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10 yrs MEME | I'll make mine 11 years ago...

Marie-Hélène Hayles — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 20:19:00 +0000

Forum: Off topic
Topic: 10 yrs MEME
Poster: Marie-Hélène Hayles
Post title: I'll make mine 11 years ago...

1) How many languages could you speak?
THEN: 1 1/2
NOW: 2 1/2
2) Where did you work?
THEN: Technical Service Chemist for a company which manufactures products for the screen printing industry
NOW: Freelance medical/pharmaceutical/chemical translator

3) Where did you live?
THEN: alone, in my flat in South Oxfordshire, England
NOW: with my partner in his flat in Rome, Italy / with my partner in my house on the Lago del Turano, Lazio, Italy

4) What was your hairstyle like?
THEN: Dyed reddish-brown, short
NOW: Short, currently dyed two-tone purple/black, but ask me tomorrow and it'll have changed again

5) Did you wear contacts?
THEN: Nope
NOW: Nope

6) Did you wear glasses?
THEN: Nope
NOW: - Nope - I still have excellent eyesight

7) Who was your celebrity crush?
THEN: I don't really go in for celeb crushes, can't remember
NOW: Well, I admit to having the hots for Clive Owen

8) What was your favourite band/singer?
THEN: Pulp, I think, plus Sneaker Pimps, Garbage, Adam and the Ants, Led Zep, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple...
NOW: Most of the above, plus White Stripes, Kasabian, System of a Down...

9) Were you smoking cigarettes?
THEN: No - I'd given up the year before
NOW: No - 12 years now.

10) Could you drive?
THEN: I passed my test that year
NOW: Yes, but I can't drive on the left any more!

11) If so which car?
THEN: A vomit-green 22-year-old Mini Cooper
NOW: A silver 7-year-old Citroen Picasso, but mainly public transport if I'm on my own

12) What could you see from the window?
THEN: My garden, a field with cows in it, a convent, the Berkshire Downs
NOW: Our terrace and the block of flats next door / our garden, the lake, the countryside on the other side of the lake.

13) Looking back are you where you thought you'd be in eleven years time?
Good grief no, if I thought about it at all I probably expected to be doing the same thing at the same company, hopefully at a higher level, and living next door to my on-again off-again then-boyfriend. Strangely, meeting an Italian, moving to Rome to be with him, learning another language and finding a new career weren't on my "to do" list...

And question 14, just to complete the comparison:
[b] 14) Were you happier then or now?[/b]
Now, without a doubt.

[Edited at 2008-09-01 20:21]

10 yrs MEME | Why not!

avsie (X) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 15:15:00 +0000

Forum: Off topic
Topic: 10 yrs MEME
Poster: avsie (X)
Post title: Why not!

1) How many languages could you speak?
THEN: 2
NOW: 3!

2) Where did you work?
THEN: Fall of 1998, I was working as a staff nurse in my hometown's hospital
NOW: In-house/freelance translator

3) Where did you live?
THEN: with my parents in my hometown, in Canada
NOW: with my husband in the Netherlands, in our house (with a huge mortgage of course!)

4) What was your hairstyle like?
THEN: Probably reddish-brown and shoulder-length... I think? I must say I absolutely don't remember!
NOW: Same shade of reddish-brown, but more gray hair than back then ;-) They are longer too

5) Did you wear contacts?
THEN: I've been wearing contacts since I was 10!
NOW: Yup, still do :-)

6) Did you wear glasses?
THEN: Only in the evening, when I remove my contacts (or in the day or in the middle of the night, depending on what shift I was on!)
NOW: Only in the evening, when I remove my contacts

7) Who was your celebrity crush?
THEN: Good question... Peter Forsberg? (while he was still with the Colorado Avalanche)
NOW: Daniel Craig [img] [url removed] [/img]

8) What was your favourite band/singer?
THEN: I liked too many
NOW: I still like too many!

9) Were you smoking cigarettes?
THEN: Nope!
NOW: Still nope!

10) Could you drive?
THEN: Yes, since I was 16
NOW: I don't have a valid driver's licence in the Netherlands though...

