Endless Questions and the answers Brett Fish gives to them

All the things you [n]ever wanted to know about me? Well i’m not sure about that or if this is just my friend Ger Bear’s way of getting back at me for calling her “Ger Bear” but before you dive in you should totally head on over to Geraldine Walsh’s blog over here especially if you’re a mom or a parent because she has a really honest and open writing style and i think she’s great. She is also one of my badly named UnNamed Ones crew who helps out with my weekly Hashtagging game on the Twitterer and you can follow her i think she’s great. She is also one of my badly named UnNamed Ones crew who helps out with my weekly Hashtagging game on the Twitterer and you can follow her @overheavenshill and she actually has already guest posted a really popular post on parenting young children when it’s hard on this very blog which you can read over here. But there really is an almost endless list of questions, so let’s get to them.

THE BASICS

1. What’s your name?

My name is Brett “Fish” Anderson although technically ‘Peter’ is my second name but Fish has been my nickname since 1993 and stands for ‘Faithful In Serving Him’ which i also have tattoed on my left arm.

2. Any nicknames or aliases?

So there is the “Fish” and so a lot of people know me as ‘Brett Fish’ or simply ‘Fish’ and because i used to speak on a lot of youth camps and do a lot of writing and would introduce myself as “Brett Fish” a lot of people think “Fish” is my last name and some people think it is my first name. Back in the day of Arcade games where you had three letters to sign your name i was always “”PRO” which was more a hope of what i might amount to than any kind of commentary on how good i was. Brettfish was taken on a lot of social media platforms before i got there so am BrettFishA on many of them including the Twitterer and Instagram i believe.

Am NOT a fan of people calling me “Brent” or spelling my name with only one T [would rather have Brent, STOP STEALING MY T!] but have also had Brad and Bread and Breakfast and various versions of the same and surprisingly for such a short name have spent a lot of time repeating it for people and then after the fourth time of misunderstanding usually responding with, “Yes, Brad!”

3. Your gender?

I am a boy person.

4. Your star sign?

Hm, i would have to look it up cos i’m not into that kind of thing, but i do know that being born on 20 January sometimes puts me in two different star signs cos on some charts the one ends on 20 January and the next starts on 20 January and on others i think it’s 19 Jan and 20 Jan so i may very well be a crab riding on a horse with a bow and arrow whatever that one is called?

5. How old are you?

i am at the delightful age of 44 which is great cos it is a 4 and a 4. 45 will also be good cos mid-way. But then i might stay 45 for four years and jump straight to 50 [wow 50, how old is that!?!?!?!?!?] because there is nothing special about 46, 47, 48, or 49. So will have to enjoy the crap out of 44… 42 was amazing cos i was so aware of it being my ‘Meaning of Life’ year ala Douglas Adams.

6. Your relationship status?

Married to tbV aka The Beautiful Val which we have realised is awkward when anyone else calls her that [so just Val is fine for the rest of you] and we have been for close to nine years so we should probably think of something creative for our next year celebration… cos round numbers. She is great!

7. Any children?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

But how do i really feel, you may ask? Well both tbV and i LOVE children, other people’s children and we love giving them back at the end of the day. We don’t particularly want children and have been called selfish for this for some ridiculously bizarre reason. But we have a lot of energy and love for our nephews and nieces which are fairly scattered around the world. And our friend’s children…

8. Any pets?

i have a stuffed dolphin called No_bob who is not officially a pet but is the closest thing we have to one. i call him No_bob because i was going to call him ‘Bob’ but he doesn’t. He has been a mascot and speaker ally for me for years and years and is way more popular than me. [i know this because right now he is staying over at someone else’s house!] He has met some very famous people and got to hang out at some pretty cool places [i have never been to the eiffel tower for example]

9. Any tattoos or piercings?

As mentioned above i have the acronym F.I.SH. written in crown of thorns type graphic Christian fish symbol and the words ‘Faithful In Serving Him’ on my left arm and am waiting til we have a bit more of a cash flow going on so i can get my second one, having now completely forgotten [oh dear] how uncomfortable and painful getting the first one was. Ha.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. What do you like about yourself?

