CURRENT MISSION

Bringing attitude to the multitude.

ABOUT ME

I used to be bitter. But I got better.

PHILOSOPHY

Man said to the Universe: 'Sir, I exist!'
'However,' replied the Universe, 'the fact has not created in me a sense of obligation.'

- Stephen Crane

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I've been exchanging lodging and other favours with random strangers since I started travelling independently some twenty years ago. In those days I was very young and very dumb and so would get myself into situations where I couldn't sort out the most basic of my needs on my own. Time after time, some good hearted fellow human being would turn up and help me to a shelter, a meal or money.

I would ask what I could to return the favour and invariably, after giving me a look reserved for the none too gifted, they would patiently explain that I should do the same when I in turn met someone in need.

A Buddhist or Hindu might consider providing someone else with the freely given gift of shelter (be it physical or otherwise) as an excellent opportunity of performing karma yoga. To a Christian this could translate into easing one's personal burden of "sin" through alms. A Muslim may see the same as zakat.

Of course, one does not have to get religious or all hippy mushie about this. Repeatedly providing strangers with shelter is simply the concept of reciprocity in its most basic form. I prefer to live in a society where people help each other and so I act accordingly. To me such a course of action makes practical sense.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've met interesting, nice, funny and exciting people and shared beautiful moments with them. No strings attached other than mutual goodwill. That's about the best basis for friendship I can think of.

Interests

Philosophy, music, vintage Mercedeses, dance, gatherings, travel, martial arts, film, cryptozoology, cooking, religion, construction techniques, Juramidam, drumming, self sufficiency, vipassana meditation, functional training, anarchy in practice, magic.

• animals
• arts
• singing
• dancing
• cooking
• yoga
• meditation
• clubbing
• movies
• traveling
• magic
• music
• hinduism
• martial arts
• religion

Music, Movies, and Books

Film: Lucky People Center International, A Clockwork Orange, Baraka, 2001, Goodfellas, Big Fish, Seven Samurai, Koyaaniqatsi, the Holy Mountain, Naked, Bladerunner, Delicatessen, Tampopo, A Zed & Two Noughts, Deer Hunter, Dodes'ka-den, True Romance, Waking Life, Repo Man, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Black Cat White Cat, Latcho Drom, Spirited Away, the Idiots, Fantastic mr Fox, Forbidden Zone, Santa Sangre, eXistenZ, Gattaca, Generation P, Hanna, Big River Man, La Belle Verte.

Series: Carnivale, Weeds, United States of Tara, the Mighty Boosh, League of Gentlemen, House of Lies, Game of Thrones.

Writers: Robert Anton Wilson, Philip K Dick, Steinbeck, Somerset Maugham, Robert Graves, Tom Robbins, Gabriel Garcia Marques, Roddy Doyle, Vonnegut, Daniel Quinn, Tove Jansson, Bulgakov, Eric Lundqvist. I can sometimes muster Hemingway or Bukowski when I'm drunk.

My profile on LibraryThing: http://www.librarything.com/profile/NobleBear

Music: Gypsy music, especially from Romania (crazy about that shit!), Amon Tobin, Boards of Canada, all the classic dub from the 70:s, Thievery Corporation, various fusions of folk and electronic, Björk, Beirut, Deep Purple, The Orb, Les Swingle Singers, DJ Krush, Billie Holiday, really hardcore psychedelic trance if it's funky (especially suomisaundi!), Nina Simone, Steve Roach, Groove Armada, Bobby McFerrin, any well performed turntableism, Cinematic Orchestra, rumba if it's gangsta, Fela Kuti, Wendy (Walter) Carlos, Bent, m'balax both fast and slow, Tribe called Quest, Astrud Gilberto, Bonobo, Cornelis Vreeswijk, Lemon Jelly, Balkan Beatbox, The Mighty Three, 2 many DJ:s, Cheikh N'Digel Lô, Zero 7, Annette Hanshaw, Django Reinhardt, Salif Keita, Toumani Diabaté, James Blake, Uakti, Ibrahim Maalouf, cumbia, Regina Spektor.

I'm ALWAYS interested in tips on film, music, books!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

- Birth of my son.
- Petra on cid.
- Sunrise over the stone landscape of Hampi.
- Riding on top of a lorry through Mongolia, trying to take a dump while strapped to the side of the vehicle, small bird following us for miles, singing to me.
- Return to the Source meets the Rainbow Gathering at Mount Fuji on full moon, right after the first monsoon downpour of 1997.
- Making love on the Great Wall of China under the full moon (beats the 10.000 meter club, lemme tell ya).
- Partaking in animal sacrifice in a small hut surrounded by dense jungle on Flores, Indonesia.
- Hearing the gnomes saying "hooray" in a completely new way.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you how to find the weirdest profile pics on CS. Flamboyant filter techniques. Also, making your own rapé tobacco snuff.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'll gladly cook, exchange music and films, give massage treatments and generally hold the space.

Countries I’ve Visited

Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, China, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Iran, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Sweden

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