20 Fun and Interesting Facts About Me

Hey my friends! I hope you are staying safe and healthy in these unprecedented times we are still in and celebrating the holidays with your families.

For the last few months, I‘ve been wishing to do a 20 facts about me blog, so you can get to know me a bit better. As a sociable person who loves getting to know people and expressing myself, I thought this would be such a fun boredom buster to help me get through the remainder of the pandemic.

I have a massive list of things that I like and dislike. To condense this blog a tiny bit, I decided to narrow my likes and dislikes down to 20 facts instead of stating all of my likes and dislikes. I‘ve had so many experiences in which I learned and did so many things that determined what my likes and dislikes are. I‘ve also had so many years to discover the real person I am, instead of the person that people think I am. Now is the time for you to discover the real me, before you are quick to judge me!

Here is the list of 20 fun and interesting facts about me!

1. I am an ambivert

For my entire life, I have been viewed as an extrovert, because I love to socialize and get to know all kinds of people. However, I love retreating into my own space and doing a solitary activity like reading a book. I have also been viewed as an introvert, because I would prefer to sit alone and do quiet activities instead of hanging out with my schoolmates during lunch break. After quite a few years of discovering who I truly am as a person and finding out the exact term to describe myself, I finally found an answer to my question: I am an ambivert. Ambiverts share similar personality traits to introverts and extroverts and are considered both reserved and sociable.

2. I am a real traveller

Since I was a child, I was always going somewhere with family and friends during school breaks and holidays. My dad is a big traveller and loves the freedom and fulfillment of being on a plane and taking a trip somewhere. My mom does not love to do it as much, but she is always venturing out to new places to discover and would always bring my brother, myself and other family-friends along. My dad would do the same. My love for travelling started when I was very young and when I started to study geography as a hobby.

I have been to several places such as St. Maartens, The Bahamas, Florida, New York, England, Israel, Quebec, Niagara Falls, Ganonoque, Peterborough, Puerto Rico and other remote towns in Ontario. I have been on a cruise twice during my youth and it would often reach destinations like The Bahamas. I have been to Israel twice when I was an adolescent and England only once to visit my aunt and uncle in the countryside. Odd trips like Niagara Falls, Peterborough, Quebec, Ganonoque and Florida would be done during long weekends or school breaks to visit family, discover new places, have a bit of an escape from the city, and/or enjoy the nice weather.

3. My favourite dog breed is a Teacup Poodle

In my opinion, the smaller the dogs are, the better and cuter they are! Since I was a teenager, I have developed an obsession with teacup and toy sized dogs like poodles, yorkies, chihuahuas, and pomeranians. I personally love poodles, because of their playfulness and curly, fluffy fur. If I got my own dog, I would get a female teacup or toy poodle and dress her in different costumes to make her look more like a toy. My addiction to teacup and toy poodles started after playing and interacting with a golden toy poodle at the dog daycare I used to volunteer at. She was extremely playful, loveable, giddy, and sociable. She loved mingling with her siblings, the other dogs, the staff and volunteers. After that one day of enjoying my time with the toy poodle, I started looking at random pictures of them on the internet, watching videos and looking up possible dog breeds for when I get my toy or teacup poodle one day.

Although this has nothing to do with poodles, I came across another vlog that featured a teacup chihuahua in Los Angeles the other night. I started watching it and I can never stop fixating on how cute, tiny and jubilant the puppy was.

Name of Vlogger: German in Venice (real name is Michael "Mike" Luttges)

Subscribe to his channel and follow him on Instagram for more videos to watch and things to view!

YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcAmcN0AP0Ee0UjrBFAomkA

Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/venice5150/

4. I have a photographic memory

When I was seven years old, my family was the first to notice my savant ability to correctly remember birthdays, calendar dates, events that would happen, people, names and other things. My teachers, educational workers, mental health aides, and friends were the second to recognize and be in awe with my photographic memory.

When I suffered from depression, anxiety, and a severe binge eating disorder in my senior years of high school, I started to lose my ability to remember calendar dates, and other things that I would not consider "important". I would be so consumed with my emotions that I never had time to remember anything that was vital and instead "what I wanted to remember". My memory was very limited because of the amount of sugar I consumed which harmed my brain overtime. When I started to change my diet and started to improve my overall wellbeing, I started to regain my superb photographic memory and started to remember birthdays and calendar dates. I am still gaining some of it back, but I hope to preserve it for the rest of my life!

