I’ve been nominated by the lovely Jamie for the Liebster Award. The word “liebster” is a term of endearment in German. The “award” is a fun way to celebrate your favourite bloggers and discover new ones.

In the past, I’ve been smug about completing blogger challenges like these. They’re cheesy! I feel like a teenage girl doing a magazine survey. Regardless, cheese is good. Thanks Jamie for nominating me and most importantly, being awesome. Be sure to check out her answers!

What season is your favorite? Although I was born in the winter, I really like the transition period between summer and autumn. The weather is perfect. In Ontario, it’s not too hot, but not too cold either. I’m really enjoying this time of year in San Francisco too! It’s the precursor to a handful of holidays, with Halloween being my favourite.

If you could travel to the moon, or travel underwater to see Titanic, would you? I would definitely travel to the moon. There’s something morbid about looking at shipwrecks. Although I’m totally fascinated by naval and aviation disasters (to the point of binge-watching documentaries), I think going to the moon would make me sleep better at night. Plus, it’s outer space! Zero gravity, much wow!

How long have you’ve been blogging? I started blogging in the 6th grade, so around 10 years ago. It’s crazy to think how old the Internet is! Back then, I blogged about Evanescence and other angsty music I listened to. Yeah, I was one of those kids. Throughout high school, I blogged about web and graphic design.

If you’re going to College or University, what is your major? I’m a computer science undergrad. I’m also in a co-op program, so I alternate between study and work terms throughout the year. I have really enjoyed studying algorithms and graph theory.

What kind of books do you like/love to read? I love fiction and poetry. Some of my favourite authors include Alice Munro, Salman Rushdie, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Some of my favourite poets include Charles Baudelaire, Margaret Atwood, and Andre Breton. My twitter handle and old website name fleurchild is a reference to Les fleurs du mal by Charles Baudelaire. I also met Margaret Atwood at a literary conference on campus and she signed my friend’s linear algebra textbook!

What type of music do you listen too? Or do you have a favorite artist? I listen to a variety of music. I studied classical piano, so I will always have a soft spot for composers like Bela Bartok and Franz Liszt. Here’s a small list of pop musicians I like: Siouxsie and Banshees, Bjork, Indochine, The Cure, Sonic Youth, New Order, Mariah Carey, The Smiths, Prince, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, No Doubt, Lauryn Hill, Haim, Lorde, N.W.A, Tupac, Nas, TLC, Destiny’s Child, Kimbra, Outkast, Erykah Badu, Amy Winehouse, Nightwish… the list goes on.

What would you do before the world ended at midnight? (If the world were to end). I would definitely call up the people I care about (possibly Skype depending on the Internet quality that night), tell them how much they mean to me, and reminisce.

If you could make your life into a movie, what would be the title? “Does Not Follow Instructions” – hands down.

Have you ever been to a live theater performance? If so, did you like it? The most memorable one was a Carmen performance at a local college. The performance itself wasn’t memorable. I went with my high school friends and we were pretentious as hell. We were trying to give a critical analysis of the every aspect of the performance – the vocals, costumes, etc. It’s hilarious looking back. It was us and a sea of old people.

What is your favorite beverage and food? I love all kinds of tea. Recently, I have been getting into fruit teas. If you asked me this question 5 years ago, I would have said Coke. I used to build towers out of the cans beside my desk. These days, I try to avoid sugary drinks as much as possible. In terms of food, that’s really hard to decide. I’m not a picky eater and I have a high spicy tolerance. I love food from Southeast Asia (holla to my peeps) and South Asia. A Big Mac every now and then doesn’t hurt.

What do you see yourself doing in 5 years from now? It’s really hard to say. I often spend sleepless nights thinking about the future, but I never make concrete plans. Nonetheless, I do picture myself being much more confident than I am today. That confidence lies in my self-esteem, mental health, and the people and issues I care about. I really hope that I am helping people in some way – improving their health, education, or access to life-saving resources through tech.

Here are 11 facts about me:

• I’m a dog person! Cats are only fun on the interwebs.
• I take my sticker collection very seriously.
• I own way too many striped clothing. I’ve been trying to mix it up with solid colours and other patterns.
• I enjoy donating my old clothes and buying used clothes from thrift/vintage shops.
• I love karaoke!
• I started sporting a pixie cut two years ago.
• I’ve never had a nose bleed.
• At a dim sum restaurant, I lied to my friends and said I had one because I spent way too long in the washroom due to diarrhea.
• I have a scar that looks like the number one on my left index finger from trying to wash an open can.
• I fainted when I first saw the cut and all the blood gushing out.
• I have started way too many grease fires in the kitchen.

Here are my 11 questions:

• What’s a birthday wish you had that came true?
• How do you cope with stress and anxiety?
• What’s a common misconception about you?
• What’s something you are afraid of blogging about?
• Name a blog that is underrated.
• Name a song that is a guilty pleasure.
• What’s the coolest place in the city/town you are living in?
• Name the coolest sounding language. Name the worst.
• Describe what you would be like as the opposite sex.
• What’s the most disgusting meal you’ve ever had?
• What’s the greatest meal you’ve ever had?

Feel free the answer the questions everyone and pay it forward! These days, I don’t spend a lot of time in the blogger community. Any who, I nominate Nancy, Chynna, Natasha, Nela. You guys seem hella cool and I would love to learn more about you 🙂

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