Happy Birthday!
An interview with PoeticPassions:
Why are we doing this interview thing?
Because I think we are all to some degree vain, narcissistic creatures that seek validation and some kind of purpose through artificial affirmation. Plus it is kind of fun and I do like reading about other litnetters.
Are you sure you want to do this?
Sure, I have nothing to hide.
If you had a personal theme song what would it be?
“Who Wants to Live Forever” by Queen or “Another Brick in the Wall, pt II” by Pink Floyd
Are you male or female?
Female
How did you come about this site and what makes you keep coming back?
I was searching for something… I wanted to be a part of a literary circle. So I typed in “literature forums” in google and this is what came up. I keep coming back because it is a great escape, because I love literature, and because there are some amazing people and so much knowledge exchanged on the forum.
Are you happy with the way things are here?
I think so.
Have you visited other countries than your own and what did you like about it or not like? If you could live somewhere different from where you live now, where would it be and why?
I am a world traveler, so to speak. I have been to quite a few countries, and the one that I will someday return to is South Africa.
Do you have any pets?
No, I wish I did. However, my nomadic lifestyle does not really allow for pets at this time.
What makes you happy?
Small things. A look, a kiss, the smell of freshly cut grass, a moonset, a day at the beach… Happiness only comes in moments and is not permanently sustainable.
What is mankind's biggest achievement, and its greatest downfall? Exploration, ways of research, literature, science, etc.-basically the structures in place to learn and gain knowledge-- is man’s greatest achievement. And its greatest downfall is fundamentalism (in anything… nationalism, religion, etc)
If you had a long day of hard work ahead of you what music would you be playing on your mp3, while working?
Beethoven
If you could take one book, music album and one video with you to a desert island, what would they be?
The Complete Works of Shakespeare, the best of Miles Davis (or George Michael), and Office Space
Do you feel comfortable in your walk with God?
I do not believe in God, and I am comfortable with that.
Which actor should play you in a movie based on your life?
Penelope Cruz or Angelina Jolie (they’re both terrific actresses and beautiful as well, though I am not claiming their beauty, just think that they could portray me well, and think I have some real life similarities with them)
Given the option, what animal would you choose to be?
That’s a tough one… I think it is a tie between an eagle and a dolphin.
What were your favorite things to do the past? What about now?
I think that it has always been writing.
What makes you feel great about yourself?
Accomplishment or completion of a task.
How did you meet your significant other?
Through a friend from college.
Who inspires you most? (Anyone you know or not. Family, friends, authors, artists, leaders, etc.) Which qualities inspire you, in each person?
My mother. She is strong and completely selfless. The purest love I have ever experienced/seen.
What are you naturally good at? (Skills, abilities, gifts etc.)
I would like to say writing. And reading people. I have really good intuition. Also, I can twist my legs in pretty odd shapes.
If you had to teach something, what would you teach?
Comparative Literature or International Relations related subject
What would you regret not fully doing, being or having in your life?
I regret nothing.
What is your role in an emergency situation: the 911 dialer, the person who runs to the scene to help, the video recorder, or the person too overcome by shock to do anything?
Probably the 911 dialer.
What song is in your head at the moment?
“Wild World” by Cat Stevens
Which book are you reading at the moment?
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. Next I will start Slaughterhouse 5.
The last book you finished reading?
Memoirs of My Melancholy Whores by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Favorite food?/ Comfort food?
My favorite foods are chicken, bread, dairy products, and cherries. But my comfort food is chocolate. It is also my addiction
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What time of day do you most often find yourself on the LitNet? Probably in the morning while at work.
Favorite poem?
“Clown in the Moon” by Dylan Thomas… though my favorite poets are Pablo Neruda, Blake, Khalil Gibran, and Federico Garcia Lorca.
First novel you remember reading on your own?
Ah, I cannot recall really. I have been reading books since I learned how to read (at 6 years of age). Maybe the first novel that I remember having a huge impact on me would be Tuck Everlasting.
What era do you find most of the books you read are from?
Hmm probably 19th century and maybe early 20th century.
Favorite TV shows?
