Life Lessons, Culture, Writing, Inspiration
Honest Answers and Reflections: June Interview Questions
I love Interview Questions- it’s fun, forces reflection and contemplation; raises self-awareness, and personally, makes me feel like a celebrity! (How’s that for honesty?!)
Anyway, here are June’s questions with responses:
[1] As a writer, how do you come up with new ideas? How do you capture them so that they are ready when you sit down to write?
I get ideas mostly from reading- books, articles, the occasional Twitter thread. I read a lot and dwell on those ideas and thoughts even more- so they are really my source of ideas.
I jot down ideas in my trusty iPhone Notes, Kindle Notes and on Medium drafts. I also recently discovered the feature of sharing highlights on Kindle as #KindleQuotes via Twitter, Goodreads. Those help greatly as well.
[2] On the spectrum of introvert — ambivert — extrovert, where would you place yourself? What are some reason(s) you think you might place in that position? Does it change depending on context?
I am definitely an extrovert. I can and will talk to everyone.
Many factors contribute to this:
- being from a large family,
- having travelled a lot,
- knowing multiple languages (mostly Indian and with varying degrees of fluency),
- growing up in Mumbai which is a melting pot of cultures,
- being married to an ambivert -hello social gatherings and Office parties where I basically introduced myself!
- A surprising factor is raising my kiddo (older one) in Chicago- because moms of bored toddlers need friends and playdates and fast in the winter days!
I would definitely say, the intrinsic tendency helped, but looking at my life so far- I would have been converted to an ambivert; even had I been the shyest of introverts!
[3] What is your relationship with sound? Whether you interpret this word to encompass awkward silences in interactions to the connection found through music, take us on a journey on how you relate to the external world through this sense.
For me sounds, silence and music are entwined together. I love music and find it moves me very deeply. Conversely, I find music soothes and corrals me when my thoughts and emotions are turbulent.
As far as silence goes, I have never experienced total silence- stillness, yes, silence no! There are always melodies even in what goes for pin-drop silence- like birds chirping, a baby’s soft whispered sleep, humming of vehicles, the steady drone of machines as they clean/ move/ transform stuff.
[4] How has your culture or context shaped your beliefs about relationships and what they “should” look like? How much do you subscribe to those expectations?
Two beliefs about relationships that my culture shaped are:
— if only we work hard enough, every relation can be great. Ha ha! Friends, family, kids- applies equally to all.
Working and nurturing relations is important, I agree. But the conventional wisdom imposed smacks of the underlying assumption that if there is a problem, it probably means we did not commit or work hard enough. Thankfully life has taught me better. Sometimes we have to let it go!
— Mothers love children no matter what. I subscribed to this for quite a while. Thankfully, no more.
Again, it’s not the thought but the wording that I dislike. Why limit to moms? All parents love their children. And the caveat is “despite everything”. This love should be and usually is, unconditional, not blind. The difference is subtle but profound. Because it gives permission to talk about the struggles of parenting, of the imperfections of society, of the curveballs that life throws at us without fear of being judged and labelled. Words matter people!
[5] What is one food that reminds you of childhood?
Street food- pani puri, Ragada Pattis, and also Butterscotch ice cream. The thought itself transports me to those good old days- giggling and stuffing my face silly!
Top fives!
- Who are 5 of your favourite musicians/ bands? Kishore Kumar, Adele, MS Subbalakshmi, Adam Levine, Shankar Mahadevan
- What are your top 5 favourite fruits? Mangoes, Pineapples, Guavas, Musk Melon, Watermelon
- What are your top 5 least favourite vegetables? Banana Flower, Banana stem, (I like the fruit and unripe bananas as vegetables), Tondli. I do eat them but given a choice I would refrain.
- What are 5 times in your life where you wish you took more time to celebrate?
I really can’t think of moments I did not celebrate. I usually am a very buoyant person who tries to see the ‘silver lining’ as much as I can. Possibly I should celebrate not having lost followers in the recent update a bit more. (Knock on wood)
- What are 5 reasons that get you out of bed each morning?
— because I usually have a list of things to accomplish. I am an Achiever.
— because I have embraced that I am an adult.
— I am a morning person
— reflex action: my school, college, work was always early
— my kids wake up early too! I am terrified of what mischief they might get into if I don’t wake early enough! 😂
Articles to share
- A piece that deserves more love: Rethinking Being Brave
- A creative piece: Bombay Sandwich
- A piece shorter than 2 mins: Avocado Assassin
- An article from your favourite publication- this one is evergreen yet so apt with all the updates going on! Worth bookmarking, for sure!
This post is a response to the prompt over at The Brain Is a Noodle by Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她) -do give it a shot! The actual link can be found at-
