Member Questionnaire 1 (Hanaa)
What is beauty? What is love?
This is a bit difficult because I have never thought about defining this concept before. I think beauty is both inside and out. I think how a person carries themselves and their "vibe" plays a big role in their beauty and attractiveness. I find kind, put-together, and intelligent people beautiful. I also think beauty is physical. But if they don't have a personality and traits that I find attractive, then they become "less beautiful" to me even though they might be beautiful according to societal standards. Love is caring for something. Helping a loved one with their work, cooking a favorite dish for them, doing a chore for them. To me love is action. Love is very practical and physical.
What are your most important values?
I place a lot of importance on doing the right things. I don't like to harm other people, or disturb them.
Family is very important to me. I'm ok with doing things I don't feel like doing if it means my family will be happier.
self-improvement. I don't mean learning a new skill or knowledge. But striving to become a good person. I constantly evaluate my feelings and thoughts, and try to work on negative feelings like envy or jealousy. I hold myself to strict standards of being a "good" person.
Do you have any sort of spiritual/religious beliefs, and why do you hold (or don't) those beliefs in the first place?
I believe in God. I was brought up in a very religious household. But my religious beliefs change every few years. I have gone through phases where I was super religious and where I was agnostic. In High school, I an atheist for a year. But I never feel comfortable strictly following a religion because I constantly question things. But I also don't feel an atheist, because I strongly believe there's something out there. I think I distrust man-made religion but not God.
Opinion on war and militaries? What is power to you?
War and militaries wouldn't exist in a perfect world. But we do not live in a perfect world so I see why we have them. I think war and military should exist in case we need to defend against an attack. Power to me is not letting other people influence you, I have a tendency to go with the crowd, and I have always thought this a weakness of mine. I feel most powerful when I stand my ground, with reason.
What have you had long conversations about? What are your interests? Why?
I have had long conversation discussing my feelings, my thoughts, what I have gone through recently and how it made me feel. I have long conversation about family and friends.
My interests are reading books, watching TV shows, i have a hard time watching movies because I get bored and lack the attention span lol. I also like traveling, but it's hard for me to initiate travel plans. But once someone initiates it, and take me along, I enjoy it quite a lot. i like learning about different countries and cultures. I can spend a lot of time researching about other cultures.
Interested in health/medicine as a conversation topic? Are you focused on your body?
Not really? Although I work in the medical field, so I think it's important to take care of mental and physical health. But I don't really talk about health in casual conversations. I do like researching about healthy habits and foods though. I think I'm focused on my body, I know when I am anxious and tired, but I can ignore it if i choose to.
What do you think of daily chores?
I used to be bad with daily chores when I was younger. I have gotten significantly better with age. I still have trouble with maintaining routine but I do chores because I feel like I have to. It's a duty. However, there are some chores I struggle a lot with. For me, it's laundry. I haven't folded the laundry in weeks now.
Books or films you liked? Recently read/watched or otherwise. Examples welcome.
I usually like books and movies with a moral or social message.
I LOVE harry potter and tend to reread at least once in a few years.
I liked the divergent series.
I like competition TV shows like bake off, physical 100, a lot of cooking competitions. I also like American Ninja Warrior. I like anime like Demon Slayor, Inuyasha. I usually like fantasy animes. I love K-dramas: princess hours, itaewon class, master's sun, sky castle.
What has made you cry? What has made you smile? Why?
Recently, I cried on my birthday because there's been a lot going on in life, and I didn't like the added pressure of getting older. I felt like I was not living upto the standards. I was stressed about my parents fighting and mom being unhappy. It all reached to a boiling point, and I cried in front of my mom. I don't like crying in front of others and suppress my emotions a lot. Until I can't. I smile frequently, I smile when I watch funny shows or read something funny. I smile a lot when talking to people I like. But I haven't felt happy in a while.
Where do you feel: at one with the environment/a sense of belonging?
When I travel, especially when I am in nature. I love mountains lately, and truly feel like I am one with the environment. Also when I go out for walk at night, and see the stars and moon. I feel like I'm one wite the universe. I makes me feel very small in the grande scale of things, which I find comforting.