Hm, so many things. i am not one of those people who have to be convinced to like myself and probably need a lot more introspection to find the things i don’t like about myself, although there are a bunch. i like how much i care about people [feel like i have an unstoppable well of tsunami waves of love to give out] and how little i care about what people think [in terms of just being able to be myself and do the right things and be challenging and fight for justice and so on] although that one changed somewhat since i got married because now i have to think about how my actions reflect on Val or consequences of them for both of us.

i have a quick mind and so when doing improv i excel at games that involve wordplay or thinking up poetry lines or song lyrics that rhyme at speed. i love that i am good at making stuff up on the spot and that i have had the opportunity to do so for close to twenty years and that we continue to try different things and challenge ourselves.

i love that i have put together one of the most fun [i think] Hashtagging games on the Twitterer and that it’s called @AFrikkinHashtag which might be the best name i’ve come up with in life and that we have gathered together such an amazing and diverse crew that we call UnNamed Ones but who truly all have names and beautiful personalities and apart from the extremely rare appearance of the Drama Llama that we have created such a great space to interact with each other and in some ways do life together.

i like my ability to network and pull people together and build bridges between people who are different and think differently and i like my ability to refuse to accept the status quo and to challenge people to be better versions of themselves and to think bigger picture. i love my ability to work with words whether in writing or speaking.

i love my ability to make friends with people – really deep friendships – and to stay invested in people’s lives. Um, okay that’s a lot of stuff so i should probably stop but also that i’m pretty good at games. i love how when tbV and myself are on the same page or when we tag team together we are a potent force.

i love how thick my skin is on social media. i can take a LOT. And only need a short time to regroup on the odd occasions when it does all finally get to me and then back into the fray.

11. What do you dislike about yourself?

Hm, probably not enough things. One would be my tendency to procrastinate and leave things til the last minute which often makes me slightly late [but not Cape Town late] to things, which is not cool. i struggle to say “No!” in terms of being asked to do things and although i have gotten better at this in life it can lead to my time being filled up with doing some things i could have probably been better off saying no to, but often out of a space of not wanting to let people down.

i can be too impatient with my wife at times and i hate making her sad or headbutting her [metaphorically speaking, we don’t physically headbutt, but two strong-willed people in one space] and so time wasted being angry with each other sucks.

My angry impatience which comes out on the hockey field way too often in terms of frustration with the umpires or other team’s players but which is probably often due to my own lack of fitness or skill. As i am getting better in both of those departments slowly though hopefully it will decrease.

At times on social media i can be a little aggro or am definitely perceived that way, which at other times is a plus but i don’t always get the balance right and have alienated some people who might through other means have been brought closer i guess.

Ja, and some other things. But let’s move on. Maybe my inability to come up with short answers to things. Ha, everyone has probably already stopped reading.

12. Righty or lefty?

Righty.

LASTS

13. The last thing you drank?

Morning coffee.

14. The last thing you ate?

Last night’s koeksuster probably. Sweet gooey crunchy mess of goodness.

15. Your last phone call?

Probably one of the five million to Telkom trying to get them to sort out my internet vibes or quite possibly the fraud report i had to make with my bank for charges on my credit card which were not mine.

16. Your last text message?

To my friend Brian Koela asking him when we’re going to meet up to dicsuss exciting things.

17. Your last email?

A response to an invitation to a cruise with my improv buddies. Hm, let me think…

18. The last song you listened to?

There will be time by Mumford and Sons and Baaba Maal – seriously, just load up iTunes and buy this sucker. Could listen to it all day.

19. The last book you read?

Always Another Country by Sisonke Msimang in my quest to read more African books and books by people who don’t look like me [black woman author a double win!]

20. The last time you cried?

Sho, must be Monday night at this Worship and Justice event we attended. Was just so incredibly moved by all of it and especially singing together in other languages and getting a glimpse of the church South Africa and the world desperately needs.

21. The last blog you read?

Ger Bear’s [ha ha!] – had to see what i was in for.

22. The last person you spoke to?

tbV – burst into the room to check if i’d read her latest status where she is taking on the patriarchy and the tendency of conferences to major in white male american speakers…

23. The last place you visited?

The airport to say goodbye to family-in-law and two beautiful nieces heading to Morocco. #SadFace

24. Your last holiday abroad?

Well, it was a working holiday but three years in Americaland – 18 months in Philly with The Simple Way [not so simple, buy me coffee!] and 18 months in Oakland with Common Change… miss a lot of good friends we made there. But South Africa.

HAVE I EVER?

25. Have you ever gotten back with an ex?

Sho, yes. Bad move. But fortunately short lived. Ex marks the spot.

