Nekozet

What I'm Listening To Now:

Kina Grannis - In Your Arms suggested by @pikaboo8
Ben l'Oncle Soul - Seven Nation Army suggested by @pikaboo8
Frank Boeijen - Vaderland - suggested by a Postcrossing friend from the Netherlands
Paul Simon - So Beautiful or So What - album suggested by @mushka2010
Pink - Perfect (Clean Version) - suggested by @Angeladykate
Cheb Mami & Susheela Raman - Live Duet - suggested by @summerhawk
Third Day - Take It All - suggested by @TwinMom
Cocteau Twins - Hazel - suggested by @Sinop

Tell me your favorite music and I'll listen!

Update February 2015: I need to rework my profile but for now here are preferences for profile-based tea swaps

LOVE
Black, green, white, herbal, and green rooibos
Orange flavored teas
Plain unflavored teas
Asian teas
GenmaiBrown Rice tea
Decaf teas
Unusual teas

DON'T LIKE
Teas with hibiscus
Sour fruit teas like cranberry or pomegranate

I usually do not sweeten my teas. I'm willing to try anything, and happy to give away anything I receive that isn't my cup of tea. I have lots of fellow tea drinkers at work. So don't be afraid to send anything, these are just preferences.

End of update! :-)

IF YOUR PACKAGE FROM ME DOESN'T ARRIVE, arrives damaged, with postage due or any other problem PLEASE LET ME KNOW! I will FIX it in any way possible! I know especially with international shipping, problems can arise, so please tell me. I want you to receive a perfect swap!

I live on the East Coast of the US and am married. I'm a nurse working in cardiothoracic and vascular surgery, interested in Diabetes. I'm newly nearly vegan. My favorite hobby is papercrafts, especially rubber stamping and cardmaking. I LOVE pens & markers! I also enjoy cooking, organizing, cats, sunflowers and people! I play the clarinet. My two best friends in life were sweet Tabby kitties (Maymun & Neko)! I went to Duke University and University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill. I'm definitely a Blue Devils fan, though. I was born in Turkey, grew up in NC and VA. I've lived in Arizona, too. I've been to Turkey, Egypt, Mexico, California, New York, Florida, Texas and several states in between. I believe you can never judge another person until you've walked in their shoes and seen the world through their eyes.

UPDATED WISHLIST:

While everything in my profile below still applies, my focus has recently changed slightly, so I thought this profile could use a succinct and current wishlist. You can still read the rest of the profile for more information, but here are my current strongest desires:

I have a friend who collects sand from around the world. If you are able to send a little baggie, medicine bottle, even a little foil with a spoonful of sand, and say from where it came, my friend would be SO happy!! (But please no sand from beaches with erosion problems/sand conservation issues. We don't want to contribute to any environmental problems! Also I'm told that microwaving the sand will kill microorganisms which can spread agricultural disease to locales which are not immune to the little foreign invaders.)

ATC supplies - I'm ready to start trying these!

Tea (esp. green, more details below)

Blank Postcards (non-touristy, beautiful or cute, or showing people. Or very colorful. Children, old people, villages, interesting animals, textiles, foods. Some touristy are OK, but I have enough landscapes and city views. Would like some different ones, if you have them. If not, that's ok too! I do have a link to my postcrossing site above, and I do love to receive naked postcards, but blank if not location-specific and it's a non-PC swap.)

Miniature Items

Tea-themed items (stickers, notecards, plushies, tea towels, other)

ATC supplies (pre-cut cards, plastic sleeves, embellishments)

Beautiful or boldly colored notecards, or with pretty colors/patterns

Soap bars (animal-cruelty free)

Tissue Paper - Decorative or Bright Solids

Sparkly gems, brads, stick-ons, etc.

Pretty buttons

Mini Sharpies

Small magnets, cute or interesting

Small lotions (purse-sized)

Inspirational, thought-provoking or funny quotes

Anything handmade, I will treasure it!

