And So Begins Another Year

Happy 2014 everyone! Congratulations on surviving another year. In accordance with one of my New Year's resolutions to FINALLY respond to journals and comments made a looong time ago, I've decided to open the year by completing a tag that my good friend sent me. And here we go!

First of all, da Rules:
1. You must post these rules. 2. Answer the questions the tagger set for you, and create new questions for the people you tag to answer. 3. You have to choose 10 people to tag and post their icons on your journal 4. Go to their pages and tell them you have tagged her/him. 5. No tag backs. 6. No crap in the tagging section about "you are tagged if you're reading this." You have to tag 10 people.

And now, da Questions:
---(1.)--{ What was the last thing you were wondering about? }---
                Why ducks don't seem to get cold when they're swimming in freezing water. It's quite astonishing!

---(2.)--{ Post a link to a song / tune that in some way represents something from your week.  }---
               www.youtube.com/watch?v=QK8mJJ…
                I currently live pretty close to a thrift store, and I can tell you right now that I've never been so well dressed in my life. Poppin' taaaaags!!!

---(3.)--{ If you could change your age for 1 day what age would you pick ?  }--- 
                I'd want to be 55 for a day and see what that's like.

---(4.)--{ Do you prefer when games have direct control over the character or
---------- things like point and click adventures ? }---
                Ohhhhh...that's a tough one. I've played great games of both types...I guess for me its more about the story, style, and flow of the game than it is about the genera.

---(5.)--{ Has your life ever been an adventure at any time in the past or now?
---------- Wanna share a sentence about it? }---
                I was lucky enough to travel abroad to France in college to study primates (strangely enough). It was an absolute blast, both in terms of culture and in terms of the primates. Not only did I visit places such as Versailles, but also got to see places I didn't know about such as Vallée des Singes where I got to get really close to squirrel monkeys and ruffed lemurs. Not to mention France has a pretty amazing history in terms of studying the natural world and prehistoric humans (what with being the country housing the Lascaux cave system), something that's well represented in their museums. The fact that everyone under 26 gets into their museums free was a real boon to me. Being able to visit all the galleries at the Musée National d'Histoire Naturelle on an almost daily basis was awesome! I also got to visit Madrid, Spain for a week during the same trip, and since that was a solo trip I got to plan each day according to my own schedule. Of course this meant I spent it in museums, gardens, and old monasteries, but I loved every moment of it. Not to mention I was studying with some really great professors who are the heads of their fields and pretty cool people, which made the trip even better. I love the study of nature and culture, and It's not very often that you get to experience the two together!

---(6.)--{ Your favorite story genre is ...?   }---
               I really couldn't say! I've read great works from a wide variety of generas, and others that were absolute drivel. I really can't judge stories by what genera they belong to; they need to stand up on their own merits.

---(7.)--{ Your favorite ice-cream sort? (if you hate ice-cream pick some other favorite dessert)  }---
                Probably black cherry, although I am partial to caramel as well.

---(8.)--{ The one OTP of all times is ... ? And from what fandom are they?  }---
                I'm probably going to sound like a complete geek, but my OTP of all time would definitely by Goliath and Elisa from the cartoon 'Gargoyles.' They're relationship for me really stands out for me because (aside from the obvious) they not only love each other, but most importantly respect, like, and rely on each other. They were friends and allies LONG before any romantic interest was expressed, and they don't let their relationship define who they are as individuals; its just one facet of their beings. Also, there's none of that patriarchal bullshit "I'm a big strong man whose main purpose in life is protecting you" or "I'm a small weak woman who needs a man to protect me and tell me what to do." No, they're constantly saving each others' asses, and what they have is beautiful for it . I really don't think a relationship, romantic or not, can be healthy or beneficial unless there's mutual liking and respect, and in the case of Elisa and Goliath, that's what makes their relationship what it is. Only downside is that it makes me really frustrated with how mass media has decided widely-marketed romantic relationships should be (X_X). I mean, seriously? SERIOUSLY?
     Okay, geek rant end.
 
---(9.)--{ Share a link to a song that is motivating/gives energy to the one who listens to it  }--- 
                  www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmBM8v…
                 I've never seen a man eat so many chicken wings.

---(10.)-{ What makes a persons heart truly strong in your opinion?  }--- 
                Hmmmm...I'd have to say facing one's doubts and trying to see a situation from multiple angles makes a person's heart truly strong. I know from experience that its incredibly hard to realize that one's opinion is wrong, or to be confronted with facts that overthrow a previously cherished belief, but finding the strength to accept that one's opinion is not foolproof, that there is always a chance that one is wrong, allows one to grow and become strong.


All right, and here's my questions. I won't tag anyone (being the badass rule breaker that I am ) but do them if you like!
1. Have you ever had a pet? Did you like it?
2. What type of art do you like to do and why?
3. What's the best book you ever read? This can be fiction, non-fiction, or any combination thereof.
4. Do you like graphic novels? If so, which one is your favorite?
5. What is your opinion about sharks?
6. Do you think humans are superior to other animals? If so, why? (You can define "superior" how you choose).
7. Do you have a belief you consider infallible? What is it?
8. What's the best movie you saw in 2013? This can be a film that was made in previous years.
9. Are you a gamer? What are some of the better games you've played and why?
10. If you could visit one place in the world this upcoming year, where would it be?

Have fun, and once again Happy New Year!