Summarising a person in such a small space is never going to be very successful, but here's a few small titbits to give you some idea of who I am:

• Name:
  Anna-Jayne Metcalfe
  
  I think I've known Anna was my true name for a long time. My middle name's a big thank you to a very special friend, who helped me hugely during the early stages of my transition.
   
• Birthdays:
   I was born in 1966 in Bishop Auckland, County Durham.
  
  I was reborn at the hands of Dr. Suporn on 14th November 2003 at Aikchol Hospital, Chonburi, Thailand.
   
• Personality:
  I'm me. No less, but often (so my friends tell me) much, much more. It's rather fun at times, but it can be deeply painful too.
  
  Although I'm the sort of person who'd rather laugh and join the party than hide in the corner, that's only part of the story as I've got a very sensitive side to my personality. In fact, I used to come across as shy and quiet, but as I never wanted to be that way I tended to change quite a bit once I know people.
  
  Now I'm rapidly turning into an extrovert, although socially I'm still a little quiet at times. I'm very emotional but mostly in a tears and laughter kind of way, and value those I care for more than anything else - my friends mean everything to me.
  
  If I had to describe myself in one word, it would be empath - I empathise with others, and can usually feel their pain and joy. My heart is open, so I can be hurt all too easily - but I can also love so much.
   
• Family:
   I'm divorced and have two wonderful kids but sadly since my transition I no longer live with them (and in fact can't see them either). At times it hurts hugely.
   
• Where am I?
  These days I live in Bournemouth, in Dorset on the South Coast of England. It's a lively, laid back and sunny place, with a great cafe culture and a thriving LGBT community.
  
  Prior to that I lived in Basingstoke (Hampshire), Maidenhead (Berkshire) and Guildford (Surrey), to name but three.
   
• Faith:
  Despite not having a Christian background, I came to Faith in Spring 2001 at Buckskin Evangelical Church.
  
  What I didn't expect was what would happen subsequently - and the unfortunate reaction the Church would ultimately have to my transition. Since September 2002 I've worshipped at St. Thomas of Canterbury in Worting, Basingstoke and (more recently) MCC Bournemouth where I've been made to feel truly welcome.
   
• Career:
  Although I qualified as an Electronic Engineer in 1989 I spent most of my time doing paperwork rather than what I trained for, and these days I'm a software developer working on C++ and web projects, and the author of the Resource ID Organiser Add-In for Visual C++. My profile on The Code Project gives details of that side of my life should you be curious.
   
• Loves:
  My greatest love is seeing others smile and share their joy in life.
  
  As far as interests go I love so many things – but being around fun and interesting people is a firm favourite. I also enjoy live music (as long as it has life and passion!), dancing (badly, of course, but with feeling!) anything historical (I'm a trained swordswoman...) being with friends and just, well anything fun. There's so many things I'd love to try - far too many to list here and doubtless even more I haven't thought of yet!
   
• Dislikes:
  I really don't like to see anyone in pain, and do my best to help where I can. I despise ignorant, intolerant, materialistic or obstructive people, inflexibility and beaurocracy. I can be real a bolshy cow when I'm faced with any of these!
   
• Sexuality:
  Making it up as I go along...
   
• Fun Places:
  Somewhere not too hot with lots to do. (I'm not really a beach person, but my idea of fun is pretty broad these days!) 
   
• Favourite Movies:
  Here are just a handful of my favourites:
   
  • What Dreams May Come - Robin Williams and Annabella Sciorra play a couple who not only have to bear the tragic loss of their children - but of each other. A remarkably emotional story of one man's journey through sheer hell to find his soulmate. I can't watch this movie alone - it brings so many tears.
     
  • Kissing Jessica Stein - A very sweet romantic comedy with a twist - both partners are female. I just love this movie!.
     
  • The 13th Warrior - Antonio Banderas plays an Arab prince amongst a group of Viking warriors. What more could a girl want?
     
  • Dogma - I can't do this movie justice with a mere description, but suffice it to say that Matt Damon and Ben Affleck play two renegade angels, Chris Rock is the 13th Apostle (who got written out of the Bible because he was black) and Alan Rickman is the Metatron...
     
  • Chocolat - A beautiful movie describing what happens when a newcomer does something thoroughly shocking and opens a chocolate shop in an ultra conservative village in 1950s France at the worst possible time - during Lent. Johnny Depp co-stars as a very yummy drifter with Irish roots and lots of charm.
     
• Favourite TV Show:
  Red Dwarf. Need I say more?
   
• Favourite Music:
  My musical tastes are rather varied - everything from hard rock and blues through to popular, with a whole pile of offbeat stuff in-between! If I hear anything with spirit or feeling behind I'm quite likely to enjoy it.
  
  Here's what I'm listening to at the moment:
  
  
  
   
• Favourite Authors:
  Freya North, Douglas Adams, Tom Holt and Greg Bear to name but a handful. I'm not getting much time to read at the moment, but when I do I like books with feeling or an off-the-wall approach to everyday life. For me at the moment, Freya's books fit my taste perfectly - check out Fen and you'll see why. I won't forget my roots though, and I still love a bit of sci-fi when the mood takes me!
   
• Favourite Foods:
  If I have a choice between sweet and savoury, I'll choose savoury every time. I'm also a big fan of spicy foods, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that Thai, Indian and Chinese cuisine are firm favourites (although many native Thai dishes are too hot for even me!). I'm also a cheese fiend and never, ever have tomato ketchup with anything if there's a more interesting sauce around. Preferably with chilli in it.
   
• Favourite Animals:
  Border Collies. Throughout most of my childhood, we had a collie as a pet and I fell utterly in love with them. If my lifestyle allowed me to have another dog, I definitely would - and you know what it would be!
    
• Favourite Places:
  Firstly, Thailand. As the place of my rebirth, it holds a special place in my heart and I now consider it to be my second home. There's something truly wonderful about Thai culture - I've never been anywhere so friendly or seen a people so content. In my two months there I also never saw any hint of anger or aggression (apparently it's strongly frowned on) which is a welcome change to what I so often see in the UK. The West could certainly learn a great deal from the Thais.
  
  Secondly, Bournemouth. If you've ever been here as something other than a tourist in the summer, you'll know why...