Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Tag, you are it!

Roxana over at Illuminated Perfume Journal tagged me on October 5th. This is all new to me and I discovered being tagged is like playing the game "tag", so I'm "IT" now and the rules dictate I do the following:

1. Link to the person who tagged you
2. Post the rules on your blog
3. Write six random things about yourself
4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them
5. Let each person know they've been tagged and leave a comment on their blog
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

My contribution to six random things about me:



1.I trained as a classical pianist in my youth. After getting my diploma I soon found out the error of my ways and realised classical music serves not as a balm for the mores but instead excites them into one of the most vilely back-stabbing and prima-donna-ish sectors this side of arts. I soon found out it's just about the same with every sector really...

2.There has been a nerdy phase in my life when I was maniacally playing board games that usually have other nerdy guys (mostly) retreat to the Hebrides and play with their friends for days. Yup, talk about a guilty secret!

3.I can cook a mean set of tasty dishes in under two hours and not spoil my manicure. Have cornered all the little tricks of making something appear more complex or gourmet than it really is (ie. chopping up some fresh herbs over a simple gratîn or drizzling some balsamic glaze, raisins and croutons over a green salad are two of them)

4.I am pathetically challenged in gardening: gifting me with a pot containing some plant matter in it, no matter its endurance is a sure sentence of death for the poor living thing. Spare them or present them to me guilty-free as in already decapitated beyond my control (not that I am very good with preserving the latter either)

5.I am younger than people who read me online think. This is an interesting phenomenon to watch though: how perception makes for age-related guesses.

6.While on a trip to Austria's historical places I had to live for a few weeks in an old-fashioned, grandiose hotel (rather mansion turned into hotel) that had a communal floor bathroom with a curtain instead of a door (!). I have never felt so constipated in my life since. Fortunately, I might add...

And who I am tagging next? A selection of some of the blogs I peruse; no desire to exclude anyone, just giving credit to unsung heroes this time.

Dain at Ars Aromatica: an all-inclusive lifestyle venue that has some of the best magazines panting in the competition. There is nothing that Dain doesn't do better, including short essays on literary heroes and foes who have entranced or annoyed her.

Qwendy at Notes on Shoe, Cake and Perfume: For some unfathomable reason I had missed this venue all along. I am discovering that was an oversight I should remedy. Lots of interesting stuff going on!

Maria at BitterGrace Notes: This is where I go to read insightful comments on matters pertaining to current events, read about what city-dweller me has been deprived of ~in short, criters, hikes and assorted nature-loving images; and watch a clip or two of divine musical choices.

Jenavira at Scent of Abricots: If blogging is about glimpsing a little of another person's life, Jen has been most generous with allowing us to do so with hers. I love that she uses wonderful paintings or illustrtations to accompany each post.

Pat at Olfactarama: Besides sharing a passion, nay obsession is more like it, about cinematic past and present, I love to read how Pat is discovering her path in perfume LaLaLand and how the surprises are often astounding or disappointing ~nothing like the candid shots of an honest appraiser with taste.

Lucy at LucyFishWife: This Londoner among books which talk about books asks in echo: "Why must you tell me all your secrets when it's hard enough to love you knowing nothing?". I am challenging her to reveal more than the cherry tomatoes her eagle eye has spotted on Minas Tirith. I know she can rise up to the challenge!


The clip "I have a secret" sung by Aliki Vougiouklaki with music by Manos Hadjidakis comes from the 1959 classic Greek film "To xylo vgike apo ton paradiso" (=Spanking comes out of Paradise; lol, it sounds naughtier than it is!) or "Maiden's Cheek" in its UK title inspired by a lyric in the "Ode to Love" in Sophocle's Antigone, taught in the classroom at a crucial scene in the movie ~the quote goes thus:
"O love, thou art victor in fight, thou makest all things afraid;
Thou couchest thee softly at night on the cheeks of a maid;
Thou passest the bounds of the sea, and the folds of the fields;
To thee immortal, to thee the ephemeral yields".

The secret is that the girl is in love with her handsome teacher...

34 comments:

  1. Hello, dear E. Based on (1), (3), (4), and possibly (5), we may be the same person. :-) I'd meant to ask you about (1) previously, from some of the musical references in your blog.

    As for the video, well, we all know we're in for a good time when someone pulls out the old accordion for a song.

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  2. Woohoo, I've been tagged! Now to find the time to do this.

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  3. Tagged! Full-frontal blog nudity! Will bare my soul when I have decided what to write that will make me look cool...

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  4. Helg! How fabulous, somehow I didn't think others would have the time or conviction to play. I am thrilled to see that you like to get out and run around a bit for a good game of tag.
    Sounds like that trip to Greece will be moved up on our MUST VISIT list.

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  5. We are surely soulmates, no doubt, my friend.

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  6. Hah! Fun. I have enjoyed your musical references in the past (I think one of them is what caused me to fully delurk), and it is nice to see some of my own regular destinations among your unsung heroes. (Hi, Jen, Qwendy, Olfacta & Maria!) Now I have two new ones to discover.

    Hey, now be careful about perceptions...you refer to classical piano in your youth...and then say people are younger than you think...methinks an "old soul" may come into play here... ;)

    Whether or not your manicure lasts through your cooking, and whether you are capable of casting a Dragon Eeeyore three spell whilst sniffing and reviewing--these things are fun to know, but the best part remains your excellent writing and thoughtful presentations! Thanks for your blog, Oh Tagged One. You are indeed, it. :)

    (And tagged by Roxana...this is a fun chain to watch evolve!)