26. Have you ever been cheated on?

i think so. But she pulled the “we were on a break” line and i’m not so sure of the calendar specifics but again, bullet dodged.

27. Have you ever cheated on someone?

Nope. That must be the hardest one to move on from. Because trust is so hard to rebuild.

28. Have you ever lost someone special to you?

Yup, my best friend Rob, to cancer, two and a half years ago. And i think about him a lot more than i suspected i would. Which is both great and hard. So many small things bring back memories of good times and the legend he was. And i definitely miss his calming presence in my life.

29. Have you ever been so drunk you threw up?

Maybe. i have not been a lot of drunk in my life but the one time i had moonshine and then wine in the wrong order and apparently i had no chance, but that is the one time i don’t remember stuff [which is not a cool experience ever] and i do think there might have been some chunking. But ja, not a fan of the drunk and that was particularly bad and a great advert to not try it again.

30. Have you ever fallen out of love with someone?

This is a complex question because of how we define love, which i think largely is a choice. So i have definitely fallen out of like with people. But love? Not so much.

31. Have you ever met someone who changed you?

Absolutely. All the time. i have deep friendships with people and they are constantly changing me. Not a huge fan of small talk, i prefer to either be having fun together or going really deep and solving all the world’s mysteries or problems. So tbV for sure and my buddy Rob and my birthday twin Mahlatse and my parents and a hundred other friends…

32. Have you ever been in a situation where you found out who your real friends are?

Absolutely. Was sleeping over with a bunch of mates from school at a friend’s house and staying in different rooms [there were six or eight of us] and went to the toilet during the night and happened to overhear a guy who i thought was a good mate talking trash about me behind my back and letting me know what he really thought. Sho, that was an awful wake-up call. But many times when we have been in need and old youth buddies or schurch friends have jumped in with huge gifts of money and air tickets and cars and more and so am in no doubt as to who my real friends are, and there are a lot of them!

33. Have you ever kissed someone you probably shouldn’t have?

No, i don’t think so. Although i think when you move on from one relationship to the next, then everything from that last relationship in some ways feels wasted. i definitely think being slow to kiss someone [when you’re not in a relationship with anyone or even early on in a relationship] is not a bad thing cos i don’t look back and go, “Man, i wish i had kissed more people.” i definitely enjoy kissing the one i get to kiss now.

34. Have you ever found out people were talking about you behind your back?

Yup. See #32. What a horrible horrible thing. Betrayal of trust and friendship. So hard to get over. Maybe impossible to truly fix.

35. Have you ever broken someone’s heart?

Yes. My first girlfriend. i remember breaking up with her and she cried in front of me for what felt like hours and maybe was. i was already in college [so 21] when i had my first girlfriend and so maybe it as more significant than if it had been a school thing. But the times i broke up with girls [although there are not a super lot of them] are among some of my worst memories because of the pain they caused in the moment.

36. Have you ever kissed a stranger?

Nope. i mean there’s old lady kisses at family gatherings and weddings and things which are probably some of the scariest kisses out there.

37 Have you ever had your own heart broken?

i thought so at the time but i don’t think i think so now. i was just bummed the happily ever after didn’t happen in that moment. When i look back i am absolutely grateful for every relationship/crush that didn’t work out cos i could not imagine being with anyone but tbV.

38 Have you ever had sex on the first date?

Nope. And super stoked that i have only ever had sex with one person. Not sure why society frowns upon that but it is such an intimate thing that i would only ever want to share that with someone i have committed to spend my life with.

39 Have you ever been arrested?

No, but i probably should have been. Was caught chocolate-lifting as a child but got off with a warning.

40 Have you ever been attracted to someone that isn’t the gender you usually find attractive?

To a man crush extent. Johnny Depp has been replaced with Chris Pratt. One day he will respond to one of my tweets. Bradley Cooper was in the mix for a while.

41. Have you ever done something you regret?

Oh yes, absolutely. Hurting people is almost always a regret. Definitely some hockey tackles in recent history when i lost my cool a bit and put in more body slam than was probably necessary. Biting into anything thinking that those were chocolate chips. i regret how an interaction with someone on the Twitterer went down and she felt bullied by me but am convinced it was a misunderstanding and regret that she didn’t give me an opportunity to talk it out with her. Ooh, and i once did something really mean to a girl who had a crush on me [back in school days] because i didn’t know how to handle it, but you have to know me better to hear those details. What a chop!

