Andrew Leci might not be an intrepid adventurer, but Robb Report Singapore’s raving reporter knows how to take risks. Or wait, does he?
Robb Report Singapore welcomes Andrew Leci into its editorial family as its first (and only) raving reporter. What does the title even entail, you ask? The former sports presenter and accidental author takes on first world problems with grit and wit, and a good dose of philosophical contemplation. We chat with Leci about his odd fascination, but understandable aversion, to adventure.
What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve done in your life?
You mean apart from joining the Robb Report Singapore staff…?
Apart from that, obviously.
I’ve done a few crazy things in terms of dangerous sports. I’ve skied down a mountain at night, without a torch of any description; played cricket on ice; a couple of free-fall parachute jumps, and I once crossed a street in Ho Chi Minh city.
And survived to tell the tale…
Evidently. Like many people, I’m attracted to the concept of danger, but only insofar as trying to convince myself that I have the wherewithal to overcome the inherent fear. The actual experiences themselves are nothing special, I don’t think. It’s all about having the guts to confront the prospect of death. I read in a book somewhere that fear was the prevailing feeling that held people back from fulfilling their potential, so dealing with it, even on a very specific occasion, for a single event, is probably good for the soul. That’s what my therapist said anyway, although her subsequent request for a number of payments in advance was somewhat unusual.
What’s the most dangerous sport you’ve played?
Rugby. Definitely. I don’t consider jumping out of or off things a ‘sport’. During my late teens and early 20s I was mad for the game, and as anyone who’s ever played it knows, it can be dangerous and result in serious injuries. I was just about quick enough, back in the day, to run away from most situations (occasionally with the ball in hand), but it was not always possible to avoid the odd collision with a water buffalo wearing boots with a number on his back.
Do you enjoy adventure holidays?
Absolutely…As long as there’s room service.
Seriously?
No. I used to trek – in England’s Lake District and in the French Pyrenees (I once set foot in Spain too…just the one foot) – when I was younger. Those were great adventures; camping out, eating grass after discovering that no one had remembered to bring a can opener; bathing in scrotum-shrivelling streams; that kind of thing. But one of my greatest adventures was touring the Galapagos archipelago in a boat crewed entirely by dipsomaniacs. It wasn’t dangerous…probably…but just treading in Darwin’s footsteps and seeing examples of natural selection first hand was a humbling experience; spiritual even. I guess that’s why the boat crew was drunk all the time. ‘Two sheets to the wind’, if you like, but it was a motorboat, so that doesn’t work.
How adventurous are you when it comes to making decisions?
I used to be terminally indecisive, but now I’m not so sure. I find making important decisions quite difficult, but have difficulty deciding which decisions are important and which are not, which is tantamount to admitting that I tend to overthink things, although now I think about that, I am far from convinced. May I have a different question, please?
Sure. How adventurous are you when it comes to making decisions?
That’s just mean. Not very. Where money is concerned; very adventurous. If life was a football match, the score would be 3-1 in favour of wrong decisions over right ones, but it’s only half-time, and the wind will be in my favour in the second period. I hope. I may have to look at the substitutes’ bench. In terms of dining out; definitely – the weirder the better – I have very adventurous taste buds; they’d be base jumpers given the opportunity. Locations for holidays and breaks; if I’ve heard of the place, I’d rather not go there.
Life is an adventure. Discuss.
I can’t possibly disagree with that. No one knows what’s going to happen or what the future holds – which pretty much amounts to the same thing. Taking risks can be a rewarding experience, but learning from mistakes is much more so. While I would describe myself as an ‘ad hoc existentialist’, I also believe that ‘character is fate’, so I’m waiting for the time when technology has evolved to the extent that we can programme our own characters, personalities, appearances and physical attributes, at which point I will return as Brad Pitt (as he appeared at the end of Benjamin Button, the film) with Cristiano Ronaldo’s ability with a football, along with Ogden Nash’s sense of poetry, Beethoven’s eye for fine art and Vincent van Gogh’s ear for music.
