“What was the pinnacle of wealth to you as a child?”

What did you think you were good at, until you saw someone else do it?

Writing. The more I read, the more I realize how unskilled I am at writing.

What’s a fun fact you tell in social situations?

I don’t think I’m the type who shares fun facts. Am I?

What’s something you’re positive that only you do?

I can’t think of any. I’m pretty basic, haha.

What is something nice going on in your life right now?

I’d say the general aspects of my life are quite nice. Job? Check. Own apartment? Check. Good relationship with parents? Check.

My life isn’t too bad on paper, really.

What was the pinnacle of wealth to you as a child?

I grew up in a small barrio so, to me, anyone who left for “Manila” or who lived in “Manila” was rich.

I put “Manila” in quotes because it took me until college to realize that Manila is just one city, and that other cities like Antipolo and Dasmariñas are not in Manila.

What’s something that you hate but can’t live without?

Working, maybe? I would love to be filthy rich so I don’t ever have to go to work, but I need a job to live so, yeah. We’re all cogs in a machine, baby.

What skill do you not talk about because you feel it sounds like bragging?

Bold of you to assume I have skills worth bragging about, haha. Seriously though, I can’t think of anything.

What is an absolute 100% fact?

The Earth is not flat, people!

What’s the most useless thing you’ve memorized?

“Love is a heterogenous conglomeration of absurdity calculated to bamboozle the anatomy of an individual who has become intoxicated with abominable and irresistible power.”

I was nine or ten when I read that quote from a religious self-help book about love.

What is your personal curse?

Wtf is a personal curse?

Who’s the worst person you’ve encountered on the Internet?

They know who they are, haha.

Do you ever stop and think, “what the hell am I doing with my life?”

All the time, man. All the freakin’ time.

What are some of the small things in life you enjoy?

Drinking good coffee in the morning, and also laughing audibly whenever I read or watch something funny.

What happened recently that made you really happy?

Hmm, let’s see. I can’t think of anything e — oh wait, shit, there’s something!

I recently discovered this all-female band from the Philippines called The Esthers and, dude, I am stanning hard! The members are in their early college years, they play bedroom shoegaze-y pop, and they’re not from Manila! They’re from Lucena, Quezon! They’re probinsyana like me! Cool shit!

Please listen to them on Spotify. Just give them a try, man! I highly recommend the entire something strange happened here… demo, and you can start with the tracks “thank god for these brains” or “at least i tried.” The songs sound raw and under-produced, and the quality is closer to Pop U! than to any newer self-produced tracks, but it’s all good! They’re indie, as in independent, in the truest sense of the word.

Also, I think I look like one of the members. She looks like a prettier, younger, less haggard version of me. Wolo long, haha.

Anyway…

If death wasn’t a consequence, what would you try?

Uhh, is death even the worst consequence of all? What about pain?

What’s the dumbest thing you’ve heard someone say?

I don’t know, man. Dumb things go in one ear, out the other.

What is the worst smell you can remember?

Spoiled milk, probably.

What’s something you want that doesn’t exist yet?

The prism device in Ted Chiang’s “Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom.”

Where is your happy place?

At home with my headphones on.

What song gets better the louder it gets?

All of them, as long as I decide what’s playing. Charot.

What’s the most deceptive advertising you’ve seen?

I can’t think of any at the moment.

What’s a joke you always tell people you meet for the first time?

I don’t tell jokes when I meet people for the first time. If I do, it’s not a go-to joke that I readily pull out my book of jokes. I don’t have a book of jokes.

What’s the biggest inconvenience that does NOT ruin your day?

So I only have one mug, right? Sometimes, when I’m too busy, I leave my mug on my work table and forget about it when I do my nightly dishwashing. When I wake up the following morning, the coffee is ready but I don’t see my one and only mug anywhere. I need to go get it from my table, wash it, wipe it dry, and then drink my coffee. Hassle amp!

I guess the biggest quote inconvenience unquote here is the fact that I only have one mug. This is a minor #firstworldproblem though, and it does not ruin my day by any means.

What’s your best wrong number story?

I got nothing, bruh.

What’s something everybody should know how to do?

Read. Being illiterate makes disenfranchised people even more prone to abuse and oppression.

What is a great movie no one knows about?

More people need to watch Sa Ngalan ng Tubo by Tudla Productions.

What type of person could the world use less of?

“If it does not directly affect me then I do not give a rat’s ass about it” type of people.

What makes you think, ‘Oh dear, I’m old…’?

The “it” players in football right now are all younger than me. And K-Pop idols, too! I can’t believe Itzy’s maknae was born in ’03.

What is one food that you hated as a kid, but love now?

I hated kare-kare as a kid. I don’t necessarily “love” it now, but I am more willing to eat it.

What makes you tingle?

Gurrrrl.

What was your travel nightmare?

I don’t travel a lot e, and when I do, I generally don’t fuss about anything that much. Chill lang.

(I’m sure I have friends who will disagree though, haha.)

What’s the best Wi-Fi name you’ve seen?

Vote Kabataan Partylist #x sa Balota

What weird thing turns you on?

Sikret!

What’s easy to learn but hard to master?

Writing.

What’s something you’ve changed your opinion on?

Kare-kare.

Describe your favorite movie as obscurely as possible:

Some dude with lots of tattoos unknowingly murders his diabetic wife.

What’s the most satisfying thing you’ve ever felt?

When a good song that I haven’t heard in a while comes up on Spotify — bliss!

If you had a refilling bowl, what would you want it to contain?

Pera, malamang!

Where do you mostly live? In the past, the present, or the future?

I’d say the present, especially since I spend most of my time doing something anyway — I work, I read, I write stupid blog posts like this. When I’m idle and alone with my thoughts, that’s when I tend to wade in the past and daydream about the future.

What is more important to you, the way you look or the ideas you present?

The latter, but only because I’m not pretty. If I were pretty, I would definitely pay more attention to my looks.

What don’t people get about what it’s like to be you?

Ang #arti naman ng tanong haha.

If your bedroom had three portals to anywhere, where would they lead?

My parents’ house, a random street in Teacher’s Village, the beach.

How is parallel universe you doing?

How would I know?

Which historical event should be the next huge television series?

What for? So TV execs can profit off of history by de-politicizing it? #wuw #hardcore

I haven’t watched The Crown yet, by the way.

What country should fictional villains be from?

The G8 and China.

What is your imaginary Eden?

What does Eden imply again? Like a paradise or something? Hmm, I have to think about this.

Which Disney princess would make the best villain?

Belle. She’s the smart one, isn’t she?

You can ask any author one question about their story. What do you ask?

In Ted Chiang’s “Division by Zero,” the main character Renee is a mathematician who proves a fundamental inconsistency in arithmetic. I would like to ask Ted Chiang if he actually has a proof similar to Renee’s finding, and I would want to see that proof to try to find where it went wrong. #feeling

Would you want a rewind or a pause button for your life? Why that one?

A pause button so I have more time to do shit.

Are you worth your weight in gold?

Yo momma is so fat she’s worth her weight in — wait what?

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Questions from Tumblr. Featured photo by 傅甬 华 from Unsplash.