CURRENT MISSION

Travelling to south east Asia for 7 weeks. This is a trip I've been meaning to do for years and the time finally comes. I am obsessed with the cuisine of Asia. I want to taste ingredients i have never tasted, smelled or even seen before. I want to be submerged with this feeling you get when you are slightly uncomfortable and think on your feet to make the best of a situation.

I hope this trip brings me even more clarity about who I am, and what I can achieve. I am now 10 year older than since I joined CouchSurfing, let's see how this decade will be like! I NEED to ride a motorbike!

I also want to do my advanced PADI certification. I went to Cuba in 2017 and that had me hooked after more than 10 years without diving. Already completed my theoretical course. Now just need to go meet the fishes :) Really hope I can see whale sharks! I will a make modest debut in underwater photography with my gopro. Let's see how that goes!

ABOUT ME

Hello world!

I am Philippe. Easy-to-talk to, but sometimes shy.

- I'm very open-minded. Open to suggestions and new experiences. Open-minded, especially when food is concerned ;)

- I love nature. I was part of the scouts for about 8 years. Unfortunately, I am quite busy and I don't make as many trips into nature as I would like to. I am always up for a camping trip and I really hope I get the chance to do one in my upcoming SE Asia trip.

- Learning and sharing about new experiences, ideas and cultures is always fascinating for me and is an important part of what I define myself by. A man is the sum of is actions and experiences.

- I am what some people might consider a geek or nerd. To me that's actually a compliment :) I enjoy building things. I find it fascinating that in our lives we can build complex systems with nothing more than a laptop computer. There is elegance in a computer system. Let's chat about it :)

- I like modern arts, and I have a part of me that wants to become an artist. I mostly do drawings with ballpoint pen and pencils. I think I reconnect with my inner artist when I design softwares. It's very abstract, but it can truly be beautiful. I Don't have any art formation, but some people told me I am not bad at it and I like what I draw, which is what matters.

Photography is also a big part of why I travel. I want to capture scenes I could never see from the comfort of my home. Sure you can always google it, but there's something more profound to witnessing with your own eyes and capturing that exact moment on camera.

- I love to talk about science, sustainability, the future of mankind and all the things we should talk more about.

- I would also like to engage with local entrepreneurs. What are the pains you are living in your country? How can we help each other out? I am particularly interested in hearing what people are doing about recycling/upcycling and reducing plastic usage in general.

PHILOSOPHY

Fight ignorance with kindness and understanding. Knowledge is power.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I am on couch surfing because I hope I can get a glimpse in the true life of a local. I want to eat like them, sleep like them, think like them.

I've never been really interested in package tourism where everybody goes to the same places, sees the same places, eats the same things. I want to get off the beaten paths and to me, Couch surfing is the perfect gateway to achieve that.

Interests

Computer science , Physics, nature, ecology. I also like to draw for my own sake. I think that sometimes I express myself better through words and drawings.

I also try to stay in shape. I play football (we call it soccer :p ) I recently joined an ultimate Frisbee league with my coworkers. I am somewhat athletic, but I am rarely the best in sports.

• arts
• modern art
• photography
• dining
• cooking
• wine tasting
• technology
• drawing
• computer science
• ecology
• entrepreneurship
• mathematics
• physics
• science
• diving
• startups
• machine learning

Music, Movies, and Books

Nowadays I have to admit I read mostly technical books.

My field is moving so fast, that there's always something new to learn about. Right now I am reading a book on distributed system to build scalable, data intensive applications. If that sounds interesting to you, we are definitely going to get along :) If that sounds like gibberish, I will try my best to explain it in simple terms.

I am also fascinated by people who can read a large amount of books every year. Famously, Bill Gates claims to read 200 books a year. I have a long way to go, but I want to get closer.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Wherever I go, I am always fascinated with seeing stuff I couldnt see at home. So just about anything could be amazing to me. I especially enjoy seeing old buildings to see what humanity is capable of when we put our minds to something. Nature is always fascinating to me.

I have to say that diving in Cuba , Playa Giron after more than 10 years was quite overwhelming. This is an indescribable feeling to anyone that has never dove before.

Teach, Learn, Share

I think my cooking skills are pretty great. I can help you create a recipe with what you have in the fridge, I can teach you a recipe or cooking skills and I could even help you setup your kitchen or buy utensils.

I've had good discussion about science in general. If you are interested in anything particular related to science. It would be my pleasure to unravel the mysteries and beauties of nature from the scientific viewpoint.

If you have problems with you computer I can surely take a look. However, I will have to tell you about the distinction between IT specialist and software engineer :)

What I Can Share with Hosts

I have a traditional diet and I am fairly flexible about that. I am NOT a picky eater. I do appreciate quality food. Don't feel bad if you can't cook, as long as we have quality ingredients, we can make something good :)

I am not a snorer, but I do move a lot in my sleep. Also being from Canada, I am used to sleeping in a colder environment. I understand this might not always be possible, but some way of cooling off would be appreciated. I would rather sleep outside than inside if I can shed off a few degrees :)

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Cuba, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Netherlands, Philippines, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, Germany