I never,
ever do these, but I make an exception today, a) because of the respectability of the source and b) because the questions are pretty interesting.
Mushtaq Ali asks:
1. What is the best thing about being American?The best thing has to be the quality of life. Even though no one used these exact words, the one thing that's been subtly communicated to me all of my life by my parents and relatives is that for everything that might be wrong with this country, the standard of living is still unmatched, at least compared to the Philippines. Why else do upper middle class families with 2.5
servants per household put up with the shock of emigration and discovering that they have to do their own laundry? That's not a stereotype -- I have names and numbers if you don't believe me.
My father will be the first to tell you about everything that's wrong with this country. If he likes you, he may tell you all the problems he's experienced financially, culturally, and interpersonally. He'll also tell you that compared to being in the Bataan Death March and living under Japanese occupation, and everything else between then and Marcos' martial law, it hasn't been that bad over here.
2. Twenty years from now, what is one thing that is still delighting you about your soon-to-be- wife?That's an easy one - we will no doubt still be relishing in obscure and arcane references from various cult sci-fi/fantasy, music, anime, etc. Twenty years from now, we will still gape at something weird and crack up, saying, "It is... Bizarrrrrooooo!"
3. You have just received round trip tickets for two to anywhere in the world, where do you go, who do you take with you?In general, it's safe to say "somewhere in Asia." If E has any say, it will be Tibet or Korea. If I have any say, it will be the Philippines. We would also be going for the same general purpose, namely to connect with our deep interests at the places where these interests have their origins. In E's case, it will be her love of Korean culture or to deepen her experience of Tibetan Buddhism. For me, well... "*Clak* *Clak* Ow, my tender American hands!"
4. The time machine is finally working, you get to spend a day with any one person in history, who will it be?Louis Armstrong. This is no joke, I want a trumpet lesson with Louis Armstrong. If it was a 24 hour session, so much the better. Heck, I wouldn't even have to play anything myself - just sit there with a tape recorder and ask him playing questions. His was the first "musical genius" that I ever connected with.
5. What section do you visit first in the bookstore?Lately, I've noticed that I've been going to the magazine racks first to look at some literary journals, maybe the sci-fi magazines, and then the martial arts magazines where I spend the most time (big surprise). I used to head first to the "Sports" books, but I've noticed over the past couple of years that all the FMA books have all but disappeared (not a big deal, since I have about 5/6 of the ones available through your general retail outlets).
***If YOU, the
instant gratification reader would like to participate, follow these simple rules...
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