Q.061. What is the best book you have read?
A.061. I've read so many books, I really can't decide...I've got a huge list in my head, it'll take forever to get through it all!!! But at a push, I'd say the Oxford dictionary...It's very useful, and has all the words in it!!! :-p

I love books by Anne Rice, Roald Dahl, J. K. Rowling, David Eddings, J. R. R. Tolkein, Raymond E. Feist, Jean M. Auel, Philippa Gregory, Stephen Fry, James Herbert...Anything related to Gone with the Wind, other classics (eg. Little Women, Jane Eyre, poetry by Plath/Blake/Elliott/Marvell, To Kill A Mocking Bird, Of Mice and Men, The Crucible, most literature by Shakespeare, Victor Hugo, Alexander Dumas, Charles Dickens Etc), and works of Asian authors like Anchee Min, Salman Rushdie, Catherine Lim etc. I also have to sheepishly confess I'm a fan of the Harry Potter series. In fact, I'd devour just about anything I can get my hands on...I wasn't quite making a joke when I mentioned the dictionary...I don't just pick it up only when I need it...I do read it every now and then because I enjoy doing it...Oh, and have you read Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah? It's not very big, but it's clever...Go read it...

Currently under my pillow are The Monkey King by Timothy Mo, Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens by Jane Dunn, Light Music by Kathleen Ann Goonan, and Get Me Out of Here by Rachel Reiland...Aaah...my little bedside library...what would I do without it? I'm a really fast reader, so by the time you read this page, I would most likely have already moved on to other stuff, and forgot to update this bit

If magazines were to be included in this list of entertaining reading material, I'd recommend Trace, Zembla, WestEast, Luezer's Archive, *Surface, Wallpaper*, The Face, Tank, Easy Living (it's not all sensationalism like other frivolous women's mags...has loads of practical stuff), Living etc, and I.D. ...The first five are pretty difficult to get hold of though...Oh, and of course, .Net

If you'd like to buy me a present, I suggest you visit    where you can see the sort of stuff I go for...It's a virtual record of all my material fantasies, not just books, but if you want to view the literary roll-call, check out the relevant section...

Q.062. What makes you laugh?
A.062. Funny things...LOL...

...Certain writers and shows by Eddie Izzard or humour like in Black Adder, Red Dwarf, Frasier, Father Ted, Friends, The Simpsons, Little Britain, League of Gentlemen, Monty Python etc are sure bets, and sometimes Top Gear...David and Zhouyi also have the power to put a shmile on my noggin. :-)

Q.063. What is/are your favourite hobbies and pastimes?
A.063. This, being on my comp, talking to my mates...sometimes weight-training...singing and dancing...I even own my very own special karaoke system at home; It may be a tad out-dated, but the bathroom walls do provide excellent acoustics! :-p

There's more, depending on my mood, but too many to list unless you have the Elixir of Immortality in your possession, since the telling of it will most likely take up the rest of this millennium, and quite possibly the next!

Most people are staggered by the amount of interest I display in so many things, but this has allowed me to be very versatile in the work that I do.

Q.064. Do you enjoy cooking? And why?
A.064. Abso-bloody-lutely!!! ...Nothing like good home-cooked food...I love filling our home with wafts of baking cookies and cakes as well...I can prepare dishes from most cuisines...It's fun, and I like the compliments I receive...makes me want to best myself each time...Don't like doing the washing up after though! But David and I usually take turns to do that...He's a pretty good cook too...sometimes we'd rather rustle up something in our own kitchen than eat in a restaurant...Not only would our meal taste better, it's cheaper too!!! The person with the BEST EVER culinary skills I've tasted thus far is my mum...(well, actually she's my step-mum, but I refer to her as 'mum'...or 'mummy' which is what I normally call her...'cos that veritable dragon was the one who brought me up, and for all intents and purposes is my mother now...this is my mini tribute to her)...I miss her cooking an awful awful lot. :-( She gives lessons right now and writes a few in-house recipe books for the company she works for, but should really start her own restaurant.

Q.065. Do you like to shop for yourself?
A.065. I like to shop, full stop...I'll shop for myself, David, my friends, my family...ANYONE...Would you like me to do your shopping for you???

Q.066. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation where would you go?
A.066. For the history and atmosphere: Venice, Egypt, Rome, Paris, Madrid, Berlin, Vienna, New Orleans/Charleston/LA (Disneyland!)
For the culture and people: Bangkok/Phuket, Tokyo/Kyoto, Shanghai/Beijing, Taiwan, Istanbul
For the environment and scenery: Africa, Ireland, Canada, Iceland

Mind you, I'm not likely to be doing much travelling in the near future...The furthest I'll prolly find myself this year is Southend in one direction and the Lakes in the other!

