It's accurate to say that I'm rather sentimental and a hopeless romantic. I'm also fascinated about what makes people tick and relationships, and I feel a great connection to animals and the environment. I'd say I'm a woman of many contradictions; an introvert with extrovert qualities, and I have both very traditional and progressive values.

I'm a very honest and genuine person. Candid, often to the point of sharing too much information, and I don't bottle up my feelings. What you see is what you get. That said, I can be quite difficult to get to know, especially when I am trying to figure you out first ; )

Not surprisingly I spend most of my free time socialising with friends. In terms of interests I love music and dancing, eating, exploring different cultures, going to the theatre (especially to musicals) and the cinema. Reading is another love.

I enjoy art and photography exhibitions, but I'm not really into museums as I prefer to see objects of significance in their original context (hence my love of travelling). I try to get away at least every 2-3 months.

I guess my interests aren't all that unique but I'm keen to try new things and will give most things a go. In some ways I'm adventurous (loved skydiving) but I don't like speed, and didn't enjoy go karting because I got car sickness :(

What AM I doing?! Good question! I moved to the UK from Australia in 2004. Loving life in and around London, though I still need to get away every now and then.

organising things, choosing friends, and surprising people with my weirdness.

Evidently I'm also good at procrastinating and compulsively completing the questions on this site when I'm meant to be reading about you and replying to your messages! How the hell did I get to over 800 questions answered in two weeks?!

Urgh, awkward and embarrassing question...leaving this one alone!

BOOKS: An Education, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Goodnight Mister Tom, The Help, In Cold Blood, The Kite Runner, The Power of One, Wild Swans, The Wonky Donkey, and works by Haruki Murakami

MOVIES: Amelie, Being John Malkovich, Bridget Jones' Diary (but not the sequel which is awful), Doctor Zhivago, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Howl's Moving Castle, Juno, Memento, Monsters Inc, Moulin Rouge, Ponyo, Secretary, Shrek, Sound of Music, Star Wars, Steel Magnolias, Toy Story 3, When Harry Met Sally

SHOWS: Borgen, The Bridge, Glee, Ghost Whisperer, Homeland, The Hour, The Killing (the original), Mad Men, Medium, Pride & Prejudice (BBC 1995), Sex & The City (but not the movies), The West Wing, The Wire

MUSIC/SONGS: Bad Babysitter, Can You Feel It, Clair de Lune, DUI, Gangnam Style :D , Got To Be Real, Liebestraum, Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now, all things swing, They Are Night Zombies, You Got The Love (the original version and the one by Florence & The Machine)

FOOD: anything made with love, breakfast at Balthazar in New York, brussel sprouts, chocolate (dark), dim sum / yum cha, Italian at Supper in New York, Japanese curry, natto, roasted sweet potato from the sweet potato van in Japan, sushi so good it makes me cry with joy, Sylvia's garlic mashed potato in Harlem, udon from Koya in Soho...

cuddles
lip gloss
regular feeding times
sunshine (or at the very least some semblance of natural light!)
time away from people and time with people
travel

dreams
food
holidays
what I'd do if I won the lottery ; )

hoping Monday never comes... Other than that, I don't have a typical Friday night.

I can lose my cool when hungry... I become a monster : (

you're the kind of guy who tackles the more difficult times in life with a healthy balance of compassion and humour. I'm attracted to people who bring light and happiness, fun and glass half full kind of people. That said, you do not need to be a comedian or happy 100% of the time; just someone who tends towards positivity more often than negativity. I also want my partner to be comfortable in his own skin, self aware, and strong enough to stand by the courage of his convictions.

Other than that, I can't put my finger on what my Mr Right will be like. For me, when it clicks that's it; it doesn't necessarily hinge on that subconscious checklist , but that all elusive chemistry which often doesn't come in the form that one might expect.

It sounds rather obvious, but you should only contact me if you have something nice to say. If I'm not your cup of tea or anything I've said has offended you, just move on, no big deal. It's not necessary to send me a mean message, and it's a waste of your energy and time as I won't reply and only delete it.

And for those of you who like lists, here's a couple (works in progress!):

Things that will impress me about your profile

+ Photos: ones (note the plural) in colour, showing your eyes, smile, character and spirit (no silly expressions or outfits required)

+ A decent effort to write a detailed and accurate description of yourself so that I can get a real sense of who you are and how you think. Frankly, I find extensive email exchanges tedious. I therefore go by the gut feeling I get from reading your profile.

+ Decent grammar, punctuation and spelling (definitely no text speak please), unless English isn't your first language, in which case I will make allowances for that.

and the stuff in profiles that doesn't impress me

- Photos taken with your webcam (surely you must have photos from real life...) or ones of your reflection in the mirror (unless it's particularly artistic)

- Regardless of whether I meet your criteria or not, shallow descriptions of your ideal woman, such as referring to her ethnicity, hair colour or weight.

- Photos showing children: whether they're your kids or not, I don't think it's ethical to publish their photos online for all and sundry to see. Children are not accessories, and certainly shouldn't be used as such when it comes to dating. If you're determined to show you're affectionate, nurturing and/or 'good dad material', I am a sucker for pictures of you cuddling cute animals though... ; )

- Anything indicating that you might be an alcoholic, "one of the lads", or a workaholic.

- Showing off: including (but not limited to) gratuitous mentions of your high-flying job, topless photos (no matter how hot your body is, it's so superficial and just not classy), or photos of you trying to prove how popular you are (did you get your friends' permission to post their photos on here?). Don't even get me started on the photos of you with random attractive women draped on your shoulders!

- Last but certainly not least, if your past has been filled with “crazy” or “psycho” women such that you’ve felt the need to allude to this in your profile, I find this really offensive and degrading. It was probably you and not them. I recommend you read this: http://goo.gl/yEZIu.