Tell us something really interesting that's happened to you!
Perhaps the strangest thing that happened to me was a recurring dream I had, whereby I had to face seven masked people in a glade. They wore robes similar to those worn by monks, ad had their faces hidden by theatrical masks. This recurring dream lasted for over three years and would always end up at the same point. It became an obsession for me to find out what this dream was trying to tell me and I did a lot of research. The explanation did come to me in the end, and this entire episode in my life is what inspired the main storyline for ‘The Storyteller’s Nights’.
What are some of your pet peeves?
My main pet peeves are abuse of power (as often seen in the corporate, political and sometimes religious institutions). Unfair practices, especially by self-righteous people who claim loud and clear that they will save the world, really gets under my skin, to the point where I often wonder if life would not be better as a hermit in a remote location, with only my own survival would matter. This is one thought that I have struggled with, but on the other side, I have a fantastic family that I love and that has become my reason for living and loving my blessed life. So to anyone who, like me, may struggle with these existential challenges, find, understand and accept all the great things in your life and never look back.
Where were you born/grew up at?
I was born in the beautiful tropical island of Mauritius and lived there until the age of twenty-two. Growing up on a tropical island has a fascinating side whereby one has no choice but to enjoy nature, gorgeous beaches and lagoons with water warming up to above thirty degrees Celsius(30oC) during the summers. In addition, tropics tend to have only two seasons, summer and winter. Winters are windy, and the coldest that I can remember is about fifteen degrees Celsius (15oC) at night time, in the high plateau where my parents’ home is. Summers can sometimes be brutally hot and the main drawback is cyclones (known as typhoons in East Asia and tropical storm in the Western world). As kids, we loved cyclones, because schools were closed and whenever electricity was not cut-off due to fallen electric poles, we would have full TV programs all day. I have great memories of growing up in Mauritius, to the point that I chose the island as the main location for the adventures of ‘Les Nuits du Conteur’ (French version of ‘The Storyteller’s Nights’) and its follow-up, ‘Revanche’. I am also blessed to be able to visit my old Mom and my brothers there once a year.
If you knew you'd die tomorrow, how would you spend your last day?
If possible, I would spend it with my family, remembering (i) all the things that made us laugh, and (ii) when things appeared to be so hard that we would likely succumb, it was all small stuff. The important things in life, as far as I’m concerned, are those unforgettable moments of laughter, pure joy, in the company of our loved ones. The rest is all small stuff. We must however always be grateful to the Universe for everything. By simply looking around, we should all see that life could be a whole lot harder…
Who is your hero and why?
I have many heroes, and each of them has fueled my passions at one point in time. It all started with the fictitious character ‘Tintin’. This character made a great statement of always fighting the good fight, every moment of every day. I was even more fascinated when decades later, I found out that he was the character that inspired the first Indiana Jones movie, ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’.
My next hero was (and still is to this day) Jackie Chan. I was a teenager in Mauritius when his movie ‘The Big Brawl’ came to the big screen. It was one of these rare occasions where everyone in the theater applauded at the end of the movie. I was stunned when I recently read Jackie Chan’s autobiography ‘Never grow up’, that the movie was an actual flop. As my life went on, I kept watching as many Jackie Chan movies as possible. Upon reading ‘Never grow up’ recently, I realized that the main things that this actor taught me were to always see the funny side of anything, and that only hard work pays off, if one is willing to accept that everything has a price. I won’t spoil it for those who are truly interested and will read the book.
Another hero is Ritchie Blackmore, lead guitarist of the seventies hard rock band ‘Deep Purple’. He portrayed another who worked very hard at achieving perfection. You have figured out by now that I too tried my luck at becoming a good guitar player. I never got there, although I did have some wild times with a band named ‘Beware’ and the couple of gigs we did in a bar. To this day, some of ‘Deep Purple’s’ music brings a smile and excitement. Blackmore and the band were pioneers who in my view, changed music more than Led Zeppelin or Black Sabbath. If there ever is an autobiography of ‘Ritchie Blackmore’, I will certainly read it. I’ve heard bits and pieces of side stories that he was also a psychic, and that’s an aspect that has a lot of interest from me.
Finally (I could likely find more heroes but for the purpose of this blog, I believe this is enough), there is the man who made the world’s best guitarist for many years in a row, Yngwie Malmsteem. What Ritchie Blackmore had pioneered into great music, Yngwie turned into a science so precise that it will always be to me an enigma. Again, some of Yngwie’s music still gets me jumping up and down in joy and whenever I feel sad or down, his music will bring me back up in no time.
What kind of world ruler would you be?
I would be a lousy ruler, because I’ve understood that no one can please everyone. As such, a ruler whose prime directive is to treat everyone fairly, is doomed to failure by the mere nature of our humanity, whereby the grass is always greener next door. Yet, our society is set-up in such a way that we do need rulers. I can only conclude that the good ones are few and far in between.
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