A picture of me at 21

Random things:

Favourite symphony: Must I chose just one? Beethoven's 5th, Dvorak's new world symphony, Beethoven Symphony #2 (can I just go with ALL the Beethoven symphonies?) Tchaikovsky 4 and 6, Mahler 5...

Favourite drink: Green tea, as anyone around me knows!

Favourite food: Channa masala.

Favourite thing in my room: Besides my bed and my flute, it would have to be the pictures of my friends and fellow musicians, as well as that of my Sponsor Child Atalia. Looking at the pictures makes me remember all the great times we have had together, and in the case of Atalia, how even though I do not have much, I can help a little child!

Favourite animal: Penguins.

Favourite month: September

Favourite time of day: Whenever I am playing my flute, teaching, or laughing with friends/colleagues.

Favourite author: Several come to mind including C.S. Lewis, Jean Little, Greg Mortenson, Charlotte Bronte

Favourite Composer: Too hard to narrow down, but I LOVE Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Debussy, Stravinsky, and Gaubert.

Favourite level of MYC so far: Sunshine One

Favourite Christmas carol: Hark the Harold Angels sing and Charles Ives' Christmas Carol that begins : "Little child of Bethlehem..."

Favourite flower: Peonies, as they smell very nice, are incredibly resilient and bloom in my front yard.

Favourite book: Currently? Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and the sequel, Stones into Schools. Everyone should read them. That, and my bible!

Favourite colour: Pink, Blue and Yellow. Wearing hot pink always perks me up.

Favourite piece of clothing: Besides my grad dress, which is my absolute favourite (but not practical in most situations), my favourite is my blue plaid skirt. I love it, and wearing my blue plaid skirt 'outfit' is my favourite way to dress, from the dark turquoise blouse with the slightly ruffled v-neck down to my black boots!

Favourite symbol: The cross, and the butterfly. For a time, one of my stress relief activities was to draw or paint butterflies. I then stuck them on my wall and door. To date, there are over 40 butterflies in my room. Well, pictures of butterflies that is.

Favourite kind of shoe: Obvious again...flats! I have lots of flats, mostly from the Payless kids' section. What can I say, I have small feet and they are cheaper there. My latest addition was a pair of sparkly silver flats.

Favourite children's show: Mr. Rogers and Mr. Dressup. I also enjoyed Reading Rainbow.

Favourite show now: MASH, of course.

What I miss since becoming a mostly-vegetarian: Pepperoni pizza and butter chicken.

Things people might be surprised to know: I couldn't swallow pills until I was almost 18 and I still take children's cold medicines (but this is mostly due to not wanting to accidently overdose on adult preparations). I have liked Star Trek since I was about 4 years old. I didn't like my middle name for years because I couldn't pronounce it, even though it is only 3 letters long. I DO NOT like going to movies in the theatre, although I enjoy watching them at home. I have a pitch-pipe in a purple box sitting on my desk.

Instrument I wish I could play: Cello and organ.

Things that make me feel amazing: Seeing my students 'get' something, giving and receiving hugs, being able to encourage and thank others, playing my flute.

Thing that annoys me the most: Of all the symptoms to happen recently, the one that bothers me the most (not frightens) is when I cannot breath through my nose!!!! I can deal with every other cold symptom, but that one drives me insane. Horrah for decongestant.

Goals for 2012: Keep being a student and do well in my courses. Get my intermediate driver's license. Get my level 2 MYC certification. Learn lots of music. Spread love, encouragement and positivity to all that I can.

Final thoughts: Nobody said life would always be easy. It isn't, and it won't be. But it can be good, amazing even. Tough times make us appreciate those around us, and the amazing times even more. We are never alone. There are always at least two ways of looking at every situation. Take the high road, and see the positives as much as you can.