42. Have you ever had a threesome?

Ew. Why? Why? Why? i cannot think of anything more awful unless you start to bring more numbers into it. Sex is such a beautiful and intimate thing meant to be between two people who love each other and have a commitment to each other and anything else feels like a complete violation.

43. Have you ever embarrassed yourself in public?

Never. Oh, i thought you meant today and i haven’t been out in public yet. But ja, all the time. i don’t get embarrassed too easily but i do a lot of embarrassing stuff and every now and then i realise it and so yes.

44. Have you ever misjudged someone?

Yes. i am quite a good reader of people generally, but i have also become good friends with some people that i had a bad first impression or first interaction with. i like to think i give people the benefit of the doubt and so there is always space for a relationship to be healed or improved upon.

MY BELIEFS AND OPINIONS

45. Do you believe in God?

i do. But the older i get the more of a struggle it’s been. But i have never found any kind of suitable alternative to seriously consider. i have had some moments in life where i am absolutely convinced God was involved and showed up and spoke or acted and then a whole lot of desert type experiences of calling out, “God, where are you?” My life motto these days is very much the “I believe. Help me with my unbelief” that the father of a demon-possessed boy greets Jesus with. And that is top of the list of potential next tattoos when i finally get there. i wrestle constantly with my faith but still have it.

46. Do you believe in yourself?

Yes. i just pinched myself and i am definitely here. Or at least in someone’s mind that is really really convinced right now. i think i’m too complex a character to be completely made up.

47. Do you believe in Santa Claus?

No. i believe in my dad armed with a fishing rod and making noises on the roof of our house even when we were pretty old and probably enjoying it a lot more than we did. Our Santa Claus tended to give us less good presents than some of our friend’s Santa Clauses and so that was fishy from the start. Especially if i’d had a good year!

48. Do you believe in ghosts?

i don’t want to. But i do believe in spirits and demons and so maybe there is room in there for ghosts somehow. There are some pretty weird experiences that people have in life that i don’t want to simply throw out. So i probably believe in people who believe in ghosts. But what were/are they really? i’m just not sure. There is very definitely a spiritual world but i am not sure of how it all works.

49. Do you believe in aliens?

Nope. My faith belief works contrary to that. i also think that if there was alien life we would have likely encountered it by now. Although maybe not encountering alien life by now proves just how intelligent alien life is if it does exist… would you want to hang with us?

50. Do you believe in miracles?

i do, but again definition is important. Was hanging with my friend the other day who told me a story of when he prayed for a guy without a leg and watched the knee form before his eyes. i completely believe him and other good friends i know who have seen similar things. But also hold to a Thomas from the bible approach of “Can i just see one? Close up. Then i’ll really believe.” So i believe, but help me with my unbelief. Although we do tell a story of a house for children at risk that tbV and i were around at the beginning of that contains a number of miracle aspects to it – just way too much coincidence at too many times to not be something special. So yes, i do believe.

51. Do you believe in the power of positive thinking?

Ask me this on a cricket day. When we are losing. i call myself The Eternal Optimist because i have a “Never say Die” attitude most of the time. i absolutely believe that being positive helps because it creates the potential for positive outcomes to more frequently occur. i don’t know that it has any power in and of itself but i think it helps you to shift your posture and aim towards more positive outcomes which is definitely a good thing.

52. Do you believe in love at first sight?

That would go back to definition for me and so no, i don’t think so because there is so much choice involved with love. Like at first sight? Absolutely. But many of those have turned into “What was i thinking?” moments to suggest that a longer term investment into love is way more worth my time.

53. Can money make you happy?

No. But money can buy chocolate and that can make you happy so it’s almost the same thing. Having been mostly unemployed for four or five months i think the lack of money or the stress of needing to find money can assist unhappiness. Not having to figure out where the money is coming from so you can do the things you need or want to do well is a privileged and very much less stressed place to be.

54. Would you describe yourself as a feminist?

Again definition but for the most part yes if feminism is about wanting equal rights and representation for women. Patriarchy has a lot to answer for and just looking at some of the world leaders we have or have recently had it would be completely impossible for women to do much worse and very likely that they would do a whole lot better so while not perfect let’s let them run the place for a bit and reconvene in twenty years and see how it all went.

