that’s going on for me.
• I love the challenge that comes from Sudoku and Kakuro. Completing one gives me a sense of fulfillment.
• I let my friends cry and vent on me until they get it out of their systems. I have devised a personal mind exercise while they do so, and this have increased my patience for..people, in general.
• How I give an advice depends on two things: how well I know the person, and my mood. What I do best is listen. Sometimes, you find that is all one needs.
• I do not have a problem talking to people, large groups, on a stage..as long as we speak the same language. Although I found out last year that I can even carry on a conversation with an Indian man with hand gestures and broken English.
• Oh, and in fact, prior to an interview, I would stealthily pick a target-slash-other-applicants at the lobby/waiting lounge to warm up for the interview by chatting with them. Most of them are Facebook friends with me now. :p
• Admittedly, I would like a more something else (whatever that may be, I still haven’t figured out yet) than technical job, but I wouldn’t want to waste five years of my life that I devoted to Engineering.
• Now that I think about it, my dream is to own a pastry shop. Baking for a living sounds good. Imagine the smell of pastries, wafting through your nostrils the moment you opened the door to “work”.
• For the meantime, while I’m saving up for my business, a job that requires interaction with other people more than my technical skills would be good.
• Now that I’m in the adult world, I am learning how tough decisions can be.
• And how it could make me run around my room in my underwear, screaming “What do I do? What do I do?” when a call I was dreading came. I wanted to say yes, but other people’s definition of “better” was waiting for me.
• I have come to realize that no matter how annoying my parents can be at times, I am very lucky with the pair I got. They let me make decisions on my own, and supports it. As my mom has put it, they have provided for me everything I need to survive. Now, they simply watch on the sidelines and cheer me on, trusting that I will make the right decisions.
• I always believed that I will pursue a career I will enjoy, but as it turns out, I am more practical. Magpa-alipin tayo sa pera!
• I regret the previous bullet. But I have learned that one has to live by their decisions. No more what ifs, no more regrets.