CURRENT MISSION

To explore, trying to find a lifestyle that is meaningful, rewarding, and positive...

ABOUT ME

As with my experiences, I like to think that I'€™m a jack of many trades; that is to say that I never seem to master anything, but I enjoy just about all of it. I like film, canoeing, music, debate, dance, writing, nature, computers, eating…

Overall a fairly eclectic mix, just like my education, my tastes, and my preferences.

PHILOSOPHY

Very little seems to be 'certain', and thus my personal philosophy tends to be rather dynamic, but the few ideas that seem to be consistent throughout all sorts of lifestyle changes are:

- Peace. The need for peace on every level, at every scale, from world peace - I strongly believe we need to think much more seriously about violence, about killing - to inner peace - a more calm, more thoughtful, more caring self...

- Love. Of course, very much related to the above. Love may be, in my mind, our greatest hope for a better world, to say nothing of a better life, for ourselves and those around us.

- The importance of re-examining one's reasoning. We must learn to be open to ideas which conflict with our own; we are often wrong (at least I am), and there tends to be a strong resistance to considering perspectives which differ with our ingrained ideas. Until this changes, important and often time-sensitive progress will be greatly impeded.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I've traveled with a few lovely people I met through a CS gathering, hosted in a couple of houses I've lived in (though not through my account - we were many roommates), and surfed a handful of times. So far, so awesome.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

(from above:) I've traveled with a few lovely people I met through a CS gathering, hosted in a couple of houses I've lived in, and surfed a handful of times. So far, so awesome.

Interests

Movies, music, travel, languages, food, photography, sailing, sports, treehouses, bamboo... almost anything I can learn about...

At the moment, most of my time is spent trying to learn about making videos, and playing my halo (an instrument like a hang).

• writing
• photography
• dancing
• education
• dining
• flying
• movies
• traveling
• music
• outdoor activities
• canoeing
• sailing
• sports
• teaching
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: almost all of it. Some of my favourite at any given moment is often that which I've never heard before - and live, dynamic music, as in at a jam...

Movies... wow. So many. So many... To make the list more reasonable, recent great films I've seen:

A Separation (2011, Iran)
El secreto de sus ojos (2009, Argentina)
The Last Train Home (2009, China)
Café de Flore (2011, Canada)
Bicycle Thieves (1948, Italy)
Brick (2005, U.S.A.)
Memories of Murder (2003, South Korea)
In the Mood for Love (2000, Hong Kong)
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003, 103min, Korea)
La haine (1995, 96min, France)
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Winds (1984, 119min, Japan)
The Lives of Others (2006, 137min, Germany)
Nobody Knows (2004, 141min, Japan)
Persepolis (2007, 95min, France)
Heima: A Film by Sigur Rós (2007, 97min, Iceland)
No Man's Land (2001, 98min, Bosnia-Herzegovina/Slovenia/Italy/France/Belgium/UK)
The Band's Visit (2007, 89min, Israel)
War/Dance (2007, 105min, USA)
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007, 112min, France)
The Host (2006, 119min, South Korea)
...and so many more.

Books - Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. A number of graphic novels (recently Persepolis, Palestine, The Watchmen). Life of Pi. ......

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Having sailed across the Atlantic (in a mostly-successful attempt to get to from Canada to Europe without flying), there were many days of taking in the enormity of that ocean - and, indeed, of our planet - which is a thought that has been with me ever since.

Teach, Learn, Share

As with my 'jack of many trades' status, I'm happy to teach or share the misc things I know about anything... I've formally taught photography lessons, computer/IT support, language, and basic outdoor skills among other things, though I think the real learning and sharing is more subtly in the moments, more gracefully woven in any exchanges...

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