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Today's Friday Five

1. Where did you go the last time you took an airplane ride?

Boston (Dec 2017)

2. Are you a nervous flyer or a comfortable flyer?

Not a nervous flyer but am not sure I ever get comfortable on a flight. Sleeping sitting up is impossible for me. And now traveling with a kid it's impossible to get comfortable.

3. Window seat or aisle seat?

Window seat - so I can set my head down and sleep leaning. But the new AirBus 380 completely messes up this plan. ugh. 

4. What is the worst experience you've had flying?

I think growing up with Air India, I began seeing all the trouble with humor. I remember our flight out from Delhi, 1991, we were just getting ready for take-off and suddenly all the emergency lights went off. Not reassuring. We had to return to gate and we tried again. And then the power kept going on and off (that's more the airport losing power). On that flight there was a man who was already drunk. It was not pleasant. 

For many this following would be the worst but it was frightening and amusing (amusing - because we lived to tell the story) - and I actually remember bits of this!! I was 5 years old. We were living in Brasilia. And before leaving Brazil dad thought we see some of the country. We went somewhere - a smaller town in Brazil to visit some dad's friend and their family. Well, we took the smallest passenger plane - i think it seated 10. Well, there were almost 20 (several were kids if that makes you feel better). The door of the plane wouldn't close. So there was a rope that kept it closed that was tied to the seat of the pilot chair. Passengers had to take turns to pull the rope to ensure it was closed. You know how objects move while in flight. By about landing time, all passengers would be tired and the door would go flying open - actually people couldn't wait for the flight to taxi to a stop and would just get off like getting off a rolling bus. Everyone hung on to their kids. 

Anyway, since I was tiny, I was squeezed in behind the pilot's seat, facing all the passengers and was the "flight attendant". I was serving the pilot coffee. Mom attributes my great interest in becoming a flight attendant to that experience! 

5. What is the best experience you've had flying?

Everytime we landed safely at the destination. ;) I think I truly enjoyed flying as a kid. I still remember images of our flight out of Rio de Janeiro to NYC. We got an upgrade (?) but we got to go to the seats that were upstairs. The flight attendants were doting on sis and I. Brought us postcards we could write in and they would post it for us. Met the pilot. 

Over the 80s and the 90s we had collected playing cards from all the airlines we flew! Sis and I would play so many card games. We would watch movies when they played on that one common screen up front! ha! I guess this is why D also absolutely loves to fly! 
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1. Do you like traveling or are you counting the minutes until the transporter is perfected?

I like traveling with friends/family. But otherwise, no - eagerly awaiting the transporter to be perfected. 

2. If you could visit any country in the world right now, where would you go?
Tanzania! 

3. What is your favorite form of travel?
Either flight (because it takes you there faster usually...) or train as another option. Please don't tell me road strips unless it's with friends/group. :P

4. What is the longest vacation/holiday that you’ve ever been on?
I guess technically this was a holiday- When D was 1.5yo- she and I went to India for 4-5 months!! The following year, 3-4 months. Never again, I said though! Two months was just nice. 

5. Would you travel for a living? 
It sounds nice in theory. But seeing dad travel extensively for work and a bit of N - it's not as wonderful as it seems. And yet, if for my work, we had funding and I magically learnt Spanish overnight, it would be fun! We would get to go out into the country (in various parts of Central & South America) and meet rural folks and see some amazing work they do. 
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Today's Friday Five questions are brought to us by livejournal user amguynes, the letter F, and the number 5.

1. Your favorite book?
2. Your favorite movie?
3. Your least favorite adaptation of a book to a movie?
4. Your least favorite adaptation ever of anything to a movie?
5. Your first ever novel/comic book/movie character crush?

  1. ONE book? Impossible - I give three I really liked in recent times year or so: Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd, Uprooted by Oscar Handlin, and Born to Run by Christopher McDougall

  2. ummm... Sound of Music and Star Wars (the original three)

  3. There were some but I tend to forget the bad ones.

  4. Actually Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. If I hadn't read the book it was a fantastic movie because Gene Wilder, come on! But somehow it was very different from what I envisioned reading the book!

  5. Does MacGyver count? Because oh my goodness... Richard Dean Anderson as MacGyver - while my friends were drooling over James Bond, I was over MacGyver.... ahem. I love that the reruns are on!! :)

Friday Five

Apr. 1st, 2016 07:05 pm
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TheFriday Five

1. What's your best childhood memory?
Summers, any summer from when I was 5 till 12 years of age. I can never talk enough about it - a typical summer day

2. What was your favorite thing to do?
Play with lego blocks, with sister and friends, just run around and read books. Be silly and laugh!

3. How did you feel about your siblings (or lack thereof)?
I fought with my sis not more than the usual sibling rivalry. I was however very protective of her and would get upset if even parents said anything untowards her. I remember I was always amazed at how daring she was!

4. How did you like elementary school (age 6-10)?
I didn't care much for school. I was an average student academically and in India that was shameful but my parents never cared - at least they didn't show it towards me. And so was bullied every now and then. I did enjoy going to school though.

5. What did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was 13 was when dad suggested I start thinking. I don't remember anything before that. But then I wanted to be in the order of preference, 1) Actress; 2) journalist 3) save the world.
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Friday Five!

