It's Indonesian: Kok kuku kaki kakekku kaku, kak? (It translates as "Why are my grandfather's tonails stiff?", with the question being addressed to one's older brother or sister.)
The trick is getting the vowel sounds right - especially hard for a non-native speaker.
Do you have any really significant regrets about any of the choices you have made in life?
Not "really significant," no, although now and then I wonder what would've happened if I'd have been much more gung-ho and involved in the Clinton presidential campaign in 1991-92, instead of doing a little part-time volunteer work but mostly focusing on my law school studies. A White House staff gig? Probably not, but then again....
Who is your favorite leader of your country, past or present?
That's a tough one. I'm going to embarrass myself and admit I've always had a soft spot for Jimmy Carter. He was ultimately quite ineffective, but rarely has the White House been graced by such a combination of intellectual gifts and fundamental human decency. He just had no political sense, unfortunately ...
Do you like to go barefoot?
Very much so, to the embarrasment of friends and GFs.
What was the epiphany you had?
Sometimes, people don't like you and there is nothing you can do about it.
What was the very last song you listened to?
So now they are just dirt-covered English people in fur pelts with credit cards.
'Far Behind' - Social Distortion.
When was the last time you slipped over?
Last week. I was going down some stairs and stepped on the edge of one just right so my foot slid off of it and down I went on my ass. Ow.
If you were going to be reincarnated as a body part, what body part would it be?
I'd be a boob. It seems like a pretty sweet life.
What was the last thing you procrastinated on?
So now they are just dirt-covered English people in fur pelts with credit cards.
Responding to this thread. (I waited all of fifteen minutes, just so I could say that.)
Christmas dinner: Ham, turkey, or roast?
Turkey! I'm a fan of poultry in general. I've also enjoyed a Christmas goose before.
What are you doing on New Year's Eve?
So now they are just dirt-covered English people in fur pelts with credit cards.
Having a small group of friends over for dinner and movies.
Have you ever seen aurora borealis?
No, only in pictures. I'd love to see it sometime in person.
Any mistletoe in your house right now?
No, none. Never done the mistletoe thing.
How do you feel about Velveeta?
"I won't kill for money, and I won't marry for it. Other than that, I'm open to just about anything."
-Jim Rockford
Velveeta is liked by my son and husband under certain circumstances (macaroni and cheese, or grilled cheese sandwiches). Personally I regard it with grave distrust.
You can play any role you want in the remake of any movie you choose (don't worry about age or gender, the makeup people will figure something out). Who do you choose to play?
Madison in the movie Splash. Because, hey, if I can be anybody, I want to be a sexy blonde mermaid, goddamnit.
If you were required to have all but four teeth removed from your head, which four would you keep?
Probably the incisors on the top for cosmetic purposes. Four molars aren't going to help me much.
If you could erase one song from the collective memory of the world's population, which one would it be?
Santa, Baby
What great or at least well-known (living or dead) author would you most like to meet to apply a cluebat to their head?
If the cluebat would get him to finish his Westeros series, George R.R. Martin. If it would get him to actually write his own stuff AND submit to a skilled editor, Tom Clancy. If it would kill him, Dan Brown.
If an all-powerful genie granted you three wishes, and you couldn't just wish for more wishes, what would they be?
Depends on whether I was restricted to selfish wishes or not. If not, I'd feel morally obligated to go all Miss-America-inane and wish for world peace, the end of poverty, and a cure for HIV/malaria/cancer/TB whatever (how about "a cure for all diseases that claim more than 100 lives per year"?). No wait - I think I'd substitute "a solution for global warming" for the third item.
If I had to be selfish, there are three of us in my nuclear family so I'd use one wish for each of us: that my son be guaranteed to grow up as a happy, contributing member of society; that my energy and motivation levels increase permanently to exceptionally high levels; that my husband's life be long and healthy to the end.
What do you think about Facebook?
Meh. My 14-year-old son is the only one in our household who's on Facebook. I don't see the need to do so myself yet, if ever. And the movie The Social Network made Mark Zuckerberg look like a liar, a cheat and a Grade-A Asshole, so I'm not eager to put any money in his pocket, even indirectly.
Pretend you're a U.S. citizen if you aren't already. If the draft were reinstated and you received papers to serve in the military in either Afghanistan or Iraq, would you report for boot camp and deployment?
