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A Guy's Moleskine Notebook

Thoughts and reflections on works of fiction and literature. Pondering of life through pictures and words. Babbling about gay rights. Travelogues and anecdotes.

  • [1] Annie Proulx: Brokeback Mountain
  • [2] Arthur Golden: Memoirs of a Geisha
  • [3] Yu Hua: To Live
  • [4] Alan Hollinghurst: The Line of Beauty
  • [5] Colm Toibin: The Master
  • [6] Carlos Ruiz Zafon: The Shadow of the Wind
  • [7] William James: The Varieties of Religious Experience
  • [8] Charles Higham: The Civilization of Angkor
  • [9] Graham Greene: A Burnt-Out Case
  • [10] Dai Sijie: Mr. Muo's Travelling Couch
  • [11] Alan Hollinghurst: The Swimming-Pool Library
  • [12] Mikhail Bulgakov: The Master and Margarita
  • [13] Colm Toibin: The Blackwater Lightship
  • [14] Alan Hollinghurst: The Folding Star
  • [15] Ross King: Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling
  • [16] Fyodor Dostoevsky: The Brothers Karamazov
  • [17] Jonathan Franzen: The Corrections
  • [18] Colm Toibin: The Story of the Night
  • [19] John Banville: Shroud
  • [20] Leo Tolstoy: Resurrection
  • [21] Peter Hessler: River Town, Two Years on the Yangtze
  • [22] Ian McEwan: The Atonement
  • [24] Gabriel Garcia Marquez: Love in the Time of Cholera
  • [25] Ignacio Padilla: Shadow without a Name
  • [26] Umberto Eco: The Name of the Rose
  • [27] Richard Russo: Straight Man
  • [28] Fyodor Dostoevsky: Notes from Underground
  • [29] Alan Hollinghurst: The Spell
  • [30] Hermann Broch: The Death of Virgil
  • [31] James Baldwin: Giovanni's Room
  • [32] Ken Kesey: One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest
  • [33] Xingjian Gao: One Man's Bible
  • [34] C. Jay Cox: Latter Days
  • [35] Harper Lee: To Kill A Mockingbird
  • [36] William Shakespeare: The Taming of the Shrew
  • [37] Daniel A. Helminiak: What The Bible Really Says about Homosexuality
  • [38] James Baldwin: Tell Me How Long the Train's Been Gone
  • [39] Kenji Yoshino: Covering - The Hidden Assault of Civil Rights
  • [40] Italo Calvino: If, On a Winter's Night A Traveler
  • [41] Arthur Phillips: The Egyptologist
  • [42] George Orwell: 1984
  • [43] Michael Warner: The Trouble with Normal: Sex, Politics, and Ethics of Queer Life
  • [44] Andrew Sullivan: Virtually Normal
  • [45] Henry James: The Wings of the Dove
  • [46] Jose Saramago: Blindness
  • [47] Umberto Eco: The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana
  • [48] Dan Brown: Da Vinci Code
  • [49] Kazuo Ishiguro: Never Let Me Go
  • [50] Ken Follett: The Pillars of Earth
  • [51] Leo Tolstoy: War and Peace
  • [52] Michael Thomas Ford: Alec Baldwin Doesn't Like Me
  • [53] Jonathan Franzen: How To Be Alone
  • [54] Jonathan Lethem: The Fortress of Solitude
  • [55] Matthew Pearl: The Dante Club
  • [56] Zadie Smith: White Teeth
  • [57] Fyodor Dostoevsky: The Double
  • [58] Jose Saramago: The Double
  • [59] Andrew Holleran: Dancer from the Dance
  • [60] Heinrich von Kleist: The Marquise of O & Other Stories
  • [61] Andrew Holleran: In September, the Light Changes
  • [62] Tom Perrotta: Little Children
  • December 19, 2006

     

    50 Things About Me

    I've been getting e-mails from readers who good-naturedly suggest a post that lists 25 Things or 50 Things about me. Honestly I've had long conceived the idea but never mustered up to do it because I simply don't know where to begin. Vital stats are boring. Hobbies and favorites can be morbidly narcissistic. Tony's post yesterday came to my rescue--I decided to cover his meme of 50 Things. Proceed at your own risk. Enjoy.