11) If so which car?
THEN: Subaru Impreza Brighton Sport 1998
NOW: I ride my bike :D

12) What could you see from the window?
THEN: The green patch in front of my parents' house
NOW: The street and some more houses

13) Looking back are you where you thought you'd be in ten years time?
ABSOLUTELY NOT! Goodness, I had just started with Nursing and I thought I was going to love it... well, I guess I was wrong :-) I came to translation a bit by necessity but also by interest and I have no regrets whatsoever!

10 yrs MEME | Ten years ago...

Gabriella Fisichella — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:49:00 +0000

Forum: Off topic
Topic: 10 yrs MEME
Poster: Gabriella Fisichella
Post title: Ten years ago...

1) How many languages could you speak?
THEN: 3
NOW: 4

2) Where did you work?
THEN: I was a university student
NOW: I'm my own boss

3) Where did you live?
THEN: in Germany
NOW: with my parents in Sicily

4) What was your hairstyle like?
THEN: long curly auburn hair
NOW: same as before

5) Did you wear contacts?
THEN: yes
NOW: I still wear them

6) Did you wear glasses?
THEN: yes, only at home
NOW: yes, only at home

7) Who was your celebrity crush?
THEN: kevin costner
NOW: antonio banderas

8) What was your favourite band/singer?
THEN: Police
NOW: Guns & Roses

9) Were you smoking cigarettes?
THEN: no
NOW: no, but I smoke cigarillos every now and then

10) Could you drive?
THEN: sure
NOW: yep

11) If so which car?
THEN: a red Fiat Panda
NOW: a dark-green Ford Focus

12) What could you see from the window?
THEN: a row of detached houses
NOW: the Ionian Sea

13) Looking back are you where you thought you'd be in ten years time?
Not at all...I pictured myself as working for an international organization, but I am glad to be here as two years ago I chose to live where my heart lies. And that was the right choice!

10 yrs MEME | 10 years...

Ritu Bhanot — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 12:41:00 +0000

Forum: Off topic
Topic: 10 yrs MEME
Poster: Ritu Bhanot
Post title: 10 years...

1) How many languages could you speak?
THEN: 4
NOW: 4 (same)

2) Where did you work?
THEN: Freelance translator/ author
NOW: Freelance translator/ author

3) Where did you live?
THEN: with my parents in New Delhi
NOW: Strasbourg, France

4) What was your hairstyle like?
THEN: short
NOW: shoulder length

5) Did you wear contacts?
THEN: No
NOW: No

6) Did you wear glasses?
THEN: sunglasses
NOW: sunglasses

7) Who was your celebrity crush?
THEN: Manoj Kumar, Dev Anand
NOW: Manoj Kumar, Dev Anand

8) What was your favourite band/singer?
THEN: Geeta Bali
NOW: Geeta Bali

9) Were you smoking cigarettes?
THEN: No
NOW: No

10) Could you drive?
THEN: yes
NOW: yes (but only in India)

11) If so which car?
THEN: Maruti 800
NOW: none in France

12) What could you see from the window?
THEN: another house, a play-ground, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
NOW: some trees in spring/ summer and a house in autumn/ winter

13) Looking back are you where you thought you'd be in ten years time?
To a certain extent (except living in France).

10 yrs MEME | Thtat's a good exercise for Monday morning!

megane_wang — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 10:06:00 +0000

Forum: Off topic
Topic: 10 yrs MEME
Poster: megane_wang
Post title: Thtat's a good exercise for Monday morning!

1) How many languages could you speak?
10 yrs ago: 3 + some of a 4th
Now: 3 :P

2) Where did you work?
10 yrs ago: I was burning myself in an IT company
Now: I'm my own boss.

3) Where did you live?
10 yrs ago: 40 km away from Barcelona - Spain
Now: 40 km away from Barcelona - Spain

4) What was your hairstyle like?
10 yrs ago: short, brown, no white hair at sight
Now: short(er), brown, lots of white hairs here and there

5) Did you wear contacts?
10 yrs ago: no
Now: no

6) Did you wear glasses?
10 yrs ago: yes, had worn them for 15 years
Now: yes, have worn them for 25 years ;)

7) Who was your celebrity crush?
10 yrs ago: I worked 65 hours a week, and had little time nor interest in anything else.
Now: ... look: maybe I simply have too much interest on that, after all!!

