Seriously Yours, Agatha

Day 6 - Write 30 interesting facts about yourself

1. I was a brat when I was a kid, always bullying my playmates, not sharing toys with my cousins, and I think I still carry a little bit of that trait until now.

2. I love weddings, I’ve been planning mine since I was thirteen!

3. From elementary to college, I loved competing in Spelling Bees, Quiz Bees and Essay Writing contests, and luckily I won several times.

4. And because of that, I considered taking up Journalism or Mass Communication in college, but then my first love is Medicine, so I pursued my pre-med course.

5. For one day, I wish I could trade jobs with a fish vendor, a gift wrapper lady, or a radio DJ.

6. I write a lot (such as letters, opinions, blogs) when I’m inspired.

7. I think whoever invented the combinations cake & coffee and peanut butter & jelly is a genius!

8. I am rather shy when I’m around people. I was never the first one to approach anyone, except when I’m obliged to.

9. I like naming things. For example, we had a pink petunia in our garden which I called Pinkie Swear, my pillows are named Burrito, Spam, and PBJ, I call kisses on the cheek Stars, and I call my dog Mo so many nicknames like Mozart, Couscous, Mucous, Simon, etc.

10. Flowers, puppies and serenades make me giggle.

11. Once (in my adult life) I had a waistline of 24 inches.

12. My comfort (fast)food will have to be McDonald’s Fries and Chicken Nuggets. Don’t forget the barbecue sauce!

13. I like placing bets on whatever.

14. I’ve always had a girl-crush on Jessica Alba since high school. (Admit it, you do too!)

15. I’ve dreamed of being part of a big musical, like Rent, Les Miserables or Cats.

16. I probably use more hand sanitizer in a day than most people do in a month. It’s a compulsion.

17. I like budgeting and saving.

18. In the future as a doctor, I wish to be like a real-life Addison Montgomery-Shepherd, fierce and fabulous!

19. For me, Valentine’s Day is just another day in the calendar. I don’t consider it a special day (whether I’m in a relationship or single).

20. I memorize things by making a song or story out of it.

21. I have an annoying habit of correcting people.

22. I brush my teeth for about 4-6 minutes.

23. I love Geography, I wish we had that subject every year in grade school and high school.

24. My dream cars: black Hummer H2, yellow Lamborghini Murcielago… but realistically speaking: silver Ford Focus or Honda Civic Sedan will do!

25. I love chocolates but I don’t like chocolate ice cream.

26. My favorite sports team is the Los Angeles Lakers.

27. When I was about 4 or 5, I made up my own nursery rhymes.

28. I’ve never seen any of the James Bond, Bourne, Godfather, The Matrix, Saw, Terminator, Mission Impossible and many other great movie series.

29. I wish I could switch lives with Kate Middleton or Jennifer Lopez for a week.

30. I’m more excited the night before school starts, than the first day of vacation… just like now. :)

Day 5 - A time you thought about ending your own life

Never. I love my life. I love being surrounded by my wonderful family, and I enjoy the company of great friends. I may have encountered obstacles and have felt hopeless in certain points in my life, but suicide will never be the answer to any problem, regardless of the magnitude of it. Don’t let the hard times get the best of you. Keep believing and never lose faith. Prayers and perseverance will keep you alive.

Day 4 - Your views on religion

I will keep my explanation short this time because I believe is a sensitive issue.

I am a Roman Catholic and I believe in God, the creator of all things. But I also respect the religious beliefs of other people. I think the world need not have a single religion in to achieve peace, but I do believe we need to adjust our attitudes towards each other in order to live in harmony.

Day 3 - Your views on drugs and alcohol

I cringe at the sight of illicit drugs in movies, tv shows, the news or even in the internet. To me, drugs and demons are synonymous. Drugs are easy to abuse and have caused extensive damage to individuals and families as well. The vast majority of consumers who abuse drugs are irresponsible. The “high” they experience is just a momentary phase of euphoria. These substances are expensive, you’ll get so hooked until you go bankrupt, develop a withdrawal syndrome, go crazy, and go to rehab (some eventually get clean), or end your life. We’ve seen this so many times in the news—Amy Winehouse, Whitney Houston, Marilyn Monroe, Freddie Mercury, Kurt Cobain, Elvis—celebrities die every year due to the effects of drug abuse. Believe me, you don’t want to do drugs, because once you do, a stray dog has more common sense than you.

On the other hand, I don’t see anything wrong with alcohol consumption, as long as you’re of legal age and you take it in moderate amounts. Still, I’m never a fan of alcohol, I’m even allergic to beer, and even if I weren’t I’d still prefer to drink water at a party than beer. I don’t like the bitter taste, especially the split-second heartburn I experience whenever I swallow alcohol.

Everyone knows the saying “too much of something is bad”, so I don’t know why millions of people worldwide suffer from addiction and dependence over these substances when they know the consequences that await them.

Day 2 - Where you’d like to be in 10 years

As a medical school undergrad, the next 10 years are unforeseeable. I still have to face a lot of challenges before I can finally say where I am really destined to be. But if I will just be asked where I’d like to be in 10 years? I want to be living in the suburbs, happily married to my best friend who is also a doctor, raise 2 (or 3, max) healthy and beautiful kids, live in a big enough house for our family (and probably three dogs), with a nice backyard so that we could play and have picnics and invite my family and friends over. I don’t want to live in a condo in the middle of a polluted and noisy city. I want family life that’s peaceful, healthy, full of love and happiness. As to my career, I still am undecided, whether my future is in Obstetrics or Dermatology or whatnot, whether I’ll run my own clinic or work in a big hospital, who knows? Whatever God’s will is, then it shall be done.

:)

Day 1 - Your current relationship (if single, discuss how single life is)

Lock and key. There are no other words to describe my relationship right now with this sweet, smart, sensitive, awesome doctor who, I believe, just happens to be my soulmate. And I am lucky to have him as my daily dose of happiness and inspiration. But I never imagined we’d get this far; because nearly 10 months ago, he was just a friend of a friend, practically a stranger on my part. The only interactions between us were subtle comments and ‘likes’ on each other’s Facebook posts (and until now, no one would admit who added who first on Facebook!). But we started talking after I congratulated him for passing the Medical Licensure Exam, and we became good friends since then. We clicked automatically. And rarely do I find someone so similar to me, from preferences, expressions, opinions, experiences, almost everything! And then somewhere between laughing for whatever reason, silly bets, witty arguments, and making fun of each other… we fell in love. And just two months ago, I stopped being single, and became his girlfriend. We went from strangers to sweethearts in a span of 5 years (starting on that day when he first saw me, five years ago, when I was just an incoming freshman in med school and he was a sophomore), and things just got better and better since then. A famous singer once said, “You can’t hurry love, you’ll just have to wait. Love don’t come easy, it’s a game of give and take…” and I believe that this does happen in real life. I waited, so did he, and look at us now. Lock and key!