5. I am an empath

Since I was young, I have been an empath. I just did not know the exact term for my level of empathy back then. Whenever I see or experience something traumatic from myself or another person, I easily feel the pain and sadness and can sympathize with others. According to my therapist, I am a deeply spiritual and connected person who always goes out of my way for people I care about. I hate to see my loved ones and others go through difficult times.

6. I ate only beige food until I was eight years old

When I was a very small child, I was an extremely fussy eater. I did not like vegetables, fruits, or anything that was “wholesome” and “good for the mind and body”. Certain textures, smells and tastes would cause me to gag and sometimes upchuck. I only consumed foods that were “beige” and “unhealthy for the body and mind” like Kraft Dinner, chicken nuggets, ice cream with sprinkles and other toppings, French fries, toast with cheese, fish sticks, Hot Dogs and sweets. My fussy eating habits have caused me to gain weight when I was six years old and contributed to my sugar addiction later on in my childhood. I did not start eating salads, fruits, rice and other healthy foods until I was eight years old. Believe it or not, the look and smell of rice use to gross me out so much that I would have to eat dinner on the stairs until I was nine years old!

7. I operated my first business at eighteen years old

After a few months of volunteering at a dog daycare in my neighbourhood, I decided to launch a dog walking business a week after my eighteenth birthday. A family friend who worked as a home-based hairdresser and receptionist had a dog that she wanted me to walk. Once I started walking her dog Molly and started to have an intimate bond with her, I began walking dogs to make some extra money. Within six months time, Molly became a regular client and then started gaining more clients in one- two years time of experience. When I moved out of my family home, I put the dog walking business on hold, so I can find new clients in my new neighbourhood and I am beginning to launch it now!

8. I have never gotten expelled, suspended or a detention in my entire life

During the youth, I had minor behaviour problems that were related to my Autism and behavioural health issues. Even though they created disruption in my social abilities and the capability to regulate my emotions, they were not severe enough for me to get expelled or suspended from school. The teachers knew where it would come from and would instead talk me out of those behaviours. For example, if I spoke back, raised my voice or called a classmate a name, I would get spoken to or receive a time out, but not get suspended, expelled or a detention. In most cases, I was a great student who did well in school, went out of my way to check on my friends, was sociable and loved to learn and read.

9. I have five favourite music genres

As I have stated in many blogs I have written on Vocal, I am a person who cannot live without her headphones. I have listened to so many songs and genres over the years that it became impossible to pick one specific genre that I would consider my "favourite" and instead would have "a bunch of favourites". My five favourite genres that I listen to on a daily basis are Rock, EDM, World, New Age and Hip-Hop. I love rock music and have been listening to all types of rock music since I was a child. My dad would listen to rock music, so I mainly inherited this interest from him. EDM, World, New Age and Hip-Hop became a few more favourites after my brother, friends, and other people that I would hang out with and witness in school and in the community regularly jammed to songs of these genres. My brother never listened to New Age music but started listening to the Quran as an adult. He loves Hip-Hop, EDM, and at one point Reggae music. He often listens to music in Hebrew, Arabic, and English, so I often learned to like World music from him. My mom was the same thing, but did not listen to much rock or EDM hits.

10. My favourite movie genre is horror

I have many favourite genres like comedy, suspense, thriller and mystery, but my top favourite has been horror since I was seventeen years old. After watching a bunch of previews of horror movies with my Grade 11 Media Studies class in high school, I finally overcame my fear of horror movies and began enjoying them more. I loved being intrigued and figuring out what would happen next, just like in a mystery novel like The Name of The Rose by Umberto Eco. For me, movies are more fulfulling when they are challenging and thought-provoking, or when they are extremely funny that you can't stop breathing for one straight hour. My favourite horror movies are Let the Right One In (a Swedish horror film), The Unborn Child (a Thai horror movie that I watched during quarantine), The Omen 1 and 2, The Nun, and Child's Play.

