Friday Five 9-December-2022

thefridayfive

1. What's the present you gave you're most proud of?
There are 2 instances that I can think of. When the majority of my (male) cousins on my Mom's side of the family got married, I got for them for Christmas a pair of candles. It's those thick aroma candles but it was christmas version and had some starry deco on the sides. These were packaged in a pair, so I gave for husband and wife a one combined present. I remember on of the wives said immediately "these are so nice!" Of course she could have been just trying to be polite, but yeah.

Second instance was the oldest kid of these cousins, when the kid was still a toddler I'd gifted really out there and wacky but girlish stuff that she just loved. Now she's all grown up and aloof with everyone so I dunno. I just lump her into the "same gift as everyone else."

From this answer I can say that... I used to buy personalised presents for each and everyone but it's come a time when I'm just fed up and would just do "same present category according to what your relation to me is." So all male cousins get the same thing, all female cousins get the same thing. All wives of the male cousins get the same thing. All the kids from these married cousins get the same thing.

2. What's the most memorable present you've received?
The fact that I couldn't think of anything just shows I haven't received anything memorable LOL. Well no. One Christmas I got from my mom a Shopping Bag from a dollar store chain. The bag had a Christmas motif with a dog on it. It was meant to be a gag gift, as Mom would always give me "red packet" or "Lai See" or "Hong Bao" (Chinese auspicious red envelope with money inside). My bestie, when she heard about this gift, said "poor you! Here! I got you this!" and gave me an owl plushie from Kate Spade. She knows the gag gift story and that I would receive a Lai See, but she was egging me on that since I received such a poor gift, she was giving me the gift she got me before our annual Christmas meet up.

Well. Let me clarify. The memorable gift was the shopping bag LOL.

3. How many people do you typically buy presents for at once, at the most presents-ish part of the year?
Twenty three gifts this year. That's twenty one gifts for the family and two for my two besties.

4. What sort of presents do you usually most enjoy receiving?
As a kid, I was a grateful kid and enjoyed everything and anything. Now as an adult... I'd appreciate it better if someone asked me what I needed... more than just receiving some random crap that would end up just lying around and then put in storage. Last year my Sis was wracking her brains for a gift for me, I went on Taobao and found a sports bag with a badminton racket pocket, that was waaaayyyy under my Sis' budget, but I said, "It's something I want and I would have gotten myself anyway, so if you can't find anything, get me this". The male cousins and their wives usually gift us bath and shower stuff such as The Body Shop or Bath and Body Works stuff; which is fine, I can use them. The Elders usually just give us Lai Sees so they don't have to lug the presents around to my place where we hold the party; which is great, I usually deposit everything to the bank.

But when they choose stuff like... handbags, wallets, etc.... just.... ask me first?

5. How do you wrap presents? Paper or bag? Sellotape or just folding magic? Ribbon? Gift tag? Other?
Just yesterday I wrapped up 21 presents in paper with sellotape. By the 20th, I found out I don't have enough paper, so I used all the end strips and made a thatchwork thing which coming to think of it, might have looked nicer if I had different colored wrapping paper. I was using all the same so it didn't show very well. I've tried folding magic but... I can't LOL. I also print my own gift tags.

F.riday5.com

1. What’s something you’re into that others don’t get?
I dunno. Most recently I guess ceramics and pottery. Only one friend (my bestie) is in on it, all the others think it's a waste of time. But I find the act very soothing and de-stressing.

2. What’s something you’ve wanted to get into?
I'm quite happy with the ceramics and pottery thing right now.

3. What are you less into than you once were?
hm.... a long long long time ago I was into (anime style) drawing. I wouldn't say I was very good at it, but it was something I enjoyed and I drew a lot back then. The thing is, I could draw but I couldn't color. Color pencils? Nope. Water color? Can't control them. Copic and other ink markers? Always bleeding through. When I discovered Photoshop it was like a new realm unlocked. But now, nah. I don't feel like it. I might still doodle here and there, and I still like use water color (despite my being unable to control it) but that's mostly out of my system now.

4. What difficult-to-find item would you really like to get your hands on?
I can't really say. I have enough crap lying around, I don't really feel like adding into the pile. Once upon a time when I was in.... what's that place in Spain... Granada! We walked past this shop and they had the most beautiful chess set. All the other shops selling similar thing (that... I dunno what that craft is called... Tarecea?) had simple chess sets that you just put the pieces in the box and closed it. This shop in particular had a different design and the pieces are kept in a compartment with a sliding panel, so the box was reversible and become a piece of display artwork. It was like... almost 100euros and I thought "it'd be something that I'd just leave it lying about and collect dust" but..... I think about that chess box rather frequently.

Like... If you buy something and you regret buying at it, at least you've had it for a time, but if you regret not buying something, you might never get it again. *sniff*.

AND I FOUND A PHOTO OF IT! And the shop website too. And oooooh. They now ship them! I guess this is my chance LOL.

*note: I do not play chess. I know the basic rule moves, but I do not know how to strategize LOL. I don't know why I'm so enamoured with this particular chess box.

5. What is the standard attire for people into whatever you’re into? If there is none, what would be the appropriate dress?
I guess this goes back to the ceramics thing. Clothes that you don't mind getting dirty. And an apron.

Friendship levels

Something amusing happened the other day and so I thought I'd write this out.

Friendship levels, LOL.
How well do you and your friend know each other? How do you click? What's your mojo?

I think I can categorize my friend groups into the following:

New friend
Yes, the friendship is new, but there's no pressure to present "your good self". No gifts.

Work friend
Friend from work. Know them pretty well. Will go out together for lunch on workdays. Maybe get them insignificant gifts that do not break your bank when Christmas (or other gift giving season) rolls around.

Good friend
Know them well enough to know what they like. Will go out for meetups. If any gift giving is involved, will ask if there is anything they want.

Bestie
Know them so well there won't be any "requisite" gift-giving in Christmas or birthdays, and even if any gift giving is involved it's usually gag or useless but hilarious gifts that we know each other will like or appreciate.

Beyond Bestie
I think I've reached this level with my 2 besties LOL. I randomly sent them a link to a hilarious calendar design. It's a 2023 calendar with Taiwanese artist drawing collection of the maestros (Beethovan, Mozart, Bach and... I can't identify the others by the drawings)... this one to be specific. We usually share links to interesting (and possibly crappy, useless things) for the fun of it and...

I've guessed my Christmas present without anyone asking LOL.

One of them said sh*t, they bought that already and it's wrapped already, so there's no more surprise LOL.