50 Things: Roisin

In the third of this series on getting to know my friends, Allow me to introduce you to Roisin and her list of 50 insignificant little things about her:

1. I can't sleep lying on my left side. It freaks me out to hear/ feel my heartbeat.
2. I like to drink lemon juice from the fake little lemon.
3. I have no sense of direction. whatsoever.
4. In third class, I put a babybell cheese case into my friend's hair. Our desks were positioned with our backs to the sun and the wax melted into her hair.
5. Upon meeting most men, I have an ability to discern which type of animal they most resemble.
6. I can spread all my toes and keep them that way.
7. I could eat chips every day.
8. I have been known to indulge (once) in 'toffee'- an accidental mixture of tea and coffee.
9. Heavy breathing really annoys me.
10. In sixth class, I was told I needed glasses. I am now 23 and still avoiding the opticians.
11. I will never tire of watching reruns of Friends.
12. It takes a lot to make me cry.
13. I taught my older sister, Lorraine, how to tie her shoelaces.
14. I also told Lorraine the truth about Santa, and the Toothfairy.
15. I once (thinking the judge was about to ring the bell) bowed in the middle of an Irish dancing competition. I then had to straighen up and continue dancing.
16. I have a weird gathering of freckles in the shape of Africa on my forehead.
17. I am actually pretty shy.
18. I love to nap.
19. I stole a purple snack bar when I was three years old. I can still remember every calculated move.
20. Dancing makes me happy.
21. I have a very low people tolerance
22. Other people's clothes/ food is always so much more appealing to me.
23. My attempts to be organised invariably end in chaos.
24. I ask too many questions when watching movies.
25. I have a second brown belt in karate.
26. I consider cereal to be a totally acceptable meal for dinner.
27. I have a recurring dream that involves either my teeth falling out, or them crumbling with me subsequently swallowing them.
28. I cannot cook and I've pretty much given up trying. I have severe timing issues.
29. I am a strong believer in the power of negative thinking. No expectations. No disappointments.
30. Warm bread presented as 'toast' upsets me.
31. Often, when having a conversation with someone, I will change topics in my head and continue on without letting the person know of the shift.
32. I am a marketer's dream. Shiny, colourful packaging? Sold!
33. I watch Fair City, just to annoy myself.
34. Hindsight plays a big part in my life.
35. The only thing I have ever won was an Easter egg. A small one.
36. I can do a lot of things to an average standard. Regrettably, I do not excel at any one thing.
37. When I was in Senior Infants, I used to take secret trips to the cloakroom several times a day (under the pretence of going to the bathroom) to try on a pair of shiny black boots that belonged to one of my classmates. I loved those boots so much.
38. Recently, my shoe size went from a 5 to a 3. I now wear a 4.
39. When I was little, I gave every scrap of my money (ice-cream money and the likes) to my sister, Lorraine.
40. I love black and white pictures.
41. I have an impressive collection of beanie babies.
42. I once got my head stuck between the stairs.
43. I have done two bungee jumps.
44. Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve is one of my all-time favourite songs.
45. I love people who make me laugh.
46. I tend to remember events by what people were wearing.
47. If I am walking on my own and someone is walking behind me, I often stay to sway slightly as if I am drunk. I honestly can't help it.
48. I love being by the sea and eventually want to live by the coast- preferably in a hot climate.
49. Until quite recently, whenever taking down an email address, I would write 'underscore' instead of _
50. Until recently, I thought that runners thrown over a telephone wire meant that drug dealers literally took off their runners and threw them up there after a deal.

You can read my list here, and Niamh's list here. Please please write yours and send it to my email!

50 Things: Niamh

I had a lot of fun compiling my 50 Things post, but it is even more fun to read yours! This list put a smile on my face on a particularly dreary Monday morning, so I decided to share.

This is Niamh and this is her list.

