And so I have decided to get back on track with homework set by @missy and @rambo because I am a good girl and all that. Also quite frankly my last blog was quite depressing and we could all used some fun in our lives.
So 10 facts about me.
Studies
1. I am what my mom terms a 'Professional Student'. It started as I left school in 2005. I studied one year Radiography in 2006, was really good at it (yes, that is a brag) but I got bored (radiographers are really limited... seriously half the time I think that it is sad that they can't actually do more than take awesome pictures of peoples insides.... granted that is really awesome and it is a really cool profession). So I left Radiography in 2007 to start my Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology and Psychology through South Africa's biggest correspondence University. For three years I battled to overcome my boredom (Undergrad really isn't great for learning new things...) and attended a Private Tuition College which offered lectures for UNISA. I took a gap year in 2010, then started a correspondence Honours via UNISA which was possibly the hardest thing to do. As I couldn't attend the 'lectures' for it, I was left blind groping in the dark (and working full time). Thus in 2013 after missing a couple exams (you really shouldn't do that by the way....) I restarted my Honours degree at UKZN. And I graduated. Now I am planning on studying Masters in Psychology next year which leads me to my next fact.
Volunteer
2. This year I am volunteering in the center of Durban feeding the homeless, doing HIV testing and doing basic profiling in order to help gain information as to best help those on the street get off the street. From the little work I have done I have realized an interesting co-dependency with regards to drug and alcohol use and living on the street and out of shelters. I am wanting to start short term sobriety project catering to the specific needs of the homeless as they often feel out of place within AA meetings which focus on more long term goals. The aim of the program is to eventually allow for the homeless to be put into a long term sobriety program (such as the AA) so that they are able to get better jobs and references.
^^ where I work
Girls Scare Me
3. I cannot talk to girls I find sexually attractive. In fact I get so tongue tied and awkward that I just shy away. This is probably why I have mostly dated guys as I find that I can talk to them and relate to them more easily.
Kung Fu
4. I do Martial Arts (which I am sure most of you already know). I have been doing it since February 2007. The system I am part of is kung fu / traditional wushu. We study an array of Northern (Chang Chuan) and Southern (Hong Chuan) styles, one of the more infamous ones being Ma Fu Chuan. To date I have only learnt staff and sword in terms of weapons. My preferred forms and movements come from the Chang Chuan part of our system. I also instruct beginner adults (first two years within the system) as well as kids.
^^close enough
Books!
5. I read. A lot. Although I don't go through as many books as I did when I was younger, I still have a large collection (and need more book shelves). My books are arranged in alphabetical order by author. My mom still has a copy of a letter she had to write to my junior school library giving me permission to read books from the High School library at the age of 12. By that age I had read all the books in two Junior School libraries and already had a full bookshelf. By the time I was 14 my parents stopped buying books for me as I read too fast.
^^ top two shelves of my bookshelf....
Not really hydrophobic...
6. I don't swim. I usually dismiss it as hydrophobic however that is not the case as I love showering. I have an intense fear of drowning (which is rather a rational fear). This means that I went to 'swim school' for a much longer time that the average kid, would not swim in the deep end of our pool unless there was a flotation device around to catch onto. I would usually be hanging on the edge of the pool as a kid. As I got older and my need to feel included in the other kids fun waned (I would much rather be reading anyway) I stopped swimming all together except for rare moments where someone convinces me to swim. If I do swim I have a list of 'rules' which govern me being in the pool - notably no splashing, no dunking and no pushing me into the
pool/ocean/big water thing. I have pegged this down to a near drowning experience when I was still a mini mini person whereby my moms best friend had to jump into the pool and save me.
Related to the whole pool thing, creepy crawlies scare the living shit out of me! That is purely because they are cruel and evil and around going to eat me.
^^seriously look at how evil it is
My Joints Hate Me
7. I have an unspecified inflammatory arthritis which gets written off as Rheumatoid Arthritis as it presents the same (minus the RF factor). I was diagnosed towards the end of 2009 and after a year of medication (methotrexate) stopped it and refused to go back on. I have subsequently been managing my arthritis my means of excersize (which is a very fine line) and a pain management regime which makes it look like I am addicted to pain meds. My pain medication of choice is Ibumol although I am taking MyPaid at the moment. I average on about 2 - 4 tablets a day, although a 'flare up' can lead to as many as 8 tablets. I can not take the pain medication but it has been found that my mood deteriorates significantly leading me to be ratty, bitchy and all round unpleasant.
Forever Alone.... just joking
8. I don't have a best friend. I have a ton of good friends who I love completely, but I don't have a best friend as most people speak about. In fact I have changed friend groups so many times over the years (with the friend group I have now being the most stable - about 7 years or so). It has gotten to the point where my friends (much to their chagrin) only find out about any crap of shit I have been dealing with long after the fact (and long after I could of used their support). This had resulted in many punches (for being a silly monkey). Despite all my flaws, my friends are really the most awesome and understanding people (as well as hellishly sexy.... I mean seriously I have one good looking friend group). I would also have all these amazing individuals in my life that have one single best friend.
KNITTING!
9. I love knitting and collecting knit patterns. There is something about knitting which just makes me all kinds of happy and wool is amazing and if I could I would swim in a room of wool much like Scrooge McDuck swims in his money. I love creating things and watching as they unfold along the needles. I have taught myself how to knit, as well as how to knit in the round (using circular needles and dpns). My current project is to try and knit a teddy bear. I unfortunately don't have much time to knit (surprisingly) which makes me sad. I do carry my wool around with me just in case the chance comes around.
^^ think that but me in wool.....
Never take me to a party.
10. I don't have a party trick. In fact there is nothing that I can do that is unique or special. I can't do fake accents, or have a random skill that people always seem to have at parties. In fact I consider myself fairly boring in terms of a person. I find everyone else around me absolutely fascinating, but never feel I have anything astounding to offer in return. This is one of the reasons I hate going to parties or get togethers, especially if I don't know the people. I also have a terrible defense mechanism of being supremely sarcastic especially if there is someone who keeps making derogatory remarks, bad taste jokes or is in general just an annoying prat. I am so bad that my brother checks to see if I am home before inviting certain of his friends over as I have made them all feel incredibly stupid. My friends just usually cringe in embarrassment. This is not helped by the fact that I have no brain/mouth filter to speak of. Literally what I think comes flying out uncensored.
^^ people who know me look like these three when I am let loose at a party.... true story
And that concludes this hellishly long blog. I have titles it so people can only read the parts that they find interesting and tried to add some random pictures. I don't have any pictures that I can post of me doing Kung Fu, and will post one at some stage.
Until then, hope this was entertaining.
