Who am I? Well, my name is Richard Mather-Fry. My nickname is Frypan. I was born in 1985 in Christchurch, New Zealand. I grew up mostly around the South Island, but I’ve also lived in Wellington and Bunbury, Australia.
I’m the third of four siblings on my Mum’s side, and only child on Dad’s side. I have two older sisters and a younger brother. I also have two nephews and a niece to my eldest sister. My paternal grandmother is my only remaining grandparent.
I am currently employed on a casual basis as a stocktaker at various locations around the greater Christchurch area. My previous three jobs were all back-of-house kitchen jobs. I’m also a volunteer proof reader with Distributed Proofreaders, and I used to be a Civil Defence volunteer until early 2014.
My interests include Seismology and Hydroseismology (earthquakes and tsunami). I also enjoy music. I used to be a Grade 5 Pianist, though I haven’t played since early 2012. I have an interest in genealogy and have extensively researched my Mum’s side of the family tree. I only recently started working on my Dad’s side of the family.
My Mum’s side of the family mostly descend from German Jews, who appear to trace back to modern day Romania. I seem to have uncovered some Scottish heritage, too. Specifically, from the Shetland Islands, though I haven’t yet been able to confirm this. My Dad’s side of the family are mostly English and Irish, with a little bit of Italian and something else (French, I think).
My favourite band is Nightwish. My favourite songs are “Sleeping Sun” by Nightwish, and “Running With Giants” by Thousand Foot Krutch. I enjoy most types of music, though I’m not so keen on Jazz, Blues or Hip-Hop (with some exceptions). On piano, I mostly played Classical, Country, Rock and some Pop. My favourite genre was contemporary Japanese classical music.
I have a condition called Dyspraxia, though most of the time it isn’t very obvious. It does mean I often have difficulty forming words properly when I am speaking. I also have a problem with forgetting words when I’m about to use them (even the most simple and obvious words). This has forced me to become rather articulate in finding alternative words to get my point across. Sometimes, I will lose track of a conversation, even half way through a sentence. I will suddenly forget what I was talking about, and have difficulty trying to remember it and carry on with what I was saying (this is the most awkward and embarrassing symptom of my dyspraxia). Another minor symptom is a little bit of clumsiness, though I have worked on this immensely over the years, especially since working in kitchens involves a lot of risks.
My personality is ISFJT. That is, Introvert, Observant, Feeling, Judging, Turbulent.
I am very introvert, and like to keep to myself. At parties and gatherings, I hang around with people I know, or hide away in a corner and keep to myself. I won’t generally begin a conversation with someone I don’t know, unless they start the conversation first. Over the last couple of years, I have been working on my confidence, which has helped to make me a little more extrovert, though I still have a long way to go.
I am observant. Basically, I often notice things, which other people tend to miss. I’m particularly good with noticing numbers and patterns. When trying to commit something to memory, I will often try to assign a number or code to the piece of information. If the information already includes a number or code, I am far more likely to remember the information in detail.
I am a feeling person. In short, I can be very emotional. I have a large amount of empathy towards people close to me (though this can sometimes be lacking for people I don’t really know).
I am judging. Note, this does not mean I am judgemental!! It means that I will try to assess both (or all) sides of a situation before I come to a decision or conclusion. I don’t like to judge a situation before I know the full story. Similarly, I become extremely frustrated when somebody judges my own situation, without knowing what’s going on in my life.
My personality is also very turbulent. This just means my personality is changing and a little unstable. A lot has been happening in my life over the last 5 years, and things are still happening. This means my life has been very unstable and unsettling. While it is improving, and steps have been taken to sort myself out, I still have some uncertainties in my life right now. Hence, “turbulent”.
So, that is a basic introduction to myself.
Best Regards and Thank You for Reading!!
Richard Mather-Fry.