Day 1

I most value my friends and family, especially given that I moved overseas a few years ago - during such a transition you really realise who the fairweather friends are and friendships of convenience were, and who is really there to stay. One of my life's biggest challenges is integrating into my new country: to me, integrating means having friends and a social life with people of my own age who are actually from that country and speak that language - i.e., not expats. This is made more difficult by the fact that most people my age from the country where I now live are still at university, whereas I have been working for the past three years, and by the fact that I don't enjoy going to nightclubs and bars, where I appreciate I would be more likely to meet those my own age. I have more or less resigned myself to the fact now that I will likely not have a non-expat circle of friends here until I have kids and can meet other parents at mother-and-toddler groups and so on. Another challenge relates to my career: due to bad career advice, or lack of good careers advice, I am now stuck in a profession which was only ever my second or third choice, and I am now having to work twice as hard around that to try to break into my first choice profession.

I am lucky that I am able to work part-time - not only so that I may spend the rest of my time working towards my principal career goals, but also in that my husband works full-time and that therefore between the two of us we are comfortably off financially. Saying that, though, we seem to spend most of our money on having a good time and not on saving an awful lot, although I am trying, having opened a savings account in October 2010.

My friends would probably describe me in one sentence as being quiet, clever and loyal.

My favourite film is Love Actually. This partly stems from the fact that when it was released in 2003 two of the storylines in particular resonated strongly with feelings I was having and a situation I was currently going through. However, even though that time of my life has now passed, it also remains a favourite because of its seamless execution, its humour, the quality of its actors and actresses, and how Christmassy it always makes me feel.

While I watch a lot of documentaries, my favourite of these is probably any documentary by Adam Curtis (especially The Power of Nightmares). They merit repeated viewings for their complexity, their analytical depth and sophistication, their humour, their unique use of sounds and images, clear explanations, and original ideas. For something more frivolous, however, a show I never miss is Deal or No Deal (the UK version), due to the fact that it appears outwardly so simple (and indeed has a format that anyone can follow easily) but deep down can be quite psychologically and emotionally complex, with each game being so different in a way that just doesn't happen with other game shows. It can also get you really deeply involved in its vicissitudes of sadness and excitement, and I have even been to see the show being filmed a few times, which has only increased my enthusiasm for it.

The BBC probably provides the widest range of programmes, so if I were told I could only have access to one channel for the rest of my life, I would stick with that. However, I also enjoy Channel 4/E4, Dave, and Challenge.

My favourite social networking site is probably Facebook; I spend more time there than on any other website, catching up with friends and updating my status. I'm even there when there's probably nothing new to see (kind of like the fridge...you know what's in there but you check it anyway...). My favourite website in general is probably BBC News; I can't go a day without checking the news. Google Shopping is another favourite - I go there before I buy anything to make sure I'm getting the best deal.

My favourite newspapers are probably jointly the Times and the Financial Times. I only read the weekend edition of the FT, but it's more like the Times used to be, with high quality and unusual coverage and features. The Times I continue to read out of habit, mainly for Chris Woodhead and Jeremy Clarkson's columns, but it's more tabloidy than it used to be. I don't read many magazines as I don't like the thought of buying something that clutters up the flat so much if bought regularly and that will only have to be thrown away, even though you've spent money on them. It's for this reason that I'd quite like an iPad so that I can get more subscriptions paper-free. When I do read magazines, it's likely to be the Economist, the Spectator, Zest, EasyLiving, Red, or Weight Watchers magazine.

I enjoy so many different types of music (pop, rock, jazz, classical, folk, indie...) that it's difficult to pinpoint a favourite band or artist. In June I'm going to see Handel and Neil Hannon in concert, but in the past I've also seen Ronan Keating, Angus and Julia Stone, Andrea Bocelli and Michael Jackson, so this probably gives a fair indication of the range of my music taste. In future I'd like to see Celine Dion and Elton John live.

Online, my favourite shop is undoubtedly Amazon - anything I want or need can usually be found there at the best possible price. Offline, I love browsing real bookshops such as Waterstones and looking in clothes shops - my favourite is Miss Sixty for jeans, and Gap and Zara for workwear, but I love popping into independent stores for unique items too, such as Electric Gypsy in Exeter.

People I admire in Britain are often intellectuals who speak their minds and people who have been driven to achieve their goals, such as Chris Woodhead, Jeremy Clarkson, India Knight, Tom Daley, Steve Redgrave, Melanie Reid, Floella Benjamin, Bill Bailey, Andrew Marr, and Margaret Thatcher. In a British and a world context, I would extend this scope of admiration to the unsung heroes who try to help make the world a better place, such as firemen and nurses.

People and places that are important to me:

Bayside Inn, Key Largo, Florida. Holidayed here a lot with my family when I was young and miss it horribly. Best get saving up to go back!

My new husband; we have been together since 2004 and got married in 2011 after nearly a 2-year engagement. He is truly my rock and I don't know what I'd do without him!

Without my time at Exeter University, in the south-west of England, I wouldn't have met my husband, or the fabulous friends that I made there. I also wouldn't have got to know a part of the UK that was hitherto unfamiliar to me, or had the great experiences that I did.

The family is, of course, of great importance. With me there on my wedding day above are my parents and younger sister. They know me better than anyone else and are still there for me afterwards no matter what I've been up to. Lucky!!