101 Things You Really Don’t Need To Know About Me

For Dena, Peter and Seamus!

1. I am the eldest of three girls

2. This is my eighth year living in Dublin

3. In these eight years I have lived in Killbarrack, Griffith Avenue, Harold’s Cross and currently Santry.

4. My Mom is a qualified Chef and my Dad is a certified Horticulture Advisor. I don’t remember either of them working in their professions

5. I spent 4 years in DIT Kevin Street studying Optometry. I was conferred in October 2006 in St. Patrick’s Cathedral with an BSc (Hons) in Optometry

6. Is ón Gaeltacht i gcontae Chiarraí mé. Tá gailge líofa agam.

7. Growing up I lived on a holiday village site with 27 houses. My Dad was the on site caretaker. We all “worked” from a very young age, something that has given us strong work ethics to this day

8. My favourite colour is pink. Its my Dad’s favourite colour too

9. I prefer giving presents than recieving

10. Chris de Burgh’s “Lady in Red” reminds me of my childhood and most of all dancing cheek to cheek with my Dad

11. My official name is Amy ** *****. This is the name I use professionally and day to day. Amy Long is what I use online

12. I am afraid of the dark

13. My first car was a Peaugot 206, called Betsy I bought outright with shares I had in the Irish Permanent. My Dad now drives her.

14. I have had four boyfriends since I was 15. I have been single now for a year and a half

15. My mother suffered a long, painful birth with me on May 5th 1984 which she reminds me of regularly when I annoy her.

16. After completing my leaving cert through Irish I won one of 10 College Scholarships awarded to those from Gaeltachts who had highest marks for an Irish leaving cert.

17. I drink red wine, I like Chianti and Beaujolais the best.

18. I wear glasses, and have since I was 5years old.

19. My curly hair is inherited from my Mother. I am her only daughter with curls!

20. I have only visited the US once, when I was 15. I travelled on my own to my cousin I had met only once! It was my 3rd time on a plane. Previous two were also alone.

21. Apparantly I am small. I am 5ft 2″ with a size 3 foot.

22. I have been skiing once. After a one hour lesson I progressed to red slopes within 4 days!

23. As much as I love singing in the car I haven’t a note in my head.

24. I have a horrible fear of heights but hope to one day jump out of a plane.

25. My cooking is terrible.

26. I still use my first laptop. A Dell Inspiron 1525 I bought in April 08. There was no PC in my house prior to this.

27. I let on I was named after Amy Johnson, the first woman to fly solo Britain to Austrailia. She left Britain on May 5th, my birthday, 1930.

28. Someone once “slept walked” into my bed while I was in the nip! (@dinglesurf)

29. Under no circumstance will I eat a mushroom.

30. Since a young age I have suffered with Psoriasis. Thankfully it is mostly concealed.

31. I cried when Stephen Gately died.

32. On Christmas Day 2009 I jumped into the icy Irish Sea at Portmarnock.

33. My mother is a 6th generation Dub. My father is all Kerry!

34. I went to the Web Awards 2008 having never read a blog or having never heard of Twitter! This has changed.

35. Electric Picnic 2009 was my first festival at 25! I loved it.

36. I had two pet goldfish called Roger and Rosie as a kid.

37. I still have my childhood teddy I couldnt sleep without. A pink puppy called Poochie.

38. My favourite book is Jodi Picoult’s My Sisters Keeper.

39. My most hated feature are my legs.

40. I love Disney Princess’. Sleeping Beauty and Beauty and the Beast are my favourites.

41. I have had to get stitches once. When I was 15 on my leg after a fall from my bike.

42. My favourite food is Italian.

43. I grew up by the sea and three beaches and learned to swim in the public pool in Northside SC, Dublin!

44. My favourite food is my Mom’s Shepherd’s pie and she makes it for me when I go home.

45. I can move my ears without moving any other facial features.

46. I am forgetful-something that ages my mother! I need reminding to do the most mundane stuff! I even set my phone to remind me to go to bed early.

47. When I was fifteen I secretly got my bellybutton pierced as I was not allowed! Mom never noticed until I was twenty.

48. Growing up we had our own playground and tennis court! How posh 😉

49. Since my birth I have never stayed overnight in hopsital. I only once ever underwent general anaesthetic to have two wisdom teeth removed.

50. I have never had a wing mirror for longer than six months!

51. Turkish delight is one of my favourite sweets! And I never need to share it!

52. When I was born I had three grandparents and two great grandparents.

53. I always get asked who I support in GAA Football being from Kerry/Dublin background. There is no question, The Kingdom all the way. Monday August 3rd 2009 was a sweet sweet day.

54. My glass is usually half full.

55. Although from my stature I was a good Irish dancer in my day making my mother sit through many a Féis.

56. I have a “fang” tooth which I hate with a passion! Its apparantly endearing.

57. I can’t eat lamb. Not because I don’t like the taste but because I can smell the wool and the field when its roasting.