8) What was your favourite band/singer?
10 yrs ago: many. It depends on the song, not just the singer.
Now: same as above

9) Were you smoking cigarettes?
10 yrs ago: no
Now: no

10) Could you drive?
10 yrs ago: yes, I loved it
Now: yes, yes, yes, and I still love it

11) If so which car?
10 yrs ago: an always-gleaming Audi TT
Now: an extremely old BMW SW, with a quite few scratches, dust enough on it to make a regular dune, and thousands and thousands and thousands and... of km

12) What could you see from the window?
10 yrs ago: the accountant office (rear window), a designer (front window), a hoard of programmers (left window)... oh, wonderful views.
Now: Half of the time, a calm street and some terraces with plants.
The other half ;): [url removed]

13) Looking back are you where you thought you'd be in ten years time?

I expected to live in the same place and to be doing the same things.

Definitely I could not imagine I was going to be working on my own, full time translator, adoptive mother of 2 ... But the fact is that everything started 10 years ago :D

[Edited at 2008-09-01 10:12]

10 yrs MEME | Oh well, it's monday morning...

Gianni Pastore — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 07:17:00 +0000

Forum: Off topic
Topic: 10 yrs MEME
Poster: Gianni Pastore
Post title: Oh well, it's monday morning...

1) How many languages could you speak?
10 yrs ago: 2
Now: still 2

2) Where did you work?
10 yrs ago: in a recording studio in Manchester (UK)
Now: both @ home and office (not translation related whatsoever)

3) Where did you live?
10 yrs ago: Manchester (UK)
Now: a cosy little village 60 miles north of Rome

4) What was your hairstyle like?
10 yrs ago: short
Now: still shaved

5) Did you wear contacts?
10 yrs ago: nope
Now: nope

6) Did you wear glasses?
10 yrs ago: yes
Now: yes

7) Who was your celebrity crush?
10 yrs ago: Kate Winslet
Now: still is

8) What was your favourite band/singer?
10 yrs ago: Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Black Crowes
Now: RATM, Coldplay, Neil Young, Johnny Cash

9) Were you smoking cigarettes?
10 yrs ago: yes
Now: nope, quitted a year ago (best bargain ever)

10) Could you drive?
10 yrs ago: could not live without
Now: cannot live without

11) If so which car?
10 yrs ago: Renault Clio
Now: Toyota Yaris

12) What could you see from the window?
10 yrs ago: my neighbors' houses
Now: some kind of woods & neighbors' houses

13) Looking back are you where you thought you'd be in ten years time?
10 yrs ago: no. Heck, something must have gone terribly wrong... :D

[Edited at 2008-09-01 11:32]

[Edited at 2008-09-01 12:50]

10 yrs MEME | 60 years MEME

Jack Doughty — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 06:48:00 +0000

Forum: Off topic
Topic: 10 yrs MEME
Poster: Jack Doughty
Post title: 60 years MEME

10 years ago, not much different. I'll make it 60 years ago instead.

1) How many languages could you speak?
THEN: 1, not counting schoolboy French.
NOW: 3

2) Where did you work?
THEN: I was an aircraft apprentice in the Royal Air Force.
NOW: Retired but also own boss as freelance.

3) Where did you live?
THEN: On an RAF station at Halton, near Aylesbury, UK.
NOW: with my wife in Devon, UK

4) What was your hairstyle like?
THEN: Very short, that was the only way it was allowed to be.
NOW: Grey/white, what's left of it, conventional length.

5) Did you wear contacts?
THEN: I may be wrong but I don't think they existed that long ago.
NOW: No.

6) Did you wear glasses?
THEN: No.
NOW: Yes, also flip-up sunglasses when necessary.

7) Who was your celebrity crush?
THEN: Didn't really have one.
NOW: Still don't.

8) What was your favourite band/singer?
THEN: Vera Lynn, Bing Crosby.
NOW: None, they all died years ago.

9) Were you smoking cigarettes?
THEN: No, I was not one of those who illegally filled the gutter behind the toilets with dog-ends.
NOW: Still no, but I'm against the persecution of those who do.

10) Could you drive?
THEN: not yet
NOW: Yes.

11) If so which car?
THEN: none (later, my first one was a 1952 Volkswagen Beetle)
NOW: 1992 BMW 320.

