Share Your World 2015 – Week 2

This is Share Your World, a blogging event hosted by Cee’s Photography. Thanks to Cee for all the effort she puts in to coming up with fun new questions every week. Here’s week 2!

Are you a hugger or a non-hugger?

I LOVE hugs! I need several everyday. I guess that makes me a hugger? I don’t hug just anyone though. Most hugs are for/from Hubby, my parents or Ewok. Sometimes Ewok doesn’t want to hug me, I take them anyway, hehe. I guess thats one of the disadvantages of being so little. I usually hug friends and relatives on hellos and good-byes. That’s it for the real hugs. In Montreal, the traditional greeting is the double cheek kiss….or triple if you are from the Russian community. That sort of involves a hug, so I participate in that with people that I am less friendly with. They have to initiate it though.

Above is Ewok with the annoyed face she gives me when I hug her without permission. In this pic, she was annoyed because we put on her Santa hat. Poor baby, haha!

What’s your favorite ice-cream flavor?

That’s hard. It depends who made it I think. Lately, if I buy from the grocery store, it has been Chapman’s nanaimo bar frozen yogurt. It is relatively cheap and not too bad (for a frozen dessert) in terms of nutrition. If we’re talking Ben and Jerry’s then it’s Half-baked. That way I don’t have to choose between brownie chunks and cookie dough bits, it has both. There’s a new flavour, Peanut Butter Half-baked. That sounds even better! I’ll have to see if I can find that one here. The Haagen daz favourite is coffee, hands down! Baskin Robbins had a Birthday Cake flavour once. I loved it, but I haven’t seen it again. It was cake batter ice cream with cake bits, chocolate fudge, sprinkles and frosting swirled throughout. We also have an independent ice cream guy down the street. He makes his own flavours. He makes the best red velvet I’ve had yet!

Do you prefer exercising your mind or your body? How frequently do you do either?

At the moment, I’m fed up with both. I just don’t have enough energy. I guess I prefer exercising my mind. I don’t handle being bored well. I need to be learning, I need to be challenged. I exercise my mind every day whether it be through research, reading, creative arts or crosswords and logic puzzles. I used to enjoy exercise so much, I don’t know what happened, but I started hating it a couple years ago. Now, I’m exercising a couple times a week. Usually walking or using an elliptical. I got a mini stepper for Christmas. I’m hoping being able to exercise while watching TV will encourage me!

Are you more of a dog person or a cat person? Why?

I am a cat person. My family got two cats just before I moved out. They still live with my folks. Maggie-Mae (above) is a really pretty girl. Her sister, Ruby-Tuesday refused to sit still long enough for a photo. Then, there’s Ewok, you all know her. Cats are adorable, especially my Ewok! No, I’m not being biased at all!

It’s not that I am not a dog person. I just don’t have much experience with dogs. I didn’t have pets growing up, but some of my friends and my aunt had cats. I didn’t know anyone who had a dog until I moved to Montreal when I was in university. My cousin had a huge golden retriever (Teddy Bear). I babysat for Teddy and her kids all the time. Teddy was a good dog, but he didn’t get along with other dogs, so I couldn’t handle him on a walk. He was also a little bit greasy, not so great for cuddles. My aunt (the one with cats) recently got a dog who is pretty sweet. Maybe I’ll start being a dog person too. Meet Kai!

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

Last Week: I got another week away from work. Psyc wasn’t back from his vacation yet, so I couldn’t get my work schedule approved like my supervisor wanted. I’ll see him this week. The thought of work is creating a huge knot in my stomach, so I was grateful for the extra time.

This Week: I’m looking forward to starting all the art journal challenge I signed up for. Maybe three was too many. I hope I’ll find time. This isn’t school though. It’s fun, I’m not being graded.

Self-esteem Challenge: Day 22

This blog challenge was developed by betterthandarkchocolate.tumblr.com. If you missed the introduction or want to see a summary of all the questions, go here.

Day 22:
What do you think others like about your personality?
Which of your skills or abilities to you pride yourself on?

I think other people like that I am nice. I like to make other people comfortable and feel good about themselves. I try to always be polite and pleasant despite how I am feeling. I also try to be considerate of other people by thinking about how what I say and what I do will affect them. It drives me nuts when people don’t consider others. For example, getting off the escalator. They take the escalator at the mall up to the second floor, get off and stop right there, blocking the path, trying to decide where to go next. I come up behind them and have no where to go because the escalator is still moving and they are standing there at the end of it. So I say “excuse me, please” to remind them that people need to to get by and I get a dirty look! What do they want me to do?! Walk backwards on the moving stairs until they decide to move….I’m not the most coordinated, so that’s not going to work. Move aside to think about where you are going next instead of blocking the moving stairs. It’s such a small courtesy, yet so many people don’t do it. It drives me nuts! It’s not because they are bad people, most of the time, they just don’t think. Sorry for the rant. :S

Normally, I pride myself on my work ethic. Normally, I am a hard worker. Lately (the last several months) it has been getting harder and harder to do anything. I am extremely unmotivated and feel like I’m going nowhere. Work is the worst, but I’m not motivated to do the things I enjoy either. I need a prompt of some sort to draw or blog. I’ve stopped reading books, going out with friends and enjoying Netflix. Hubby has to be on my case everyday to get me to exercise. I feel really lost. Usually when this happens, I force myself through it. I do the things I know I should do anyway. It has been months now and this feeling isn’t passing. I’m finding it very difficult to force myself to keep going, doing the things I should be doing. I don’t know what I’m going to do.