58. I consider my best feature to be my hair. I hated it growing up and detested both my sisters long straight hair. I now love it!

59. I am an advocate of blood donating. My father would have died before I was even a thought had he not recieved a massive blood transfusion in 1980. I attempted to donate when I was 18 but they burst my blood vessel and left my arm heavily bruised from wrist to elbow. I returned 3months later to donate my first full pint. I am Type B Rh Positive.

60. Although I am the oldest I am the shortest in my family. Something I get teased about alot!

61. I think I look hideous naked as years of psoriasis and weight gain and loss have left their toll.

62. Generally I consider myself a shy person when I meet people. Not so much when you get to know me.

63. I cheated on a boyfriend once. The guilt ate me alive. He forgave me but I will never do that again.

64. December 2008 I slipped in the bath in my new house and gave myself a whiplash injury. It gives me trouble ever since! Luckily I have an aunt who is a massage therapist! We trade babysitting privlidges for free rubs.

65. Although being accademically smart I am generally a fairly thick person.

66. Damien Rice is probably my favourite all time artist. I find his music sexy and not depressing.

67. I was born with jet black hair and frosted tips on my curls. I went blonde soon after. I developed ginger streaks at my temples as a teenager which I hate and dye whenever they re show!

68. One of my best mates and I learned the entire routine to Girl’s Aloud Sound of The Underground one Christmas. It is our party piece and we have been caught on stage on video at his brothers wedding.

69. In 2008 I celebrated a break up and 2 stone weight loss by stripping off with 2000 others for a Spencer Tunnick Installation in Dublins Docklands. Incredible experience.

70. I love the taste of raw pastry. I also like 7up on cold rice.

71. I openly cry. I am not ashamed of crying. I however don’t look pretty when I cry.

72. My worst trait is a sometimes nervous, sometimes anxious, sometimes excited and more times idiopathic red rash I get across my chest.

73. Someday I hope to travel overseas and help people in Third World Countries with my Optometry skills.

74. I don’t picture myself having a traditional white wedding.

75. I don’t practice any religion.

76. My sister Louise once knotted a comb in her hair, up to the root, right on her front hairline while I was babysitting. I spent two hours cutting each comb teeth off with a modified saw as she sobbed, to avoid cutting her hair at the root. All because I knew she’d get into trouble!

77. I can’t tolerate the smell of peaches after drinking a bottle of Peach Snapps straight when I was 17 and was hideously sick afterwards.

78. I have never ever seen any Bond, Star Wars or Indiana Jones movies.

79. My fragrance is Chanel Chance.

80. One of my most treasured possesions is a genuine pearl necklace. I got it from my next door neighbour who was akin to a grandmother to us. She gave them to me when I was too young to appreciate them. She has since passed and I treasure them very much.

81. I cannot watch scary movies. I went to see the Exorcist when it was re-released as a teen and I left the cinema about quarter the way through. I have never seen the entire movie.

82. I wouldn’t change my family for the world.

83. No matter where I am, no matter how noisey it is or how uncomfortable it is I will always be able to sleep! Its sometime a curse!

84. I think a man with a guitar is one of the sexiest things ever. Helps if he can play it 😉

85. I am pretty good with numbers and have a great memory for them.

86. I have an inability to say no to people. It gets used against me by family all the time!

87. One of the most difficult days of my life was watching my father weap at his best friends wake.

88. I have a phobia of vomiting.

89. I drink beer, wine , port, vodka, but will under no circumstance drink whiskey-yuk!

90. A couple of years ago I developed a painful foot condition called Plantar Facsitis and could not wear heels for 8months. That was a hellish 8 months.

91. Armageddon was my favourite movie as a teenager. I watched it three times in a row once-on video so no skipping scenes. I can recite the script and I still cry at the end when Harry says to A.J “Give this to Truman. Make sure Truman gets this.”

92. My lesbian crush is Holly Willoughby.

93. The day I graduated my Dad was flicking through the booklet of Graduates and Winners of Special Awards and asked in jest “Where is your award Amy?” Then I was named out as the winner of the AMO Pharmacy Award but had never been notified! What a nice surprise!

94. I talk too much.

95. When babysitting my little cousin when he was a toddler he fell and hit his head in garden. I cried more than he did. I cleaned him up as best I could but he still has a few stones in his forehead. He is now 7 and uses it against me!

96. I just asked my 9 year old cousin for this one. She gave me “Your car is always really dirty”. True!

97. In September 09 I learned to scuba dive despite my nerves and anxiety. It was the most amazing experience of my life!

98. I enjoy being an Optometrist.

99. From age of 12 to 22 I studied French! My ability to read it is not so bad, but my command of speaking it is woeful. I regret not trying to like it more.

100. My first kiss was at a school disco when I was thirteen. I was wearing a black mini and purple velvet top. His name was Dara.

101. I am happy.