12) What could you see from the window?
THEN: Barrack blocks.
NOW: Our garden, rooftops, houses.

13) Looking back are you where you thought you'd be in 60 years time?
No, I thought I'd be a retired officer, Wing-Commander probably, ex-aircrew...
But I'm happy enough being what & where I am.

10 yrs MEME | 20-10 years ago& now

Liliana Roman-Hamilton — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 06:10:00 +0000

Forum: Off topic
Topic: 10 yrs MEME
Poster: Liliana Roman-Hamilton
Post title: 20-10 years ago& now

Nice thread!

1) How many languages could you speak?
20 yrs ago: 3
10 yrs ago: 5 (3 pretty good, 2 ok)
now: same as 10 yrs ago

2) Where did you work?
20 yrs ago: nowhere, I was in high school
10 yrs ago: in a teeny tiny travel agency near Rome
Now: in one the largest travel agencies in CA

3) Where did you live?
20 yrs ago: with my parents near Rome
10 yrs ago: with my parents near Rome
Now: with my husband and dog in CA

4) What was your hairstyle like?
20 yrs ago: long, blondish, curly mane (you know, the 80ies)
10 yrs ago: long, blond, curly mane (still living in the 80ies)
Now: shorter, auburn, curly mane

5) Did you wear contacts?
20 yrs ago: nope
10 yrs ago: nope
Now: nope

6) Did you wear glasses?
20 yrs ago: sometimes
10 yrs ago: alas yes
Now: alas yes

7) Who was your celebrity crush?
20 yrs ago: Duran Duran
10 yrs ago: U2 (loooved Larry Mullen!)
Now: Joaquin Phoenix

8) What was your favourite band/singer?
20 yrs ago: Duran Duran & Spandau Ballet (don't laugh)
10 yrs ago: Police & Eagles
Now: Eagles, Keane & Coldplay

9) Were you smoking cigarettes?
20 yrs ago: tried once, almost puked, never touched one again
10 yrs ago: nope
Now: nope

10) Could you drive?
20 yrs ago: nope
10 yrs ago: yes
Now: I have a driver's licence but I hate driving

11) If so which car?
20 yrs ago: none
10 yrs ago: an old VW Golf
Now: we have a Chevy Malibu

12) What could you see from the window?
20 yrs ago: my neighbors' houses
10 yrs ago: my neighbors' houses
Now: a little patch of lawn and the street in front of our house

13) Looking back are you where you thought you'd be in ten years time?
20 yrs ago: Traveling around the world
10 yrs ago: traveling around the world

[Edited at 2008-09-01 06:15]

10 yrs MEME | 10 and 20 years back

Michael Barnett — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 05:03:00 +0000

Forum: Off topic
Topic: 10 yrs MEME
Poster: Michael Barnett
Post title: 10 and 20 years back

1) How many languages could you speak?
20 years ago: 2
10 years ago: 2
Now: 2.

2) Where did you work?
20 yrs ago: I owned a private medical practice and a walk in clinic.
10 yrs ago: I owned a walk-in clinic.
Now: I own a combined family medical practice and a walk-in clinic.

3)Where did you live?
20 yrs ago: Westmount, Quebec, a suburb of Montreal.
10 yrs ago: West Vancouver, a suburb of Vancouver, British Columbia.
Now: West Vancouver, same place.

4)What was your hair style like?
20 years ago: Medium length hair and a beard and mustache.
10 years ago: Shorter hair, no beard or mustache.
Now: Same length as 10 yrs ago, no beard, no mustache.

5) Did you wear contacts?
20 yrs ago: no
10 yrs ago: no
Now: no

6) Did you wear glasses?
20 yrs ago: no.
10 years ago: yes, frameless.
Now: yes, frame on top, not on the bottom.

7) Who was your celebrity crush?
20 yrs ago: I still liked Suzanne Somers.
10 years ago: Calista Flockhart
Now: Christina Ricci is very interesting...

8) What was your favorite band, singer?
20 years ago: Joan Jett and the Blackhearts were cool
10 years ago: I may have reverted back to sixties groups.
Now: Firmly back in the sixties - favorite varies from week to week.

9) Were you smoking cigarettes?
20 yrs ago: no.
10 years ago: no.
Now: no.

