The 5000 Question Survey: Questions 151-175

It's been quite a while since I last posted an update for The 5000 Question Survey which I (rather foolishly?) chose to challenge myself with last Autumn. I've had this portion of questions sitting half-completed in my drafts for a month or two now, and I'm so glad to have it completed so I can send it on its merry way. Not that I expect anything better with the next twenty-five questions... but, y'know, it's a relief to remove this one from my drafts.

This week, I'm answering questions 151-175 of the 5000. You can catch up on the previous 150 questions via this link, if you would like some more reading material. This week you can find out what the coolest job I've ever worked is; what changes I'm afraid of; and which CDs I could listen to non-stop for a week.

151. What is louder and more annoying: 200 adults talking or one four-year-old screaming? 

Definitely the screaming child. It's easily one of the worst noises in existence; especially from a stranger's child.

152. Do you believe the stories about planes, boats and people mysteriously disappearing into the Bermuda triangle? 

I can't say I've ever given them much thought, but I'm not sceptical about the stories. Who's to say the sea didn't consume them in a giant whirlpool, or that there's some type of natural force or substance out there to blame that's not yet been discovered by man? 

153. Who are you the most jealous of? 

I'm not jealous of anyone that I can think of.

154. What is the happiest way you can start your day? 

Waking naturally (not by my alarm) to blue skies and bright sunshine beaming through the curtains, and turning up one of my favourite uptempo tunes. I'd be even happier if I was waking up on the day of a concert because on those days I always awake giddy with excitement, and nothing can spoil my mood on those days.

155. Do you ever have moments where you feel like everything is all right in the world? 

No, because there are constant reminders everywhere I turn that show me the world is far from all right. Even if my life feels perfect for a moment or two, I know that billions of other people are going through hell every day.

156. Who thinks that you are offensive?

My mother.

157. If you had to teach a class in something, what would you be able to teach people?

Hmm, I doubt I know enough about anything to teach... I could teach you all you need to know about caring for pets (my strong areas are rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, dogs, and fish). I could teach you a bit about visual merchandising and various computer-y things, too.

158. Have you ever had a spiritual experience (an experience that cannot be explained by science)?

I've been known to dream something before it's happened. I don't mean anything poignant or useful like predicting a plane crash or a natural disaster, just that I often dream of random little every day moments that then happen word for word and action for action a week or two later. I always get a little weirded out when the moment arrives, and remember dreaming it.

159. Do you believe that this experience was truly mystical or do you think there is some scientific explanation for it, only you don't know what it is?

I've never really given it much thought, only that I might have a little psychic ability.

160. Do you get offended easily?

I don't think I do these days, but I am offended by the way society treats fat people. I'm offended by anybody who makes a fat joke at someone's expense; by anybody who mocks, taunts, bullies, or threatens a person for simply being fat. I get offended when I see / hear a fat joke on TV, and get so angry that it's still an acceptable form of discrimination / entertainment. 

161. Would you still love and stay with your significant other if he or she had to have a breast or testicle removed? 

Of course I would! The loss of a body part would never change the way I feel about a person I truly love. It doesn't matter if he has one less testicle (none, three, whatever...); if I really loved the man I would be there to support him and help him through what ever illness or circumstance required the removal in the first place.

162. Do you believe in fate or free will? 

As much as I'd love to truly believe in fate, I don't believe our lives are shaped by it. I believe it's our own decisions and actions in life that map out our lives minute by minute, and that it's up to us to make life happen. We have to work hard to get what we want from life. It doesn't just get handed to us on a platter.

163. Do you believe that only boring people get bored?

Mostly, yes, but there are times when it's out of our control. (Say, waiting for a bus without a book or an iPod). There's always a way of fighting boredom, if you just use your imagination or make use of what's available to you.

164. Can life change or are we all stuck in vain? 

Life can change in an instance, in both good and bad ways. Some of it's out of our control, but we can also take the reins and change our lives, too, if we want to. We just need to take those steps and work hard to achieve most of them.

