association meme
from wao, and later from erushi, the Association Meme: Comment to this post, indicating that you'd like to play, and I'll give you 5 subjects/things I associate you with. Then post this in your LJ and elaborate on the subjects given.
from wao:
1. washed-out, pleasant colours
I've long had a weakness for pale, somewhat undersaturated colours, at least in my own layouts. Particularly cream, pale gold, pale blue, blue-grey, and maybe pale green or teal. But in general I think I have a weakness for, well, pastels. I suppose it fits in with my liking for inoffensive things/people/places you would describe weakly as 'nice', as opposed to LOUD AND VIBRANT AND LIVELY ones. *is an old person* Anyway, such colours are calming and unlikely to annoy people who have to be faced with them on their computer screens, so no harm done, I figure.
2. that cloud icon
This cloud icon! From the ending of Samurai Champloo. It's a very optimistic icon, I think, and just looking at it brings a bit of cheer. I love blue skies. Sunny days make me disproportionately happy (except when they don't). I would cloud-watch more if I had people to do it with and places to do it. And of course there's optimism in the idea of moving forward, even (or perhaps especially) if not moving forward to anywhere in particular.
3. lower case text/a lack of capitals [erushi]
When I was younger, I went through a phase of typing in lowercase for reasons of pretension. I grew out of it as far as blog posts went, but I still tend to comment and sometimes email in lowercase. I think this habit developed in part because I'd read something about how E. E. Cummings would sign off his letters in lowercase as a means of showing deference/humility/something like that. I liked the sentiment; I still sign off all but the most formal of emails in lowercase, even if writing to my tutors or whatever.
4. an enviable inability to overstate anything even in the most charged of environments
I suspect that this is more apparent than real! Also, I have not been in very charged environments. I've made my fair share of exaggerated remarks in my time -- in fact, I used to be marginally high-strung in primary school, at least in the sense that I could get quite distressed when frustrated: close to tears, that sort of thing. Frustration is probably still the strongest negative emotion I feel; I've never been very good at proper anger. Admittedly, in charged environments I do tend to shut down rather than lash out. The anger of others tends to inspire coldness/contempt/wariness in me, rather than anger of my own in response.
5. undaunted travels to actually exciting places/wanderlust [erushi]
I wouldn't say 'undaunted' -- I am a bit of a coward, really. But yes: I adore travel. I dislike travel packages and tours, though I recognise that they can be very useful, especially in countries where independent travel might be difficult. But there's something about charting one's own course, seeing only the things one thinks are worth seeing, and seeing things other than the main tourist attractions. I am endlessly fascinated with places, and history, and different ways of life, and natural landscapes, and food, and distances, and things which are unfamiliar, and familiar things in an unfamiliar land. If I hadn't already preferred the UK to the US when choosing which universities to apply to, the UK's proximity to Europe would have been enough to seal the deal. Travel is one of my oldest loves, and still my greatest (alongside food, which is closely related anyway).
from erushi:
1. placid butler-like characters with glasses
In other words, Yamino, right? My weakness for butlers goes back to Roald Dahl's The BFG and the Queen's butler, who was basically amazing. *_* Since then, I've seen butlers as the personification of elegant competence. Also, Alfred from Batman! Yamino, while nominally a butler, doesn't really fall into this category, since he is more likely to be sweet and flustered rather than coolly in charge of things. (I mean, he has his SRS moments, which I do like, but they're not the essence of Yaminoness, to me.) The glasses are more by-the-way than anything.
2. punyaans
See, Cute Animal-like Sidekicks don't usually interest me, but... punyaans. How could you not find them cute. They go "Punyan!" in an adorable voice! They are small and cute and squishy! They serve tea! *_* I have a horrendous weakness for (certain) cute things, I'm not going to lie.
3. proletariat pretensions tendencies
See, the thing is, I don't pretend to be proletarian. I am, like many other Singaporeans, solidly middle class (and in Singapore that pretty much just means middle income, anyway). So it's not that I want to identify myself as working class, because I'm obviously not. But I do care about income inequality, socioeconomic inequality, the impact of such structural forms of inequality on the functioning of our meritocratic education system, the apparent blindness of many well-off Singaporeans to their privilege, the insistence that welfare handouts are almost always and everywhere a Bad, Bad Thing, etc. etc. I am bothered, for instance, by the over-representation of students from high-income families in Singapore's top secondary schools and junior colleges, and in university. I am bothered by the apparent prevailing view that people who don't get ahead in education are simply not intelligent enough. I am bothered by how low our highest income tax rate is. If I had to identify myself with a political school of thought, I wouldn't be a flag-waving bourgeoisie-purging socialist, but rather a liberal of the social democratic persuasion. Roughly.
4. smoked salmon and brie sandwiches
Ehehe. I adore salmon, particularly of the sashimi, cured, or smoked variety. I adore brie. Smoked salmon and brie sandwiches are much cheaper, PPP-wise, in the UK than they are in Singapore. I used to eat them not infrequently during my first year at uni. I don't eat sandwiches that often this year, admittedly.
