Interview With Myself

I tried my best to come up with a creative and fun way to introduce myself.... and this is the best I could come up with :/ Anyways, enjoy reading all about me!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Basic Questions~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


What is your full name?

My birth name was 何梦媛 (written in English as He Mengyuan, pronounced as "huh mong-yuan" --note that names in Chinese show the family name first, followed by the individual's name). When I came to the US in twelve years ago, I took up the nickname "Monica". Just last November I was naturalized and I officially changed my name to Monica He. 

Where were you born?

I was born in the mountainous city of Chongqing, a national central city of China. I moved to the US when I was five.  

When were you born and how old are you?

I was born on December 4, 1994- roughly two weeks after my due date (but I wasn't an overweight newborn lol...). That makes me 19 years old right now.

What is your nationality?

Even though my passport claims I'm American, I will always identity myself as a Chinese citizen. I was born in China, as were my parents, so I believe I am rightfully Chinese. 

What is your religious belief?

I am an atheist. I am really stubborn in that I refuse to believe something unless it is proven to be true in some way. It doesn't always have to necessarily be scientifically supported, but should at least be observed to be true. I do not believe that the existence of any gods is possible (and if you find proof, please do enlighten me!). However, I hold absolutely nothing against people who do believe in any god(s), so please don't be discouraged or anything by my atheism! I will always respect those who are religious like I would respect anyone else.  

What is your current occupation?

I am a freshman in college. I am majoring in biology in preparation for a pre-med path. I am also planning on taking up anthropology as a second major. Why pre-med? Please don't assume that I want to be a doctor because I'm Asian or anything of that sort. I am a humanitarian at core, and I strongly believe that to have a good life, one must first maintain a healthy body and lifestyle. I believe that most people in the world do not have what I was born with (i.e. a comfortably home, a loving family, food and water on my table, etc.), and those who were should strive to fix that imbalance. 

What is your relationship status?

I am currently single! Hit me up? ;)

Chongqing, the city where I was born in

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Leisure~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What do you do in your free time?

I cook and bake a lot. Like a LOT. And I love Food Network so damn much. Aside from watching Food Network, I'm not a big TV person. I enjoy blogging too! (I know, what a big surprise...) I like taking care of my body so I work out a lot- running, biking, resistance training, etc. I watch too much Korean drama online too... I also have this weird interest in studying diseases and their treatments/prospective treatments, and I have studied my dad's medical textbooks... 

What pets do you own?

I don't and have never owned any pets :( I would like to someday own a dalmatian or German shepherd. Or maybe a rabbit. 

What is your favorite vacation spot?

My family doesn't go on vacations a lot. It used to be that we couldn't financially afford vacations (immigration is tough!), but now it's more like we couldn't afford time off for vacations... :( So honestly, I don't have a favorite vacation spot. I would like to eventually visit Brazil, where a lot of good friends are from!

Where do you want to visit the most?

I like going back home to China to visit my family. I grew up around my mom's side of the family in Chongqing. I recently met a large portion of my dad's family for the first time in the city of Chizhou in the Anhui province of China. Honestly, visiting family is the best. Aside from my immediate family, I have no family in the US or outside of China for that matter. However, someday I would like to visit Jeju Island and Seoul in Korea (why do you think this blog exists lol...) and experience Korea myself!

What is your favorite music genre?

In all honesty, I don't have a favorite music genre. I like songs that have good melodies and beats, or have catchy tunes or beats. Anything interesting that catches my attention. However, I can say what I don't like... I don't like metal, opera, screaming, lack of a melody, and too much rap. 

Who is your favorite singer/band?

I don't have a favorite singer or band. I like many songs sung by many different singers and bands. I can't pinpoint a particular singer or band that I love above others.

Who is your favorite author?

Okay. So I don't read a lot... haha... but even if I did, I don't think I would have a favorite author. I can't do favorites! I like books that are written well and are interesting to read... Generally speaking, I really enjoy reading nonfiction and realistic fiction (when I actually find time to read...). Recently, I've been really into reading about global changes (i.e. globalization) and international/domestic affairs.

What is your favorite book?

But seriously. Even if I read a lot, I don't think I would have a favorite book. Actually, I really don't have a favorite book! When I was younger and actually had time to read, I read way more books than I care to share, but I never read a single book that I could read repeatedly. I remember really liking the "Warriors" series by Eric Hunter - I like series of books, not single books. Although, I also remember enjoying "Chinese Cinderella" by Adeline Yeh Mah, but that book is an autobiography rather than a fiction book.

What is your favorite movie?

My favorite movie is quite possibly "Rush Hour" starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. I can honestly watch that movie over and over and over and over and over again and not get tired of the action, humor, Jackie-Chan-ness, and everything else. 

What is your favorite childhood TV show?