The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Sex and the City, and most AlJazeera programs.
Which LitNet members would you like to meet in person if you could? All of them! But I suppose, most of all: mono, coberst, JBI, Limajean, andave ya, Pensive, Classic Charm, Manolia, Niamh, ahhh so many more… I know I am forgetting someone here.
Favorite post on the Forum?
Too many to choose from.
Favorite thread?
This is also difficult. One of my favorites is “The Ideal Life.” But I also like the author/book specific ones.
Last person you hugged/kissed?
My boyfriend
What do you do (for a living) to be able to keep your LitNet addiction going?
And are you happy with your chosen profession? Right now I am working at the Bosnian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (I just started a few days ago) and it is pretty awful. I will be going to graduate school come fall, and I can’t wait to get back into academia!
What question would you like to ask yourself?
“Why are you always dissatisfied?”
What would you like to be if you could change your profession?
A bohemian poet and human rights activist, while writing freelance for Newsweek.
Least favorite book/song/movie?
The Notebook/ “Jump in My Car” by David Hasselhoff”/there are a lot of these, but recently the worst movie I have seen is 10,000 B.C.
The most generous thing you have done?
“Generosity is not giving me that which I need more than you do, but it is giving me that which you need more than I do.” –Khalil Gibran
According to this, I don’t think I have done many generous things. I strive to reach that point where humanity comes first—before my own selfish wants and needs.
What was your very favorite moment in your life so far?
The moment between waking and slumber… It is that moment of half-consciousness… of half-clarity
What scares you?
Death of loved ones and old age
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What is your most outstanding feature?
Eyes, perhaps?
Which book do you wish you had written?
The Brothers Karamazov or East of Eden or Immortality by Milan Kundera.
What is your favorite book cover?
The Unbearable Lightness of Being cover
Most and least favorite characters from books?
Favorites- Steppenwolf, Raskolnikov Alyosha from Brothers Karamazov, Gatsby, Satan from Paradise Lost, Humbert Humbert from Lolita, Adam Trask from East of Eden : least favorite-Macbeth, Victor Frankenstein, Chichikov from Dead Souls, Gordot, Mersault, K from The Trial, most characers in King Lear other than Edgar… ok, the list goes on forever for both… but I will stop here. This is a long enough questionnaire anyway.
What would your biography be titled?
A Desire for Desires
What should you be doing at the moment instead of answering these questions?
Making sweet love
Wonderful Superman or depressing Batman?
Batman.
Which literary character (s) have you been told to resemble the most? I haven’t really been told I resemble any character.
List some of the things that annoy you immensely
Everything. I am cantankerous and dyspeptic.
Anything that you want to forget but you never can?
All memories are worth having.
Tell us about some amusing translation mistake you have heard or made yourself.
Well, one time I was talking to my mom and I said something about how a person “menstruates” (in Bosnian) and well I translated it directly from English. My mom started laughing at me and said that I had not used the correct word. I had said “masturbates” instead of “menstruates.” It’s not exactly a translation gaffe, but something akin to it.
If you had to lose one of your senses, which would you choose and why?
Oh losing any would be awful… but if I HAVE to choose, maybe taste.
What’s the first thing you’ll do in an embarrassing situation?
Most likely laugh nervously.
Are you mostly happy with life or are you still in pursuit?
Always in pursuit, always.
What gives your life meaning?
LOVE
What type of Faerie would you like to be and why?
Tinkerbell
What makes you laugh?
Silly things, witty humor, sarcasm, intelligent retorts, clever comebacks, and blowing raspberries.
What was the happiest period of your life and why?
When I was in South Africa. I felt peace for the first time in my life and actual purpose. I felt “ubuntu”—shared humanity, community, love for all people, etc.
What part of “Final” don’t you understand?
Finalities do not appeal to me.
One final word of wisdom for LitNet users?
Since I cannot accept finalities, this is not a final word of wisdom, but the initial one: LOVE IS REVOLUTION, REVOLUTION IS LOVE
What would you like to ask to the person to be interviewed after you? What is the one thing you must do before you die?