Questionnaire: Getting to Know Each Other

[GenJen54]

Dear Foreros and Foreras, ​

In celebration of the Forum's 1,000,000th post,
we (your mod team) thought it time we get to know each and everyone of you a little better. We've put together a list of questions you are welcome to answer as part of this thread - and of course, we answered them too (even Mike), so you can get to know us. This thread will only be open for a limited period of time,
so please answer as soon as you can.​

With nods to Marcel Proust, Bernard Pivot
and noted philosopher Raphus Cucullatus, we present
the WR "Twenty-Five Questions."
​

1. What is your country of birth?
2. What is your current country of residence?
3. What is your height in ft/in, centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like.
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any.
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…)
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)?
7. What is your favorite word?
8. What is your least favorite word?
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
10. What turns you off?
11. What are your favorite books?
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers?
13. Who are your favorite painters?
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction?
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life?
16. Who are your favorite characters in history?
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live?
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness?
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
21. What do you value most in your friends?
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess?
23. How would you like to die?
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
25. What is your motto?

Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR?
27. What have you learned since joining WR?
28. What is your favorite thing about WR?
29. Chocolate or Nutella?

 

[belén]

Ok...Here I go, hope you'll still like me afterwards

1. What is your country of birth?
Spain
2. What is your current country of residence?
Spain
3. What is your height in in ft/in or centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like.
I am 1,60m
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any.
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…)
I am a hippija, this is a posh + hippie, I guess the translation in English could be poshippie.
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)?
I won't go by category, sorry... I like butter croissants, broccoli, sundried tomatos, smoked tofu, mmm.
7. What is your favorite word?
In Spanish "alcachofa" & "alféizar" and in English "few"
8. What is your least favorite word?
Hunger and war
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
Reading history books, watching films that move me and feeling the wind on my face, listening to jazz and smelling flowers, travelling with my backpack and seeing things I haven't seen before.
10. What turns you off?
Bush.
11. What are your favorite books?
La Tregua, Benedetti, El amor en los tiempos del cólera and anything by Paul Auster
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers?
Benedetti, Auster, García Márquez, Tagore, Kundera, Cortazar.
13. Who are your favorite painters?
Velázquez, Klimt, Linchestein, Klee, Goya, Kandinsky, Michelangelo, Leonardo, Caravaggio, Dalí... could go on forever...
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction?
MAFALDA!!
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life?
Those who do things to spread tenderness around the world.
16. Who are your favorite characters in history?
Those who changed history for good
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Architecture, soccer coach for the World Cup and politician
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live?
México, Argentina and Austria.
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness?
Enjoy little moments and when you are having a bad time, just remember that it is little moments away as well.
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
That there are people torturing other people.
21. What do you value most in your friends?
That they exist and that I was lucky enough to have them cross my path.
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess?
Speak 100 languages.
23. How would you like to die?
As long as it isn't drawning or in a fire, I don't care..
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
I would prefer John Lennon to meet me.
25. What is your motto?
Duckpoweeeeeeer!!! Live and let live. Tolerance is the key.

Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR?
I thought it looked like a cool place when I bumped into it.
27. What have you learned since joining WR?
I've learned many many many new words and the most important, I've met amazing people.
28. What is your favorite thing about WR?
You guys.
29. Chocolate or Nutella?
Chocolate with Nutella on top!!

 

[Jana337]

1. What is your country of birth? Czechoslovakia
2. What is your current country of residence? USA
3. What is your height in in ft/in or centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like. 168 cm
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any. N/A
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…) My internal beauty is non-negligible.
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? Italian, potato pancakes (with a lot of garlic) - click!, see also #29.
7. What is your favorite word? Silence, mistral, charm.
8. What is your least favorite word? Public interest.
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Good books, inspiring people, my favorite songs.
10. What turns you off? Hypocrisy, fatalism, crowd behavior, conceit.
11. What are your favorite books? Jiří Gruša: Dotazník/The Questionnaire (he would HATE this thread ), Milan Kundera: Kniha smíchu a zapomnění/The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, William Saroyan: Tracy's Tiger, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: Little Prince, Salman Rushdie: The Moor's Last Sigh, John Kennedy Toole: A Confederacy of Dunces.
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? Poets: Joseph Brodsky, Jan Skácel. Writers: See above; Ephraim Kishon, James Clavell, Alexandre Dumas, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Robert Musil
13. Who are your favorite painters? Marc Chagall, Alfons Mucha, Gustav Klimt
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? Sabina in The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Milan Kundera)
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? Cuchuflete
16. Who are your favorite characters in history? Raoul Wallenberg and this gentleman (where does history start, though?).
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Cryptographer
18. In what country other than your own would you like to live? Germany (Berlin if possible)
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? To be born where #20 does not apply.
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? To be at the mercy of despots who keep you poor and ignorant.
21. What do you value most in your friends? Intelligence
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? I wish I could sing.
23. How would you like to die?
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Well done, Jana.
25. What is your motto? Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish and he can feed himself for a lifetime.

Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? After some lurking, I thought I could obtain answers to questions that had been bugging me.
27. What have you learned since joining WR? What's the character limit for one post, again?
28. What is your favorite thing about WR? Incredibly knowledgeable, helpful and congenial people.
29. Chocolate or Nutella? Chocolate - either milk or very, very dark.

 

[cuchuflete]

What is your country of birth? Gli stati uniti
What is your current country of residence? eeuu
What is your height? 5'11"
Facial hair adornments, if any. bigotes + a few days' worth of beard
What are your favorite foods (by category)? Thai, Spanish, Brazilian, any fresh fish and mariscos
What is your favorite word? cariño
What is your least favorite word? no
What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Brahms, Dexter Gordon playing ballads, Bill Evans playing anything, daylilies (the more the better!) garlic (the more the better!)
What turns you off? falsehood
What are your favorite books? Rayuela, Cien Años de Soledad and a few hundred others
Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? Cortázar, Cummings, Saramago, Gorostiza
Who are your favorite painters? Bosch, Kandinsky, Orozco, Siqueiros
Favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? Sancho Panza
Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? Richard P. Feynman, Mahatma Ghandi
Favorite characters in history? Abraham Lincoln Brigade
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Music teacher
In what country other than your own would you like to live? Spain, Portugal, Ecuador, Paraguay
What is your idea of earthly happiness? Working with my sons.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? war
What do you value most in your friends? Honesty
What natural gift would you most like to possess? Healing
How would you like to die? In good company.
If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? “Not bad. Better luck next time.”
What is your motto? There is nothing so futile as regret.
What is your other motto? Better to ask forgiveness than permission.
Why did you join WR? By accident, trying to learn a new word.
What have you learned since joining WR? How little I know.
What is your favorite thing about WR? Us foreros, together.
Chocolate or Nutella? Dark chocolate and fresh raspberries.

 

[Chaska Ñawi]

1. What is your country of birth? Canada

2. What is your current country of residence? Canada

3. What is your height in in ft/in or centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like. 166 cm.

4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any. I'm all for them.

5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? To use my favourite Quebecois expression, Je suis une granola.

6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? home-made bread, hot out of the oven and spread with butter

7. What is your favorite word? halcyon

8. What is your least favorite word? corporate

9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? sitting quietly in the woods or by the ocean

10. What turns you off? numbers

11. What are your favorite books? Winnie the Pooh, The Kon-Tiki Expedition, King Solomon's Ring, Como Agua Para Chocolate, the Lord of the Rings, The Herb of Grace

12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? Pablo Neruda, Elizabeth Goudge, Somerville & Ross, Gerald Durrell, Shakespeare, Jane Austin, Alan Villiers, Georgette Heyer, Amos Tutuola, Seamus Heaney, Jennifer Cruisie, and Salman Rushdie, not to mention the people who wrote the books listed above who didn't get named yet ....nor all the others for whom there really isn't room to list...

13. Who are your favorite painters artists? Albrecht Dhurer, Solon, Francis Kagige, Winslow Homer, Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Gaugin and Bolivian weavers

14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? Winnie the Pooh

15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? Stephen Lewis

16. Who are your favorite characters in history? Mahatma Ghandi

17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
medicine

18 In what country other than your own would you like to live?
Argentina, Chile, French Polynesia, New Zealand

19. What is your idea of earthly happiness?
sailing

20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
war

21. What do you value most in your friends?
It's different with every one.

22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? to have as good a sense of smell as a dog

23. How would you like to die?
quickly

24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
Well lived!

25. What is your motto? Carpe momentum.

Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? A burning question, of course!
27. What have you learned since joining WR? How fast I can drop an hour out of my life without blinking.
28. What is your favorite thing about WR? The avatars, por supuesto!
29. Chocolate or Nutella? a chocolate mole from Oaxaca, Mexico

Exit stage left with a flourish of penny whistles, goose honks, and charangos.

 

[Benjy]

1. What is your country of birth? england
2. What is your current country of residence? england
3. What is your height in in ft/in or centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like. 1.8m or 6"
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any. between clean shaven and a weeks worth of growth. depending on how close it is to sunday.
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…)
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? indian/chinese/japanese. i also love italian and tradition english stuff too. surotut le rosbif
7. What is your favorite word? n/a
8. What is your least favorite word? n/a
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? other peoples genuine desire to achieve something of worth
10. What turns you off? the lack thereof
11. What are your favorite books? anything by god
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? i'm reading volataire at the moment. he's hilarious.
13. Who are your favorite painters? i like maths?
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? don't have any
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? various members of my family and the mod team. cheesy but true.
16. Who are your favorite characters in history?
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
bicycle mechanic (preferably on one of the big tours)
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live? france
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? family
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? absolute cynicism and indifference.
21. What do you value most in your friends? honesty, the real kind, when they tell you that you're a prat but with love
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? humility and meekness in the face of constructive criticism
23. How would you like to die? in my sleep
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? you didnt screw up.
25. What is your motto? no pain, no pain

Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? i needed a definition for defouloir
27. What have you learned since joining WR? lots. a lot more than just french too
28. What is your favorite thing about WR? the concept
29. Chocolate or Nutella? as if that's even a question. dark chocolate is where it's at.

 

[ILT]

1. What is your country of birth? México
2. What is your current country of residence? México
3. What is your height in ft/in or centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like. 7 1/3 cuartas without shoes
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any. Beards and mustaches rule!
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…) I like long nails when they taken care of.
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? Mexican, Italian, Chinese, tandoori chicken, pan de jamón and bolo do limão.
7. What is your favorite word? Perdonar.
8. What is your least favorite word? 24/7.
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? A good book.
10. What turns you off? Hyprocisy.
11. What are your favorite books? The little prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery, Na margem do rio Piedra e sentei ei chorei by Paulo Coelho, La casa de los espíritus by Isabel Allende, Como agua para chocolate by Laura Esquivel, Cien años de Soledad by Gabriel García Márquez, Il principe by Nicolás Maquiavelo, could go on and on and on and on and on and on, you get the idea
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Gabriel García Márquez, Isabel Allende, Paulo Coelho, and many more.
13. Who are your favorite painters? Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, Vincent Van Gogh, Alfred Sisley (do you notice a trend here? ).
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction?
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? My grandmother, who was raised during the turn of the Century and has been capable of adapting to the XXI Cerntury.
16. Who are your favorite characters in history? Mahatma Gandhi
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Writer
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live? Suisse, Italia, Deutschland.
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? Seeing that those close to me are happy.
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? War and interventionism.
21. What do you value most in your friends? Different things in each of them.
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? Healing.
23. How would you like to die? In my sleep.
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Well done, but you have to go back
25. What is your motto? Si no fue en tu año, no fue en tu daño. Live and let live.

Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? Because I though it would be interesting.
27. What have you learned since joining WR? The extent of my ignorance.
28. What is your favorite thing about WR? The cordial, respectful and sometimes fun tone of foreros.
29. Chocolate or Nutella? Chocolate cake with chocolate chips and pecans, chocolate mouse filling topped by ganache with chocolate shavings.

 

[GenJen54]

1. What is your country of birth? The United States
2. What is your current country of residence? The Disparate States
3. What is your height in ft/in, centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like. 5' 5''
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any. A little hirsuitism never hurt anybody.
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…) All of the above.
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? Chocolate, Fresh Mexican, Thai, Japanese
7. What is your favorite word? serendipity
8. What is your least favorite word? n*gger
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? compassion
10. What turns you off? willful intolerance
11. What are your favorite books? To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee), Old Man and The Sea (Hemingway), Pride and Prejudice (Austen)....too many to mention.
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? Emile Zola, Ernest Hemingway, Jane Austen, Maya Angelou
13. Who are your favorite painters? Marc Chagall and Henri Matisse
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? Eponine (Les Miserables), Addicus Finch (To Kill A Mockingbird), Elizabeth Bennett (Pride and Prejudice - sorry Elaine, I forgot Lizzie!)
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? mothers, people dedicated to lives of selflessness
16. Who are your favorite characters in history? Theodore Roosevelt, Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? teacher
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live? La France
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? a world free of poverty and fear
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? complete social abandonment
21. What do you value most in your friends? honesty - even when it's not pleasant
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? to sing well
23. How would you like to die? with the knowledge I've done all I can
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Nice Job. See you next time around!
25. What is your motto?

Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? I just sort of fell into it.
27. What have you learned since joining WR? That I know absolutely nothing.
28. What is your favorite thing about WR? The friendships and the general spirit of cameraderie.
29. Chocolate or Nutella? Chocolate and raspberries with a vanilla creme sauce.

 

[ElaineG]

. What is your country of birth? The People's Republic of Cambridge, Mass.
2. What is your current country of residence? The People's Republic of Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY, USA
3. What is your height in ft/in, centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like. 5'2/3/4, who knows?
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any.
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…) I have my Prada days and my sweatpant days. I am fighting the entropy that would make me into my hippie mother.
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? Sicilian, Other Italian, Mexican, Thai, French, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, Moroccan (should I stop now? - I've never met a cuisine that didn't have its beauties)
7. What is your favorite word? Serendipity
8. What is your least favorite word? Irregardless
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Beautiful deserted natural places, summer sunlight, the kind of conversation you never want to end.
10. What turns you off? Hypocrisy, refusals to engage
11. What are your favorite books? A la recherche de temps perdu, The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, Villette by Charlotte Bronte, Pride and Prejudice, Daniel Deronda by George Eliot, The Gates of Ivory trilogy by Margaret Drabble, Il Re di Girgenti by Camilleri and a hundred million others.
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? Pablo Neruda, Adrienne Rich, Proust, Austen, George Eliot, Andrea Camilleri, and a hundred million others.
13. Who are your favorite painters? Matisse, Miro, Chagall
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? Maggie from A Mill on the Floss, Jane Eyre, Harriet the Spy, Elizabeth Bennett, Jo March from Little Women -- all the girls I grew up to.
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? Anyone who puts truth and justice ahead of their own comfort.
16. Who are your favorite characters in history? Elizabeth I, Joan of Arc, Sojourner Truth -- all the strong women I grew up to.
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Chef.
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live? Italia.
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? A Sicilian sunset on a terrace overlooking the sea, a jug of wine and thou
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Abandonment
21. What do you value most in your friends? Loyalty, humor, honesty
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? To be able to carry a tune.
23. How would you like to die? In an instant.
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Vado a buttare la pasta/I'll put the pasta on!
25. What is your motto? Live for the moment, and try everything once except whale meat.

Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? Because I was searching for Italian recipes and ended up here instead.
27. What have you learned since joining WR? That there are so many wonderful people in the world devoted to language. I thought we were a dying breed.
28. What is your favorite thing The people
29. Chocolate or Nutella I'll have the cheese plate, thank you!

Smoochie pie!

 

[Vanda]

1. What is your country of birth? Brasil
2. What is your current country of residence? Brasil
3. What is your height . 1,63m
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any.
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…) Casual mostly, exotic sometimes.
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? Brazilian, Italian, French
7. What is your favorite word? smile
8. What is your least favorite word? Hate
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? a lovely scenery, puppies
10. What turns you off? Lies
11. What are your favorite books? Dom Casmurro; Grande Sertão Veredas; Wuthering Heights, Don Quijote de la Mancha
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? Cecília Meirelles, Machado de Assis, Fernando Pessoa, Guimarães Rosa, Pablo Neruda, Victor Hugo.
13. Who are your favorite painters? Monet, Renoir, Leonardo da Vinci
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? Don Quijote
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? My parents
16. Who are your favorite characters in history? ------
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? a writer
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live? Czech Republic, Germany, Switzerland
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? travel all over the world
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Corruption
21. What do you value most in your friends? their existence
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? speak a hundred languages
23. How would you like to die? I wouldn't!
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Go back Vanda.
25. What is your motto? " I almost know nothing. But I do suspect a lot of things." (G.Rosa)

Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? Accidently.
27. What have you learned since joining WR? Impossible to figure it out.
28. What is your favorite thing about WR? fun + learning something everyday
29. Chocolate or Nutella? Chocolate filled with chocolate!

 

[DDT]

1. What is your country of birth? Italy
2. What is your current country of residence? France
3. What is your height in: pin ft/in or centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like. 185
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any. Goatee
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…)
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? French, Italian, Japanese, Indian, Vietnamese
7. What is your favorite word? Peace (trivial I know, but I'm sincere)
8. What is your least favorite word? must
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Engrossing myself in nature
10. What turns you off? Violence and hypocrisy
11. What are your favorite books? The Idiot (Fjodor Mihajlovič Dostojevski), The tempest (William Shakespeare), Dubliners (James Joyce), Goedel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid (Douglas C. Hofstadter), To the lighthouse (Virginia Woolf), Le petit prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? Poets: Baudelaire, Leopardi, Ungaretti; Writers: Shakespeare, Dostojevski, Joyce, Woolf
13. Who are your favorite painters? Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raffaello, Caravaggio, Velasquez, Monet, Van Gogh, Rothko, Kandinsky, Klein
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? Those who are consistent with their ideals
16. Who are your favorite characters in history? Mahatma Gandhi
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Archaeologist
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live? Everywhere is my country
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? No more war
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Hypocrisy, indigence, starvation, war
21. What do you value most in your friends? Loyalty, frankness (no matter if it hurts), consistency
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? Humility
23. How would you like to die? With no regrets
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Welcome
25. What is your motto? To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all

Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? I was trying to get my altimeter pickled
27. What have you learned since joining WR? That I won't ever learn enough
28. What is your favorite thing about WR? WR (forer@s + forums)
29. Chocolate or Nutella? Please don't ask me to choose

 

[Aupick]

1. What is your country of birth? England Great Britain UK The country just to the north of France, whatever it's called.
2. What is your current country of residence? The country just to the south of the above.
3. What is your height in in ft/in or centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like. 91.86 fingerbreadths (according to this site)
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any. See picture above left.
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…)
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? Curries.
7. What is your favorite word?
bollocks (English)
ténébreux (French)
Eichhörnchen (German)
8. What is your least favorite word?
Bruit (French), because I can't pronounce it.
Actually (English), because I use it far too much.
Dasein (German), because I don't know the meaning of it. Ha ha.
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Words.
10. What turns you off? That little red button on the back of my neck which says 'Stop'.
11. What are your favorite books?
Les Fleurs du mal (Baudelaire), Simplicissimus (Grimmelshausen), Life Before Man (Margaret Atwood), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française (Alain Rey).
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? Baudelaire.
13. Who are your favorite painters? Julie, Léon Lhermitte, François Bonvin, any pre-Raphaelite.
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? Simplicius Simplicissimus, Troilus, Baldrick.
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? My mum, of course!
16. Who are your favorite characters in history? Émile Zola in 1898, Jean Moulin, Rosa Parks.
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Train driver.
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live? An island in the middle of the Atlantic, exactly half way between my wife’s family and my own, combining the best of the US and Europe, as per our constant discussions on this.
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? The following three, even if they’re incompatible:
Friends in a pub.
A meal out with my wife in just about any of Montpellier’s fabulous restaurants.
Hearing my daughter say “Daddy!”.
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Waiting for the number 41 bus on a rainy November evening.
21. What do you value most in your friends? Humour.
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? The ability to survive on 4 hours of sleep a night.
23. How would you like to die? At the same time as my wife, many years from now.
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Would you like a pint? It's my round.
25. What is your motto? "Tu m'as donné ta boue, et j'en ai fait de l'or."(You gave me your mud, and I turned it into gold.)

Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? Luckily the word I was looking up wasn’t in the dictionary, and that revealed this wonderful place that was made for me, a place where nitpicking about language was not just an annoying habit to be repressed but the whole point!
27. What have you learned since joining WR? Humility: everything is relative.
28. What is your favorite thing about WR? I can't hear the cries of "God! Aupick is so boring!" over the internet.
29. Chocolate or Nutella? Chocolate. The pure thing. No nuts or raisins or those biscuity bits or anything. Just pure dark chocolate.

 

[Agnès E.]

1. What is your country of birth? France
2. What is your current country of residence? France
3. What is your height in ft/in, centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like. One time my eldest daughter's size + 1/4 of my youngest daughter's size = 160 cm
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any. And what if I had a moustache and were still a woman, mmh?
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…) Waow! What a non-politikully kurrekt question... Depends on the period chosen. 1894: avant-garde, 2314: old-fashioned
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? Any kind of tasty food prepared with good ingredients. I love being surprised by food.
7. What is your favorite word? I'm not a "what's your favorite" kind of person. I'm really unable to reply.
8. What is your least favorite word? Idem
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Talent. In any field.
10. What turns you off? La connerie humaine, la mesquinerie, lack of humour.
11. What are your favorite books? Gargl! Any good book I read becomes my favorite.
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? Gaargl! Paul Eluard, maybe... Shakespeare, P.G. Wodehouse
13. Who are your favorite painters? Gaaargl! Vermeer, Raphaël, pre-Renaissance painters (Cranach, Martin Schongauer), Kandinsky
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? None. I'm not a fan of anyone.
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? Idem
16. Who are your favorite characters in history? Idem
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Specialist in animal behaviour - Animal biologist
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live? Honestly, I can't reply. I haven't travelled enough to have made an opinion.
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? Having fun with my children
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Being alone when you need company - Not being alone when you would like to be
21. What do you value most in your friends? That they like me enough to consider me as their friend
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? Being a musician
23. How would you like to die? Am I really forced to?
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Hello, Agnès! Bach, Monteverdi, Mozart, Fauré and their friends are ready to play for you and with you. For jazz, this way, please.
25. What is your motto? I haven't any, I'm afraid.

Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? By chance, just to see what a forum was.
27. What have you learned since joining WR? Too many things, it would be boring for you to read.
28. What is your favorite thing about WR? You know what: you!
29. Chocolate or Nutella? Foie gras. (Belénita, will you still love me?)

