CURRENT MISSION

To live each moment fully. My only mission is to allow the wonderfully serendipitous moments the universe throws my way.

ABOUT ME

Happy, easy-going, curious, adventurous soul with a love for family, people, culture, food, music and travel. Favourite word = serendipity.

I value integrity and honesty above all else

PHILOSOPHY

Do unto others as you would like them to do unto you (or better)

Know your values and doing the right thing becomes a little easier.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

''history will be kind to me for i intend to write it''

One of the things I absolutely live for in a way that I would like to find a way to make a living from it, is this; Enjoying a simple meal, cooked with the best local ingredients with friends/ family in ways that grandmother used to cook. Old school bread-braking; simple pleasures. So, if you come to stay I may ask you to bring along your favourite homeland recipe - the way granny used to make it! :-)

Interests

Good food, writing, dancing, photography, sharp wit, sunsets, sunrises, music, festivals and markets (culinary, traditional, music), travel, adventure, reading. Outdoor sports; swimming, hiking, diving, mountain biking, running, yoga, flying and playing with my little niece and nephew (but they're far far away right now!)

• culture
• writing
• photography
• beauty
• festivals
• dancing
• dining
• cooking
• wine
• yoga
• running
• flying
• reading
• traveling
• magic
• music
• jazz
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• hiking
• scuba diving
• sports
• swimming
• history

Music, Movies, and Books

Cinema Paradiso, Scoop, Match Point, 127 hours, Unthinkable, Patch Adams, The Big Blue, Lost in Translation, Serendipity, Amelie, American Psycho, Top Gun, Moulin Rouge, The Big Lebowski, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Pay It Forward, Burn After Reading, Tell No One, Stranger than Fiction, Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Anchorman, Meet the Parents, Dead Poets Society, The Intouchables, The Bourne Trilogy, Any Given Sunday, Batman: The Dark Knight, Midnight In Paris, The Rum Diary, Warrior, Leaves of Grass..too many to mention.

Music is one of the most important things to me, because of it's ability to take me back or forward in time, to a place, a smell, an emotion. My top rated playlist includes artist like Jack Johnson, Melody Gardot, The Temper Trap, The Killers, Arcade Fire, Snow Patrol, Joss Stone, Armin Van Buuren, Deadmau5, Keane, Fatboy Slim, M83, beck, gorillaz, ella fitzgerald, kings of leon, lenny kravitz, radiohead, sade, the wombats, pavarotti's turandot, regina spektor, andrea bocelli and so much more.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

- Dessert picnics in Saudi Arabia, helicopter ferries onto aircraft carriers for independence day, eating a blindingly good meal of goat kleftiko and super organic Greek food in N. Cyprus close to where my father was born, sunrise runs along the canals of amsterdam; photographing the Jakaranda's in bloom in my hometown of Pretoria, dancing with the hari krishna's in the London Underground, so so many moments. The rarest of which I like to call my 'stolen moments'. I've learnt, thanks to my biggest mistakes, that these moments are everywhere; we just need to open our eyes to the beauty around us.

- Last weekend, I had a friend over from Paris. We sat on the roof tarrace overlooking Amsterdam's city centre as the sun set into a perfect summer night's sky, talking about our dreams, travel and favourite food moments. I was mesmerised by how he described Bordeau, the food, the wine, and how the terroire influenced the nuances of taste and anticipation. Magic.

- Listening to a group of musicians jam at the Dartmouth Music Festival a few years ago. We had a sublime dinner, wonderful wine, and all of a sudden some of the Jazz musicians who were actually off for the evening, had an impromptu session. It was so special. Warm glows and teary eyes!

Teach, Learn, Share

i can cook.
i can dance.
i can laugh at myself.
i can learn from my many mistakes
i have learnt to appreciate the beautiful things that money can't buy.

I prefer to eat with the locals in their homes over even the finest of hotels and restaurants. Anyday.

Countries I’ve Visited

Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Ireland, Kuwait, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom