The Liebster!

I would like to thank Reshma for presenting me with the "Liebster Award". It always feels good to know that your writing is appreciated and receiving this award just made my day! Such appreciation always encourages me to continue writing and  I hope that I get better with each and every piece so that my readers always enjoy themselves while reading my posts.

Not everyone knows about the Liebster Award. Even I didn't until I received it! Well, 'Liebster' is actually a German word and, simply put, it means loving and endearing. The Liebster Award is an award of appreciation.

The rules of this award are simple and stated below:

1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves.
2. The person must answer the 11 questions set by the nominator; and create 11 new questions for the people he or she has nominated. 
3. The person must choose bloggers who deserve this award and link them in the post (These bloggers should have less than 300 followers).
4. These nominees must be informed of their nomination.
5. No tag-backs are permitted. 

So, here I begin with posting 11 things about myself...

1. I always tend to believe in the best of people. I believe that people are, basically, very good and I often make the mistake of taking people at face-value. There are times when I have had to pay a price for trusting people so easily but I'd rather be the person who trusts and gets hurt than be someone who is suspicious at all times. 
2. Sometimes, I wish I could be in two places simultaneously. It would be wonderful if I could be in my home-town, Kolkata, with my family as well as in Mumbai with all my friends, both, at the same time. 
3. I am a clinical hypnotherapist and I feel very uncomfortable when I see the weird reactions people give when I tell them about my profession. It used to be fun freaking people out while I was still studying but lately I am finding it to be quite irksome. 
4. I am not a hard worker but I work smart and can complete most tasks assigned to me at rapid speed. 
5. Despite being a food-lover, I am quite fussy about the food that I eat. 
6. I am an agony aunt! I always end up in situations where I am helping people sort out their issues. 
7. I love dogs and I wish I could have one as a pet. 
8. While I can drink tea or coffee, I still prefer drinking milk and Bournvita every morning. 
9. I have always believed in living in the moment. What lies ahead has never been a concern for me. However, these days I find myself becoming worrisome about the future and I feel that I need to change that. 
10. If I had my way, I think I would be a student for life. I love learning things and I feel, like Tennyson's Ulysses, the true purpose of my life is "to follow knowledge like a sinking star, beyond the utmost bound of human thought". 
11. I always smile at people even if I do not know them. Even if you meet me for a brief one minute, you are sure to notice my smile! 

Now, I need to answer the questions that were set for me. Here goes:

1. Given a choice between a world without feelings and a world without words, which one would you choose and why?
   I would choose to live in a world without words than live in a world without feelings. Empty words are meaningless and the language of words is just a symbol. Feelings are what truly matter. 
2. What is the one thing about you that you think irritates others the most?
   Sometimes, I just cut off from people without giving them prior notice. When I feel like I don't want to talk to anybody, I actually do not respond to messages, e-mails or calls. My friends get irritated when I do not return their calls even though they have called me more than ten times in two days or sometimes even more; and no, I am not exaggerating! What irritates them further is that I bounce back into action without giving them any explanations behind the cause of my disappearance. 
3. Describe what writing means to you in 3 words.
   Writing is expression. 
4. If you were to be marooned on an island and could wish for only one thing (except return to the mainland) what would that be and why?
   I would wish for my entire life to be transported to the island! If I can't go back to my life on the mainland, at least my life can come back to me. Besides it does not really matter where you are, if you have your life, consisting of friends, family, and the things that you love, all around you. 
5. If you could choose to be born as a celebrity, who would you be?
   I would love to be born as Calvin (from Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson). 
6. The one blogger you wished you could write like would be ____________. 
   I have left the space blank because even though I love the different styles of writing of all the different bloggers, I somehow feel that I should stick to mine! 
7. If you could possess a super-power, what would it be?
   If I could have a super-power, I wish that I could read and manipulate people's thoughts (like Matt Parkman of Heroes)
8. Who or what influenced you the most to write?
   In my family, no one was fond of reading books other than me. However, everyone liked hearing a good story. Re-telling stories from the books that I used to read inspired or influenced me to write some stories of my own. 
9. Science or God?
   God because it all starts from there. God is the source - you are introduced to the concept of God right from the time you are born. After that introduction, you will automatically start searching for more answers and stumble upon other paths such as Science. 
10. What is/are your favourite book(s) and why? (Limit: 3)
    My favourite book is To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I recommend this book strongly to all those who haven't yet had the chance of reading it. It is a wonderful piece of literature.
    Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder  is also on my list of favourites. It is a book on Western philosophy and I love the style with which it has been written. People who are not familiar with philosophy at all will benefit from reading this book. 
11. If you could change one thing in this world, what would it be?
    These days, I find that people in this world are rather apathetic. I would like to change that. 

Now it is my turn to ask questions. Here is the list:

1. If you had to describe yourself with the help of a song, which song would that be?
2. What is that one thing you would do differently if you felt that no one was judging you?
3. If you had the choice of starring in a movie, which movie would you choose and what character would you play?
4. What is the one cause that you feel most passionate about?
5. What is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?
6. Who was your favourite cartoon character when you were a child?
7. If you could bring a tourist to only one place in your city, where would you take him or her and why?
8.  What does your name mean? To what extent is that meaning applicable in your context?
9. Where do you see yourself five years from now?
10. What is the best gift you have received?
11. If you knew that today was your last day on this earth, how would you like to spend it and why?

I would like to nominate:

1. Green Speck
2. Sanika
3. Me
4. Ashok
5. Chatty Wren

Looking forward to reading your responses!