CURRENT MISSION

Planning 20/21 travels.

ABOUT ME

My view on life in no-one will ever look back and say they had too much fun.

30 year old, gay guy. Grew up in Dundee and now live in Edinburgh. I moved here in July 2007 after 4 years at the University of Stirling.

I work on-board for a train operating company. It's great fun, even if it is often very hard work, but then I work hard so I can play hard. I work slightly unsociable hours.. But I'm not a fan of routine. Working Monday-Friday 9-5 is my biggest fear and until I went to Australia I'd never done it and resist doing it again.

And if you are on twitter, follow me, I am @MrBarberella.

PHILOSOPHY

No-one will ever look back on their life and think they had too much fun. Never.

Don't be afraid to talk to people, you never know what might happen.

Also, I'm a great believer in everything happens for a reason. Everything bad that happens can lead to something good. Everything that happens effects the great story of your life so regret nothing.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE
Well, I'd heard of CS back in 2008 but I lived with a boyfriend at the time and he really wasn't up for hosting. So, a few months after I broke up with him, a friend of mine had put out an appeal on Facebook. One of her friends was in a band, and they were doing gigs at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and needed somewhere to stay because they'd left it too late. I happily obliged, and I figured that if I could cope with 3 strangers, including a decidedly dodgy drug-addled 50+ cockney geezer, I could cope with a few people who are travelling. So yeah, it brought me here.

Interests

Meeting new people, learning new stuff. I feel like I don't have a lot to teach anyone! I'm full of useless trivia but don't ask, it'll just come out occasionally. I also take no responsibility for its accuracy!

Otherwise, movies, music, gadgets, the railway (not in a geeky way), Scotland in general, Scotland being a part of the United Kingdom (we're better together). Food. I love food. Gin. Whisky. Wine. Good drinks anyway. Oh, and updating my CS profile and tweeting.

• festivals
• dining
• wine
• drinking
• trivia
• movies
• traveling
• music
• cycling
• swimming

Music, Movies, and Books

The Smiths, Editors, Ryan Adams, Chvrches, Brandon Flowers.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Inception, The Sound of Music, (500) Days of Summer, Edward Scissorhands, Stranger than Fiction, Mean Girls.

Bill Bryson, David Nicholls. I also read a lot of travel books and non-fiction.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Getting caught up in the big earthquake in Japan in March 2011 was pretty crazy. Stranded in Yokohama for the night, thinking I would have to sleep rough in the snow, seeing how Japanese people dealt with everything so calmly was fascinating.

Teach, Learn, Share

The best thing I've learned from a CSer so far is how to give the perfect high five! This blew my mind!

I can also complete a Rubik's cube in under 2 minutes 30 seconds. Not every time, that's my fastest. I want to get faster. I could try and teach you how to do it.

I cannot ride a bike and I cannot swim. There, I said it. I'm thinking I should learn to swim.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Advice on what to see and do in Edinburgh, the central belt, Fife and Tayside. Advice on rail travel around the UK. A friendly welcome. Whisky usually.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Malta, Morocco, Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, United Kingdom

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