[EDIT: 29/01/18 - On receiving a request from a friend I realised that my profile was woefully out of date. So, pending a full write up this message will suffice to say that I'm working on changing things around here.]

ABOUT ME

Ni sa bula vinaka!

I feel I'm not very good at describing myself, so here goes. I am talkative, but quiet and reflective occasionally, communicative, conversational, haphazardly funny and willing to take the spontaneous path (when reasonable). I love eating and sharing food. Although I am a mediocre cook I do enjoy making things.

Over the last year I've really been getting into trail running. Whilst in my dreams I might leap mountain trails with Caballo Blanco (r.i.p.) and run with Haile Gebrselassie, in real life I've enjoyed many weekends of muddy trails, stream crossings, native bush, and running in rain, hail and thunder, at my own pace. Running has become a place to think and to be still, listening to my heart pound and the sound of my own breathing.

Some call me weird, in a good way. Although for the most part I can't see why they would say that...

I like to sleep in hammocks, adore wild beaches, diving, blue skies and wide open spaces, warm tropical climates. If I've been away from the ocean for some time I will feel myself letting out a sigh when I am near again. Oddly then, I dislike swimming, and given a choice would rather run 20 kilometers than swim 500 meters.

In 2010 and much of 2011 I attempted to grow an afro (see 70's picture [2010]). However, due to being of mixed ethnicity, I decided this was not the best idea and had it shorn.

I'm sometimes seen at the Auckland CS meet up on Wednesdays. So, say hello. Stay. Chat a while, and I will give you my warmest welcome.

Vinaka
Daniel

PHILOSOPHY

Always be charitable
Forgive freely and judge reservedly
Never pass up an opportunity to learn something new
Never pass up an opportunity to experience grandness

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I donated twice by accident.

Everyone would say this, but I really enjoy meeting other CSers.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Meeting couchsurfers and helping out and/or going out with them when I can.
Stayed with Kyrill and Gaylene at Whakatane (They're in here. I haven't found them but they're old friends actually). Travelled with Izzie Sinclair (USA) for the weekend. [Mar 2012]
New York city - stayed with a friend and another friend who met through CS (Wes Jones)
Savannah, Georgia - Thanksgiving with Nancy Tamarak
Cocoa Beach, FL - camping with Jenna Waldrep
Cocoa Beach, FL - Marina Maresca
Islamorada, FL - Mother and daughter Xochi and Xhochil
Islamorada, FL - Met Brian and Tina while surfing with Xochi/Xochil

Interests

Diving, trail running, sight-seeing, exploring, hiding, seeking, meeting new people, eating, sleeping, human-interest stories, spontaneous inquisitive people, martial arts, more eating...

• horses
• arts
• books
• dining
• cooking
• running
• reading
• music
• piano
• hiking
• spelunking
• camping
• surfing
• scuba diving
• trail running
• martial arts
• paragliding
• swimming
• tourism
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

Melancholia, Dogville, Pulp Fiction, American Psycho, Starship Troopers, Reservoir Dogs, Drive, Lord of the Rings, We Need to Talk About Kevin, MIchael Clayton, Inception, Hans Zimmer (movie soundtracks), [to be completed]

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Falling asleep in a hammock (before I realized) (Fiji)
Eating my way through Malaysia (Borneo)
Scuba diving along a cliff edge and gazing into NOTHING!

Teach, Learn, Share

One day I would like to play a pipe organ with some adeptness. Perhaps when I am much older I would like to teach piano to little ones.

When I was learning piano (and theory) I was terrible at playing by ear, and excellent at sight-reading. I feel though that mysteriously my ear has improved and that I've come to appreciate movie soundtracks. If you happen to know more about this subject than I do, or even of further studying in music, I would love to meet you. I have a bit to go within the ABRSM syllabus. To be continued.

I have been going through feelings of discontent over my current occupation. Whilst I can do well here it was something I fell into, taking one opportunity after another, than something I designed to choose. And so, I will speak to anyone who has a story about career changes, and of going to university as a mature student.

I would love inexpensive opportunities to become an advanced diver, to learn to paraglide, a guide or companion through new hiking or running trails, to ride more horses, to communicate freely in a language not my own, to learn spelunking, bush-craft and how to light fires in different conditions, to become a better surfer, to revisit the books, subjects, places I've forgotten, to meet old friends and make new ones, to learn a new knot, and much more...

Countries I’ve Visited

Malaysia, United States, Vanuatu

Countries I’ve Lived In

Fiji, New Zealand

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