10) Could you drive?
20 yrs ago: yes.
10 yrs ago: yes.
Now: yes.

11) If so, which car?
20 years ago: Chevrolet Corvette + Ford Aerostar
10 years ago: Cadillac STS + Linclon Navigator
Now: Mercedes Benz SL 500 + Dodge Caravan. Car to change in February 2009. I'm thinking about the Porsche 911 Carrera 4.

12) What could you see from the window?
20 years ago: I lived near the Westmount Lookout in Montreal, 600 ft elevation facing south. I could see mid and lower Westmount, the St. Lawrence River, Mont St. Hilaire in the distance, and further to the horizon in Vermont.
10 yrs ago: Again on a mountainside, now 1200 ft elevation, facing south. I see West Vancouver, Burrard Inlet, Stanley Park and downtown Vancouver, the Strait of Georgia, the Gulf Islands and most distally, the Cascade Mountains, including Mount Baker in the State of Washington.
Now: Same view as 10 years ago.

13) Looking back, are you where you thought you'd be in 20 or 10 years time?
Geographically, yes. But 20 years ago, my children, triplets, were 1 year old. It never occurred to me that they would scatter - one in residence at the University of British Columbia, one at McGill University in Montreal and one at law school in New York City.

[Edited at 2008-09-01 05:25]

10 yrs MEME | What a great thread!

Kasia Altman (X) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 04:29:00 +0000

Forum: Off topic
Topic: 10 yrs MEME
Poster: Kasia Altman (X)
Post title: What a great thread!

This looks like fun! I'm pretty new here and still a student, but here goes:

1) How many languages could you speak?
THEN: 3 well, begun a new one, and Latin
NOW: 5, forgotten most of Latin, and dabbled in 3 new ones

2) Where did you work?
THEN: I didn't, I was in the eleventh grade at Boston Latin School and on exchange in Germany for half the year
NOW: Masters student

3) Where did you live?
THEN: Boston, MA and a small town in Thüringen, Germany
NOW: Seoul, South Korea with a view of moving to Europe next year

4) What was your hairstyle like?
THEN: long, straight, dirty blonde
NOW: long, straight, light ash blonde

5) Did you wear contacts?
THEN: no, never
NOW: no, never

6) Did you wear glasses?
THEN: no, never
NOW: no, never

7) Who was your celebrity crush?
THEN: Nek, an Italian singer
NOW: my husband

8) What was your favorite band/singer?
THEN: Europop.... I can hear the laughter
NOW: Europop, lots of classical and opera due to my music studies, and Cheb Khaled

9) Were you smoking cigarettes?
THEN: no, never
NOW: no, never

10) Could you drive?
THEN: no
NOW: still no

11) If so which car?
THEN: n/a
NOW: I walk... a lot

12) What could you see from the window?
THEN: city and snow
NOW: Seoul Tower

13) Looking back are you where you thought you'd be in ten years time?
I think I've surpassed my expectations in terms of experiences, places lived, and life lessons, but I was sure I'd have figured out a lot more by now.

10 yrs MEME | Ten and twenty years back

Riccardo Schiaffino — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 22:42:00 +0000

Forum: Off topic
Topic: 10 yrs MEME
Poster: Riccardo Schiaffino
Post title: Ten and twenty years back

1) How many languages could you speak?
20 yrs ago: 4 (2 well, 1 so-so, 1 badly)
10 yrs ago: 4 (2 well, 1 so-so, 1 badly - so-so and badly had, in the mean time, switched places)
NOW: 5 (3 well, 2 badly - added another language, and the one I spoke so-so 20 yrs ago and badly 10 yrs ago I now speak every day, and I think well)

2) Where did you work?
20 yrs ago: freelance and partner in a translation company in Italy
10 yrs ago: translation manager in a major software company
NOW: translator and partner in my own translation company

3) Where did you live?
20 yrs ago: Genoa, Italy
10 yrs ago: Denver, Colorado
NOW: Denver, Colorado

4) What was your hairstyle like?
20 yrs ago: short hair, brown
10 yrs ago: short hair, brown with a bit of gray
NOW: short hair, brown with more than a bit of gray

