Last week, I turned 42 years old. I am amazed and thankful that I’ve survived this long. Looking back, I’ve always thought that people in their 40’s are quite old already. But honestly, I don’t feel old. In my mind, I still think I’m in my 20’s –that life is just beginning.
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I’m answering some of the questions in the Proust Questionnaire this year. While I was answering them, I was thinking how I would have answered this when I was in my 20’s or 30’s, and I realised that I’ve changed a lot.
Here are my answers:
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Perfect happiness is such an impossible concept, to me. But I think it’s when you get to a point where you don’t have to worry about anything at all and you’re satisfied with your life. But who can say that?
What is your greatest fear?
Losing my husband or kids, or any of my family.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
My quick temper and impatience for things, people and situations that annoy me. I can be loud and say hurtful words that I regret. I am constantly working on this.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Being inconsiderate. Those things like not letting old people have a seat in public transpo, being kind to waitstaff, cutting in line in the supermarket, breaking lockdown rules.
Which living person do you most admire?
Oprah. Self-made billionaire woman. Intelligent. Great at doing interviews. Listen to her podcast on Spotify–her interviews with various personalities are so insightful.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Travel.
What is your current state of mind?
At 42, I feel like I still have a lot of things to do for myself and I am trying to find a way to do those while at the same time taking care of the needs of my family. But very grateful that I am still alive.
On what occasion do you lie?
When it’s necessary –which is not very often.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
My belly. A constant reminder to work on my health.
Which living person do you most despise?
Shall we get political ? I really don’t like the Philippines’ current president. Such a mysoginist, corrupt, unlikeable person who is foulmouthed and clearly does NOT have the country’s interest at heart. The Filipino people have been deceived by his promises and I’m really surprised why he has not been overthrown already.
What is the quality you most like in a man?
Decisiveness.
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Resilience.
When and where are you happiest?
No specific date and place, but when I travel and go to new places that I’ve only seen in books or movies.
Which talent would you most like to have?
Dancing, because I cannot dance to save my life.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
A turtle would be nice. It moves slowly, and lives for a long time.
Where would you most like to live?
Somewhere near the beach. But New Zealand is already nice.
Who are your favorite writers?
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Florentino Ariza in Love in the Time of Cholera. Talk about devotion to his one true love.
How would you like to die?
Quietly, when I’m old and grey.
What is your motto?
“Do the things you need to do, so you can do things you want to do”.
The full Proust Questionnaire is in Vanity Fair, if you’d like to answer it yourself. I’ll probably answer again in a couple of years to see how/if my answers will change. Thank you all for the birthday greetings, friends!
