Merci Elena for the Sunshine Blogger Award nomination and your incredibly kind words! I will continue to tune in when you create fresh content and will no doubt continue to love it. Plug alert – she’s well worth the follow! Now, I have never been nominated for a title quite as radiant as this one. Nobel price next please. Anyone? Kay.
If you’ll indulge me in a little ramble; I’ll never cease to be surprised by the people I interact with on here. You guys re-define epic. I’ve made virtual friends (post the msn days) and it has become an irreplaceable part of my life – thank you. Without any further ado, here are the answers to Elena’s deep and insightful questions.
Questions
What was the first book you read or the first book that made a real impression on you?
I didn’t find my literary side until the ripe age of 15 or so. I wasn’t much for education at all, so the books that set me on this literary path were the Harry Potter novels. Yes, basic bitch pumpkin latte answer but it’s an undeniable truth.
If you could spend a month in any place of the world, where would you go?
Japan. I feel like I’ve been answering this question the same way for the last five years or so – I’m committed. As an anime nerd, it’s just a place that exudes character that I’ve only been able to experience through a screen thus far. One day!
If you could take any one person with you to this hypothetical trip, who would you take?
My mum. She’s long expressed a desire to see the spiritual side of Japan, the architecture and beautiful traditions. I also made her watch a handful of anime so she’s got extra incentives!
Which one superpower would you want to have?
I think super-strength would be the way to go. I realise it’s far from being a sophisticated answer like mind-reading or time-travel. But super-strength opens up so many doors in the most practical and grounded of ways. You can walk around anywhere, anytime without fear. You hear footsteps behind you at night or visit some rougher ends and you can soak in the satisfaction that you’ll be just fine. It just seems liberating.
How big a role do you think luck plays in achieving your dreams as compared to the importance of diligent effort?
Ou tough one. In the most general of ways, luck plays the biggest role before you’re born I.e. where, when, to whom and so on. So if I were to be born in Syria 2011 – that’s some seriously bad luck. I think that’s honestly one of the few points in life where you don’t have any influence over your own life – it’s your background. Your starting position is out of your control. That said, living where I live and understanding the endless opportunities that surround me, I’ll say a good 80% is solely based on the diligence you invest in whatever it is. It’s a matter of accepting the immense control you exercise over your own fate so you know how to wield it.
What is the one most important dream you want to achieve in your lifetime?
I haven’t had a fully-fledged dream in a while. Having outgrown the ‘I wanna be a billionaire so frickin bad’ thing and currently living in relative comfort (as in I can pay rent without having to resort to solely consuming tinned Baked beans), I haven’t been aiming. Work seems to go well, in the most general of ways I’d like to continue to progress, learn and simply become more able. Perhaps work with some bigger and better brands and companies. I am also looking to put some serious time and effort to this very side-project – my blog.
Through trial and error, have you arrived at any lifehacks you would want to share about working towards your own goals in your free time? (E.g. time of day that is best for your work, how to be more efficient, etc.)
Great question. Procrastination is an ever-existent challenge and one of the ways to counter it is to shut yourself away from distractions. I for one move myself and my laptop to the living room, away from all the crap in my room and the comfort of my bed. It works wonders. Working with some company (they’d be working on their own stuff) helps. Making mini goals fused with mini rewards during low productivity keeps you moving I.e. just write one more paragraph and then you can make yourself a cuppa. Make otherwise empty periods in your day count i.e. commutes for brainstorming.
How do you think one person can change the world for the better?
From observation – to thoughts – to critique – to wishful thinking of a better alternative – to brainstorming steps to reach said alternative – to making them actionable – to implementation. It starts with one person and one idea.
Share your favourite recipe!
I can’t cook the kinds of food I like to eat. It’s a dilemma. I’ll go with my sister’s shepherd’s pie and I don’t know how to make it. Sozzle.
What book/movie/TV series would you recommend to absolutely everyone and why?
Black mirror – just in the way it opens your mind to technology, the future, the potentials and plot twists carried out like no other.
Anime – it has to be Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. The sheer strength of the plot is ridiculous.
Moulin Rouge – for a great bigger-than-life romance, striking music and of course, Nicole Kidman.
Who and what are you grateful for?
More than I can list. From the basics; food, shelter and clothing to the most amazing family and friends. A good career that’s progressing. Day to day pleasures. Being able to live in security, being able to read whatever I want to read. For continuously being able to find new things I love. Being able to talk politics with my mother, spirituality with my friends and trash TV with others. That I’ve learned to recognise the good. Oh and shepherd’s pie.
My awesome list of awesome nominations:
https://wanderingoutsidethebox.wordpress.com
https://thoughttrailblog.wordpress.com/
https://chocobosage.wordpress.com/
https://honestk.com/
https://unedited365.wordpress.com/
https://saftythird.com/
https://writingwaifu.wordpress.com/
https://mygotospace.wordpress.com/
https://lifecalls.wordpress.com/
Here are the rules for the Sunshine Blogger Award:
