nanila | Entries tagged with meme: the friday five

How far back can you trace your family tree?
That depends on which side of the family (maternal or paternal) we’re talking about. I have distant relatives who have done a lot of work tracing back the ancestry of various people from my grandparents’ generation to the late 1700s / early 1800s. However, there are also substantial gaps, particularly on the paternal side. I couldn’t tell you the names of my great-grandparents on that side.
What is the most interesting (or strange) thing you've heard about one of your relatives?
I knew that one of my great-grandparents had been a chemist at Eastman Kodak, but until recently I hadn’t gone and looked up the various patents he filed in the mid-20th century.
How do you feel about legacy names like John Henry Smith IV or naming children after other relatives?
I think whatever other people choose to do about naming their children is their business, although if you name your child something like “SanDeE*” I may have to fight the urge to judge you for overcomplicating the administrative burden they’ll endure for the rest of their lives.
Would you consider yourself and/or your family to be traditional?
Not really. I think the absence of religion in our lives probably affects this. We do like traditions that involve food, though, like Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday) and Easter.
What is one tradition you have passed on to your children and/or plan to pass on to them?
I have passed on the following to them:
- It is OK to put shoyu (soy sauce) on anything.
- Rather than have the argument over pumpkin pie v pecan pie for Thanksgiving dinner, it is best to make both. Also, it is OK to celebrate Thanksgiving at the weekend, since it is not a thing in the UK.
- There is no such thing as “quickly” popping into the bookshop. Or the library.

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Did the house where you grew up have a newspaper delivered regularly?

I grew up in a lot of different houses. The only one where a newspaper was delivered regularly was my grandparents’ house, who read the local version of the Times on Sundays. I used to read the entire thing, starting of course with the comics.
Have you ever subscribed to an actual print newspaper?

Yes, and still do. We also have print magazine subscriptions, because it keeps us from being distracted from things on our phones.
When was the most recent time you physically picked up and read a newspaper?

Yesterday. It was the most recent edition of “The New European”.
Do you pay for news online now?

Yes, I do. I have a paid subscription to “The Guardian”. The academic institution I work for also provides a paid subscriptions to “The Financial Times”, and I read both regularly.
Do you have any saved newspaper clippings?

Yup! Mostly stuff about various space missions I worked on.

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Do you like your birth-name? Why?

Yes. It is reflective of my birthplace and my parents. It's unnecessarily long. It is unique.
If you could change your name to anything else, what would it be?

When I was younger I sometimes wished I had a more Anglo name. I always liked Selene and Natasha. But I have no interest in renaming myself now.
What names would you consider giving your children?

Been there, done that! I think Keiki and Humuhumu's actual names suit them well. Sometimes I wish we'd given Keiki an additional Hawai'ian middle name, Keikani, but overall I think we got it right. Who knows what they'll think themselves when they're adults!
If you had a band, what would you name it, and why?

Sliced Bread (as in, best thing since).
Is there a name that you completely hate? Why?

I'm not very fond of Chad. It's a name I associate with bone headed twerps from my teenage years. Sorry to all the nice Chads out there.

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Of the various cultures, ethnicities or nationalities you belong to, which most strongly do you consider yourself?

My childhood, teenage years and young adulthood were approximately equally divided between Hawai’i, the Pacific Northwest, and California. All of these were very formative to my character and beliefs in different ways.
Is there a culture you cannot claim heritage from but which you feel quite close to?

I have lived in the UK for over 20 years now and taken British citizenship. My partner and children are British. Although I wasn’t born here I do live as a Brit on a day-to-day basis. Probably the most significant milestone, in my opinion, is that when I’m travelling and I get homesick, it’s for the UK, not anywhere else. I’d struggle to pinpoint exactly when that happened, but I have no doubt about it now.
What's one language you wish you knew fluently?

Tagalog, so I could talk to my dad in it.
If you could move anywhere in the world and be guaranteed a job, etc., where would you go?

I’m pretty happy here, but if I could spend some time in the English-speaking* southern hemisphere with the family , I would live there for a few years.
If you had a time machine, and could witness any one event without altering or disturbing it, what would you want to see?

I would love to witness the formation of the first life form on Earth.

* I’m too old and too occupied with raising children and an extremely demanding job to properly learn a new language.

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Sauntering Vaguely Downward

Into the land of lowered expectations

The Friday Five on a Sunday

The Friday Five on a Sunday

The Friday Five on a Saturday

The Friday Five on a Sunday

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