Looking through old posts

It's interesting ... looking at this old post, Life in Song Lyrics from 2005 - I can hear all of the songs in my head ... ahh, I've missed some of those. Maybe I'll try and buy some CDs ... they'll be ancient by now, so hopefully cheap!

Now, I've found an old survey/quiz thing that I did ... so here it is with my 2005 answers, followed by my 2009 ones (if they've changed). Wonder how I've changed?

Full Name? Carol the Hyperactive Android (though I'm not really hyperactive) - I don't really have any long nicknames any more ... I'll go with Carol.
Were you named after anyone? Not AFAIK.
Do you wish on shooting stars? Not really.
Which hand/finger is your favorite? All of them because then I can touch-type. And the one with my engagement and wedding rings is pretty special these days :).
When did you last cry? Yesterday, but everything's better now. Damned PMS. A fair while ago. Although I'll probably have homesickness kick in sometime this term.
Do you like your handwriting? Yeah, I do.
Who do you admire? Chris, Lucie, Simon. Steve, another Chris, Twillo, lots of our amazing lecturers.
What is the # 1 priority in your life? It should be God, and at the moment I think I'm basically on track with that. God, Chris, and maths.
Your favorite Lunch Meat? Chicken, I guess. Ham can be nice too. Currently enjoying chicken liver pate. Mmmmmm ...
Any bad Habits? Probably plenty. I'm sure my sister could tell you about them. Being judgemental, although I try not to be. Thinking about work all the time.
What store would you never be caught in? *shrugs* Ann Summers? I'm now fine with Ann Summers ... I don't know. Somewhere blatantly unethical.
If you were another person, would you be friends with you? Probably. I like me.
Are you a daredevil? Nah.
Have you ever told a secret you swore not to tell and you did? Like Rosie, I wouldn't swear to tell a secret I couldn't keep.
What would you do if you came to school/work one day and everyone was naked? Be very, very afraid. Extremely afraid.
Do looks matter? Sometimes. Depends on context really, doesn't it?
When was the last time you wanted to punch someone? *shrugs* last time fluffy was in a battle and used pound? (Fluffy is a pokemon ...) Hmmm ... I have a vague feeling there was someone recently - oh I know! Thingy from Little Britain, the one in the wheelchair. I'd batter him to death anyday. Though only because he's a fictional character; I wouldn't kill someone real.
Are you trendy? Certainly don't consider myself to be. Reasonable style, perhaps, but not trendy. I wear what I like. This may not be what other people like. It includes a lot of purple, teal, and sometimes dark pink.
What do you do to prevent anger? Remind myself that it's not worth blowing things out of proportion; everybody just gets hurt. And anger should not necessarily be prevented - it's a good reaction to a great many things. Like the fact that there are hundreds of innocent people being killed in Gaza.
Who is your Idol? *shrugs* I suppose I "look up to" traits rather than people. Persistence, dedication, perseverance, and talent - those are the things that inspire me / are important to me at the moment.
Who is your second family? Chris and Auntie Sarah (but only for the next few years ;) then you'll be real family), Rosie, Lucie though I don't see enough of her ... the maths dept at my old College, when I'm there. Still Lucie, and the old maths teachers - and now the people I know here at Uni. Twillo, James, Ignatius, Matt, Jon, Rachel, Roseanna, and probably a couple of others I've missed.
Do you trust others easily? I give people the benefit of the doubt easily, but don't trust deeply until it's been earnt.
What class during high school do you think was a waste of time? What was it called ... back in NZ ... the one with learning about drugs and stuff ... yeah, that one. And Social Studies.
Do you like Sappy Songs? Depends on the company, surroundings and atmosphere. I've been listening to the soundtrack of High School Musical 3 incessantly recently ... so I guess that's a wholehearted "yes".
Are you sarcastic? Sometimes. Less so than I used to be, I think.
Have you ever been on radio or television? I've been in newspapers, but not radio or TV. Almost got a chance to get into University Challenge but our team didn't get through.
Have you ever been in a mosh pit? Yup.
Do you feel understood most of the time? Not really. But that's okay. The inner workings of my mind are hard enough for me to figure out; I don't expect anybody else to. More so than I used to. Guess it's marriage?
Would you rather have a sore throat or an upset stomach? Sore throat, because you can just suck lozenges for that. Upset stomachs are much harder to deal with.
What is your nickname/s? Jingle Bella, "Carooooooooooooooool ..." and a few others. But most people these days call me "Miss" or "Miss ____" - that's what working in a school does to you ... No new ones really. It's just "Carol" these days.