5) Did you wear contacts?
20 yrs ago: no
10 yrs ago: no
NOW: no

6) Did you wear glasses?
20 yrs ago: yes
10 yrs ago: yes
NOW: yes

7) Who was your celebrity crush?
20 yrs ago: Audrey Hepburn, from "Roman Holidays"
10 yrs ago: same
NOW: same

8) What was your favourite band/singer?
20 yrs ago: Fabrizio De André
10 yrs ago: same
NOW: Fabrizio de André and Beppe Gambetta

9) Were you smoking cigarettes?
20 yrs ago: no
10 yrs ago: no
NOW: no

10) Could you drive?
20 yrs ago: yes
10 yrs ago: yes
NOW: yes

11) If so which car?
20 yrs ago: Fiat 600 (a vintage model from 1960)
10 yrs ago: A used Subaru sedan
NOW: Subaru Impreza Outback

12) What could you see from the window?
20 yrs ago: a large tree nearby and Genoa's lighthouse far away
10 yrs ago: my neighbors' townhomes
NOW: my neighbors' townhomes (different place), a lot of trees, a bike path, and a golf course

13) Looking back are you where you thought you'd be in twenty and ten years time?
Twenty years ago: not at all, ten years ago, yes, I think.

[Edited at 2008-08-31 23:11]

10 yrs MEME | Why not?

Nicole Schnell — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 22:39:00 +0000

Forum: Off topic
Topic: 10 yrs MEME
Poster: Nicole Schnell
Post title: Why not?

1) How many languages could you speak?
THEN: 3
NOW: still those 3

2) Where did you work?
THEN: large advertising agency
NOW: I'm my own boss

3) Where did you live?
THEN: Mannheim, Germany
NOW: with my husband in Portland, Oregon

4) What was your hairstyle like?
THEN: long red hair
NOW: very long red hair

5) Did you wear contacts?
THEN: no
NOW: no

6) Did you wear glasses?
THEN: sunglasses only
NOW: sunglasses and glasses (sigh!)

7) Who was your celebrity crush?
THEN: None. Few years earlier my now ex-husband, lead singer of East of Leimen and other bands.
NOW: None

8) What was your favourite band/singer?
THEN: Tom Waits, Free, Patti Smith
NOW: Nothing in particular. Maybe Dave Matthews Band. I get to see Patti Smith on a regular basis in clubs, she lives here.

9) Were you smoking cigarettes?
THEN: like a factory
NOW: like two factories

10) Could you drive?
THEN: I once was in a serious car accident and never wanted to drive myself. I took a cab to work every day.
NOW: You can't survive in the US without a DL, so I got my licence. I hate driving.

11) If so which car?
THEN: Taxi
NOW: Daimler-Chrysler 2007 PT Cruiser and a 1964 Dodge Dart, on the passenger seat

12) What could you see from the window?
THEN: downtown Mannheim
NOW: Green. Trees and grass, some rose bushes which I planted. More trees. Humming birds.

13) Looking back are you where you thought you'd be in ten years time?
No way. This was a decision made on the spur of the moment.

10 yrs MEME | Could we make it 15 years?

Dana Rinaldi — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 22:02:00 +0000

Forum: Off topic
Topic: 10 yrs MEME
Poster: Dana Rinaldi
Post title: Could we make it 15 years?

10 years ago I was exactly here......

1) How many languages could you speak?
20: 1 very well, 2 quite well
10: 2 very well, 1 quite well
NOW: two very well, lost the third

2) Where did you work?
20: Translator based in London but deciding to move to Rome
10: as a freelance translator and teacher
NOW: freelance translator

3) Where did you live?
20: London, near Richmond Park
10: near Fermo, Marche but still missing "home".
NOW: near Fermo, Marche and not missing "home" anymore.

4) What was your hairstyle like?
20: Long, soft curls....... I loved it
10: medium length bob style
NOW: layered bob

5) Did you wear contacts?
20: No, are you joking?
10: no, perfect eyesight
NOW: no... should I?

6) Did you wear glasses?
20: Yes, lots of sun in London. You mean sunglasses don't you?
10: Sunglasses? Yes of course
NOW: Well I think I need a pair now! No I don't mean sunglasses!