Post-it notes or small note pads

Stickers

Gloves/Mittens/Scarves

Anything Tabby Cat

Foreign language items (products or paper with foreign writing on them)

While open to ALL religions, could use some Christian encouragement at this time.

Music

Fitness inspiration

Recipes (no pork or alcohol, otherwise any OK, would especially appreciate crock-pot, one pot, casseroles, salads, low-carb, whole grain, vegetarian/vegan)

Bookcrossing Books

Small Garden Flags

Themes I like: Sunflowers, Birds, Middle East/Balkans/India/Gypsy/Native American/Asian/Celtic, Hawai'i, Vegan Cooking, Bright or mixed colors, Nursing, Love and Hope, Tolerance, Veganism, the Simple things in life

Things that delight you! Despite this huge long profile, I'm fairly easy to please!

will add/edit as I recall things!

Cardmaking, Stickles, Epoxy Stickers, Cats (esp. Tabbies!), Sunflowers, Turkish Ceramics/Spanish Tiles, Cooking, Earthy Things, Organic, Duke University, Music, Nursing, Pizza, Turkey/Egypt/India/Balkans (Croatian, Bosnia, Slovenia etc.), International Music, International Folk Art, Organizing, Miniature Things, Lip Gloss, Roosters, Gerbera Daisies, Turtles (cuz I am one), Owls (cuz I'm a night owl), monkeys, elephants, just to name a few! Can't think of an animal I don't enjoy! Lizards, ladybugs, hamsters, the list goes on and on! I have a Big Shot die cutter. I love Hoops & YoYo - their voices are so silly and cute! I also would LOVE to receive scraps of foreign language newspapers or magazines - they're great to wrap gifts in or use on cards! Also foreign or pretty tea wrappers.

I love NPR (National Public Radio). Couldn't make it through the week without it!!

International Music is first, also love everything else! My least favorite is jazz/blues, but some of that is awesome, too. Enjoy country, pop, gospel, rock, indie, reggae, Bollywood, you name it! Especially enjoy vocal harmonies, as can be found in Bulgarian folk, Middle Eastern wailing, South African, Peter Paul & Mary. Also really enjoy pop from other countries (even if it's way outdated!)

Never underestimate the power of the Hamster Dance!

Haunting Bombay, by Shilpa Agarwal
Eating Animals, by Jonathan Safran Foer
Moloka'i, by Alan Brennert

I would like to read some classics that I never read, such as Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice & Men, Catcher in the Rye. Pretty much all I've read is Wuthering Heights (loved it!), some Dickens - Tale of Two Cities, Little Women, The Pearl. I really need to do some classic reading!

I'm on BookCrossing, so would love a book I could read and track!

Slumdog Millionaire, Fiddler on the Roof, Australia, Kingdom of Heaven, Phantom of the Opera, Riding in Cars with Boys, Miami Vice, Cinderella Man, Walk the Line, Meet the Parents/Fockers, Life is Beautiful, Everything is Illuminated, The Kite Runner, The Princess Bride, A Walk in the Clouds, Far and Away, The Red Violin,
Blue Streak!

Everybody Loves Raymond re-runs!

Lately am delighted by comignations of bold, saturated colors, not quite primary - like lime green and orange, or lime green and turquoise, or turquoise and magenta - colors close together in the spectrum being paired together. It just makes my heart happy.

A new favorite is Teal - seems to be popping up a lot these days - goes well with earthy tones, but also brights. Looks great with Ivory.

Love red and royal blue and turquoise together as can be found in Middle Eastern Ceramics.

Love different shades of blue or green mixed together.

Love bright green, and especially the lime green that is so common these days. Some of it is not so much bright as an earthy limey/avacado. I love that.

Pink, Pink, Pink, all shades of pink!

Love the colors of rooster art: red/black/yellow/orange togerher.

