__CURRENT MISSION

Answering the question: Does interest-free interest exist? Weighting everything up with nothing...AND...trying to become more equal than others.

__ABOUT ME
As a 'real' Swiss I used to design award-winning cow bells in my chalet backyard up the mountains before going to work at the global bank OoBS-I-did-it-again to exchange stocks from chocolate bars. As a recreation I'm drilling holes into the cheese with my army knife and well, there are more stereotypes but let's leave it at that. I've lived and worked as an imaging Scientist at Monash Uni in Melbourne the last 6 years and took this year off to make music. I'm now looking at relocating to NZ (Wellington in particular) to study and become a secondary school teacher in Maths and Physics.

Anyway, please feel free to contact me for anything you'd like to share. I like making new friends and contribute to a sustainable community. Following toys can be conducive to that process:

GUITAR, SINGING, DJEMBE(I play Reggae, progressive rock, folk, blues, hit me up for a sample - collaborations welcome!),
CHESS,
SOCCERBALL (play and watch)
FRISBEE.
LANGUAGES (I'd like to learn Spanish!)
PHILOSOPHY (anything goes).

Please do hit me up if you feel like there is something you'd like to play with me, or anything else you might want to share with me, I'm open to new experiences and meeting people, exchanging thoughts and ideas and see what connections we can find.

For starters, I like thinking about our state of mind and what comes to define it. Discussing attention span shortage for example I find interesting. My opinion is we should open up more for exchange and community, drop our passive defensive attitudes. I think we all like exchanging through social interactions, but our minds seem to get more and more reduced to self-absorbed projections of ourselves, inside the gridded pixels of our smartphones. Though undeniably a brilliant piece of technology, I don't think it could ever replace face-to-face interactions. What do you think?

__PHILOSOPHY

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WARNING: DRY PASSAGE FOLLOWING!!! THIS IS A LIST I'VE STARTED TO COMPILE SO THAT I CAN ACTUALLY REMEMBER MY OWN PHILOSOPHY! IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED YOU DRINK A BEER BEFORE PROCEEDING OR SKIP THIS PART...CHEERS***

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*Stereotypes are great fun, just don't reduce people to them in a sincere conversation

*My life shall make me proud for what I've done and grateful for what I've received

*Some people adopt a taste that represents an average from a group because it's easier than to explore their own. I believe that becomes frustrating in the long run as individuality doesn't like to get compromised unless it believes it's for a greater good. I try to find the balance between promoting/cherishing diversity and relate to things I can recognise in others, respect should be applied to both.

*Try not to let bad experiences limit your enthusiasm for opportunities, everyone deserves at least one unbiased chance to rise to the occasion (I know this gets harder as we get older...More naive optimism and less cynicism might help?)

*My heart beats presence, my mind prints guidance. Together we trail memories to wander in reverence.

*Differentiation to me means also: One should not dislike a person as a whole when not liking one layer, we constantly evolve and learn from one another and it's ok to be different...hell, it's what makes us all unique and keeps it entertaining

*Opportunism is my loyal companion

*My heart is a collage of memories that I try to restrain from projecting patterns into the future as I try to live as unbiased as a child

*The more we want materialism and ownership to define our society the more we distance ourselves from people that require most basic needs such as food and shelter. We grow more intolerant and ignorant of fundamental aspects of human nature and lose empathy to understand one another in solace. In other words, a society should have a minimum of conditions imposed to its members, but technology so far has mostly done the opposite and the strive for efficiency makes us more socially isolated than before, creating the illusion of community within binary codes. Though I fully acknowledge the great achievements of technology, it also has overpowered us and made us too dependent on unsustainable energies as well as trapping us inside a bubble without any natural conscience for balance.

*Our definition of individuality seems mostly to run on outer appearance. Rather than highlighting differences, we should remind ourselves that we are all connected by the same thread of time in which we try to turn the fear of the unknown into the comfort of memories. No one is less equal than us, "the average millionaire is only the average dishwasher dressed in a new suit" (George Orwell).

*To get bored is not negative. It's usually within this reflective state I get most creative in...It is also a boost for social awareness, assessment of potentials and vital to contrast our passions. We should free our minds from the constraints of over-optimization every now and then.

*Despite the quantity of information that is written on this profile (which probably makes me seem like a considered and rather complex person...whatever!), I'm actually enjoying the most simplest of things...wine, beer & company, talks and sharing, what wants to be shared. I only write so much because the more I share, the more differentiated I hope my identity comes across and people might be able to connect on multiple levels (maybe most get bored half-way reading, so they start being creative?).

*Trying to be aware that getting the chance to travel is a huge privilege, considering the amount of people who will never get that chance.