11. I am a self-proclaimed "child at heart"

My words of wisdom are: even if you are not physically a child, it does not mean you cannot spiritually or mentally be a child who loves to do things that kids would do. I am twenty-four years old and I still love to watch films and TV series like Honey I Shrunk the Kids and Popeye the Sailor Man, wear cartoon T shirts with jeans and running shoes, read fairy tales and books like Pollyanna by Eleanor H Porter, collect stuffed animals and color. I don't feel there is anything wrong with doing childish things as long as you are happy, safe, healthy and thriving in life. If you are one of those people, I am sure you understand where I am coming from. Life is too short to not live the way you want, despite your age and the way you were raised.

12. My favourite dessert of all-time is ice cream

My obsession with ice cream has not stopped when I entered adulthood. There is one dessert that I cannot live without and it is: ICE CREAM!!! Every now and then, I would grab a friend, a family member or take myself to a local ice cream shop or dessert cafe to enjoy a good ol' ice cream treat, just like when I was a child. Places like Baskin Robbins (my favourite ice-cream parlour chain of all time), Dairy Queen, Yogurty's, and other privately owned ice cream shops I have been to over the years are where I would visit to get sundaes, milkshakes and two scoops of ice cream in a cup. My favourite flavours are mint chocolate chip, chocolate chip, cookies and cream, chocolate chip cookie dough, birthday cake and cotton candy.

Now that I am trying to reduce the amount of refined sugar I consume on a daily basis, I try to find healthier ways to enjoy ice cream. I would either make my own vegan ice cream using frozen bananas, buy vegan ice cream, buy sugar-free ice cream, or make my own keto, low-carb and sugar free ice cream using whipped cream, stevia, and other natural products.

One thing that Canadians such as myself have learned to embrace is eating ice cream in the winter months. Typically, people would drink hot cocoa in the winter and eat ice cream in the summer time. But not us Canadians; we are always down for ice cream, regardless of the season and weather.

13. I was an A and B student who only received a few C's and 1 D+ in my entire academic career

Growing up, I was always keen on learning, bettering myself and gaining knowledge in a variety of subjects that I was fascinated by. High school was fun, because I got to take many courses like Travel and Tourism, Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity, English, Writer's Craft and Social Sciences, in which I received many A's and B's in. The C's were mainly in classes that I did not enjoy as much, and the D+ I received in college was because I found the Genetics course I took too complicated. I only received one D+ throughout my entire school career. Thanks to my love for books and learning, it has helped me overcome so many learning obstacles and has aided my academic success and motivation.

14. I got my first paid job at age eighteen

When I was a teenager, I did not have a paid job due to the fact that there were not many interesting things out there for me. I also needed an environment that was suitable for my needs, so it took a while for me to build on that job readiness and the ability to find an appropriate place that would be able to accommodate my mental health needs. After attending an overnight summer camp for people with multiple exceptionalities for 5 years of my adolescence, I realized that it was time for me to get a paid job once I turned eighteen years old. I always wanted to work as a camp staff, because I developed a love for kids, recreation programming and motivating people to enjoy life. I had so many experiences as a camper, so I felt it would be nice to contribute to the community and inspire kids to enjoy themselves as well. Camp Robin Hood was where I got my first ever job as an activity specialist when I was eighteen years old and have thrived there ever since. My colleagues, supervisors and campers have all treated me with dignity and I have always felt respected.

15. I am a cheese addict

Although I overcame fussy eating when I was nine years old, the fussy eating came back when I was eighteen years old. I stopped eating the healthy foods that I enjoyed like salmon, peas, corn, and would rely on foods that were fatty, sugary and cheesy. Whenever my mom made foods that I did not end up enjoying, I would melt a whack of cheese to cover up the taste of the food. My cheese addiction developed at the end of my adolescence and it has calmed down once I moved out of my family home. I love cheese and would eat it with anything, however I am now able to eat cheese in moderation and enjoy the healthy foods that I used to enjoy as a child such as peas, corn, spaghetti squash, tilapia, salad, shrimp, and other nutritious staples.

16. My favourite sitcom of all time is The Facts of Life

When I was in Grade 5, I stopped watching shows like The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and would turn to older sitcoms from the 70's, 80's and 90's. I first got hooked on the 80's show The Facts of Life when I was 11 years old. It would be regularly on a channel called Deja Vu that I was obsessed with. There were certain shows that I had to pay for, so my mom ended up pre-paying for the channel, so I can watch all the shows I enjoyed on Deja Vu. In the summer of 2009, I started binge watching The Facts of Life after falling in love with this chubby-cheeked, adorable, sassy, feminine, lively and giddy teenage girl Natalie Green in the first ever episode I remember watching in my dad's bedroom one Sunday afternoon. Natalie Green is my favourite characters, because of her high-pitched, squeaky voice as well as her love for writing and language. She and I share the same characteristics and has inspired me to keep writing throughout my life. The Facts of Life will forever be one of my favourite sitcoms and I love all the giggles, jokes, and the differences that each of the girls on the show share and exhibit.

