Author and researcher Sergio Grech tells The Malta Independent on Sunday what he likes and dislikes by answering a set of questions aimed to let us know more about him.
He tells us who his favourite singer is, who also happens to be one of the four people he would like to have dinner with, given the chance.
The author of “U tisbah missier”, a collection of stories, reflections and observations, did not see himself as a writer when he was young.
What was the last book you read?
Lord Strickland: Plots and Intrigue in Colonial Malta, Victor Aquilina
Who is your favourite author?
Ivan Klima (international)
Trevor Zahra (local author)
What was the last film you watched?
La Vita e’ bella (I saw it again a few weeks ago)
Which film have you seen multiple times and enjoyed every time you saw it?
Shakespeare in Love
Who is your favourite actor/actress?
Gwyneth Paltrow
What is your favourite TV series?
The Love Boat. We used to watch on Berlusconi’s TV stations
What is your favourite game or sport to watch and play?
Football.
Which team do you support?
Zejtun Corinthians
Which song would you sing at a karaoke night?
Ti Amo, Umberto Tozzi
Who is your favourite singer/band?
Roberto Vecchioni
Which show/event would you like to attend/have attended?
Opera The Valkyrie, Richard Wagner, to be staged this winter at the London Coliseum
What three items would you take with you on a deserted island?
Book – laptop – mobile
Which of the five senses would you say is your strongest?
Hearing
What's the most unusual thing you've ever eaten?
Moravský vrabec (Moravian sparrow) – do not be fooled it is a pork dish!
What is that one thing you could not go a day without?
Electronic mail
Which fictional character do you relate to most?
Tomas in The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Do you check your horoscope?
No
What age would you choose if you could be one age forever?
6-10
What invention would you erase from history?
Mobile phone
Would you like to know the day when you will die?
Not really
What's your favourite animal?
Siberian Tiger
What's your favourite type of foreign food?
Osso buco alla Milanese
What is your favourite hobby?
Reading. When I was in my late teenage I used to collect stamps.
What's your favourite season?
Winter
What's your favourite ice cream topping?
Melted marshmallows
What's your favourite board game?
Monopoly
What is your favourite pizza?
Maltija/Gozitana
What is your favourite colour?
Acquamarine
What is your favourite pasta dish?
Ravioli
What is your favourite cartoon show?
L’Uomo Tigre
What did you like to do most during the summer holidays?
Swimming at St Thomas Bay (Munxar area), reading and listening to the radio especially the reading of novels by Charles Arrigo and Twannie Scapello. I was also an altar boy serving at San Girgor in Zejtun. And the Genwiza ice cream of course was a must.
What career did you see yourself in when you were young?
A pilot with Air Malta
What is your best childhood memory?
Going daily to my nanna who lived near Roger’s bakery in Zejtun.
Did you learn how to ride a bike?
No
Who was your super hero?
Mazinga Zeta
Which toy do you wish to have kept?
Dress like Zorro Costume
What subject did you excel in at school?
History
What subject did you dislike the most in school?
Maths, especially Geometry
Was there some family tradition that was never missed?
Meeting at nanna’s house during annual festivals like Easter, Christmas, Good Friday and Festa.
What are the best values you owe to your parents?
Kindness – Honesty – Patience
What would you change about yourself if you could?
I wish to control better my eating habits.
What really makes you angry?
Hypocrisy
Is your glass half full or half empty?
Half full
Are you a sore loser?
Not sure.
What is your biggest regret?
Not learning to play a church’s organ.
What’s the first thing you look for in a partner and/or friend?
Honesty – respect – support
What is your greatest fear?
Death
What is your life motto?
Issa naraw (we’ll see)
If you had a warning label, what would yours say?
Life is too short. Stop wasting it.
What's one thing that can instantly make your day better?
Acquisition of a book that I was hunting for ages
If you won the lottery, what would be the first thing you do or buy?
Would buy an expensive work of art
If you could share a meal with any 4 individuals, living or dead, who would they be?
Roberto Vecchioni, Luciano Pavarotti, Archbishop Michael Gonzi, Enrico Berlinguer
If you could bring one person back from the dead who’d it be?
My Nanna Karm. She died in 1988. She was a keen reader. Every day she read her favourite Maltese newspaper.
If you could time travel, when and where would you go?
Paris, 1798
If you could relive one moment in your life, which would it be?
The birth of my two kids
If you could live anywhere outside Malta, where would it be?
Prague
If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Fried rabbit & Spaghetti
If you could know the truth behind a secret or mystery, which would it be?
Who was behind Italian singer Mia Martini’s death?
If you could eliminate one of the seven deadly sins, which one would it be (pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath or sloth?
Greed
If you had to be given a superpower, what would you choose?
Power to eliminate hypocrisy
Coffee or tea?
Coffee
Walk or swim?
Swim
Summer or winter?
Winter
Italy or England?
England
Restaurant or delivery?
Restaurant
Early bird or night owl?
Night owl
Fish or meat?
Meat
Mobile phone or TV?
Mobile phone
Black or white?
Black
Film or TV series?
Film