CURRENT MISSION

To do more things than I would have done yesterdayDidn't PLAN to be robbed at knife-point though!

ABOUT ME

Best way to explain me is to read my references.

PHILOSOPHY

To encourage people to never be afraid of doing anything and to never allow a fear to get in the way of a choice. To explore, learn and to discover as much as possible. To plug oneself into the world and to connect.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I can host/meet-up/hang-out sometimes but also I have stayed with some really cool people during my recent travels.

Previously, I said 'yes' to everybody who asked to stay at my place, if I had space. I only did this for one month but, in Nice, I was getting up to 5 requests every single day.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Another update. I am very disappointed that during the last three weeks in America I had had to stay only in hostels and hotels because many, many people from NY and Fort Lauderdale weren't able to even reply to my couchsurfing requests. Although, a few people did reply to say they are busy and one very fun girl did meet me in FL for a drink or two.

Previously, I have met people in France at a couple of meet-ups, hosted over 30 people at my place during a one-month period, stayed with three hosts in Malaysia and Singapore (all of whom were fantastic) and met a few people in Philippines both at meet-ups and one-off meets, all of whom were kind and fun.

I have been fortunate enough to make some really good friends during those times.

Interests

Skating, running, swimming (well, floating, I don't really swim), music, doing new things, being outside or with people.

• dancing
• dining
• running
• drinking
• clothing
• traveling
• music
• swimming

Music, Movies, and Books

Dune Quotes
- "I am dead to everyone unless I try to become what I may be"
- "Fear is the mind killer. I must not fear."
I found a website called HomingBooks that lets you share your reading experiences and books with other people...it's really cool. I found a book at the airport that had already been half way around the world and have been able to read who else read it!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I wrote this story on the back of a travel itinerary during May 2008 and this section has finally inspired me to type it up. It's not really amazing, but it was a very emotional experience.

Here goes:
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I don't know what to say, nor do I know exactly how I feel, soI will tell only what happened.

I am in a country where it is normal to earn $5-$8 per day in the city, and where many employees spend up to 50% of this amount on their travel and food costs for the day. When I was last here, I slept at a place where it is normal for the family to sleep side-by-side on a bamboo floor - six people in one room, wrapped up only in their clothes like sardines in the tin that is their tiny little half-burned down house. I also stayed with a more wealthy family where the mother and two daughters share a bed, and the aunt, nephew and neice share another. The youngest daughter told me a story about how she saw a beggar in the street eating a dead, maggot-ridden rat.

An hour ago, I was sutck. A mistake by somebody at my bank caused me to be unable to withdraw money having already bought my flight out of the capital city. I had no telephone credit, no cash left and had just been reminded of the airport tax ($5). My debit card does not allow me to withdraw because my bank kindly decided to block it and I needed to telephone them to unblock it, but I couldn't because I had no money for the payphone, and anyway, it is not possible to get enough coins to use the phone for more than two minutes on a local call, never mind a ten minute international call.

One of the girls at the airport had taken pity on me and gave me about $4 from her pocket, and pleaded with the other staff to pay the remaining $1 on my behalf. I promised to give her the money back, but she was not interested. I insisted and ask for her phone number in any case. I later discovered that she is married and has two children. She had given up more than her daily salary in order to help me out.

I have no idea how that makes me feel. Humbled. Sad. Happy. Overjoyed. Depressed. Confused. I have never experienced kindness of this magnitude from an absolute stranger.
==================
There, that is my story. Three times during that trip, I had tried to get her money back to her but circumstances prevented.

===UPDATE===
She wouldn't let me pay her back. "Knowing that I helped you and hearing 'thank you' is enough"

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach absolute beginners to skate, and can teach absolute beginner to intermediate computer skills. I would like to learn to surf or kite-surf or parascend.

But MOST OF ALL, I would like to learn to dance or swim.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, China, France, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, Monaco, Netherlands, Philippines, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, Philippines, United Kingdom