CURRENT MISSION

Travel the whole Philippines, accomplish my 30-Before-30 list, and find an adventure to last a lifetime.

ABOUT ME

A certain duality exists in all things, and in my case, it's rather more obvious. For example, I like being surrounded by friends, meeting new people, and trading stories with strangers. But I'm also fiercely independent and a stubborn loner. I'm diplomatic to a fault, a world-class procrastinator, and a purveyor of corny jokes and awkward comebacks. I've been told that I drink like a sailor--but without the embarrassing tales and morning-afters that usually go with drunken debaucheries. Traveling is my one true love, but I feel like I don't do it enough. I hope to change that soon.

PHILOSOPHY

"I cannot believe that the purpose of life is to be 'happy.' I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be compassionate. It is, above all, to matter and to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all." - Leo C. Rosten

“When you’re traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don’t have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road.” – William Least Heat Moon

Interests

Traveling, of course. A wide range of books, films, and music. Lately, I've been pushing myself to explore the outdoors, so I've been into running and getting in shape to climb more mountains. I also have an unhealthy fascination for zombies. Yes. Zombies.

• books
• running
• drinking
• movies
• traveling
• music
• outdoor activities
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Oh, man. This is an impossibly long list. Some favorite books would be those by Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, Christopher Moore, Chuck Palahniuk, and Haruki Murakami. I like fantasy, adventure, and magic realism more than chick lit.

As for music, it's anything from AC/DC to Britney Spears. But lately, I've been quite taken by Nada Surf and British India. Incubus, Nirvana, Bob Marley, Ocean Colour Scene, and Audioslave are always heavy favorites.

With movies, it's pretty much a varied list as well. I tend to enjoy "guy flicks" more than the girly ones with the occasional arthouse and indie films adding to the list. Also, as long as there are zombies, I'm there.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

A ride on the MPAC (multipurpose assault craft) with the Philippine Marines to Jolo, Sulu, in summer 2012. A regular ferry would take 8 hours to ply the same route. We did it in less than 3 hrs. Just imagine how intense that was. :)