I would. I wouldn't be particularly happy about it, but I'd do it. Dodging the draft would be a lot of trouble and would make me feel ashamed. Though I think Iraq was a huge mistake, I'd also feel an obligation to be there for the sake of my fellow countrymen, especially if they were also being drafted.
What is the nicest thing someone has ever said to you?
It takes a little background to appreciate the nicest thing someone has ever said to me (or more precisely, to others about me, while I was present):
When I was in college, one summer I interned with a project in Boston that provided intervention for juvenile offenders (alternative education, job training/job hunting skills, counseling, and wholesome social activities). Most of the boys were black, with an occasional Hispanic and even more occasional non-Hispanic white kid. I don't remember the precise qualifications for entry into the program, but they had to have committed fairly significant crimes. My job was administrative rather than direct service with the kids, but I was called upon to be one of the chaperones for a trip to George's Island.
I couldn't help being something of a stereotypical preppie white girl in those days; it was how I'd been raised, and although I'm not a huge fan of some of the values that go along with that culture, I also wasn't enough of a rebel to deliberately defy them. One of the other interns was also a college student, but she was black and from much more reduced economic circumstances. She was also called on to attend the George's Island outing, and as we were leaving she took me aside and said, "Hattie, don't try to talk to the kids, you won't really have anything to say to them. Just kind of be quiet around them, okay?" I was so mild-mannered that I just shrugged and said, "okay, I'll keep that in mind."
At George's Island, I had an absolutely fantastic time romping around the island with the boys. I don't know if that place is nearly as much fun now as it was then (probably not; the falling apart places have most likely either been repaired or marked as off limits). We spent hours climbing through broken-down doorways into mysterious dark buildings, set up old pieces of wood so we could precariously climb down to the ground out second-story windows, and held hands as we inched our way through pitch-black tunnels. The bitchy other intern did not come with us; she waited back at the central meeting point.
As the boys and I returned from our adventures, one of them declared loudly and enthusiastically (and in full hearing of the other intern), "Hatshepsut is the best! I'd go on an adventure with her any time!"
Not only did it make me happy to think that the boys had as much fun with me as I did with them, it was an absolutely flawless way to show the other intern she was full of shit.
- - - -
What is something you would really love to do before you die, but expect that you never will?
Last edited by Hatshepsut; 04 Jan 2011 at 09:33 PM.
Be elected President. I'd like trying to get my ideas made into policy, helping people, making history, living in the White House, riding on Air Force One, etc.
Do you intend to see The King's Speech? (I just did tonight, and highly, highly recommend it).
:: bump ::
Saw it and thought it was fantastic. It's a general rule that anything with Geoffrey Rush is going to be at least entertaining.
If you could only save twenty people from the end of the world (let's assume there are enough frozen sperm/eggs/embryos for genetic variability) in addition to your own family, who would you choose?
Boy, that's a toughie. Probably twenty beautiful, fertile young women, at least one of whom must be Keira Knightley (http://lh4.ggpht.com/_deHyWgFUXnM/Sk...+%28889%29.jpg). I'm sure my wife will understand. Heheheheh.
What's your favorite Dr. Seuss book?
The Lorax! What's sad is how prescient it was.
Can you solve Rubik's Cube?
No. I have no patience for, or skill with, those things at all.
Do you like playing the card game Uno?
:: bump ::
I don't mind it, but it's not something I seek out.
Since we are talking about games, have you ever played Settlers of Catan?
I don't mind it, but it's not something I seek out.
Since we are talking about games, have you ever played Settlers of Catan?
I have and I've actually really enjoyed it. It was with a friend whose family is basically some sort of bizarre, imaginary happy Christian type that I thought only existed in fairy tales. I always accused her of having too ridiculously perfect of a family for it to be real.
What was the last person, place or thing you experienced that was too good to be real?
I don't think I've ever had such an experience. If I had it, and it was really really good, it was still real.
Have you ever actually touched a hedgehog?
No, I haven't.
What is your relationship with junk food like?
Occasional, yet passionate. I generally eat pretty well, but about once a quarter I'll just shovel down a 12-ounce bag of Cool Ranch Doritos or something.
