I am a corporate strategist and all around great guy :). Here are some fun facts about me:

1.) I'm a washed up former child celebrity - I voiced over a Tang commercial in Urdu as a 7-year old in Dubai.
2.) I travel a lot both professionally and for fun-and can generally work from anywhere so often latch exploring travel onto my international and domestic business travel.
3.) I moved to Tampa, Florida from Washington, D.C. on a whim-without knowing anyone in the area.
4.) I'm a performing artist (acting, poetry) and I'm really good at rap karaoke. I'll be asking you about local venues for performing.
5.) I grew up in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Boise, Idaho, U.S.A. So far in the U.S. I've lived in Boise, Washington, D.C., and now the Tampa Bay in Florida. My wife had an international upbringing herself having grown up in Pakistan, Malaysia, and Canada.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Both my wife and I are big travelers. I travel frequently and some of my most memorable and resonant experiences have been from meeting other travelers-many of whom have shared how much they've loved this website. Additionally, I much prefer getting a local's view of a place I'm visiting, rather than staying in a ubiquitous hotel.

Interests

I read a lot and usually alternate between fiction and non-fiction books-including poetry. I'll usually end up at a concert every couple of weeks because I really enjoy live music. I mentioned performing arts earlier. I read the newspaper daily and am generally pretty current on the news. I'm most interested in getting as much as I can from the "now," each moment. Any advice or assistance you can provide me here is greatly appreciated.

• arts
• writing
• books
• poetry
• performing arts
• acting
• concerts
• dancing
• working out
• news
• traveling
• music
• live music
• karaoke
• business
• emergency services
• business travel
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

Favorite Music: Nine Inch Nails, Aphex Twin, Britney Spears, Rage Against the Machine, Nirvana, a ton of rap, pop, country, and jazz.

Favorite Movies: Modern Times (Charlie Chaplin), Fight Club, Kung Pow (Fist of Fury), Iron Giant (animated), Barefoot Gen (animated), Revolver

Favorite Books: Love Sonnets of Mirza Ghalib, The Collected Works of Khalil Gibran, Fight Club, Habibi (graphic novel), The Road (Cormac McCarthy)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I did spend kind of a surreal night and half on the streets of Beijing when my hostel situation didn't work out last minute. The night involved dancing in the streets, almost getting jumped, and of course being accosted by the police.

Teach, Learn, Share

See the section of "What I can Share With Hosts" to see more of what I can teach.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I have a background in consulting and am happy to share my perspective on projects or business ideas. I've also done a considerable amount of public speaking and am pretty good at writing and giving speeches, so I can help you with any public speaking projects as well. I've also traveled quite a bit and am happy to share advice from my travels, and also put you in contact with my friends when you travel. I'll also enthusiastically reciprocate so you can stay with me in sunny, beach-side St. Pete. :)

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Egypt, Germany, Hungary, India, Israel, Lebanon, Mexico, Netherlands, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Russian Federation, South Korea, Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Jordan, United Arab Emirates, United States