7 Things I Hate About You

So I’ve been given an award which, sneakily, has a meme tacked to the back of it. I generally either find internet memes mildly amusing or pesky and presumptuous. Maybe I’m in a contemplative mood today (or the fact my lovely chap is working late) but this one given to me by the Heavenly Housewife, which requires you to pinpoint seven of your personality traits, had me totally taken in. So, egocentricity number one, right?

Some time ago I attended a session which involved a lot of navel-gazing, identifying your learning style blah blah blah. Over dinner that evening I innocently asked TLM if he thought I had a Type A personality. He slammed his cutlery down, mouth full, looked at me incredulously, remembered to swallow, and declared, “I have never met a more Type A specimen than you in my life”. He picked up his cutlery, carried on eating and I smirked to myself. Type A! A is my favourite mark! A for ace, awesome, amazing! Nambawan!

I later looked up what Type A meant and came across the following descriptions: competitive and achievement-orientated; over-developed sense of time-urgency; overwhelmed by frustration; highly-strung and intense; has free-floating hostility; is essentially an extrovert crippled by intrinsic insecurity.

*gulp*

It sounded like one of the descriptions in Theme Hospital (you know, deaf as a post, smells of cabbage, gets people’s backs up). And my nearest and dearest had declared me a prime example.

I know he isn’t wrong. When something goes awry in the kitchen I stomp my feet, blame the oven and vow never to bother again seeing as I’m so clearly terrible at everything *humph*. I still try and ice cakes when they’re too warm, even though I know better, and end up in a self-inflicted Sisyphus-esque task, scooping melting icing from stand to cake top. When I’m inconsolable over a split custard it’s probably hard to see the upside to a Type A personality, but I’m sure there are benefits to having such a restless character.

So here are the seven personality traits I have selected – as honestly as possibly – that are probably worthy of loving and loathing in equal measure.

1. WILFUL I will stubbornly persist in what I want to do. This has generally served me well, but can mean I have to have my own way. This is a trait I dislike intensely in myself. Unfortunately I don’t hate it as much as I hate not getting my own way. You see my conundrum.

2. FLIGHTY I go through life slightly delirious and given to frivolous flights of fancy. This is not to say I’m spontaneous as I love to have everything planned. But I will be taken by the idea that, say, I simply have to skip in the park, wearing my favourite dress and humming a certain song or NOTHING CAN BE RIGHT WITH THE WORLD. And it will be done (see: 1. WILFUL). This is partly why I like Chinese/Thai food so much – all the ingredients are chopped and ready to go, but I can still veer from fish sauce to hoisin to black bean and make my decision at the last second.

3. AFFABLE Maybe my only actually nice quality is that I’m very warm and approachable and I want everyone to be included and happy. Group hug? Er, no. I’m not tactile and I will bristle if you are not one of the select few people I am happy to cuddle.

4. INGENUOUS I found this word today and really quite liked it. I’m honest to a fault, often gullible, generally a bit naïve. This has served me less well as a lot of people out there in the world are able to lie, con, scam and cheat. I don’t know how they live with themselves. Oh and being artless also makes me open up in memes.

5. UNGUARDED Following from ingenuous, I am emotionally transparent and this generally disarms people – in a good way. I am, however, given to histrionic episodes (fancy way of saying tantrums) but keep my fits of pique to myself wherever possible.

6. IDEALISTIC Ah, youth (someone said that I was still a spring chicken today – huzzah!) I am prone to perfectionism, and set horrifically high targets for myself. I don’t apply these exacting standards to other people though: I lavish heartfelt praise on other people and enthuse about their achievements.

7. DO-ER As in, “She’s a do-er…” Creating and achieving… and then analysing how it can be better next time. I’ve only got one speed and it’s fast (or, rather, two speeds like a squirrel: pelting along or stopped stock still).

I found this task really cathartic, so thank you Heavenly Housewife! Rather than pass this on to 7 people (see, I will get my own way) I'll let people reply with what they can love and loathe about themselves if they want to.