CURRENT MISSION

Organizing a massive pillow fight in Valencia

ABOUT ME

I'm essentially a dreamer
That's why I study design
I'd like to make things better
And in between, I'm all for a good laugh
Actually, you should check my tastes in books and movies and music, that should give you a better picture.
Ask my friends. Or google my name...

My traces on the internet:
http://www.talbenisty.com/blog
http://mymacandmyguitar.blogspot.com
http://talinbolivia.blogspot.com
http://benoche.blogspot.com
http://www.delta.tudelft.nl/archief/j38/n12/20827

PHILOSOPHY

I make up my philosophy as I go...
I like to toy with ideas for a while. No concept is crazy enough. Are we dreaming, is this the matrix, am I in a truman show, does reality stop when I close my eyes, is there a god, many gods, are we just an ants experiment, can I reach nirvanha, do androids dream of electric sheep, and where did I leave my keys?

Seriously though, I'm a passionate person. I am easily distracted, always looking for new experiences, explore possibilities and daydream. I want everything life has to offer, twice if possible :)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

By saying Yes.
You're welcome.
You'll find what you need in the fridge.
Make yourself at home.
We're going out tonight :)

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

You can read my references, I think they give a good overview

Interests

Curious by nature, so pretty much everything.
I'm the kid who used to read these 'did you know' books about random amazing facts. Did you know that bonsai trees are small only because they are grown in a small pot?! Isn't it cool? Kind of a nice metaphor too.

Anyway, what else. I'm fascinated by how the mind works. Also, I love the quirky stuff from sociology. Like, the way people will stop talking on the elevator. Or when you walk on a sidewalk, and you spot someone you know 50 meters away, you'll maybe look away until you get closer and then suddenly look at them and greet... Humans are funny :)

I love design. Not the fancy design that turns a chair into some kind of cult object, but the every day design that affects the way we behave and communicate with each other. You know, the reason designers will talk about design all the time, is not because they think highly of themselves, but because they're passionate about what they study and do. I think you should always be passionate about what you do.

• arts
• books
• design
• make up
• concerts
• dancing
• walking
• movies
• reading
• juggling
• blogging
• music
• guitar
• backpacking
• scuba diving
• languages
• sociology

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies, music and books are everything to me. That and candy, actually candy IS everything to me. I vouch for anything written here; try any of these titles out and tell me what you think.

Books:
House of Leaves (absolute masterpiece)
Mr Commitment (very funny)
Fight Club & other Chuck Palahniuk books (brilliantly fucked up)
Dice man (Very inspiring)
The Contorsionist's Handbook (As clever as it gets)
Cat's craddle, Sirens of Titans, Mother night and most Kurt Vonnegut's books (as cleverly as humbly written, with lots of wit)
Are you experienced (fun read)
Happiness tm (another fun read)
Women (bukowski is inimitable)
...

Movies:
Amelie, Before sunrise/sunset, Waking life, Kontroll, Garden State, Fight Club, Pi, L'auberge Espagnole, Les Poupées Russes, Oldboy, Primer, Eternal sunshine, Bin Jip, Cash back, Closer, me and you and everyone we know, I heart huckabees, Reservoir dogs, Ratatouille, The incredibles, Heima, The fountain, Juno, Lost in translation, the edukators, Little Miss Sunshine, Patch Adams, Hard Candy, Matrix, Motorcycle Diaries, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill 1&2, The Usual Suspects...

Music:
Jack Johnson, Death Cab for Cutie (don't let the name fool you), Donovan Frankenreiter, Sigur Ros, Coldplay, The killers, Shout Out Louds, Michael Franti, Iron&Wine, Ben Gibbard, Jamie T, Keziah Jones, The Flaming Lips, The Tellers, John Mayer, Arctic Monkeys, Kooks, Damien Rice, Royskopp, Paolo Nutini, Sufjan Stevens, The Postal Service, Jamiroquai, Ziggy Marley, Justice, Daft Punk, Feist, Keziah Jones, Decemberistis, Nada Surf, Babyshambles...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

This is the part where you're supposed to brag.
There's no way around it, and, these are good conversation topics so...

Having Angkor's Ta Prohm temple for myself at sunrise, all for myself, as quiet as nature is when it takes over ruins left by bygone civilizations.

Diving for the first time was amazing. The way you stop thinking, breathe in, breathe out... The nightdive was also impressive (almost lost my group there :) and circling a sunken ship. I'm still dying to see sea-turtles or sharks underwater.

A concert of Coldplay with my mate Raph.
Huge yellow balloons came raining down during Yellow, and everything was perfect.

The first time I heard Sigur Ros's Hoppipolla. And every time again after that. It still blows my mind.

Sitting on top of Tikal's pyramids, above a sea of lush trees, a gentle wind and quiet thoughts.

Walking around the city the whole day with mickey mouse ears for fun.

Meeting up with Youri for the first time after nine years in Bangkok, Thailand.

Some bohemian living in Brussels with my buddy Raph.

Making love for the first time (sure, it's corny, but you weren't there, were you? :)

Discovering Apple's MacBook :) Yeah, that's right, I love my macbook and I'm proud of it. Good design is god.

Oh and once I convinced an old Vietnamese rickshaw biker to let me pedal while he sat in the back reading his newspaper. I think we both loved it. Of course, I didn't charge him for the ride :)

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach:
any of the languages I speak
Basic guitar playing
How to play backgammon like an Israeli (sheshbesh)
How to make pancakes like a frenchman
Tell me a book/movie/album you like, and I'll introduce you to some more
Backpacking tips for Central America/SE Asia/Bolivia and Peru
(I greatly recommend Guatemala, but maybe I'm biased by my own flabbergasting experiences)
How to keep a long distance relationship alive
Why I love design
How to dance salsa
How to juggle
How to give a shiatsu massage without paralyzing the person from the waist down :p

Learn
I don't know, you tell me.

Share
Mostly books/music/movies
Lots of spontaneous jokes
Zen and the art of lazyness

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Cambodia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belgium, Netherlands