Could you be a vegetarian? To quote Rosie, "I could, but why?" I could, for environmental reasons. But I'm not.
Would you ever Bungee Jump? Don't see the appeal, I've never liked freefall. Maybe if it was for a really good cause.
Do you untie your shoes every time you take them off? Often. Except the ones with zips. No, because the only pair which need untying are my walking boots and I usually untie those right before I put them on. The rest of my shoes currently are zippable boots or slip on flats.
What are you worried about right now? not much. Nothing. It's wonderful. I'm learning to leave work behind, at least for a couple of hours every now and then.
Do you wear overalls? Not since I was about 10.
Do you think you’re strong? Mentally, definitely, the last couple of years have proven that / created that. I can also walk for long distances carrying heavy things, does that count?
What's your least favorite Popsicle flavor? *shrugs* it's been aaaaages since I had an iceblock. I used to like the lemonade ones, and I didn't get other ones, so I don't know which ones I didn't like. I don't usually like pineapple flavoured stuff though.
Birthday? Yes, I have one
Eye color? brown, like chocolate. Well, someone said that once.
Last person who called for you? Chris, to sort out what was happening with msn - it claimed I was offline and scary things like that. Chris, to talk about creating roleplaying characters for Exalted.
Favorite Vehicle? Plane. Or Train. Woo for the Railway Children.
Do you have a cell phone? Indeedy-doo
What kind of Car do you drive? I don't M-I-L's Honda Jazz or parents' - I think it's a Mazda M2.
What's the last movie you saw? Johnny English, with Chris, on DVD. High School Musical 3, with Hazel. It's bloody brilliant; I want the DVD.
Last thing you got in the mail? Something advertising a craft fair, I think. I haven't actually opened it yet. A leaflet about films being shown nearby.
Favorite Hobby? Reading. I've just finished "He's got to go" by Sheila O'Flanagan (for the second time) - I'd almost forgotten how good it is ... and I had forgotten what a nasty no-good man Adam is, the ... daft so-and-so (*is restraining self*) ... bloody stupid male ... (this is not to imply that males are stupid, just that he was stupid and he was male). Reading's still good, and I highly recommend "Divas Don't Knit" and "Needles and Pearls" by Gil McNeil. Knitting is also good; I'm working on a lap blanket at the moment - will probably post photos.
Are you photogenic? Reasonably, I think. More so than I used to be. I've learnt to embrace my big cheesy grin. Definitely still embracing the big cheesy grin.
If you were making a movie about yourself, who would play you? Someone as-yet-unknown with the right sort of ethnic mix.
Best Advice(s) Ever Given to You? Recently, it's seemed like the best advice in the world is "just keep swimming ..." from Dory (Finding Nemo). Currently: Prov. 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.
Thing you want to be remembered for: Loving God. Being consistent, reliable. Always being there. Never giving up. Making things better. The previous, plus being intelligent, considerate, and interesting.
Things you look for in the opposite sex: I'm not looking ... In terms of making friends: good sense of humour, wit, friendliness/approachability, and a bit of the geek gene.
Your Personality type: Intelligent. I still think of myself as solitary although I'm a lot more sociable than I used to be. Bookish! Geeky. Happy. A little bit happy-cheesy, a little bit reclusive-geek, a little bit clever-clogs, and a little bit normal.
Food you hate: Uh ... stuffed crust. I love pizza, hate stuffed crust. I now like cheesy-bites stuffed crust pizza ... hmm, food I hate ... I can't think of any foods I intrinsicly hate. Anything that's badly cooked, I suppose.
Do you pray? Yes.
Do you talk to your friends? No, we communicate telepathically. It could be true ...
What was your favourite toy as a child? Leo, my toy lion.
What's your favourite ice cream flavour? Anything really, really chocolatey. I must try doing some homemade stuff. I'm branching out from chocolate - mostly because I still believe that chocolate, done right, is the epitome of awesome for ice cream. But chocolate done boring / in a mediocre way isn't great. I don't really have a second favourite yet though.
CD in your CD player? Skillet, Collide. "Whoa", by The Lads, or the HSM3 soundtrack.
The last thing you said that made people laugh? I don't remember. Lots of laughing usually happens daily.
What do you think of Ouija boards? Bad idea
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Suburban house with 1.5 kids? *shrugs* who knows? With a degree, and, God willing, a job that pays enough to keep a family.
