CURRENT MISSION

Host some cool peeps at my huge, under-utilized pad

ABOUT ME

Fun, outgoing and easy going dude. I am told I am a great host. I have lots of friends and enjoy having even more. I run one of the largest party mixing groups (a non-profit) in LA as a pet project and have some awesome parties while doing so and renting great venues so the people of LA can come out loosen up and have a drink with strangers and make some friends themselves.
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Nams is an easy-going, fun loving person who is trying to change the world using sustainability one city at a time.

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We use couchsurfing as a medium to meet people from different parts of the world, interact with them and possibly learn something new. That's why we personally enjoy surfers who also have the same intention or atleast make an effort to interact with us/spend time with us by going out with us for breakfast/dinner, watch movies on the projector, maybe do a BBQ on the deck, go clubbing or partying, or travel around the city - The SM Pier/Promenade, Ride up to 6Flags for their awesome coasters, Universal Hollywood for some gr8 theme rides, Mulholland for the views, Arclight for the cinema experience of a lifetime, down to Long Beach aquarium or Queen Mary, Downtown or Hollywood, Universal or just chill at the Beach/Rollerblade or Bike the Boardwalk down from Malibu-Santa Monica-Venice-MDR-Hermosa-Manhattan Beach.
PLEASE do mention it in your message why you would like to couchsurf at our place - you have some similar interests as us or have something intersting to share with us. If you only need a place to crash while you are travelling to our city, then we may not accept your request, we MAY make an exception, but PLEASE do mention it in your message, since we generally take time off from our schedule to host couchsurfers and we would like to know what you and your travel friends/family would like to do here so we can be sure to help make that happen for you/them. If you don't know, we'll gladly give you many suggestions.
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PHILOSOPHY

Ken:

Be nice to everyone, smile, and don't promise anything you can't or don't plan on doing.

If everyone was blind, how would you know who to hate?

Nams:

Take one step at a time and you will get there.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Hosting Only. Here's the deal, last fall my GF and I leased a large 1800sf duplex 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment, with a sauna/jacuzzi and huge outside deck so her family could come visit from India. Well they came for 2.5 months, and it was cool. Then we went to India for her sisters wedding in June 2010, well, India wouldn't approve the GF to come back to the US (ugh!), so I live in this massive apt with only my cat Mr. Donovan and my Norwegian friend Mari-Laura who was staying with me mid-June 2010 mentioned CS, and here I am :-)
***UPDATE 9/22/2011***
A lot has happened in the last year, we got Nams back from India, and soon after we got married on beautiful Santa Monica Beach (8/29/2010) :-)
We've hosted a whole bunch of people, all very positive experiences. One great couple stayed with us for a while since they loved SM so much, and ended up getting their own place about 2 blocks away. Another friend moved in for now, she's really cool, her name is Jenya and like me she's a nurse. So we still have room to host but not the downstairs bedroom. Either the living room, which on 2 occasions recently we had sets of 4 couchsurfers stay at 1 time (all close friends). But hey, we have a tent, you could always crash on the outside deck, its got great views.
So since we are all on random rotating schedules I've listed us as Maybe's, so send your request and we'll try to respond quickly.
***UPDATE 3/23/2012***
Nams will be heading East for her MBA degree mid summer 2012-2014 so we'll be doing some travelling back and forth to the East coast sporadically to get her settled in school. When in town we/I don't mind hosting. Jenya found her own place.
***UPDATE 6/12/2012***
This month Nams and I are preparing for her move to Chapel Hill, North Carolina and taking a long drive across the country stopping in New Mexico, Austin TX, New Orleans and Atlanta. We'll leave Mr. Donovan with a friend. Since we are tearing the house apart for her move across the country and preparing, we will be unable to host in June :-( But I will be back mid July and along with whomever I find as a cool roommate, we'll start hosting again :-)
Feel free to send your requests for that time.
***UPDATE 7/19/2012***
Nams moved to Chapel Hill, NC for her MBA, I will be travelling back and forth, but when I am in LA, I don't mind hosting. I have some recurrent travelers staying every so often that are not listed, but they are all cool :-)
***UPDATE 8/10/2012***
I am getting a roommate, he moves in Monday, Nahum, really cool young car designer who is a friend of a friend and will be moving in Monday 8/13.
Also, I've been swamped with requests for August and early September, and now I am sad to report that we are booked up until after the middle of September, 2012. Also, since Nahum is moving in, space is a little more limited to sleep in, 2 guests will be great, 3 is OK, 4 is pushing it and you all better be close friends :-)
***UPDATE 7/7/2013***
OK, so a lot has happened since my last update, Nams has an internship in Pittsburgh, PA for the summer and I am staying here for most of it and back on August 22nd. I've got a really cool new roommate named Sanat - A North Indian Smart Computer Wiz who is friendly and social, though has no experience as of yet with CS.
***UPDATE 9/20/2013***
Sanat loved his 1st experience with CSers, we are again open to host :-) Nams continues school in North Carolina with occasional visits to LA.
***UPDATE 5/25/2014***
We bought a new couch :-)
Nams moved back to Los Angeles(we drove across the US, again), it was fun. Sanat is heading to India for several weeks to get married :-) And I am planning on being in town most of the rest of the year. This summer will have sporadic openings for 2-3 day requests.
***UPDATE 6/18/2014***
Nams is back, but we are moving to the valley! We will likely not be able to host for some time. :-(

