Q&A
The Proust Questionnaire (from Vanity Fair)
1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Sitting out in a sunny front porch somewhere with wide open space, a countryside, with good friends and family, a table full of great foods and good wine. In my head, that place is Tuscany, but it doesn’t have to be there. It could be anywhere sunny and warm and open. Picture the ending scene from Antony Bourdain’s No Reservation in Tuscany. This clip here leads up to said scene, offering a glimpse of what I am talking about.
2. What is your greatest fear?
Dying with things left unsaid. Suffocating or drowning would make that greater a fear.
3. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
My inner sloth.
4. What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Unkindness.
5. Which living person do you most admire?
At this moment, Chuck Finney is my idol, a self-made billionaire who stays under the radar and gives away his fortune to help those in need. His quote “I’m not going to die until I can spend it,” is right on the money with me.
6. What is your greatest extravagance?
Having a cleaning service come in once a month. It’s sooo worth it!
7. What is your current state of mind?
Awakened. Just figured out that I have been sleepwalking through life since my mom passed away in August.
8. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Sobriety.
9. On what occasion do you lie?
When someone really needs to be comforted or needs my support and not the cold hard truth.
10. What do you most dislike about your appearance?
My calves. They’re beefy! Okay, they’re not ridiculously huge, but big enough that regular knee-high boots won’t fit. Big enough that if the hemline is below my knees, they look like the bottom part bowling pins. The calves were also source of many mother-daughter conflicts growing up as my mother seemed to be ashamed of them more than I was.
11. Which living person do you most despise?
I used to despise this one guy I worked for, but that was so long ago and so far, far away now. That was the only person I actually despise. Other people I just hate them a little bit. ;-D
12. What is the quality you most like in a man?
Being protective, looking out for your well being.
13. What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Nurturing.
14. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Dude! Jackass. Hell-OOOO! (as in Duh!) HEL-Lo! (as in Whoa!) Um…Duh!
15. What or who is the greatest love of your life?
Music and Brandon.
16. When and where were you happiest?
Sitting on the deck by the river, snacking on cashews and having a beer (if that was anything else by Heineken would be better) at Aunty Or’s house in Karnchanaburi with her, my mom, Brandon and the house dog.
17. Which talent would you most like to have?
To sing beautifully.
18. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I want to stop throwing myself pity parties. But it’s just hard not to throw a party. I love parties!
19. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Having learned to compromise and to be patient–learned to bend, that is.
20. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
A cat. Or a squirrel. Any animal with a wagging tail. I want a tail I can wag. It’s such a joyful thing to do!
21. Where would you most like to live?
Out of my suitcase in hotel rooms while I travel around the world.
22. What is your most treasured possession?
My mom’s wind-up watch. It was my dad’s first gift to her.
23. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
When one loses all hopes.
24. What is your favorite occupation?
What I have right now as a Marketing/Event Jane of All Trades.
25. What is your most marked characteristic?
Quirkiness.
26. What do you most value in your friends?
Loyalty.
27. Who are your favorite writers?
I’m not all that well read so this list is going to be quite embarrassing: J.K. Rowling, Jim Butcher, Alice Sebold, and occasionally Dean Koontz and James Patterson. And if you’d count poet in there, Nikki Giovanni is my favorite.
28. Who is your hero of fiction?
Batman. See my obsession with the whole billionaires secretly doing good?
29. Which historical figure do you most identify with?
I will have to get back to you on that one. I seriously don’t know.
30. Who are your heroes in real life?
King Bhumibhol of Thailand. Angelina Jolie. (I know. Sue me.) American troops around the world who volunteer to serve their country and essentially the world.
31. What are your favorite names?
Aeryn. Leila. Kaylee. Austin. Nathan. Daniel.
32. What is it that you most dislike?
Repeating mechanical banging/clanging and other loud, obnoxious noises. i.e. jackhammer, leaf blower, hammering, big bike engine revving, gun shots. It sucks that I seem to like firing a gun but I HATE the noise. I suddenly wish I could have a silencer for the glock…
33. What is your greatest regret?
Not having been home with my mother when she passed away.
34. How would you like to die?
Either comfortably or so suddenly I didn’t even know I’m dead.
35. What is your motto?
Everything you do can make a difference. And if I can add one more: You can’t take money with you when you’re dead.
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The James Lipton Ten
1. What is your favorite word?
Hoist. It just sounds SO funny to me. That, and buoy.
2. What is your least favorite word?
Famine.
3. What turns you on?
Snarky-ness. Love that dry, cynical humor.
4. What turns you off?
Rudeness.
5. What is your favorite curse word?
Fuck. I mean, is there ANY other word so versatile to curse with?
6. What sound or noise do you love?
Little nuances of musical instruments. Like the breathy little sound of air before a saxophone note, the sound of fingers sliding over guitar strings, the small thuds of piano hammers on the strings when you lean over the open grand piano.
7. What sound or noise do you hate?
See #32 above.
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Professional musician. Okay, fine. I want to be a rock star.
9. What profession would you not like to attempt?
Politics.
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
Nirvana is actually 2 clouds east of here, but you’re welcome to come in for a while.
*
Those Social Networking Profile Questions
Hobbies
Blogging and Twitter (Duh!). Pop culture. Photography. Cooking. Making music. Movies. Music. Food. Videogaming (LEGO Star Wars/Indiana Jones, Karaoke Revolution, Happy Tree Friends). Shopping at Fresh & Easy stores.
Causes
AIDS Walk Long Beach. Operation Jingle All the Way (my own holiday care package effort through AnySolider.com). Operation Paperback. Join(RED). ONE.
All Time Favorite Movies
Lord of the Rings Trilogy. X-Men movies. Anything Pixar made (except for Cars). Original Star Wars Trilogy. Kill Bill Volume 1 and 2. Indiana Jones Trilogy. Love Actually. Pride and Prejudice (2005). Truth about Cats and Dogs. 10 Things I Hate About You. The Professional (Leon). Fifth Element. Moulin Rouge. Strictly Ballroom. The Bird Cage. Priscilla Queen of the Desert. The Sound of Music. Lilo & Stitch. Shall We Dance? (Original Japanese). Stargate. Pan’s Labyrinth. A whole bunch of Disney’s Classics. Iron Man. Kungfu Panda.
Television
And yes, I do watch quite a lot of television. Current: Chuck, Heroes, NCIS, House MD, Lost, Eli Stone, So You Think You Can Dance, Top Chef, Project Runway, Nip/Tuck, Eureka, Stargate Atlantis, Battlestar Galactica, Dr. Who, Torchwood, Robin Hood, Top Gear, The Graham Norton Show, Mythbusters, Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservation, Dinner Impossible, Jamie At Home, Tyler’s Ultimate, Everyday Italian.
All time: Firefly, MacGuyver, Farscape, Star Trek the Next Generation. Stargate SG-1.
Music
My taste is REALLY eclectic. Rock & alternative is my main stay but I listen to just about everything. If you hit random on my MP3 collections, it would go something like this: U2, Sheryl Crow, Carole King, Jack Johnson, Marilyn Manson, Once soundtrack, Wicked soundtrack, The Carpenters, The Beatles, Jewel, Norah Jones, Amy Winehouse, Christina Aguilera, Joss Stone, Matchbox 20, Maroon 5, Dixie Chicks. See what I mean?
More questions to come. I also welcome questions from the readers. 
