Meme (because it’s the weekend)

Weekends are good for memes. Thanks jl for the tag. You’re supposed to tag five others but some of the people I want to tag, like Sue and Sheena, don’t blog! And I don’t think memes fit the overall theme of the Food Pornographer’s blog. So if you feel like doing this, do.

What were you doing 10 years ago?
Ten years ago? I was an apprentice chef, peeling crates of pumpkin, making dessert pizzas, and cooking breakfasts to order on Sunday mornings. I miss learning new recipes, the madcap chef culture and all the access to amazing food (even if you take it all for granted after a while). What I don’t miss: split shifts, injuries (I still have the scars), and working unsocial hours. I learned a lot!

What were you doing 1 year ago?
I was business librarian. This year I am science and engineering librarian. I was a cat person. This year I still love cats, but now my heart’s been stolen by a wee chihuahua. Still learning!

Five snacks you enjoy:
Um. I don’t actually eat these all that often, but I love them when I do.

1. Peanuts. Preferably roasted and salted.
2. Salted licorice. I like katjes, zwart-witjes, and salmiak rockies. Swedish fish-shaped salt licorice are good too.
3. Maatjes haring with onion on black rye. (Only ever eat these at family dos on M’s side of the family.)
4. Hot chips with mayonnaise. You don’t usually get mayo with chips in Australia – a great Dutch innovation, imho.
5. Jackfruit chips. (Only have these at my parents’ place. Just as well really, otherwise I’d probably turn into a giant jackfruit…)

Amusing how three of my five favourite snacks are Dutch… I blame thank my father-in-law for introducing them to me.

Five songs that you know all the lyrics to:

1. 月亮代表我的心 Yuè Liàng Dài BiÇŽo WÇ’ De XÄ«n ” The Moon Represents My Heart” by Teresa Teng (邓丽君 Dèng LìjÅ«n). Plus lots of other Deng Lijun songs, come to think of it…
2. Bila Mama pakai celana by P Ramlee. Also known as The Hula Hoop Song in our household.
3. It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) by REM (and many more REM songs. Yes, I am an REM tragic.)
4. Throw Your Arms Around Me by Hunters and Collectors
5. Sweet and Tender Hooligan by The Smiths (vestige of my teenage angsty years. I still love the Smiths)

Five things you would do if you were a [edit: multi-]millionaire:

I don’t think I’d quit my job, but I would take lots of time off to travel and relax. I’d go to places I can only imagine, like Zanzibar, Mongolia, Tierra Del Fuego, Easter Island and Timbuktu.

1. I’d pay off family members’ mortgages.
2. I’d indulge in a lot of personal projects. The sort that require time and financial investment (I can afford to take time off without pay, now, see?)
3. Like Juji, I’d run a studio. But not for art, more like an intellectual salon, for librarians and whoever else wants to talk and learn about and work on new technologies and ways of improving the professional practice and development of library staff.
4. I’d build floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lining all the walls of my study.
5. Play a lot more (related to item 2)

Five bad habits:

1. Procrastinating.
2. Letting the inner critic undermine my desire to do things (“It won’t work, I’ll fail”).
3. Repeating myself when I’m talking to a group and I’m nervous.
4. I’m a creature of habit, I have to push myself to vary my routine or try new things.
5. Catastrophising. I always imagine lots of worst case scenarios.

Five things you like doing:

1. Drinking cups of tea and reading a good book.
2. Exploring the bookshops of a city I’m visiting for the first time.
3. Going for a walk with Paco.
4. Wandering around a park or botanical garden, looking at the plants.
5. Chatting with M. Discussing things like where our consciousness goes when we sleep.

Five things you would never wear again:

1. White shoes (irrational pet peeve)
2. High heels (I have bad ankles and besides, I now expect comfortable footwear at all times)
3. Petticoats (do women still wear these??)
4. Make up (makes me feel claustrophobic)
5. Nail polish (I think I am allergic, it makes my fingers very hot and uncomfortable)

Five favorite toys:

1. My computer.
2. iPod.
3. Mobile phone.
4. My fountain pen collection, plus assorted inks.
5. … can’t for the life of me think of anything else for this list!