This is a meme from onyxx. It’s supposed to be an award thingie that I should pass on, but for now I’d just really like to make the list. Anyone who will get to read this and want to make your own list, please do. You can leave a comment, if you like, so I can read your favorites, too.

1. Books/Reading. This makes the top of the list and is quite the no-brainer. My earliest memories involve holding a book in my hands and being so fascinated by it – the shape, the texture of the pages, the print inside that I cannot even read yet, the embossed title on the hardbound cover. Then I discovered comics, magazines, and other forms of literature. It was love, and it was the lasting kind. It doesn’t matter if I’m reading on a sofa or on a bed or a bench, or even on area rugs.

2. Music (listening to, singing along). When I was in high school,  I overheard my parents arguing if they should provide restrictions with my use of the cassette player. They were worried about the amount of time I spend beside it more than I do “worthwhile” activities. Besides books, the love of music is the one inherent trait I can claim over my other current fixations that are mostly due to acquired tastes and habits.

3. Racquet sports. I love playing badminton. I think I can safely say I’m a serious player now.  [Although I've always been serious (heh!) and I've been playing badminton for years.]  I’m still not the uber competitive type (which is sometimes important) and my skill level can use more improvement to be at par with my usual company, but I’ve been appreciating the game in the artistic level now – how it can be something of a craft more than just a nifty little hobby.  Which is exactly why I love watching tennis. Watching pros, I don’t just see scores and the ball going back and forth over a net.  I see a battle of wills, artistry with shot making, a display of gallantry and passion. I can say more but that’s enough to justify rank no. 3.

4. Media: TV series, films. It’s all about a good story or an ordinary tale told using extraordinary devices. It’s about finding something to relate to or something that will transport you to another world. It’s about fun and escapism.

5.  The Beach. I once contemplated if I’d rather live somewhere with a good view of the seashore or in the middle of green hills and mountains. My answer came to my mind faster than I can say beach. There’s something about the sea that calms me, even if, to be honest, I’m terrified of it. Maybe it’s that combination of power and mystic that fascinates me so.

6. Internalizing. I do that a lot. I sometimes watch people and play shrink. It makes me crazy, LOL.

7. Internet. Almost ALL of my waking hours are now spent online. Part of my job and my “job.” But it takes the last spot because my enjoyment of it is a direct consequence of my other favorites listed above. I surf the Internet for information about everything else that I love.