165. What changes are you afraid of? 

I suppose a part of me is afraid that my current situation will never change; that I'll have to deal with what I'm going through now with my disc injuries for the rest of my life. I'm sure if that turned out to be the case, I'd make peace with it and just live my life as best I could one day at a time, as I do now, but a small part of me, somewhere deep inside, is afraid that the pain and limited mobility will never change.

166. Are you a day person or nocturnal? 

I always used to be a day person; I lived for the day light and never slept in past 8am... Now because of pain and medication, I've turned nocturnal. I'm awake all night and sleep from dawn in to the afternoon. I've tried to correct it, but the pain just doesn't let me sleep.

167. What one CD could you listen to for an entire week (no mixed CD’s, it must be an album)?

I'll happily listen to any album by Linkin Park, Fall Out Boy, Boyzone, or Ronan Keating non-stop for a week. I honestly can't decide on just one album, so give me an album by any of these guys and I'm set for the week.

Other possibilities: Snow Patrol Eyes Open; Arcade Fire's Funeral; Michael's Jackson's History, Madonna's Immaculate Collection, and The Beatles #1s or 1967-1970.

168. Which is worse, working in retail, food service, or an office?

I've never worked in an office, and honestly, the thought of being stuck behind a desk all day sounds awful. I like to be hands-on; as much as I'm good behind a computer screen; I prefer to do practical work. I did an hour clearing tables in the cafe in the department store I worked in, and it was hell on earth. I never want to work in food service; it's hectic as hell and clearing up other people's food grosses me out. I worked in retail for nine years or so and it's definitely not the most pleasant or easy of jobs either. I'm sure most people who work or have worked in retail will tell you that it's not for the faint hearted. Getting paid minimum wage to work your arse off doing the work load of three people whilst getting treated like shit by customers and treated as a baby-sitting service can be absolutely horrible.

169. What's the coolest job you ever had? 

Well, this was technically work experience, but the two weeks I spent working at Whipsnade Wild Animal Park back in 2003 was pretty cool. I got to work alongside zoo keepers looking after all kinds of birds (tropical, birds of prey etc), chimpanzees, seals and sea lions, an assortment of animals in the Children's Farm, and elephants. I got to fly a Harris hawk, go for a walk with three elephants and give one a shower, feed Ribena to a chimp, do tricks with a fully grown sea lion, and handle macaws and African Grey parrots. It was amazing.

170. What is one central idea that your thoughts seem to come back to?

That if I'm ever able to do manual work again, that I should pursue animal care (again), because I was extremely content looking after animals. I never felt that way working in retail. I know I wasted four years when I settled in to retail instead of finding a new role in animal care, and I want to give it another shot.

171. Have you ever wanted to be an actor/tress? 

No, never. Never never never! I've always been extremely self-conscious and shy, and I couldn't imagine much worse for me. I hate having all eyes on me, and talking in front of a crowd- no matter how small. Drama classes at school were always met with dread and fear.

172. If you had the power to control one person and make this person do anything you wanted for a whole day, who would you pick and what would they do? 

Right now, I would pick Hugh Jackman, as The Drover in the film Australia, and well, I'm sure you can guess the rest ;).

173. What star sign are you and what is your sign like? 

I'm a cancer. Cancerians are often said to be: imaginative, over-emotional, moody, loyal, loving, overly-sensitive, devoted, pessimistic, suspicious, born naggers, nurturing, strong-willed, like to get their own way, easily hurt, sympathetic, affectionate, quick to avoid others, and like to avoid confrontation, I can confirm it's all true. I'm the quintessential Cancerian.

174. Did the Blair Witch Project scare you? 

I've never seen it.

175. Are you in constant fear of death?

Not at all. The only time I really become anxious about dying is when I'm out on the road, and even then, it's only every now and then. Ever since a teenage colleague from my last retail job died in a car crash a few years ago, I've become so aware of how quickly life can end from one wrong move. It happened just moments after he left work, and he was just eighteen. The fact that something so tragic happened to somebody I knew, made me realise just how fragile life was and that it could happen to any one of us at any moment. That thought has never really gone away.