Do you hate Mondays?
No, I don’t hate Mondays.
Do you know your Chinese astrology?
I think I’m the Monkey.
Do you believe in astrology?
I don’t believe in Horoscopes so much, but then again I do like reading horoscopes sometimes. I think if you asked “Do you technically believe it’s true?” Then no. But there must be a part of me that gets something out of it.
A local independent paper does an investigative article on the last time you went out partying. What is the title?
The Disappointment.
One of your parents is hugging you, which one comes to mind first?
My Mum
Do you think that the Pope truly believes in god?
I don’t know the pope personally. Maybe he really does believe in god. He probably thinks he’s elevated above everyone else. He probably does believe in god.
Is there a question you would never answer on national television?
There’s probably lots of questions I’d be scared to answer. Probably most questions, because of my job. I influence a lot of people in my little group, in my profession. I’d be worried about getting in trouble at work If someone came up to me on the street and said “what do you think of this?” I’d probably scream and run away.
Who knows you the best?
I dunno. Probably my very, very close friends. But then again, my parents. People know different parts of you. Probably my very, very close friend [unnamed].
Do they know you well enough?
They know me quite well.
If there was a town with a population consisting entirely of clones of yourself, what sculpture/statue would you commission for the centerpiece of town?
For some reason I keep thinking of a giant, wonderful, smooth, blue, clear stone thing. It doesn’t have any meaning, it’d just be really pretty.
If each of your regrets weighed a kilogram making up your total body weight, describe your body shape?
I’d probably be just a little bit chubby.
Did you have a childhood fear?
For a while I was really scared of a Goosebumps book I read. I guess I was pretty afraid of a lot of things, like hurting myself. I would definitely have been the kind of child who was too scared of going on rides.
Would you be able to console your childhood self of what he/she was most afraid of?
Probably. Actually, definitely. I was always afraid my parents would get divorced and they didn’t. So I could be like “They don’t get divorced!”
How do you feel about the idea of experiencing giving birth to yourself?
It would probably be really beautiful. It would probably make me be so in love with myself. If you think about it, when you give birth to a child there is so much pain to go through. Going through all that, all for the love of this tiny human that you want the best for. I would probably be more loving to myself and more gentle to myself if I gave birth to myself.
Have any of your wishes ever come true?
Probably most of my wishes have come true.
If so then how did it feel when it did?
It felt really good and then it was like OK, this came true. The thing you wanted came true so quickly. If I think about it, everything I’ve ever wanted has come true. It’s kind of a scary power to have, because what do I really want to make me happy. Whatever it is, it’ll happen. So you realise the power of having all of your wishes come true and then you realise how lucky you are. But you have to be careful. On one hand I feel empowered. People who are my age, with my kind of education, with my kind of intelligence can get whatever we want. But it’s like, what do I want. It’s kind of exciting.
Do you trust your memory?
I have a really good memory. I think I trust my memory. Sometimes, my memory can be skewed because of my emotions. I’ll look back on things now and be like “that was so embarrassing”. It’ll be skewed by me or how I was feeling at that time. In that sense, then no. But the memory is still mine and correct for how I felt.
Was there a better period of history to be you?
I’ve thought about that. I used to think definitely no, because we live in a time where in terms of Australia or the Western world, we have the most rights, freedoms and power. In that respect, no. I’m quite old fashioned in some ways, so maybe I would be better in another time. I think that now is quite a great place to live. I mean we are free and can do a lot of what we want.
Which piece of technology would you ban?
It seems like an obvious one, but maybe some big weapon. There are many, but one that could end the world. Then again, maybe you should be banning certain types of pollutants.
Would you make your parents lives more successful and fulfilling at the risk that they may never met each other?
Selfishly no, because then I wouldn’t be born.
Do you want the best that life can give you?
I think so. Definitely Yes.
Do you know what your body is capable of?
I’m always pretty healthy, but I’ve never had a time where I’ve sharpened the tool that is my body to the max. Like eating really well, abstaining from things, training really hard. So, I haven’t reached the full potential of my body yet.
Do you love someone else?
Yeah, I do.
Do you love yourself?
Sometimes. In some ways. When I think about other people I love, I’m a lot more positive about them. Like, they’re going to do really well. I’m more supportive towards them, than to myself. I don’t think I love myself in that I think “OMG, you’re the best!” and stand in the mirror and say little chanting things. I don’t hate myself, I don’t want myself to die. I want myself to succeed.
If you have not loved yourself then how do you know what your love feels like for others?
Yeah, sometimes you think you might be being really great to some people but you’re being really hurtful. Sometimes, these moments where I don’t really love myself that much — can be damaging to the people around me. I’ve had times where I had not noticed it and been crashing people down in that respect.
How would you handle a diagnosis of clinical depression if you found out today?
I don’t think that I’m depressed, but sometimes my outlook is quite negative. So I think I’d be like “Oh wow, I must have very, very mild depression”. If I was diagnosed with depression. But then I’d be like “really?!” I’ve had some very sad times. But I would do anything. I wouldn’t go on any medication. If I got into any moods, I’d remind myself that this is just depression.
