CURRENT MISSION

Achieving full humanity (following Heinlein's checklist)!

ABOUT ME

Would you believe I'm still learning about myself? It's an interesting journey, aided much by getting to know other people.

Dr. Horrible Sing-Along Blog's "My Eyes" really express the core on most of my dilemmas.

Warning: Work hard, play hard. Clubbing/party scenes are no longer an option. Outdoors, little sports, tons of walking/talking/cultural/innovative stuff. Though some days I just like to sleep all day.

During days in between I do stuff that support my advocacies: Travel, Arts and Sustainability

Heinlein Quotes:

"I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do."

My Life Checklist

A human being should be able to:

- change a diaper (done),
- plan an invasion (ongoing),
- butcher a hog,
- conn a ship,
- design a building,
- write a sonnet (done),
- balance accounts (done),
- build a wall (done),
- set a bone,
- comfort the dying (we are all dying - i'm a cheerleader - should tag this as done?),
- take orders (done),
- give orders (done - I keep getting feedback I'm good at this heehee),
- cooperate (doing?),
- act alone (done),
- solve equations (done with a little nosebleed),
- analyze a new problem (done),
- pitch manure (doing? hahaha),
- program a computer (done with nosebleeds),
- cook a tasty meal (done),
- fight efficiently,
- die gallantly (doing).

Specialization is for insects."

PHILOSOPHY

A modified version of Mohandas Gandhi's:

"You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, IT JUST GIVES IT FLAVOR AND STILL SAFE TO WALLOW IN."

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Dubai was a great place to kick off my CouchSurfing experience, to meet and share lives and perspectives of different cultures.

I'm back in Manila (but occasionally travel), so I'd like to join local and foreign travellers in relishing my homeland's greatness.

Coffee or some drinks and long walks would be a good start. Even trying out something new with people form the CouchSurfing community once in a while.

~

Upon sensible advice from my CouchSurfing veteran friends and my as my gesture in supporting the CS project:

1. Coffee and drink meetups/hostings will be alongside group CS meetings (no one on one's on 1st meetings unless you're surfing my couch/vise versa - where passport/address info have been traded first);

2. I will only entertain CS requests from members who have one or all of the following (depends on how the request was done):

- identities + location ALREADY VERIFIED and/or
- been VOUCHED for at least once
- at least 3 FRIENDS and/or REFERENCES from the CouchSurfing community (NOT a personal friend)

Sorry to shoo away CS newbies, I just don't have time to babysit surfers who do not care to know CS standards of good manners & right conduct =P

3. My couch is temporarily off but if on, my couch is definitely available ONLY for sensible and like-minded fellow travellers. If your profile/request/message do not make any sense, you had better go someplace else.

If you don't meet my surfing requirement and I don't have other commitments, I can meet you for walking and talking and coffee or drink.

Otherwise, I will have to miss seeing you on your visit.

Thanks for your cooperation and I look forward to hosting you :-)

I will know you read my profile and not sending out templates because you are going send me a message or request by starting with, "Hey Lod,"

[u]If you get a "not possible" reply - it means either I'm travelling on the dates you request or simply that you do not comply. Deal with it and move on.[/u]

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

A colleague friend of mine introduced me to CouchSurfing during our bottled water (light beer) journeys. I had initially thought he was kidding. That is, until I signed up.

1. Met a cool dude from Lebanon CS for drinks and we walked for hours, and it was nice!
2. Met with the local UAE CS members for a trip to Burj Khalifa, which was spectacular!
3. I surfed in Prague, Czech Republic with a very accommodating host and met another CS member there
4. Hosted my 1st CS member from Atlanta, USA for a couple of nights, we had a good walk & talk, breakfast, and a meet with other CS members based in Dubai
5. Hosted a medical student from Germany headng to Calcutta, we had another good walk & talk and brought me sweets!
6. Hosted a Media Consultant from UK and shared breakfast with @ Dubai Marina Yacht Club
7. ALMOST hosted the Pinoy UAE CS meetup @ my flat - oh well, it didn't push through, but I WAS READY (sigh)
8. Hosted a member of the academe from Australia, we both took the Big Bus Tour, shared a yummy breakfast and sumptous dinner - pleasantly surprised by the present she had left by my phone table.

Deym! I have lost track!

Interests

Travel, walking, good food, human behavior, arts, sustainability

• technology
• business
• inclusion

Music, Movies, and Books

Robert Heinlein

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Tried go-karting once and must say that doing that before actually starting my driving lessions made it the longest 12 minutes of my life!

This tropical girl has gone skiing in Dubai, open fired live semiautomatic Czech gun bullets in Sharjah and have gone snow sledding in the Splinderuv Mlyn slopes.

Does the term fearless apply?

Teach, Learn, Share

Metro Manila, Philippines is my homeland, the place where I grew up in and where most of my beliefs were made and most I continue to have to this very day.

Before deciding to try working overseas, I have started going around its 7100 islands as one of its local tourists. It's such a beautiful country with tons of green mountains, high quality beaches and other bodies of water. Add the authentic great hospitality offered by your run of the mill Filipino, guests normally would never want to leave!

Dubai, United Arab Emirates was my home for a couple of years. A modern megalopolis with a mix of people from different homelands, and where the expatriates such as myself outnumber the locals by 8:2. It is a city of contrasts that I've gone to see, experience and cherish. This was a good starting point on my World Travel because middle gets everything closer!

Also checked out Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia if it's a good place to stay long-term as it's close to Manila and my other travel destinations checklist =) It was fun, but you know me, I'd rather be HOMELAND.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Whatever they like or need that I may have.

Countries I’ve Visited

Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Jordan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Oman, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Philippines, United Arab Emirates

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