    1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?
    OMG I need a hair-cut.

    2. How much cash do you have on you?
    You mean in my wallet now? About $500. Gotta have a little extra cash for holiday shopping.

    3. What's a word that rhymes with "DOOR"?
    Pour? What does this have to do with me?

    4. Favorite planet?
    How am I supposed to know if I've lived my whole life on Earth? I guess Earth?

    5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone?
    ...my friend Stephen who will be leaving for Bangkok for vacation this weekend.

    6. What is your favorite ring tone on your phone?
    It's one of the generic tones called "Notify."

    7. What shirt are you wearing?
    At the moment just a ringer t-shirt, from Target!

    8. Do you "label" yourself?
    We live in a country that is morbidly obsessed with labels. Other than the fact that I'm homo sapien (the taxonomical term for human); I don't want to be labeled nor classified in any ways. I rather to be myself and do the things I like to do instead of wasting time to come up with labels that suit other people's interests.

    9. Name the brand of shoes you're currently wearing.
    Flipflop at home...a pair of Keen sandals, Timberland loafers.

    10. Bright or dark room?
    I'm an avid reader, so the room must be bright. I prefer dark room for certain activities that I can't elaborate on he...

    11. What do you think about the person who took this survey before you?
    I've never met Tony, but gathering from the e-mails he sent me and his posts, he is disarmingly down-to-earth, friendly, and thoughtful. Oh...did I say he's cute?

    12. What does your watch look like?
    I can't afford one! LOL Nah...I usually don't wear one since I've grown used to looking at my cellphone.

    13. What were you doing at midnight last night?
    That would be Sunday nig...in bed.

    14. What did your last ext message you received on your cell say?
    One of my best friends whose name happens to be Tony as well sent me a text message saying he can hang out this weekend, on Christmas' Eve.

    15. Where is your nearest 7-11?
    Dunno. The only one I know that exists for sure is in the Castro, which is at least 2 miles from my house.

    16. What's a word that you say a lot?
    "So what's going on with you?"

    17. Who told you he/she loved you last?
    I'll have to ditto Tony's response on th...For my ears only. Haha!

    18. Last furry thing you touched?
    George the puppy.

    19. How many drugs have you done in the last three days?
    No drugs unless you count Tylenol.

    20. How many rolls of film do you need developed?
    Don't we all use digital cameras these days? I just got my second Canon with 10 mega pixel. I haven't bought a roll for years.

    21. Favorite age you have been so far?
    I guess now (I'm 31) because I'm still in grad school but I make decent money so I can still travel freely all over the world.

    22. Your worst enemy?
    Myself. I'm a perfectionist and, like Tony has said, I wish to be perfect in everything I do even though I realize sometimes it's not possible.

    23. What is your current desktop picture?
    The picture of Angkor Wat I took in 2005.

    24. What was the last thing you said to someone?
    Goodnight. See you Thursday evening. I was on the phone with Ken.

    25. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to fly what would it be?
    I definitely want a million bucks because I have fear of height.

    26. Do you like someone?
    I like all kinds of people. But yes, I do like someone now.

    27. The last song you listened to.
    Horn Concerto #1 by Mozart.

    28. What time of the day were you born?
    I think my mom told me I was born around 3 in the morning.

    29. What's your favorite number?
    12. Don't ask me why since I don't know it myself. I've had a sentimental attachment to this number since I developed memory as a child. I collect t-shirts with the number 12 on them.

    30. Where did you live in 1987?
    Hong Kong, back then it was still a British colony. That same year I moved to San Francisco.

