Archive for November, 2008

 

SURVEY 2008

Friday, November 7th, 2008

A survey goes around the email circuit annually and it’s intended purely as a bit of fun to pass on to your friends with your own custom-made answers to give a little insight into what’s going on with you in this age of technology when the only way to communicate is through email, Facebook, MySpace, feedalizr and Twitter (etc., etc.). I sent it to everyone and got zero response from any of my friends who I don’t seem to even see any more due to the demands of life and the cost of fuel. Seems like the cost of living has forced the stakes even higher and compounded the problems of social networking technologies.

It could be identity theft, as a family member exclaimed, and it could be resource theft, designed to waste employees’ time and efforts. It may be my longest post ever but I say it’s important to find a bit of space in a busy day to have a bit of fun. It is too easy to try and prove that we are too busy to do these things – wow, what would people think if I sent this to them and they realised I had an hour in my day for total frivolity? Eish, don’t take life so seriously …

  1. What time did you get up this morning?
  2. 7:30! It’s a miracle (not that I believe in those …) that my child woke up so late so, for that, I am thankful.

  3. Diamonds or pearls?
  4. Pearls make me feel old so I guess diamonds will have to do.

  5. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
  6. Wall-E – may have something to do with my environmental posts …

  7. What is your favourite TV show?
  8. Weeds currently but will always go back to Sex and the City and it irks me that they sold out to Hollywood.

  9. What do you usually have for breakfast?
  10. What’s that?

  11. What is your middle name?
  12. Should have been Jan

  13. What food do you dislike?
  14. Well, I was once served a bowl of soup in China – it was filled with an animal’s intestines. I disliked that! But, more generally speaking, brussels sprouts, aubergines, meat.

  15. What is your favourite CD at moment?
  16. Can I have two? David Jordan and Asha

  17. What kind of car do you drive?
  18. Beetle (LHD from Holland) … ten years old – it’s the love of my life and I would only replace it for a Beetle, circa 1970 … or the next fabulous hybrid if I manage to get the thing referred to in 52 below.

  19. Favourite sandwich?
  20. Crayfish and Rocket from Pret is still my favourite and cannot be replaced as such – EVER!

  21. What characteristic do you despise?
  22. Smugness

  23. Favourite item of clothing?
  24. Leopard print faux fur micro mini – with lace up knee-high boots. But when I’m feeling more generic … Earl Jeans and Hello Kitty t-shirt.

  25. If you could go anywhere?
  26. Anywhere!

  27. Favourite brand of clothing?
  28. Local is lekker – Joe Soap et al … but I crave a bit of High Street in the form of H&M, Whistles, Calvin Klein and Karen Millen. Anything else is out of my league and not even worth mentioning.

  29. Where would you retire to?
  30. It depends how old I am when I retire. In an ideal world, somewhere in the Med. but I have a feeling retirement will come with a yacht or a motorhome.

  31. What was your most recent memorable birthday?
  32. Definitely my 30th at the Astoria in St Petersburg, overlooking the dome of St Isaacs Cathedral. An operatic ballet (yes, I was also confused) followed by Beluga and Vodka.

  33. Favourite sport to watch?
  34. International rugby … but only if we win; limited-overs cricket; anything at Olympics time, especially winter Olympics.

  35. Farthermost place you are sending this?
  36. I never was very good at geography …

  37. Person you expect to send it back first?
  38. No one – this is spam to almost everyone I know.

  39. When is your birthday?
  40. I’m a Gemini.

  41. Are you a morning person or a night person?
  42. Mornings are a blur and so are the nights for that matter. I will be a night person again but I will never become a morning person.

  43. What is your shoe size?
  44. As long as the shoe fits … does it really matter?

  45. Pets?
  46. Well, most people think I have a ridgeback … but he’s actually my first-born.

  47. Any new and exciting news you’d like to share?
  48. My ridgeback (aka first-born) is going to be a daddy! My child has asked for a baby now that my husband has had the snip. I’m going on a poetry retreat next weekend. I’m running my first half-marathon in 4 years on 12 October.