1. I only started drinking tea at the age of 22.
2. I have a birthmark, which resembles a coffee stain on my left hand. I used to think it was dirt and try to scrub it off.
3. I like listening to music right before I go to sleep and right when I wake up.
4. I love falling asleep listening to rain and stormy weather outside.
5. I always have a to-do list. Sometimes I write things I've already done on my list, just so that I can cross them off.
6. No matter what the weather, I prefer bare legs when I'm going out to tights.
7. I don't really enjoy roast dinners.
8. I have huge problems discerning left from right. When people ask me for directions, I just have to point.
9. People-watching is one of my favourite activities, particularly at the airport.
10. I enjoy squeezing spots and blackheads.
11. Princess Diana died on my 9th birthday. All the adults at my birthday party were glued to the TV.
12. Elevators that go fast make me feel sick and scare me a little.
13. People tell me I have an embarassing laugh. It is pretty loud. When I am in hysterics , it's completely silent apart from the odd screech.
14. I am particularly bad at recognising celebrities (and knowing their names).
15. Most days when I am eating breakfast, I think about what I'd like for dinner.
16. It takes a lot of hard work and hairspray to get curls to stay in my hair. Meabh is the only person who has ever successfully curled my hair.
17. I know nothing about politics.
18. The more stressed I get about something, the less I achieve.
19. My favourite thing to do on a crisp Winter's day is to walk along the beach.
20. I wanted to call our dog Sisqo but I wasn't allowed. We called him Shadow instead.
21. My favourite thing to do on a night out is dance.
22. I hate public speaking. Even in smaller groups, I go bright red if I have to speak.
23. Toast has to be buttered into the very corners.
24. I like the window seat on planes.
25. I think glasses suit me, but I don't need to wear them.
26. I cry at the happy parts in films.
27. I really appreciate nice gift wrapping.
28. It really bothers me when people chew loudly or with their mouths open.
29. I would prefer to die than to eat puréed food.
30. Shoes are my favourite thing to shop for.
31. I secretly enjoy watching programmes about cooking and cleaning.
32. I am completely incapable of being subtle.
33. I am really bad at knowing the location of countries/ cities and try to avoid any geography- related conversations.
34. In spite of number 33, I cannot wait to travel the world.
35. I am jealous of my brother, Eoin, who has higher cheekbones and longer eyelashes than me.
36. I don't like milk. When I am eating cereal, I tip the spoon so that the milk drains off before I eat it.
37. I have never dyed my hair.
38. I can't whistle or click my fingers.
39. I but the Sunday Times solely for Style magazine. The paper gets discarded instantly.
40. Until last year, I had never attended a wedding.
41. The first time I was on Dublin Bus, I handed the driver a five euro note and said "Dundrum please!".
42. I am obsessed with having a skinny arm in photos... to the point where I sometimes look like I am trying to break my own arm.
43. I regard my housemates as my second family.
44. I hate patent leather.
45. Every morning when I get out of bed, I make it straight away so that I won't be tempted to get back in.
46. I hate doing my own eye make-up.
47. I can watch films/ read books that I have already seen/ read and not remember how it ends.
48. I consider myself to be a good judge of character.
49. Cleaning without wearing rubber gloves makes me squirm (even if it is someone else doing it).
50. I love having manicured nails.

50 Things

Following Emily's lead, I've decided to share 50 insignificant little facts about me. Please Please email me yours- I would love to read them.

1. I have never had an operation.
2. I share my birthday (17 March) with my sister, Fiona, who is 6 years older than me. My Mam and Dad also share their birthday (28 June).
3. I think that I have a learning disability when it comes to my sense of direction.
4. Breakfast is my favourite meal.
5. I am petrified of mice.
6. I am very impatient and struggle to control fits of rage when people walk slowly in front of me in the street.
7. I compulsively play with my hair.
8. I always set my alarm for exactly half an hour before I actually want to get up. I then press snooze every 5 minutes.
9. The first CD I owned was Alainis Morissette- Jagged Little Pill.
10. I used to fancy a cartoon character: Trent from MTV's Daria.
11. Making lists is a big part of my life. I feel uneasy when I don't have a to-do list.
12. I would love to own my own business.
13. Most people probably wouldn't describe me as romantic, but I am the most romantic person I know.
14. When I am stressed out, I bite and pick at the skin around my nails until they bleed.
15. I always notice people's eyebrows.
16. I am not very good with children (see number 6). Most children take an instant dislike to me.
17. I am always late.
18. I love the sun and never think its too hot.
19. My name is of Greek origin. Thelma, loosely translated (by my favourite taxi driver Antonio), means 'God's Gift'.
20. I believe that crying is good for you.
21. I set aside time, most days, to organise myself.
22. I love it when newsreaders/ presenters get muddled or read the words wrong on live TV.
23. I found learning to drive one of the hardest things to do.
24. I talk in my sleep, and am sometimes capable of holding short incoherent conversations.
25. My dying wish is for my body to be cremated. I am terrified that people will ignore this request.
26. I can never tell the difference between identical twins, even when I know them for years, and even when they are not that identical.
27. I have a condition called Raynaud's disease, which causes my fingers to turn whitish-yellow in the cold.
28. The funniest people I know are my Mam, my Dad and my Aunty Maura. I can't decide which is the funniest.
29. I am very good at playing Family Fortunes.
30. I don't like cats. One bit.
31. When I was little, I had really huge glasses and had to wear an eye patch for an hour a day in school.
32. I take three sugars in my tea. I have never really tried to cut down.
33. I will never bore of Sex and the City reruns.
34. I never feel like I get enough sleep.
35. I have a very low pain threshold.
36. I think about food. ALL. THE. TIME.
37. When I was younger, I wanted to be a pilot when I grew up. I cried when an Optician told me that my eyesight wasn't good enough to ever be a commerical pilot.
38. I always remember random and irrelevant quotes from movies, word for word.
39. Blood, and everything to do with the workings of the human body freaks me out. I get weak when I think about it.
40. I only learned to ride a bike when I was about 10, years after all my friends. I never fell off, even while learning. Cycling still scares me a little.
41. I hold water in my mouth for a couple of seconds before swallowing it.
42. I can't stand for the radio/ TV volume to be on an uneven number. Multiples of 5 are okay.
43. My favourite household chore is ironing.
44. I have never had a pet (well, except a fish, which doesn't count). One of my dreams is to be settled enough and have enough space to own a dog.
45. It was Jamie who first christened me little t (little t was always meant to be part of a duo , with J 2 da Me).
46. I quite like having lunch out on my own.
47. In school, my favourite subjects were English and Accounting.
48. I find it easier to make small talk with older people, than with people my own age.
49. I have a really bad memory and forget almost anything that I don't write down immediately (see number 11).
50. I consider myself a francophile.