I was interviewed! Do you wanna be, too?

It is nice to find oneself, at the opposite end of an interview – for once, or twice.

So I told Noemi I wanted to be interviewed when she asked. (This is actually some sort of mutated meme – passed on to Noemi , in turn to me … thence to you! )

Here are the questions Noemi sent me:

1. A a blogger you have been described as bubbly, perky, funny, quirky. How do your real life friends describe you? Is there a difference between your online and real life persona? – Bubbly , perky, funny are what I have always wanted to be but am not but which I could fake online because of all the editing and re-editing opps blogging allows. So what starts off as ‘corny” can be worked out to be “funny.” I don’t think anyone ever goes about wanting to be quirky. So I guess I really do have more than my fair quota of quirks, most of them innocuous. I suppose if you ask my real world friends, they might say I am someone who tries and occasionally succeeds to be funny, bubbly and perky. But they would also probably say that I can be moody and quiet and mahirap ispelengin (quirky na nga) and they might excuse that for my being “a writer.”

2. A frequently-asked question when I used to work in your office was “what is the best business that I can start?” Are you often asked that question, and what is your response or advice? I handle communication and publication there and so, yes, I am constantly asked that question. So I have more or less put together an answer that often disappoints those who ask. I tell them: IT DEPENDS. Depends on who they are (their training, experience, interests) and where they are (the resources and market that exists in a given province, city, or town). When is also relevant – which refers to the state of the economy , the quickness of responding to opportunities, and all that blah. (For more on this, you might wish to check my new site, http://plugging4smallbusiness.com/. And that, my friends, is a stealthy infomercial.)

3. If you had the magical power to concoct a potion for the “joints beginning to creak” or the newly old, what would that be? Explain your concoction in detail. Hmmmm lemme see … I have all these on my dresser, in various stages of unuse, compliments of well meaning friends and relatives : a jar of Oil of Olay, a bottle of Riche Creme, packets of emu oil, and a pint of virgin coconut oil. I guess I’d mix them all together and pray hard over the resulting concoction. and ask those who will use it to pray as hard, too -- before they discover a fine print that says it probably won’t work. And I am not contradictory, just quirky.

4. You say “Pinoys are easy to spot (in online scrabble). They like to use give-away names. What Pinoy (scrabble) name would you choose or suit you? I have used “Pipinay” and “Anamanila” before, so these are out because I am also quirky in the sense I don’t wanna repeat myself. Hmmm … maybe “‘Kakabakaba” (contracted into Kkbkb) for what I used to feel when I played scrabble or ‘Bababa-ba” (Bbbb) for the direction my scrabble rating tends to take these days.

5. What is the most memorable word formed in a scrabble game which gave you the highest score ever? Hmmm ... and I thought no one would ask me this question while I still walk the earth. I formed ‘HAWKINGS” sometime last year for 213 points! It is a double triple word and a bingo (plus 50 points), with the K on a double letter, an A (APE) already in place. I almost fainted when I saw how much it was worth and I think my opponent did faint for a minute.

Noemi’s e-mailed interview questions concluded with “Enjoy!” Did I?

Well, I had a draft within the half hour of starting it, as I chuckled and my chair teetered

Now, do YOU want to be interviewed? I promise interesting, "very you” questions – almost as interesting and “very me” as the set Noemi made for me.

Interview rules:1. Leave me a comment saying “Interview me.”2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someoneelse in the same post.5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.