#trhlo

!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this post makes me so happy, you don’t even know. Chocolate pudding is basically my LIFE, I’m not even kidding.

I was tagged by Trhlo and how could anyone refuse her?

 Rule 1. Post rules Rule 2. Answer questions sent to you and make 11 new ones to send out. Rule 3. Tag 11 other people and link them to your post. Rule 4. Let them know they have been tagged.

1. What’s the weirdest animal fact you can think of? Dolphins, whales and suchlike are hairy. All mammals are.

2. What’s your favourite song parody? Not quite a parody per se, but this is is about as wonderful as you can get.

3. What’s your favourite art period? (Elaborate.) In architecture, mature Gothic, because elaborate (ha!) fan vaulting and perpendicular and Saint George's Chapel and Gloucester Cathedral and it's not like I want to cry of bliss every time I think of Rouen or Straßburg or things like that, you see. In sculpture, I'll have to go with classicism because look at that bastard's face and tell me it's not everything you ever imagined Pan to be. It's the most difficult to choose painting periods, so I refuse to do it. Seriously, between Bosch and Burne-Jones, between Mantegna and Magritte, between Escher and van Eyck, between Frans Hals and JMWasdfghjklhhhnnnnnngggg Turner, how am I supposed to choose?

4. Who taught you to read? I think it sort of happened, my family (Dad especially) used to read a lot to me so I knew most of the stories by heart after a while and used to correct him when  he made a mistake, and by the end of kindergarten I was able to put capital letters in a more or less correct order to convey my meaning. The spelling needed some straightening out, but by the end of the first year of school I was bored (and annoyed) out of my pants by this syl-la-ble by syl-la-ble type of reading that we were required to do.

5. What’s your favourite spot in your hometown and why? Does my bed count? Then the university library, aka the pubs are empty and all the students are here. It's bright, in winter well-heated (too well, sometimes), in summer air-conditioned (blow me away, baby), lots of books (and not of just academic interest, they have some of Gaiman's Sandman comics, imagine how cool that is!), excellent wifi, abysmal coffee but a miriad of cafés across the street (literally), godawful opening hours... But hey, I'd rather have a good library with "erratic opening hours" (hi, Aziraphale, when did you take over?) than a bad one, accessible all the time.

6. What’s your favourite false friend in two languages of your choice? Ooooooh, you got me on this one. I'm not quite sure I have a favourite one, so I'll settle for one of the first I encountered. Backstory: I started learning German much sooner than I started English. The first time I watched the Lord of the Rings in English I had a weak intermediate level, so I still had to rely more on my by then in-depth knowledge of the storyline than the actual understanding of words. So when Arwen says to Aragorn in the 'let us stand is weird dramatic lights on a bridge' scene in Rivendell "It was a gift." I was completely nonplussed. 'Gift' in German means poison, not present.

7. What position do you sleep in? It resembles a cross between a horizontal stork and the recovery position.

8. Up to what number can you multiply by heart? We had to drill the table up till 10x10, but 7x8 always gave me a one-second pause. Otherwise it all depends on how much time you give me to recall - oftentimes it is much easier to just calculate.

9. What newspapers do you read, if any? Blogs count, yes? Eh. This one, mostly.

10. What reality show do you secretly want to be part of? (None is not an acceptable answer.) MTV made something like "I want to work for Diddy". Now, I want the BBC to make "I want to work for English Heritage but I'll settle for practically any culture-related position".

11. What’s the last thing you smelled? If we are talking 'the last thing you made a conscious effort to experience with your olfactory receptors', it'd be my breakfast. Hmmmmm. Twinings Irish Breakfast tea and cheese melted onto toast.

I tag (in alphabetical order): chemical--blood, dressthesavage, eksyneet, katasagoskata, luckyemperor, rhlloringstones, sophistae and four other people who wish to fill this out.

Questions:

You have a holiday home - anywhere in any universe of your choice, real or fictional. What are the pests? (I'm thinking along the lines of "the death watch beetles have the TARDIS".)

Least favourite way to die and why.

The book everyone says blew them away, but you don't see the appeal.

The book everyone was booing, but you love it. Please name at least three reasons.

You can now choose a superpower. What do you choose? What is the accompanying fundamental weakness?

What is the least embarrassing 70's disco music video in your opinion?

You have to drink one flavour/blend of tea/coffee for the rest of your life. Which one is it?

You may spend a fully-financed one-year trip in a ten-mile radius area of your choice. Where do you go?

Verse. Sung, read or performed on stage?

Which one of the Olympians was the least of an asshole? Please elaborate.

Tagged by existentialismandhumanemotions

Rule 1. Post rules

Rule 2. Answer questions sent to you and make 11 new ones to send out.

Rule 3. Tag 11 other people and link them to your post.

Rule 4. Let them know they have been tagged.

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1) Who is your favourite designer, and why? 

For designers, I think Zuhair Murad and Elie Saab are gorgeous. But if I have to go for a label that represents my style and offer something that I can wear everyday, I'd choose Massimo Dutti. The colours are neutral and the designs are clean and practical. I'm also a pretty boring person, so such basic style fits me.

2) What is something you consider to be an essential part of having a wonderful life? 

Self-love. Not to the point of being highly narcissistic though. But I think that we all need to love ourselves first before we love other people/things because the only one responsible for taking care of ourselves is us.

3) An achievement of yours you are proud of? 

That I'm currently fluent in three languages and have decent knowledge and basic proficiency in another two? Hahah. [Russian and Latin are not happening for me yet. I'm going to give them another try during summer break.]

4) Life without salt or sugar? 

Without salt. I think I can live without salt. Sugar though, I need in my caffeine.

  5) Does any odd perfect numbers exist? 

17. I just find it beautiful. Not too sure if 17 is magical or anything.

6) Should we meet? 

Definitely! So I can give you a hug and we can talk about random things all day long!

7) (I’m tired and my questions are lame, I apologise). What is your favourite scent? 

Vanilla. It makes me smell like pancakes, but that's okay. I like pancakes.

8) Coffee or tea? 

That depends on my mood and the time of the day. I usually have both though, coffee in the morning, tea for tea-time.

9) What is your favourite thing about yourself? 

That I'm a complete nerd. Physically though I actually really like my fingers.

10) What book should I read next? Or author I should devour? 

Give Joseph Conrad a try if you haven't! 

11) Is there a current issue you’re very passionate about? 

Apart from erasing moronism from this world, I suppose it would have to be the early post-material developments in Singapore, like getting really tired of the paternalistic tone of the government. I don't hate them with a passion or anything, I'm actually apolitical, but I just think that with almost 50 years of independence, and Singaporeans being more conscious of their political rights, there's no more space for paternalism.

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Here are my questions for you:

1) What is your favourite ink colour?

2) If you have to wear 1 brand all your life what would it be and why?

3) According to Greek mythology, Zeus told Hermes to dispense Reason and Justice to all human beings. If you were Zeus, and you had to choose only one of those traits, which would you choose and why?

4) What is the one accessory you cannot leave home without?

5) Prose or poetry or neither?

6) Moon or stars? And why?

7) If you could meet anyone in history, dead or alive, who would it be, what would you do/talk about?

8) Any author/works who/that has greatly influenced your life?

9) If all animals are real, what would you like for a pet? (i know some of you guys are loliticians so they count too)

10) One word to describe yourself, 30 years down the road.

11) If you are a musical instrument, what will you be?