1. Do you consider yourself young, old or middle aged?
Young. Somehow though the younger woman who did my pretest before I saw the optician today asked me if my glasses were progressive lenses. Did I look older than my age? Wow...are we there already? Thought I had some more time. Plus, I went without any make up, absolutely none and from what I hear from friends, that makes me look like a kid. Must be all the dark circles around my eyes. Amusing. Two blocks away, I was carded for buying a bottle of wine! Go figure.

2. When you think of your parents at your current age, did you consider them older than dirt?
I was around ten years old when my parents were the age I am now. wow. No, they were young and vibrant and so active! Even now I think they are but barely over 50!! :X

3. What were you really into when you were a kid?
I don't think I was really into anything really. I played my sitar often enough - mom never had to remind me to practice. And loved making up my own tunes. Reading comic books - Mandrake the Magician, Chandamama books, Phantom the Menace and National geographic. Hanging out with friends, pretend play and being silly and fight with sis.

4. Who was your best friend in elementary school?
Deeps - her dad and mine were friends from grad school and they worked together and we lived on campus. We pretty much lived in each other homes. She was a year ahead of me (my birthdays were past deadline so was held back a year) and so had some other good friends on campus who were our age group, too. Some of us are still in touch although the friendship is very different. I know if I am ever in trouble I can call her up for help even though we haven't talked in over 5 years!

5. What do you bring with you everywhere you go?
wallet, phone, keys, chapstick, handkerchief/paper napkin from a restaurant (never know when I get the sniffles) and if bag fits a book, a book/kindle.
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These questions were written by [livejournal.com profile] spacefem for today's Friday Five.

1. Where does clutter pile up in your home?
It depends on the day. Clutter drives hubby and me crazy. And so, it never is a permanent fixture.

  • On laundry days, the clutter of clothes fills our living room couch - I fold done laundry in the evenings watching/catching up TV shows. I don't put them away till the next evening after coming home and after D goes to bed! (or day if I am working from home).

  • On the days I work, the kitchen sink is filled.

  • Our dining table is always filled with newspapers and random flyers! It goes through stages of clearance - move everything to one side at dinner time and N clears it before bed and morning it's a mess again.

  • When N travels, the whole apartment! :P

2. How many junk drawers do you have?
Not drawers. I feel we have a junk shelf/closet - that's in our computer room. Hence we don't have much clutter laying around. Everything that doesn't have a space goes in this closet!

3. What's an area you're proud to say is relatively organized?
Our computer desk and my workspace at office! :D

4. How do you decide when to keep something and when to toss it out?
When something no longer fits, used for over a certain period of time, if bored and someone else can have better use of it, it goes.
5. What are you keeping around that you don't use?
My Olympus camera - I haven't used it in years. N insists he will and hasn't. I'd rather donate it to someone before its life comes to an end instead of just sitting in our junk closet.
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Today's Friday Five:
1. Do you live a house, a condo, or some kind of apartment?
An apartment


2. Do you rent or own?
Rent

3. What’s one thing that you would change about it if you could?

Move the tree that's blocking the sun onto our balcony so we can grow some plants! But I guess as a tenant, I have no control over that! :X

4. Would you like to move?

No thank you! We just moved barely a year ago! Not anytime soon!

5. Do you read the answers of others before answering yourself?
I avoid reading others' answers. I did see [livejournal.com profile] spacefem posting and it reminded me of it. It's more fun not reading till after the fact!
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1. What makes it easy to talk to someone?

It's not easy for me to talk to someone unless I know them. But what makes it easier with new people? A smile and body language that they are interested to talk but mostly a smile.

2. What percent of the day do you spend talking?

The days I go to office, might be an hour or two of talking to adults. To a child, double that!

3. Who, in your opinion communicates better: men or women?

I don't know if one is better than the other? It depends on the subject matter, I guess. With my experiences, though women do better in not interrupting and talking over me, and saying the exact thing I said and sound as if it's a completely new idea in the conversation. Hmmm...so guess women get this one!

4. What topics do you avoid when talking to a stranger?

It depends. The strangers I do meet these days are parents of children from D's school. So, I don't necessary break out and discuss politics, religion or ask any personal questions. But we are more open to talk about children issues to get ideas of how to deal with it, etc. This is made far easier if #1 happens.

5. Do you like to eavesdrop on other people's conversations?

I don't intentionally do it. But on the metro when conversations do happen loud enough to be heard I listen in.
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Waiting for meeting to start and who can refuse talk about food?? :) My first Friday Five!

1. What is your favorite food?

Wait, you have to pick one? I guess anything with tomato (sauce/gravy) based is yummy!

2. What was your favorite food when you were a kid?

Idli with Sambar and idli/dosa with peanut chutney!

3. What is the best tasting, quick to cook meal that you make for yourself?

tri-color bell peppers, cheese, pasta!

4. What is your favorite food to order in a restaurant?

It depends on the restaurant, no?

5. If you could go anywhere in the world to any restaurant, what would you order for yourself?

Again, picking one is hard. In Mumbai, the streetside vendor's Mumbai chats; Bangalore - gobi manchurian; Malaysia (KL) - roti canai; and if it's still around, the food court in Takashimaya in Singapore's carrot cake - no, not dessert, it's these flatnoodle dish!! Oh my..absolutely delicious and miss it much!!

thefridayfive

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