101 THINGS ABOUT ME

Me, aged 3

1. This actually isn’t my 101st post. I wrote a whole bunch on my other Mum’s Word blog that I started in 2006.

2. My birthday is on New Year’s Day; it’s a bittersweet day to have a birthday.

3. When I was 2 I would sing Abba’s Mama Mia all the time (so I’m told).

4. When I was 3 I remember playing Abba’s Arrival on our stereo; this is how I occupied my days while my mother worked as a dressmaker.

5. I was an extremely clingy child; no-one other than my mother would do.

6. I am the youngest of 3 children. I have a brother 12 years older and a sister 9 years older than me. According to birth order theory I possess both last born and first-born characteristics.

7. I celebrated my 5th birthday in Greece; my parents home country.

8. I remember watching Grease on the plane. I instantly fell in love with Olivia Newton John. A love affair (read: obsession) that would last the next few years.

9. I started school in 1979; we still had naps as part of our daily routine.

10. As well as counting to 100 after recess.

11. I have family in Adelaide and Melbourne. Is there any Greek person who doesn’t have a relative in Melbourne?

12. I grew up in a cul-de-sac. I learned to ride my bike on the gravel street. Gravel is not your friend when you fall off.

13. My brother gave me a 5-minute swimming lesson at Cronulla beach on how to manage waves when I was 6. Pretty much after that I was on my own.

14. My brother would always play AC/DC in the car on the way to the beach.

15. Hearing Jailbreak as a young kid is a little confronting.

16. My brother also let me watch Mad Max, The Warriors and Risky Business when I was way too young.

17. I am the youngest of pretty much my entire extended family here in Australia. Being the youngest has its good and bad points.

18. I either got lots of attention for being ‘the baby’ or I got dismissed because I was ‘the baby’.

19. My mother let me walk to school by myself when I was 9 years old. My daughter is 10 and I’d love to let her walk to the park on her own but I worry society will look upon me badly if I do.

20. When I was 9 I knew I wanted to be a journalist; I wanted to be Lois Lane.

21. I even created a news desk in my room.

22. I had to share my room with my older sister.

23. I don’t think she was too pleased about it at first.

24. Because of her I am now a Bruce Springsteen fan.

25. My father is very strict and a generally unhappy soul.

26. My sister and I spent a lot of time in our room just to avoid him.

27. My Uncle Chris says it is a privilege to be Greek.

28. I did my level best to reject my Greek heritage; simply so I could stick it to my dad.

29. I overdosed on aspirin when I was 9; deliberately.

30. I also deliberately burnt my wrist on the oven rack.

31. The aspirin overdose was because I was really unhappy.

32. The burnt wrist was to get some attention.

33. My childhood wasn’t always happy. Or my adolescence. Thank God for friends.

34. I got very good at sneaking out my bedroom window.

35. The great irony is a large part of who I am can be attributed to my father; it’s just not the way my father wanted me to turn out.

36. I’m very good at contingency plans; screwing up was not an option with my father.

37. I am stubborn like my father.

38. I hold strong opinions like my father. Not the same opinions though.

39. I was pigeon-toed so my parents sent me to ballet when I was 7.

40. I also did gymnastics.

41. And softball and netball.

42. I don’t like soccer.

43. I follow the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs in the NRL. Have done so since I was 5.

44. I learnt to play the piano at 14.

45. I love music. Can never be without it.

46. My itunes library is about 20,000 songs strong (minus a few thousand for doubleups).

47. When I was 15 I had front row tickets to a Bon Jovi show. Jon touched my hand, looked into my eyes and sang “Born to be my baby”.

48. Although I am a HUGE Bon Jovi fan I never had a crush on Jon or any of the other band members. I am all about the music.

49. I did have a crush on Bret Michaels from Poison and Sebastian Bach from Skid Row.

50. I went to a co-ed highschool. I wasn’t distracted by the boys. They were just other people in my class.

51. I misbehaved in my English class in Year 7 & 8. My teacher Mr Bentley wasn’t impressed.

52. I paid for my sins when I had Mr Bentley for 3 Unit English in Year 12.

53. I did have a highschool sweetheart….he broke my heart.

54. In the aftermath of that I went to uni; where I met Mr M.

55. At uni my journalism lecturer really put me off becoming a news journalist.

56. I discovered I liked video editing.

57. I worked at Community Television (Channel 31) on a women’s show titled XX. Made by women for women.

58. Mr M is very good at video editing too. Better than I ever was.

59. Last semester of uni he and I were in the same production group; we spent a lot of time together in a dark editing suite.