Red and black are just too classically awesome.

Love bright yellow or orange sunflowers on a red or blue background.

Guess the overall favorite would have to be turquiose, or brick red.

But who can really choose? Not me, obviously!

Many thanks to @Emkay for solving this mystery for me - it was Dextro Energen!

I once had a candy from Germany - have no idea what it's called: They were a small pack of stacked white rectangular/square? wafers, wrapped in clear plastic. The taste was similar to a Lik-a-Stix from Lik-m-Aid packs, but even yummier. This was in the mid-1980's and I've been wanting them ever since!

New Update: I prefer candies with no animal products/gelatin, if possible, though new things are fun to try or share.

I also love Lik-A-Stix (just the stix) and Candy Cigarettes! Also love gummy raspberries with the little beads on them, and cola-flavored candy! Love Pop-Rocks, Eclipse Gum, Tic-Tacs, Nerds, Rock Candy, maple sugar candies and anything sugary that dissolves into crystals in your mouth.

I'm not a huge chocolate fan, like more sugary or candies. But that's not to say I don't like chocolate! I have found a weakness for Mexican stone-ground dark chocolate. Sour is not my favorite flavor either, though I've decapitated a few Sour Patch kids in the past (my tongue was very sore later! Too SOUR!)

My new favorite tea company is Lupicia, though they run fairly pricey. I'm always a sucker for mugs and tea stuff.

Seeking music from other countries - traditional, old pop, current pop, instrumental, romantic, anything! It can be on CD or even cassette tape! Even a link to a great song on You-Tube would be appreciated. All cultures welcome! Getting music is probably my MOST favorite thing!

A Turtle t-shirt, size 2X

Papers or Embellishments, buttons, beads. Pieces of unique international junk mail or ads that could be used in a card. Pages from a foreign-language newspaper that could be used to wrap a gift. The side of a box (tea, cereal, pudding mix, cosmetics, etc.) that has foreign writing on it.

Cute miniatures that can be displayed in a shadowbox (for example, I have a painted clay cat from Mexico that is less than 1" tall, and a tiny toy Coke bottle, and a little plastic silver antique car from a hotel vending machine when I was a kid). Also includes interesting beads or pieces of glass, or anything small.

I would love some erasers or cutting blocks that can be carved into rubber stamps - and also the tools to do that! Want to try this craft!! (Thank you @eepypost for getting me started on this!!!!)

Love umbrellas, plates, cups or cereal bowls (any medium, even plastic) with beautiful colorful designs on them.

Collect dishcloths from around the world - don't have to be new, just cleanish.

Coins from abroad. Actual monetary value not at all important.

I love receiving handmade cards and items! I'm not good at sewing crafts but do love to receive them.

I love the amigurimi little critters - could never make one, or imagine anything I had to trade that would be as valuable as that!

I love socks (normal adult size, I have big feet but I like them snug), mugs, containers to hold pencils or paper clips, cute post-it notes (like with frogs, etc.), unique design pencils or pens, designed tapes (deco tape/washi tape), rubber stamps, postage stamps that can still be used to mail things in US, cancelled stamps from abroad (don't have to be rare, they're all rare to me!), mobiles (hang from ceiling), small dangly earrings, little boxes, magnets, pushpins, textiles (wall hangings, pillow cases, door mats, towels, small rugs), coasters (especially things that absorb water from the outside of a mug because I love drinks with ice and they always sweat!). Handmade mug wraps.

I'd love to see a photo of your or your friends or kids or pets, or of your house, kitchen, car, backyard or a street in your downtown. I'd love for you to sign the back or write a note. What a neat collection that would be!

Colored glass, pieces, pebbles, or actual items like cups or vases.

I have gloss-loving lips, thirsty skin, shoes size 10, shirts size 2x (hubby wears L). I rarely paint my nails, do use modest amounts of cosmetics, pink, plum, peach/copper tones or natural. Not big on shower gels unless ultra moisturizing. Love lotions. All free of animal-cruelty, preferably.

