Loves animals, have a golden retriever back home. Two crazy sisters, both younger.

I AM A NORMAL FLESHBAG. I DO NOT EAT HUMANS.

I studied psychology but I'd love to talk to you about business, culture, politics, or any interesting ideas you have! Tell me about the struggles about your country. Teach me the swear words of your language. Show me how your young people dance on the streets. I'll show you mine too. Life is beautiful the moments that take our breath away.

PHILOSOPHY

I don't believe our reality is a kind one, but within it, I strive to discover the goodness in the little things around me.

"Bad choices will one day make for good stories."

"Half a person's beauty is in their tongue." (On many levels, metaphorically and literally, this is so true.)

We live on a blighted star - Hardy

We look at the same sky. (Arabic)

I get many messages. So I respect people who are sincere. If you are looking for only a free room to sleep in, don't expect a reply.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Traveller, I'll trade you stuff for a good story. :D

Interests

Daily life - I'm interested in the startup community. I'm working in Shanghai for a marketing consulting firm. I use data science to generate market insights. Quite sexy, I know. My algorithms bring all the boys to the yard. (I'm kidding, no one understands anything about my job, but I still love it. :D)

Back home, I am a magazine writer for fine arts, beauty and lifestyle. I wander around eating stuff, and talk to strangers. Some days I just read instead, read all day. Also, when I'm not burning things or poisoning people, what I do might be considered cooking. ;) Hahahah. I'll make you a rojak of chinese, indian or malay food.

Also, I'm interested in seeing how we can make our community a better one. I help out at an Orphanage on the outskirts of Shanghai, and it's been really meaningful. We read to the children and try to teach them… Or maybe, they are the ones teaching us. But anyways, come with a loving heart, see for yourself. The rural outskirts are a very different side of Shanghai that most will not ever see.

Plus, driving/cycling around Shanghai!! If you are a fairly confident cyclist, I'd love to take you on a crazy ride together around Shanghai. I will show you everything from the South Bund, to take a ferry to the skyscrapers of Pudong, then back to the french concession for beer, and to the best street food in Shanghai. It is easy! Just have to avoid the cars. Such fun.

Lastly … Drinking. There's nothing much else to do at night besides party, and it's so easy in Shanghai. There's an underground club nearby where people actually /dance/, and its lovely and wild to behold. Or places with an awesome view of the Shanghai Bund. I'll bring you along if you're open to this sort of thing!

Lastly, I really enjoy graphic novels, strange fiction or video games. I like the Crossed series, or Sandman, BPRD, Saga... If you can give/lend/anything me some, I'd love you forever.

• animals
• arts
• culture
• humanities
• writing
• photography
• beauty
• dancing
• dining
• cooking
• cheese
• beer
• partying
• drinking
• clubbing
• flowers
• politics
• video games
• chess
• cars
• cycling
• business
• psychology
• science

Music, Movies, and Books

LISTEN - The XX. Ed Sheeran, Stars, Snow Patrol, Muse, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, The Strokes, MGMT, Fka Twigs, Mumford, Avalanche city, Matt Corby, Matt Nathanson

READ - Brave New World, Lord of the Rings trilogy, Milan Kundera, Cyril Wong, Catherine Lim, Matsuo Kirino, Poe, Chuck Palahniuk, Iain Banks, Matthew Stover. Translated poems from Rumi, the rhubayat of Omar Khayyam. Everything by Neil Gaiman. Umberto Eco. Alain De Botton. Khaleed Hosseini.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Slept in a bare tent in the Negev dessert in Israel.

Slept on the streets, under the Charles bridge in Prague; saw the entire old town spread before me like a brilliant jewelled necklace against the night

Bike madly around Shanghai. No license. WHADDUP CHINA TRAFFIC

Stayed in a yurt in the grasslands of Mongolia. Climbed the great wall. Saw the forbidden city. Got lost on a mountain. Ate a bit of donkey. Got drunk on mongolian 白酒, it was funny. Never again.

Traveled around China but not via this couchsurfing website. Realised that while couchsurfing is an english community, the spirit of kindness is a universal passion that really cheers me. There are, literally, amazing people everywhere!

Met someone who changed my way of thinking about 'open relationships' forever. Marriage is really quite a social construct. Nevertheless, I feel lucky to have been loved deeply, and loved back. I think that is enough.

Teach, Learn, Share

TEACH - Psychology, playing chinese chess, inventing palm readings, coming up with totally inappropriate pickup lines, rolling on soft patches of grass, chasing pidgeons, street photography, cooking a wicked mac & cheese.

(okay but seriously,) I could teach you some
- mandarin
- psychology
- photography
- how to live on the streets for a night
- how to bargain (ASIAN STYLE)

Would like to learn what the characters of your name mean. What are the hidden meanings in the old 繁体字。How to beat the cops in your country. Which flowers are good to eat. How to play a new game. Am interested in almost everything.

WANT TO LEARN - Would like to learn the swear words, how to order beer, and one cheesy pickup line in your native language! (Learnt: Malay Hokkien Serbian Arabic German French Swedish)

What I Can Share with Hosts

Each host is different. :) I will write you a personal message.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, China, Czech Republic, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, Singapore