7) Who was your celebrity crush?
20: Still hooked on Simon Le Bon.......... not for his voice of course
10: Colin Firth... Darcy...... Oh and there's George Clooney.....
NOW: George Clooney. In fact he's my son's father born 8 years ago..... (my poor baby believed it when he was very little but now he just rolls his eyes, I fear he knows his mum is bonkers..)

8) What was your favourite band/singer?
20: Depeche Mode, U2......
10: Leonard Cohen and David Sylvian
NOW: Anything. (I'm not that "sophisticated" anymore)

9) Did you smoke cigarettes?
20: No way!!
10: No, I gave up in 1995
NOW: No I gave up two years ago

10) Did you DRIVE?
20: I can drive and I love driving, I never drive though
10: yes, of course
NOW: yes, of course. I live in the wild

11) If so which car?
20: XXX
10: a cute little fiat uno
NOW: A Ford Focus Estate (but my Aston DB9 is in the garage)

12) What could you see from your window?
20: Richmond Park, well it's behind those houses somewhere on the left....
10: hills, hills and the adriatic sea in front (the sea is 20 kms away) and the Sibilline mountains in the back
NOW: trees trees hills hills the sea......

13) Looking back are you where you thought you'd be in ten years time?
I moved to Rome and loved it, it was so different to London, so sunny and warm. I thought I would stay there forever but........... I followed my heart and moved here in Le Marche. After 13 years I'm still in this beautiful place. It's not Lake Como and my husband is not called George but who cares I'm where I want to be.

PS Thanks Francesca, your forum threads today have given me a few jolly moments. We need some fun off-topics from time to time!

[Edited at 2008-08-31 22:53]

[Edited at 2008-08-31 23:13]

10 yrs MEME | ten years...

Juliana Brown — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 21:43:00 +0000

Forum: Off topic
Topic: 10 yrs MEME
Poster: Juliana Brown
Post title: ten years...

1) How many languages could you speak?
THEN:4
NOW: 4

2) Where did you work?
THEN: A small editorial, the university library and a tourist shop in the Cardo in Jerusalem
NOW: This!

3) Where did you live?
THEN: Jerusalem
NOW: Toronto

4) What was your hairstyle like?
THEN: long, curly
NOW: long, curly

5) Did you wear contacts?
THEN: no, glasses
NOW: yup

6) Did you wear glasses?
THEN: yes
NOW: sunglasses ( a huge collection)

7) Who was your celebrity crush?
THEN: hmmm...an Israeli singer called Barry Saharof, DAniel Day Lewis
NOW: too busy, don't know any

8) What was your favourite band/singer?
THEN: Minimal Compact, the Kinks, the Who
NOW: Pretty much the same, plus some Argentine and Chilean groups

9) Were you smoking cigarettes?
THEN: tons (me and the rest of the Middle East)
NOW: nope, quit about 8 years ago

10) Could you drive?
THEN: yes
NOW: yes, but hate to

11) If so which car?
THEN: none
NOW: Pontiac Vibe

12) What could you see from the window?
THEN: Givat HaTachmoshet- Ammunition Hill (famous Jerusalem landmark, one of thousands)
NOW: my deck, trees, kids dressed as superheroes

13) Looking back are you where you thought you'd be in ten years time?
I NEVER thought I'd be in Canada, and in fact bounced around a lot (Argentina, here, Israel again, Costa Rica, Chile, Argentina again...)Trying to move back though before kids get too big.

10 yrs MEME | Fun!

Amy Duncan (X) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 19:50:00 +0000

Forum: Off topic
Topic: 10 yrs MEME
Poster: Amy Duncan (X)
Post title: Fun!

Ten years ago:

1) How many languages could you speak?
THEN: 2 well, 1 other not so well
NOW: same

2) Where did you work?
THEN: as a freelancer
NOW: as a freelancer

3) Where did you live?
THEN: in Rio de Janeiro
NOW: in Boston, Massachusetts, temporarily

4) How was your hairstyle?
THEN: short
NOW: short

5) Did you wear contacts?
THEN: yes
NOW: yes, I'm nearsighted and see up close very well!

6) Did you wear glasses?
THEN: sometimes
NOW: sometimes

7) Who was your celebrity crush?
THEN: Al Pacino
NOW: Al Pacino (ever faithful!)

