Liebster Award Nomination

I was really surprised to hear from Dani at That Fitness Chic about being nominated for this award - I'm honored! Thanks so much Dani! The Liebster Award is an award for bloggers with less than 200 followers that you enjoy reading.

The Rules
- Once you're nominated, write 11 facts about yourself.
- Then, take a look at the 11 questions the person who nominated you asked and answer them.
- Get your thinking cap on and come up with 11 questions of  your own for your nominees to answer
- Then choose the 5 bloggers you want to nominate (they must have less than 200 followers) & let them know they've been nominated (there are no tag backs - you can't nominate the person who nominated you).
- Complete this post and then link it to the person who nominated you (in the comments of their blog).


11 Facts About Me

1) I'm from Bangladesh, was I was born and raised in Kuwait, and lived/studied/worked in the States for a total of 11 years (3 years as a child in Kansas while my mom did her PhD & the remaining years studying/working in Rochester & Binghamton, New York)

2)  Teaching is my passion. I can't imagine doing anything else. I am currently teaching English at Kuwait University. I would love to get involved with some sort of fitness/nutrition instruction soon.

3) I recently got my PhD in Applied linguistics (focusing on the relationship between culture, globalization, and learning English) from the University of Kent in England.

4) I love to travel and try to go abroad as often as possible. This year alone I've been to Argentina, Uruguay, Mexico, the US, England, Germany, the UAE, Bangladesh, Italy, and Bahrain.

5) I love shoes and currently have over 200 pairs!

6) I recently became a Zumba instructor! I haven't started teaching yet, but I hope to start soon.

7) I listen to music whenever/wherever I can. Whether I'm at work, in the supermarket, or doing errands, I've either got my headphones on or the music blasting.

8) I have several fears/phobias/anxieties, but I've been working on trying to get past them. For example, to get over my fear of large bodies of deep water, I took deep sea diving lessons and became a PADI certified diver. This summer I got over my fear of dogs, something I had been suffering from since I was 4 years old. So even though I'm still a little anxious about some things, I'm working on it!

9) I enjoy all sorts of fitness activities. I'm currently involved in CrossFit and boxing. I'm also working on my running, though it's what I struggle with the most at the moment.

10) I'm an insomniac. I'm lucky if I get 5+ hours of sleep/night. I really struggle to get enough sleep and feel rested through the day. It's frustrating.

11) On September 15, 2012 I signed up for the Whole Life Challenge which ends on November 10th. So far I've got a perfect score. Changing up my eating habits has helped me see the progress in terms of weight loss that I've been waiting for! Feeling great!!


Dani's 11 Questions
1) You have one week to live. What do you do first? Burn my diaries! (Then go fly to see my parents)

2) Saturday or Sunday? Saturday

3) You can go back in history and stop one thing from happening. What do you choose to stop and why? The invention of guns/firepower -- there's just too much war/destruction/senseless killing because of guns. 

4) How long do you wait to show someone you're dating your blog? Two-three weeks.

5) Favorite Disney princess and why? Cinderella -- because it was a pair of shoes that changed her life (and I love shoes!!) 

6) Whose commercials are worse: Old Navy or Flo at Progressive? (Had to look these up since we don't have them in Kuwait) Progressive

7) Tell me your first memory. I have a vague recollection of when I lived in Kansas as a child and sitting on the grass under a big tree with my mom and having lunch. I must have been around 4 1/2 or 5 years old. Living in Kuwait now there's hardly any grass, hardly any trees, and I miss my mom ... that memory makes me feel warm inside.

8) A Genie gives you three wishes but you have to use them on other people. What do you wish for?
a) To get rid of all my mom's stresses; b) To help my brother lose weight; c) To help one of my friends who is in financial difficulty and has a family to take care of

9) You get cast to be on the Amazing Race - who do you pick as your partner? I'd choose my best friend of 20 years from high school. She and I have worked out our strengths and weaknesses and know how to keep each other calm in stressful situations. Also between us I think we know 8 languages. I think it's better to go with a friend than a significant other because couples tend to bicker too much and they begin to resent each other for no reason (even if it's temporary I wouldn't want to go through that).

10) Tap dancing monkey or penguin? Monkey :) 

11) You're having a bad day, what drink do you get at the bar to make you forget? I'm afraid water is my only choice for this one ;) 


My 11 Questions

1) If you could live in one country other than the one you're living in right now, what would it be?

2) What's your specialty dish?

3) What's your favorite way to unwind?

4) What movie could you watch over and over again without tiring of it?

5) If you could learn one language that you don't already know, what would it be?

6) What type of exercise would you like to try that you haven't already?

7) What are the top 5 songs that would feature in a soundtrack of your life?

8) Why do you blog?

9) If you had to choose another profession besides the one you're currently in, what would you choose and why?

10) Do you have any fears/anxieties? What are they of?

11) To date, what is your biggest accomplishment?

My nominees

1) Marion @ Affection for Fitness

2) Jenn @ Day #1 Again

3) Rebecca @ Weight Wars

4) Caron @ At Goal Weight Watcher

5) Marc @ Fat or Fit? Changing the Status Quo