CURRENT MISSION

live simply, so others can simply live

ABOUT ME

born in middle earth near hobbitville but am a citizen of the world.

we can create heaven on this earth. all we have to do is look within. de-align with fear and choose love. embrace the evolution of global consciousness. profound changes are on the horizon.

dust off the cobwebs and meet me on the other side. i dare ya. think, be, roam outside the square.

i love, respect and appreciate all people, and am an active, friendly, smiley and curious person with a big heart and strong opinions. i am fascinated with all the beautiful little things in the world, and believe there is goodness in every single person.

i am addicted to meeting new people, learning new cultures, and smiling.

love: music, photography (http://www.flickr.com/photos/23597175@N06/sets/), art, film, massage, cooking (特に和食), language, the sky, leaves and puddles, walking in nature, reflecting on life and space. i like the smell of the sea, pine trees, & freshly cut grass, rain on a tin roof. look at the stars and clouds and wonder at the magnificence of it all. be at peace.

i am passionate about making the world a better place and have strong political views. i am super anti-war, and believe in equality and a world without borders. i'm all about freeing those people oppressed by the cruel exercise of power. i know we can all live side-by-side, in peace.

a non-believer in the corporate world and its trappings, i work for myself as a japanese-english translator through the internet (social/environmental reports, and United Nations-related reports on poverty/gender equality etc), so i can work and travel at the same time. be anywhere, anytime. this makes me rather nomadic. it's the best bohemian lifestyle choice you could imagine.

i do not pursue material wealth, but rather inner peace, primarily as a means to share happiness with others. i wanna see as much of the world as i can to learn about others and spread positivity and happiness. i am vegetarian for environmental, health and ethical reasons.

to me, you are not religion, dogma or doctrine,
you are not wealth or poverty,
nor friend or foe,
you are not black, white or brown,
nor nationality, race or creed,
you are not a defined concept, identity or stereotype,
you are you, free of form and living in blissful connectedness with the universe. just like me.

PHILOSOPHY

this is my personal philosophy...i try my best to put it into practice; though i don't always succeed, i keep it foremost in my mind:

quiet your mind. look within. find internal peace. and spread that peace.
learn to let go of the egoic mind and find your inner purpose
love and respect every one and every thing
always believe that there is good in every single person
be sure to consider other people's feelings before you act
open your heart and be kind at all times
smile, smile, smile as often as you can, and greet everyone you come across
judge not
be tolerant
always be respectful and considerate, to everyone
fight (peacefully) for equality & peace...
...and against persecution and oppression
voice your opinion and stand up for ur rights and the rights of others (if u can)
work proactively towards global harmony
never belittle anyone
try to find the positive in everything (the negative will only make you bitter)
consider the environmental impact of ur actions
embrace difference & don't be afraid to challenge stereotypes
never over-value anything material
follow your heart
be honest, to urself and to those around u
be open to new possibilities
be willing to change course at a moment's notice
don't be afraid to venture outside ur comfort zone
always appreciate the little things
free yourself from mental slavery
do not swallow everything u are fed by imperialistic governments and biased media - search for the truth urself

don't focus on the illusory disappointments of yesterday, or the illusory anxieties of tomorrow: believe in the power of NOW; it is the only "time" that exists

don't become so consumed with ur goals that u forget how beautiful the steps are in getting there

measure "success" by the extent of ur inner tranquility and how much positive energy u radiate, rather than external, mythical western indices such as wealth & career

"BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD"
~Mahatma Ghandi

"True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it is not haphazard and superficial. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring. A true revolution of values will soon look uneasily upon the glaring contrast of poverty and wealth. With righteous indignation, it will look across the seas and see individual capitalists of the West investing huge sums of money in Asia, Africa, and South America, only to take the profits out with no concern for the social betterment of the countries, and say: "This is not just. It will look at our alliance with the landed gentry of Latin America and say: "This is not just. It will lay its hands on the world order and say of war: "This way of settling differences is not just. ... A nation that continues to spend more money each year on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death."
~Martin Luther King

"Until the philosophy
Which hold one race superior
And another
Inferior
Is finally
And permanently
Discredited
And abandoned -
Everywhere is war"
~Bob Marley

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

nothin but positive vibes.
connect. reconnect. connect. reconnect.

Interests

bringing peace/happiness to others, music, travel, meeting new people, the environment, organic food - oh, and saving the world. contrary to some, I do believe it is possible to make a difference if we each do a little bit, beginning with bringing a smile to the face of someone close to us every day.

• arts
• photography
• environment
• dining
• cooking
• indian food
• vegetarian
• organic food
• exercise
• running
• meditation
• walking
• traveling
• investing
• music
• communications
• languages
• religion

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Amadou et Mariam, Manu Chao, Bob Marley, Portishead, Gilberto Gil, Bebel Gilberto, Suba, Kruder & Dorfmeister, Fat Freddy's Drop, Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane, Bonobo, Natacha Atlas, anything African/Brasilian, ethic & world music, fusion, techno, trance...the list is endless
Movies: Non-hollywood, independent movies. Japanese, especially Miyazaki, Kurosawa. Local films.
Documentaries on the earth, travel, different cultures, equal rights and political freedom
Recent books: The Power of Now (Eckhart Tolle), The Kite Runner & A thousand Splendid Suns (Khaled Hosseini), The Road (Cormac McCarthy) - anything that expands my mind and broadens my horizons.
All-time fave: The Prophet, Khalil Gibran (my great grandfather was born in the same village as him - B'charre, Qadisha Valley, Lebanon)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

visiting one of the children i sponsor where he and his ma live in a favela, nth brasil, and helping rebuild their house is a highlight.

out-of-it experiences include a semi-naked "baptism" by a religious cult in underground tokyo, conversations with a serial killer, "midnight run" from kyrgyzstan, hanging with kids in palestinian refugee camps.....

loads more stories when we meet!

Teach, Learn, Share

i keep my mind open so i can learn something new from every person i come across.
be curious.
meditate.
accept constructive criticism.
now i wanna learn to cook amazing indian food, speak more languages (especially italian, french and arabic), how to do thai massage and to take amazing photos.
never be defeated

the best thing i can share with you is how to venture into the unknown, to buck the trend, to non-conform. and to live the ultimate lifestyle where you are free from mundane trappings.

Countries I’ve Visited

Andorra, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Namibia, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Palestine, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vatican City State, Viet Nam, Virgin Islands, British

Countries I’ve Lived In

Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden

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