Secret Passions You Wouldn't Mind Sharing

LAPIS JEWELRY, especially if made by Kuchis (Afghani bedouins.) Pendants, rings, bracelets...Beautiful stuff. I buy way too much of it. It's a hobby equal to my interest in fragrance.

passions, we don't talk about much, eh? well... i do talk about a few... but oh well

Photography. I don't bat an eye at spending a grand on a lens while most people reel at the thought of a $400 digital camera. I've been shooting since I was 5, have had various slrs for almost 10 years now, and am contemplating either a a set of studio lights from alien bees or getting 3 more nikon sb800 strobes and a su800 to slave them all together. i'm a bit obessed with light, so we'll see. then i can get my portfolio going and apply to grad school for yet another useless peice of paper to stick on my wall. :-D

Lava lamps. see my sig line? its true. i have over 30, if not over 40 lava lamps from the 70s onward. i'm hoping one day to own a colosus (its over 4 feet tall, has a 55 gallon globe on it, and can be outfitted with a table around it. eees sexay!)

diving. i work in dive shop. i dive several times a week. i read dive magazines. i post to dive boards. its almost as bad as me and perfume, but perfumes are cheaper!

champagane. if i could drink a split of bubbly every morning with breakfast, i'd be a happy camper, literally! but i love me some bubbly, shame the boyfriend is a derned tea-totaller most of the time.

Travel books. not like guides, but more like On the Road or Blue Highways. books like that fire my imagaination and fuel the flames of my wanderlust.

Chick-flicks. Seriously, some of them give me goose-bumps, some are actually rubbish, but I like watching them anyway.

ANTM/BNTM. It's fun to watch, like a whole hours worth of bitchy cat fights! (BNTM is worse)

Traveling. I'd like to visit ever single significant country in the world in my lifetime. (Basically, ones where you can get a normal flight to )

Reading. I love to read, no matter what, but preferably something to do with adventure or autopsy, just getting lost in a whole different world, and being able to experience it!)

Music. Ever since my voice broke, i've been unable to sing, which is unfortunate, but I used to love to sing, and hopefully can train my voice up to being able to sing again

Sex and the City. Yessum. I like the fact that I can identify a lot of the stuff that I see on there, which brings me onto:

Fashion. Love love love it. I don't see myself wanting to converse with the people that create it, as frankly, the can be rude, but, watching the shows, buying the stuff, love it. Recent love: Chanel men's collection, after Karl Lagerfeld stopped his own label, it still shows he can create fantastic men's clothing, the Paris-Londres collection being supreme. (Side note, I HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE Hedi Slimane. Simply because of the skinny silhouette he created, effeminating men and unfortunately, this trend, trickled into other designer's clothing, once again, French fashion is responsible for creating something, that eventually, gets taken overboard, by Italian fashion *cough* D&G *cough*)

Anything miniature. I know that sounds weird, but seriously, anything miniature, and i'll spaz, it makes me happy for some reason, those mini glass bottles of coke you get at bars, mini bottles of Heinz ketchup, 6 micro-sized bottles of Tobasco sauce (£4 for like 6ml, rip off, but so cool!), mini bottles of Evian, just amazing.

Acting. I love to act, it's great fun, and it doesn't drone on, even if you do have to go to Sunday rehearsals!

Dancing. More of a buried passion really, i'd love to be able to dance, but am keeping it on hold!

Concerts. I love going to them, went to Robyn and Sam Sparro on Saturday night, am going to see Alphabeat on Thursday evening.

Hermes. I'd love to own a 45cm Toile and Etoupe Swift with Silver Hardware Birkin. Along with a Steve Weekender and Messenger in Havana.

Shoes. God I sound like a woman, but yeah, shoes. Love them, from brown to black, to sandals to brouges to oxfords. My favourites are monk shoes, along with loafers. Favourite companies being, John Lobb (Owned by Hermes), Pied a Terre, Jeffrey West, Miu Miu (Stylish classics, perfection), Prada, Louis Vuitton and the odd pair of Dolce and Gabbanas.

More recently, Lush. Love their stuff, the Ice Cool soap is amazing, pepperminty freshness, that just lasts and lasts!

Lol Vivek, chickflicks, fashion, music, travelling - ahh we'd be the best of friends!

Must agree about the dancing thing. It's fun but I fail at it.

Yeah Lush is pretty sweet. I wish we had a store here. I'm kinda hooked on MUA bath and body board. It's terrible! So many etailers to explore!

"Reality" TV shoes - especially the HBO ones.

Flirting with gay guys!! (See TVLampBoys' entry) Just cuz you're eighty doesn't mean you don't flirt.

Mustard right out of the jar. Any kind of mustard.

Mostly my geeky things

Star Wars/ Star Trek----Love all of it
Comic Books------X-Men, Spider-Man, you get the idea
Joss Whedon------Buffy, Angel, Firefly/Serenity and comng soon Dollhouse
Football, the kind being played in Euro 2008 and my favorite teams Arsenal and Inter Milan also I am part owner of an English Conference team Ebbsfleet United through the MyFC.com initiative.
Love reading the paranormal romance genre and my favorite authors are Charlaine Harris, Kim Harrison and Laura Anne Gilman. Although I read all of it good or bad.

