Quick interview meme
I think that what I hate so far about writing essays now is getting the bibliography together. And finishing up at what should ideally be a more in-depth point but you discover that you've somehow run out of space for it. XO Bleh. I hope this thing doesn't fail me because of how much I've ended up talking about one side of the issue.
Doing Aishah's first, then Leah's in another entry...
1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me!"
2. I will respond by asking you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will post the answers to the questions (and the questions themselves) on your blog or journal.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions. And thus the endless cycle of the meme goes on and on and on and on...
1. What is your family like? How many are you in the family? Are you the youngest? Eldest?
Dysfunctional? XD; No, not really. But it's two conservative immigrant parents from Pakistan, and two moderate daughters who identify more with Europe and America in their attitudes and perspectives. This does lead to conflict at times (re: some of my vents about my parents in this journal XP) but overall we care for each other and support one another (I'm the youngest, by the way).
2. What got you into rock, death metal, goth, etc?
During my adolescent years, my cousin Shahid would play the Black Album by Metallica, and later my sister started playing their other albums including Load and Reload (which I also like, as controversial as saying that may be) as well as other heavy metal and rock bands: Iced Earth, Iron Maiden, Breed 77, etc. She enjoys other kinds of music like R'n'B, but these don't click for me personally. I prefer guitars! XD
Recently I've become more interested in metal as a whole (as you can see, hehe) and the bands I've discovered on my own (meaning without my cousin or sister) so far are brilliant: Dark Tranquility, Amon Amarth, Apocalyptica, etc.
My interest in Goth - you mean the aesthetic or the music? I got into the aesthetic during my teenage years when I discovered anthropomorphic art with influences or clear signs of it. I really liked what I saw, and so I began to pursue it as much as I could. Then I discovered some of the music (Theatre of Tragedy, which is actually Death/Doom but was labelled Gothic Metal when I found it) and found it clicking with me as well.
To me, the romance behind it is so appealling as is the dark or ironic humour in works like Lenore, Nemi and Voltaire's songs.
Etc. - I'm assuming I could just fill this in with whatever?
Anthropomorphic animals - I've been interested in them since I was a kid, because of the cartoons on tv like Garfield. I didn't realise that people dress up in fursuits to have sex or that anthro/furry porn existed until the Internet. None of these sit right with me, so I feel that I have to explain to people that I'm not into that stuff whenever they find out I like anthro animals. XP
Manga - I was disillusioned with mainstream American comic books about four or five years ago, but didn't see any reason to give up my interest in sequential art altogether. I decided to look at the manga section of my comic shop, and discovered Rurouni Kenshin, which I got to enjoy the first time I read it for its story more than its characters. Afterwards, I decided to look around for more manga and then found One Piece, Eyeshield 21 and (now) Genshiken. I did find some shoujo, Cardcaptor Sakura, but I found shounen much more interesting.
I also pursued my interests in Osamu Tezuka, and read Astro Boy for the first time around then. I'm one of those who believes that the man was a genius for his writing and approach to storytelling :D
3. What course are you in school? Are you a working student? University? college?
I finished my undergraduate degree last summer, and am now a graduate in BA Joint Honours English Literature with Media, Culture and Society. Currently, I'm studying full-time at the same university (University of Birmingham) as a Masters student in Media, Culture and Society while praying that I don't f*ck it up too badly (or at all).
4. Have you always been a hijabi since you were young? how long have you been one?
This is an interesting thing, because in my case when I was about 11 or 12 I was just told to wear hijab by my parents, who didn't really explain to me why I should or even the possibility that I didn't have to until I felt ready for it. I hated it at first, which concerned and surprised my mom, but then the more I wore it the more comfortable I felt with it.
Later on I came to wonder whether I was wearing it because I genuinely wanted to, or because I was just told to. I've also come to realise the functions of the hijab, which my parents never really explained to me.
I don't believe in wearing hijab just because your parents told you to, because you're only doing it to please them and not because you genuinely want to. I've mentioned this before to a number of people, but about last year my dad started trying to make me wear the hijab in front of him inside the house; which seriously rubbed me the wrong way as
A) he never did this before in the entire 22 years of my life
B) According to the Qur'an, your dad is one of the people around whom you don't have to wear hijab. And I'm certainly not going to wear hijab around him in the comfort of my own HOME.
I'm certain it's a cultural thing that he was trying to push on me...grr. I think that instead of berating a Muslim woman for not covering her hair, men should educate themselves on its functions, its implications for the women who wear hijab, and bear in mind that if a Muslim woman doesn't wear it they shouldn't talk down to her for it or force her into it. There should be no compulsion in religion, although a LOT of people (perhaps DELIBERATELY) overlook that rule...
Sorry to have gotten off on such a rant. It's an issue that I feel strongly about, and I guess I'm not completely over how annoyed I was at my dad for trying to make me cover my hair around him, even if this was about months ago...
