Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in a round of applause for the one person who’s truly been responsible for all of the fun and excitement during this process........MADAM EXPRESSION….....
1. What is your real-life occupation? What do you do for a living?
I am a scientist turned ghost-writer. I currently utilize my knowledge to write for a living, without the glory, because poverty for passion is a perverse badge of honor I can no longer carry. Aye, this is depressing… in a nutshell, I followed the exodus out of academia to a slightly greener land that remains largely foreign to the public.
By the way, “expression” actually came from “expression of gene family X”, a project I was working on at that time. But of course, I came to realize it’s a much more versatile username than originally intended, which is, ahem, certain proof of my hidden genius.
2. What do you do for past-time, other than visiting spcnet?
I like to sleep, A LOT, which is how granny stays young. I yap with family, A LOT, which is how I remain social despite all that sleep. I like shopping too, but it usually takes me at least 3 viewings before I will finally buy anything. Highly inefficient. Thank goodness. After all these, apparently there is still some time left for me to try a few girly arts and crafts – drawing, paper sculpting, miniatures, mixed media … but being the good lover, I usually focus on one at a time. My favorite hobby in recent years is beading. For some projects, I was able to incorporate jade pieces that I’ve collected over the years into something wearable, instead of locking them away. Pretty artsy huh? I agree! I showcase my masterpieces by painstakingly matching them with different outfits, but unfortunately people went numb after the initial praising phase … so obviously it’s time to explore new ways to garner attention. Again. *sigh*
I seldom watch tv, but I do like to read, mostly non-fiction. Used to be a hard-core wuxia fan, but have outgrown it. I’ll probably never outgrow Brigitte Lin’s Qiu Moyan 丘莫言 in “New Dragon Inn”, though I admit she’s a silly girl with a cool flute. Hey, I’m not that shallow: I don’t JUST like her flute, I ALSO like her sword and mask. So there. The remnant of my past wuxia passion can also be seen in my continued admiration of the lofty wuxia-ry poets Xin Qiji 辛棄疾 and Su Shi 蘇軾. By the way, Moyan’s flute has Xin’s “Pozhenzi 破陣子” poem carved on it, cool huh?
Of special note, ahem *drums roll*, I have the noble intention to read or at least skim through most of the notable ancient Chinese texts, but given my multi-timer nature, I doubt it will ever come close… did I just admit I’m a multi-timer? Still, I did have the INTENTION, mind you!
So, as you can see, I can pretty much shut myself up in my little room all day. No, I’m not that fat. Not at all. Not yet. Stop cursing me.
3. Why did you initially join SPCNET? What about SPCNET makes you stay?
Initially: wuxia and old tv series. Stay: colorful members in the lounge. Spcnet still offers the most intelligent and amusing discussions around.
4. Describe yourself. Do you think people perceive you in the same way? How well does your online personality reflect your personality in real life?
I’m just a low-key, peaceful nerd who is heavily family-oriented. Sounds like the perfect nun? Aye, wait till you hear me scream at retarded drivers on the road, with my doors locked and windows safely closed of course. Most people view me (I believe) as a no-trouble girl who sits in a corner doing her stuff, but obviously most of them have yet to sit in a corner of my car. Still, I maintain that I am a highly consistent character. It’s just that my remaining self-righteousness tend to stir up tsunamis occasionally -- fortunately and unfortunately, I am usually the only casualty, as people generally don’t pay much attention to me and my random grand theories. For all that I know, my only differences online are that I get to yap more* and do more fun projects like hosting interviews#.
* I need to think before I speak, but in real life people usually yap on before I had time to think.
# No responsibility online. How convenient.
See how yappy I am in this interview? For a girl with a sharp but slow tongue (that’s why people still call her nice), internet forum is her best friend.
5. Are there any turning points in your life? Any life-changing events? What are some moments in your life that you would consider to be character defining?
First and smaller one, immigration. I still have culture aftershocks once in a while. Quite stimulating actually.
Second and much bigger one, grad school, during which I finally got my act together to get baptized. These two events interacted wondrously to remodel my values and character. I realized what I truly need to deal with the external unfairness and absurdity, and the internal disillusionment and pride. Coincidentally, I start visiting spcnet amongst this turmoil; maybe that’s what makes spcnet so special to me.
You really need to be completely demolished before you can reconstruct something better; I take myself much less seriously by the time I get my degree.