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  7. Anonymous06:14

    Dear Helg,

    Ha! We have two things in common: #3 & #5. (Almost #1 as well, although I didn't make it far enough to the diploma program...got backstabbed waaayyyy before then.)

    Thanks for not tagging me (;-p) because my schedule is getting really, really crazy...in fact I shouldn't be reading your blog right now! Oh well...

    A

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  8. Helg! If only you could have kept and encouraged a indoor plant to grow more you could have gone to that bathroom a touch more hidden and thus no constipation!

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  9. Hi J!

    Yup and I am growing a little goatee as we speak (LOL), so I hope the nails are in top-notch shape :P

    LOL!!!!

    Music has been a constant all my life, but didn't need to advertise it. He/she who knows, knows.

    On that video:
    The clip is from the school exurcion segment: the protagonist breaks into song yet again while there in a rather "playful" kittenish tune about a...kitten! (the teacher she's in love with can be seen at the first shot at the front right; in fact the actress got married to that actor and they acted on MANY films together...they're both dead now)

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  10. Jen,

    :-))
    You can do it as light or detailed as you want!

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  11. L,

    yeah...talk about exposure: so there you are, I'm afraid you have to come up with something we don't know!
    (and you're as cool as they come, so I have no fear)

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  12. R,

    it was quite entertaining! I am not waiting to see who takes the baton next.

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  13. Dearest I,

    I had no doubts about that (and I have lagged behind in our correspondence, forgive me)

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  14. S,
    they're all worthy of reading :-)

    I shouldn't have said "youth" maybe: "childhood and adolescence" would have been much more accurate: For anyone who wonders, it was between the ages of 5 and 18. (that's when I got my Diploma, on my first year in University).

    Ah, I was casting Fireballs too and meticulously counting my Constitution points as well ;-)

    Thank you, oh Scented one, for your *most* kind words, you do flatter me.

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  15. Dear A,

    I was this close to tag you, but then you're not an unsung hero on this venue :-))

    The back-stabbing was something truly hideous: in order to get at a teacher they used to backstab his pupils, they got their friends noisefully leafing through the brochures stating the pieces to be performed during others' performances etc.etc. pathetic really.
    I had deduced that we're kindred spirits in that (and many other) aspect.

    And LOL, we seem to be good cooks us perfume-lovers: probably because we appreciate the common thread of appreciating the smell of things.

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  16. Dear M,

    trust you to break the definitive witty comment to lighten things!! LOL!

    But really, I am not exagerrating at all: plants die on me no matter what I do!!
    Then again, the way that filthy place was the poor thing might have decided to wilt there and then before anyone was smart enough to take it for hiding purposes :P

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  17. Loved reading these quirky facts about your life! We have a lot in common... I, too, played the piano and love to cook- although, I must say I am terrible about keeping my manicure from chipping whilst doing so :)

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  18. Glad you did!
    And yes, we surely must! :-)

    Well, chopping herbs and vegetables is the most manicure damaging, so I either put on gloves or try to chop ahead and do my nails later ;-)

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  19. Ah, you just made me curious about how old you actually are ;-).

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  20. Hey! I've posted my response. Thank you for the lovely compliment. ; )

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  21. L,

    there is something Mona Lisa-esque about it ;-)

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  22. Off to go read, D! :-))
    (and really, it's no mere compliment but the TRUTH!)

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  23. I love finding new blogs and these look very interesting- I already know Jenavira of course and read notes on shoes cake and perfume but will be checking out the others as soon as possible.

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  24. Rose,

    please do!
    And I hope that people will get to find your own blog which is quite interesting too: I am reserving a linkage to you for something fragrance-related later on (surprise!) ;-)

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  25. Anonymous14:29

    Great to know you better E! I've entered the tag-ring but my entry is SO much less elegant than yours, as I'm hopeless at this blog thing, really. I hope I at least did it right. The post goes up at 1:30 today, Eastern US time.

    Thank you for including me!

    Best, Pat (Olfacta)

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  26. Anonymous20:25

    Hey!

    Something tells me you will get a kick out of my latest blog enjoy on Debussy and Guerlain Apres L'Ondee. Drop by when you can ;-)

    A

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  27. ooh that does sound interesting...

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  28. Loved reading your random facts, E--I'm very intrigued by the board game phase. I had a mild one myself. FWIW, I've always pictured you as rather young. Very smart, but young. And needless to say, very lovely.

    Thanks for the tag. I'm afraid I haven't exactly followed the rules in my response, but then again, who would expect me to?

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  29. Dear A,

    I will I promise (schedule has been so busy these days....)

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  30. P,

    ah, there you go flattering me: what thing is elegant about a geek? :P

    I will pop over and read with much interest shortly :-))

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  31. R,

    hope I get the time to do it right.

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  32. M,

    thanks for playing :-) Will definitely read with much interest, rule-breaking and all!

    And LOL, thanks on your most kind words. (well, I'm not 20 anymore, but you know that)

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  33. Dear Helg, I hope you forgive me for being a spoil sport -- getting ready for the biggest trip of my life and being a slothful blogger is a terrible combination -- I'm so touched that you thought of me! Don't give up on me forever, and I hope that the game of tag has been delightful! I may not resurface until December, and then again I might! I feel like Henry James' story "The Sphinx Without a Secret"!

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  34. Dear Wendy,

    very late in my reply (just saw this), but of course it's perfectly all right! :-)
    I hope you have lots of fun and return with lots of stories to recount (and no, I'm not giving up on you, hope you come round to the game at some point, whenever it suits you)

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