Q.067. Describe your ideal home.
A.067. A treehouse Haggerstone Island style (Check out their Gallery...Gorgeous!) with a Husky or Newfoundland, 2 Siamese cats, a horse, my David and my Zhouyi (daughter)...A home filled with love, happiness and tranquility.

Failing that, a converted Warehouse/Lighthouse/Barn with loft, lots of rustic wood and metal (Rugs, yes. Shag-pile, yes. Carpets, NO!), open-plan/hidden storage (it's a war against clutter!), minimalist without being clinical, filled with fantasy, art (our own graphics), murals (own designs), hanging seats (or would cushions and suede bean bags be better?), relics of my Asian heritage (Balinese perhaps?) and retro/vintage stuff, rooms lit with loads of hurricane/paraffin lamps or Chinky/Jap paper ones and skylight (with one room just for my clothes...have to say, it's already getting there!), huge professional kitchen that's also cosy (with one wall painted in blackboard paint for our grocery/shopping list or memos), Jap style sunken bath-tub/jacuzzi and Mediterranean outdoor garden shower, hi-tech entertainment system (movies projected digitally on a white wall) in sound-proof room with the whole place wired up for music, glass tubular fireplace in the middle of hall...A place I'll have fun designing (My dad's a semi-retired architect who's won quite a few awards, so this is prolly hereditary!), all based in the countryside or by a beach...Do you think that's asking for too much???

Q.068. What is your most treasured possession?
A.068. The contents of my HD...everything else can be replaced...And maybe some items in my wardrobe as they are one-offs, and hard to find.

*Note to burglars: If you want to make your evening more profitable, I'd advise ignoring that bolted-down safe (assuming we have one) in the corner. Don't be expecting it to be full of money, gold and jewels, as all you'll find in there are two password-protected hard drives which won't get you very much.

Q.070. If price were not an obstacle, what car would you buy?
A.070. Not much of a car person, but...Ford Street Ka or Puma (a glorified Fiesta in a dress!)...in some outrageous colour...A shame the Ka has such a lousy interior...It's all a bit Fisherprice, which only shouts out that it's a car made for those who function constantly in Idiot Mode. I rather like the way the inside of the Audi TT is laid out...very German, but I've heard the TT's got some 'handling issues'...loads of speed, but dodgy performance. I'm not one for fast cars...It's not the speed I object to (I do actually like being on roller-coasters...not counting those that turn you upside down...I almost fell out of one a few years back as the straps meant to hold me in were too wide for me!), but the thought that I might crash into something is scary (especially in light of my mum's death)...However, I have heard that most fast cars are actually made to be safer, which is pretty logical when you think about it...I don't think I'll be a good driver though, and am too terrified to take lessons (despite David's constant nagging!)...I'm too much of a klutz to be allowed anywhere on the road...If I had enough money for 2 cars, I'd get the sexy devilish Aston Martin DB9 for my David who's just as sexy and devilish...He's a talented and sensible driver, so I know it'll be in good hands!

Q.072. While growing up, did you have any role models? If so, describe them.
A.072. No one when I was a child...Maybe one of my best mates Roy (who's like the older brother I never had) when I was a teen, but I've always been a bit of a loner. If I'd known David when I was a kid, I'd probably have looked up to him though!

Both of them are high-achievers, talented, different from other men (truly one in a million), considerate, both creative and intelligent, resourceful, good-looking, filled with integrity, but can be extremely ruthless and practical when necessary.

Q.074. As a child, what were your favourite activities?
A.074. Day-dreaming, playing make-believe (Hai! I'm a kung-fu fighter!!!), singing, dancing, and reading. (Hmmm...that still hasn't changed! :-D )

Us kids were very resourceful in those days...A scrap of wood could become a baseball bat, a cupboard under the stairs could be a cave, and a broken bamboo pole transformed into a magic staff to ward off evil demons etc etc...Didn't mean that my parents never bought me toys though! I used to play with Transformers, Hot Wheels, M.A.S.K., all kinds of toy swords, various Fisherprice/Disney stuff, Japanese dollhouses (They were so cute and the tiny furniture could turn into other things), Lego (Who could resist that???), Uno, Scrabble, numerous stuffed toys (Carebears, Strawberry Shortcake, Winnie-the-Pooh, Garfield etc), pretty lanterns during the Autumn/Mooncake Festival, Beano/Tintin/Archie/Asterix comics (Ok...I suppose books don't count...Enid Blyton, anyone?), paperdolls and stickerbooks etc...Even had a Hello Kitty sewing machine that actually worked (Gone AWOL now :-( What a shame!)...Tried to persuade my parents to get me a chemistry set, but they didn't think it was such a good idea...Hmmm, I wonder why...Everything's so different now...Look at all the stuff kids can get today!!

