Answers, Part 1

Wallace was slightly less excited by Photo Booth

Hey all, sorry I haven't posted in ages, I haven't been well. I got an iMac late last week (YAY!), and last Friday I recorded a ~30 minute video answering your questions with the plan of editing out all the mistakes... then I opened up iMovie and discovered nothing looks the same as the version I used at high school, so it wouldn't be as quick and easy as I thought. Here's the first half of the questions I've answered so far. Hopefully I'll be back soon.

If you could visit anywhere in the world where would it be and why (time and money isn't a problem)?
I outlined my reasons for wanting to visit the USA in this post, but I'd also love to visit Canada and South America, particularly Brazil. There aren't many places I wouldn't want to travel to actually, however the American continent is the only one that makes my bucket list - the rest would just be bonuses if I was fortunate enough.

Do you have a daily/morning routine? If so, what is it?
On work days I get up so early in the morning (way before dawn) that my routine consists of several alarm snoozes, followed by shower, clothes, feed Wallace, leave for work. I rarely eat or drink anything before I get to work, and rarely give myself enough time to make a big effort with a nice outfit and/or make up. On weekends I have a specific shower, make-up, dressing routine that I have to follow, otherwise I feel rushed and flustered. A little silly, I know. I am trying to introduce more routine into my home life since moving, in terms of house work, art and blogging, but it's definitely a work in progress.

What are the best and worst parts about living in New Zealand?
This could be an entire post in itself really... in fact, if any overseas readers are interested in specifics about life here feel free to ask questions in the comments and I'll elaborate in the future.

It's hard to list the best things, because it's the only place I've lived, and it's home. We're repeatedly told how beautiful the landscape is, and there are parts of the country where this is obvious to me. I sometimes try and look objectively at my city and the land around my hometown, try and see it through the eyes of a tourist, but it's just too familiar, and difficult to get too excited about - I think I probably need to travel before I can have a true appreciation about that side of things.

The fact that the Government pays for my medication is one of the best things about living in New Zealand for me personally, when so many international 'likers' on AS Facebook pages are desperately trying to fundraise for it- that sure makes me feel extremely fortunate.

To me, the worst things about living here are all to do with our geographical isolation really. It's a long, expensive journey to travel anywhere. While the internet makes this less of an issue - we usually get music, films, and TV shows released here weeks if not months after other countries. There's only four million of us in the whole country, and you can always find someone who knows someone, which I guess is both a positive and a negative.

What is your favorite television show?
My favourite TV show is Breaking Bad, but I watch a lot of shows that I love. Currently I'm on episode 10 of Homeland, so I'll probably finish that off this evening - it's so good! [Now finished - amazing!] It's currently being shown for the first time on NZ TV at the moment, I think it's up to episode seven so don't worry I won't spoil anything. Highly recommend both of these shows.

Is there an art form you have yet to try?
I've never tried oil painting, and I don't even know where to begin with it. It's something I'd definitely like to learn about and attempt some day.

Is there an art form you want to master?
Currently I love watercolours and gouache, so I want to improve my skills working with them. I recently bought a much higher quality paper than what I used to use, so I'm looking forward to trying it out.

What is your favorite art medium?
Pencil.

When you were little did you wish you had a different name? If so, what name did you like?
I don't know if I wished for a different name, but when playing games with my sister and our friends we'd love coming up with different names for ourselves - usually after TV and film characters and musicians we idolised - I remember going through a Linka phase (Captain Planet), Ashley phase (Olsen twins), Toyah phase (Coronation Street)...

Are you still trying to quit smoking? Was that you that tried those electric cigarettes? Do you think they are effective or a hoax?
I'm not actively trying at the moment. I tried an electronic cigarette when I got one for free, and it lasted just over a week - during that time I smoked two regular cigarettes which is pretty good I think. For me I think they would be effective if I bought more, because it's already pretty easy for me to go through the work day without smoking. The hardest part is being around Charlie or friends who smoke, so it worked well as a substitute in that situation for me, even though they don't really feel or taste anything like a regular cigarette.