As poked by Karcy. (forgot the rules, whoops!)
If you feel like joining in the fun, comment, and I’ll give you 5 words to comment on (preferably something I associate with you).
Friendship
I’ve trusted friends more than I’ve ever had with my blood family. They’re the ones who’ve stood by me when I needed a shoulder to cry on, they’re the ones who’ve lent a listening ear, and not a few have been the ones who’ve told me it’s alright to stand tall and fight back. Not a few of them were acquaintances who stopped by to see how I was doing. Most have turned into invaluable friends and some, adopted siblings and parents. Because of them, I’ve learnt to accept myself for who I am.
And if it weren’t for the few, I might not be here.
Cosplaying
Hah. This is just a fun activity for me, a chance to dress up and be someone else. It’s lost its sheen for me in the past few events though. I skim over interests very fast, and cosplay is one of them that doesn’t quite hold the same appeal to me now as it did then. Back when I got into it, I suppose I really wanted the attention; no, I needed it then. I wanted something to break away from the humdrumness of my life then- none of the work I was doing was really what I wanted to do.
Writing as a Professional Career
Is very much a hit-and-run thing, at least here in Malaysia. If you’re lucky, you’ll end up in a place where your employers allow you great creative freedom and interpretation of what the client wants. If you’re not, you’ll end up working yourself half to death with cheap bosses who want you to stick to the script and make you a glorified copy editor.
I’ve been lucky that most of my assignments and articles I’ve written have made it to the former group. But I notice that for self-assurance, I tend to copy other people’s styles for now; my own voice has been lost due to fear of rejection. I tend to prefer tstarting off on what someone else has already done rather than to start a new document all on my own, if I haven’t already. This ties in back to writing insecurities.
Writing, especially in the way it’s consumed me, can lead to burnout, professionally and personally. In Malaysia, if you’re lucky to be in a company that values you, taking a month off to pursue other interests and to regain the spark is a luxury. I’m quite happy to be a professional writer, but I’d caution anyone else who’s thinking of making a living off writing in Malaysia; it’s your grammar skills that will get you hired, but you need a flair to keep you employed. Bear in mind that having a creative flair may not be the same as writing something engaging.
Oh, and learn to be short. Writing short, interesting copy is worth double its weight in gold for advertising companies.
Malaysian Anime Fandom
Is surprisingly large if you’re talking to many different people, tend to be small-minded at times, and are very literal at times (I should know, I tend to be one of those people). In many ways, the Malaysian fandom mirrors the American fandom; you have cosplayers, fanfiction writers, fan artists, etc. What was surprising to me was discovering that other Malaysians role-played too!
And some do it oh so well. 
Silly Office Sexual Innuendoes
Generally silly and harmless. Despite the laughs and all, there is no real putting down of the female body I think, or of the others. By an unspoken rule, we don’t make remarks about each other’s bodies. I mean, yes, we run into the gutter, but I think of it as stress relief, of finding the sillier things of life. It also keeps the brain active; I don’t talk about the random word plays we have in the office because upon writing it down, they lose their subtlety.
That said, I still think a certain copywriter does more to run into the gutter whether intentionally or not than anyone else in the office.
Original entry as appearing at Broken Shield and Sword.
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Happy guessing!