There it is a stylish geek's secret passions.

Hehehe Jillsy, and the best of it, i'm cool I love 'dancing' (By that, I mean YMCA, Macarena, Saturday Night...so on) but i'd like to give the proper stuff a shot, my girlfriend does ballet and street dance, but refuses to do anything else, but, my cousin, who's a choreographer, has promised me that she will teach me when I next visit her!

Lush is amazing, I always get presents for girls from there, as there isn't anything that is not to like, only recently did the SA tell me they did guy's stuff as well. She gave me a bucket load of samples of showergels, soaps and other stuffs, and told me to tell her what I liked There's a lovely amber one called Karma (very feminine, but being a perfume lover, I appreciate it!) along with Honey I Washed the Kids (amazing sweet honey soap - meant to be for children and mums, but I love it too )

And if you do travel here, maybe we could check some fashion out, catch a chickflick and then listen to some music

...hmmm, things I don't normally fess up to...

...classical music
...perfumes (last weekend was interesting, have to share sometimes - duty-free with a new friend)
...fashion
...public speaking. I swear I get geeked up when I've got a presentation or a speech. Toastmasters isn't just a pastime, it's a highlight.

the rest is all normal-guy-type stuff.

Bracelets
Tequila
Well made movies
Out of production silverplated flatware (American, mostly)
Fine china
Also (of course) Fragrance!
Recipes and cookbooks

Star Trek/The Prisoner/The Avengers/Red Dwarf.
Barbie, as in the dolls not outdoor cooking.
Local History
Architecture
Experimental fiction- eg BS Johnson-The Unfortunates
Stuff with cats on. Including a three foot tall wooden cat that is just so cute, and considerably better behaved than the two shorter hairier ones. Not as fun though.
My gramophone. From 1933, rosewood veneer, fabulous.

Fragrances...

TV shows (blind date, survivor, so you think you can dance)...i'm a news junkie as well.

Fine chocolates, specially dark chocolate

Cruises! You get to see and meet all kinds of people on them.

My dog and cat. I consider them part of my family, spoiled rotten they are.

That's about it, other than fragrances.

I'm a video gamer. That is pretty much my only vice at the moment besides cologne.

Here are some of mine:

Playing freebie games on my computer (the kind you get to try for 60 minutes)

Making jewelry, as in beaded necklaces and bracelets.

Snagging a beautiful outfit at an outrageous price

Buying gifts for friends and family just because it would be perfect for them

Eating spicy fresh salsa with corn chips

A cheese course in France

A leisurely walk in a botanical garden

Making a new recipe and having family and friends love it

Ditto on the chocolate and the cruises, dude!

I LOVE logic puzzles. One of the things I am looking forward to, on my upcoming trip, is grabbing a logic puzzle magazine at a news stand and losing myself in them on the plane trip.

I am also addicted to sailing.

I collect books about Parisian neighborhoods, if there are maps and photos, all the better.
I thrill if there is a mention of a section that I actually saw with my own eyes, and I drool over all the spots that I have yet to visit. Someday. And I'll read anything anectodal about life in France.
Some titles:

Walks Through Lost Paris , A Journey into the Heart of Historic Paris by Leonard Pitt
Paris Walks, by Sonia, Alison and Rebecca Landes
The Last Time I Saw Paris, by Elliot Paul
We'll Always Have Paris, Sex and Love in the City of LIght By John Baxter
France, A Love Story, Women Write about the French Experience edited by Camille Cusumano
French Dirt, The Story of a Garden in the South of France by Richard Goodman
Almost French, Love and a New Life in Paris by Sarah Turnbull
Cleopatra's Nose , 39 Varieties of Desire, by Judith Thurman, (for it's several essays on France related subjects, for instance about Coco Chanel and others)
Secrets of the Flesh, A Life of Colette by Judith Thurman
Several Guides to Paris,
one by Gold Guides bought at a booth on the RIver Seine, my favorite,
Frommer's Guide
Fodor's Guide and
The Irreverent Guide to Paris
City Walks: Paris a collection of cards with maps of specific neighborhoods in Paris with descriptions of the highlights and suggested routes

any suggestions are welcome

In addition to perfume, I have so many other, ahem, passions.

Barbecue. I am a certified judge and write articles for the National Barbecue News

Ballet. I have been a fervent fan for over forty years, have a sizeable dance book collection, and attend as much as I can afford.

France. I am a francophile. We try to visit once a year, but with the downturned ecomony, who knows what the future holds?

Accordion. I love accordion music, listen frequently, and even played for a while. It is a wonderful and versatile instrument that one embraces, hugs, and squeezes.

Politics. I know that this is not the place, but I have been an activist since the sixties.

The Cambridge spies. I collect books about Philby, Maclean, Burgess, and Blunt. Fascinating.

