I am a descendant of a land made up of 17,000 islands ringed by fire, known as Indonesia; born and bred in Singapore, the Lion City ultra-metropolis.

I studied painting, photography and digital imaging, and I was a freelance photographer for 6 years before I left home. I've spent the last year and a half working as a dive instructor and dive guide on a liveaboard based in Komodo and Raja Ampat in Indonesia, where I filled my days seeing and showing amazing things and experiencing a wondrous sense of abundance underwater. Now I have left to continue my engagement with travel again.

I think of myself as a lifelong learner. I value overcoming challenges and personal growth. I travel in hopes that it would change and transform me as a person.

"Happiness is the process of becoming your ideal self" - Mark Manson

My Facebook profile
www.facebook.com/muhammadfareez

My website where I offer learning materials for people interested in photography
www.living-visually.com

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Everybody likes meeting interesting people (isn't that why you're on CS?) I am especially drawn to those who are a little different, who are comfortable being themselves, who have open hearts, open minds, wise tongues and listening ears. I value people for their perspectives and take on things. I believe it's the people I meet who define my experiences of places.

Interests

My interests are very broad.

Places. People. Perspectives. Possibilities. Learning. Conversations. The outdoors. Diving. Trekking. Surfing. Dreadlocks. Tattoos. Camping. Card games. Board games. Video games. Photography. Painting. Drawing. Writing. Movies. Music. Languages. Local food. Beaches. Mountains. Nature. Spirituality. Meditation. Books. Graphic novels. Philosophy. Psychology. History. Sociology. Anthropology. Personal development. Freedom.

• arts
• writing
• books
• photography
• tattoos
• dining
• instructor
• meditation
• movies
• video games
• board games
• traveling
• painting
• drawing
• music
• outdoor activities
• camping
• surfing
• scuba diving
• boxing
• rock climbing
• anthropology
• freelancing
• history
• languages
• psychology
• sociology
• tourism
• beaches
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

My interests in music, movies and books are broad as well; out of the three I definitely devote more of my time to and engage more with the last.

I'm not someone you might describe as a movie buff. I enjoy documentaries about travel, nature and the outdoors in general. Departures. Descending. Baraka. Samsara. I watch tv series from time to time. Vikings. Breaking Bad. Lost. I tend to like movies that are about the human condition, or are in depth explorations about an existential theme. The Matrix trilogy, LOTR trilogy, Avatar, Star Wars, Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, Drive, Rush, Prisoners.

Music: When I go out I tend to seek out live music, but I enjoy electronic music as well. Goldroom, Gigamesh, Kygo, Satin Jackets, The Strokes, Mogwai, Bob Marley, Manu Chao, The Cranberries, The Cardigans, The Verve, Nirvana, Teen Daze, Tycho, London Grammar.

Books: I read mainly non-fiction and am also a fan of graphic novels by Art Spiegelman, Paul Pope, Chester Brown. I also read many books about personal development. I like understanding the world around me, so I read mainly to investigate about topics which happen to interest me at any point in time.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Keeping my jaw from constantly dropping in St Peter's Basilica in Rome, Italy
Diving in Komodo and Raja Ampat, Indonesia
Komba, a volcano that erupts every 20 minutes, Indonesia
Climbing Mount Rinjani in Lombok, Indonesia
Circumambulating Uluru and Kata Tjuta in Northern Territory, Australia
Traipsing across Cappadocia in Nevsehir, Turkey

Living in a tent for 6 months on a tropical island
Living off making art and photography
Stayed awake for 2.5 days straight, without showering, with one hand on a $90,000 car in a competition to win it
Experiencing the hospitality of couchsurfing hosts in Turkey

Teach, Learn, Share

I am the author of 'How To Kickass At Photography, Even If You Know Nothing About It', a super simple, super quick start guide for photography beginners. You already know I'm a dive instructor. Also if you speak only English, I can teach you Malay and Bahasa Indonesia. This box here is a little silly because the possibilities are pretty wide and it really depends on who I'm meeting, doesn't it?

What I Can Share with Hosts

My presence.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Belgium, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Indonesia, Singapore

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