I always hate this bit. Feel like I should lie and say parachuting or mountain climbing because truth be told my life is pretty boring and quiet.

....Reading, movies, tv, hiking,the beach, camping with my family, photography, writing really bad poetry, cooking, good wine and cold beer on hot days (which strictly speaking isn't actually a hobby but really should be!!!)

Pretty much watch anything, except movies with the word "fight" in the title or the ones that feature men with dirty faces in musclebacks with flames behind them on the cover.

I must admit to liking a good horror as long as it has some humor in it and doesn't take itself too seriously. e.g "Lost Boys", "American Werewolf in London." The scary ones I find very disturbing. Was dragged unwillingly to "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" and didn't sleep for a week...

I also like the smaller budget dramas like "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?" "Simon Birch", "The Station Agent", "Limbo".

Bit of an eclectic mix really. Jude is one of my favourites. The earlier stuff rather than his new commmercalised stuff.

Beth Nielsen Chapman when I'm feeling girlie. Right now I'm listening to Bree Sharp which I bought on a whim at Borders. She's a clever lady, funny with just the right amount of sarcasm in her lyrics.

I read a lot but don't really have a favourite except maybe for "Of Human Bondage" which is not as kinky as it sounds. Semi autobiographical fiction by Somerset Maugham. He really knows how to describe the human condition. It's grim but has a lot of hope in it. Kind of like life really.

When I'm on holiday I read heaps of "Twinkies" -cream filled fluff with not much substance. The more lurid the cover, and the bigger the typeface the better.

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People who are genuine.

Calm environments. Yelling, freaks me out big time. I also like my solitude, partly because of the effort of socialising because of my SA but also because I like time to reflect, rewind and be by myself sometimes.

I love animals as you can probably tell from my gallery pics and especially dogs. I have acquired a number of rescue animals over the years because I just can't say "No"

The whole "random acts of kindness" mentality also really appeals to me. I know that probably sounds a little too "Miss America" contestant (right up there with world peace) but I believe people are essentially decent and kind and the more that can translate into positive action the better.

Cruelty to animals, old people, or children.

I hate inconsiderate drivers, noisy exhaust pipes, oh and ANTS!!!! - Especially when they invade my cookie jar and destroy my last giant pecan, chocolate chunk cookie like they did today. Damn ants!

I also hate people who think they are better than you by virtue of their job, place in life, clothes, appearance or bank balance.

I'm originally from England now living in New Zealand.

My SA really started to kick in at University. One day I woke up and realised that I literally couldn't leave my dorm room and go down to the dining room to eat. The whole prospect just led to a major panic attack. I survived on takeout and junk food for the whole rest of the year I was there. Flatting was a little easier especially since I had really understanding flatmates.

Looking back I can see that my SA had probably been around since childhood. I was a really, really shy child - one of the quiet ones who never caused trouble. I remember faking sick a lot on the days I had to do oral presentations, and on the day of my piano recital I ran away and hid. Mum didn't push the issue after that.

I'm a lot better now... but still get nervous standing up in front of people and talking. Even meetings where I'm expected to contribute can be a nightmare.

I think I sometimes come across as quite blunt but it's mainly because I never seem to know the right thing to say and blurt out whatever's going on in my head. At the same time I can spend ages formulating e-mails because I want to try and get just the right tone....

I find SA exhausting. It's such an effort sometimes to do thing people normally take for granted but at the same time I am determined to retain my sense of humor about it.....

Having kids helps also. If I can't be brave for my sake. I can often be brave on their behalf because the whole maternal, protective thing kicks in.