by syaffolee

In this round of Blogger Insider, I got paired up with Kacy from She’s Not. You can also see her answers to my questions here.

1. You write that you took a health advocate class, but were annoyed by people who got hurt by their own stupidity. Do you often find yourself annoyed by people who seem less intelligent than you?

I’d like to say that I’m tolerant, but yeah, I get impatient with people who ignore common sense. I don’t really think that anyone is less intelligent than me–after all, how hard is it to grasp the consequences of downing too much beer (or smoking pot, or jumping off a three-story building)? They probably have personal problems or illusions of grandeur that I cannot even begin to comprehend.

2. What is the strangest book you’ve ever read?

Strange doesn’t surprise me. I grew up on fairy tales and all sorts of speculative fiction so I’ve actually come to expect something odd and out of the ordinary. So what’s strange for me is the ordinary. I think it was around sixth grade when I picked up a young adult novel called “Kite” (possibly by somebody named Murray). It was hardback and the cover jacket had a painted night sky. The summary told me very little. It turned out to be one of those angsty teenaged coming of age novels, which at the time surprised me because I had thought who the heck would want to write about ordinary things?

Well, after observing the borrowing habits of patrons during a stint at the local library, I’ve concluded that lots of people like reading ordinary things. Just not me though. Nowadays, that stuff bores me to tears.

3. Where do you see yourself in 20 years?

Definitely working in some scientific field. Maybe in academia, but more likely in industry. And probably writing on the side. Other people suggested that I should become a technical writer, a popular science writer, or even an editor for a scientific journal. Actually, at this point in my “career” I don’t want to look too far ahead. I just want to survive grad school first.

4. If you only had six months to live (you would be relatively mobile and pain-free), what things would you want to accomplish before you died?

I’m going to be selfish. I would travel. And write like a maniac.

The first thing I’d do would be to type up all the scribbling dreck I’ve accumulated throughout the years and send it off to all the publishing houses. In the mean time, I’d hop on the train (I’d buy tickets to all of them–from Canada to Asia to Europe). At each stop, I’d sightsee like a stupid tourist and talk to random strangers. And while I’m traveling, I’d write and send the stuff off every time I got to a post office.

And the unselfish thing? I’d tell everyone I love them, even if some of them don’t deserve it.

5. What do you regret?

I’m too young at this point to have any regrets.

6. In your opinion, what is the worst feeling in the world?

The stuffy yet tickling sensation that starts in my chest and travels up my throat to my sinuses to end up behind my eyes and nose. And then I realize that my eyes are wet. I feel sad and depressed. Essentially one of those mini-emotional-breakdowns. I don’t dwell on these too long though because I soon remember that I’m a lot luckier than most people.

7. Cats or Dogs?

Cats. I don’t have one, but I’d like to own one someday. If cats came in lavender, had wings, and were telepathic I’d be even happier.

8. If you found a magic lamp with a genie inside, what three wishes would you make?

There once was an old lady in a pink jumpsuit who claimed to be a genie and I told her my three wishes. They would still be basically the same–with some modifications:

1) Since it’s impossible for the wedding people to vanish from campus, at least make them request something different for their receptions, like a random Mozart quartet. Just please don’t play anything from the 1950s and onwards.

2) Since crazy drivers can’t simply vanish, make them all drive bright pink neon cars so we know who to avoid.

3) Since a blizzard would be impossible in Southern California, make up some random federal holidays so we could get out of school.

9. If you could change one thing about yourself (physical, mental, or emotional), what would that be and why?

I’d give myself a sense of style so I don’t look like a train wreck every morning.

10. What is the most interesting or fun city you’ve been to? What made it so great?

It would have to be a tie between Hong Kong and a little village at the base of the Alps in France (unfortunately I don’t remember its name). Hong Kong is great because they’ve managed to cram everything in as little space as possible. I usually don’t like shopping, but if every store were like the ones there, I would be a quick convert. Everything is simply alive and some of the more fascinating venues appear in the evening.

The village in France was a peculiar mix of modern tourist and quaint provincialism. The most memorable thing about it was its spooky church. The door was open and I just walked in. It was dark and empty, except for a few burning candles, and it opened into a small court that was actually a graveyard.