55. Are you pro-life or pro-choice?

i am pro-life but believe that if you are pro-life it has to be pro-all-of-life and so little babies and old and sick people and the marginalised – if we tell people they are not allowed to kill a baby that is living inside them then we sure as hell better be presenting them with favourable options that are very much pro that new born babies life when it arrives fully on to the scene. The problem with a lot of the pro-life crowd is that they are more anti-abortion than pro-life. Pro-life is something much much bigger. The idea that someone can decide who gets to live and who gets to die is always going to be abhorrent to me in every single way.

56. Do you have strong political beliefs?

i don’t think i could be sandwiched easily into a specific party or belief system – i have kingdom beliefs which relate to my faith and following of Jesus and call for the least of these to be looked after, my enemies to be loved and for resources to be shared so that there is enough for everyone’s need and not everyone’s greed. That would probably get me a political label but those are things i care deeply about.

57. Do you have strong religious beliefs?

Absolutely. Although so much bad has been done in the name of religion that i tend to shy away from the word. My life goal is to be used to mobilise people into living out what they say they believe, specifically when they say they believe in following Jesus. Too many christians in the world and not enough people actually following Jesus, or really giving it as much attention as it deserves.

58. What do you think the most important thing you can give a child is?

i think teaching children to value other people, all other people, regardless of the outer and inner qualities and facades is a precious gift. Teaching a child to look for the image of God that exists in each created person. And to teach them to love well. That and the skill of critique – challenging what you believe and think in an ongoing way so that you believe and think better things. Not enough adults do this so we would certainly do well to train our children in it.

RIGHT NOW

59. Are you eating anything right now?

Just finished a bowl of chocolate chip yoghurt.

60. Are you drinking anything right now?

Should be lining up my second cup of coffee for the day soon.

61. What are you listening to right now?

Rebirthing by Skillet off the album Comatose – old school hard Christian rock! Love it!

62. What are you thinking about right now?

There are still 38 questions to go. GER BEAR!!! And that i need to phone the fraud people to report a second payment on my card that we missed before.

63. What are you waiting for right now?

My various work potentials to happen. Have some work things lined up but money is diminishing quickly and hoping the right one overlaps the other because things are pretty tight right now.

64. What are you most excited about right now?

The possibility of a cruise and iprov combination!

65. What’s your pet hate right now?

People on social media who refuse to come to the race/diversity table and continue to give excuses and arguments rather than seeking to be part of the solution.

66. What’s your favourite thing right now?

Such a general question. But hanging out with Mahlatse and Lusanda and their family with tbV and either Pandemic Legacy or shared cuisine or Lan gaming and some form of chocolate and liquor is right up there.

67. If you weren’t answering these questions, what would you be doing right now?

Probably my Insanity Max workout session which will follow this directly. Actually maybe fraud call then Insanity Max then lunch.

FIRSTS

68. Your first best friend?

Joseph Noble in Joburg where i grew up – introduced me to U2 which was not half bad.

69. Your first kiss?

Caroline McKintyre was the one i remember from the age-old game of kissing catchers. i feel like i may need to stick the word ‘attempted’ in there.

70. Your first celebrity crush?

Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Carribbean. Man crush. All good. In fact probably all of my celebrity crushes have been man crushes. Can’t remember any female ones…

71. Your first holiday?

Probably involved my family and a caravan and a lot of fighting and bad moods on the first day cos of last minute things and frayed tempers and being shouted at for laughing too much with my sister as used to be the adult tradition back in those days.

72. Your first pet?

Scampy. We have a family tradition of badly named dogs with Skippy being the other one. Seriously. i would have done better.

73. Your first regret?

Probably involved a book of puzzles i was looking after for a friend of mine which got covered in dessert and i had to end up paying for it. Super bleak.

74. Your first job?

Cashier at Coimbura corner cafe was one of them. Horrible horrible job. Sitting at a till knowing you were earning like R4 or R8 or whatever it was for that hour’s work and that nothing you did in that hour would influence it in any way. Very stressful work cos there were always exceptions and i was so relieved to get away from there.

75. Your first childhood memory?

Sitting on the steps at the back of our house in a super bad mood doing the lip thing i used to do and thinking to myself, “Hey, this bad mood thing is a choice” and choosing to not choose that again for the rest of life…

WHICH WOULD I CHOOSE?

76. Love or money?

Love.