8) What was your favourite band/singer?
THEN: Djavan
NOW: Paulinho da Viola
This was a hard pick, because there is so much music I love, including my own (now on hiatus) band! :)

9) Had you smoked cigarettes?
THEN: not ten years ago...I tried them when I was in my 20s but found it was just too much trouble to lug all that stuff around with me
NOW: never enters my mind

10) Had you DRIVEN?
THEN: yes, I had been driving for many years
NOW: I gave up driving when I moved to New York in 1981

11) If so which car?
THEN: I had a lot of Volkswagens, beetles and kombis
NOW: I'm a taxi girl

12) What would you see from out of the window?
THEN: the buildings across the street and a sliver of Copacabana beach
NOW: my deck and a lovely redbud tree

13) Looking back are you where you thought you'd be in ten years time?
No, I thought I'd be in Rio forever, and I actually will probably go back there before too long.

10 yrs MEME | Yeah! - why not...

mediamatrix (X) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 18:18:00 +0000

Forum: Off topic
Topic: 10 yrs MEME
Poster: mediamatrix (X)
Post title: Yeah! - why not...

1) How many languages could you speak?
THEN: 3
NOW: still those 3

2) Where did you work?
THEN: An international organization, based in Geneva, Switzerland.
NOW: I'm my own boss

3) Where did you live?
THEN: As a foreign resident in Switzerland I could not purchase property so I rented a house in a village just outside Nyon, in the Canton of Vaud.
NOW: In my own home - no rent, no mortgage!

4) How was your hairstyle?
THEN: long
NOW: still long

5) Did you wear contacts?
THEN: no
NOW: no

6) Did you wear glasses?
THEN: no
NOW: no

7) Who was your celebrity crush?
THEN: I wasn't in to that kind of triviality!
NOW: I'm still not.

8) What was your favourite band/singer?
THEN: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
NOW: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

9) Had you smoked cigarettes?
THEN: no
NOW: no

10) Had you DRIVEN?
THEN: yes
NOW: yes

11) If so which car?
THEN: Jaguar XJS-V12
NOW: Chevy S10 Apache

12) What would you see from out of the window?
THEN: Mont Blanc - highest mountain in Western Europe.
NOW: Volcán Llaima - one of the 3 most active volcanoes in South America.

13) Looking back are you where you thought you'd be in ten years time?
No. I was getting increasingly frustrated with living conditions (and the cost) in Switzerland but 10 years ago I hadn't actually envisaged moving to Chile - partly because of on-going political problems related to a certain friend of former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

MediaMatrix

10 yrs MEME

Francesca Battaglia — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 17:28:00 +0000

Forum: Off topic
Topic: 10 yrs MEME
Poster: Francesca Battaglia

I know it might sound a bit childish but I tought it could be nice to get to know us a little better..

1) How many languages could you speak?
THEN: 3
NOW: still those 3

2) Where did you work?
THEN: my parents' benetton intimates store
NOW: I'm my own boss

3) Where did you live?
THEN: with my parents in Milan
NOW: with my boyfriend in Cremona

4) What was your hairstyle like?
THEN: straight, at shoulders, some reddish-brown
NOW: shoulders lenght, ash blonde, straight (actually, not many chances to get them other than straight...hmm)

5) Did you wear contacts?
THEN: ahahahha...no man, i've got a perfect sight!
NOW: I can still pierce walls with my perfect sight

6) Did you wear glasses?
THEN: sunglasses only
NOW: sunglasses only

7) Who was your celebrity crush?
THEN: johnny depp
NOW: johnny depp...oh boy!

8) What was your favourite band/singer?
THEN: Smashing Pumpkins
NOW: Smashing Pumpkins...Depeche Mode and Linkin Park

9) Were you smoking cigarettes?
THEN: ew
NOW: ewwww yuckkk

10) Could you drive?
THEN: not yet
NOW: just got my license...

11) If so which car?
THEN: none
NOW: daewoo matiz

12) What could you see from the window?
THEN: a white apartment complex
NOW: my terrace and the shared garden and parking

13) Looking back are you where you thought you'd be in ten years time?
Not at all...I pictured myself as living in another country, possibly Ireland, in a nice house with a good job..Too bad I'm still here...

[Edited at 2008-08-31 19:45]