My brother had games and playthings that filled a room from wall to wall, floor to ceiling...partly for my dad's benefit...and mine, despite being 12 years older than my bro. After a childhood of decapitating Barbie and Ken dolls, I considered myself pretty deprived and took the opportunity to renew my wonder years with great gusto. After all, what else are younger siblings good for? (Haha, Gabs...Gotcha there!!!) And now, I get to enjoy that experience all over again with my little one! ;-) We've continued the tradition of plying her with more toys, DVDs, books and educational games than we can find storage for! Kids these days...Pampered, I tell you! I swear, sometimes we get the children toys more for ourselves than for them...Any excuse to have fun!...Great stuff...My bro also had wendy houses, plastic pools, and slides...I think some of those toys are still around, like those Matchbox cars, Warner Bros/Marvel stuff (toys usually based on movies/cartoons like X-Men, Batman or Loony Toons) that could talk or move, and ninja-type swords armed with more gadgets than a swiss army knife (which my daughter has inherited under the mistaken impression that she will grow up to be Peter Pan)...some of them actually play music or light up - lightsaber style...and all his WWF action figures (100s of them which would no doubt fetch a pretty hefty price as collectables) and ring set. (Sadly, the super-soakers seem to have gone missing.) He even had kitchen sets with cookers that 'pinged', pots that could bubble up, fridges that lit up, plastic 'food' that changed colour, teeny tiny grocery items...Sometimes we would supplement the inedible plastic 'edibles' with Playdoh (which weren't all that edible either!). This was all pre-Pokemon...Today, it's the Powerpuff Girls...Okaaaay...I think I shall abstain from commenting any further on the type of programmes available to our young these days, and keep my reservations to myself for now...Can you believe they now even have a 'Divorced Barbie' for sale????
 
I say, anyone remember watching Sesame Street, the Smurfs, Thundercats, and the Muppets??? Oh oh, and what about Mighty Mouse??? Proper kids TV, that...

Q.075. Did you enjoy school?
A.075. Not precisely, but I liked the fact that it got me away from home, and I could see my friends (what little I had) everyday. I like learning new things though...just didn't like the teaching methods used then. I refused to do my homework, answered back, and often played truant...even deliberately failed my tests and exams...Some of my teachers never gave up on me though, and I still have immense respect for them up to this day. If I do write that best-selling novel, I will dedicate it to all of them.

Q.076. How far did you go in education? Would you go back?
A.076. Third and final year at the University of Central Lancashire reading journalism where I'm not really learning anything I don't already know...and yes, I'd go back...should of done Fashion or Graphic Design instead...

(08/08/05 Update - I have finally graduated...Read about it in my blog.)

Q.078. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
A.078. None as yet, but I'm working on it! I'd be happy if I could just stop myself from being me (as in recover from BPD), once and for all!!!

Q.080. If you suddenly inherited a lot of money, enough so you never have to work again, and can live out the rest of your life in luxury, what would you do?
A.080. Start a charity or donate to charity…Invest in a good education for my daughter, and also buy my own island and build my dream home there…To pass my spare time, I’ll prolly do volunteer work about once a week at least, and the rest of it will go into travelling round the world or starting my own fashion shop/line ('Tis my dream to make me own clothes so I can stop scouting the kiddy department and save money on alterations. Plus, my own designs are prolly better! :-p ), the proceeds of which will go partially to charity eg. sponsor starving artists.

Q.081. What inspires you?
A.081. Er…Weird things…I think in abstract and random ways, so all manner of nonsense could inspire me, and sometimes, the shit that I come with makes it seem like I suffer from the online equivalent of Tourette's.

Q.082. Do you enjoy writing?
A.082. I suppose one could call me a wordsmith, but to be honest, writing isn't a hobby or even a favourite pastime of mine...I won't even call it an 'interest' as such (although I do find some aspects of the subject intriguing, and do appreciate the verbal dexterity of others)...It is simply a part of what I am...I'm just a long-winded type of person...second nature, I guess...like breathing - that's instinctive, but you don't breathe for the fun of it, do you? Although I'm doing a course in journalism, I've realised of late that this occupation isn't quite 'me'...I was all for it when I started my degree, but as time passed, I discovered more about the profession and more about myself which made me change my mind about my choice of career...Alas, it's a little too late to switch courses now, but I may do a masters in something else later on (possibly fashion). I don't mind writing for magazines, or writing the odd promotional feature, but only on a freelance basis, a situation that's not totally unfamiliar to me, due to past work experience...I refuse to be a journalist under any other circumstances. Don't get me wrong, I am perfectly capable of doing my job in this field, but as far as writing is concerned, I would prefer to be known more for my work as a novelist or poet (when I get round to writing something noteworthy, that is...at the rate things are going, I can only deduce I must be suffering from a bout of mental constipation). I've not written much fiction lately (have won a few short-story and playwriting awards in the past), nor poetry as I've been so busy with the academic side of things (some of my poetry might be published in a magazine soon)...but I'm slowly getting interested in Haiku, and have just started testing those waters. Check out my first attempt. However, I can't help but feel that my true calling lies in some other occupation...perhaps as a stylist or designer. I'd very much love to start my own business someday, and I have quite a few ideas (I promise that they are all viable, and commercially expedient)...just not very much capital right now...However, I've got a few friends who have proven themselves fairly enterprising, so if all goes well, a wonderful partnership might just be waiting in the wings...Anyone else interested in joining forces with me? We can split the profits 50/50...or equally amongst everyone if there's quite a few of us.