77. Twitter or Facebook?

Both for different things. And go through phases of getting tired of both of them for different reasons. Because of the connection and knowing what people are up to vibe i would probably take Facebook if i was forced to choose but on a good day the Twitterer is better!

78. Hook up or relationship?

Do not understand hook ups. What a waste of time and emotional energy. Relationship for sure. Commitment is king.

79. Dogs or cats?

Not really a pet person but generally would probably go for cats unless it was one of those wolf dog vibes. Those are SO great!

80. Coffee or tea?

Coffee.

81. Beer or wine?

Never been a super beer person so definitely wine but also not a super wine person so probably girlie drinks – Hunters Gold or Flying Fish and more definitely a mix like Brandy n Coke or G n T or my absolute favourite chocolate liqueur called Nachtmusiek!

82. Sweet or savoury?

Sweet for sure while tbV is savoury all the way!

83. Introvert or extrovert?

Most people would probably say extrovert but as with most categories and labels i tend to find myself in the middle middle – would definitely say more extrovert but with a lot of introvertic tendencies in there.

84. Vampires or werewolves?

Hm, to be or to watch. Twilight kinda killed vampires but werewolves have tended to be a bit more under the radar. Actually, i hate body hair so would have to go with vampires.

85. Seaside or countryside?

Probably countryside cos less sand.

86. Summer or winter?

Winter. Inside with movies and great food and fun snacks and hot drinks and chocolate liqueur for the win!

87. Books or movies?

Both, depending on the mood. Have been reading a lot more this past year which i love and which is usually just a case of making time for it. Also intentionally reading people who don’t look like me – women, black authors etc etc

88. Horror or comedy?

Never been a horror fan so comedy but some comedy horror vibes like Shaun of the Dead go down well too.

A FEW RANDOM QUESTIONS TO FINISH

89. Do you wish you could change your past?

Not really. Little flecks here and there but nothing major. It’s all been a huge part of shaping who i am. More time with my buddy Rob would have been nice. Would definitely change that. #CancerIsABeast

90. What’s your dream job?

At the moment i would say being able to speak and write in a way that pays bills and influences people to do better. Something that brings significant and positive change to the world. One that gives me time to pursue the kinds of kingdom and nation building things that don’t pay.

91. What’s your guilty pleasure?

Melted Top Deck and Smartie Eggs and a teaspoon.

92. What are you afraid of?

Wasting significant amounts of time. That South Africa as a whole will never find that rainbow nation vibe we were promised. That change happens too slowly.

93. What was the first thing you wanted to be when you grew up?

Lawyer. Did five years of latin [which you had to do at the time to become a lawyer]. Then about five minutes into Standard 8 [when i was locked in for three more years of latin] changed my mind cos it looked boring.

94. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

Patience. That feels like a super power. Definitely something i could use. Otherwise that spider stuff is pretty cool!

95. If you could change anything about your life what would it be?

Not having to worry aboout money coming in.

96. Would you want immortality?

No. Not unless everyone else had it and we didn’t age and get all the negative side effects that come with that. i’m feeling forty-four right now. Imagine feeling seven hundred and eighty. i think the temporary nature of life at least encourages us to take things more seriously and make the most of it.

97. If you could interview anyone alive or dead who would you choose?

Probably alive. Mainly cos of the smell.

There are so many though – not sure about interview but i would LOVE to hang out with Noel Fielding and Richard Ayoade. Maybe Chris Pratt in terms of interviewing him about his weight lose cos that guy turned it around!

98. Would you say you are happy?

Generally yes. So much in life to be grateful for and so many incredible people who i get to call friend and get to hang out with on a regular basis. But also dissatisfied with the state of the world and particularly our country and hoping to be used to help make things somewhat better along the way although it is very complicated stuff.

99. What one piece of advice would you give to yourself at age eighteen?

Explore social justice in your country and how it relates to the faith you know you would die for. Don’t wait so long before discovering that the two are completely intertwined and need your full attention.

100. Where would you like to be in five years’ time?

South Africa. i love this country. i would love to get the opportunity to visit South America, particularly Columbia. i would also love the chance to visit The Philippines where tbV grew up to see so much of what helped shape her. i would love to be doing work that feels valuable and significant and to be able to visually see and feel a difference in South Africa and the way we treat each other.

