CURRENT MISSION

"To explore strange new worlds"....and people

ABOUT ME

I have a love of travel, sci-fi, music, and relating genuinely with others.

I am definitely an early-bird so staying up late is quite a challenge for me.

My interests, besides travel, are the culinary arts, reading (mostly nonfiction) about social and psychological topics, playing harp, yoga, and enjoying nature.

This profile used to be about myself and my ex, but since we've (amicably) separated, this profile is just for me now. I just want to explain why some of the comments mention me and Louis.

PHILOSOPHY

I live life to learn. I mean "learn" in the true spirit of that word, not just the commonly understood meaning of accumulating knowledge and experience like souvenirs. Learning is an endless process and when it stops, real living also stops. It's not easy to be in that special place of true learning....it's easy to get distracted by habits of thinking, routine, and all the noise. I don't learn to become something or someone, but to just experience life in its fullness. Even after having lived in my body for all these years, there are still so many new things inside me to discover. Life is dynamic, and so are we. Openness and affection are important in that they allow the richness of life to enrich you.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

So far, my participation has been limited to one meeting at Taco Mesa in Costa Mesa. I met a lot of wonderful, friendly, and generously-hearted people. I thank them all for sharing their experiences so candidly and enthusiastically. I came away feeling inspired that CouchSurfing was definitely something I should try. I also brought along our roommate who is from India. He has shared with us many of his experiences, so it certainly falls within the spirit of the CouchSurfing community.

Unfortunately, we live in a small place and have another roommate who is uncomfortable with strangers and the outside world in general. Out of respect to him, and the fact that we don't even own a couch, we cannot host anyone at this time. If/When we have our own place, that will change.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Not yet applicable.

Interests

I love traveling and seeing new lands. Routine dulls the mind; adventure makes life feel rich.

• arts
• environment
• yoga
• reading
• traveling
• music

Music, Movies, and Books

The forms of entertainment I pursue depends on my mood. Generally speaking, I like films with unusual plots and characters. Or maybe a mix of the conventional with the unconventional. I love ambient music and I listen often to ambient stations on iTunes. I have really enjoyed the music by bjork, keane, kings of convenience, imogen heap, erasure, ella fitzgerald, mahogany, and some music by the final fantasy video game series. My bookshelf has on it a mix of books relating to neuropsychology, cooking, and autobiography.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

This is a tough question, but I've probably been most enthralled by my experience visiting caves. The first was a cave in Arizona near Tuscon, then the one near the Grand Canyon, and most recently, the one near Mt Shasta. The environment inside is so unlike anything else we normally experience so it really feels like I've been transported to another world.

Teach, Learn, Share

There is so much that you can communicate using non-verbal language that you shouldn't let language be a barrier to travel. Be smart, but don't be scared.

Everything you do in life requires some amount of risk taking. So, if you are doing the same routine endlessly, don't think you are "safe." Understanding this helps to create the opportunity to evaluate risk more clearly and allows you to fulfill yourself more fully.

Countries I’ve Visited

India, Indonesia, Laos, Mexico, Singapore, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, Japan, Thailand, United States