Q.083. Why do you not want to be a model anymore?
A.083. I was never really serious about it...Don't be thinking it's part of my career plan. I sort of fell into it...Some woman from a studio asked if I wanted to model. She was a photographer, so I said yes...It was a laugh at first, as being in front of a camera takes some getting used to, then I later thought it might earn me some much needed funds. Besides, I'm not quite in the best location (away from all the action in London...Cities are only fun when you don't have to live in them! I tend to go a little peculiar when not surrounded by trees, hills, fields rivers etc etc...But that's neither here nor there! :-p ) nor am I the right size for the job...Many people think that models are all stick-thin, what they fail to realise is that skinny as we are, we still have to fit into clothes!!! The ideal size for models is UK 8-10, but I struggle to fit into size 6...I think I spend more money on alterations than on clothes themselves! Bulldog clips and gaffa tape have come in handy from time to time, but photographers don't like to rely on it too much, as it means more Photoshop work for them...I have had a few offers recently (Typical! Just when I'm thinking of getting out of it!)...5 in the last week, and had to turn down two as they were 'unsuitable'. I'm still registered with a couple of agencies (first spotted by an agency when I was 14, but wasn't interested then), though only as a spokesmodel to do promotional work...None of this pays very much, and modelling is frequently more trouble than it's worth...I've more or less had enough of it, but am still doing the odd assignment to help out those in the industry...and yeah, it's lovely having nice professional pics taken of me every now and then (which would aggravate my bank manager under normal circumstances, since such service doesn't come cheap)...Don't think that many women can say that...Still, that's not very substantial as far as job satisfaction's concerned!!! Make no mistake, I do enjoy modelling (which exhibitionist wouldn't?), but I'd much rather be known as more than just a pretty face.

I know I sound really draconian...and you're prolly going to adamantly insist that I not judge a book by its cover, and that not all people in tracksuits are chavs...but I believe it was Oscar Wilde who once mentioned (In The Picture of Dorian Gray) that "it is only shallow people who do not judge by appearances". Granted, there are exceptions, however...You have NO ALTERNATIVE but to get the measure of people through first impressions because there is nothing else for you to go on...The older I get, the more I realise that some generalisation, to a certain degree, can't be helped. We all do it...the police can't even do their jobs without it...The fact is, these walking, talking stereotypes DO exist! (What's more, they actually DO want to look the part as well, and you have to wonder, what kind of a person would WANT to dress like, for instance, a 'gangsta'?) You cannot possibly give everyone the benefit of the doubt. To do so would be folly...I count myself a highly tolerant and compassionate individual, but in the real world, you have to draw the line somewhere. Sure, there are ethics involved (Then again, what's right or wrong is merely a matter of opinion), but I'm not concerned about morality here...It is far more important to do what's NECESSARY, and what will get results. Get your priorities right! Why waste the country's resources for the sake of such non-productive and destructive members of society? Why should others have to suffer because of them? End the life of one so that more may live...In a way, you're doing them a kindness...You may pity a rabid wolf, but given the choice between having it on the loose (thus threatening the safety of everyone) and putting it to sleep, I'll wager (unless you have only air between your ears) you'll choose the latter. I'll tell you one thing though, I'm more likely to shed a tear over a dead wolf, than lose any sleep over a dead chav.

And another thing...racial terms...people are just far too sensitive...Not long ago, a documentary was produced about the subtle racism towards Chinese people in the UK, and it was called, rather appropriately, 'The Missing Chink'...But of course, there was a huge outcry because the word 'chink' was used (the fact that it was meant to be ironic seemed to be lost on most of those concerned). These people are their own worst enemies. The only reason words like that have such power to offend is because people ALLOW them to. Why give them more leverage? The moment one ceases to be affected by these terms, they will gradually fall into disuse as racist weapons. Languages do evolve after all...At the end of the day, it is only a word, and I'm sure the world has far weightier issues to grapple with than such trivial matters. Life is just far too short!