It’s been a while, but here is part 3 of the ‘Get to Know Me’ series. I’ve hit an all too serious existential crisis so I haven’t had much time to churn out as many travel-related posts as I wanted, so here’s a quick read to tide the blog over.
If you’re a new reader and wishes to catch-up on this series, just jump on the About Me tag to get started.
Now, onto the juicy bits!
High School Non-Musical, aka LiberaTarts Can’t Sing
Funniest moment throughout school?
The fact that no moment stands out as particularly funny pretty much indicates how much fun I had during my years in mandatory education. There was that one time I dressed up as a Christmas Fairy during a World Book Day event – “dress up as your favourite book character, it’d be fun!” they said. Whilst I looked amazing in a puffed up Santa-inspired dress and a random set of fairy wings, the other kids in my class were flabbergasted that I dared to dress Christmas-y during early spring.
Anyway, the following year I made the executive decision to dress up as Velma from Scooby Doo. That was a fun year, considering.
How many countries have you visited?
Last I checked? 20 countries as of this November. Check out my world travel map – the highlighted areas are the countries I’ve spent at least 48 hours in.
Places I really very much want to revisit are Spain, Japan, and the USA. I’m a traveller at heart, and it’s my greatest wish to see Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Machu Picchu in Peru, and the Great Wall of China in… well, China.
What was your favourite/worst subject in High School?
FAVOURITE SUBJECT: Mathematics
WORST SUBJECT: Music
It was a mix of social anxiety and the fear of speaking in public that clued me to the fact that I cannot – and will ever not – perform well in Music class. I also can’t sing my way out of a paper bag, despite my entire Filipino family enjoying a good karaoke singalong every time there’s an excuse to throw a party.
What is your favourite drink? Animal? Perfume?
DRINK: People close to me (but not close enough to know my true niche interests) have learned to get me Starbucks gift cards as gifts. I like a good triple-shot hazelnut soy latte to get my day started, and a really indulgent matcha soy latte with whipped cream for those days I need a little pick-me-up.
ANIMAL: My favourite animals are snakes, hedgehogs, and turtles, but there’s nothing like a little kitten climbing onto your lap and napping it’s cute head off for a solid hour or so. The closest I have ever gotten to that happening was when I met a street cat in Budapest that one time.
PERFUME: I don’t like scents that are too strong, so I rarely use perfume outside of fancy events like an extra-social party or my own graduation (to name the most recent times). I barely even tolerate scented deodorant.
What would you (or have you) name your children?
Children? What children?
It was a running joke during college that I will name any daughter of mine Sherlock, just to mess with people. I am so glad I grew out of that – and by that, I mean the BBC show and not my penchant for naming things/people/anything strangely.
Case in point: I promised a friend just today that if I ever get a pet, I’m naming them Theodosia after the Hamilton song. I am also to name any hamsters I theoretically get Alexhamster Hammylton after the titular character.
#waitforit
What sports do you play?
I used to enjoy table tennis back when P.E. lessons were mandatory. I completely sucked at volleyball, and actual human-sized tennis was fun back when I was a child and my family were crazy enough to go to public tennis courts and play a set or two against other Filipino expats.
Who are some of your favourite YouTubers?
I don’t have any? Sorry to disappoint!
How many relationships have you had?
If you don’t have a decent relationship with your family and all the friends you’ve met (and have chosen to keep – some just didn’t make the cut!), then you’re failing at life, my friend.
Favourite memory from childhood?
The one time my entire family and I went on vacation to Palawan in the Philippines. We were island hopping for the day and it was right after lunch, which we spent under a nipa hut on the white sandy beach, and I was taking a fortifying walk where the water kissed the land. Someone had taken a picture of me, digging my bare foot into the sand, my mother’s large beach hat covering my face.
It wasn’t a great shot of me by any means, but what that random stranger managed to capture in the background was one of the most accurate depiction of my family dynamics. Very quintessential. (Spoiler alert: we’re all complete dorks.)
Basically, my younger brother and my mother were walking down the beach as well – we all ate a lot of food, okay! – and for some reason, my brother had grabbed and ran away with the wrap/pashmina/sarong my mother was using to protect herself from the sun. My mother gave chase. Just imaging a chubby little kid who was a head shorter than my below-average height of a mother, zig-zagging across this pristine, white sandy beach in the Philippines, while I calmly took in the views of the ocean before me. That’s one of my fondest memories.
How would you describe your fashion sense?
I would describe my fashion sense like a child with a credit card who was let loose in a mall. I like overtly feminine clothes, but also masculine silhouettes (though I don’t have many pictures of that); I like tight a-line skirts and midi dresses and oversized jumpers and whatever I can find at the men’s section in any given charity shop. Depends on the day, really.
Spain | August ’16 
Hungary | September ’18
Over to you guys: Comment below if you’re a cat person! I’m a very recent fan myself, so I try to make up the years I’ve spent disliking them by being so happy whenever I encounter one. Also, where in the world would you like to (re)visit? I’m curious to find out!
Part 4 of 5 will happen once I get a handle on my existential crisis.
liberatarts 