CURRENT MISSION

None at the moment

ABOUT ME

I'm pretty quiet and reserved, but with the right kind of people I could lighten up and even be humorous. I try to be an organized person because I don't like being disorganized. I also try to plan things ahead, but sometimes I may do things spontaneously.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I was hosted by Eric Lafontaine in Moncalieri, Piedmont, Italy for 3 nights during the Winter Olympic Games in Torino in February 2006. Eric was a very nice and generous host. He gave me a lot of information on what to see and getting around Torino, let me stay one extra night and trusted me with his spare apartment key when he had to leave and go to Venice for the Carnavale, and let me have a vacant bedroom all to myself (not the couch). I'm very grateful to Eric and he is a wonderful ambassador for CS.

Interests

Travel, history, arts, tennis, figure skating, gastronomy, foreign cultures

• arts
• books
• cooking
• tv
• traveling
• olympics
• tennis
• geography
• history
• royalty

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: La Vie En Rose (La Môme), The Queen, The Sound of Music, Forest Gump, Amélie, Shane, Jean de Florette, Manon des Sources (Manon of the Springs), Vertigo, Rear Window, High Noon, An Affair to Remember, Gone With the Wind, La Gloire de Mon Père (Ma Father's Glory), Le Chateau de Ma Mère (My Mother's Castle), 8 Femmes (8 Women), Swimming Pool, Chocolat, Jules et Jim (Jules & Jim), Indochine, My Fair Lady, Roman Holiday, Breakfast At Tiffany's, Sabrina, Under the Tuscan Sun, L'Auberge Espagnole (Spanish Apartment), French Kiss

Music: Four Seasons, Nessun Dorma, O Sole Mio, Ashokan Farewell (theme song of Ken Burns documentary The Civil War), jazz, soft rock, movie theme songs, God Save the Queen, O Canada, La Marseillaise, national anthems of Russia and Democratic Republic of Germany, Internationale, White Cliffs of Dover

Books: It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life (Lance Armstrong), Between A Rock And A Hard Place (Aron Ralston), The Second Mark (2002 SLC Winter Olympics Pairs Figure Skating controversy), Rachel's Tears (Rachel Scott of Columbine shooting), The Journal of Rachel Scott: A Journey of Faith at Columbine High, She Said Yes (Cassie Bernall of Columbine shooting)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

1. Saw HM Queen Elizabeth II, HRH Duke of Edinburgh, and Prime Minister Tony Blair with his wife Sherie Blair outside Westminster Abbey in London in March 2007.
2. Saw many of my favourite figure skaters competing at the 2006 Torino Winter Olympic Games.
3. Met Aron Ralston in person at a book-signing event (www.aralston.com).
4. Saw British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver in person at a cooking demo & book signing in West Los Angeles.
5. Visited Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France and Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York.
6. Also saw Boris Becker, Anke Huber, Anna Kournikova on Centre Court at the All England Tennis & Croquet Club during the 1997 Wimbledon.
7. My brother and I met the former mayor of Los Angeles Tom Bradley in 1990 or 1991 outside Golden Dragon Restaurant in L.A.'s Chinatown and he shook our hands.
8. Saw PBS TV host Huell Howser at AAA's Travel Show in Pomona, CA on 7 March 2009.
9. Saw Italian figure skater Carolina Kostner and her coach crossing the street (at the intersection of Wilshire Blvd. & Figueroa Street) right in front of my car (while I was waiting for the traffic light) in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, 28 March 2009, on her way from her hotel to the Staples Center for the ladies free skate in the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships.

Teach, Learn, Share

Travelling is not just about seeing different cultures, arts, history, or gastronomy, but also about getting to know the local people. I wish through CS hosts and guests could develop friendships that would last even after the couchsurfing period. This way it's possible to have at least a friend in every country a couchsurfer has visited.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Canada, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Taiwan, United States

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