100 Things About Me

1. Orange juice is my personal remedy for every ailment in the Milky Way Galaxy and beyond.
2. In general, I try to avoid dining out since I prefer to cook. On the occasions I do go to restaurants, I always try to pick a dish I couldn't or wouldn't make myself.
3. I have both a sweet tooth and a salt tooth, but if you held my feet to the fire the salt tooth would win.
4. I drive a green Grand Am and was once told by a complete stranger that I "seemed like a green-car type of woman."
5. I grew up on in north-suburban Chicago, right on the Illinois-Wisconsin border. Sometimes I think I may have landed on the wrong side of the border because I love cheese so much.
6. I am of 100% Chinese ethnicity. I have one of those rare compound Cantonese last names, though, so based on my surname people often think I am Japanese. I am also frequently thought to be Korean or Filipina based on appearance. Go figure.
7. I generally don’t watch movies, but I can recite pretty much every line in the movies "Coming to America" and "Ocean’s Eleven," and I’m getting close to being able to do so with "The Italian Job."
8. I am an ENFJ bordering on INFJ.
9. I believe technical capabilities can be taught, but creativity can only come from within.
10. I ran my first half-marathon on a whim with two friends and exactly zero training.  Lesson learned: training is important, but running is really a mental exercise.
11. One of my hobbies is to collect stamps in my passport. One time I was in Tokyo Narita with my mom on a layover of only about an hour and a half. I still went through customs/immigration just to get an entrance stamp. Then I turned right back around and went through customs/immigration to get an exit stamp. My mom was so nervous I’d miss our connecting flight that she nearly killed me when I got back to the gate.
12. I enjoy traveling alone. I’ve been to Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Mexico, England, and Ireland by myself.
13. I was once voted “Most Likely To Have Her Picture On A Currency Note."
14. I had perfect attendance all throughout junior high and high school, and I can count on one hand the number of classes I missed throughout my entire college career.
15. I was an RA for 2 years in college. Those were among the best years of my life.
16. I absolutely love going to the Disney parks. I think Disney is a creative genius.
17. Other than Mickey Mouse, my two favorite Disney characters are Stitch and Figment. Outside of Disney, I love Snoopy, Woodstock, the Pillsbury Dough Boy, and the Serta Sheep. I still enjoy watching Looney Tunes cartoons.
18. I'd rather listen than talk.
19. I hate taking medicine, and I won’t see a doctor unless I absolutely, absolutely, absolutely have to.
20. Independence Day is my favorite holiday. Picnicking, barbequing, summertime, fireworks... what could be better!?!?
21. I love watching true cooking shows. I used to watch the Food Network 24:7 (I lost interest when they began featuring so many competition series).
22. I would describe my personal style as classic with an occasional twist.
23. I lived in the south side of Chicago for eight years. When I commuted on the train or bus, I was generally the only non-African American passenger aboard.
24. I tend to talk very quickly, so I am working on trying to slow down my rate of speech. Therefore, whenever I leave voicemails, I sometimes select the "replay your message" option as a training tool.  I am usually amazed at just how fast I am talking.
25. If I had been a boy, my parents would have named me "Eric." They also considered naming me "Tammy" instead of "Emily." My Chinese name means “long life.” 
26. I took German in high school and speak horribly broken Mandarin Chinese with an embarrassingly strong accent.
27. I don't kill spiders in my home. Instead, I try to scoop them up and put them outside.
28. Whenever I travel, I always want to go off the beaten path and hang out where the locals hang out.
29. My favorite charitable causes are those that go towards animal shelters or homeless shelters.  I used to volunteer at the Anti-Cruelty Society.
30. I've been a member of Toastmasters since 2003, and have actually grown to somewhat enjoy public speaking opportunities.
31. I've taken three levels of improv classes at ComedySportz and LOVED the classes.  I use the improv techniques in everyday life now.
32. I took piano lessons from the age of 4 until I graduated from college.  I also took flute lessons for about 10 years growing up.
33. I am a rabid fan of the Chicago Blackhawks.  I absolutely love NHL hockey and there are few things I enjoy more than seeing a Hawks game live at the United Center.  I have the Hawks' goal song, Chelsea Dagger, as the ringtone on my cell phone.  I also have the Blackhawks logo as my phone's wallpaper.
34. The Chicago Blackhawks have a tradition at their home games that during the national anthem, the crowd cheers and claps as loud as they can.  Now whenever I hear the national anthem elsewhere, I have to restrain myself from cheering and clapping as loud as I can.
35. My husband is from Pittsburgh, so through his influence I am also a big fan of both the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
36. I once went to M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, dressed in Steelers garb, to watch the Steelers play the Ravens.  I sat through three hours of horrific, unspeakable abuse by Ravens fans.
37. Of course I root for my hometown Chicago Bears, but my husband is still working on realigning my Chicago sports loyalties so I'll say I am a Steelers fan first, and then a Bears fan.
38. I am a proud alumnus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  Go Illini!
39. One of my dreams is to get a pilot's license, and I have several friends who have done it.  If it weren't for the high cost of pilot school, I would do it in a heartbeat.
40. I spent 12 years working for accounting/consulting firms and a year working for a private university. I worked for a large corporation for almost three years (where I was by far the happiest I had ever been in my entire career) before my business unit got acquired by a large bank.
41. I worked in new product development for almost two years, and thoroughly enjoy learning about the concepts that go into identifying unmet customer needs.
