CURRENT MISSION

To satisfy my wanderlust

ABOUT ME

I have a blog: www.arsalanazam.blogspot.com

I'm a spacy (you were warned) theoretical, science type who is very gregarious and love being surrounded by interesting, eccentric, social people. I'm going to medical school at the moment, but doctors bore me, so I try to get out of the grad school bubble as much as possible.

I've held a number of completely unrelated jobs, in everything from corporate consulting, public health, development economics research, to teaching English in China.

My carefree days are on hold for the time being, but while hosting might be tough, I'm more than happy to meet up for coffee/meal/concert/etc.

PHILOSOPHY

I'm going to cop-out of this by throwing up my FB profile quotes:

"What's that hole in the ground for?"
- My coconut cousin, Sahan, on seeing an Indian-style toilet

"I have two degrees in theatre, so I'm sort of an honorary gay person"
- Lewis Black

"Last night's State of the Union address pitted two formidable adversaries against one another. The President [Bush]. And words."
- Jon Stewart

"If I could be any molecule, I'd be a DNA helicase so I could unzip your genes."

You know the person who found out you could get milk from cows....what were they doing?
Oliver Preston

Muslims think there's nothing wrong with incest, as long as they keep it in the family

Life is rather like a can of sardines: we're all of us looking for the key. - Alan Bennett

Remember as far as anyone knows, we're a nice normal family. - Homer Simpson

"My love life is terrible. The last time I was inside a woman was when I visited the Statue of Liberty."
Woody Allen

"My wife is a sex object. Evertime I ask for sex, she objects."
Les Dawson

"I'm such a good lover because I practice a lot on my own."
Woody Allen

A sample of some of 40 year old aunt's comments to her 9 year old son:

"Don't be a loser"

"Vivan, your such a cheap date"

"Darling, does this story have a point or are you just telling me about your day"

Sonnet XVII: Love

I don't love you as if you were the salt-rose, topaz
or arrow of carnations that propagate fire:
I love you as certain dark things are loved,
secretly, between the shadow and the soul.
I love you as the plant that doesn't bloom and carries
hidden within itself the light of those flowers,
and thanks to your love, darkly in my body
lives the dense fragrance that rises from the earth.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where,
I love you simply, without problems or pride:
I love you in this way because I don't know any other way of loving

but this, in which there is no I or you,
so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand,
so intimate that when I fall asleep it is your eyes that close.

- Pablo Neruda

“But listen to me: for one moment, quit being sad. Hear blessings dropping their blossoms around you. God.
- Rumi

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I've hosted a number of travelers in Hyderabad, India, and plan to continue in a similar vein in China

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Couchsurfed in San Diego, North Carolina, Bangkok, Bali, etc....

Interests

Getting lost, finding myself, spacing out, and generally being a hot mess

• perfumes
• concerts
• dancing
• coffee
• flowers
• blogging
• swimming
• economics
• science

Music, Movies, and Books

Books: Unbearable lightness of being. The Power of One (not a self-help book, it's about a South African welterweight). Wolf Totem. A suitable boy. War and Peace. In the name of the rose. A fine balance. On the Road. Too damn many to list, really.....

Movies: Harold and Kumar go to White Castle. Kumar is my South Asian hero ;)

Music: Anything depressing....indie rock is a solid choice if you want to pin me down though

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Swimming in the phosphorescent lagoon at Glistening Water's Jamaica. I felt like a superhero...

Teach, Learn, Share

I can salsa and bhangra dance
I can teach you about community based healthcare strategies that are applied in third world countries (Exactly what you've always wanted to know, right?)
I have a few other tricks up my sleeve

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, China, France, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Iraq, Italy, Malaysia, Netherlands, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, India, United States

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