Hmmm... this one is really tough! My family could not afford cable TV when I was younger, but I always seemed to have access to some cable channels because of our close proximity with neighbors who did (I have NO idea how that worked, but it did!). I distinctly remember obsessing over Toonami shows on Cartoon Network. I would always rush home from elementary school to watch Toonami in the afternoon, and my favorite show on Toonami was Yu Yu Hakusho at 4:30 in the afternoon. It was is just AMAZING.   

Who is your favorite TV actor and actress?

My favorite TV actor is Ian Somerhalder. He was born to play Damon from The Vampire Diaries- and Damon is a really hard character to play. Ian Somerhalder handles Damon's prideful, arrogant, caring, gentle, fierceness, playful, loving, sexy mannerisms and everything so pro. It's hard to imagine The Vampire Diaries without Ian Somerhalder. 

My favorite TV actress is Leighton Meester, whose performance in Gossip Girl (I am shameless, I know lol...) was beyond awesome. It is hard to believe someone like Blair Waldorf could exist without Leighton Meester as the actress. Her dramatic acting style is the perfect accompany to Blair's extravagant personality, lifestyle, and surroundings. 

Who is your favorite movie actor and actress?

My favorite movie actor is Jackie Chan. No questions asked. He has brought so much laughter and joy and comedy into my life it's not even funny. I watched his recent film, Chinese Zodiac, on my flight from Zurich to China and it literally made my 12 hour flight that much better and bearable lol... I watched that movie three times on that flight. 

My favorite movie actress is Jennifer Lawrence. Her performance in Silver Linings Playbook was simply astounding. Her acting was so realistic and natural- it's unbelievable. She was also amazing in Winter's Bone, in her role as a teenage girl trying to track her drug-dealing father while trying to keep her family together. 

I love Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in the "Rush Hour" movie series

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Food/Drinks~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chocolate or vanilla?

Chocolate of course! I don't even like vanilla. I think a lot of vanilla flavorings are too sweet and creamy for my taste.

Coke or Pepsi?

Neither! I don't like soda. It's too sweet and unhealthy! Water is the way to go. 

What is your favorite thing to eat?

This is such a hard question it's not even funny... I can't pinpoint a single favorite thing to eat, but I can say a few things I really like eating: ramen (lol), seafood, my grandma's 肉末豇豆 (rou mo jiang dou - pronounced "ro muo jiang doh" - pickled long beans with ground meat), etc. My absolute most hated food is cheese- I hate its taste and smell and texture. It's too foreign for me lol... I only like it on pizza, which is super weird...

What is your favorite dessert?

So this question is also ridiculously hard to answer! Again, I can't pinpoint a particular dessert that I go crazy for, but I have many desserts that I really like eating, and many of them being desserts from the local bakery, Sweet Thyme (i.e. the chocolate mocha cake, the apricot crumb bar, etc.). I tend to really like chocolate mocha flavored things (especially ice-cream from Haagen Daz). I am also a sucker for exotically-flavored desserts. 

What is your favorite drink?

I'm a HUGE sucker for any peach-flavored things- especially drinks. I LOVE peach nectar. I don't like peach flavor blended in as much because the peach flavor is strongly diluted, but peach nectar is where it's at!

What is your favorite thing to cook?

I love making my egg-fried rice. I have developed a special recipe and step for every part of the recipe. There is a certain way to slice the scallions, a certain amount of egg-beating, a certain way to prepare the rice, a particular brand of rice to use, etc. I've gotten only good compliments on this dish!

What is your favorite thing to bake?

I love making my super fudgy brownies the most! Over the years, I have changed and changed the recipe again and again because I'm a bit perfectionist like that haha... Anyways, two years ago I found two special ingredients that made my brownies all that much better. I'm always going to be on the lookout for other ingredients that can make my brownies taste better, but for now I will stick to my current brownie recipe that was perfected two years ago. Even chocolate-haters love my brownies :)

What is your favorite restaurant?

My family doesn't go out very often, so to be honest, I haven't tried many restaurants. Out of the few that I've gone out to, I like the local Japanese-Korean fusion restaurant called Dabin. It boasts fresh, light eating that is very clean on your palate. I actually really like the clean taste of its food, along with the nice ambiance in the restaurant. You can reserve a special room in the book where you sit in the traditional Korean style and served in the same style as well. The restaurant is a bit pricey compared to normal restaurants, but in this town it's priced normally...

What is your favorite cafe?

Honestly, I really like Starbucks. It's simple, classy, warm (especially in the cold New England winter), welcoming, and inviting. It also smells wonderful~~ I always go for the "Light Caramel Frappichino, no whip, sugar-free with caramel drizzle on top." When its in season, I like the pumpkin bread. 

What's your favorite bakery?

I'm torn between Sweet Thyme, a local French-Asian fusion bakery, and Flour Bakery in Boston. Both produce amazing high-quality desserts. I love Sweet Thyme because its desserts are lighter and showcases more exotic flavors. Flour Bakery makes European and American style dessert- which taste so much better than other bakeries. Flour Bakery turns normal desserts into masterpieces.     

Flour Bakery - one of the best places on Earth!