    31. Are you jealous of anyone?
    Not really.

    32. Is anyone jealous of you?
    I hope not! I guess not!

    33. Where were you when 9/11 happened?
    At work, the UCSF chemistry lab. I was watching the TV in utter consternation and disbelief.

    34. What do you do when vending machines steal your money?
    Pound on the machines like that would really help.

    35. Do you consider yourself kind?
    I don't bite so I guess I'm kind. I am trying. Haha!

    36. If had to get a tattoo. Where would it be?
    I have never considered getting one. But if I have to pick one, that would be my upper arm, like around my bicep.

    37. If you could be fluent in any other language, what would it be?
    Spanish. I've dropped that cotton-picking Spanish class three times in college!!!

    38. Would you move for the person you loved?
    This one is negotiable. But at the moment I won't move anywhere for anyone for I love San Francisco.

    39. Are you touchy feely?
    Are you asking me if I wear my heart on my sleeves? I guess I can be but I've had enough drama and woes that taught me it's not necessarily a good idea. Once I get comfortable and trustful with someone I can get very touchy feely. Try me! LOL

    40. What's your life motto?
    Living life to the full and make the best out of each moment in time.

    41. Name three things that you have on you at all times?
    A pen, a book, and iPod.

    42. What's your favorite town/city?
    San Francisco (it's beautiful, lots of friends), New York City (museums), Hong Kong, Vancouver.

    43. What was the last thing you paid for with cash?
    That would be an iced double say latte at Cafe Flore. $3.50

    44. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper and mailed it?
    Last week I scribbled some notes along with Christmas cards which I sent out to friends.

    45. Can you change the oil on a car?
    Yup! That's one of the few things I can do with a car, besides washing it.

    46. Your first love: what is the last thing you heard about him/her?
    My first love moved to New York City the last time I spoke to him. I think he's still single and jhopefully not in love with me! LOL

    47. How far back do you know about your ancestry?
    My great-grandparents. My uncle showed me the village where they had lived in China, it was about 4 hours away by car from Hong Kong.

    48. The last time you dressed fancy, what did you wear and why did you dress fancy?
    I was part of the wedding party for my friend's wedding last month. I had on a tuxedo, slacks, and dress shoes. I don't dress up too often, I'm more a smart casual type of person at a fancy restaurant.

    49. Does anything hurt on your body right now?
    Thank goodness no. Touchwood.

    50. Have you been burned by love?
    Yes and in fact not too long ago back in summer. Maybe he didn't think it was love so he could just walk away and pretended nothing happened.

    Okay that's it folks. I'm not tapping anybody. Just step in if you feel like going through this ordeal. Happy Tuesday!

    6 Comments:

    Blogger Jef said...

    Even though I've been reading your blog awhile now, you still surprised me. I may have to do this on my own blog when I find the time.

    12/19/2006 11:23 AM  
    Blogger Tony said...

    AWE Matt...thanks for such the kind words. Enjoyed your 50 things. See it wasn't all that bad. And you reveal a little bit more about yourself! Hugs!

    12/19/2006 11:14 PM  
    Blogger Kalv1n said...

    These were some great introductory 50 things. I had no idea you were so reserved. I like brightly lit rooms too. I don't like hanging out in the dark at all. Dunno why, especially now that I've stopped reading and just watch VH1. Sad.

    12/20/2006 12:52 AM  
    Blogger Robert said...

    Excellent. I love it.

    "...But yes, I do like someone now." Interesting!!! :-)

    12/20/2006 7:13 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Hey I never know a lot of these things about you Matty. Guess our conversations never hit on things like what planet you like or you class you have dropped! You seemed to me you always set the curve. Gosh I'm jealous. LOL

    I enjoy your 50 things. See ya. :)

    12/20/2006 7:49 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Such a goof ball you are. Sometimes it blows my mind how a nerd (just kidding okay?) like you can be so crazy and funny. I love you my friend xoxo

    12/20/2006 4:11 PM  

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