What's the nicest compliment you've received, just off the top of your head?
"You laugh at me because I'm different; I laugh at you because I'm on nitrous."
find me at Goodreads
Off the top of my head? Easy - I was at a music rehearsal tonight with some highly esteemed professionals who told me my transitions (from one type of drumming to another - very esoteric stuff) were really good.
Rate your relationship with your parents on a scale of 1 = I wish they would DIAF! to 10 = Such a pity I can't spend every day of my life sharing with them.
Hmm. I've only one surviving parent, so I guess I'll go with a seven. I love her and wish her nothing but happiness. Especially if said happiness is far away from me.
Do you have anything you saved from your childhood that you've saved and treasured, and if so what is it?
So now they are just dirt-covered English people in fur pelts with credit cards.
Yes, a Turler wristwatch my mom gave me for Christmas when I was ten or so. She bought it on a trip to Europe many years before, before I was even born, and it's still running very well.
Do your feet tend to get, or stay, cold?
Only at night in the winter.
As you get older, do you notice the cold more?
No. I've always been very sensitive to cold.
Did you get a lot of growing pains when you were growing up? (The literal "ouch my leg hurts" kind, not the metaphorical kind.)
Yes, I had pretty bad leg aches for a few years while I was sprouting. Had a lot of nosebleeds, too, but those didn't hurt.
Did you watch Growing Pains when it was on?
No, I was always peripherally aware of it when it was happening, but never sat down to actually watch an episode.
Do you have any food/condiment pairing choices that your friends or family find strange (e.g. potato chips and Hershey's syrup)?
Last edited by OneCentStamp; 20 Jan 2011 at 12:08 AM.
"You laugh at me because I'm different; I laugh at you because I'm on nitrous."
find me at Goodreads
French fries and spicy peanut sauce. (This usually lasts until they try it.)
Have you seen any movies at the theatre yet this year?
We just saw the Green Hornet. We all liked it.
When was the last time you attended a play?
Aside from my kids' school plays, it's been at least 15 years. A local production of Noises Off, I believe.
Do you fall asleep better with some background noise, or do you like it dead silent?
"You laugh at me because I'm different; I laugh at you because I'm on nitrous."
find me at Goodreads
Dead silent or else white noise. Anything that can catch my attention invariably does and then I can't sleep.
What's the most exotic (to you) thing you've ever eaten?
So now they are just dirt-covered English people in fur pelts with credit cards.
I have a fairly adventurous palate, so take your pick from among things I ate and liked - cuy, crickets, alligator, etc.; or from among things I ate and disliked - bull penis, bull testicles, cow udder. The most exotic-seeming at the time, to me, was the crickets. They came in a tin with teriyaki sauce from my Japanese (of course) roommate's parents.
Pick one superpower from the following choices, and explain your choice: flight, invisibility, or mind reading (with a line-of-sight range restriction).
"You laugh at me because I'm different; I laugh at you because I'm on nitrous."
find me at Goodreads
Invisibility, as it jives well with my reticent nature and would lend itself to sneaky occupations like cat-burglary. Flight has never interested me, and I think mind-reading would be more of a curse than a power.
3D movies - like or dislike? And why?
Very mixed feelings: I've seen a couple of 3D films that I felt were enhanced by the effect (Up is the one that really comes to mind) but in general there seems to me to be a great deal of difficulty for filmmakers to balance the gee whiz with the story and characters. I don't see many movies in the theatre so I'm not the best judge of things, but the reviews I've read/heard for a number of 3D films that didn't make it work often complain about how the effects end up becoming a substitute for the story. And then there's things like what I heard about The Last Airbender, where to get the 3D effect in post-production the whole picture got a lot darker - making it harder to pick out details.
So, to sum up - when it's done well, it can make a good film better. When done poorly it can make a mediocre (or worse) film suck (more).
Do you have a favorite bad movie? If so, what is it and why is it a favorite?
Last edited by OtakuLoki; 21 Jan 2011 at 06:40 PM. Reason: subjects. Sentences and clauses need subjects.
Zardoz. It is an abysmal film, but within it lurks a fantastic movie trying to get out. Also, it has a scantily clad Sean Connery in his prime sporting a ponytail, so there's that.
What is the most uncomfortable medical procedure you've ever had?
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