CURRENT MISSION

To find a good paying job that allows me to travel

ABOUT ME

My international travels began as a 17-year-old AFS student to rural Burgundy France. Since then I have put much effort into travelling and seeing the world.

Friends say I'm resilient, painfully blunt but always able to find humour even in the worst of situations. Definitely someone good to have around in an urgent situation that requires quick, on-the-spot critical thinking and decision making. Happen to be gay, so if you are not comfortable with that, then safe travels to you.

Spiritual tendencies are a blend of the five major philosophies: raised Catholic, but incorporate elements of Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism and Islam into my life - yes, I do pick and choose what I like - and continue evolving every day. Life isn't a Dress Rehearsal.

Oh - and I rule at karaoke.

PHILOSOPHY

A couch is a very powerful weapon: it can be used by a potato to spread fear and hate, or by a surfer to grow peace and understanding.

'Strength of character lies within the softness of the heart"

"Find the present in the past and you understand the world"

"In the Quest for Eternal Beauty, Life is Temporary"

"The world is a bridge: cross over it but do not settle down upon it" (2nd century prophet Yus Assaf, Srinigar)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Unable to host at present but love showing off the City of Angels (L.A.) when I'm here. I am a local history buff and am a font of knowledge on where to go, what to do, especially if it involves little or no funds! :-) And if I don't know the answer, I will do my best to find it for you.

Participated in the CS project on "Surfing in London during the Olympics"

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

First met up with CSers in Chicago June 2012, providing transport and a casual 2 days of touring, Hosted a CS gathering at Pride House/London on 3 August during 2012 Olympics and attended another CS gathering in Hyde Park. Was hosted in Vienna for one night and hosted a gay couple in my studio in Glendale.

Interests

water polo, hiking, cycling, meeting new people. I enjoy developing my language skills more through my travels (German, French and Spanish). I shot footage in the small villages of Luxembourg where my ancestors were born, and in Bergisch-Gladbach Germany. Also a history buff and a growing expert on the life of Voltaire and his one-time mistress, physicist Emilie du Chatelet.

• singing
• beauty
• traveling
• karaoke
• opera
• cycling
• hiking
• surfing
• muslim
• buddhist
• olympics
• water polo
• history
• law
• physics
• volunteering

Music, Movies, and Books

I graduated from Los Angeles City College June 2012 with a degree in Cinema Studies - I love film history, especially vintage classics: Wizard of Oz, Chariots of Fire, La Strada, Sense & Sensibility, Longtime Companion, Night and Fog, Der Tunnel, La Cage aux Folles, Dr. Zhivago, Lawrence of Arabia, Brief Encounter, North by Northwest, Cabaret, Bringing Up Baby, All About Eve, The Women, Amelie, Vertov's "Man with a Camera," Hugo, L'Artiste, Waiting for the Moon, Room with a View, Personal Services, The Queen, The King's Speech, Forbidden Games, A Time for Drunken Horses, Leni Riefenstahl's Olympia. Music: classical, showtunes, rock (fave Beatle: George), meditational, Art of Noise, Enigma, Ennio Morricone, Rachmaninov, traditional instrumental - uillean pipes, steel drums, bouzouki, etc.)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

1.) November 2002 - Got to sing Puccini aria "Nessun Dorma" in the Sydney Opera House, despite never having a voice lesson in my life

2.) August 2010 - Uncontrollable tears while sitting in Franz Muller Hutte on Kramerspitze staring out over Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Zugspitze six weeks after my Dad had died.

3.) 2-4 July and 23-25 August 2011 - Took the Southwest Chief (train) from Los Angeles to Chicago, and then back again, travelling over the Raton Pass, highest point on the legendary Santa Fe Trail

4.) Summer 2013 - was a volunteer advocate lobbying members of the U.S. Congress to amend the Organ Transplantation Act that now allows HIV+ to HIV+ organ transplants, thus saving an additional 600-1000 lives every year. It passed Unanimously in both chambers and I had the honour to be present when President Obama signed it into law 21 November 2013. Video I produced: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWXnzOSRsYo

Teach, Learn, Share

Keep your finger on the pulse of the hand that holds the purse

What I Can Share with Hosts

A love of my city and a knowledge of its history

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, United States

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