What do you do when you are bored? Read, blog, call Chris, email friends, do paperwork, clean, bake cookies, plan Christmas presents ... Oh for the days when there was time to be bored ... work, mostly. Or when I deliberately carve out time for myself (which I'm making an effort to do), I go to chapel, read, knit, and surf the interweb. And watch things on Flickr.
Favourite Songs: "A little more", Skillet ... "More Faithful", also Skillet ... those are good songs to crash and burn to. I still really like those songs. Not sure what my favourites are at the moment though. "I want it all" from HSM3 is really amusing ... the songs from St Trinian's are amusing ... and I rather like "Coffee with Jesus" by The Lads.
Book: Not a clue. Depends on what mood I'm in. Genres I like include mystery/intelligent thriller (as opposed to sensational thriller), chick lit (the cleaner stuff that's more shopping-and-having-a-laugh based than steamy-summer-read), women-relationship-based books (which I differentiate from chick lit because they have much less gratuitous sex / shopping / gallivanting and more reality), comedy, quality children's fiction and trashy teen fiction (every now and then). Still like all of those. Still can't really choose.
Place: Here. Wherever the people I love are.
City / Country: England, for the crisp Autumn mornings like this morning was. It's worth putting up with all the bad points about the British for this sort of weather; I love it. I don't think I can put down my favourite city without giving myself away to potential stalkers.
Vacation: The one we're planning for next summer. The weekend Chris and I had at Centre Parcs. It was amazing.
Shop: Thornton's. John Lewis, Hotel Chocolat, Borders, and Lakeland.
TV show: Not a clue. Poirot adaptations, and Jonathan Creek. I have discovered a love for Jonathan Creek.
Foods: Pizza, Sushi, curry, naan with dahl ... ahh, it's been *ages* since I've had that ... Chicken liver pate, scones with jam and clotted cream, good indian food, and the ramen I had last week was amazing.
Day of the Week: Fridays! Because it's the end of the school week, and I get to tutor Ellie and she's a joy to teach, and then I get to spend the evening with Chris and Auntie Sarah :D Fridays are the best. Currently Saturdays because I don't *have* to get up for anything.
Flower: I like roses. And irises. And lilies. And tulips. Lots of things, really. I loooooove daffodils. I think they remind me of promise and potential. You buy these little closed up bud things and then suddenly a couple of days later the promise is fulfilled.
Quote: I'm going to steal one of Rosie's: "May the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house". Also, something from earlier this evening ...
"Hazel: I have armies up my sleevies
Tannya: how uncomfortable"
Not a quote, but something I've been thinking about and trying to live by for the last few weeks ... "Every time you do what you believe to be the best thing you could possibly do in that situation, you become stronger, and it gets easier. Every time you fail to do the best thing, you become weaker, and it gets harder."
Season: Autumn/winter. I just love them. Probably the same. Good excuse for knitted scarves and lots of hot chocolate.
Summer Activity: Reading ... rollerblading. Ooh I should find my rollerblades ...
Winter Activity: Walking. As long as it's not too wet. Or curling up with a good book.
Magazines : *shrugs* Delicious, though I barely ever buy it. Scrapbook inspirations. Occasionally Marie Claire.
Inside Joke: Oranges. Ahh, that makes me smile ... currently probably anything maths-geeky.
Scariest thing that's ever happened while with friends: Hey, I didn't have a 2005 answer for this ... I can't think of anything scary that's happened while with friends though.
Best quality in a friend: Compassion and sensitivity. Caring, all the time. Being there when you need them.
Do You Have A Best Friend? Yes.
Who do You E-mail The Most? Not a clue. Everybody I know at Uni - well, not everybody, but a lot of people. Email is big here.
Do you Believe In God? Yes.
Yourself? Yeah, I exist. Cogito ergo (femina ;)) sum, or something. Maybe. I do believe in myself.
Your Friends? Yes, I do believe in them.
Aliens? Not really, though I liked Perelandra ... Methane on Mars sounds exciting. I don't really believe in sentient aliens though.
Love? Yes. Certainly.

Reached the end!

Thoughts and Shoes

Back at Uni now, lots of work to do and I think I'm starting to handle it rather well. That is, I used to handle it okay, now I'm up to rather well which is a slight improvement - and a slight improvement kept up consistently for the rest of the year will be a considerable improvement. I'd like to get to a stage where I feel I'm handling work very well, but I'm trying not to bite off more than I can chew.

Now for more news: I have new shoes! And they're lovely. And I have the matching bags. All bought on sale, for the same price as one of the pairs of shoes would have been were it full-price. Bargain.