Hi everyone. It’s a non-anime/Japan post this week since a) I’m still in the process of attempting to settle down here and the transition has been pretty rough, and b) I was nominated the Sunshine Blogger Award by the lovely Bobble Anime.

The rules are pretty simple:
– Thank the person who nominated you in a blog post and link back to their blog.
– Answer the 11 questions posted by the person who nominated you.
– Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and write them 11 new questions.
– List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post.

So without further ado, here are the questions I was given.

Do you like to collect anything (coins, stamps, etc.)?
I used to collect stickers when I was really little. Nowadays I don’t make a conscious effort to collect anything, but I do still have a pretty large (and growing) collection of earrings. I especially like to buy them whenever I travel to a foreign country since they’re so small and light – not to mention usually pretty cheap.

Favorite dessert?
Unless it involves some form of chocolate then I’m not a big dessert person. And not to brag, but my mum makes the best chocolate mousse of all time.

If you could make any book series into an anime that hasn’t already, what would it be?
Assuming it would be done well? Probably the Chrestomanci series by Diana Wynne Jones. I can think of plenty of other book series that I like as much or more, but I think her style is exactly the right kind of fantastical for an anime adaptation. And given that I’ve seen one standalone book of hers already adapted into anime format (Howl’s Moving Castle), I’d be keen to see more.

Green tea or black tea?
I like both, but of the two I prefer black. However, I like iced roasted barley tea even more.

If you’re running late for work/school and you grab one thing for breakfast, what would it be?
An apple and a bottle of water from the fridge. Even where I’m currently living (a small hotel room with zero kitchen area), I still have a fridge where I keep what I deem the necessities in case I can’t/don’t want to go out to buy food or end up running late for work.

Ironed clothes or no?
Only if I must. Generally I just prefer clothes that don’t need ironing.

What’s it like outside right now?
Sunny, but the coolest it’s been here since I arrived. They tell me that by the end of December I might actually need… a sweater.

If you could make a music box version of any song, which song would it be and why?
I’d want it to be a good long one so that it doesn’t keep repeating every minute and annoy the hell out of me, and also something reasonably soft and slow to fit my image of the music box mood. So maybe ‘Toire no Kamisama’ by Uemura Kana? It’s a really nice piece that already has a few of those light, tinkly sounds going on anyway.

What catchphrase would you use to describe your life?
Every catchphrase ever from The Catherine Tate Show. Though if I had to pick only one of her characters to draw from, it’d have to be Lauren Cooper.

Do you have any writing advice for budding bloggers?
Edit before you post. If you’re not sure of a sentence (either in terms of grammar or just how it sounds), read it to yourself out loud. In fact, read everything out loud. Seriously, it’s amazing what you don’t pick up on just by reading it silently, no matter how great at English/writing you are.

If you could make a knitted version of any character, who would that character be and why?
Nyanko-sensei from Natsume Yuujinchou. Tell me that wouldn’t be the most adorable yet hilarious thing ever.

I’d like to nominate the following bloggers for this award. Apologies if you’ve already been nominated, and needless to say there’s no obligation to actually do this if you don’t want.

Speculative OP
Mistakes Cheerio for Chesto
Minute Art
thought raid
golden realist
Brave New Moe
GAR GAR Stegosaurus
Risembool Ranger Anime Reviews
Caraniel’s Ramblings
I Have a Heroine Problem
Pirates of the Burley Griffin

My questions to these bloggers:

What was the first movie you ever saw in a cinema?
If you could snap your fingers and be super-talented at any one (non-fantastical) thing, what would it be?
Is there any food you absolutely can’t stand?
Based on your own personality, which Stock Japanese Character would you be?
Assuming it was totally safe and you had the time and money, where would you most like to spend a week’s vacation?
What natural disaster is the most terrifying?
Have you ever broken any bones and if so, how?
Even if you’ve only watched a few minutes, what’s the single worst anime you’ve ever seen?
What charity would you donate a million dollars to?
What’s your biggest pet peeve?
Did you ever believe in Santa, the Easter Bunny, or the tooth fairy?