So I’m supposed to tag some blogger buds in on this and spread the misery that is answering far far too many questions about ourselves. So I nominate:

• My friend Louise has a blog called Thoughts on Life where she blogs about food and autism and life. She is in a similar work situation to me right now and so would be interested to see some of her answers on this.
• My friend Cherly has a blog called Tales of a North Shore Princess and she has such an interesting story that i imagine her answers would be thoroughly interesting as well.

Sho, that was super long, Geraldine, and probably largely for myself, cos who is going to read that much, but thanks for the journey. i need to come up for air…

Want to join in? Just follow the rules below.

RULES

1. Thank the person who nominated you and link back to their site.
2. Answer the questions honestly (skip any you don’t feel comfortable answering)
3. Tag up to 10 bloggers to take part (let them know on social media).
4. Post the questions without your answers at the bottom of your post so that they are easy to copy and paste for the people you tag (see below)

THE BASICS

1. What’s your name?

2. Any nicknames or aliases?

3. Your gender?

4. Your star sign?

5. How old are you?

6. Your relationship status?

7. Any children?

8. Any pets?

9. Any tattoos or piercings?

10. What do you like about yourself?

11. What do you dislike about yourself?

12. Righty or lefty?

LASTS

13. The last thing you drank?

14. The last thing you ate?

15. Your last phone call?

16. Your last text message?

17. Your last email?

18. The last song you listened to?

19. The last book you read?

20. The last time you cried?

21. The last blog you read?

22. The last person you spoke to?

23. The last place you visited?

24. Your last holiday abroad?

HAVE I EVER?

25. Have you ever gotten back with an ex?

26. Have you ever been cheated on?

27. Have you ever cheated on someone?

28. Have you ever lost someone special to you?

29. Have you ever been so drunk you threw up?

30. Have you ever fallen out of love with someone?

31. Have you ever met someone who changed you?

32. Have you ever been in a situation where you found out who your real friends are?

33. Have you ever kissed someone you probably shouldn’t have?

34. Have you ever found out people were talking about you behind your back?

35. Have you ever broken someone’s heart?

36. Have you ever kissed a stranger?

37 Have you ever had your own heart broken?

38 Have you ever had sex on the first date?

39 Have you ever been arrested?

40 Have you ever been attracted to someone that isn’t the gender you usually find attractive?

41. Have you ever done something you regret?

42. Have you ever had a threesome?

43. Have you ever embarrassed yourself in public?

44. Have you ever misjudged someone?

MY BELIEFS AND OPINIONS

45. Do you believe in God?

46. Do you believe in yourself?

47. Do you believe in Santa Claus?

48. Do you believe in ghosts?

49. Do you believe in aliens?

50. Do you believe in miracles?

51. Do you believe in the power of positive thinking?

52. Do you believe in love at first sight?

53. Can money make you happy?

54. Would you describe yourself as a feminist?

55. Are you pro-life or pro-choice?

56. Do you have strong political beliefs?

57. Do you have strong religious beliefs?

58. What do you think the most important thing you can give a child is?

RIGHT NOW

59. Are you eating anything right now?

60. Are you drinking anything right now?

61. What are you listening to right now?

62. What are you thinking about right now?

63. What are you waiting for right now?

64. What are you most excited about right now?

65. What’s your pet hate right now?

66. What’s your favourite thing right now?

67. If you weren’t answering these questions, what would you be doing right now?

FIRSTS

68. Your first best friend?

69. Your first kiss?

70. Your first celebrity crush?

71. Your first holiday?

72. Your first pet?

73. Your first regret?

74. Your first job?

75. Your first childhood memory?

WHICH WOULD I CHOOSE?

76. Love or money?

77. Twitter or Facebook?

78. Hook up or relationship?

79. Dogs or cats?

80. Coffee or tea?

81. Beer or wine?

82. Sweet or savoury?

83. Introvert or extrovert?

84. Vampires or werewolves?

85. Seaside or countryside?

86. Summer or winter?

87. Books or movies?

88. Horror or comedy?

A FEW RANDOM QUESTIONS TO FINISH

89. Do you wish you could change your past?

90. What’s your dream job?

91. What’s your guilty pleasure?

92. What are you afraid of?

93. What was the first thing you wanted to be when you grew up?

94. If you could have any super power, what would it be?

95. If you could change anything about your life what would it be?

96. Would you want immortality?

97. If you could interview anyone alive or dead who would you choose?

98. Would you say you are happy?

99. What one piece of advice would you give to yourself at age eighteen?

100. Where would you like to be in five years’ time?