Et tu, Proust?
…Happy 22nd to me.
I don’t see a better way of acknowledging that I’ve survived 22 years on planet Earth than to test my existence. Thanks to Proust, I just have to answer a few questions. Here’s to the 22 years of acquired knowledge! (…that might have lead to possibly enough wisdom.)
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Doing beyond my ability to think.
What is your greatest fear?
Being alone, yet not being alone. Or, not being alone, yet being alone.
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Richard Feynman’s father. (May be not but I like to think so.)
Which living person do you most admire?
Jeff Bezos/Natalie Portman.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Judging outside a courtroom.
What is your favourite journey?
Walking to the bed, feeling sleepy after a long, tiring, accomplished day. That, or the future journey to Mars.
What is your chief characteristic?
Maturity profusely lathered with boring-ness.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Truth.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
“Fuck!”, “Smoke?”, “Apparently”, “Oh boi”, “Koi daaru pilao yaar!”.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My freedom from possessiveness/belonging.
When and where were you happiest?
Every time I’m drinking/smoking/chilling with any of my closest friends.
Which talent would you most like to have?
Being able to understand the universe completely in any way possible.
What’s your favourite colour and flower?
Ocean Blue and Periwinkle.
What quality do you like the most in men?
Their ability to respect others and themselves, in every way.
What quality do you like the most in women?
Their ability to respect others and themselves, in every way.
What is your greatest fault?
Being born in the wrong era.
What is your current state of mind?
Over-thoughtful, with a sprinkle of peace.
On what occasion do you lie?
When I know the opposite person can’t handle the truth.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Knowing and accepting self and others for who they are, however right or wrong in the public eye.
What is your most treasured possession?
All the things I have from my sailing days.
Where would you like to live?
Below the Northern Lights.
What is your favourite occupation?
Teaching kids, not academic material but about higher-than-world pleasures.
Who is your favourite poet?
Not much of poem person but if it had to be somebody, it would be T. S. Eliot.
What do you most value in your friends?
Their acceptance of the good and bad in me. Perpetual sassy advice.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Ordering/eating food and alcohol from delicious but extremely expensive sources.
If you could choose what to come back as, what would it be?
Richard Feynman, or his first wife — Arline, or a cat.
If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?
Flawed educational institutions.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
My love for laziness.
If you could change one thing about your family, what would it be?
Lack of logic.
Who is your favourite hero of fiction?
Thor!
What is your greatest regret?
Not being able to have one.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Mental torture.
How would you like to die?
Instantly, painlessly, in an accident.
What is your motto?
To make the kids of future lead a better life.
Hopefully, this data is enough to prove that my existence of 22 years matters. Hopefully. For now, it’s time to get back to my wine.