Wine, Especially French reds.

Cooking. All kinds.

Chocolate. Dark only.

The Rolling Stones. Always have, always will

House plants! I used to collect African violets, and had nearly 300 different at a time. I have also collected Hoyas.
I always "steel" something to put in soil when visiting a garden center or someone´s home.

Lipsticks & eyeshadows. I buy at least one of each a week.. (cheap ones mostly)

Ice cream. I could easily win any "ice cream-eating-contest". This is my big talent...

Dieting. That is my sport.

This took me a while to think about, mostly I can find interest or amusement in just about anything, but the things I love most...

fragrance - of course, too many bottles to use in a lifetime and I love them like children

music - all kinds, pretty good sized recorded collection, I used to play guitar, piano & alto sax as well, no time now

cooking - I will attempt to cook most anything and have stacks of cook books

books - I'm not really a collector but I have lots of classics, fairy tales, myths, & legends and cook books

learning - without learning new things all the time I'd just shrivel up and die

the beauty of nature - when I'm outside just walking my dog or whatever, I enjoy looking at everything, the bugs, the different birds, the mountains, the plants, flowers & trees, the rocks on the road, etc. I live in a beautiful place and every sunrise and sunset are like a works of art, amazing colors & light

Green and Black's Maya Gold chocolate.

Peppermint Tea

Fair-trade Green Tea (I feel guilty if it isn't)

Experimenting with my ever-expanding spice rack

Watching old music clips from the 60s on Youtube

Mungo MacCallum (well his oeuvre, anyway)

Politics

Finding old dresses in op-shops that I rarely get around to wearing

Learning about policy, and the thinking behind it (a given for my uni course)

Discovering more vegan-friendly icecreams,/sorbets/ice confections

I have a few passions. Some geeky, some maybe not so much..

Chai Tea: Have yet to learn how to brew my own, but I enjoy buying new types and brands all the time. Current favourite is Dilmah Spicy Ceylon Chai.

Art and Illustration: I'm always doodling and drawing. At all times I'll generally have some picture I'm working on in Photoshop.

2D Animation: I have a special love for 2D animation, especially the look of the beautiful hand-drawn stuff. 3D is great and all, but there's just nothing like 2D for me. I love seeing experimental art styles and animation especially.

Japanese art and animation: Love this art style. I especially love seeing unusual, experimentive or different styles. It influences in my own art practice.

Bettas/Siamese Fighting Fish: Whenever I got to a pet shop, this will be the first thing I look at. I love the Crown Tail type that have been appearing in pet shops the past couple years. I'd never seen them before that. I own two of them (only fish allowed as pets on University Residential living). Their names are Rocky and Whitlam and I love them almost TOO much.

Lingerie: Not quite as much now as I was obsessed 2 years ago. I love getting a really pretty pair of undies or a sexy bra. Haha.

Online Forums: I'm addicted to forums. I get so bored and lonely on the internet without people with alike interests to talk to.

Second this. Also expensive ties and shoes. Obscenely expensive ties and shoes. Used to be watches, but no more.

Passions to share, huh? Well, OK. In no specific order:

Art
Writing
Museums
Chocolate (I appreciate the good stuff, but am democratic about it!)
Old horror movies (pre 1970s) - black & white in particular
Reading (everything from biographies, history, to trashy novels)
Intelligent conversations
Geeky toys
Men

Thanks for the Paris guides Rtamara!

Travelling -- Paris.... my favourite city in the world, been there four times, each time I find something different.

Little dogs -- I have three little dogs... a 10 lb japanese chin, a 4 lb yorkie, and a new puppie, a little biewer (new German breed), who will be about 4 lbs fully grown... i love all three equally!

Bling -- I love all sorts of bling, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires and pearls... in rings, necklaces, bracelets.... too bad they are so expensive that I cannot collect them

Guess jeans -- they fit absolutely wonderfully on the aging drooping butt

Bikes -- I have three of them... for different occasions... i love all three equally!

Wine -- my sis is a sommelier, too bad about my allergies, I can't seem to drink as much anymore

Shoes and Flip-flops -- this is a familiar one to many of us!

Kids -- I have three of them... i love all three equally! (or that's what I tell them!)

Internet
Pizza
Cruises
USA
Important news on tv or internet or magazines
Restaurants
To see nice girls

"Jewellery & Objects of Vertu" -Before I made tha' move ta' Canada, I was a regular @ both tha' Sotheby's, 'an Christie's auctions. Now I just have subscriptions to their catalogues!

Architecture, & old house plan books, et al... I like lookin' @ middle class housin' through tha' ages.

Russian Orthodox Ikons, & Danish Porcelain Plates (GAHHH!!! I'm runnin' out of wall space...)

Old dept. store Catalogues.

Listenin' to CKUA radio. It's tha' soundtrack of my life.

Manga... especially YAOI!

Cowboyin' & tha' Rodeo - I grew up with it, 'an I still like ta' partake when I can.