*I am NOT infallible. All the things I write here are mostly a projection of a person I want to be and I'm generally trying to merge his shadow with mine...doesn't mean I succeed doing so at all times or that I'm a prisoner of that person. Jumping over my own shadow usually proves to be a lot of fun!

*My knowledge of the world so far is minuscule, so I start building from the fact that I don't know a lot of things and progress in being honest to others and to myself. The lifestyle we got in western civilisation is still very young and untested that it's easy to get lost in the myriads of possibilities trying to define oneself, let's be easy on all the stress-fueled folks out there.

*"Weakness is strength", I won't pretend to be something I am not (unless it's advantageous? Nah!) but I am also trying new things and challenges out to get to know myself better. The only way to define myself in a dynamically changing environment is through an endless series of experiments that will test and teach me to gauge the difference between who I want to be and who I actually am. I then adopt those things that feel natural to me and try not to stand in my own way if my disposition should change (ok, that sounds highly theoretical but I follow that spirit with my portion of self-criticism).

*I came to think that one cannot define oneself in the present, who you think you are is merely an overlap between projections of who you want to be (future) and the memories you carry (past). You only get emotions/passions to experience the present.

*I allow myself and others to make mistakes, it's all about patience, a virtue that our hectic world fails to promote. To me, mistakes are part of a sustainable learning process, helping me to sharp my level of awareness.

*Stolen quote I can't recall the author: "You can never get enough of what you don't need to make you happy."

*Everyone that is not a little crazy is insane.

*Peace is a feeling of balance that you believe will last forever.

*Every once in a while I have to forget myself to be able to remember who I am.

*Most difficult decisions are not about the best solution, but the less worst.

*A clear and starry night sky has the strongest atmosphere to make me feel real awe (raw?) for the space and time I live in... Compared to the amazing ambiance of a night sky, my "issues" seem meaningless (but that doesn't make them go away, right?). It's a shame I usually forget this fact during the day...

*...and if you're still reading this dry elaboration of my philosophy at this point (You must be crazy, I would have just drank the beer and skipped it...but thanks for bearing with me) the last one is a simple one: Yes, a smile can speak more than a thousand words. Despite the fact that this sounds quite corny, I believe it's actually true. In this sense, I would have just smiled in spite of writing such a long story of my philosophy...You should probably get a second beer now... cheers

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I am happy to teach guitar, Djembe, chess (maybe not all at the same time) as good as I know it myself to anyone interested...let me know, keen to socialise and share what I can share.

As a guest... I will help with any kind of task you'd be happy to have a hand with, always trying to be communicative with hosts and I see myself as a reliable and respectful person. I think I have a good sense of fairness, always happy to help if it's appreciated.

As a host...I'm always replying to requests and am trying to make your stay comfortable.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Several, all very positive and rewarding. A lot of cultural exchange in this short time, awesome.

Interests

music (prog/post/stoner rock, indie, alternative...anything that invokes a feeling really. Check out some of my demo recordings on http://soundcloud.com/cinnamontrail if you like, my band stuff on https://soundcloud.com/blackradius, nature, chess & other board games, beer & fun, card games, physics, philosophy, sports (Frisbee, soccer, swimming...etc), languages, people, cooking, IT, reading & writing...sustainable happiness and...the OCEAN...the MOUNTAINS...the STARS...(seems I can never stop to wonder about nature)

• writing
• environment
• dining
• cooking
• chocolate
• wine
• cheese
• beer
• running
• drinking
• technology
• board games
• chess
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• music
• guitar
• sports
• soccer
• volleyball
• swimming
• languages
• physics
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

*Music: Pink Floyd, Black keys, Boxer Rebellion, Russian Circles, Kylesa, Kyuss, Xavier Rudd, A perfect Circle, Tool and so on...

*Books: 1984, Fahrenheit 451, Island, The dispossessed, the Alchemist, Siddharta, Down and out in Paris and London, One Flew over the Cuckook's nest, The man that mistook his wife for a hat, The lathe of heaven, High Fidelity

*Movies: Scrubs, The straight story, Pan's labyrinth, Life of Brian, Shaun of the Dead, Timecrimes, Intouchables, Goodbye Solo, Fresh meat, Peep show, Bad Education

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Everything we got the chance to experience is amazing, no matter how insignificant it appears in comparison to something else (are the 'insignifiant' things not the ones leading the way to something 'significant'?). Not sure who/what is responsible for that gift but it doesn't make a difference for me to appreciate it and be grateful.

Teach, Learn, Share

Maybe I can share with you my knowledge in:
-Cooking some swiss meals?
-IT-applications (designing web pages, openoffice, Linux and so on, I'll do my best!)
-all kind of help in your household!
-music? I would love to do and share some music, if it comes up!
-conversation in all directions
-All kinds of sports (frisbee, soccer, volleyball...etc)

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, France, Italy, New Zealand, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Burkina Faso, Madagascar, Switzerland

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