Dorian Vassallo has been working as a Senior Manager in the Motor Claims Department at GasanMamo Insurance for the past 11 years. We asked Dorian some questions to get a look into his world.
Q. If I had to ask you, who is Dorian Vassallo, how can you sum that up?
A. Loyal, fun, adventurous and happy go lucky
Q. Glass half empty or half full?
A. Half full
Q. One thing that comes to mind if I had to ask you what a great year it’s been for you?
A. My birthday.
Q. What does your hobby give you? How does it pay off?
A. My hobby is long distance kayaking. Excitement, adrenaline rush and keeps me fit
Q. How much time do you invest in it and is it worth it?
A. Training takes up quite a bit of my free time especially on the weekend, but at my age, exercise is always more worth it that doing nothing.
Q. Anyone in your family that shares your same passion?
A. No one. I’m the black sheep of the family.
Q. How would your life be different if you could not do what you love?
A. For a start, I would have put on more weight but also would miss that excitement of knowing I will be doing something that a very few people would even dream of.
Q. What is your life ambition? Is it related to your life passion or other?
A. To row across the Atlantic
Q. What did working in the insurance business teach you?
A. People are never happy
Q. Is there anything you are afraid of?
A. Actually yes, my partner when I tell her I will kayaking to Sicily or some other place with my paddling buddy solo with no escort vessel to support us.
Q. If you could retire tomorrow, what would you do?
A. Relax and kayak more
Q. Favourite quote?
A. Who Dares Wins
Q. Select one person from history and have them truthfully answer one question, who would you select and what is the question?
A. The person who comes to mind is a 67 years old Polish kayaker Aleksander Doba. He paddled solo across the widest part of the Atlantic 5400 nautical miles from Portugal to Florida. All I would ask him is to tell me how he did it.
Q. Ugly and live forever, or attractive and die in a year?
A. Ugly and live forever.
Q. If you could have anyone locked in a room so that you could mentor them for a day, whom would you choose ad how would you mentor them?
A. I actually never gave thought to this
Q. If you had a chance for a ‘do-over’ in life, what would you do differently?
A. Nothing