Hey ya,

Hope you are well. My name is Rick and I am a Malaysian from the capital city of Kuala Lumpur. I have been a (world) traveler; I left my parents' nest since 20 years of age and have lived abroad in several countries since then. I lived in Singapore for 10 years (non-consecutively) and 2 years in Europe (6 months each in Spain, France, Belgium and The Netherlands) for my Masters (in Marine Biology).

Since August 2018, I have been pursuing a PhD in Marine Biology in University of New South Wales (UNSW) here in Sydney. My PhD research topic revolves around oyster reefs in which I am looking into understanding ecological connectivity between reef patches and the diversity that holds amongst these patches. Do think of my research akin to understanding demography that connects suburbs within a city. ;)

Similar to my fellow couch surfers, I am an avid traveler but as I age, I find myself yearning for more off-the-beaten-road travel options. I'd describe myself as a fun and outgoing person with improper brain censoring. I simply love nature-related water bodies (a bit geeky here) - beaches, cliffs, estuaries, rivers and oceans. #waterFTW

Do add me on Facebook, if you would like to chat or know me better: https://www.facebook.com/chinrick.leong

CURRENT MISSION

Cliche as it seems, I would to travel around the world and to live life to the fullest! Meanwhile, I am saving some coins ( from my limited PhD stipend!) while I plan my next escapade. My next (bucket) list is to travel to Latin America and I hope I get the opportunity to do so.

PHILOSOPHY

I believe in living life at present and I try not worry about the future too much. I don't have proper work or life schedules, apart from the obvious scientific research work. Sometimes, I make changes in my life decisions as quickly as a finger snap.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have hosted several people during my studies in Europe. It is a little hard to host surfers at the moment as I am renting a room and I do not have a whole place to myself. I hope to move in to a place with a bit more freedom to host.

I am more than happy to give you information of other couch surfers whom might be able to host you from the countries that I have travelled or lived in.

I would also like to meet up for drinks and food if you are not staying with me.

On the other hand, if you are heading to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, I can offer you humble abode if you do not mind living with my parents. If you are thinking of a CS experience, without me being there, my parents would be happy to host surfers who are in Malaysia during their travels. My parents are equally cool and you'd like them if you want to experience life as a typical Malaysian.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I have couch-surfed in several Andalucian cities and I love the experience. The thing about CS is that there's-more-than-meets-the-eye in a particular city/place where one has chosen to couch surf in. During my time, I have hosted a couple of times but due to my student mobility, I have been limited to several surfers.

Interests

I'm pretty much a nature addict and love all things nature. Diving, hiking and basically travelling are basically my goals in life and the rest come in between. I love travelling, especially when I am able to interact locals in a foreign setting or a foreign language. I love languages as well.

I also love cooking, especially Asian food (spicy and non-spicy food as well). I cook, a lot with improvisation with recipes and available food in the refrigerator. It's very similar with my life - I improvise in a lot of situations!

• photography
• dining
• cooking
• recipes
• traveling
• hiking
• scuba diving
• biology
• languages
• solo travel
• beaches
• rivers

Music, Movies, and Books

Gosh, I don't have single favorite movie but I do have a list of great movies. I will mention that one of my favorites would be that of 127 Hours, albeit the grueling scenes in the movie! It really taught me how to persevere and be mentally strong in dire times!

I do A LOT scientific journal reading due to my academic background. So when it comes to "normal" reading, I don't read much but with that said, I'm a big fan of the Alchemist. To Kill a Mockingbird, is a close second and take inspirations from the books I have read to live life as much as possible! Currently am reading Dr. Zhivago (as of March 2019).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Well, solo travelling is the best thing I have done so far but every experience that I've encountered during travels is amazing by itself. That one thing that I have done is I've hiked up this peak in Natural Park in La Sauceda in south of Spain. The view of Malaga, Cadiz provinces and even Gibraltar and Africa from the top and afar was most probably the most amazing scene that I have seen in my life so far!

Teach, Learn, Share

I am eager to teach and share any knowledge or travel tips from my previous travels and experiences abroad, especially as a person of Oriental-Asian heritage.

I 'm a pretty good cook with Asian cuisines, so if you are interested to learn how to cook some Asian dishes, I'd be happy to show you the ropes!

I was also a natural history museum and nature guide in Singapore for several years. Would be happy to share my knowledge of the amazing wildlife around me to my best abilities.

At the same time, I wish to improve on the languages that I picked up during my MSc: Serbo-Croatian, Spanish and Dutch!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I am happy to cook for my hosts. I can also share a lot stories from my travels.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Northern Ireland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Belgium, France, Malaysia, Netherlands, Singapore, Spain