 

[panjandrum]

With nods to Marcel Proust, Bernard Pivot and noted philosopher Raphus Cucullatus, we present the WR "Twenty-Five Questions."

1. What is your country of birth? Ireland (North)
2. What is your current country of residence? Ireland (North)
3. What is your height in ft/in, centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like. 5'11"
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any. Very short goatee.
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…)
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? Italian, Indian, Fish, knoblauchsuppe
7. What is your favorite word? Fungible
8. What is your least favorite word? Cognisant (today)
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or and emotionally? Singing, writing with a real pen and paper, and wood.
10. What turns you off? Self-importance
11. What are your favorite books? Anything Pratchett - if it has to be one, Small Gods
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? T Pratchett, AA Milne
13. Who are your favorite painters? DW Cleland
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? Death, and The Luggage
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? Hmm - I don't really go for favourite hero(in)es?
16. Who are your favorite characters in history? See #16
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Orchestral Conductor
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live? Italy
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? A small place between the mountains and the sea with room for all my family to drop in whenever they wish - and they often wish.
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Anything to do with children in emotional distress.
21. What do you value most in your friends? Integrity and the fact that they are my friends.
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? Isola Comacina
23. How would you like to die? Eventually
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Hi Panj, Good to see you here at last.
25. What is your motto? It is better to be an optimist and be hurt from time to time than to live life looking at the dark side.

Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? I needed to ask what Pesciolata Alpina meant.
27. What have you learned since joining WR? What Pesciolata Alpina means.
And so, so many other things ... and to be very, very careful about describing anything in English as wrong.
28. What is your favorite thing about WR? There are friends here round the clock, who will laugh, learn and cry with you - even the people who don't use enough capital letters.
29. Chocolate or Nutella? Cheese.

Panjandrum ....

 

[diegodbs]

1. What is your country of birth? Spain
2. What is your current country of residence? Spain
3. What is your height in ft/in, centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like. 1,80 m.
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any. Nothing
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…)
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? Spanish (daily) Thai/Italian (occasionally) fish, vegetables
7. What is your favorite word? Anhelo
8. What is your least favorite word? Patriotism
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Music
10. What turns you off? Economy
11. What are your favorite books? Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Microcosm (Claudio Magris), Ficciones (Borges) Novelas Ejemplares (Cervantes)
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? Cervantes, Borges, Góngora, Kafka, Keats
13. Who are your favorite painters? Velázquez, Fra Angelico
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? None
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? My parents
16. Who are your favorite characters in history? None
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Painter
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live? La Toscana (Italy)
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? Dreams
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Illness
21. What do you value most in your friends?
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? Being able to understand everything = a complete lack of understandig. But not being somewhere in between
23. How would you like to die? the sooner the better but without physical pain.
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? I'd like him to say: sorry, I did it all wrong.
25. What is your motto? Do unto others as you would have them do unto you

Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? Looking for the word "lol" in the dictionary
27. What have you learned since joining WR? How different we are.
28. What is your favorite thing about WR? Being able to help
29. Chocolate or Nutella? Dark chocolate, no sugar and no milk.

 

[timpeac]

Dear Foreros and Foreras,

In celebration of the Forum's 1,000,000th post, we thought it time we get to know each and everyone of you a little better. We've put together a list of questions you are welcome to answer as part of this thread - and of course, we opened them too, so you can get to know us. This thread will only be open for a limited period of time, so please answer as soon as you can.

With nods to Marcel Proust, Bernard Pivot and noted philosopher Raphus Cucullatus, we present the WR "Twenty-Five Questions."

1. What is your country of birth?England.
2. What is your current country of residence?England.
3. What is your height in ft/in, centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like.5'11
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any.Eyebrows.
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…)
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)?Cuisine - Chinese. Item - aubergine.
7. What is your favorite word?
8. What is your least favorite word?
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?Inspirational life stories.
10. What turns you off?Boring anecdotes.
11. What are your favorite books?Very much depends on mood. Just to curl up and log out of reality for a bit probably science fiction.
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers?Iain Banks.
13. Who are your favorite painters?Kandinsky.
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction?Claudius in I Claudius.
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life?I can think of specific examples of people, but I don't know their names. However, all can be
described as Elaine did above and I can't put it better "anyone who puts truth and justice ahead of their own comfort". This is because I find it very hard to forget about my own comfort so am in so much awe of people who consistently do.
16. Who are your favorite characters in history?Florence Nightingale.
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?Psychoanalysis.
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live?France.
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness?Freedom.
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?Working as hard as you possibly can just to avoid ruin.
21. What do you value most in your friends?Honesty.
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess?Perspicacity on human nature.
23. How would you like to die?With at least one regret.
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?What time do you call this, son?
25. What is your motto?Why? (That's the motto, not a question back!)

Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR?Honestly can't remember.
27. What have you learned since joining WR?Underneath it all human nature is very similar the world over.
28. What is your favorite thing about WR?Chance to learn and help others but having fun at the same time.
29. Chocolate or Nutella? Neither.

WIP...............

 

[zebedee]

1. What is your country of birth? England
2. What is your current country of residence? Spain
3. What is your height in ft/in, centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like. Tall enough to reach the keyboard and short enough not to bang my head on doorways. Short answer: dunno
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any. I am partial to a beard
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…) All of the above except 'tailored' which I don't like the sound of
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)?
Spanish
inventive
'cocina de mercado'
7. What is your favorite word? elbow
8. What is your least favorite word? moist
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
music
my husband's eyes
10. What turns you off? disappointment
11. What are your favorite books? the ones that make me feel
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? Margaret Atwood, Jacques Prévert among many others
13. Who are your favorite painters? Klimt, Matisse, Van Gogh, Magritte, some Flemish ones I don't remember the names of
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? Hong Kong Phooey
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? people who give more than they receive.
16. Who are your favorite characters in history? Eddie the Eagle
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? The Michelin Guide (or similar) restaurant & hotel rater
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live? New Zealand
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? swinging on a swing, a glass of wine in the company of a good friend, watching the sun sink below the sea on the island of Santorini
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? abjection
21. What do you value most in your friends? that they know me so well and are still my friends
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? I'm happy with the ones I have
23. How would you like to die? peacefully and in no pain
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Congratulations, my dear. You've done so well in this life that in the next one you're going to be a dolphin
25. What is your motto? Do as you would be done by

Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? I liked what I saw
27. What have you learned since joining WR? It's renewed my faith in humankind
28. What is your favorite thing about WR? It's like having an extended family available 24 hrs at the touch of a button
29. Chocolate or Nutella? No contest there. Pure chocolate is soul-satisfying heaven on earth, Nutella is...well, just Nutella.

 

[lauranazario]

1. What is your country of birth? Puerto Rico

2. What is your current country of residence? Puerto-not-so-rich-anymore

3. What is your height in ft/in, centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like. 5'4'' barefoot

4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any. A woman's comment: whatever you guys like --but you better keep it in tip-top shape!

5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…) Casual chic, comfort above all

6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? Italian pasta and Oriental noodles, Criollo (PR) cuisine, Chinese

7. What is your favorite word? As concepts: "Equality", "Fairness".... also, "Mellifluous" (I like how it feels on my tongue )

8. What is your least favorite word? I'd have to think about it... all words have their raison d'être, after all!

9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Creatively: pain, rage. Spiritually: vastness. Emotionally: openness, ease of communication

10. What turns you off? back-stabbing... deceitfulness in general

11. What are your favorite books? The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follet), Cuentos de amor, de locura y de muerte (Horacio Quiroga), Huis Clos (Jean Paul Sartre)

12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? Poets: Pablo Neruda, Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer. Writers: way too many! Stephen King is one...

13. Who are your favorite painters? Definitely NOT Miró...

14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? (King) Arthur, Captain Janeway

15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? Mother Theresa of Calcutta

16. Who are your favorite characters in history? The Underground Railroad

17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Astrophysicist

18 In what country other than your own would you like to live? España, to get in touch with my ancestral roots... but Down Under sounds interesting

19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? Being home on a cool rainy day

20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? mass exodus, fleeing from genocide

21. What do you value most in your friends? Trust, cooperation, insight

22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? Being able to understand every language uttered by man(kind)

23. How would you like to die? In my sleep

24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Welcome back, the gang's all here

25. What is your motto? Harm None

Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? While I chose to pass on other places, I felt strangely compelled to be part of this particular language community... in other words, ESP guided me here.

27. What have you learned since joining WR? How much I enjoy it here, how much there is to learn, how incredibly careful one must be

28. What is your favorite thing about WR? Finding out that "global village" is not a buzzword or an empty concept, for I have found that WR is just such a village!

29. Chocolate or Nutella? Dark chocolate... filled with orange or lemon creme

 

[victoria luz]

1. What is your country of birth? Italia
2. What is your current country of residence? Italia
3. What is your height in ft/in, centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like. 1,68 cm.
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any.
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…) I don’t follow fashion, I create it.
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? I’m definitely a Carb person. Italian: All pasta, all pizza, parmigiana, aubergines and potatoes in general. Spanish: tortilla de patatas. Arab: arab bread, mezzah (in particular tabboulah, falafel, hummus). Chinese: splinglolls, plawns toasts, lice. Oh..and I’m a veggie (but for prawns and mussels I’ll make an exception..)
7. What is your favorite word? 7ayati
8. What is your least favorite word? momentino, aiutino, all unnecessarily –ino words
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Admiring the perfection of the created world, in particular kids and cats. The desert (golden sandy kind), good books, conversation with interesting people.
10. What turns you off? Shallowness
11. What are your favorite books? Hmmmm... where shall I start? Candide (Voltaire), Il nome della rosa (Eco), Blindness (Saramago), The lord of the flies (Golding), The animal farm (Orwell), Amor y pedagogia, Niebla (Unamuno), Julius Caesar (Shakespeare)... where shall I end?
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? See above, and add: Jerome K. Jerome, Kahlil Gibran, E. Dickinson, Neruda, Schopenhauer, Allende, Marquez, K. Blixen, G. Bernard Shaw, Pennac, Calvino, Severgnini...and many many more.
13. Who are your favorite painters? LeonardoDaVinci, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and the Preraphaelites in general, Klimt, and again a lot more.
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? Ally McBeal
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? My grandfather.
16. Who are your favorite characters in history? (St.) Francesco d’Assisi, Geronimo, Socrates
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Chef, Farmer, Badu
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live? In an ideal world: Mexico, UAE, Morocco, Arizona (fine weather and landscapes). If I also have to take into account local laws and habits: Spain, Scotland, France. Too bad they got no deserts.
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? Lack of pain, being able to taste everyday's little joys
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Lack of reasons for living
21. What do you value most in your friends? Intelligence, diversity, consistency
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? Be able to sing. Humility and tolerance. A contagious smile.
23. How would you like to die? Fearlessly, Painlessly.
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Guess what? All those ugly pictures about fire of hell were nothing but fancy lies.
25. What is your motto? Primum non nocere

Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? Thought I could help. Found out I could get way more help than I might ever give.
27. What have you learned since joining WR? Learned? My book says Learnt! Let me see if is there a thread..What does Google say?
28. What is your favorite thing about WR? That, as they often describe the difference between text and hypertext, in books you find (if you are lucky) what you were looking for, answers to your questions. Here you find questions you didn’t know you had.
29. Chocolate or Nutella? FerreroRocher (Chcolate pralines, with an outer coating of finely chopped hazelnuts and a nutella filling and a whole hazelnut in the core)

 

[anangelaway]

