Because my hands are rough and wrinkley, they are my least favourite feature. An ex-boyfriend used to call them 'Freddy Kreuger' fingers.

Because my heat was too full of appreciation for what my friends -- my real friends -- had done for me.

Because my life has been so notorious and so bad, it can overshadow my work.

Because my life isn't going to wait around while I figure out how to make it work.

Because my main concern is the Tibetan Buddhist culture, not just political independence, I cannot seek self-rule for central Tibet and exclude the 4 million Tibetans in our two eastern provinces of Amdo and Kham.

Because my man is handsome and successful, that makes me a gold digger? First of all, I pay my own bills, and I still pay my own bills. But if your man is gonna give you a gift, you're gonna accept it. I'm not gonna be like, 'No, can you please take back the Louis Vuitton purse?' Absolutely not.

Because my master was this renaissance man, I wasn't just learning a fighting style, I was learning how kung fu permeates all aspects of life, from eating to healthy living to mental state.

Because my mom always told me that I could. From a very early age, I felt comfortable leading.

Because my mother couldn't change my present, I decided to change my daughter's future.

Because my mum and dad brought me up to believe that people are different but equal. And that I should treat everyone, no matter who, with the same respect I'd like to be shown.

Because my musical background is so diverse, it lends me to have very much my own style and it helps me to relate to the music as I'm going to play it. I just write. And if it comes out country, it's a country song. The funny thing is, I write all across the board. I just write what hits me at the time.

Because my musical training has been limited, I've never been restricted by what technical musicians might call a song.

Because my name is Hungarian, everyone assumed I knew about Hungary. I didn't. They also assumed that if you knew about Hungary, you also knew about the rest of Eastern Europe.

Because my parents are Indian, everybody speaks Hindi to me, and I have no idea what they are saying.

Because my parents are Muslim, there's no doubt they wished I would marry someone Muslim.

Because my parents had given me tremendous respect, trust, and freedom as a child, I knew how to take responsibility for myself. If you're constantly being told No, don't do that or We don't trust you, you can't develop that responsibility.

Because my parents took a risk on me not knowing a thing about me.They believed that in everyone there is potential -- that by believing in someone, loving them, nurturing them, you can bring out that potential.

Because my parents were illegal, they couldn't trust anybody. They were always nervous. A neighbor could be like, 'These people are making too much noise, their children are making too much noise,' and the cops could knock at our door and ask for our papers, and that's it. It's that simple. So you're always a little closed.

Because my parents, growing up, they worked hard. Everyone in my family woke up early in the morning. I used to see my mother and my father go off to work, and come back and, no matter what, they had time for the kids.