Will add more as I think of it! (but isn't that really enough?! :)

WISHFUL THINKING LIST of things I love: Gerbera Daisy Umbrella Sunflower Umbrella (both from catalogfavorites.com) Laurel Burch Mugs (from stashtea.com) Laurel Burch Red or Blue T-shirt cards and socks, Charles Wysocki (frederick the literate, hanging out (in tree), 2 cats by the fire) International Music CDs

Charles Wysocki (cats!), Laurel Burch, bold sunflower art, Edward Hopper, Rex Ray, Norman Rockwell, Michael Whitlark!!

Not allergic to anything.

FOR TEA SWAPS: I'm willing to try anything.

But my LEAST favorites tend to be:
Chamomile
Linden flower
Hibiscus (I don't dislike I'm just tired of it overpowering most herbal teas)
Cherry (usually like, just not in tea - usually tastes fake)
Ginger
Peppermint
Lemon

(I would never rate down for these, I don't hate anything, these are just lower on the spectrum of things I enjoy. Plus, some combinations surprise me. For example, I LOVE mojito mint tea, even though it contains mint. And many wonderful chais contain ginger. I have a chamomile almond that is my favorite because of the almond.)

I LOVE:
Orange flavored teas Ceylon (especially JAF "Majestic")
Green and White teas
Different varieties of unflavored black, green or other teas (ex. tulsi, darjeeling, gunpowder, breakfast, etc.)
Sage or Cardamom
Rosemary
Oolong and Pu-err, or very Asian teas that are best consumed unsweetened Raw green rooibos (unoxidized)
Melon, banana, coconut flavors
Any just good-quality, delicious tea, of ANY sort or color.
To try something new or something you find wonderful.

Other Flavor/Scent Preferences:

DON'T prefer vanilla, lavender, or rose scents, such as in body products. They are too rich.

DO love vanilla flavoring! Don't like sour and don't like fruit in my entrees! (no raisins in my rice or apples in my entree!)

Don't eat pork or shrimp, or any animal products for that matter, don't drink alcohol, do love organics, cilantro, pasta & onions, salty/crispy snacks. Like to try unusual things like soy veggie masala chips (is there such a thing?)

Love Indian food! Yeah, mail me THAT!! ;)

DO like sweet scents/flavors like tangerine or cherry, or warm scents like clove or almond. Like light florals.

Enjoy ALL warm beverages and soup mixes (if vegan). Love bubble tea (if you can figure out how to mail me tapioca bubbles already cooked, you'd be a real HERO!)

Worst perfume ever made: POISON - smells like sawdust and the electric saw that created it.

Some good smells: Arden Green Tea, True Religion, D&G Light Blue (the fake is the best!) laundry soap.

My husband loves jasmine and gardenia so I can do a little of that for him.

Like antibacterial hand lotion or any travel/mini size lotion.

Like incense, car fresheners.

" Risk more than others think safe; Care more than others think wise; Dream more than others think practical; Expect more than others think possible." Morris Watson

There is no stigma attached to recognizing a bad decision in time to install a better one. - Laurence J. Peter

"You must never so much as think whether you like it or not, whether it is bearable or not; you must never think of anything except the need, and how to meet it."- Clara Barton (courtesy of @Nandin

DARLING ANGELS (partial list)

@CariahCreates volunteered to send me a most treasured Lucky Neko for the Rainbows & Rainclouds group "Explain Your Name" tag. I hadn't even realized I needed an angel! She's da bomb!!

TheFeelGoodFairy (my new name for her) has awesomely angeled my flaked tea and soap swaps!!! Wow!

Flaked By: (partial list)

@ABPMomma for Bath time? Lets swap some soap---EDITED!!! on 11-5 - incredibly angeled by the FeelGoodFairy !! (OK, it's @earthnk )