60. After uni I toyed with the idea of moving to the UK to join a long list of friends who moved there.

61. Mr M asked me to stay. So I stayed.

62. A HR manager once told me I should marry someone who is smarter than me to keep me interested.

63. My mother told me not to get married before I was 25. Give myself time to grow before I commit to someone else.

64. She also said love wasn’t important when it came to marriage. I beg to differ.

65. I married Mr M when I was 25. He was 22.

66. I was a mother at 27. That was unexpected.

67. My mother was sure I was having a boy. Because she has psychic Greek powers and all that. I had a girl

68. With my second pregnancy she was sure I was having a boy. I did.

69. With my third and fourth pregnancies she refused to give a prediction.

70. Before the kids came along I was a corporate Marketing Executive. And kind of enjoying it.

71. After the kids, I knew I couldn’t go back to that career.

72. The world looked different the day I became a mother. It really looked different.

73. So I took up writing again.

74. I am a bleeding heart lefty.

75. I believe businesses and corporations have social responsibility to the community.

76. I am a critical thinker. Uni taught me that.

77. I am an over-thinker. My family taught me that.

78. I’d like to complete a Master degree in cultural studies or sociology.

79. I don’t think I have the stuff to complete a PhD. Though being a doctor is kind of appealing.

80. I think some of the best-written movies are A Few Good Men, The Big Chill and Love Actually.

81. I am fiercely loyal. But if I think you are being disingenuous I will keep you at arms length.

82. I can curl my tongue into that u-shape. Apparently not everyone can do that. Not sure what that means….if anything.

83. I don’t believe you can raise your child/ren in that perfect bubble so many people try to create. I do believe those parents are well intentioned; there are just too many variables you can’t control.

84. I find it satisfying that some ideals I held when I was 18 still ring true for me 20 years on. It means I got it right the first time.

85. I do my best work between 10pm and 2am.

86. My mother taught me the virtue of being charitable; with my time and my money. My mother taught me lots; even when she wasn’t trying to teach me anything at all.

87. I would happily pick up my family and move to another country.

88. I’m a list maker.

89. If I had to pick which one of my children is most like me it would be my first son Alex.

90. He’s also the one I butt heads with the most.

91. My second son Christian is one of the most caring people I know. I could learn a thing or two from him.

92. My daughter is like her father.

93. My youngest is just over 2 years old. Really early in the morning he climbs into bed with me. It’s an awesome feeling.

94. I do enjoy my own company. Doing things on my own, or being alone doesn’t scare me.

95. If I hadn’t married Mr M I probably would not have watched as many Martin Scorsese films as I have.

96. I drink tea. Never coffee

97. I grind my teeth in my sleep when I’m stressed.

98. I love second hand bookshops.

99. I believe that you should question everything. When I started uni a lecturer said “believe half of what you read and none of what you hear”.

100. Everything I have written here is true.

101. But it’s just not everything.

20 Comments

  • At 2012.01.17 12:46, Cathy said:

    Bravo! You did it – and a great list at that!

    I too am a night owl and a list maker. I also wanted to be a journalist many moons ago but I chose law instead (wrong choice although not regretted).

    I love A Few Good Men- in our Contracts Law class at uni we had to do a presentation on a contract of some sort – most people did the usual receipts, goods and services etc – my friend and I looked at the contractual obligations of the key characters in A Few Good Men – everyone loved it and we aced it lol. One of those feel good moments.

    Thought you were Italian. My mum was also a dressmaker.

    Sorry to hear about the unhappy childhood and the overdose and self harm. Hopefully that is way behind you.

    Oh, and great to hear you are a rugby league fan – although I support the eels – have from birth (my dad’s team)!

    Thanks for sharing and sorry for blabbing! I like lists…lol

    • At 2012.01.20 00:04, Maria said:

      Hi Cathy,

      My husband is Italian.

