I don't think I've ever done a single "tag" post since I started this blog, at least not the English version, but today that's going to change! I was tagged by the beautiful Carol from Carol In A Page to share 10 things I love and hate with you. I sometimes feel like this blog looks like a catalog of reviews rather than my own space on the vast internet, so I'm enjoying this opportunity to make things a little more personal.
10 things I Love
- Friendship. I have very few friends, but they are real friends for life. I value true friendship above anything else. It takes a lot for me to call someone a friend, but if I do, it means that the person has a special place in my heart.
- Animals. I was going to write "cats" but the truth is that I love animals in general. I know this is going to make me sound like a psycho, but I tend to feel more connected to animals than to most people. There's something so real and immediate about them, an absence of unspoken words and hidden intentions, that makes them fully present in the moment, enjoying their time with you as if they might never see you again.
- Science. I've sometimes been told that I'm excessively rational. Logic prevails in my belief system, and I find science absolutely captivating. If things had been different in my youth, I might have pursued a scientific career. Since it's not going to happen now, I did the next best thing: marry a scientist!
- Languages. This is what I devoted most of my years in school to, rather than science. I really love learning a new language, and I think that I have a little bit of natural talent for that. I've learnt, well, French from birth, then German, English, Italian and later Turkish. My spoken Turkish got really good when I lived there, but the only foreign language I dare say I master fluently is English. And even then, I'm very, very far from the proficiency I have in my native language, French.
- Food. Food is more than eating, it's about terroir, artisans, traditions and sharing. Food is at the center of my culture and it's a tremendously important part of my life. Plus, yum!
- Chartreuse. Not for the faint of heart, this 55% alcohol sweet, herbal liqueur is produced by Carthusian monks in my native region of France, and its recipe has been kept a secret since they started making it in the 18th century. You should read the whole story on Wikipedia, especially if you always wondered where the name for the color "chartreuse" came from. We drank (way too much) Chartreuse the night I met my husband, and I often credit the monks for our marriage :p
- Crème de marron. Chances are that you have no clue what I'm talking about if you're American, and boy are you missing something. Crème de marron is a sweet (very, VERY sweet) chestnut spread with a hint of vanilla, a kind of jam, but... sweeter? I've been completely addicted to this stuff since my early childhood, and I can eat a shameful amount of it in one sitting. On my own. On the couch. By itself with a spoon... It's also really good with vanilla ice cream, yogurt, on your waffles, crèpes, and even pancakes. Luckily for me, THE brand of crème de marron, Clément Faugier, is available on Amazon. I did a little chestnut dance when I found out! I do think that it's not the same/not quite as good as the stuff you find in France, and whenever someone comes to visit from the homeland, I ask for crème de marron (they would probably bring it without me even asking...).
- The scent of a fig tree. I have this very vivid memory from my first trip to Turkey: I was visiting an archaeological site in the heat of a July afternoon and tried to find shelter in the shadow of an old giant fig tree. The heated wood and leaves, the milky sap, the sweet ripe fruits all created the most heavenly fragrance I have ever smelled. Later I tried to find fig fragrances that would recreate the scent of the entire tree, not just the fruits, and I found something very similar to my memory by Molinard, a perfume-maker from Grasse. Apparently I wasn't the only one to think it smelled like the real thing: it attracted wasps and I was stung in the neck. I stopped wearing it!
- Istanbul, Turkey. There's something magical about Istanbul that is impossible to explain, you have to experience it. I lived there for 5 years, and the beauty of this city still fascinated me every day. It's also a grinding place to live (too crowded, too much traffic all the time) but it's like nowhere else. If you like travelling, you MUST visit Istanbul. I hate to say that things are a must-have/must-do, but Istanbul is special.
- Makeup. I got into makeup much later than most beauty-addicts I know: I was about 25 when I started reading about it and buying too much of it. Before that, I was happy with a concealer, a face powder and two lipsticks. Oh how things have changed! What I enjoy the most about makeup is the creativity it allows, and the way it can transform me.
10 things I Hate
- Oreos. Seriously. I cannot, for the life of me, understand why Oreos are so popular. To me they taste like nothing but low quality sugar.
- Snakes, worms, anything that crawls without having legs. Enough said.
- Gossip. Gossip is low, disgraceful, despicable. I never engage in gossip, and if for some reason someone starts gossiping in my presence, I will bluntly ask them to stop.
- Oysters. The texture... I just can't.
- Inconsiderate people. When people are so self-absorbed that they don't even acknowledge the existence of others outside their little circle and act like they live alone in this world, whether it's driving their car as if no one else was on the road or playing loud music at 3am on a Sunday night, I can get very mad.
- Injustice. I really have a hard time dealing with injustice, whether it affects me or others, it makes me lose my mind. I'm the one who screams in front of the TV when I hear about all the injustice in this world on the news. I decided that my life would be better without TV, and I haven't owned a TV set in about 8 years (there are other reasons for that).
- Doing the dishes. This is the house chore I hate the most. We don't have a dishwasher or any space in the kitchen to get one, and it negatively impacts my life, for real.
- Hoarders. I don't hate the hoarders but I can't get into their houses. I feel like all their stuff is going to eat me alive and I suffocate.
- Ferris wheels. For reasons I ignore, I have acquired a fear of heights as an adult, and I spent a horrifying time in a Ferris wheel last time I tried. I thought I was gonna die (see, I'm not THAT rational).
- Anxiety. I don't think there's anything I hate more in the world than anxiety. It affects so many people, me included, and can turn our lives into painful struggles. Luckily I've learnt ways to deal with it throughout the years, but there are still times when it defeats me.
Now I'm supposed to tag other bloggers so they take up the challenge too. I'm always a bit shy about that, so I'll invite a few people I'd like to learn more about, but please, don't feel like you HAVE to do it, just do it if you want to, and consider doing it on Instagram if you prefer! And if I didn't mention your name but you'd like to share things you love and hate, by all means, do and share your link in the comments!
So I'd like to tag Kimmy from Beauty Isles, Lisa Marie from Midwest Glam and Em from Oui, Emmy.
Thanks again to Carol for pushing me to tell a little more about myself, I hope you guys still like me after that :p
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