Where do you live? Pokfulam.

Where do you go to escape in Hong Kong? A private room at the SCAA, where I play snooker alone.

Whom in Hong Kong do you most admire? My dad, an art dealer with a wide range of interests. He has taught me about sport, the arts, literature, business and many other things about the world.

Whom do you least admire? People who don't know what they're doing, who fool around wasting their lives, getting poor school grades. People with no ambition.

What inspires you? My dad's attitude; he discusses things with me when I'm not doing so well in races, and warns against being carried away by my ego when I'm doing well.

What has been your most memorable experience? I was on a plane this year when we ran into turbulence. People were screaming, the lights went on and off and meals and drinks were scattered on the floor. It lasted only about a minute but I did think of death. I wasn't too scared though because there were so many people with me.

When was the last time you were furious? A few years ago when my best friend, a teammate I've known since I was 10, accused me of stealing his swimming cap. It was a souvenir he was given by a swimmer from a foreign team. Other teammates defended me but he wouldn't believe them. It was sad to see him losing faith in an old friend.

What has been your biggest achievement so far? Representing Hong Kong in the Olympics. But my best performance was in the 4x200m freestyle relay in the 1998 Asian games in Bangkok. I spent a year training for the event, and although we just missed out on a bronze medal we broke the Hong Kong record by more than 10 seconds.

What was your childhood dream? To be a fireman, because I love water and loathe heat.

What is your favourite restaurant?

Home, because it provides the most comfortable environment for dinner and I don't have to worry about table manners. Besides, my mum is an excellent cook. When I am out I usually eat roast pigeon at a dai pai dong.

What's your favourite saying? 'Super.'

What's your best virtue? I am always cheerful and optimistic, and I don't lose my temper easily.

What would you like to be reincarnated as?

A sportsman, but I would choose basketball in my next life. Although I like swimming it can be a pretty boring sport because you just keep doing lengths; basketball requires teamwork and strategy and there are more tricks. And it would be nice if I could play in the NBA.

What is your most indispensable accessory?

A transparent beer mug with my initials on it given to me by my best friend at college in Pennsylvania.

What are your plans? I would like to attend Hong Kong University to do a business administration degree, then get into the business field, possibly as a broker - although I would still like to be in films!

Give us some wisdom ... It isn't what you used to be, it's what you are today.