      Contractual obligations of the key characters. That’s brilliant. Having also done some film studies at uni so covered a lot about characters, stories etc. I think you would have been handy in one of my essays Cathy 🙂

      Thanks for your kind words re my childhood. It is behind me. If it wasn’t I don’t think I could have openly put it in the list if that makes sense.

      Not the Eels Cathy. That’s the nemesis team 😉

      Love & stuff
      Mrs M

    • At 2012.01.17 15:37, Enzo said:

      Great post!

      Although may I point out that I didn’t ask you to not go to the UK – I simply indicated my preference and left the decision entirely up to you.

      If you love somebody set them free and all that…

      😉

    • At 2012.01.17 20:23, Laney said:

      A nice way to get to know you Maria. Bonjovi – jealous!

      • At 2012.01.20 00:08, Maria said:

        Hi Laney,

        Yeah I actually didn’t believe it was his hand. I had to look at the hand touching my hand follow it up the arm until yep it was Jon looking straight at me.

        Love & stuff
        Mrs M

      • At 2012.01.17 20:34, Purple_cath said:

        I love you! Well really that’s being full of myself as I think we have many many similarities 🙂 thank you for sharing so much of yourself. XX

        • At 2012.01.20 00:09, Maria said:

          Oh Cath, you are one of my favourites. You’ll have to tell me your 101 when next time we see each other xx

          Love & stuff
          Mrs M

        • At 2012.01.17 21:00, kirri said:

          I loved reading this list Maria..Felt like I was reading your diary a bit but that made it all the more fun! You’re an interesting person 🙂

          • At 2012.01.20 00:32, Maria said:

            Hi Kirri,

            Thanks for your comment. Well I suppose it was kind of like my diary; a stream of consciousness.

            Love & stuff
            Mrs M

          • At 2012.01.17 21:29, Jess WhoaMamma said:

            What a wonderful way to get to know you, Maria! Fascinating and inciteful, and like the gorgeous Kirri said, it almost felt like we had a sticky-beak at your diary! And from one Greek Goddess to another, harika pou se gnorisa! xxx

            • At 2012.01.20 00:33, Maria said:

              Hey Jess,

              Kai eyo harika 🙂

              Love & stuff
              Mrs M

            • At 2012.01.17 23:32, Jacqui (CRAP mamma) said:

              It seems there are a few of us Greek Goddesses (as the lovely Jess so eloquently described) and I spent my 4th birthday in Greece :). You’ve led a wonderfully fascinating life so far Maria and that’s only the tip of the iceberg I’m sure. So nice to get to know you (and yes I felt like I was reading your diary too-and I couldn’t stop hehe)

              • At 2012.01.20 00:47, Maria said:

                Hi Jacqui,

                I don’t know about you but it was a real culture shock going to Greece at such a young age. I saw snow for the first time, the smell of the kafenio was bad, my grandparents had the same old house. A chook pecked at my sister’s shin so my uncle decided we best have that chook for lunch so off came its head. So crazy.

                Love & stuff
                Mrs M

              • At 2012.01.18 01:12, Denyse Whelan Education Specialist said:

                How wonderful, you got there. Very well written and to the point!
                May I add one?
                “I am a caring member of DPA and always do my utmost to promote inclusivity of all bloggers. ”
                Love D xx

                • At 2012.01.20 00:48, Maria said:

                  Oh Denyse that is so kind of you to say and to be honest I’m glad that you can see that, because that is exactly what I try to do.

                  Love & stuff
                  Mrs M

                • At 2012.01.18 16:24, Grace said:

                  Wow ! I was a Bulldogs supporter too ! During the Mortimer years 🙂 And I bet what the majority of those 20,000 songs is filled with 80’s stuff, right ? Bulldogs, the 80’s…we are kindred spirits 🙂

                  • At 2012.01.20 00:51, Maria said:

                    Bulldogs…check.
                    80’s music…..check.
                    Get up on a cold August morning to run 14km? Not so much. 😉

                    Love & stuff
                    Mrs M

                  • At 2012.01.18 21:10, Dad Blog Tork said:

                    ooh, can u teach me the piano?

                    • At 2012.01.20 00:51, Maria said:

                      Okay first lesson Tork, find Middle C.

                      Love & stuff
                      Mrs M

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