CURRENT MISSION: Be Well, Do Good

ABOUT ME

What would my friends say about me??? They would say many horrible and crazy things. "Glen Jackson?!?! Maaaaan, that guy . . . ok, for example, there was this ONE time . . . ' But that is how my friends and I are. :D And some of the crazy stories are at least partially true, to be fair.

PHILOSOPHY

I'm an active, passionate transhumanist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transhumanism), try to be generally optimistic, and am both fairly conscious and conscientious. Much more spiritual than religious. More concerned with charity, fairness, justice, spirituality, egalitarianism than with politics and religion per se.

Short version? Be well, and do good. :)

My friends tend to describe me as being Buddha-ish in my general character, but with a very healthy and happy hedonist streak (so the happy, laughing Buddha, minus the pot belly).

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Pretty big update: I have left Taiwan (after a beautiful last year with Hsinchu CouchSurfing & the local HHH chapters), and am now back in Malaysia, working at KYUEM, right on the border between Selangor & Perak.

I'm a big foodie & something of a social/nightlife person, if those are your things. Great with assisting in trip logistics, budgeting, networking, etc.

I travel a lot myself, but usually prefer to stay in hotels (to be honest, I have only been hosted once in my CS life)(gym, swim & breakfast buffets are pretty crucial to my holidays), but would love to meet more CSers for hangouts/social/networking purposes. I still have good CS friends up in Ipoh, but now am living much closer to KL (esp. PJ area!), so feel free to give me a shout for events!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Cripes, I can't believe I have to put this up here. But as of some discussions with other hosts and surfers, here goes: 1) SINGLE GUYS/PUAs: this is NOT BedBuddies.org, and if you try to either surf or host like that, you WILL be outed in the CS community. 2) SURFERS: This is NOT Vagabonding.org , so please don't treat your host's place as a free hotel room/restaurant, and expect not to contribute back in some way during your visit/stay. 3) HOSTS: you should NOT be asking for any sort of monetary compensation from your surfers - CS is NOT AirBnB!!!

If you aren't clear on the CS mission, please DO take the time to read the wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CouchSurfing

/end mini-rant

Informally, I was doing it (CSing) for years, back from the old bulletin board days, Lonely Planet and other message boards. In South Korea, had 2 sleeper sofas that were open to guests. While in Brunei, I couldn't host (my own house was not suitable), but was a regular social/hang-out co-host w/ my friend Iza, and helped with transportation, logistics, legal advice, bail money, etc.

I have great CS friends all over. Feel free to ask, esp. if you are heading towards Ipoh, or over to Brunei/Borneo.

***One last thing here: like many of the older active members, I am more than a bit 'put off' by the monetization of CS . . . I would be happy to verify my address/phone/identity here - but I will NOT pay for that like a yearly membership. If you want to 'verify' me, please do feel free to look over my references, my Old School Badges (Ha! CS has removed those now, too. SMDH), or my FB (Glen A. Jackson; the only one in Malaysia).

Interests

I'm an educator & HR manager by training & trade, and an explorer, sharer, and storyteller by my passionate nature. PADI rescue diver, motorcycle rider, kite flyer, animal lover, romantically poetic rogue. Love music (but not karaoke) - concerts, festivals, clubs, dancing. I delight in the laughter of children and old people. Big heart & a broad mind. Enjoy reading & a good listener. Big foodie, and like social nights both in & out.

• animals
• beauty
• concerts
• festivals
• dancing
• dining
• breakfast
• nightlife
• partying
• drinking
• clubbing
• pub crawls
• raves
• politics
• reading
• traveling
• music
• scuba diving
• snorkeling
• swimming
• teaching
• beaches
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

yes, yes, yes - waaaaaay too many here to discuss. Maybe will cut & paste from FB later - but happy to talk about any of these!

I LOVE music, but most of my stuff is online/in the cloud. If you are a music person, I'd love to add your stuff to my collection when you are here. :)

If you have NO idea what Jango and/or Spotify are . . . do yourself the favor & find out. I'll also give quick shouts to SOMAfm.com & wefunkradio.com

At my house, I have a growing bookshelf - I am happy to exchange! (something I want to add into the local CS meet & greets)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Cliff diving. Cross-country motorcycle touring. Pub crawling in Rome. Tops of ruins/temples/pyramids/mountains at sunrise/sunset/full moon. Played with wild dolphins while scuba diving & snorkeling. Repelled space invaders. Snowboarded through a forest off the trails. White-water rafting. Massive raves. 5k fun runs. Halloween in Japan. Royal receptions & ambassadorial parties. Birthing kittens.

I seem very laid back in person, but am still something of a not-in-the-closet adrenaline junkie, and definitely enjoy my nature time - beach or mountains.

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach: lots of things. I am one of those that seems to know little bits about almost everything. And I'm happy to share, or learn together.

Learn: Same concept. The more I learn, the more I realize just how ignorant I am. But I don't find that depressing or discouraging at all. I find an amazing beauty in that! Such a big world - so much to see and do and experience and learn and share!!! :D

Share: Food, drinks, energy, work, sweat, nature, emotions, a dancefloor, vistas, stories, waterfalls, laughs, life . . .

What I Can Share with Hosts

Well, you can look over my references - I love to host, but just like surfers, peoples expectations when hosting are different.

There are (or were - I am just seeing the new interface, so NO idea now) groups here on CS & threads just about hosting, from established hosts & Ambassadors. Find them if you can!!!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Uruguay, Vatican City State, Venezuela, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Brunei Darussalam, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, United States, Viet Nam

•