25 Little-Known Facts About My Boyfriend

In celebration of my boyfriend Ange’s 25th birthday today, I decided to compile a list of 25 things that most people may not know about him.

Let’s begin:

1. He doesn’t like listicles.

Ange thinks they often aren’t detailed enough to be truly helpful or informative. He especially doesn’t like listicles like this one. Oops. Haha!

2. He created his own video game at age 14.

When Ange was in his early years of high school, he created “Ant World” using Python. He even sold a few copies to his classmates and made around $50! Creative and entrepreneurial. 😉

3. He was one of the top applicants for his program at the University of Toronto.

He doesn’t brag about this himself because he thinks it’s baloney but Ange was, indeed, one of the most impressive incoming freshmen at U of T back in 2011.

Haba ng hair ‘ko hahaha!

4. He taught me graphic design, programming, and photography, among others.

Being the multi-talented being that he is, Ange has shared with me many skills. He very eagerly taught me C++, how to use Illustrator, Photoshop and Lightroom, and he gives me tips on how to improve my photography skills!

5. Before classical and folk music, he mainly played rock.

On the piano, Ange learns classical pieces composed by the likes of Bach and Chopin. On the guitar, he plays folks-y music from many decades ago. But when he was much, much younger, he and his brother actually frequently performed rock music from acts like Led Zeppelin together.

6. He was part of an Argentine tango club for two years.

We have never properly danced tango together (it’s a bit too serious for my taste and when he tried teaching me I lost my cool a lot lol) but he was a very dedicated member of a club at U of T between 2015 and 2016.

7. His boots are his favorite footwear…

…and flip flops are probably his least favorite.

8. He can’t stand cheese.

Yep, he eats his pizza without the cheese! And yep, I’ve tried it and it’s actually not bad.

9. He is one of the fairest people you will ever meet.

Not in the “mirror, mirror” sense. More like, he will never behave selfishly if it means he’s going to step on someone else. Even on the rare occasions that he does something unorthodox, it’ll always be for a good reason.

10. He is extremely dedicated.

I have met very few people like Ange who will spend many hours every day on various projects. It could be related to software, music or any other creative or professional pursuit – his mind is set on completing it and executing it perfectly.

11. He is the biggest fan of chocolate raisins.

He loves them so much he will buy a family-sized bag for himself and eat it all within a couple of days.

12. For him, time is the most important resource.

Given that he has many interests, it upsets him when he doesn’t have enough time to do them. This is also why he often skips on activities he deems unproductive or unchallenging.

13. He is a walking encyclopaedia.

This is probably one of my favorite things about him. Pretty often, I’ll ask him random questions like “How do black holes work?” and from memory, he will offer me detailed, scientific answers.

14. He is super competitive.

Don’t be fooled by his angelic face. It doesn’t matter if it’s table tennis, pool or Boggle Bash, he will destroy you.

15. Despite his fancy computer, he doesn’t play a lot of games.

If you ask him what his favorite computer game is, he will probably say Sims 2 and an ancient Toys Story game on the PlayStation 1.

16. He can snack on onions by themselves.

And I have never met anyone else who can do this outside of a purely survival context.

17. You can always count on him to be helpful.

Whenever I have a problem, emotional or “practical”, he always tries to offer assistance. He either does something for other people or offers very sound advice. He also motivates me to be more assertive when I need to be, and he calms me down when I get overly frustrated.

18. If it’s logical, he’ll get it.

If it’s math, science, or a logical sequence of events, he will one hundred percent understand it and even offer fresh perspectives.

But if it’s my random mood swings, he gets pretty confused lol.

19. He is crazy about animals.

He tags me in all the cute (and some frightening) animal videos. And when he visited me in the Philippines, he cooed at the street dogs and cats that most people typically shoo-ed. When he sees an animal, he doesn’t say “Awww” like most people. Instead, he opts for “Oh nooo!”

20. He shares my love and admiration for Gordon Ramsay.

For many months, we would have dinner together while watching Kitchen Nightmares (yes, for some reason, we can stomach that). And even when I had to fly back to Florida for school, we kept the habit up and often commended Gordon Ramsay’s amazing cooking skills and disinterest in incompetent individuals.

21. His favorite Friends character is Joey.

He really likes the silliest, good-natured character from the show, which I think is interesting because I often observe this playful behavior from him too!

22. He likes to make things.

He’s created the following impressive things: his own programming language for his own ray tracer, a game engine, a few video games, musical pieces for the guitar and piano, a 3D simulation of his apartment, and many others.

23. He keeps close track of his finances.

Though he likes his expensive books, super extra PC, and piano, he is incredibly responsible with his finances. He even created a program which helps monitor his spending and savings.

24. He shed tears while watching About Time, Up, and Coco.

He probably isn’t gonna be ecstatic that I am sharing this with the world but I think it’s adorable. ❤️

25. He will not advertise the fact that it’s his birthday…

…so I’m doing it because he deserves lots of greetings!

So happy birthday to the kindest, most supportive and most intelligent boyfriend I could ever ask for. I am so grateful to have met you and my only wish is for us to keep growing together.

I love you ❤️