I'm an engineer/backpacker-wanna-be who wants to travel the world to gain better understanding and respect for culture, people and practices not similar to mine. I quit my day job to take some time off and get a new perspective. Find better (or happier?) ways to live life. I'd be glad if I could be somebody's good company.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Because I'm done sight-seeing and experiencing like a tourist would. I want to learn.

There are things I wanted to do but the people I knew thought I was crazy and didn't want to do it with me. I tried it alone anyway. I'm almost always glad I did. Even failing is worth something. Even a dead end takes me somewhere.

I found out that there's so much I could do that I never even thought I could. Going out of my comfort zone is totally worth it.

The best part—meeting new people, forming new and real connections, and having meaningful conversations, sometimes despite the language barrier (even as simple as talking to a local while waiting in queue, or watching the sunrise with an elderly man sweeping in a shrine).

I want to keep experiencing such things. And I want to find people who'd do the crazy, sometimes stupid things with me. That's why I'm on Couchsurfing.

Interests

wildlife, marine life, diving, trekking, surfing, beach bumming, tennis, RF/microwave, classic films, cars, planes and ships; behavioral economics

• wildlife
• hiking
• surfing
• scuba diving
• tennis
• engineering
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: A little bit of Frank Sinatra, Andy Williams, Otis Redding, Jimmy Ruffin, The Temptations, Neil Diamond, Stevie Wonder, Blessid Union of Souls, Jakob Dylan, John Mayer, Plain White T's. OPM: Noel Cabangon, The Company, Side A, True Faith, Freestyle

Movies: Rear Window, Psycho, To Catch A Thief, Notorious (basically Hitchcock films), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Casablanca, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Gone With the Wind, The Great Escape, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, The Bridges At Toko-ri, A Night to Remember, Twelve O'Clock High, The Usual Suspects, Heat, The Silence of the Lambs, The Hunt for Red October, The Untouchables, Top Gun, The Shawshank Redemption, Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List, Sully, The Lion King, Toy Story, Majo no Takkyuubin, Cars, to name a few. I'm weird. I know.

Books: I like moving images. But give me a good book and I'd be happy to read it.
Daniel Kahneman (and Amos Tversky - more like publications), Steven Landsburg (for entertainment, he assumes human beings are rational agents, homo economicus), Richard Thaler, some of Malcolm Gladwell, Barbara Tuchman, ok I'll admit to Steve Levitt and Stephen Dubner, Oliver Burkeman, Nassim Nicholas Taleb

UPDATE (Jan 2020): It just occurred to me that I have a subscription on Kindle but not on Netflix. I guess I do want to read. Some of my favorites are: Viktor Frankl, Nathaniel Branden, Maxwell Maltz, James Clear, and over a dozen biographies of people ranging from tech giants to WWII survivors.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

It depends. Define amazing.

Teach, Learn, Share

Well, I'm no pro, but if you'll let me, I can teach you any sport I know. I'll teach you how to eat balut. My culture. Some Tagalog (my language). RF engineering. My thoughts. My dreams. Conversations. Or just a quiet company. I find it selfish of me, but sharing a little bit of myself actually feels good. I still have self-esteem issues though (working on it). There were times when I got intimidated and withdrew into my shell, depriving the people around me of what I had to offer, thinking I had nothing they could possibly want—which, of course, isn't true. In times like those, I don't make much of a good company; even to myself. I'd do anything to overcome that.

I hope I can one day learn to ski, or skate, or or ride a horse, navigate a boat, fly a plane maybe? Pour a cup of tea, make great coffee, speak a new language, operate a fork lift, cook... I'm often willing to try anything new, actually.

My current living circumstances don't allow me to host. But I'd really want to when I get the chance.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Stories, culture, history, pop and movie references, spontaneity, technical knowledge (if appreciated). Food (but I can't cook. Yet. Sorry). Conversations. Pictures. Memories. My gratitude.

Countries I’ve Visited

Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Japan, Philippines