Watch this short video clip of Natalie Green in one of the episodes of The Facts of Life!

17. My favourite romantic comedy movie of all time is Gregory's Girl

Every weekend, I would go to my fathers house to sleep over. On the majority of the days, I would live with my mom after she divorced my father in 2002. She needed time to schedule days in which my brother and I would sleep over and live with my dad. In my dad's tiny, white-washed and cozy bungalow in the York neighbourhood of Toronto, there was an enormous library of films that he enjoyed watching in the living room. Many of the movies that he collected and watched were romantic comedies, dramas, action, family and comedy movies from multiple eras like the 80's. Gregory's Girl was one of the 80's Scottish romantic comedy films that he often watched in the living room, and I ended up enjoying it while lounging in the living room with him one evening. My love for romantic comedies started at only 7 years old, after becoming obsessed with Gregory's Girl which is my favourite romantic comedy film of all-time. I am so thankful that I can still watch this film on YouTube, because I do not like watching DVD's as much anymore. I used to have the DVD and then I gave it away.

Feel free to give this short clip of Gregory's Girl a watch and maybe you will love this film, just like I do!

18. It took me three days to complete an 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle when I was a teenager

After taking a break from completing jigsaw puzzles in the 9th grade, I started to do them again in the 10th grade. On weekends and evenings at home, I would often do jigsaw puzzles to relax, unwind and take my mind off the pain that I endured from bullies at school. After buying this colorful, oddly-shaped, and fun Cobble Hill jigsaw puzzle of doughnuts at Centrepoint Mall in 2013, I kept it hidden in my room for after I was done my other puzzles that I was in the middle of completing that year. During the winter break, I would often hibernate in my bedroom and do jigsaw puzzles. I pulled out this puzzle one night after school, not knowing that I would complete it in three days. I would be so bored after school that I would want to do a puzzle. It literally took me three days to complete this oddly-shaped 1000 piece puzzle in my bedroom. I would not leave my room unless it was to go eat dinner, go to the bathroom, go to the gym in our condominium, to go outside for fresh air or other purposes, or to spend time with my mom in the living room. This puzzle kept me busy for hours and I was so proud of it that my mom offered to get it framed.

19. I learned to cook at the age of 20 years old

My mom and dad have always been overprotective of me, when it came to using the oven or stove unsupervised. When the nanny left our household, I lost all of my cooking skills. Due to my parents fear of me burning myself, starting a fire or screwing up the stove or oven, they never let me use it unsupervised, even if it was to make simple things like pancakes. My mom loved her kitchen so much that she hated it when I used it alone. She was afraid that I would mess up the kitchen, start a fire and burn myself. So once I moved out of my family home at 20 years old, I learned to master the art of cooking. Once I knew how to safely use the stove and oven, I would cook and bake on a regular basis. I would get so excited about cooking, especially when I lost the opportunity to cook when the nanny left. I would often cook and bake with the nanny when I was younger, so cooking independently in my own kitchen at 20 years old felt really good, and it brought back childhood memories of baking with the nanny at home.

20. I have three brothers

Eight years after my dad divorced my mom, my dad finally found the love of his life. She was a skinny, small-boned, dark-haired, kind, youthful and talented homemaker who also divorced her husband a few years after her thirteen-year-old highly gifted son passed away from a brain tumour in 2006. My dad developed a friendship with this woman and her husband after meeting them at several synagogue-wide events like Hockey with the Rabbi that my dad used to facilitate. She already had two sons at the start of her friendship with my dad. It wasn't until she divorced her husband that my dad and her became best friends. In February 2010, my dad started dating her once she moved a block away from our house. Around 2011-2012, my dad and her got engaged and got married in a family friends backyard in June 2012. My stepmother Lisa, her sons, my dad, brother and I became one big family. Lisa and dad became inseperable.