Is there somebody (dead or alive) that could convince you to destroy every physical thing you own?
If they had an amazing reason, then maybe. Maybe my family, because I listen to my family a lot. But then again, my friends might question why I’m doing that.
Every object has a texture that is distinguishable, if you could describe the texture of the inside of your body, how would you describe it?
Like a vibrating, nervous energy that is going in all directions.
Do you respect nature?
Yeah, I think so.
How important has nature been to the successes in your life?
In a sense, very important. You need the environment to survive, you need oxygen to breath and food to eat. In terms of the main successes that I think of, are my job and degree. It hasn’t been in nature. But, it would have affected the people I’m around and the country I live in. I’ve never thought, nature has made me who I am, but it is a big contributor. You think of living in Australia and having the air quality we have — it’s a pretty lucky thing.
Have you ever planted a tree?
I have never planted a tree.
Have you ever eaten something you grew?
Yeah, at a school garden.
Have you ever seen a landfill site, a mine, a water treatment plant, a factory floor in person?
Yep. Yep. No. I think I would have seen some factories on holidays on some sort of tour.
If the government legally changed your name into a number how would you react?
I’d be so horrified that we were in some dystopian world now. It’d be weird.
If you had to kill an emotion you experience, which emotion?
Jealousy and comparing to other people.
Do you think you are the more jealous of your friends or that one of your friends is more jealous of you than you are of anyone else?
I don’t know what other people think. People don’t really talk about their jealousy, they just think it on their own. Some people are probably really mean about their jealousy and try and bring down the other person. But, I’m not jealous in that I don’t want to take away from the things that my friends are succeeding in, but I’m also like “oh no, I’m the only person who isn’t good at things”. I always feel that people are doing better than me.
You’re in a house, it scares you, there is a particular room with a closed door that gives you the heebie jeebies. What do you do?
I might knock on the door. If there is nobody there I would just go into the room.
Someone attacks you? What do you do?
I would just start screaming as loud as I could and then suddenly just fight back.
Are you afraid of death? Why? Why not?
I’m not afraid of death. I’m more afraid of suffering than death. Because when you die it’s just over. If you’re suffering you have to live with that.
Before you enter into a potentially life threatening surgery you are given an option if in the worst case scenario, you never wake up. 1. A musician or band will play music for you 2. A poet will read you poems 3. A storyteller will tell you a story 4. Ambient sounds of nature 5. A fatherly and motherly figure will speak to you. These will all happen in the last minutes before you die. Which will you choose?
Fatherly and Motherly figure. I would just love to be with my family in my last moments. That would comfort me so much, to hear that I’m going to be ok when I die. That would be really meaningful for me. I wouldn’t feel lonely dying.
Which movie, book, piece of music would you add to early childhood curriculum?
Studio Ghibli? Those kind of things.
An old mage offers you one of three amulets, the first will protect your brain against insanity, the second will protect your spine and nervous system against permanent damage and the third will keep any relationship you are in continuing until you take it off. Which do you choose?
The one for my brain. I’d really value that.
Have you ever hated yourself more than the person you’ve hated the most?
Usually, when I hate other people, it’s really fleeting. It crumbles really quickly. Probably myself, because with everyone else I didn’t really hold onto it.
Do you ever question whether everything you experience is even real?
No.
If part of your requirement for payment from work was to stand on a crate in the CBD and give a 30 min sermon. What would the subject be?
I feel like I wouldn’t have anything I could teach anybody else. I guess I could find out about something. It’d be fun to stand on a crate and just talk about space. “Did you know the moon has this many craters?” I don’t know any space facts.
What stops you from being political?
I think I’m getting better at expressing my political side. Although I know I have views that people would not understand. I don’t think I’d get anywhere with them. Also my job impacts it. But, I’ve done vague political things but nothing too intense. So, fear from work, fear from being getting in trouble for what I say. It depends what kind of political. It’s hard to find balance and to critically analyse things and talk about things in a way that doesn’t become inflamed and polarized.
Do you feel that people listen to you?
I think that people do listen to me, but I’m not that good at communicating. I’ve noticed that about myself. Whenever I start explaining myself I just start eating my own words up and stop. People really do listen to me though. My friends are very attentive. I’m just not that good at communicating all the time.
Do you plan on being remembered by history?
No, I haven’t thought about that.
How many people would have to attend your funeral for you to feel valued?
I guess I’d want my kids to come and hopefully all of their friends to come. I don’t really have a big family. I dunno, maybe 40.
Has an inspirational video ever made you do something?
I’d say definitely. I can’t pinpoint directly, but yeah. Just lame things, like little quotes get me. Like “If not now, when? If not you, who?” and I’m like “Yeah!”.
A part of your body decides to leave you after years of pain and suffering. Which part is it?
Probably my skin.
Out of the three which connects you back to who you are, a diary, a mirror, a memory?
A mirror.
What day of the year still makes you feel like you did as a child?
The first day back at school. I remember the feeling the excitement of a new year. Not knowing what my teachers going to be like, just getting excited to learn new things.
Magogy 