7654060The rules of this award:

  1. Link back and thank the blogger who nominated you in your post – thank you, Summerita, the blogger with the lovely name and writer of sweet, sensual romance.
  2. List 11 facts about yourself.
  3. Answer the 11 questions asked by the blogger who nominated you.
  4. Pick 5 – 10 new bloggers (must have less than 300 followers) to nominate and ask them 11 new questions. Do not re-nominate the blogger that nominated you.
  5. Go to each new blogger’s site and inform them of their nomination.To learn more about the Liebster Award, check out this post by Lorraine Reguly.

So, now that we’re clear on the rules, let’s play! First up, 11 random facts about myself. We’ll come to the questions later.

11 Facts About Natasha

The fact that Natasha is a pen name should not detract from the information listed below. Those who know me intimately will know that they’re all true. 🙂

  1. When I studied Art and Literature in A’ Levels, my teachers all thought I was too clinical in my work to be an artist or a writer (well, I showed them, didn’t I?).
  2. I grew up (and out of) wanting to be a scientist. At one point, I wanted to be an inventor. Hmmm. That might explain the ‘clinical’ aspect that my teachers were talking about…
  3. I can’t swim. Well, I could swim, but I can’t anymore.
  4. In school, all the way up to college, in fact, I was a long-distance runner. My collection of medals is in a box, somewhere.
  5. I was the only foreign student in my school in London, and was constantly winning English Language prizes and praise. At Christmas, I sang hymns and was chosen (despite the fact that I was the only Muslim in school) to read passages from the Bible at a special Christmas assembly.
  6. I hate authority. In college, I once had a ‘discussion’ with my Dean, my Head of Department and my advisor on the differences between advertising and design. The argument (let’s call a spade a spade), which took place in the Dean’s office, lasted half a day. Strangely, they never invite me over for alumni stuff.
  7. I hate cooking – I’d rather clean. Give me rubber gloves, an anti-bacterial spray, and a brush and I’m happy.
  8. I have 3 cats. An old woman once told me that I don’t have kids because I have cats in the house. I’ve decided I am going to get pregnant with triplets and invite her over as soon as they’re born.
  9. I have some sort of hormonal imbalance because of which I am losing my hair. Sinead O’Connor is my new idol.
  10. Because I never stayed in one place for very long, I never had, nor have, a BFF that I confide in. I’m still hopeless at making and keeping friends for the long-term.
  11. I used to eat sand when I was a kid. I don’t know why, and I don’t really remember it, but my mother is fond of reminding me.

Questions from Summerita

1.  Name three secrets that you never told anyone.
Whoa. Too many secrets! There’s not much point in keeping secrets if I blab them all over the internet, is there? Let’s skip this one. 🙂

2. If you won the lottery, what would be the first thing you would do?  
Travel.

3. Looking over the last ten years, what is one goal you have achieved and one that you have not achieved?  
Writing a novel was never a goal, but I’m applying it retroactively here. That’s accomplished. The one I haven’t achieved is losing weight. Still working on that one.

4. What are your plans for retirement? And will you travel, if so where and why?  
I’d like to retire to a cave filled with books and wine. F**k the world and let me read!

5. Favorite drink on a Friday night?
Red wine. I’m not picky, as long as it isn’t Sherry, or Port.

6. What do you think the secret is to a good marriage or relationship with a significant other is?  
Do unto others… Mutual respect. Self-awareness. Things go wrong when we start believing everything that’s wrong with a relationship is the other person’s fault.

7. Name three words that describe your personality.  
Introvert, daydreamer, blunt.

8. Home-cooked meal or take-out? 
Take out. I think I mentioned above that I hate cooking. Home-cooked if hubby’s cooking (which he does most days, poor man!)

9. When was the last time you blogged and what was the topic? 
Last week, in the wake of a terrorist attack on Karachi Airport, I wrote a piece on why I admire our security forces.

10. What do you think the key is to happiness? 
There’s no such thing. Happiness is relative, a frame of mind that has so many factors built into it, it’s almost impossible to pin down. I would love kids, but I’m still happy with my marriage and my career. A mother may look at my life and shudder at the thought of life without children. How can there be a key to something that can’t be defined?

11. Who is your favorite poet and why?
My favourites change with moods and seasons. I was and am a big fan of William Blake (for his art as much as his words), W. H. Auden (long before Four Weddings and a Funeral!), Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Mirza Ghalib, Omar Khayyam, Khalil Gibran, Jalaluddin Rumi and Allama Iqbal. I love them for their imagery, for their powerful sentiments and their ability to say so much with so little.

My Questions for my Nominees

I do like some of the questions listed above, but I’m changing a few around:

  1. What did you want to be when you were younger?
  2. Looking over the last ten years, what is one goal you have achieved and one that you have not achieved?
  3. What are your plans for retirement? And will you travel, if so where and why?
  4. Name three words that describe your personality.
  5. What was your last blog post about?
  6. Who is your favorite poet and why?
  7. With the rise of social media, do you feel we’re more connected than ever, or more physically isolated than ever?
  8. What’s your favourite genre to read, science fiction, fantasy, romance, comedy, crime…?
  9. Are you a sports fan? Which sport and who is your favourite sportsman?
  10. If you had to choose one place in the world where you would spend your remaining years, where would that be?
  11. Have you ever done anything you are really ashamed of? Would you share it with us (we won’t judge you!)?

And now for my nominees:

Jazz Singh is a writer and recluse. She doesn’t have a blog, but I’m hoping a Liebster Award will motivate her. 🙂 She has two books out on Indireads’ shelves: Against All Odds and Only a Dream.

Linda Huber is the author of The Paradise Trees, and a relatively new blogger. Perfect for the Liebster Award!

D.M. Cain just launched her debut novel, The Phoenix Project. It’s also her birthday today. Happy Birthday!

Priyanka Roy Banerjee is a reviewer and blogger who writes thoughtful and detailed reviews on her blog. She may be a little more popular than a Liebster Award warrants, but I thought she deserved some notoriety.

And, finally, because she just bought my book and I got curious about her, I nominate Neha Puntambekar, a travel writer and aspiring novelist (I believe her novel is in progress as I write this!).

Go forth and answer my questions, oh nominees. Don’t forget that you have to nominate 5 bloggers for the award.