A few weeks ago, Barb at Creative Barbwire and Suma at Suma Subramaniam tagged me with a meme.
I always enjoy these cyber games when it comes to other bloggers – catching small glimpses of who they are and finding out what makes them tick is always fun. However, when the meme knocked on my blog’s door, I froze. Brr… What do I write? What do I share about myself?
I’m supposed to give five answers for each of the questions below. Five?? It’s hard enough to come up with one interesting answer for each. Eek!
So, here’s my effort at answering the questions for this meme.
Question 1. Where were you five years ago?
- In the same corner of the United States (ok, it’s not really a corner, unless you can picture a huge and sprawling corner, but you know what I mean) where I live now.
- Not writing, so not in blogosphere.
- Trying to wrap my mind around the need to work out regularly. Groan!
- Happy about not having to commute to work every morning.
- In a dark state of mind due to unforeseen health issues in the family.
Question 2. Where would you like to be five years from now?
- Still writing with the same amount (or more) of love and gusto I have for the craft today.
- Contented to be who and where I am at that point.
- Happy, because my loved ones (friends and family) are happy with where they find themselves in life.
- Optimistic and positive, because the flip sides of those two states of mind are not pretty.
- Blogging with greater ease and élan as some of you more experienced bloggers make it seem!
Question 3. What is on your to-do list today?
- Work on revising a chapter in my novel to read to my critique buddies on Monday.
- Begin reading a manuscript for a writing buddy. Can’t wait!
- Take care of health insurance related phone calls that I have been putting off for too long. Eesh!
- Begin reading the book from my parent-child book club. Argh! Even though we meet only once a month, it always seems to be right around the corner and I find myself forever scrambling to catch up!
- Plant seeds in my vegetable garden and transplant some annuals in my front yard.
Question 4. What snacks do you enjoy?
- Soft ariselu. No, I won’t even try describing what they are in detail, except that they’re a delicious sweet snack item made only in some parts of India. My mom makes them just right!
- Red and yellow ripe, juicy mangoes.
- Bananas – not too ripe and yet not too raw.
- Custard apples. (From the three answers above, you can tell that I love tropical fruits, right? And, no, I don’t get them where I live, and those that are available are definitely not the right kind. So, I feel pretty deprived when it comes to snacks.)
- Scones, especially with tea. This taste developed probably from my having read one too many Enid Blyton books when I was growing up.
Question 5. What would you do if you were a billionaire?
You’ll probably shun me for coming up with the most boring answer for such a colorful question, but here it is.
See, I never win door prizes, or early bird drawings, or any free giveaways. On the few occasions that I have played bingo, every number on Earth except the ONE I needed for a row (let alone a full house) got drawn. Seriously! And I never even bother buying a lottery ticket. Why waste money knowingly?
You get the picture. So, a billionaire? Don’t make me laugh.
If that does happen, then it means that it happened over time, not overnight. That also means that I’ve had ample time to mull over the consequences of it all.
In that case, I’m sure I’d come up with some wonderful and worthwhile uses for all that money. And I’ll be sure to blog about it then. Or, I’ll at least have my personal secretary blog about it. ;-)
Phew! There it is; I feel so much lighter already!
Now, I’m supposed to tag five other bloggers. However, most of you with whom I’m acquainted in cyberspace (and otherwise) and who have blogs have already been tagged.
So, I’ll break the chain here. Hope I won’t get hexed for doing so, like most of the chain mails claim!
Readers, for my having gone through so much agony for this post, it’s only fair that you do your share. Consider yourself tagged and spill your guts for me!
You got me craving tea and scones Hema! :-)
I love these question/answer games! :)
Hmm let’s see; five years ago I was in law school, five years from now I would like to be still writing, hopefully published and with my loved ones, going to bed and getting a good night sleep is on my to do list for today, I love chips, apples and all kind of biscuits, if I was a billionaire? I would build myself a great, giant library and never ever leave (good thing I’m not a billionaire, right?) :)
I love scones! It’s funny how hard answering questions about ourselvse can be at times, isn’t it? It’s always a bit of a stretch.
Tricky questions. Great answers. I’ve wondered what this whole “tagging thing” is about. Sounds fun!
Ella: Hope you got your craving taken care of! :)
Lua: Have a good nap? And I love biscuits of a lot of different kinds, too. As for being a billionaire and shutting up in a huge library surrounded by books, ooh, that sounds so tempting! Don’t stop blogging, though ;-).
Brownpaperbaggirl: First of all, I love your blog name — so many possibilities! And you’re so right — it is a bit of a stretch to be true to yourself and still sound interesting, isn’t it? Thanks for stopping by!
Milkfever: Thank you! Consider yourself tagged and do let us know what makes you tick!! :)
Hema,
Have you read Good night Mr.Tom? It reminds me of Enid Blyton’s work. I love reading meme’s. It’s wonderful to get a glimpse into the author’s life. :)
Hema, you are so inspirational to me, I can’t tell you too often!
Question 1. Where were you five years ago?
1. I’d just met Hema and was instantly fascinated and entralled with her spirit and kindness.
2. Hmmm overweight and trying hard to lose, but mostly holding even.
3. Reading like a fiend! Started with Bobsy Twins and Nancy Drew series and has been an addiction ever since.
4. Loving LOVING my job, embracing it as a way I think, live, breath.
5. Tending my garden, trying not to kill everything in it from neglect or overcare……
Question 2. Where would you like to be five years from now?
1. Is Mr. Right for me out there?
2. Already have lost 25 pounds this year, how about another 25?
3. Still reading and recommending great books to my friends and family
4. Fully developed garden beds….one down this year
Question 3. What is on your to-do list today?
I’m a teacher, you don’t EVEN want to know what I need to accomplish in the next two days!
Okay, survive, make lists, find lists, cross things off, be kind to everyone I see and interact with, and loop that back around :)
Question 4. What snacks do you enjoy?
walnuts, dried blueberries, almonds
peaches, nectarines, apples
canteloupe, great sweet watermelon
sweet, cold crunchy grapes
guilty treat: triple ginger cookies
I like your billionaire response … to an unrealistic question it’s a realistic answer. And it shows your humility, which is a good quality! Unlike most of the world, you are no self-centered or expecting immediate gratification. If you were to ever become a billionaire, you will have done it over time through your hard work. This pull yoruself up by your bootsrtaps girl is with you!
You sure do eat some healthy snacks! Thanks for sharing your answers, I do love getting a glimpse into the lives of my writing friends. :)
Sharon: I haven’t read that book — thanks for recommending it. I’ll be sure to check it out. Can’t have enough of Enid Blyton’s style! :)
Melinda: Thank you for playing along, and I treasure your friendship, too! With books and gardening in common, no wonder we clicked as we did! Hope you survived the last week of school unscathed! :-)
Rosemary: Thank you for your kind words! Like you mentioned, I like it much better if I did earn some money through my own sheer effort. Nothing beats that, right?
Susah: Haha! You missed my disclaimer — I’d like to eat all those fruits, but don’t, because the right kind are not available in the U.S. So, it’s definitely not my fault if I can’t keep to healthy snacking habits ;-).