I am an art & photo nerd. A total tech geek. Loves spending hours at record & book store. I'm an art book collector. Love the beautiful outdoor; camping, snowboarding, biking, hiking. I am completely obsessed with folding bicycles, especially Brompton. When I am not working, I am exploring LA on my Brompton folding bike and hanging out with my family. I feel so blessed to have such amazing family and friends in my life. I love to grill during the warm weather in LA. Gardening is the perfect relaxation, albeit it can get a bit physical but it is all worth it at the end.

I am a freelance photographer. Started shooting editorial and commercial. I am now a wedding photographer specializing in destination and outdoor weddings. Shooting commercial works has nice bragging rights but being able to share my gift with my wedding clients that will last a lifetime is a priceless experience.

My website: www.stevenlamphotography.com
My mobile project: www.artject.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stevenlamphotography
Folding bike Instagram acct: www.instagram.com/bromptonla/

I work hard and never take anything for granted. I am a people's person. Love exchanging ideas and being inspired by their stories and teachings. I am a neat freak and courteous. I am clean. I don't smoke or do drugs.

I hope I will have the chance to make some new friends in this community.

Some of my favorite quotes:

"Try not to become a man of success. Rather become a man of value" - Albert Einstein

"When you learn, teach, when you get, give" - Maya Angelou

"Everything you can imagine is real" - Pablo Picasso

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all" - Oscar Wilde

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm on Couchsurfing because it's more fun meeting the locals in cities I visit. Staying at a hotel is nice, but life is more interesting learning from the host's deep knowledge and perspective of their lifestyle, their passion for the city they live in, the vibrant arts and culture of their city, the politics, the economics and its uniqueness. Most importantly, making new friends in this wonderful global couchsurfing community. Last but not least, exploring the foodie culture with the host.

Interests

Art: Contemporary Art, Street Art, Digital Art, Sculpture, etc. Outdoor: Hiking, Camping, Snowboarding, Biking. Architecture. Music: Electronic, R&B, Soul, Hip Hop, Jazz, Classical, Soundtrack, Pop, Country, Canto Pop, World Music. Cooking, Gardening.

• arts
• culture
• books
• architecture
• street art
• contemporary art
• photography
• dining
• cooking
• bbq
• partying
• gardening
• politics
• technology
• traveling
• music
• jazz
• world music
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• hiking
• camping
• hunting
• snowboarding
• economics
• freelancing
• law
• tourism

Music, Movies, and Books

Favorite music: I listen to everything and I mean everything. But fundamentally, music that I love usually is a track that has beautiful composition, has an emotional vibe to it; happy, moody, melancholy, etc. Most of all, I like it funky and soulful. Sample of artists, producers or composers I love is Todd Terje, Phillip Glass, Michael Nyman, N.E.R.D/Pharrell Williams & Chad Hugo, Tina Marie, Marvin Gaye, Donny Hathaway, Kool & The Gang, Drake, NWA, ELO, Breakbot, Roy Ayers, Bruno Mars, Mariah Carey, Foxy, Oriol, Jazzanova, Sebastien Tellier, Daft Punk, Röyksopp, etc.

Favorite movies: I love comedies, action, sci-fi, mysteries, documentary and all things in between: Star Wars, The Matrix Trilogy, Gattaca, Kill Bill, Dark City, Breakfast At Tiffany, Dr. Strangelove, 2001 A Space Odessey, Memento, The Red Balloon, Perfume, Slumdog Millionaire, Lord of The Ring Trilogy, Moulin Rouge, Amelie, Exile, Hard Broil, Croughing Tiger Hidden Dragon, Enter The Dragon, Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Lawrence of Arabia, Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind, Pride & Prejudice (Keira Knightly version), Four Weddings and A Funeral, Avatar, The Fountain, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, The Illusionist, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Kung Fu Hustle, 27 Dresses, Bridesmaids, Helvetica, Chungking Express, In The Mood For Love, Tron, Constantine, Initial D, Moulin Rouge, Inception, UP, Dark City, Persepolis, 50 First Dates, Watchmen, Wall E.

Some favorite books: I wish I had more time to read leisurely. I now mostly read articles on current events, business, politics, tech, startup and economy on my Feedly app. But here are a few titles I've always enjoyed and love: Zen In The Art of Archery, I Sold Andy Warhol (Too Soon), Tao Te Ching, Black Like Me, The Giving Tree, The Lean Startup

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Became an adopted father to our 9 years old godson. Sadly, his mom (sister in law) lost her battle to cancer and his biological father is an absentee parent. My wife and I are now instant parents. It is an amazing journey. Lessons are learned on a daily basis and we are just blessed to have such an amazing child in our life. Now let's hope we don't F it up...Hah hah.

Teach, Learn, Share

I've made lots of mistakes but that is also a blessing in hindsight. Without these mistakes, I wouldn't have the chance to grow and learn. I've been very fortunate to have such amazing mentors throughout my life. My family escaped from Vietnam after Saigon fell into the arms of the communist party. We spend eight months in a Thailand refugees camp. We then came over to the US when I was 8 years old. I am so grateful to be growing up in two cultures: Chinese and Western (Traditional and Modern lifestyle). Two things I have learned as a refugee and vowed to myself during this experience, I will never go hungry again and I will never take anything for granted.

What I Can Share with Hosts

My positivity. My friendship, my photography skills, fun conversations about art, music, food, travel and biking. I'd love to share my experience about Los Angeles. LA is a huge place and if you're a fan of asian food: dim sum, ramen, sushi, sashimi, Korean BBQ, etc, I am the perfect guide for you. And anything that I can help the host with, I will certainly try to make it happen.

Countries I’ve Visited

Antigua and Barbuda, Canada, Costa Rica, England, Hong Kong, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Taiwan

Countries I’ve Lived In

Thailand, Viet Nam