Some Facts About Me

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  1. My name is Denise. I don't have a middle name.
  2. I was born on November 15, 1986. I am a Scorpio and a Fire Tiger.
  3. I am a Chinese-Canadian. English is my first language, but I am fluent in Cantonese.
  4. I was born and raised in Toronto, where I still currently live.
  5. I am an introvert with brilliant extrovert skills. 
  6. I am a professional make-up artist. I got my diploma in Makeup Artistry from CMU College of Makeup Art & Design (which was known as Complections School of Makeup Art and Design) in 2010. I decided to specialize in Fashion Photographic Makeup, and worked in the cosmetics industry for 15 years.
  7. Of those 15 years, I worked for MAC Cosmetics for nine. I wore full face makeup everyday until the COVID-19 pandemic hit (which was actually 3 months after I quit MAC). Since then, the only makeup I wear is mascara.
  8. Before makeup, I majored in Graphic Communications Management at Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolian University) from 2004 to 2008. 
  9. I lived in NYC by myself for two months when I was 16 to study Graphic Design at Parsons School of Design.
  10. After quitting makeup, I worked for one of the top-five banks in Canada for two years, and it was the most miserable two years of my life. I now work as an Executive Assistant for the CEO of an import company. 
  11. Aside from BTS, my hobbies are eating and food photography.
  12. My favourite cuisine is Japanese.
  13. I prefer coffee over tea, unless it's bubble tea.
  14. Noodle soup is my ultimate comfort food. 
  15. I like pineapples on pizza.
  16. I am diabetic. (Go figure.)
  17. My favourite TV show of all time is Gilmore Girls (one of the few shows that I started watching from its initial air date all the way to its end). This is followed very closely by Veronica Mars
  18. I am right-handed but my left hand is stronger.
  19. I played the piano for six years and the violin for nine.
  20. I would consider BTS as my favourite musical artist, and have been a BTS ARMY since 2016. I have a very intense, devoted love for them that exceeds my love for any other musical artist in my entire lifetime. 
  21. However, my favourite genre of music is alternative rock, and has been for over 25 years. Yes, everyone thought my obsession with BTS came out of the blue. And it kind of did. 
  22. My first concert ever was Hanson in 1998 at the Molson Amphitheatre. Like many preadolescent girls at the time, I had a huge crush on Taylor Hanson. (I flipped between him and Nick Carter constantly, but Taylor seemed more down-to-earth and attainable.)
  23. I have since been to over 200 concerts and music festivals.
  24. I've been to five BTS concerts so far, four of which I traveled out of country for. 
  25. The bands that I have loved the longest that are still around today are Deftones and Foo Fighters. I have seen them in concert five times and once, respectively.
  26. Despite Taylor and Nick, my first celebrity crush ever was Leonardo DiCaprio. I was 10, and it was right after I watched Romeo + Juliet for the first time, and I thought there was no one in the world more swoon-worthy than him. That is, until Ryan Gosling came along.
  27. But now I forego Ryan because BTS is in my life, and I basically consider them my seven Korean soulmates. 
  28. I have a weird thing about touching fake hair (e.g. wigs, extensions, etc.), which might explain my irrational fear of dolls and clowns. But I'm fine with applying false lashes.
  29. Speaking of lashes, I actually never wear falsies. My lashes are abnormally long, especially for an Asian.
  30. The first movie I ever watched was My Neighbor Totoro. I was three, and my dad had recorded it on VHS. This might explain my love for all things Studio Ghibli.
  31. I cannot metabolize alcohol so I don't drink, but I am a smoker and it's been an on-going habit since I was 16. Yes, I know it's bad for me. Yes, I know I should quit. No, I'm not ready yet.
  32. I traveled a lot when I was younger. I had visited over 20 countries by the time I was 18.
  33. I've had a blog for over 25 years. You know, before Livejournal, with dial-up modems.
  34. I do not advertise here, nor are my posts sponsored. I have been blogging long before we could make money from it, and I don't intend on starting now.