The Liebster, and 11 questions

Bhakti, who blogs here, was sweet enough to bestow on me the Liebster Award. Thank you so much for this, Bhakti! 🙂

Now, in order to accept this award, I need to answer 11 questions about myself. Here we go:

1. Why do you blog or write?

I blog because I love to write. I blog because I need a space to express myself, through my writing. I blog because I find it helps me in more ways than one. I blog because it has, over the years, become a part of me and I can’t imagine not blogging.

2. The biggest challenge you faced in your life and how did you overcome it?

My life has always been full of challenges. I overcame most of them through patience, sheer grit and determination, and the support and guidance of family and friends. It is not possible for me to write about one particular challenge that was ‘the biggest’ in my life.

3. A book or movie that changed your thinking or inspired you?

There has been something or the other to learn from most books I have read and most movies I have seen, irrespective of how good or bad they were. Some of the books that inspired me, each in different ways, are Manual Of The Warrior Of Light by Paulo Coelho, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Q’s Legacy by Helene Hanff and A Year In The World by Frances Mayes.

4. Do you believe in love at first sight?

The romantic in me wishes to believe in love at first sight, but the practical side of me disagrees. Overall, I would say I don’t believe in love at first sight. Love is something that takes time to build up, for which you need to get to know a person reasonably well. At first sight, all you can have for a person is attraction.

5. What does success mean to you?

To me, success means being better than my old self. It means living, loving and learning every day, constantly improving myself. It also means being able to manage the kind of lifestyle I want, on a regular basis, either jointly or independently. It means being happy with yourself, and not feeling the need to compare yourself to others.

6. Three things you cannot live without.

My family, reading, travel

7. One person you want to meet in your lifetime.

I would love to meet Robert Kincaid of The Bridges Of Madison County fame. I think I have said this many times on my blog before, but I’ll say it again – I am in love with the man. He is just so awesome!

8. What do you know about God? Do you think there is a God? If not, what is logical reason for being an atheist.

I don’t know if there is a God or not. I like to believe, though, that there is a power above me, who knows better than me. It is this power I bow down to whenever the mood strikes me. I don’t find this power strictly in a temple or a dargah or a church – sometimes I do – but I can find it absolutely anywhere in the whole, wide world. I don’t think you need to be overly religious to feel the God I am talking about.

9. If you could go back in time and change one moment in your life, what would it be?

I don’t want to do that. Yes, I do have regrets, but maybe they were meant to be that way. Life cannot be supremely perfect, with no flaws at all.

10. What is your dream holiday destination?

Ooh, there are several. If I had to choose a few, I would say Europe, Italy, the UK, Maldives, Seychelles, Bali, Andaman and Nicobar.

11. If not for your current profession/career path  what would you opt for and why?

I would choose to be a magazine writer, combining my passion for writing and that for travel.