CURRENT MISSION

remember to pack more underwear

ABOUT ME

"I own an air ship that travels through the cloud and slides down the rainbow. Places that I passed by were beautiful, but they didn't last long. This is what I call impermanence in beauty. It matters at the present moment, but the rest is either the past, or just an anticipation that may never come true." - I wrote this a while ago and I thought it described me really well.

I'm a chilled out person. I love to be out of my comfort zone every now and then just to test out my ability to adapt.

I love salsa and swing dancing, if you know any salsa/swing place around where you'll be hosting me, please let me know! If you don't dance salsa, I'll be happy to show you how to!

I was born and raised in a fishing village in Malaysia, called Pontian. I grew up not drinking milk, but ate fish and loads of rice. Talking about food, I'm open to eating anything when I travel. I believe food is the window to one's culture and it's ashame to miss the opportunity to fully immerse yourself in a culture by missing out the food! My recent favorite food was kokorec in Turkey.

I lived in Tokyo for a year, stayed with a Japanese family and went to a local high school. It was an awesome experience being treated like a local.

PHILOSOPHY

It doesn't hurt to pack more boxers/briefs. They are light and you can squeeze them in any corner. Nothing beats a fresh pair of undies.

It's not right, it's not wrong, it's just different.

Tourists don't know where they've been; Travelers don't know where they're going!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Red hippie couch, $50 green couch from Goodwill (most comfortable), Crate and Barrel $1500 couch, old vintage purple couch, Austin City Limits couch, hardwood floor, bathtub (too drunk to remember), Rosebowl couch, torn up black leather couch, Evren's cigarette smoke coated couch, "cat fur" couch, fleas couch (worst), Rob's pull out couch (very old but very comfortable)

Interests

Salsa/swing dancing, pipe smoking, cooking, Buddhism, eat ethnic food, try local delicacies, chill with good beer/coffee, have good conversations over good beer/coffee, live music, Frenchmen St, Fairgrinds Coffee, Mimi's, BJ's, Kajun's, HiHo, Siberia, Allways, anything outdoors, biking, stand up paddle boarding, running.

I love spontaneous travels, just throw my backpack on my shoulders and go.

• cats
• fish
• culture
• singing
• beauty
• dancing
• salsa dancing
• swing dancing
• dining
• cooking
• beer
• coffee
• running
• drinking
• traveling
• music
• live music
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• fishing
• backpacking
• buddhist
• swimming
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

Anything that makes me groove, especially salsa y cha-cha.

Three Cups of Tea is a good read.
Being Nobody, Going Nowhere - if you want to understand Buddhism, the title of the book says it all.
Nasty Bits, Anthony Bourdain of No Reservations, what more can one ask for? He mentioned Snake & Jake's.

Whatever Works by Woody Allen.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Locals in Ocean Beach, San Diego, brought beer and cigarettes to the beach and shared them with the homeless people while strumming and singing around the bon-fire.

Vending machines in Tokyo.

Swimming at night in the Bioluminescent Bay Vieques, Puerto Rico

Salsa dancing at Jimmy Anton Social, New York.

Teach, Learn, Share

I always told myself not to pass on judgement too quickly. I learned that by suspending my judgement on any subject will lead to more understanding to a person, culture, food, way-of-life, etc.

Countries I’ve Visited

Brazil, Canada, France, Indonesia, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Japan, Malaysia, United States

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