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

My first CSer was Sherman from Hong Kong whose been living and going to school in Washington and PA surfed thru for a night, and it was very cool. I dragged him out to a big party and he mixed really well. I hope he comes back, one night is not enough to enjoy Santa Monica and the West Side. Besides him their were no others as of yet, but I have hosted many friends at my place over the years and welcome newbies to come and stay here, enjoy Santa Monica, the Beach, the weather and all the wonderful things that West LA and Hollywood have to offer.

Surfed:

Oct-2011 - Nams surf'd w/ Rob Chambers (and GF Denae) in Lebanon, New Hampshire

Hosted (Month/Guests/Origin):

June-2010 The Sherminator (Hong Kong & Fairbanks, Alaska)
July-2010 Kate and Roma (Chisinau, Moldova)
Aug-2010 Gary aka Shembala (Silver Spring, Maryland)
Sept-2010 Chloé & Benoit(Strasbourg, France)
May-2011 Sahra +3 friends (Marseille, France)
Sept-2011 Justyna, Lukas, Robert, Pablo (Zielona Gora, Poland)
Oct-2011 Aline & Roger (Zufikon, Switzerland)
Nov-2011 Tiina & Sanna (Finland) & Andreas (Sweden)
Dec-2011 Louise, Margaux & Flora (France/SF) & Sayuri (Brazil/SF)
Jan-2012 Marina & Max (Moscow, Russia)
Jan-2012 Sayra Shah (Pakistan/San Diego)
Feb-2012 Audrey et Mickaël (Guingamp, France)
Feb-2012 Spag, William & Seb (French World Biking Trio)
March-2012 Charlotte & Sophie (Saint-Colomban, France)
March-2012 Thomas and Kristina (Germany)
March-2012 Iris and Geoff (Lawrence, Kansas-USA)
We were away most of April 2012
May 2012 Kim (Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts)
May 2012 - Rebecca - (Ocala, Florida)
May 2012 - Sandra and Carolien (Netherlands)
May 2012 - Patrick HANSART+GF (Herentals, Belgium)
May 2012 - Isabella Lin & 2 Friends (Durham, NC & China)
July 2012 - Sasha Forbes (York, PA - USA)
Sept 2012 - Magda, Edyta & Ola (Poland)
Aug-Sept 2013 - Justyna & Asia (Poland)
Oct 2013 - Katia, Sylvia & Aleksandra (Poland)
Oct 2013 - MariLaura (Oslo,Norway)
Oct & Nov 2013 - Laura/Couchy Poo (Washington, DC)
Oct & Nov Jen A. (Leeds, England)
Oct & Nov 2013 - Karima/Kari Abara (Paris, France)
Nov 2013 - Sanjay (New Delhi, India)
Nov 2013 - Karrie (Anchorage, Alaska)
Dec 2013 - Marcel and Gabriel (London, England)
Dec 2013 - Pascaline Et Fran

Interests

Movies, Music, Art, Friends, Indian/Mexican/Japanese/Korean and Healthy Foods, Skiing/Snowboarding, Amusement Parks, working out at Crossfit, Chilling with friends of course and meeting new and interesting people.

Endurance Races:
Disney Half Marathon (2009)
Amazing Race (Summer 2009)
Volkslauf (Fall 2010)
Spartan Sprint (Malibu 2010/11/12) & Super (Temecula 2011)
Tough Mudder (Snow Valley, CA Summer 2010, Austin Fall 2010, Dallas, Texas March 2012 and South Carolina Fall 2012)

Upcoming:

Camp Nurse at www.campdelcorazon.org - Late August 2012
Spartan Sprint Malibu - Fall 2012

Lavaman Kona Triathalon in Hawaii Nov 2012

• pets
• cats
• aquaria
• arts
• design
• breakfast
• bbq
• marathon
• running
• sprinting
• working out
• crossfit
• sauna
• partying
• drinking
• clubbing
• movies
• traveling
• socializing
• music
• cycling
• camping
• skiing
• snowboarding
• nursing
• beaches
• parks
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

TIVO'd/Netflixed: SouthPark, Mythbusters, X-Files, The Daily Show and An Idiot Abroad

Favorite Movies:
The Lego Movie, Wet, Hot American Summer, Monsters, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along, Dodgeball, Spaceballs, Harry Potter series.

Music:
Alternative and Techno from Depeshe Mode & New Order to Paul VanDyke, Tiesto, Martin Solveig

Books/Mags: Ed McBain Novels, Popular Mechanics and National Geographic.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

visited 29 states (12.8%)Create your own visited map of The World?

Countries I’ve Visited

Colombia, Haiti, India, Mexico, Norway, Philippines, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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