CURRENT MISSION

Only dust "settles".

ABOUT ME

I'm drawn to people with a sense of wonderment and mirth. I like learning, so if you have any stories to share, I promise to be interested.
I have, so far, managed NOT to take this crazy planet and my place on it too seriously, and by the time we come to meet, I'd be unlikely to change. My twist on Seneca... "For the sailor who knows not which port he is sailing to, every wind is favorable".
In order to make my journey memorable , I need, "partners in crime", so consider this post as a cosmic hand wave to you!
Listen, if not now, when?

PHILOSOPHY

So far, traveling been the most intense, driving ambition of my life, and I think it has taught me to be able to laugh at myself and respect others.
I believe human relationships are key, everything else is simply, distraction.
I will always be grateful to my parents for giving me deep roots yet soaring wings.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I would love to return others, even a fraction of the generosity I have received from this community. For now, I participate simply by offering a bedroom in my apartment in Kolkata.
The general idea is, you and I laugh a lot and have an honest and heartfelt time together.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

One curious thing about CS, it makes me confront and deal with prejudices I didn't even know I had.
I am a comparative neophyte, but fortunately have already been blessed with the company of some amazing travelers... People who do things with kindness and are full of stories of uncommon wisdom. What more can I ask?

Interests

I've been a magic and mentalism buff for a lifetime.
I am very interested about computers in general, hardware in particular and will probably be deemed by friends, slightly geeky... Otherwise, I enjoy reading, backpacking, hiking, sports and almost anything with artsy sensibilities.

• singing
• performing arts
• education
• cooking
• drinking
• reading
• traveling
• cars
• magic
• hiking
• backpacking
• sailing
• sports
• teaching
• engineering
• physics
• food
• mentalism
• language learning
• ai
• cognitive science
• machine learning
• sleight of hand
• deep learning
• distributed neutral networks

Music, Movies, and Books

Music is oxygen. Staple is, Western and Eastern classical, ghazals, Jazz (ragtime, modern, free), progressive, art & jam rock (Rush and Phish are firm favorites), a fair bit of contemporary "world music"( Manu Chao/Fela Kutti/Jameroqua etc..). I can mostly carry a tune without completely unnerving others.
Testebuds rule! A dedicated foodie, you might find me religiously drooling over cookbooks. In reality, I'm a terrible cook and absolutely the lamest of dancers.
I enjoy reading anthropology, astronomy, philosophy, poetry, international affairs, cognitive science, short stories and PC hardware magazines. Most recent fiction I read is Amitava Ghosh's "Sea of Poppy" a non-fiction I am still reading is Chomsky's "Understanding Power", one just finished is, Richard Dawkins "The God Delusion" (both are highly recommended), all time favorite SciFi-s: Stanislaw Lem's "His Master's Voice" Orson Scott Card's "Ender's game".
I guess, I am a hard coded reader, I end up watching almost no TV, seldom if i do, it's mostly news/documentaries on TLC/PBS/History or sports.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Hmmm, off the cuff, I recollect a thrill ride in the erstwhile occidental Sahara, as a part of a 4x4 drive thru North-West Africa, in 2006. A friend and I were traveling thru a section of desert about 47 miles long, which was strewn with uncharted land mines laid down by the Polisario, during a past conflict between Morocco and Algeria. It was a winding narrow pist, with twisted metalic carcases of cars on both sides, interspersed with stretches of quintessential African black market, bartering liquor, stolen cars, illegal currency and small arms. Tall Mauritanians were banging on the car the whole time as we couldn't go beyond 8-10 miles an hour, they were asking for Euros. It was kinda tense, but we finally got out of it... Alhamdullilah, as they say!
I felt similar lack of control, being closed-in by a forest fire while backpacking near Banjul, Gambia. Or even when the Cessna door actually opened while on my first sky-dive in Colorado-Springs, ...and a few other bitter-sweet occasions :)

Teach, Learn, Share

I have some skills in sleight of hand magic and mentalism, which I would be happy to share.
I am a hardware engineer by training, so if your computer is not working, quite likely I may have an opinion (or at least a few snide remarks :)).
I've been involved in adult education programs with my mum in the past, some of those experiences might be worthwhile to pass on someday...

What I Can Share with Hosts

Goofiness and a good laugh.
Mentalism and sleight of hand magic.
Silly travel anecdotes.
Pretty inedible Indian cooking.
I can sing some Interesting and off beat songs.
Patience and interest about your stories.
How to repair PCs and get them performance optimized.
All around craziness.
Relationship advice which is bound to spell unmitigated disaster for anyone remotely trying to follow.
Moral rectitude to drink heavily and be silly (if one wants to).
Green friendliness (Oh yeah!).

Look, I promise to share more, but only when I grow up, so check back often!

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, El Salvador, Finland, France, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Laos, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Philippines, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Senegal, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Togo, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam, Western Sahara

Countries I’ve Lived In

Austria, India, United States

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