Well now..Couch surfer has certainly changed since I first joined back in 2007! I have been on quite the hiatus the last year or so. But I am back!

Good day ladies & gentlemen!
Boys & girls!
Lizards, Llama's, lazy lorises and all other creatures on this good green earth!

Welcome to my CS profile. Edition .42.

I am of mind that sharing and receiving knowledge is an important element in my life. In addition comedy is of significant importance in the flow of my existence.

I feel no need to bury my head in the sand about the challenges and horrors of the world. I usually try to overcome the sometimes unsettling facts about reality and humanity through the medium of humor with others. Satire, absurdity, self irony and a dash of being a smart ass is certainly what gets me through the day.

Music is another element I hold dearly. As time passes I increasingly find that I cannot live without it. Going to gigs and seeking new music, having headphones on listening to a song while roaming around, producing and creating it and of course JAMMING! It is essentially all good!

I love storytelling and in turn, storytellers.
To share tales, to appreciate the depth good food, to get caught in a moments of hedonism, bouncing jokes around the room in good company, the isolations of nature and perhaps a glass or two of wine & beer along the way.. These moments stay with me and make life beautiful.

From time to time people call me by my middle name - James but I am not too crazy if you don't, I just think it sounds better then Scott. So if you notice any references saying James, you will know why!

##NOTE###

This profile is long!

Tt has evolved just like my thoughts since I joined in 2007 and it seems to get longer and longer! Don't be afraid to skip over parts. Some of the profile has writing from 2007. I guess now it is more a scattered mosaic than anything else. :)

Couch surfer has also dumbed down the profile section. So I will simply keep the titles of the old profile below.

PHILOSOPHY

I wrote this personal philosophy two years ago, progress and motion always mean that some thoughts are developed or altered with time. At some point I will update this section. Still, below is a good direction of that philosophy.

Where is this sweet intertwining between wisdom and this life?

What little is shown around us to soak in
Seems somewhat distorted by blinding neon advertisements.

For such little true wisdom exists within the hearts and minds of those who are the choice makers of earth.

The only deliverance we have is to realize the hate and other emotions that others inspire in you, is the mere reflection of what dwells within yourself and your own faults.

For to hate you I hate myself

And to see inferiority in you, it is seen as equal upon myself.

The constant struggle to maintain a path to enlightenment, when all around the human soap opera and drama flows to capture the observant mind.

It distracts like those neon advertisements, lowering us to raw impulse and reactions. The reactions of others ill thought words and actions. Falling over ourselves to grasp at a non existent trophy of right and wrong, good and evil, success and failure.

I too am victim of this, more often then not. Really im no better or worse then anyone else out beyond and beside in time. Just another monkey man connected to everything and struggling to re-connect.

The only way out, is through. The arms of beauty that nature has given us all around, knowledge from different sources by different people both past and present, artistic and creative expression and the comfort in the developments of the humble field of science. All these intertwine, rarely. But sometimes. To overcome the drama, apathy and fear of our age.

Perhaps those fleeting moments in time and the nostalgia of times where i could make it happen.

Where it all seemed to make sense.

The air
The sky
The trees
The sea
The stars beyond
And the life sprawling chaotically all around

To view through observant, child like wonder.

Looking inside out, outside in and beyond, a hand drawing a hand drawing a hand.

Those moments are in my own way, a personal philosophy.

I am no member of the intelligentsia

Or real philosopher or student of knowledge.

And I realize none of this, like much is original under the sun.

Don’t get me wrong this is rambling mixed with personal philosophy.

Entertain a thought, throwing it into the air without accepting it and seeing what falls down..

In the pursuit to create a spirit and grateful content mind is not given to humanity so easy. It is only rewarded and enjoyed through trial, tribulation and personal struggle both internal and external, macro and micro.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

As most here do, by showing people my home city through my eyes and by wishing the same from others.

I also spread the word of couchsurfer to all who seem like they would like/respect it. Right now more than ever. Decent human beings should be told of this website. To counter the sleaze bags and selfie stick wielding bandits of the new age.

I often wonder, what is to happen to this website in the future? I see so many examples of others who seem to be exploiting the website for various reasons that here I wont get into detail. Couch-surfer is not facebook or some shitty dating website, it is not here to serve you like a vain god. It is here for a shared resource of knowledge, culture and basic human hospitality.

Like most great ideas in history this is always going to happen, I just hope we can maintain some stability in the general chaos of population explosions of this website and all get along.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Germany.
Poland.
Denmark.
Hungary.
Ireland.
Czech republic.
Holland.
Finland.
Ireland.
Spain.
Portugal.
Estonia.
Lithuania
Latvia
And even Australia!

Every host and every couch surfer has been a new experience and pretty much a good laugh.

The variety of people and conversation from the absurd, silly or intellectual has always astounded me and hopefully will for many years to come!

Interests

Being outside in nature, it can be a forest, beach, mountain, valley, desert or lone tree at some city park. Though I have found while in Finland nature's serenity, inner calm has been best achieved within a forest cottage. A roaring sauna, calm lake and complete isolated silence.