Self-esteem Challenge: Day 21

This blog challenge was developed by betterthandarkchocolate.tumblr.com. If you missed the introduction or want to see a summary of all the questions, go here.

Day 21:
When do you feel your most attractive? Why?
Name at least 5 things that you are good at.

It’s not often that I feel attractive. I guess I’d have to have just done a tough workout, had a shower, had time for my hair to dry and be dressed in clothes that fit well with makeup on. A tough workout makes my muscles feel tight and used. That creates the illusion that I am thinner, stronger and more defined than I really am. Sometimes it’s hard to make yourself take a shower, but you always feel better when you are clean. My hair has to be dry so you can see the colour, which is my best feature, I think. Good clothes and makeup just make me feel better too. They hide the flaws more and amplify the good stuff.

5 Things I am good at….I’ve been thinking about this question for a while and haven’t been able to come up with anything. I was hoping it was because I’m so tired my brain isn’t working and not because I’m not good at anything. After a nap, I tried again. To be considered good at something, you don’t have to be the best, right? I think that was getting in my way. So here are 5 things I’m good (not the best) at…

1. Faking it. I think I’m good at putting on a show for people when I am feeling bad, physically or mentally. Most of the time people can’t tell how I really feel. I can be friendly and pleasant when all I want to do is crawl under my duvet. I can also put on a good show when I’m being eaten alive by anxiety, like a conference presentation for example. It’s exhausting, but I can do it.
2. Making people feel comfortable. I do best with people one on one. Like I’ve said in previous posts in this challenge, I work with older adults and make them comfortable during their appointments with me. I get them talking and they are usually very appreciative. I have experience working with children too. I worked at a summer camp for 6 years. I often worked with the kids who were having trouble adjusting or causing trouble. I have an endless supply of distracting games that don’t require equipment that get kids to open up and feel more comfortable.
3. Crafts. I like to try different things. They don’t all turn into masterpieces, but I have fun with it.
4. Doodling. Whether I’m actually good or not is subjective, but I love to draw. I’m never without a doodle idea.
5. Memorizing things. I haven’t had to do this for a while, but in school, I was really good at memorizing and reciting passages in English class. I have a degree in Anatomy and there’s nothing you can do there to learn but memorize the names of everything. Currently, I’m pretty good a birthdays. I remember the birthdays of kids I went to elementary school with. Kind of useless, but I’m good at it!

 

Self-esteem Challenge: Day 19

This blog challenge was developed by betterthandarkchocolate.tumblr.com. If you missed the introduction or want to see a summary of all the questions, go here.

Day 19:
Is there a particular outfit/article of clothing/accessory you like on yourself? Why or why not?
Do you have an activity that makes you feel alive and good within yourself?

There is definitely some repetition going on here. I already talked about how new clothes make me feel good and I posted a pic of the shirt I currently like, so I’m going to try to come up with something different here. I like when I get a chance to wear my Steampunk jewelry. What is Steampunk? It’s basically Victorian science fiction. It’s a combination of the classy and frilly from the Victorian era with the mechanical, bad ass, futuristic cyborg type stuff. I like wearing this stuff because it’s unique. Since I’m shy, starting small talk is often difficult and anxiety-provoking. When at conferences I try to wear something steampunk because it’s a conversation starter. Someone always asks about it and once I get talking, I focus on the conversation and I’m ok.

White Rabbit clockwork pendant

dragonfly clockwork pendant

Chainmail pendant

steampunk goggles

repurposed pocket watch, now a pendant

Earrings

pocket watch bracelet

chainmail bracelet

necklace made from horseshoe nails

As for an activity that makes me feel good…..I’m not sure. Hiking maybe? There are aspects I don’t like about it….like the bugs, bug spray, sunscreen, sweat and lack of bathrooms, but I’m outside and it’s good exercise. Getting exercise makes me feel good because I know I am doing something good for myself. The problem is, most exercise is torture, or just feels like a real chore. Hiking is neither. It’s nice to be outside, away from the city and crowds of people. It also brings back good memories. The hiking I’ve done has usually been while I’m on vacation, so times of less stress. Also, Hubby and I got engaged on a hiking trip. This is the card Hubby gave me on our hiking trip. I thought it was cute, he really REALLY likes french fries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What activity makes you feel good?

Self-esteem Challenge: Day 16

This blog challenge was developed by betterthandarkchocolate.tumblr.com. If you missed the introduction or want to see a summary of all the questions, go here.

Day 16:
The last thing you did that made you smile.
Do you have make up, clothing or an accessory that makes you feel positive about yourself? If so what is it and why?

The last thing that made me smile was so silly. It was getting out of bed the other day. I couldn’t help but smile because it hurt so much! My muscles are so sore from doing this Insanity workout!! After lying down and not moving all night, my muscles are at their sorest and getting upright is difficult. It’s still a good worked-out kind of sore, but watching me trying to hobble around first thing in the morning is kind of funny. I think my calves are the worst. It’s like the muscle has contracted from exercising and now it’s too short. I keep thinking the muscles are actually going to rip in half when I walk. Even rolling over to hang my feet off the side of the bed was hard. My core muscles are pretty sore as well. I’m making it sound worse than it is. Really, it’s just funny.

I have a shirt that makes me feel pretty decent. I actually ended up buying three of them in different patterns, haha! The patterns are great because they distract from any flaws. The top has a V-neck which makes me look taller and it wraps around the waist which makes my waist look smaller. I don’t feel like I need to wear a big sweater over it to hide under.

P.S. not me in the picture.