(( FIC : 21 questions ))

[downplaying]

1. Tell me something obvious about you.
Being ever the journalist, interviewing is usually my job...

2. Tell me something about you that many don't know.
My relationship to my mother is -- strained. I never fail to pay her a visit, though. Whenever I'm in Paris. Yes, you may call me a masochist.

3. What is your biggest fear?
... I would say, having to witness another African massacre like the one in Duékoué.

4. Do you normally go the safe route or take the short cut?
It depends. There are times and situations in my job where you are forced to take short cuts in order to deliver, but personally I prefer to go the safe route and do so as often as it's possible.

5. Name one thing you want that you can't buy with money.
But I already have everything I could possibly wish for!

6. What is your most treasured possession?
Well. It isn't technically mine anymore, but the engagement ring I gave Vincent. To me, at least, its symbolism is immense.

7. What is the one thing you hate most about yourself that you do often?
Nothing really comes to mind. I'm not the type to nurse regrets.

8. Tell me something sexually about you that I don't know.
Women actually don't leave me cold as such, I just find sex with them uninspiring, but don't tell anyone I said that... It can get a gay man hanged in certain circles.

9. Tell me something sexually about you that everyone knows.
I (generally) don't do one-night stands. It's a well-known secret. My little speech on it is almost beginning to wear thin...

10. What is your favorite lie to tell?
I don't tell lies.

11. Name something you've done once that you can't wait to do again.
Back in my wild youth, I had sex in a jeep in the middle of a bird sanctuary in Senegal. I actually don't remember, but I think it was around sunset and the birds were definitely going crazy all around us. If I could do that again... with another partner, preferably, I'll put it on my bucket list.

12. Are you the jealous type?
Am I? I don't know. I don't like the idea of sharing my partner, so maybe I am - but at the same time, I believe in trust and personal freedom, so maybe I'm not. I can say that I'm probably not the right person to ask this question, since the answer will never be reliable.

13. What is the one person, place or thing you can't say no to?
Africa.

14. What is the nicest thing someone has ever done for you?
Vincent said yes to marrying me. I still think that was very nice of him.

15. If you could do something crazy right now, what would it be?
I... am really not prone to rash decisions or impulsiveness, I'm afraid. However, if I had to do something crazy, I'd probably buy a one-way ticket for Beijing or Hong Kong and spend a few years (not) alone in China.

16. When was the last time you cried?
Duékoué... If I've cried since then, I don't actually remember. Mustn't have meant much.

17. When was the last time you felt so good that nothing else mattered?
Last night.

18. Do you feel comfortable in public with no shirt on?
I don't think I'm a self-conscious person, but I would honestly prefer to keep my shirt on.

19. Name something embarrassing you did while being drunk.
While I didn't do Jean Louis Duroc, I did hit on him at a private New Year gathering. There is no reason not to consider this my personal low.

20. If you answered this questionnaire, who else would you like to see answer it?
I'm sure Vincent could come up with some interesting answers to all of these questions.

21. If you lied on any of the questions, which ones and why?
I lied on #3. For the sake of my privacy.