5. If I am to visit you anytime soon, where would you tour me first?
Birmingham, because that's at least five times cooler and more interesting than Walsall (which sucks beans).
Doing Aishah's first, then Leah's in another entry...
1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me!"
2. I will respond by asking you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will post the answers to the questions (and the questions themselves) on your blog or journal.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions. And thus the endless cycle of the meme goes on and on and on and on...
1. What is your family like? How many are you in the family? Are you the youngest? Eldest?
Dysfunctional? XD; No, not really. But it's two conservative immigrant parents from Pakistan, and two moderate daughters who identify more with Europe and America in their attitudes and perspectives. This does lead to conflict at times (re: some of my vents about my parents in this journal XP) but overall we care for each other and support one another (I'm the youngest, by the way).
2. What got you into rock, death metal, goth, etc?
During my adolescent years, my cousin Shahid would play the Black Album by Metallica, and later my sister started playing their other albums including Load and Reload (which I also like, as controversial as saying that may be) as well as other heavy metal and rock bands: Iced Earth, Iron Maiden, Breed 77, etc. She enjoys other kinds of music like R'n'B, but these don't click for me personally. I prefer guitars! XD
Recently I've become more interested in metal as a whole (as you can see, hehe) and the bands I've discovered on my own (meaning without my cousin or sister) so far are brilliant: Dark Tranquility, Amon Amarth, Apocalyptica, etc.
My interest in Goth - you mean the aesthetic or the music? I got into the aesthetic during my teenage years when I discovered anthropomorphic art with influences or clear signs of it. I really liked what I saw, and so I began to pursue it as much as I could. Then I discovered some of the music (Theatre of Tragedy, which is actually Death/Doom but was labelled Gothic Metal when I found it) and found it clicking with me as well.
To me, the romance behind it is so appealling as is the dark or ironic humour in works like Lenore, Nemi and Voltaire's songs.
Etc. - I'm assuming I could just fill this in with whatever?
Anthropomorphic animals - I've been interested in them since I was a kid, because of the cartoons on tv like Garfield. I didn't realise that people dress up in fursuits to have sex or that anthro/furry porn existed until the Internet. None of these sit right with me, so I feel that I have to explain to people that I'm not into that stuff whenever they find out I like anthro animals. XP
Manga - I was disillusioned with mainstream American comic books about four or five years ago, but didn't see any reason to give up my interest in sequential art altogether. I decided to look at the manga section of my comic shop, and discovered Rurouni Kenshin, which I got to enjoy the first time I read it for its story more than its characters. Afterwards, I decided to look around for more manga and then found One Piece, Eyeshield 21 and (now) Genshiken. I did find some shoujo, Cardcaptor Sakura, but I found shounen much more interesting.
I also pursued my interests in Osamu Tezuka, and read Astro Boy for the first time around then. I'm one of those who believes that the man was a genius for his writing and approach to storytelling :D
3. What course are you in school? Are you a working student? University? college?
I finished my undergraduate degree last summer, and am now a graduate in BA Joint Honours English Literature with Media, Culture and Society. Currently, I'm studying full-time at the same university (University of Birmingham) as a Masters student in Media, Culture and Society while praying that I don't f*ck it up too badly (or at all).
4. Have you always been a hijabi since you were young? how long have you been one?
This is an interesting thing, because in my case when I was about 11 or 12 I was just told to wear hijab by my parents, who didn't really explain to me why I should or even the possibility that I didn't have to until I felt ready for it. I hated it at first, which concerned and surprised my mom, but then the more I wore it the more comfortable I felt with it.
Later on I came to wonder whether I was wearing it because I genuinely wanted to, or because I was just told to. I've also come to realise the functions of the hijab, which my parents never really explained to me.
I don't believe in wearing hijab just because your parents told you to, because you're only doing it to please them and not because you genuinely want to. I've mentioned this before to a number of people, but about last year my dad started trying to make me wear the hijab in front of him inside the house; which seriously rubbed me the wrong way as
A) he never did this before in the entire 22 years of my life
B) According to the Qur'an, your dad is one of the people around whom you don't have to wear hijab. And I'm certainly not going to wear hijab around him in the comfort of my own HOME.
I'm certain it's a cultural thing that he was trying to push on me...grr. I think that instead of berating a Muslim woman for not covering her hair, men should educate themselves on its functions, its implications for the women who wear hijab, and bear in mind that if a Muslim woman doesn't wear it they shouldn't talk down to her for it or force her into it. There should be no compulsion in religion, although a LOT of people (perhaps DELIBERATELY) overlook that rule...
Sorry to have gotten off on such a rant. It's an issue that I feel strongly about, and I guess I'm not completely over how annoyed I was at my dad for trying to make me cover my hair around him, even if this was about months ago...
5. If I am to visit you anytime soon, where would you tour me first?
Birmingham, because that's at least five times cooler and more interesting than Walsall (which sucks beans).