Hello! My name is Anna Paula. My family calls me Anna and my friends usually call me Annapau / Pau. You can call me anything you like though. It doesn't matter :)

I recently moved back to Cebu from Siargao Island where I worked for 7 months. Siargao Island is beautiful (It is the surfing capital of the Philippines!) and as much as I would like to stay longer, I have to leave paradise to travel, grow and experience a different environment/culture.

As a kid, I spent a lot of time reading books and have always imagined going to different places all over the world, meeting different people from different cultures and trying out different cuisines. I promised to myself that I would give up material wants just to travel. The past few years I have come to realize that my life now is led by my hunger to grow, to travel and the desire to expand my mind.

I am now on my first solo travel around Southeast Asia and so far it has been incredible and liberating. I am currently living and working in Hanoi and will be staying in Vietnam until early next year.

More about me 😬

My sign: Libra. Ooh, Astrology. It's fun.

I have a band--The Ruptures! We usually play covers of some of our favorite punk bands. I sing in my band.

I used to work for Starbucks. This job helped me gain confidence in talking/connecting to other people and made me realize that you can't please everyone. You just have to do what you think is right. One important lesson I've learned in this job is to never judge people.

I studied Hotel and Restaurant Management but realized I've always wanted to study something different. I've always loved the arts. I want to study again and it may be world literature, art history, photography, music, film or gastronomy. I want to learn more on world history and geography too.

I think I have learned to love and accept myself with all my flaws.

The past year, I have been teaching myself to eat healthy and avoid processed food and sugar-laden beverages. Health is wealth. It is our duty to take care of our bodies.

I want to journey through the Trans-Siberian/Mongolian/Manchurian Railway!

Sylvia Plath

"I can never read all the books I want; I can never be all the people I want and live all the lives I want. I can never train myself in all the skills I want. And why do I want? I want to live and feel all the shades, tones and variations of mental and physical experience possible in life. And I am horribly limited." or not!

Charles Bukowski

"Find what you love and let it kill you."
"I wasn’t much for a petty thief. I wanted the whole world or nothing."

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

To make human connections all throughout the world and create lifelong friendships from all walks of life.

To meet and talk to people from all over the world and learn about their culture.

Interests

I am into photography. I have been shooting in film mainly for the past 3 years. Nothing else compares to the feeling of shooting in film. It slows you down and gives you the time to compose a shot. It disciplines you. It makes you focus more in taking the perfect shot rather than shooting away and end up with a bunch of photos. Quality over quantity, always. Photos that are taken by film just simply looks better. Above all, nothing beats the excitement to see photos that you took weeks, months or a year ago from different places and different events. I've always wanted to develop my own photos in a darkroom too!

I want to be multilingual! It is my dream to speak several languages.
"To have another language is to possess a second soul." -Charlemagne
"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart." -Nelson Mandela
"The limits of my language are the limits of my world." -Ludwig Wittgenstein

Reading! There are still hundreds of books I still have to read from various brilliant authors.

I love watching films. I make it a habit watch a film from time to time. I usually watch old/foreign classic/cult films. They fascinate me. I would love to do a short film. Shoot it or be on it!

My father used to collect vinyl records but he sold them all because CD was then the new technology :( It would be lovely to collect records and open up a record shop.

Learning a new instrument! I can only play piano and a bit of guitar and drums. I have to play my harmonica! It has been waiting for me.

Mountain climbing interests me. I hope to do one in my future trips. I think to be on top of a mountain after all the effort is one of the best feelings in the world. It is like a pilgrimage.

One of the few things I've always wanted to learn and practice is baking/making pastries. It seems easy but is way more complicated than cooking. I think it requires discipline and an artistic side.

Surfing! One of the most rewarding sports in the world.

Music, Movies, and Books

MUSIC

I grew up listening mostly to classic rock, punk rock, heavy metal and pop. There are still a lot of music genres I'd like to explore and listen to. I am currently exploring French pop and Spanish punk bands.

Some of the artists that changed my life:

The Beatles, Nirvana, Buzzcocks, The Kinks, Descendents, The Strokes, The White Stripes, Dolly Mixture, Black Sabbath, Ramones, France Gall, X-Ray Spex, Depeche Mode, Franz Ferdinand, David Bowie, Donovan, Bob Dylan, The Velvet Underground, Dead Kennedys

MOVIES

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Endless Summer, Scarface, Full Metal Jacket, Ernest & Celestine, Her, The Shawshank Redemption, Trainspotting, Dirty Dancing, Freaks, Harold & Maude, Corpse Bride, Ever After, Shadow of the Vampire, Clerks, Shakespeare in Love, Bright Star, Drive, Pulp Fiction, Fight Club, Leon, Goodfellas, La Mal Educacion, Il Postino

BOOKS

The Count of Monte Cristo, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, Memoirs of a Geisha, Women, The Birth of Venus, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, The Three Musketeers, Post Office, The Alchemist

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

-Left my hometown to work and live in a tropical paradise - Siargao Island
-Spent a night in Ao Maya "The Beach", Ko Phi Phi Leh
-Got into film photography
-Catching a wave!
-Visited El Nido, Palawan. It is still one of the most beautiful places I've been to.
-Traveling solo! Right on.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you languages like Bisaya (Cebuano), Filipino (Tagalog) and some basic French phrases. I can show you how to create free pouring latte art and give you basic information about coffee (history, geographic origin, coffee agriculture, etc.). I can teach you how to play the piano. (I still call myself a beginner though and I haven't played in awhile 😳). I can share knowledge on photography (mostly film photography).

I want to learn more about different cultures. Learning a foreign language is at the top of my list. I also want to learn different dishes from all over the world and learn how they are made/cooked (if possible). Aside from my interests, I am open to learn anything that anyone can teach/share to me.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can share with you music that I like, people that l look up to, travel information about the Philippines, my dreams and my viewpoints on life. I hope you can also share your likes, dislikes, thoughts and experiences in life to me too. I believe I am a good listener 😜

Countries I’ve Visited

Cambodia, Hong Kong, Iran, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Philippines, Viet Nam