dreamer in a concrete jungle - ENFP if you're into the MBTI!

I'm Marcia, an actress currently on my gap year after taking my A Levels. I'm also vegan, an LGBTQ+ ally, a feminist (gender equality, not feminazism thank you) and a nature-loving free spirit.

You'll obviously form your own impressions of me, but for what it's worth I may have very strong views but I believe in agreeing to disagree, unless you're up for a debate. I'm also not easily offended, so if you feel like I'm being an ass / too vulgar / making you uncomfortable just let me know!

I also love meeting new people (: and okay I'm not the best at filtering my words but I believe in having as little prejudice as possible when talking to people, and I'll be great to you unless you disrespect me first. I love conversation, from interesting weird nonsense to philosophising about our existence. I'm very curious and I dabble in/read up on heaps of different things. I'm also super game to try new things, especially if they involve the great outdoors.

In a nutshell, just talk to me! I'd love to meet you.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I want to explore the world, meet new people, expand my perspectives, gain new experiences - live.

(and of course I'd like to save some money haha /poor student troubles)

Interests

- exploration (from your backyard to a foreign town to the whole wide world)
- environmentalism / animal rights / basically how to live a kinder life
- vegan cooking / cuisine / food (I'm a total foodie heh)
- linguistics, word etymology and language origins (would've done it in uni if I had money for more than one)
- finding out about, and learning, new languages (definitely wanna learn Irish, Finnish and Inuit)
- Japanese pop culture (total otaku here~)
- mediaeval history (other thing I wanted to do in uni, especially Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic)
- yoga
- meditation
- Buddhism
- nature and nature-based spiritual practices
- hippie and alternative culture
- philosophy
- drawing
- watercolour painting
- art and art history
- the occult and supernatural
- theatre (especially Butoh and physical theatre)
- acting
- learning about new cultures
- meeting new people
- people-watching
- fashion, especially Harajuku and bohemian/alternative fashion
- roleplaying (from online RPGs to real life - I've always wanted to try a LARP)
- anime and manga
- cosplaying

• animals
• arts
• culture
• performing arts
• fashion
• acting
• dining
• cooking
• recipes
• vegan
• yoga
• meditation
• clothing
• anime
• eating out
• painting
• drawing
• outdoor activities
• buddhist
• art history
• etymology
• history
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

MUSIC

I listen to just about anything except death metal, but I especially love J-pop, J-rock, Vocaloid, electronic, indie, folk and classical. Some of my favourites: Ludovico Einaudi, Yann Tiersen, Antonio Vivaldi, Ellie Goulding, Ingrid Michaelson, Sara Bareilles, James Blake, Sam Smith, Two Door Cinema Club, Coldplay, Sigur Ros, Angela Aki, Kana Hanazawa, Goose House, TEMPURA KIDZ, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu.

MOVIES

I'm pretty picky about movies and love discussing them for hours after leaving the cinema. As far as directors/companies go, I love work by Hayao Miyazaki, Wes Anderson, Tim Burton, Guillermo Del Toro, TRIGGER, LAIKA, Pixar. Some of my favourite actors: Benedict Cumberbatch, Eddie Redmayne, Heath Ledger, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lupita Nyong'o, Elle Fanning, Angelina Jolie, Anne Hathaway, Saoirse Ronan, Emma Stone. I'll watch any movie that looks good, but especially love fantasy, sci-fi, historical and anything that screws with your mind or makes you think. Some of my favourite movies: the Harry Potter movies, Up, Tangled, Coraline, The Boxtrolls, Spirited Away, Amelie, Phoebe in Wonderland, Interstellar, The Theory of Everything (for that last scene!!), Les Miserables, 12 Years A Slave, The Help.

BOOKS

My goldfish attention span means I haven't read many non-fiction books that weren't necessary for school. Oops. (I plan to change that though) I used to be an avid reader up to my mid-teens when computers took over QAQ;; but I recently started reading more again and ahh how I miss this feeling. Yeah I'm totally a book nerd - love the smell of books, and collecting my favourite covers. I'll /never/ switch to e-readers, not on my DEATHBED!!!

...but anyway, I especially love reading manga, fantasy, magic realism, or anything that screws with the mind. A few of my favourite authors: David Crystal, JK Rowling (POTTERHEADS FOR LIFE), Diana Wynne Jones, Emma Donoghue, Jodi Picoult, Erin Morgenstern, Philippa Gregory, Tove Jansson, CS Lewis, L Frank Baum, Lewis Carroll, Sakisaka Io, CLAMP. Some of my favourites: A Little Book of Language, Here Be Monsters!, the Harry Potter series, The Night Circus, The Narnia series, Liar Game (manga), My Sister's Keeper, Sophie's World, The Phantom Tollbooth, Twelfth Night, Astray by Emma Donoghue, Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine, The Giver, the Moomin series.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Missed a flight after intending to spend just 2 weeks in Melbourne, Australia to audition for drama school before going home - and decided to wing it and stay on. Now I'm here doing this course-performance thing with the Australian Shakespeare Company, based here until May when I'm heading off to Prague with them! (also semi-realising my childhood dreams of exploring the world heh)

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm happy to show you around if you're new to Singapore! What I can tell you:

- whatever I know about SG history that I haven't forgotten from school
- how to speak some Singlish, e.g. how to order things at local coffeeshops
- where to get the best, and most value-for-money vegan food (especially vegan local fare that still tastes like the real deal, if not better)
- where to buy cheap groceries (and where to find vegan stuff too)
- where to get the best bargains for clothes and other everyday items (and where you can haggle)
- the best places to go to experience the Singapore art scene
- the tourist spots that are actually worth it / other places you should visit to experience Singapore
- what the latest events in the art scene, and otaku scene, are

Just ask if there's anything else you wanna know and I'll do my best!

I'm also game to teach/practice English, Mandarin and Japanese (:

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'm physically fairly fit and eager to help out so just let me know what I can do! Some ideas:

- babysitting (I love kids, and was a childcare teaching assistant in 2011 as part of my school's work experience programme)
- vegan cooking (I'm not very inventive or talented at this but I'll gladly follow recipes / prepare some of my local dishes for you to try. Worked as kitchen staff in 3 restaurants, and I've been cooking a lot more since becoming vegan!)
- any kind of odd jobs / physical work (We share the housework at home since both my parents work, and I've lived independently for 1.5 years before. I'm also fairly physically fit and unafraid of hard work)

I'm super talkative (but will tone it down if you don't want to talk) so just ask me anything about my life experiences, knowledge, etc.

I'm also happy to practice Mandarin, English and Japanese, and tell you more about Singapore especially if you're planning to visit - we can even meet up back here!

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Switzerland, Thailand, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Czech Republic, Singapore