  49. What did you want to be when you were little?
  50. I’m still little. And I still don’t know.

  51. How are you today?
  52. Fabulous after a shot of cortisone last night. So good in fact that we went for a picnic on the beach and had front row seats to a display of about a dozen whales no more than 50 meters from shore. Followed by a coffee at Olympia and a nap and now washing down gorgonzola on toast with a glass of my favourite chardonnay … well, the only way to make it better would be to be packing for Cambodia.

  53. What is your favourite candy?
  54. White Rabbit toffees.

  55. What is your favourite flower?
  56. Watsonias – in the garden, not a vase.

  57. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to?
  58. 13 October (see 24 above!)

  59. What is your full name?

  60. Lady Penelope

  61. What are you listening to right now?
  62. The fluttering of the gas fire – but only with one ear as the other is full of puss.

  63. What was the last thing you ate?
  64. See 26 above.

  65. Do you wish on stars?
  66. I used to when I lived in London and the stars were rarely seen but in Hout Bay the sky looks like someone has spilt the silver glitter so I wouldn’t know where to begin.

  67. If you were a crayon, what colour would you be?
  68. Red, unless it’s an orange-red crayon – then I would have to choose electric blue.

  69. How is the weather right now?
  70. Tired of caring about the weather – it should be spring and … well, it’s not.

  71. The first person you spoke to on the phone today?
  72. I’m not even sure where the phone is today.

  73. What is you favourite soft drink?
  74. Soft? Does beer count?

  75. Favourite restaurant?
  76. Well, there is a hole-in-the-wall noodle bar in Xi’an, China, opposite the Xi’an Royal Hotel … but that was a lifetime ago. Minatos for sushi – it’s owned by the Japanese guy who did the ‘Where Dougras Gleen?’ advertising campaign. More upmarket: The Showroom for real celebrity chef showmanship. Then, of course, the Davidoff at the St Petersburg Astoria – it’s hard to get that one out of one’s head.

  77. Real hair colour?
  78. Hmm, blonde, bordering on a mousey winter brown.

  79. What was your favourite toy as a child?
  80. Mud.

  81. Summer or winter?
  82. Summer in Cape Town; winter in New York.

  83. Hugs or kisses?
  84. Depends from whom.

  85. Chocolate or Vanilla?
  86. Chocolate usually but then I can’t get out of my head a bowl of ice-cream made with real vanilla which I poured Illy espresso over.

  87. Coffee or tea?
  88. Tea … unless Illy is on offer.

  89. Do you want your friends to email you back?
  90. Duh!

  91. When was the last time you cried?
  92. Depends whether in desperation, sorrow, pain or frustration … I think the last time was when my child told me that I had broken the whole of his heart – it was tears without crying so does that count?

  93. What is under your bed?
  94. A built in storage box containing: snorkels, flippers and goggles from Australian campervan trip (will I ever use them again?), towels, bedlinen, clothes I will never wear again (I hope!), dust, lint.

  95. What are you afraid of?
  96. War and public speaking.

  97. Salty or sweet?
  98. Sweet seems like the obvious answer, but nothing beats a chunk of fresh white bread with a slice of butter and a layer of crystal salt. Oh yes, can’t forget the popcorn cooked in salt and then smothered in it too.

  99. How many keys on your key ring?
  100. One.

  101. How many years at your current job?
  102. Job?

  103. Favourite day of the week?
  104. Wednesday – just the morning – as it is the only time of the week that I can be at home totally alone to write.

  105. How many towns have you lived in?
  106. Depends how you define ‘lived in’ – but, I suppose, only 3 (Durban, Cape Town and London).

  107. Do you make friends easily?
  108. I must do as Mike regularly refers to ‘the strays’.

  109. How many people will you send this to?
  110. Definitely one but perhaps more if I can figure out how to get this past their spam filters.

  111. How many will respond?
  112. I doubt anyone will even read it.