5. obscure (scandinavian) bands
Only Kent and Sigur Rós, really. (I had a vague interest in Danish band Saybia, but it was brief and didn't go anywhere.) Anyway, I liked the music first; the fact that they were from Nordic countries was just by the way. It does still make me a bit sad that my love of Kent is not shared by many people outside the Nordic countries, but by now Sigur Rós is far, far from obscure. They had a free CD in The Independent the other week, come on. And I do know many people (especially at university) who enjoy their music, so that's all right. These are the two bands which I have seen in concert more than once, and would gladly see in concert yet again if I could. They are also the only two bands whose merchandise I own. I've got Kent's entire non-single discography, and I'm nearing that with Sigur Rós, vaguely.
from wao:
1. washed-out, pleasant colours
I've long had a weakness for pale, somewhat undersaturated colours, at least in my own layouts. Particularly cream, pale gold, pale blue, blue-grey, and maybe pale green or teal. But in general I think I have a weakness for, well, pastels. I suppose it fits in with my liking for inoffensive things/people/places you would describe weakly as 'nice', as opposed to LOUD AND VIBRANT AND LIVELY ones. *is an old person* Anyway, such colours are calming and unlikely to annoy people who have to be faced with them on their computer screens, so no harm done, I figure.
2. that cloud icon
This cloud icon! From the ending of Samurai Champloo. It's a very optimistic icon, I think, and just looking at it brings a bit of cheer. I love blue skies. Sunny days make me disproportionately happy (except when they don't). I would cloud-watch more if I had people to do it with and places to do it. And of course there's optimism in the idea of moving forward, even (or perhaps especially) if not moving forward to anywhere in particular.
3. lower case text/a lack of capitals [erushi]
When I was younger, I went through a phase of typing in lowercase for reasons of pretension. I grew out of it as far as blog posts went, but I still tend to comment and sometimes email in lowercase. I think this habit developed in part because I'd read something about how E. E. Cummings would sign off his letters in lowercase as a means of showing deference/humility/something like that. I liked the sentiment; I still sign off all but the most formal of emails in lowercase, even if writing to my tutors or whatever.
4. an enviable inability to overstate anything even in the most charged of environments
I suspect that this is more apparent than real! Also, I have not been in very charged environments. I've made my fair share of exaggerated remarks in my time -- in fact, I used to be marginally high-strung in primary school, at least in the sense that I could get quite distressed when frustrated: close to tears, that sort of thing. Frustration is probably still the strongest negative emotion I feel; I've never been very good at proper anger. Admittedly, in charged environments I do tend to shut down rather than lash out. The anger of others tends to inspire coldness/contempt/wariness in me, rather than anger of my own in response.
5. undaunted travels to actually exciting places/wanderlust [erushi]
I wouldn't say 'undaunted' -- I am a bit of a coward, really. But yes: I adore travel. I dislike travel packages and tours, though I recognise that they can be very useful, especially in countries where independent travel might be difficult. But there's something about charting one's own course, seeing only the things one thinks are worth seeing, and seeing things other than the main tourist attractions. I am endlessly fascinated with places, and history, and different ways of life, and natural landscapes, and food, and distances, and things which are unfamiliar, and familiar things in an unfamiliar land. If I hadn't already preferred the UK to the US when choosing which universities to apply to, the UK's proximity to Europe would have been enough to seal the deal. Travel is one of my oldest loves, and still my greatest (alongside food, which is closely related anyway).
from erushi:
1. placid butler-like characters with glasses
In other words, Yamino, right? My weakness for butlers goes back to Roald Dahl's The BFG and the Queen's butler, who was basically amazing. *_* Since then, I've seen butlers as the personification of elegant competence. Also, Alfred from Batman! Yamino, while nominally a butler, doesn't really fall into this category, since he is more likely to be sweet and flustered rather than coolly in charge of things. (I mean, he has his SRS moments, which I do like, but they're not the essence of Yaminoness, to me.) The glasses are more by-the-way than anything.
2. punyaans
See, Cute Animal-like Sidekicks don't usually interest me, but... punyaans. How could you not find them cute. They go "Punyan!" in an adorable voice! They are small and cute and squishy! They serve tea! *_* I have a horrendous weakness for (certain) cute things, I'm not going to lie.
3. proletariat pretensions tendencies
See, the thing is, I don't pretend to be proletarian. I am, like many other Singaporeans, solidly middle class (and in Singapore that pretty much just means middle income, anyway). So it's not that I want to identify myself as working class, because I'm obviously not. But I do care about income inequality, socioeconomic inequality, the impact of such structural forms of inequality on the functioning of our meritocratic education system, the apparent blindness of many well-off Singaporeans to their privilege, the insistence that welfare handouts are almost always and everywhere a Bad, Bad Thing, etc. etc. I am bothered, for instance, by the over-representation of students from high-income families in Singapore's top secondary schools and junior colleges, and in university. I am bothered by the apparent prevailing view that people who don't get ahead in education are simply not intelligent enough. I am bothered by how low our highest income tax rate is. If I had to identify myself with a political school of thought, I wouldn't be a flag-waving bourgeoisie-purging socialist, but rather a liberal of the social democratic persuasion. Roughly.
4. smoked salmon and brie sandwiches
Ehehe. I adore salmon, particularly of the sashimi, cured, or smoked variety. I adore brie. Smoked salmon and brie sandwiches are much cheaper, PPP-wise, in the UK than they are in Singapore. I used to eat them not infrequently during my first year at uni. I don't eat sandwiches that often this year, admittedly.
5. obscure (scandinavian) bands
Only Kent and Sigur Rós, really. (I had a vague interest in Danish band Saybia, but it was brief and didn't go anywhere.) Anyway, I liked the music first; the fact that they were from Nordic countries was just by the way. It does still make me a bit sad that my love of Kent is not shared by many people outside the Nordic countries, but by now Sigur Rós is far, far from obscure. They had a free CD in The Independent the other week, come on. And I do know many people (especially at university) who enjoy their music, so that's all right. These are the two bands which I have seen in concert more than once, and would gladly see in concert yet again if I could. They are also the only two bands whose merchandise I own. I've got Kent's entire non-single discography, and I'm nearing that with Sigur Rós, vaguely.