CURRENT MISSION

Encourage as many people as I can to A) get involved in community projects to spread positive messages + B) Get everyone riding bicycles. There are lots more too, but they are the main ones!

ABOUT ME

I live + work in Manchester, UK where I've managed to find lots of interesting grassroots groups who want to make positive changes in the community which is ACE + really interesting in such a big busy city. So as a result of this do a lot of volunteering + try to organise lots of nice small scale events for people to get involved in/have fun at-usually all taking place in my local park. I take thrills in trying to lead a mega varied life + always really keen to learn from people + swap skills + stories!

PHILOSOPHY

That's such a big question, I might think about that one + come back to it later?

In short, I want to make life as enjoyable + worthwhile as possible-with that comes the necessary jobs:
-Doing good by people
-Leaving as small impact on the environment as possible
-Looking on the bright side
-Working hard at what you want to achieve
-Don't worry about being poor
-Being loyal
-Laughing at yourself
-Being yourself
-Recycling
-Community participation
-Riding a bike

Oops that wasn't in short, got on a role like.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Really new to it all-met a load of ace people who have stayed at my buddy's house-which is what inspired me to sign up. It seems really silly to think we have extra space in our flat to accomodate people that isn't gettin used + that potentially there are travellers visiting the city who are A) PAYIN to stay somewhere + B) Getting lost/not getting the most out of their visit
So I suppose that's where I can help!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Just recently went + stayed with first couch hosts-in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was brilliant, really ace to hang out with like-minded locals, find out about the city, learn about different cultures + approaches within society. We cooked them a dinner to say thanks + chatted all night-to think we could have been lost + buyin rubbish food somewhere in the unfamiliar city! We've also hosted some amazing Dutch lads- to say it was a lively weekend would be an understatement!

Interests

ART! (primarily community based-drenching public places in colourful murals) but also ace painters like Basquiat,Stockholder,Rae + photography is ace too!
Parks, community events/festivals, music-YES!, films-YES YES, food, nice beer, books-Auster, Atkinson, Larsson oh my can't believe I've not mentioned BIKES yet; bicycles in their social form mainly-mass bike rides + events, road biking, touring, encouraging others to ride + also tryin to learn bike polo better too! Playing games, goin to parties, dancing in nice dirty clubs surrounded by nice people with a happy vibe.

• arts
• books
• photography
• beauty
• festivals
• dancing
• environment
• dining
• beer
• partying
• clubbing
• movies
• painting
• music
• cycling
• bike polo
• history
• volunteering
• parks
• lakes

Music, Movies, and Books

So, so many. Films: just thinking about ace ones I've had the pleasure of seein recently include: Belleview Rendez-vous, Paris Je T'aime, Let the right one in, Babel, The Edukators, Into the wild, Ma Vie en Rose, The Bicycle Thieves, Happy-go-lucky, Amoros Perros-the list goes on + on. Music: any hippy trippy folk splendour, Regina Spektor, Bonnie Prince Billy, SeaBear, Shortwave Set, but then there's jazz-old be-bop to nice new peaceful Portico Quartet, good funk + ace electronica like Squarepusher, prefuse 73. Then there's old soul music, jive like Fats Waller + golden oldies plus ace dub + reggae for sunny afternoon bike rides. Ah man aren't we lucky there are so many talented musicians that create wondrous sounds for every mood!?
Books i've touched on already + reckon I've written too much already- the new Steig Larsson thrillers are amazing!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

This summer my partner + I carried out an ambition I've had for some time-so cycle to the summer house my Swedish grandad built in the eastern Archipelago (sp.?). Tents, sleeping bags + everything we'd need strapped on the back of our bicycles, we ventured into the Scandinavian wilderness riding through some of the most beautiful places I can imagine ever existing. We camped wild + ate berries, swam in lakes, got lost in forests + cycled hundreds of miles. Can't say I've experienced anything like it before-would recommend it to EVERYONE!!

Teach, Learn, Share

Yikes I don't consider myself to be especially academic-don't come to me for knowledge, dates or intelligent discussion about history. But I am practical + creative + have a workshop that is
A) a 20 second bike ride away
B) a 40 second scoot away
C) a 3 minute walk away- that has tools + paints to go crazy with-there's almost certainly some sort of community based painting I'm workin on so if you wanted to leave your mark on the city you're visiting..? It's in the park I volunteer in, so I could show/direct you to places of nice beauty. Also on nice bike rides as well

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Cuba, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden

Countries I’ve Lived In

United Kingdom