37 Questions

Stolen off Bee, because I was strangely engrossed in reading her replies and thought this list would make a nice change-of-pace from my usual consumeristic blatherings.

What is the geekiest part of your music collection?
The Robotech soundtrack --- so old in its geekiness that it was released on LP before it was out on CD.

What is your secret guaranteed weeping movie?
Roman Holiday. Well, it's a tearing movie. I don't really weep at any movie (war movies and their ilk don't count because of their usual excesses).

If you could have plastic surgery, what would you have done?
Nothing. I can't bear the thought of something cutting/sucking into me if it isn't surgically necessary to save my life.

Do you have a completely irrational fear?
That our apartment will be broken into. That unhappily manifested itself in a dream that spooked me awake one night --- though I still managed to fall back asleep after that.
When I was a kid, I used to be afraid that the world would be attacked by giants who would stomp into town, snatch us up and take us back to their mountain caves to be imprisoned. No, really.

What is the little physical habit that gives away your insecure moments?
I fall quiet and start peering around, somewhere, anywhere, for something that will make me feel better about myself.

Do you know anyone famous?
That depends on your definition of "famous". At one point, I was two degrees away from Keanu Reeves, if that counts for anything? And last year, I found out I was three degrees away from Peter Jackson. Oh wait, the question is whether I know them?

Who would play you in a movie?
No one looks ordinary enough. Besides, why would they make a movie about me?

What do you carry with you at all times?
Wallet, cellphones, keys.

What do you miss most about being a kid?
Having the time after school to read and read and read, preferably while nibbling on chocolate.

What colour is your bedroom?
Walls and bedsheets: blue and white. Furnishings are of the brown family.

What was the last song you were listening to?
Something off The O.C. soundtrack.

Have you ever been in a play?
Heavens, no. (Those one-act productions we did in junior college English class don't count; I had the fewest possible lines, anyway). I'd be too terrified to utter a word.

Have you ever been in love?
Yes, several times.

Do you like yourself and believe in yourself?
Yeah, pretty much.

Do transient, homeless, or starving people sometimes annoy you?
Um. NO. (I really don't know where this question comes from.)

What is your ideal marriage location?
Some kind of outdoor, garden-y setting. Of course, the fact that we got married in Singapore completely invalidated that possibility. I wouldn't want my guests to be all sweaty and sticky before dinner began (dirty!).

Which musical instrument do you wish you could play?
The violin, or maybe the cello. Hell, any wind instrument. The music they make seems a lot more malleable to the touch that the piano, which I do know how to play.

Favorite fabric?
Silk.

What's the one language you want to learn?
Japanese, so that we can actually talk to people the next time we travel there. Bonus: I'd be able to watch anime without subtitles and could code-switch further while kibbitzing with KK (though she's way ahead of the game --- she speaks English, Japanese, Singlish, French, Russian and Spanish).

How do you eat an apple?
I bite straight into it. If Terz wants some, then on account of his delicate teeth, I quarter it up.

What do you order at a bar?
Vodka 7-Up (if sugar is needed), vodka tonic (if less taste is desired), vodka Coke Light (if I'm aspiring to fewer calories).

Have you ever pierced your body parts?
Yes, but just my ears. I have two ear holes in my left ear. Yeah, I'm quite the rebel, yeah.

Do you have tattoos?
No. I can't conceive of a single image or quote that I'd want emblazoned on me forever.

Do you drive a stick?
Yes, but I haven't since the mid-'90s.

Favorite trait of the opposite sex?
Carrying on a good conversation, with equal parts frivolity, humour and seriousness. Alcohol optional.

What kind of watch do you wear?
A slender Seiko ladies' watch, very generic. It's served me well since 1998. I've been hankering for something that looks a little snazzier, though.

Most frivolous purchase?
Black jacket from Tangs --- I thought it was a very Buffy jacket, and it's a nice piece in itself, but I've never found worn it outside of the fitting room or my bedroom (when I'm trying to remind myself why I bought it in the first place). I really should take it with me the next time I travel...

What are you best at cooking?
Fried eggs, sunnyside up or over easy.

Would you ever go out dressed like the opposite sex?
It's easy for girls, isn't it? Just throw on a T-shirt, a pair of jeans and some trainers. Or I could just raid Zara's men's department...

What's one car you will never buy?
Anything Malaysian or Korean.

What kind of books do you like to read?
Literary fiction and Bill Bryson.

If you won the lottery, what would you do?
Quit my job, save the world, write a book (roughly in that order). Oh, and eventually set Terz and myself up in a house on the Oregon coast for a year.

Do you cry in front of your friends?
Not if I can help it.

What's one thing you like to do alone?
Blog. Read. Talk to myself. (Yeah, it said one thing, but I couldn't pick just one.)

Are you a giver or a taker?
Both, I hope!

When's the last time you cried?
Last Monday.

How many drinks before you're tipsy sleepy?
Wine: 3
Beer: 2
Spirits: 5
Yeah, it really doesn't add up.