CURRENT MISSION

To meet someone new everyday and learn from them!

ABOUT ME

Before you read anything about me, please watch this video !!! (your time is valuable, so feel free to jump to the 4:25 mark to cut to the chase)

Anyways, I'm a financial analyst who ditched the briefcase and took up a backpack last year. Since then, I've been traveling around the globe with the hopes of learning about everything from cultures to economies!

Along the way, I do what I can to leave every life I come in contact with in a better state than when I came in contact with it. :-D

PHILOSOPHY

If life is a journey, then philosophy is like a compass. Here are some tidbits that have stuck with me:

"The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit." -Nelson Henderson

"“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking it makes it so." -William Shakespeare

"No really great man ever thought himself so." -William Hazlitt

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and conveivence, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." -Martin Luther King Jr.

"Don't criticize them: they are just what we would be under similar circumstances." -€œAbraham Lincoln (referring to the Confederates)

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." -Dr. Seuss

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

"So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservation, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future." - Chris McCandless

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Initially, my roommate and I had a blast hosting CSers in Cleveland. Then, mid-way through last year the tables had turned and it was time to more fully explore the network. Since then, I surfed through much of North America and Asia thanks to the hospitality of some amazing people.

I'm up for just about anything ...you name it!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I am super appreciative of everyone who has been willing to share experiences with me!

Wall of Appreciation
(here's some links to recent CS experiences)
Los Angeles, California 10/28/2012 - 11/04/2012
Las Vegas, Nevada 11/05/2012 - 11/07/2012
Singapore, Singapore 11/12/2012 - 12/05/2012
Jakarta, Indonesia 12/06/2012 - 12/07/2012
Bandung, Indonesia 12/08/2012 - 12/09/2012
Yogyakarta, Indonesia 12/10/2012 - 12/13/2012
Bali, Indonesia 12/14/2012 - 12/16/2012
Singapore, Singapore 12/17/2012 - 12/21/2012
Malacca, Malaysia 12/22/2012 - 12/23/2012
Yangon, Myanmar 01/19/2013 - 03/10/2013
Hong Kong, China 03/11/2013 - 03/18/2013
Nanjing, China 03/19/2013 - 03/24/2013
Shanghai, China 03/25/2013 - 03/26/2013

visited 21 states (9.33%)Create your own visited map of The World or Amsterdam travel guide for Android

Interests

I am really interested in learning Chinese. Everything I know thus far (which isn't too much) has been from lessons offered by CSers!

I tend to be pretty outdoorsy (Rock Climbing, Hiking, Snowboarding, Scuba-diving, Spearfishing, Tennis, Running, Mountain Biking, Wakeboarding)

...but am perfectly content inside as well (Poker, Ping Pong, Badminton, Chess, Chinese Chess, Billiards, Raquetball, Salsa, Settlers of Catan)

• marathon
• running
• chess
• traveling
• billiards
• poker
• cycling
• hiking
• backpacking
• scuba diving
• snowboarding
• wakeboarding
• rock climbing
• tennis
• table tennis
• badminton
• tourism

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Leaped from a plane 10,000 feet from the ground
Avoided a 40 foot whale shark while scuba diving
Camped at the bottom of the Grand Canyon
Completed the Fergeuson challenge (it's a poker thing)
Ran a marathon on the equator
Trans-Siberian train with a bunch of Mongolian college students

Teach, Learn, Share

My general view towards meeting new people can be summed up by the following:

"Every man I meet is my superior in some way. In that, I learn from him.“ -Ralph Waldo Emerson

"I remind myself every morning: nothing I say this day will teach me anything. So if I am going to learn, I must do it by listening." --Larry King

...so teach me! :-D

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Belize, Cambodia, Canada, China, Croatia, Curaçao, Estonia, France, Germany, Honduras, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Russian Federation, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Puerto Rico, United Kingdom, United States

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