'My partents' love makes life worth living'

'My partents' love makes life worth living'

Emmy Fitri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Among the scores of young emcees competing for airtime -- or,
in some cases, clogging the airwaves -- Junico B.P. Siahaan,
popularly known as Nico Siahaan, is one of the most prominent.

Known for his keen sense of being able to turn off the humor
quotient when he needs to show his serious side, Nico, now 31,
started his professional career as a radio broadcaster.

His first acting role was in the sitcom Special Pake Telor on
the RCTI station in 1995; that same year, he graduated from the
School of Economics of Padjajaran University in Bandung.

Also that year, Nico made his debut on RCTI's Kata Berkait.
The show was a success, but Nico left in 1998, moving on to host
RCTI's Impresario 008, where he remains.

Quesition: If you had the choice, what would you be doing right now?

Answer: I would probably be watching television at home, or cleaning
up my room. If I am having a busy week, then my room will always
be messy, like a shipwreck. Clothes are left here and there
because I have no time to take them to the laundry.

I still live with my parents -- but I have no particular
person who takes care of me, although I would not mind having
someone around to do that.

Q: Which are your most positive traits?

A: The best one is that I have a deep sense of humanity. I can
easily sympathize with the fate of other people. If I stumble
upon someone who needs my help, I will immediately spare
something. I enjoy that.

However, I also realize that sometimes I look really naive or
foolish for that very reason. But I think it's better if we help
others -- no matter what other people might think. I follow this
line of thinking, even if it means that I wind up being used or
cheated.

Yeah, I had an experience when somebody asked me for a loan
because he said he really needed it. In the end, he just ripped
me off. But I have no hard feelings about it -- my sincere
intention was to help him. It won't kill us if we just want to
help others, will it?

Q: And what are your weaknesses?

A: I am a big procrastinator; I often delay my work. I realize
this, but it's hard to change. Sometimes I talk to myself, like a
crazy person: "don't delay this, it's better to do it right away"
but no, I do it later. I know I should not delay any work, but
still... I am very disciplined in dealing with appointments with
others, partly thanks to my manager.

Q: Who are some of the people you admire most?

A: I'd have to say that this person must be someone who I'd like
to be. That would be Michael Jordan. He's a mega-star on the
basketball court, but he is very down to earth and human ...

Q: What talent do you wish you had?

A: I wish I could play piano and sing ... probably with a voice
like Tom Jones! In my family, we were all sent to piano courses,
and I was the one who failed.

Q: Do you believe in God?

A: Absolutely ... I'm a regular churchgoer ...

Q: What was the last book you read?

A: The fourth J.K. Rowling book, Harry Potter's Goblet of Fire,
It's a little bit late in life to be reading such a book, but I
enjoy it anyway. The book is so thick so that I can't bring with
me anywhere.

Rowling's books stir my fantasies, like when I was younger and
still reading Enid Blyton's books. I saw the Harry Potter film,
but it's not as enjoyable reading the books. My fantasy is still
better than what I saw on film.

Q: What makes you angry?

A: I will get offended and really angry if someone belittles me
or treats me with contempt.

Q: And what makes you laugh?

A: To see people doing things or talking about things which
nobody could have taught them to do.

Q: And what makes you cry?

A: I cry easily, even if I watch a movie. My eyes glaze over
every time I watch that television film series The Champ. I
think that crying is healthy and good for the eyes. For me,
crying is not a sign of weakness. If I didn't cry and tried to
hold back my tears, then my eyes would hurt.

Q: What are the attributes in others that turn you off?

A: Arrogance. People who think they are better than others. If I
meet, say, a woman who's very attractive, but then I find out
that she is snobbish, most of the time I can't keep a
relationship with someone like that.

Q: If you could change anything about your appearance, what would
it be?

A: I probably I would like to have a more normal-shaped head.
But, no, I really thank God for creating so many different kinds
of features, and that none of them are the same.

Q: What makes your life worth living?

A: The fact that people appreciate me, and my parents love me.
And basically because I interact with people and I owe to others
what they have given me.

Q: What is your favorite food?

A: Sop kaki kambing (goat's leg soup)

Q: As you look back over your life, do you have any regrets?

A: With what I have right now? No, I don't have any regrets.

Q: You are a Batak, and we make a lot of stereotypes about
people's ethnicity here. What are your feelings about that?

A: I don't submit to categories, but I do like to counter
stereotypes. For me, if Batak people are believed to be rude, for
example, then I will go out of my way to prove that I'm not rude.

Q: How would you like to be remembered?

A: As a person who has cared about others the most.