CURRENT MISSION

To experience the delicate and complex nuances of life, while trying not to summarize said experiences within a single sentence

ABOUT ME

I think above all, I'm a curious person, and also a person who is constantly amazed by the concept of human consciousness and existence. I'm perpetually moving between a state of childish delight at the wondrous nature of the universe and despair at the absurdity of it all. Sometimes I experience both at once.

I was born and grew up in Canberra. It has a reputation for being a bit of a soulless and boring place, but to be honest I actually loved growing up there.. it's peaceful, aesthetically it's beautiful (the whole city was designed from scratch) and the people are for the most part tolerant and friendly.
However, the greatest city this side of the north pole drew me into its sweet embrace, and a brief (and wonderful) stay in Berlin aside, I've been living in Melbourne for some time now.

PHILOSOPHY

The world is like a ride at an amusement park. And when you choose to go on it, you think it's real because that's how powerful our minds are. And the ride goes up and down and round and round. It has thrills and chills and it's very brightly coloured and it's very loud and it's fun, for a while. Some people have been on the ride for a long time, and they begin to question: is this real, or is this just a ride? And other people have remembered, and they come back to us. They say, "Hey, don't worry, don't be afraid ever, because – this is just a ride." And we … kill those people. "Shut him up. We have a lot invested in this ride. Shut him up. Look at my furrows of worry. Look at my big bank account and my family. This just has to be real." It's just a ride. But we always kill those good guys who try and tell us that, you ever notice that? And let the demons run amok. Jesus, murdered; Martin Luther King, murdered; Malcolm X, murdered; Gandhi, murdered; John Lennon, murdered; Reagan … wounded. But it doesn't matter, because – it's just a ride. And we can change it any time we want. It's only a choice. No effort, no work, no job, no savings and money. A choice, right now, between fear and love. The eyes of fear want you to put bigger locks on your doors, buy guns, close yourself off. The eyes of love instead see all of us as one. Here's what we can do to change the world, right now, to a better ride. Take all that money we spend on weapons and defenses each year and instead spend it feeding and clothing and educating the poor of the world, which it would pay for many times over, not one human being excluded, and we could explore space, together, both inner and outer, forever, in peace.

- Bill Hicks

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I've been away for a while. And I've missed you all dearly. Having done my fair share of surfing, it's time to host for a while, and I have to admit, I'm indescribably excited by the prospect.
Hopefully I will also find the time to engage with the Melbourne CS community on a more active level.
So. Come and stay!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Dispensing with the usual aneceotes, Let's just say, I'd like to print a shirt saying 'CS Changed My Life'. :-)

Interests

Everything!! No really. Except perhaps golf.
Melbourne instilled into me a disturbingly strong passion for AFL (aka Aussie Rules); I generally love to watch most sport.

I love reading, writing, talking & listening (though not necessarily in that order). I'm not a massive party animal, but I do love to have a drink (who doesn't!) with good company..
Working in a bar is a wonderful job for me, it consists pretty much of making conversation with lots of people. Awesome!
If you find a job you love, you'll never have to work another day in your life.

• animals
• writing
• running
• partying
• drinking
• clothing
• reading
• surfing
• sports
• swimming
• golf

Music, Movies, and Books

Wow. How does one narrow down this list? My head is swarming with so many names, I'm not sure where to start.
Music? So much. Tool, Radiohead, Refused, REM, Simon and Garfunkel, Tom Waits, DJ Shadow, Girltalk, Sufjan Stevens, RATM, Dredg, Okkervil River, Postal Service, Manu Chao.. etc. etc. And classical music - Bach & Respighi, just to name two.
Books.. The Picture of Dorian Gray always stuck in my mind as one of the most darkly poetic things I ever read. Much of Herman Hesse's writings really speak to me, Demian for instance. Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
I love movies too. While they're often collectively cheapened in many people's minds by the crap that spews out of Hollywood, there are many incredible cinematic creations out there. Some of my favourite directors are Michel Gondry, Wes Anderson and Richard Linklater.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Once, I saw an Echidna swim - who knew they could swim?!

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, France, Germany, India, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, South Africa, Spain, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia

• 

•