Week 12: Birthday Proust Questionnaire

In the States, I looked forward to finding my copy of Vanity Fair in my mailbox every month. After reading the entire issue slowly, savoring Annie Leibovitz's celeb photos, Dominick Dunne's chic social diary, and well-written articles, I would reach my favorite portion of the magazine--the Proust Questionnaire. Every month, a well-known cultural figure or celebrity would answer the same questions about themselves. Based on a 19th century parlor game, the Proust Questionnaire is named after the French writer whose answers to such games have been preserved. Marcel Proust took two similar questionnaires, at 13 and 20--the answers reflected the changes in his life over the years.

I turn 27 today. The fact that I am officially in my late 20s has sunk in, which created a mental state conducive to the reevaluation of one's life. I don't forsee Vanity Fair asking me to answer their Proust Questionnaire just yet, but that doesn't mean I should deny myself the sheer indulgent pleasure of self-introspection and reflection. A caveat: this questionnaire does not reflect my life in its entirety, but serves as a mere snapshot of me at a particular point in my life. Who knows--my answers may change in a matter of years, days, even hours. I suppose that's the cool part of being a work in progress. For all you visual people, I've posted a picture of myself soon after my 21st birthday. What a difference 6 years make, especially on my coiffure.


What is your greatest fear?
Mediocrity.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
The physical health and emotional well-being of my friends and family.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Lack of punctuality.

What is your most marked characteristic?
My resonant voice.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Being financially self-sufficient.

Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Nhat Linh and Madame Nhu.

Which living person do you most admire?
My parents—it takes a lot of courage to start all over in a new country.

Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Atticus Finch, the Marquise de Merteuil, and Calvin (from the comic strip).

Which living person do you most despise?
I can’t be bothered with hate—its such a waste of time and energy.

What is your greatest extravagance?
My bed—how can you possibly work without a good night’s sleep? Oh, and international travel.

What is your favorite journey?
The one that I’ve been on for the past 27 years.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Patience.

What qualities do you most admire in a man?
Strength of character, sincerity, wit, intellectual curiosity, fairness, compassion, ability to listen, deep fidelity.

What qualities do you most admire in a woman?
Strength of character, sincerity, wit, intellectual curiosity, fairness, compassion, ability to listen, great shoes.

On what occasion do you lie?
On Sundays, when my mother asks if I’ve been to mass.

What do you dislike most about your appearance?
Its ability to attract emotionally-unavailable men.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
“I can’t be bothered.”
“I’m at the point in my life when…”

What is your greatest regret?
Not holding my 95-year-old grandmother’s hand while she was in the dentist’s chair and in a lot of pain.

When and where were you happiest?
As a child, playing with my sister. As an adult, on the dancefloor.

What is your most treasured possession?
My gray matter—I try to exercise it everyday.

Where would you like to live?
Anywhere where I can do what I love.

What do you most value in your friends?
Thoughtfulness and a bendable ear.

How would you like to die?
Laughing.

If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
A man.

What is your current state of mind?
Wistful yet hopeful.

What is your motto?
Fuggem.