1. What is your country of birth? France
2. What is your current country of residence? Costa Rica
3. What is your height in ft/in or centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like. 1.63m
4. Men Only: N/A
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun , Funky , Lovely…) Lovely, fun I hope. Quite picky with colours. And love to wear my diving suit.
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? Oysters !!! French/Italian cheeses. I LOVE food. Not A favorite yet, there are toomany dishes and ingredients I like.
7. What is your favorite word? Respect & Amour
8. What is your least favorite word? Genocide
9. What turns you on creatively,spiritually, emotionally? Randomly: diving with dolphins, dancing for hours, modern/contemporary art, playing with children, hiking in nature parks, discovering new cultures, watching a good movie. (refaire le monde à l’apéro! )
10. What turns you off? Racism/Fascism/FN (all from the same clutch)
11. What are your favorite books? Travel books. Biographies.
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? I don't have A favorite, but lately I enjoy Dorothy Parker.
13. Who are your favorite artists? Sébastião Salgado, Bill Viola, Louise Bourgeois, Jake and Dinos Chapman, M.Herbert, quite few of my friends, and many many more…
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of ‘fiction’? Maybe La Kahena. Reine des Berbères. (I don’t have any really in particular)
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? My father. United Nations Peacekeeping Forces-Iwantobelieve.
16. Who are your favorite characters in history? Maybe Cousteau.
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Perhaps being a doctor for Médecins Sans Frontières, or a veterinarian, marine biologist. If not, a movie producer.
18. In what country other than your own would you like to live? Others than London, New York, Milan, and currently San José: Chili, Japan, Iceland, Tanzania, Brazil, Argentina, Cuba, China/Tibet, India, Jordan, Mongolia, New Guinea, Mozambique… (all divided within my next lives)
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? Make a child laugh. Laugh with my four young sisters.
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Corruption, FMI
21. What do you value most in your friends? Sincerity, kindness (their inner beauty in general).
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? Healing.
23. How would you like to die? Underwater, at sea.
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Ready for your next life?
25. What is your motto? Live life to the fullest, while spreading happiness around you if you can.


Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? Dictionary and ended up in the FR-EN forum for terms enquiries.
27. What have you learned since joining WR? How does a linguistic forum run. How does a forum community interacts, and obviously still learning so much.
28. What is your favorite thing about WR? Its ‘life’. Read the Cultural Forum threads.
29. Chocolate or Nutella? If no oysters or cheese , then Nutella with strawberries, and crème Chantilly…

 

[mkellogg]

1. What is your country of birth? US
2. What is your current country of residence? US, but hoping to spend a few months in either France or Italy later this year.
3. What is your height in ft/in, centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like.
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any. I work at home so I'm usually unshaven.
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…)
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? Thai, Mexican, Gaspacho
7. What is your favorite word? truthiness
8. What is your least favorite word? closure
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Creatively merging dictionaries with computers.
10. What turns you off? Bad newspaper reporting that results in different countries (and their leaders) believing different facts about the same event(s).
11. What are your favorite books? Well written travel guides that give insight about the culture.
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers?
13. Who are your favorite painters?
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? Frodo, Bilbo
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? Mandela, Havel
16. Who are your favorite characters in history? The ancient Greeks
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? ambassador/diplomacy
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live? lots, but life is too short. See #2 above + Spain.
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? Good times with friends.
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Personally I hate banning people from the forums and the problems that go with it.
21. What do you value most in your friends? Nice, polite, honest.
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? Ability to spell.
23. How would you like to die? Quickly.
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Well done.
25. What is your motto? Don't just disagree. Try to understand their point of view first, then you can disagree.

Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? I started it because I wanted good dictionary tools on the Internet.
27. What have you learned since joining WR? HTML, SQL, XML Also, the ability of people from diverse cultures to get along well.
28. What is your favorite thing about WR? Being able to do something appreciated by thousands of people around the world.
29. Chocolate or Nutella? Spanish thick hot chocolate

Mike

 

[cuchuflete]

Don't be timid! This thread is open to all foreros.

 

[maxiogee]

1. What is your country of birth? Éire
2. What is your current country of residence? Éire
3. What is your height in ft/in, centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like. 6'0" late in the day, a bit taller in the morning.
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any. Not now. I used to have a beard and moustache - but they weren't pretty!
5. Women Only:
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? Italian, Chinese
7. What is your favorite word? flibbertigibbet at the moment, ask again tomorrow for a different one.
8. What is your least favorite word? earnest
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? My wife, and then (creatively) words, (spiritually) words, (emotionally) nothing, I'm emotionally challenged.
10. What turns you off? A little switch under my tattoo.
11. What are your favorite books? Dictionaries, philosophy, science, and general Reference
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? Poet-Patrick Kavanagh, writers - AC Grayling, Richard Dawkins
13. Who are your favorite painters? My fingers
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? Elmer Fudd
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? You mean Elmer Fudd isn't real? Ordinary people
16. Who are your favorite characters in history? The Plebs/Citizens/the unrecorded
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? criminal mastermind
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live? None springs to mind.
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? Money for books.
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Undiagnosed depression -and- rampant alcoholism.
21. What do you value most in your friends? Having something ton say, and honesty.
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? Rhythm.
23. How would you like to die? Surrounded by friends who were celebrating my 200th birthday.
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? It doesn't.
25. What is your motto? Vulneratus non victus (which is actually our family motto)

Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? I was informed of it by another forero who knew it was just the sort of place I'd revel in
27. What have you learned since joining WR? That I no longer know the rules of grammar. That Orange-Lodge-Utans are humans too
28. What is your favorite thing about WR? The breadth of membership - and the absolute certainty that at least once a week I'll be gobsmacked by a question.
29. Chocolate or Nutella? Thick, black Bovril!

 

[Like an Angel]

1. What is your country of birth? Argentina.
2. What is your current country of residence? Ditto.
3. What is your height in ft/in, centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like. 1.67 m.
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any.
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…) Casual, and I always wear something black.
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? La pasta de mamá, delicious!!!
7. What is your favorite word? Solidarity.
8. What is your least favorite word? Lie.
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? MUSIC!!!
10. What turns you off? Hipocrisy.
11. What are your favorite books? So far, "Crime and Punishment" and "Paula".
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? Francisco Luis Bernárdez y David Coverdale.
13. Who are your favorite painters? I'm not much into art.
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? Mafalda.
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life?Mahatma Gandhi, René Favaloro, El Che Guevara, Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
16. Who are your favorite characters in history?
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? TRANSLATOR.
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live? Italy, Australia, Noruega (but I've never visited any of them)
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? Laughing with my family and friends.
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Mistreating people.
21. What do you value most in your friends? Sincerity.
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? Will power.
23. How would you like to die? In peace, while I'm sleeping.
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Can you see? I DO exist, and don't worry, there is a place for you in here... and I have listened every single word you said to me all this time.
25. What is your motto? Talk, ask and answer, you are not a clairvoyant.

Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? I adore languages, and there are things that you can't find in a dictionary.
27. What have you learned since joining WR? A LOT.
28. What is your favorite thing about WR? EVERYTHING.
29. Chocolate or Nutella? So far chocolate, never tried nutella before.

 

[StefKE]

1. What is your country of birth? Belgium
2. What is your current country of residence? Belgium
3. What is your height in ft/in, centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like. 1h75
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any: A bit too young... lol
5. Women Only: /
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? Pasta, Italian food in general, French food.
7. What is your favorite word? I don't know, there are loads!
8. What is your least favorite word? At the moment it's "Echec" (means "Failure"
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? My friends
10. What turns you off? School
11. What are your favorite books? Harry Potter, The Da vinci code, Jules Verne's books, Le comte de Monte Cristo, ....
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? Jules Vernes, Alexandre Dumas and JK Rowling
13. Who are your favorite painters? /
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? Harry Potter, Robert Langdon and many others but the list would be too long!
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? Justine Henin-Hardenne, Me, my mother
16. Who are your favorite characters in history? Jules César, Charlemagne,...
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Translator
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live? France, UK, USA, Australia
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? Peace everywhere, no war, enough money for everyone,...
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Cannot afford to feed oneself
21. What do you value most in your friends? Honesty, support, laughters,...
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? I dunno
23. How would you like to die? Happy!
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Welcome, the ones you've lost are overthere!
25. What is your motto? If you don't success at the first time, try, try again, it'll come! it's just a matter of time!

Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? To help others and to be helped. Also to learn more about languages
27. What have you learned since joining WR? Many things!
28. What is your favorite thing about WR? The dictionnary...
29. Chocolate or Nutella? Well, very difficult! Nutella in the morning, chocolate in the evening! But anyway, isn't Nutella a sort of Chocolate?

 

[Outsider]

1. What is your country of birth? Portugal.
2. What is your current country of residence? Portugal.
3. What is your height in ft/in, centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like. 1.79 m
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any. None worth mentioning.
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…)
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? Almost anything. I'm generally not picky with food. I just don't like mutton.
7. What is your favorite word? Generosity.
8. What is your least favorite word? Late.
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Talking to intelligent people. Music, sometimes.
10. What turns you off? Injustice.
11. What are your favorite books? Besides conventional literature, I like reading about language, history, and science fiction. Naming a favorite book is too difficult for me, but here are two random titles: Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, and Michael Ende, The Neverending Story.
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? Another difficult question. I'll just give one name: Lawrence Durrell.
13. Who are your favorite painters? I like Renaissance painters, some impressionists, Velázquez, and Dalí.
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? Forget Lord of the Rings. Taran, from The Prydain Chronicles.
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? All those who dedicate a little piece of their lives to charity, or to make the world fairer.
16. Who are your favorite characters in history? The common people we don't necessarily hear much about, but who did something to help others in need. One example, among many: Aristides de Sousa Mendes.
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Medical doctor or linguist.
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live? Netherlands, U.K., U.S.
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? Having someone to be your companion and understand you. Feeling like you're doing the best you can.
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Having no control over your own life.
21. What do you value most in your friends? Their tolerance for my oddities.
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? More will power.
23. How would you like to die? With dignity.
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Everyone else has used up the ideas I had...
25. What is your motto? I don't have a motto, but now that I'm feeling singled out I may come up with one.

Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? I was invited in by a friend.
27. What have you learned since joining WR? A great deal of Spanish!
28. What is your favorite thing about WR? The company.
29. Chocolate or Nutella? Chocolate, always. Tried Nutella once -- ungodly stuff!

 

[MariBR]

1. What is your country of birth? Brazil
2. What is your current country of residence? England
3. What is your height in: pin ft/in or centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like. 1,80
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any.
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…) 6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? Italian and brazilian
7. What is your favorite word? In Portuguese, saudade... in English, freedom
8. What is your least favorite word? Exceção
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Walking on the beach
10. What turns you off? Sarcasm
11. What are your favorite books? Benedetti’s short stories about Beatriz
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? Benedetti, Mario Quintana, Augusto dos Anjos and Vinicuis de Moraes
13. Who are your favorite painters artists? Rodin
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? Don Quijote and McGyver
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? Ordinary people
16. Who are your favorite characters in history? /
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Lawyer
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live? Spain
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? Traveling with my friends
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? When a mother loses her son.
21. What do you value most in your friends? Their honesty and tolerance
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? To be a good actress
23. How would you like to die? With no regrets and quickly
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Welcome!
25. What is your motto? Sonhos não precisam ser modestos. Can anyone help me to translate that??? (Dreams don’t have to be modest.)


Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? I was trying to find the definition of ASBO
27. What have you learned since joining WR? How little I know
28. What is your favorite thing about WR? Cultural discussions
29. Chocolate or Nutella? Chocolate

 

[AndREA22]

1. What is your country of birth? México
2. What is your current country of residence? México
3. What is your height in ft/in, centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like. 1.60 m.
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any.
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…) I have no preference just casual a bit hippie
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? Italian & Chinese Food
7. What is your favorite word? freedom
8. What is your least favorite word? ultraprocontraneoantidisestablishmenarianistically ODIO, HATE, HAINE.
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Love
10. What turns you off? G8 and who wants to always say the last word.

11. What are your favorite books? DIABLO GUARDIAN, BRAVE NEW WORLD,1984, THE LORD OF THE RINGS, THE HOBBIT, HARRY POTTER,LES MISERABLES, ANIMAL FARM, AMERICAN PSYCHO, PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY.
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? there are too many
13. Who are your favorite painters? Bosco, Da Vinci, Van Gogh, Renoir.
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? Aragorn
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? My mother
16. Who are your favorite characters in history? Gandhi
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Writer
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live? France
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? First a well-balance mind to enjoy all that i have.
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?My own mistakes then unfairs in whole world.
21. What do you value most in your friends? that they respect my personality, that's difficult, they are wonderful.

22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? a musical gift
23. How would you like to die? quickly, no paiiin please!!!
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Believe it or not, I'm real!!
25. What is your motto? Enjoy your life there is only one.

Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? Because i was looking for a word
27. What have you learned since joining WR? Everyday i've learned something new, and now i think that i don't know anything.
28. What is your favorite thing about WR? Help People
29. Chocolate or Nutella? Chocolate

 

[Alundra]

1. What is your country of birth? Spain
2. What is your current country of residence? Spain
3. What is your height in ft/in, centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like. 1.60
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any.
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…) I think fun
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? I like all the food
7. What is your favorite word? Solete
8. What is your least favorite word? Maldad (wickedness)
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Music. I love music.
10. What turns you off? When I see someone angry (bad tempered)
11. What are your favorite books? Cenizas al viento, Los pilares de la Tierra.
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? Nora Roberts, Julia Quinn, Linda Howard... and so on...
13. Who are your favorite painters? Mostly those ones that they paint hyperrealist pics
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? Juan del Diablo
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? My son and my daughter
16. Who are your favorite characters in history? The Beatles
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Writer
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live?Great Britain (Scotland)
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? To get up every morning with a smile in your mouth.
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Wickedness again
21. What do you value most in your friends? Honesty
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? To talk more slowly
23. How would you like to die? Sleeping? I don't want to realize
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Come on, the door is open
25. What is your motto? I have a lot of them

Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? Because the people is charmed here?
27. What have you learned since joining WR? Many English and much more Spanish
28. What is your favorite thing about WR? Its variety?
29. Chocolate or Nutella? Always Chocolate (Si es con churros mejor)

Alundra.

 

[KaRiNe_Fr]

1. What is your country of birth? France
2. What is your current country of residence? France
3. What is your height in ft/in, centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like. The good length for legs: when they can reach the floor (Coluche).
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any.
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…) I'm not a fashion victim.
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? All eatable ones. Maybe... pissaladière? (just to drop one name, but truly carnivore!)
7. What is your favorite word? Don't want to make the others jealous.
8. What is your least favorite word? Don't want to keep some unpunished.
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? No need to turn me on.
10. What turns you off? No need to turn me off. (for both on/off: I can perfectly do the job myself!)
11. What are your favorite books? Poetry, Theater, Novel, Review.
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? Baudelaire is the best. (others can be jealous!)
13. Who are your favorite painters? Don't want to make the others jealous. (Did I already answer this?)
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? Maybe... Agrippine? (but the one from Bretécher, of course!)
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? Don't want to make the others jealous. (I know, I'm writtering on!)
16. Who are your favorite characters in history? Maybe... Aristote? (not Onassis!)
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Don't want to make the others jealous. (a good answer to not answering, ugh?)
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live? Maybe... Italy? (Firenza, for instance...)
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? Laughing (with my little nieces!)
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Sickness. (but I've a cold right now...)
21. What do you value most in your friends? Their sense of humour.
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? Speaking and writing all the languages (especially English!), playing music (Hey, I know how to whistle, even with fingers, it's not that bad!), healing... (Remember? Don't want to make the others jealous...)
23. How would you like to die? Without pain.
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Hi! Come and visit the place. Feel free after to stay with us or going back on Earth: it's up to you! Salut ! Tu peux visiter l'endroit. Tu peux ensuite redescendre sur Terre ou non, c'est toi qui vois !
25. What is your motto? See below!

Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? Thanks to Michael wondering about the meaning of my motto. (Thank you again Michael!)
27. What have you learned since joining WR? Refrain from chatting!
28. What is your favorite thing about WR? Sharing humour with people.
29. Chocolate or Nutella? Definitely chocolate, but only dark one, and at least with more than 70% of cacao... Never more than two squared pieces per day. That's the right posology!

 

[Mariaguadalupe]

With nods to Marcel Proust, Bernard Pivot

and noted philosopher Raphus Cucullatus, we present
the WR "Twenty-Five Questions."
​

1. What is your country of birth? México
2. What is your current country of residence? México
3. What is your height in ft/in, centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like. 5'5
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any.
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…) I'd say lovely, but my sister would say tailored although fun could also apply.
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? OOOH! Do I have to limit myself? I love salads, seafood, carnes asadas!!!!!! (american barbecues), Mexican, Italian, Chinese, etc.
7. What is your favorite word? Fulfill your dreams
8. What is your least favorite word? No
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Kindness
10. What turns you off? meanness and negative thoughts/pessimism
11. What are your favorite books? Suspense novels, mystery
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? Taylor Caldwell, Agatha Christie, Irving Wallace, John Grisham, Maya Angelou
13. Who are your favorite painters? Van Gogh, Leonardo, Rafaello
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? Oh I grew up with Scarlett O'hara. She's like a sister to me.
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? My mom, dad and anyone who has overcome real hardships.
16. Who are your favorite characters in history? Benito Juarez would have to be one of the top ten.
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Interior design
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live? Canada
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? family
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? That in which you are not happy/satisfied with yourself as you are.
21. What do you value most in your friends? Honesty and kindness
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? The ability to paint/draw.
23. How would you like to die? Peacefully.
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Definitely, a big welcome. We've been expecting you.
25. What is your motto? Improve yourself. Conquer yourself. Seek excellence in yourself not in others. You have to be better today than you were yesterday.

Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? I had been visiting WR for sometime searching for definitions before I joined the forums.
27. What have you learned since joining WR? Many things.
28. What is your favorite thing about WR? The camaderie
29. Chocolate or Nutella?

Chocolate definitely!

 

[rsweet]

1. What is your country of birth?
USA

2. What is your current country of residence?
Technically, I live in the USA, but I don't think all my molecules came back from my last trip to France. Scotty, is there a problem with the transporter?

3. What is your height in ft/in, centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like.
5'7"

5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…)
I work at home, so fashion tends to get a bit sloppy here on the mountain top. Some low-flying turkey vultures have commented.

6. What are your favorite foods (by category)?
Japanese food. If I had to choose one type of food to eat the rest of my life, it would be sushi and sashimi.

7. What is your favorite word?
Do I have to choose only one? I guess, if forced, it would be hilarity.

8. What is your least favorite word?
Righteousness--I think this is a bad side effect from my Baptist upbringing.

9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
Any interaction with people or art forms where truth, beauty, and passion are present. Poetry is my religion. Hopi kachina dolls. Travel, languages, and exploring other cultures.

10. What turns you off?
Marketing and public relations . . . I'm looking for a new career.

11. What are your favorite books?
Jane Austen's Persuasion and Emma. More contemporary novels The Drowning Tree by Carol Goodman, The Raj Quartet by Paul Scott. May Sarton's journals. So many books, so little time.

12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers?
My favorite poets are Mary Oliver, Rilke, Naomi Shihab Nye, Joy Harjo, Lucille Clifton.

13. Who are your favorite painters?
Franz Marc & Marc Chagall . . . must be a Marc thing.

14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction?
Xena Warrior Princess, Elizabeth Bennett, Little Nell, Ayla, Anne Shirley, Cordelia, Cassandra

15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life?
Anita Roddick, my daughter and husband, Al Gore, Mother Teresa, my cello teacher (who really is Mother Teresa!)

16. Who are your favorite characters in history?
Jeanne d'Arc, Chaucer, Chief Seattle, Jane Austen

17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Medical doctor, veterinarian, medical researcher, or house painter.

18 In what country other than your own would you like to live?
France or Italy

19. What is your idea of earthly happiness?
The spaciousness and freedom in life to go wherever I want and to do whatever stimulates me creatively.

20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Depression, guilt, humiliation, a career in accounting.

21. What do you value most in your friends?
Tenderness, the ability and desire to make me laugh, common interests

22. What natural gift would you most like to possess?
The ability to play the cello beautifully. I've been slogging away at lessons for nearly three years, and it's such slow going!

23. How would you like to die?
An old woman on a young horse, shouting weeeeeeeeee . . . .

24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
Nice job. Come on in.

25. What is your motto?
Follow the call of your deepest longings.

Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR?
I was looking for a good French-English dictionary and got hooked.

27. What have you learned since joining WR?
I've learned to leave no belief unexamined. Really, it's surprising what some poking and proding can do to open you up.

28. What is your favorite thing about WR?
The instant gratification--answers to questions in minutes. The rainbow culture discussions. The incredibly intelligent and educated community.

29. Chocolate or Nutella?
Nutella

 

[Bienvenidos]

1. What is your country of birth? Pakistan
2. What is your current country of residence? USA
3. What is your height in ft/in, centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like. 5 feet 8 or so.
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any. None
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…)
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? As in spicy foods, desserts (let's hope I spelled that right), Italian, Spanish?
7. What is your favorite word? English: Hmm....intellectual sounds good to me Spanish: bailaremos
8. What is your least favorite word? I don't like those odd ones like "sepulchre"
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Languages, good music,
10. What turns you off? Toilet humor
11. What are your favorite books? Lots of them....really like "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" (Maya Angelou). A classic. Read it!
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? Robert Frost, Maya Angelou
13. Who are your favorite painters? Diego Rivera
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? Um...Batman?
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? My friends and family
16. Who are your favorite characters in history? Anyone who has made a difference in the world.
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Interpreter
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live? Anywhere in Europe/Latin America.
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? Iced tea on the front porch during the Spring
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Blaming others for your own mistery
21. What do you value most in your friends? Loyalness, honesty, humor
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? To fly! No, to read minds. Psychicness?
23. How would you like to die? Peacefully. Don't want it to be a big show or anything.
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? "Who are you again?" ... "You did something great with your life"
25. What is your motto? A palabras necias, oídos sordos. (To fatuous words, deaf ears).

Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? It looked fun to me.
27. What have you learned since joining WR? So much!
28. What is your favorite thing about WR? The members + mods
29. Chocolate or Nutella? Hmm...Chocolate
[/quote]

 

[tvdxer]

1. What is your country of birth? - United States
2. What is your current country of residence? - United States
3. What is your height in ft/in, centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like. - 5 ft 9 in or 175 cm.
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any. Varying amounts of stubble depending on how recently I have shaved.
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…)
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? - Indian (saag paneer, chicken masala, etc.) and Italian (pastas of all sorts)
7. What is your favorite word? I don't know....I love the sound of "ljubavi" in Croatian
8. What is your least favorite word? Bloke
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Seeing others practice my religion, being in a warm, nice environment, travelling!
10. What turns you off? Nihilism, misanthropy, apathy
11. What are your favorite books? Notes from a Small Island and some other Bill Bryson books
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? Bill Bryson, David Brooks
13. Who are your favorite painters? Hmmm...I am very uncultured in this regard, but I really like Bellini's paintings.
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? Another hmmm
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? Pope John Paul II, Mother Teresa, Jesus Christ
16. Who are your favorite characters in history? I love history, but I really don't have favorites
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Travel writer
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live? Italy
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? Knowing that I am doing the right thing and being surrounded by loved ones
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Living a life of crime, injustice, and/or immorality and knowing it.
21. What do you value most in your friends? That they are my friends in the first place
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? Intelligence
23. How would you like to die? Peacefully in my sleep and without sin on my soul
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? "Welcome. Would you like a map?"
25. What is your motto? "Get Rich or Die Tryin'".....no, seriously, I don't know.

Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? I originally had a question I needed to ask in the Spanish forum...random phrases in Spanish often bring up WR threads in Google searches. I found the Cultural Discussions forum interesting, since I am very curious about certain aspects of different cultures.
27. What have you learned since joining WR? The answers to my past questions
28. What is your favorite thing about WR? The Cultural Discussions forum
29. Chocolate or Nutella? I've never tried Nutella, but I know it resembles peanut butter...if that's the case, I would say chocolate
​

 

[Etcetera]

1. What is your country of birth?
Russia
2. What is your current country of residence?
The same
3. What is your height in ft/in, centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like.
166 centimetres.
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any.
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…)
Fun, I suppose.
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)?
I love Italian food - all those pizzas and lasagnas.
7. What is your favorite word?
Amico, amica - from Italian.
8. What is your least favorite word?
War. In any language.
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
Kindness, interest, challenge.
10. What turns you off?
Lack of interest - when I'm no longer interested in something or what I do causes no interest in anyone.
11. What are your favorite books?
Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion by JRRT, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, all historical novels by Henryk Sienkiewicz, and many other. Dictionaries are love, too!
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers?
Anna Akhmatova, T.S.Eliot, William Butler Yeats; Bulgakov, Nabokov, Tolkien, Ursula K. Le Guin, Lodovico Ariosto, Mikhail Gasparov, Henryk Sienkiewicz, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens...
13. Who are your favorite painters?
Tiziano Vecellio, Raphael, English painters of the 18th century (Reynolds, for example).
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction?
Prince Jeremi Wisniowiecki, Rinaldo di Montalbano, Fortinbras of Norway, Finrod Felagund, Leonid Gorbovsky, Lizzy Bennet.
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life?
Peter the Great, Admiral Alexander Kolchak, Mikhail Bulgakov.
16. Who are your favorite characters in history?
Peter the Great, Charles Albert of Piedmont.
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
A historian, probably. Or a pharmacist.
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live?
Italy - in Turin or Genoa.
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness?
To be with people whom I love.
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Oh. I don't want even to think of something like that.
21. What do you value most in your friends?
Sincerity and loyalty.
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess?
More brains. And a bit of patience.
23. How would you like to die?
Peacefully.
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
Welcome home, Anna.
25. What is your motto?
There's no ignorance, there's knowledge. (It's from Star Wars).

Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR?
I've found this forum when looking in the Net for some info for my English exam. I was just delighted to see such a great place to stay - so many people, so many languages to speak in and about!
27. What have you learned since joining WR?
I'm a member of the forum only for three days, but it has aleready gave me some confidence in my ability to speak rather fluent English.
28. What is your favorite thing about WR?
he number of its members, the variety of languages and subjects. And people here are so nice and friendly.
29. Chocolate or Nutella?
Chocolate.

 

[lizzeymac]

​

1. What is your country of birth?
USA
2. What is your current country of residence?
USA
3. What is your height in ft/in, centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like.
5 feet 7 inches
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any.
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…)
I love clothes, not "trends" or "fashion victim-hood"
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)?
If I had to pick 1 - French but not fancy; All wine, all cheeses, cherries, real bread, chocolate
7. What is your favorite word?
Daedal
8. What is your least favorite word?
Impossible
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
Theater & film, sailing, American Blues & Jazz music, cooking for friends & others.
10. What turns you off?
The current Administration of my country.
Apathy.
The fact that people in other countries associate Paris Hilton with America.
11. What are your favorite books?
Eight Cousins (Louisa May Alcott), The Velveteen Rabbit (Marjorie Williams), Sense & Sensibility (Jane Austin), Mysterious Island (Jules Verne), Foundation Trilogy (Isaac Asimov), too many...
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers?
Mina Loy, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Lorca, Dorothy Parker, Yeats, Shakespeare, Denise Levertov.
13. Who are your favorite painters?
Agnes Martin, O'Keefe, Winslow Homer, Kandinsky, Chagall, Rothko, Klimt, Caravaggio, Klee, Indian Mughal miniatures
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction?
Beatrice - Much Ado About Nothing, Elizabeth Bennett - Pride & Prejudice, Phoebe - Eight Cousins, Saladin - Ivanhoe.
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life?
Any parent. The Dalai Lama, Rosa Parks, The Tank Man of Tianamen Square.
16. Who are your favorite characters in history?
Benjamin Franklin, Mahatma Ghandi, Florence Nightingale, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Chief Seattle.
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Teacher
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live?
All of them, serially.
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness?
Sitting on a porch with people smarter & funnier than I am, looking at the sea, sand & sea salt still on my feet, a glass of something, sharing the snacks with kids & a couple of dogs.
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Not being able to take care of your loved ones.
21. What do you value most in your friends?
Their talents, good humor & patience with my many shortcomings.
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess?
Serenity.
23. How would you like to die?
Painlessly & a long time from now, leaving useful bits & pieces behind (organ donor).
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
It's alright, I understand, come in.
25. What is your motto?
Resist much, obey little.

Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR?
It was 3 o'clock in the morning & the typeface in Larousse was too small too read.
27. What have you learned since joining WR?
How little I know about the grammar of my native tongue and how generous & sympathetic so many people are.
28. What is your favorite thing about WR?
Yelling at my laptop while reading Cultural Discussions.
29. Chocolate or Nutella?
Frozen Hot Chocolate. It's a New York thing - like a slushy granita.

 

[danielfranco]

WR "Twenty-Five Questions."

1. What is your country of birth? Mexico
2. What is your current country of residence? USA
3. What is your height in ft/in, centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like. 5'8"
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any. None
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…)
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? Italian
7. What is your favorite word? Chthonic (can't pronounce it yet)
8. What is your least favorite word? Racism
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Music (not pop!)
10. What turns you off? Body odor (especially mine)
11. What are your favorite books? Of all time? Dune Chronicles
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? Frank Herbert, Stephen King, Stephen Baxter, Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick
13. Who are your favorite painters? Mondrian and Impressionists in general
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? Stu Redman, Arthur Dent, the vampire Claudia.
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? Mothers and Fathers
16. Who are your favorite characters in history? The Beatles
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Ultimate Fighter Championship
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live? Japan
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? Money out the wazoo
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Face ALL the consequences of my actions
21. What do you value most in your friends? Truthfulness
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? Gracefulness
23. How would you like to die? Unaware
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? You did what you could
25. What is your motto? "Treat equals equally, and unequals unequally, according to the differences between them" - Aristotle

Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? Had medical term questions
27. What have you learned since joining WR? To take mods seriously
28. What is your favorite thing about WR? World-wide perspective
29. Chocolate or Nutella? You even have to ask? CHOCOLATE!

 

[geve]

1. What is your country of birth? 2. What is your current country of residence? France and France
3. What is your height in ft/in, centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like. 169 cm
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any. I'm a woman, but my head's hair is an adornment all the same
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…) A little of this, a little of that, and high heels are a no-no (exceptions for special events)
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? meat (saignant), cheese (and butter), fruits (I need my morning banana pour avoir la pêche), cakes and pastries (but not the creamy type) [these are food categories, right? Is beer one?]
7. What is your favorite word? I love all my words equally. I make no preference.
8. What is your least favorite word? Les gens [people in general]
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Lying on the grass on a quiet sunny Spring day, dancing like mad, creating something with my bare hands, walking in the streets in the evening, burying myself in sand. Entre autres.
10. What turns you off? L'injustice (les petites et les grandes)
11. What are your favorite books? "Le bon usage" de Maurice Grevisse (this is a joke!!...) Seriously: You can't make me choose.
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? I am flighty, I have flirted with many... So to name a few: Tonino Benacquista, Paulo Coehlo, Fred Vargas, Jacques Prévert, Michael Connelly... I also had flings for Voltaire, Zola, Ionesco, Agatha Christie, Stephen King, Douglas Adams, Armistead Maupin, Boris Vian... You can't make me choose!!
13. Who are your favorite painters? Magritte, Chagall
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? Who else?
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? I'll go with Elaine's and Tim's answers
16. Who are your favorite characters in history? Same as above
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Chef or boulanger, teacher, dancer, nurse or truck driver. But I lack something for each
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live? I would need to try them all before choosing...
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? To not be afraid of hearing bad news / To always be able to see the love in the eyes of everyone
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Not being given a chance
21. What do you value most in your friends? Their existence
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? The ability to change water into beer Or, the ability to make the world better just by breathing.
23. How would you like to die? Smiling
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? That's alright, kid, perfection is boring anyway
25. What is your motto? I don't have any, but I'm hoping to find one before I die to have it written on my grave...

Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? An extraterrestrial force made me. Now I do a thank you prayer to the stars every night.
27. What have you learned since joining WR? That there's really nothing worth watching on TV!
28. What is your favorite thing about WR? That it exists (see #21); that it's opened 24/7 –and did I mention that vous êtes beaux, vous êtes intelligents ?
29. Chocolate or Nutella? Well, I probably shouldn't after that wonderful crumble framboises-amandes, but since you're offering: yes, please!

 

[TrentinaNE]

Some of these questions are a little too squishy for me, so with ruthless editing (and a bit of embellishment...)

1. What is your country of birth? Italy.
2. What is your current country of residence? USA
3. What is your height in ft/in, centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like. 5'7"
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any. (My husband has a nicely trimmed beard and mustache.)
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…) Tailored. But fashion really doesn't interest me. And I hate shopping.
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? Stuffed cabbage, lasgana ai funghi, asparagus, artichoke hearts, polenta (cooked the real Trentino way, none of this creamy bullshit!)
7. What is your favorite word?
8. What is your least favorite word?
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
10. What turns you off?
11. What are your favorite books? 1984 by George Orwell
11a. Favorite movies? Rushmore. La Meglio Gioventù. Sunset Boulevard.
11b. Favorite TV series? I, Claudius. Homicide: Life on the Street.
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? Aimee Mann (best singer/songwriter out there, hands down).
13. Who are your favorite painters? The Renaissance greats: Michelangelo, Leonardo, Caravaggio.
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? Frank Pembleton.
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? Charles Darwin.
16. Who are your favorite characters in history? I'm intrigued by Lee Harvey Oswald and Anna "possibly Anastasia" Anderson.
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Retirement.
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live? Italy.
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness?
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
21. What do you value most in your friends?
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess?
23. How would you like to die? In my sleep many years from now.
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? I don't believe in God or heaven, so I suppose "Come on in anyway" would be nice.
25. What is your motto? Leave me alone.

Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? To help me learn Italian.
27. What have you learned since joining WR? A lot about the subjunctive mood!
28. What is your favorite thing about WR? How quickly one gets thoughtful answers to the most obscure questions.
29. Chocolate or Nutella? Cheese, thank you. (Preferably a good gorgonzola.)

 

[KateNicole]

CONGRATULATIONS, DEAR WORD REFERENCE.
1. What is your country of birth? USA (Indianapolis, Indiana)
2. What is your current country of residence? USA (Racine, Wisconsin)
3. What is your height in ft/in, centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like. 5'8"
4. Men Only:
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? I'm "urban chic."
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? Undoubtedly Italian.
7. What is your favorite word? yes
8. What is your least favorite word? racist (used too gratuitously where I'm from)
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? working with children and seeing positive things come out of negative environments.
10. What turns you off? bad manners/lack of social graces
11. What are your favorite books? Matilda, The Aguero Sisters and law novels and mysteries a la John Grisham.
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? John Grisham, García Lorca
13. Who are your favorite painters? Dalí, Georgia O'Keefe, Alicia Leal, Picasso, Vásquez
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? I'm not sure.
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? My mother
16. Who are your favorite characters in history? Pancho Villa!
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Fashion designer
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live? Any part of Mediterranean Europe or Mexico.
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? The ability to forget about material things.
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? The child sex trade.
21. What do you value most in your friends? unconditional love
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? the ability to sing and dance
23. How would you like to die? in an unforseen manner, but after having lived a long life.
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? "You're family is waiting."
25. What is your motto? "Give with your whole heart."

Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? Sheer curiosity.
27. What have you learned since joining WR? Too many things to count, but most specificly I learned about "queísmo" and "dequeísmo"
28. What is your favorite thing about WR? That I am able to get educated opinions on things from people from all over the world, and that responses to my questions are usually fast, friendly and helpful.
29. Chocolate or Nutella? Chocolate

 

[KittyCatty]

1. What is your country of birth? Scotland/the UK. But I call myself English, because I have English parents.2. What is your current country of residence? England/the UK
3. What is your height in ft/in, centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like. Around 5ft 4
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any.
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…) I wear comfy stuff, earthy colours, jeans, nothing outrageous!
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? sweet foods! e.g. hot chocolate fudge cake but my favourite food is the humble tomato.
7. What is your favorite word? I have many... but I like the word "sunshine" because it's so bright and happy!
8. What is your least favorite word? I would really hate to be described as a "bubbly" person. There's something about the word I just dislike.
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? I love enthusiasm, cleverness (clever links, allusions), I like challenging things, poetic literature, anything that has created an impact of some kind.
10. What turns you off? Narrow-mindedness, vulgarity, simplistic things
11. What are your favorite books? Wuthering Heights, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Fingersmith (Sarah Waters - it is so clever), the trashy but fab Gossip Girl series!
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? Emily Brontë, Agota Kristof, I am very attached to Roald Dahl too.
13. Who are your favorite painters? Van Gogh, the Impressionists, Picasso, Munch [thanks Karine!] (previously written as the one who painted the man with the screaming face!)
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? HEATHCLIFF!! he is just fantastic! I also like Caliban, that poor old thing. Tess is nice too. I also like Professor McGonagall
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? Princess Diana, and also non-famous people who do such a lot without recognition, like people who work in old-people's homes. I couldn't do that. And I admire people who put up with a lot and never say anything for the sake of other people.
16. Who are your favorite characters in history? Shakespeare. And I find Jack the Ripper fascinating. And the Egyptians intrigue me too.
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? I don't have a profession at the mo, I'm a student. But I would like to try Fiona Bruce's job (she's a newsreader).
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live? Definitely France, I am going to try and get a year abroad there while I'm at uni.
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? To just be at peace with yourself and to be able to say "I have no regrets, I am happy with the way things are" wherever that is, it sounds like earthly happiness to me.
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? When you are just unhappy within yourself and you can't see any good in the world. That's when you know things have to change.
21. What do you value most in your friends? I really admire honest, genuine people. I don't care about wealth, I value honesty. And I like happy people. I bounce off them!
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? I would like to be not so uptight sometimes, in new situations. It's a fault of mine.
23. How would you like to die? I sometimes think younger rather than older, but I don't really. I know how I WOULDN'T like to - e.g. drowning, and preferably I wouldn't know about it first, Worst of all I'd hate my family to have to switch me off - i wouldn't want an artificial death.
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? I'd rather meet a member of my family. They wouldn't say anything, we'd embrace and enjoy being together again.
25. What is your motto? Be happy

Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? I kept reading the threads via the dictionary, and then wanted to reply to some. I went to France for the first time since studying the language in October and have a newfound interest in language-learning, the arts, creativity! It appeals to me so much.
27. What have you learned since joining WR? LOADS but most of all context is really important. lol And also that natives do it better !!! but if you try hard enough, you can nearly make it !!!
28. What is your favorite thing about WR? The fun we have in discussing language. I love the friendly way in which people help eachother - there is only one motive and it's positive - just to help, really. Discuss, learn and enjoy languages.
29. Chocolate or Nutella? I NEVER liked nutella until this year, funnily enough! So I must be loyal to my life-long vice for chocolate!

Thanks WR!! And congratulations on the millionth post!! You're a fantastic website, I'm actually addicted now!!

 

[Boyd]

1. What is your country of birth? Canada
2. What is your current country of residence? Canada
3. What is your height in ft/in, centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like. 5'6"
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any. like the artistic in facial hair
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…) depends on how I fell when I'm getting dressed
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? dessert
7. What is your favorite word? it's really a name - Postlethwaite
8. What is your least favorite word? don't have a least favorite
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Good people who make a difference
10. What turns you off? Brutality
11. What are your favorite books? Christmas murder mysteries eg Murder Under the Mistletoe
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? JK Rowling, CS Lewis, Rene Todoroff Diane Norgard, L.Ron Hubbard
13. Who are your favorite painters? Magritte, M.C. Escher, Dali
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? have no favourite. I love the ghost in the washroom in Harry Potter whose name for some reason escapes me
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? Effective people who make a difference
16. Who are your favorite characters in history? William Wallace, Elizabeth I,
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Drummer
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live? Someplace tropical with beautiful blue seas and palm trees.
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? helping someone understand something that they didn't understand before and the need to understand now.
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? there are way too many of these, poverty, criminality, just feeling horrible, seeing someone else feel horrible etc
21. What do you value most in your friends? honesty, that they don't take advantage of me in any way and they will stick up for me if necessary
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? the ability to sing well
23. How would you like to die? painlessly
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? "Gimme 5"
25. What is your motto? Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me.

Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? it's the only site I can get onto at work for the dictionary and I love words and grammar.
27. What have you learned since joining WR? people like to help other people and some people believe themselves to be more important than they really are - I always find that very interesting to observe.
28. What is your favorite thing about WR? haven't got one favourite thing yet but I certainly enjoy oddball topics such as the how many lives to cats have in your part of the world thread
29. Chocolate or Nutella? Cadbury milk chocolate.

 

[fenixpollo]

1. What is your country of birth? United States
2. What is your current country of residence? the same. (please don't hold it against me)
3. What is your height? one inch below average for North American males
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any. I enjoy being a hairless ape; I don't like having fur.
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? Thai, Mexican
7. What is your favorite word? come
8. What is your least favorite word? can't
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? collaboration & cooperation
10. What turns you off? competition and intolerance
11. What are your favorite books? anything by the authors listed below
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? GG Marquez, JL Borges, I Asimov, L Tolstoy, A Rand, B Kingsolver, P Neruda, W Shakespeare, A Mann, T Waits, J Linnell/J Flansburg, M de Unamuno, V Nabakov, T Geisel
13. Who are your favorite painters? most expressionists, Rivera & Kahlo, Pollock
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? Scout Finch, Bruce Wayne, H.I. McDonough
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? see #16
16. Who are your favorite characters in history? Crazy Horse, Chief Joseph, A Lincoln, T Jefferson, A Hamilton, B Franklin, ML King, J Carter
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? film director, writer, professional athelete (soccer or volleyball)
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live? nearly any country in Europe or Latin America, or Japan or Australia
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? Being able to relish the earthly happiness that one has, not worrying about the happiness one doesn't have or about the next life.
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? self-hate and pessimism
21. What do you value most in your friends? openness
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? Besides being well-endowed? To be able to understand and speak any language.
23. How would you like to die? quickly, in good health
24. If Heaven exists... If it existed, it would be a warm evening, the patio of a bar in the city, with a Manhattan in my hand and my dearest friends and foreros at my table. And an open bar.
25. What is your motto? You only stop learning when you're dead.

Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? To indulge my love of languages, to make connections, to further my learning and that of others.
27. What have you learned since joining WR? Lots of vocabulary and grammar; that my name can be an insult in the UK; that sarcasm doesn't type well; and that friendly, well-intentioned people can alienate other friendly, well-intentioned people with their actions.
28. What is your favorite thing about WR? hmmm....
29. Chocolate or Nutella? Coffee.

 

[Whodunit]

1. What is your country of birth? Germany
2. What is your current country of residence? still Germany
3. What is your height in ft/in, centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like. 174
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any. Too young.
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…) —
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? Italian (pizza), German (anything), Turkish (döner)
7. What is your favorite word? suggestions
8. What is your least favorite word? death
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? WR and languages
10. What turns you off? chemistry and teachers
11. What are your favorite books? dictionaries and other reference books
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? Goethe and Schiller
13. Who are your favorite painters? I'm not much into arts
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? don't know right now
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? someone who saved someone else's life
16. Who are your favorite characters in history? Bill Gates
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? professor at a university
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live? USA
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? respecting and tolerating each other
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? no friends
21. What do you value most in your friends? helpfulness and that they are with me when I need them
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? being so attractive that no one could withstand me
23. How would you like to die? never; if yes, however, burial at sea
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? "You helped everyone on earth and here's your paradise"
25. What is your motto? it's no use crying over spilt milk; nothing you have done should be regretted

Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? Because I needed some help in French, and then I discovered my talent in explaining German grammar - it's just my inner feel that cries for helping other people
27. What have you learned since joining WR? English, French, Spanish, ... I wouldn't have considered learning Czech or Spanish without knowing WR
28. What is your favorite thing about WR? 50,000 members
29. Chocolate or Nutella? Either is marvelous and irresistible

 

[coconutpalm]

1. What is your country of birth? China
2. What is your current country of residence? China
3. What is your height in ft/in, centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like. 150cm
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any.
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…) My friends say I'm becoming more and more fashionable
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? Chinese southern food
7. What is your favorite word? Can't come up with one in either Chinese or English.
8. What is your least favorite word? In English, fuck
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Reading books (science fiction, fairy tales, novels), listening to music.
10. What turns you off? Depression, sad things
11. What are your favorite books? Science fiction, fairy tales, history
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? They are all Chinese! 李白,苏轼 ,can you recognize them?
13. Who are your favorite painters? know little about arts
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? True heroes and heroines are always related to tragedy, and often don't necessarily do magnificent deeds, so I like many leading roles but no heroes or heroines.
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? No one, I don't worship anybody.
16. Who are your favorite characters in history? We only know a fraction of everybody, past and present. I appreciate one aspect of his/her personality but favorite/like? No.
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? I haven't yet entered into any career I want to be an interpreter. Novelist may be a great idea, too.
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live? I will never leave China forever, but I think I would like to stay in Germany, America or England for a short time.
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? The ones you love love you; if someone you don't love but just like love you, it's a complimentary gift, a pleasant surprise.
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Being outsider everywhere.
21. What do you value most in your friends? Trustworthiness, honesty, loyalty.
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? Writing. It would be great to be able to share your own ideas with people all over the world!
23. How would you like to die? Naturally. If I have an uncureable, painful disease, I would choose to die with the help of the doctor.
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? I don't like such a place where there's no variety of emotions, that is, only happiness but no sadness. If I can't be sad, I can't be happy. So, no comment.
25. What is your motto? No motto. I listen to my own heart. I listen to good advice/suggestions.

Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? It's a great forum! Why didn't I join it?!
27. What have you learned since joining WR? English improved. Other people's ideas on certain things.
28. What is your favorite thing about WR? The cultural forum! I love those topics!
29. Chocolate or Nutella? [/quote] Don't know what nutella is. I don't like chocolate.

 

[Valmar]

1. What is your country of birth? Argentina.2. What is your current country of residence? Argentina.
3. What is your height in ft/in, centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like. 1m53 (being optimistic).
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any.
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…) Any, as long as the clothes are comfortable and appropriate to the occasion.
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? Hungarian, Italian, Chinese, Mexican, Greek and many others.
7. What is your favorite word? Hope - esperanza (in both languages).
8. What is your least favorite word? Despair.
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Music, dancing until I fall, intelligent conversations with intelligent people, art in almost all its forms... and coffee.
10. What turns you off? People who have nothing interesting to talk about, Monday mornings, reality shows.
11. What are your favorite books? Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Brave New World, Animal Farm, 1984, The Wings of the Dove, Wuthering Heights.
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? Jane Austen, George Orwell, Saki, O. Henry, Somerset Maugham, Shakespeare, Henry James, the Brontë sisters, Agatha Christie, Truman Capote, e. e. cummings, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, Roald Dahl.
13. Who are your favorite painters? Goya, Dhurer, Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Van Eyck, Velázquez, Munch, Frida Kahlo.
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? Elizabeth Bennet, Scarlett O'Hara, Professor Dumbledore.
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? Dr. René Favaloro, my grandfather.
16. Who are your favorite characters in history? Alexander the Great.
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Writer (I try, but I haven't published anything yet) or painter (I have no talent for visual arts whatsoever).
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live? I would have to try all first and then decide...
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? Being hugged by people you love.
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Not having anyone to hug you, specially when you really need it.
21. What do you value most in your friends? The fact that they like me in spite of everything.
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? The ability to sing.
23. How would you like to die? Having had enough time to leave my stuff in order and say goodbye to family and friends, and painlessly.
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? N/A.
25. What is your motto? If your problem has a solution, do not worry, solve it. If your problem has no solution, do not worry anyway. (I was told it is a Chinese proverb.)

Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? I loved it here.
27. What have you learned since joining WR? The extent of my own ignorance.
28. What is your favorite thing about WR? The collaborative spirit, the culture forum and the people.
29. Chocolate or Nutella? Chocolate (what a no-brainer!).

 

[mjscott]

Dear Foreros and Foreras, ​

In celebration of the Forum's 1,000,000th post,
we (your mod team) thought it time we get to know each and everyone of you a little better. We've put together a list of questions you are welcome to answer as part of this thread - and of course, we answered them too (even Mike), so you can get to know us. This thread will only be open for a limited period of time,
so please answer as soon as you can.​

With nods to Marcel Proust, Bernard Pivot
and noted philosopher Raphus Cucullatus, we present
the WR "Twenty-Five Questions."
​

1. What is your country of birth?The USA
2. What is your current country of residence?The USA
3. What is your height in ft/in, centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like.5ft 3in
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any.(Hey, why can't the women answer this one?)
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…)Sporty, comfortable, but with style, low-maintenance
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)?Portuguese Sopas, Anise-finoccio biscotti, spanakopitas, baklava
7. What is your favorite word?Truly? You guys have one favorite word?
8. What is your least favorite word?One that is spelled incorrectly
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?When I write something that sounds good to my own ears.
10. What turns you off?When I get so busy I tie myself in knots and my brain starts squirting panic juice
11. What are your favorite books?Information books--Audubon books--books where I can learn stuff
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers?Walt Whitman, Robert Frost, Octavio Paz, Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz, CS Lewis, Stephen King (did I say that?)
13. Who are your favorite painters?The impressionists, (Monet); Rembrandt and the other Dutch guy they made a movie about recently
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction?Piebald in CS Lewis's Perelandra
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life?Salt-of-the-earth types who quietly live lives of hard work and honesty--and teach the same to their children
16. Who are your favorite characters in history?Jesus of Nazareth, Confucius
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?painting
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live?Brazil!
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness?When mind and body are at peace and being productive
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?Desperation
21. What do you value most in your friends?Probably intelligence
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess?Perfect health for all of my years
23. How would you like to die?Obviously, in my sleep--unaware that things have turned off
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
I'm so glad you finally got it right!
25. What is your motto?There's always another side to the story!
Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR?I think I read some threads and wanted to chime in.
27. What have you learned since joining WR?Not everyone wanted to hear what I had to say! The mods probably aren't all in the same room somewhere down at a cyber-cafe drinking lattes in their hand-knit sweaters and wearing Birkenstocks. Once you learn the rules, it's a good place to get a world view on things.
28. What is your favorite thing about WR?Somebody's up around the clock. This is a brave new world we're living in folks--Do we even realize we are talking with each other all around the world?!?
29. Chocolate or Nutella?

Chocolate. I dislike hazelnuts--(and think they are especially distateful as a flavoring for coffee, also)

 

[daoxunchang]

1. What is your country of birth?
China
2. What is your current country of residence?
China
3. What is your height in ft/in, centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like.
149cm
4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any.
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…)
I think I am quite want of taste, at least in regard to fashion. So, I choose tailored.
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)?
Many repulsive foods for me. And I only have desire for good --- to my taste --- when the chance to have them is in front of me. Much too vague I think, but the closest to my taste for food.
7. What is your favorite word?
Never thought of this. Never try to pick them out.
8. What is your least favorite word?
ditto
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
I don't find much creativity in myself.
Writing down unhappy things make me even unhappy. So I usually do not do this.
10. What turns you off?
sleeplessness
11. What are your favorite books?
Presently books in old Chinese.
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers?
Presently none. I think I have lost much interest in people.
13. Who are your favorite painters?
Virtually no taste or knowledge in painting.
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction?
Changing from time to time.
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life?
None. Though I had some, I don't regard them as my favorite "heroes" because I don't actually know much about them. And not much interest to.
16. Who are your favorite characters in history?
ditto
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Not much knowledge as to what a particular vocation is, so --- still none.
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live?
None. Not much interest in people at present, so not much interest to get in touch with more.
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness?
Good sleeping and health
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
consciously knowing that oneself is suffering severest bodily pain. I always hold that when one's body suffers too much, it is hard to think about any "higher" level things.
21. What do you value most in your friends?
honesty
22. What natural gift would you most like to possess?
to be able to sleep well
23. How would you like to die?
without any disease and without any part of me lost in previous disease. with those who I care to lament over my death
24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
You'll enjoy good sleep thereafter.
25. What is your motto?
none

26. Why did you join WR?
a member's recommendation; I'm learning English and my English is awful
27. What have you learned since joining WR?
that there so many excellent people out there
28. What is your favorite thing about WR?
enthusiasm
29. Chocolate or Nutella?
none. not with a western food tooth

 

[betulina]

1. What is your country of birth? Catalonia /Spain

2. What is your current country of residence? Catalonia /Spain

3. What is your height in ft/in, centimeters or whatever standard of measure you like. 1.68 m

4. Men Only: Facial hair adornments, if any.

5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? (Tailored, Fun, Funky , Lovely…) It depends on how I feel, but usually colourful; I like skirts more and more

6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? Mediterranean overall, but anything would do... if it's not spicy!

7. What is your favorite word? Alegria (joy)

8. What is your least favorite word? Calla (you shut up)

9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Creatively, a good shower , sit in the sun for a while; spiritually and emotionally, laugh.

10. What turns you off? Lies, injustice.

11. What are your favorite books? Difficult for me to answer 'what's-your-favourite' questions... it's usually the one I read at the moment if I like it , so... Mecanoscrit del segon origen, Manuel de Pedrolo. Generally, a part from literature, I enjoy reading about history, language...

12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? Hmm... I really enjoy Manuel de Pedrolo, Montserrat Roig, Mercè Rodoreda in Catalan; in English, Jane Austen.

13. Who are your favorite painters? I'm a bit ashamed that I'm not much interested in painting...

14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? None, I'm afraid.

15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? Those anonymus people who live a war and must go through a post-war period, like my grandparents and parents generations -I really admire these generations.

16. Who are your favorite characters in history? Those who help to change the world for good -women in the '60s...

17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Gardener, restorer

18. In what country other than your own would you like to live? The Basque country, Scotland, Wales

19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? Having someone to share the world and have a laugh everyday.

20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Undesired loneliness.

21. What do you value most in your friends? Intelligence, tollerance, fun.

22. What natural gift would you most like to possess? To talk as clearly as I think (not saying I think clearly but talking like that would be enough )

23. How would you like to die? Peacefully, painlessly, with dignity.

24. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or deity of your choice) say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Sorry, I just can't figure it out... (me talking to you! see #22 heheh)

25. What is your motto? I don't really have one, but I like the Sting "be yourself no matter what they say".

Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? My brother told me about it, and I found it very useful and got stuck.

27. What have you learned since joining WR? Catalan, Spanish, English... and the power of words!

28. What is your favorite thing about WR? So many people from all over the world!

29. Chocolate or Nutella? Nocilla ... but no, none like chocolate!

Congratulations, WR!!!

 

[Krümelmonster]

1. What is your country of birth? Germany
2. What is your current country of residence? Germany
3. What is your height? 1,73 m
5. Women Only: How fashionable are you? I like many-coloured annulate socks, would you call that fashionable at all?
6. What are your favorite foods (by category)? Mum's kitchen of course
7. What is your favorite word? flabbergasted
8. What is your least favorite word? Reichsdeputationshauptschluss
9. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Sunshine
10. What turns you off? Rain (Oh I know, that sounds sooo superficial...)
11. What are your favorite books? the Bible, Emilia Galotti (Lessing)
12. Who are your favorite poets and/or writers? Schiller, Goethe, Shakespeare, John Grisham, Adrian Plass
13. Who are your favorite painters? Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida
14. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines of fiction? Bicycle Repair Man! (Monty Python )
15. Who are your favorite heroes or heroines in real life? Jesus, my grandmother
16. Who are your favorite characters in history? one of the mentioned above
17. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? translator of literature,actress
18 In what country other than your own would you like to live? Spain, the UK, Costa Rica...
19. What is your idea of earthly happiness? strawberry cake with my family... that's the reason why I have to hurry now!
20. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Not being allowed to live your feelings
21. What do you value most in your friends? good and trustworthy listeners, able to be silly but always knowing when they have to be serious...
22. What natural gift would you most like to posses? the ability of driving by car into a city without losing myself completely
23. How would you like to die? having the feeling not to have missed anything in my life
24. What would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Hey, how was your day?
25. What is your motto? Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.


Three Four bonus questions:

26. Why did you join WR? Because I didn't find a German-Portuguese online dictionary
27. What have you learned since joining WR? Some Portuguese, I hope
28. What is your favorite thing about WR? The variety of people...
29. Chocolate or Nutella? Chocolate, though I love Nutella, too