42. When I was growing up I was all about conformity, but now I appreciate and embrace uniqueness very much.
43. I'm an only child.
44. I get frequent cravings for Chicago-style deep dish spinach and mushroom pizza.
45. My favorite international travel destination of all time is Bali. My favorite domestic travel destinations are Hawaii and New Orleans.
46. I love Hawaiian and Italian culture so much that I want to be Hawaiian and/or Italian.
47. I have perfect pitch.
48. When watching golf on TV, I used to giggle when the pros missed their puts because I thought it was so easy.  Then I tried playing golf myself and learned just how hard it really is.
49. When ordering sandwiches or toast at restaurants, I always ask for no mayonnaise and no butter.
50. I have unruly hair which isn't straight, but isn't really wavy either.
51. I am a very strong supporter of environmental conservation and recycling efforts.  I try very hard to always "reduce, reuse, and recycle."
52. I have never smoked a cigarette. I once tried to smoke a cigar but had no clue how to do it.
53. I haven't met much of my extended family, most of who live overseas in China.
54. I am all about efficiency and get frustrated when I see things being done inefficiently.
55. I have a tough time with long road trips. I don't have the patience to sit still for that long.
56. I like to pack lightly when traveling. I don't like carting around a lot of stuff that I don't end up using.
57. Earlier in my career, I used to travel on business 80-100%.  At one point, I had over 800,000 frequent flier miles (but have been using them up pretty quickly since then).
58. A lot of my coworkers answer their office phones by simply saying their first and last name, but I prefer to answer by saying, "Hello, this is Emily."
59. I am very right-handed.
60. I love shopping online but detest paying for shipping, so I will only buy things online if I get free shipping.
61. Due to Chicago's obscenely high sales tax, I do everything I can to avoid buying anything in Chicago (groceries being the exception).  I also refuse to buy gas in Chicago and will always fill up whenever I'm in the suburbs or traveling.
62. My favorite fruit is mango.  I also love strawberries, blueberries, and bananas.
63. I don't like brussel sprouts or asparagus.
64. I am on a mission to visit all 50 of the U.S. states, all of the Canadian provinces, all of the Mexican states, and all 7 continents.
65. I used to keep track of the number of airports I've flown through.
66. I wore braces as an adult for about 3 years, and I still wear a retainer/mouth guard to sleep at night.
67. My favorite scents are clean laundry, baked goods, grilling, men's cologne, and burning leaves.
68. Spring and fall are my favorite seasons. I think temps in the 40s or 50s are perfect for running.
69. It's very rare for me to consume caffeine or alcohol.
70. I am amazed at the creative advertising concepts insurance companies come up with to promote what is otherwise an unremarkable product.
71. There are few things that irritate me more than being stuck in a bumper-to-bumper traffic jam. I strongly believe in public transportation and I believe you really get to know a city by the atmosphere on its trains, subways, etc.
72. I used to pay minimal attention to my appearance, but have since learned that you feel better when you do put forth an effort to look good.
73. I believe in signs from the universe.  For example, if I'm trying to open up a container of ice cream and I'm having trouble doing so, it's a sign I shouldn't be eating it.
74. My eyesight is good enough that I can see pretty well without any corrective eyewear, but I do have both glasses and contact lenses.  90% of the time I'll pick wearing glasses.  I only wear the contact lenses for special occasions.
75. I don't understand how so many women always wear their dress shoes barefoot, even in the wintertime.  I always wear hosiery with my dress shoes.
76. I want to be a Disney Imagineer.
77. Giving myself a manicure and/or a pedicure is one of my self-indulgences.
78. I love journaling and wish I had done it more consistently throughout my entire life.
79. Since I always type things now, my handwriting has gotten progressively worse and worse.  Now when I handwrite anything for more than a few minutes, my hand starts to hurt.
80. I enjoy taking surveys and usually am happy to provide customer service/product feedback surveys whenever requested.
81. My blood type is O positive.
82. Instagram is my favorite social media platform.
83. One of the top items on my life's to-do list is to visit the Serengeti and experience the Great Migration.
84. When I get my hair cut, I tell my stylist to do whatever he wants or thinks is best and I don't get nervous about it.
85. Sleep is a priority for me - getting enough sleep is important and necessary for me to function.  I need at least 7 hours per night.
86. I have some of the darndest dreams sometimes.  I wish I could videotape my dreams and watch them in the morning after waking up, similar to Saturday morning cartoons.
87. I try to eat something (healthy) at least every three hours.  It keeps me balanced.
88. My husband and I met for the first time when he was interviewing me for employment at the firm we both worked at together for 7.5 years (we both work elsewhere now).  We got engaged in Sydney, Australia.
89. My favorite color is red, closely followed by blue.
90. Clutter bothers me.  While I am not a minimalist, I try to keep my desk and home as neat and free of excess stuff as possible.
91. I try to embrace every change in my life as an opportunity for improvement.
92. The Eagles are one of my all-time favorite bands.
93. My favorite classical music composers are Chopin and Beethovan.
94. I dislike horror movies or movies that are very violent or edgy.
95. The most-frequently referenced book in my house is The Joy Of Cooking.
96. I use a ton of exclamation marks!!!!!
97. I really enjoy getting to interview people, whether for employment opportunities or other reason.
98. I wish I could sing well.  I've considered trying to take some vocal lessons at some point.
99. When I go to the doctor or dentist, I don't mind being stuck in the waiting room for a long time if they have good gossip magazines to read.
100. I don't have any tattoos and my ears are the only thing I have pierced.