The sun..I never fully respected it until moving to Finland!

Philosophy, the observance of other individuals choices and paths.

Music

Artistic expression in all forms

Black/Absurd/Satirical Comedy.

Squat parties, beach parties, abandoned house parties,
Parties that last from dusk till dawn.

Different beers and wines of the world

Sushi, Thai food, Italian food and well..All food! I like sharing food with people!

Playing guitar, Bass and jamming for the sake of it.
I am not a grande muse or try to think I am, when the right people meet in the right room making music together free of tired cover songs. For me it makes a night pretty damn good.

Chilling the fuck out, I am a lazy ass Aussie after all!

Overcoming a Northern winter to enjoy the vivid color and light of a Northern Summer.

• arts
• culture
• writing
• coloring
• beauty
• education
• dining
• italian food
• cooking
• wine
• beer
• sauna
• partying
• house parties
• traveling
• drawing
• music
• guitar
• teaching
• history
• mathematics
• philosophy
• science
• beaches
• lakes

Music, Movies, and Books

My tastes change with the seasons that seems only natural on a personal level. Like our wide emotions we feel so too does music have its place and moments, a dark winters day may have heavier musical forms, a summer more upbeat.

Below are genres I feel more connection to and some youtube examples.

My own band is Old school Aussie hip hop, Called Jivin Jenga Generation. Here are some of our videos.

http://www.jjg.fi/videos

Hip Hop (Mostly Australian in taste)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFCWHshsw_M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuDw2QnDTqs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDT6Pfjgf10

Digital punk, digital hardcore.
http://youtu.be/gTw2YvutJRA
http://youtu.be/QzvRShWU8No

World music infused with dance music eg:
http://youtu.be/SGD3jOT4PEM

Cross over music.
http://youtu.be/tWmeCjwMk3A

Rock - Stoner, 60s-70s rock, Post rock.
http://youtu.be/XWneXu5bJSA
http://youtu.be/PO2b3cggqs0
http://youtu.be/EqQuihD0hoI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVekJTmtwqM&feature=share&list=PLIA14z8FwDjzbMTi9BIar088d4s7KNaLv

Trad Irish music
http://youtu.be/BuRw7n9TEDk

Metal - Folk, progressive, experimental.
http://youtu.be/D0cDmm7Cz_k
http://youtu.be/TTxAPywxnIw
http://youtu.be/epkG-xSYaHA
http://youtu.be/iijKLHCQw5o

Industrial/EBM/darkwave
http://youtu.be/mt6rPrIUOys
http://youtu.be/FTL8NtqGdw4
http://youtu.be/ao-Sahfy7Hg

Drum and bass
http://youtu.be/QrHCn69rppg
http://youtu.be/x0tKmNndImE

Reggae
http://youtu.be/ivW8f8hfbAg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uijFctBM47M&feature=share&list=PLIA14z8FwDjw-Zxu9IJyd7GaX1UQhOwj7

electronic
http://youtu.be/PnTFKWAT-XE

trance
http://youtu.be/GkXOpJU5CV0

Psychedelic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTtY364JltQ&feature=share&list=PLIA14z8FwDjyRRg_8YKPnUPILjCx0fCXk

Blues
http://youtu.be/bkwz1w-JPe4
http://youtu.be/FVnBU3tIci8

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Winters are long here, if you have any books you enjoy feel free to give me the names of them! I can put them to my list of stuff to read

Right now I am reading game of thrones novels, up to book three and loving it!

Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy

1984

The hobbit

Carl Sagan's works

Guns germs and steel and anything by Jared Diamond

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Experiancing the four vivid seasons of Finland for the past three years particularly summer. Full of radient midnight suns, nature never to far away, summer cottages, lakes, forests and saunas.

I feel I have been gifted already with a good life, full of adventure and stories. I feel it best to leave them in memory. I am sure you and I shall share such stories one day.

Teach, Learn, Share

What I will not give people is a spelling or maths lesson!

I can teach and give massages from my education as a physiotherapist.

I try to make up for my shitty language skills with cultural, historical and political understanding of the location I travel to. This means I ask questions quite a bit ;-)

I always love to learn how people observe and why they do and I enjoy getting lessons about all of the above!

Of course I also love talking shit about nothing in particular and bouncing jokes off people, I am almost certain that I am full of shit almost 99% of the time!

Music, art and all creation like it. To see it, to learn it and to share it!

Free style'n!

What I Can Share with Hosts

Veteran couch surfer, meaning I won't be making your life difficult by being a sleaze bag or not letting you know if I turn up late.

Consider myself a decent cook. Usually making everything from the ground up.

Zero expectations as an adventurer, in it for the experience over ticking off boxes on some contiki tour list. Up for spontaneous events.

Understands that people need personal space.

On the flip side of that, happy to be social and talk about life the universe and everything.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Scotland, Serbia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Finland, Ireland

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