What have people seen as your weaknesses? What do you dislike about yourself?
Other people might say I'm not good at logically arguing a point. I think before I do something, and i believe I am a reasonable person, But I have a hard time verbalizing what I am thinking logically. Other people might also say I'm a bit all over the place and not very organized. Although I have gotten better at this.
What i dislike about myself: I can be negative, especially when starting a new thing. I am terrified of change because I see everything that could go wrong with a change. I am great at predicting doom. But I don't really see all the ways something new can go right. I tend to stick to what's familiar because of this fear. I always need a push doing something new, but I thrive in situations like this. I adapt very quickly once pushed and usually do very well.
I have a hard time getting close to people. I am great at forming acquaintances, but terrible at forming deep relationships. I have a hard time opening up to people.
What have people seen as your strengths? What do you like about yourself?
Other people: Kind, friendly, hard-working.
What I like about myself: I hold myself to high standards. I truly care about people, and wish the best for them. I'm very empathetic. i am very generous with those close to me. With people I truly love, I'm quite sacrificial and don't regret that. I can be hard-working. I am responsible.
In what areas of your life would you like help?
Taking initiative. This is my biggest weakness. I constantly need a push, and often get that push from my mom. But I want to learn to push myself. I want to put my fears behind me, I don't want to brainstorm only the negatives but also the positives.
Ever feel stuck in a rut? If yes, describe the causes and your reaction to it.
I don't think so...? I haven't held a long term job yet, but I have been constantly working towards a new degree or some type of activity. I don't think I've had a chance to feel this way yet.
What qualities do you most like and dislike in other people? What types do you get along with?
What I like: stable, kind, organized, very intelligent, someone who can read the room, full of social graces, cares about other people, and cares even more deeply about those close to them.
Dislike: People who can't read the room. people who are selfish and self-centered. People who refuse to change. Arrogance.
I get along with people who are extroverted and friendly. It's kinda difficult to list because I get along with most people. There are very few people who have rubbed me the wrong way.
How do you feel about romance/sex? What qualities do you want in a partner?
I have a deeply romantic soul, but I do not initiate. I wait for others to reach out to me first. I can be alone for many years.

Partner qualities: stable, kind, organized, very intelligent, someone who can read the room, full of social graces, cares about other people, and cares even more deeply about those close to them. Passionate. A little jealous. Someone a bit dominant sexually, but not in daily life.
If you were to raise a child, what would be your main concerns, what measures would you take, and why?
This is a big concern for me, because I am scared of raising bad adults. It is important for me to raise a child who is good, and who wouldn't do harm to others. I want to raise a child who is well-adjusted. I don't know what measures to take, but I think good communication and leading my example is very important.
A friend makes a claim that clashes with your current beliefs. What is your inward and outward reaction?
Inwardly, I would immediately think, I do not agree. Why do they think this?
Outwardly, it depends. If the friend is passionate about this topic, and I don't care too much. I would probably go along with it. I might ask why they thinks that way and might not challenge it.
However, if it is a topic I feel strongly about, I will still try to understand my friend, but will also share my point view, without directly challenging her.
Describe your relationship to society. How do you see people as a whole? What do you consider a prevalent social problem? Name one.
I care about society. I do things that would benefit a group or people as a whole. I consider other people as important as myself. I think a prevalent social problem is how we use social media. I think we use it to compare ourselves to other people; comparison has always existed but I think it is worse with the prevalence of media.
How do you choose your friends and how do you behave around them?
I have a very small circle of friends so this is hard. I usually like people who are a bit social, common interests and hobbies are important. I don't really befriend people who are blunt, "strong personalities" or people who are impulsive. Impulsive people stress me out. I am quite talkative around friends.
How do you behave around strangers?
It depends, if I am with a group of strangers, I have a hard time initiating conversation and tend to be quiet. However, if I am one-on-one, I find it very easy to initiate conversation and can be quite talkative.