CURRENT MISSION

write the great Taiwanese novel, get rich blogging, keep my girlfriend perpetually happy (that one might not be so realistic)

ABOUT ME

Most people say that I'm pretty easy to get along with. I am pretty chill and like to go with the flow. I've done a lot of traveling to some pretty backwater places, so I'm flexible when it comes to food and sleeping arrangements. I try not to take life too seriously, and I like to laugh. I'm pretty jokey most of the time. I like to think that I'm a considerate, tolerant, and respectful person in most ways. I like to cook and keep a clean house, and usually do some cooking help out tidying up when I stay with people as a way of saying thanks.

PHILOSOPHY

The moment one gives close attention to any thing, even a blade of grass it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.
~ Henry Miller

There's treasure everywhere
~ Calvin and Hobbes (http://su.pr/2xfquG)

"Peculiar travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God."
~ Kurt Vonnegut

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I've had plenty of randoms crash at my house, but never from this website. Right now I have a small studio apartment and a couch that's way too small for anyone to sleep on.

But, if you want a hard floor or have a hammock to hang up at the beach (across the street) then give me a holler.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Haven't tried it yet. Looking forward to some interesting experiences.

Interests

I'm an adventure travel writer and photographer, so I love reading and writing, photography, and outdoors sports. I also play guitar (if you want to jam) and speak some Spanish and pretty good Mandarin Chinese. I'm pretty athletic and generally try to eat well. That being said, I like having a good time too. I also enjoy having a few drinks as much as the next guy, and the occasional smoke (I did grow up in British Columbia).

• culture
• writing
• books
• literature
• design
• graphic design
• photography
• dancing
• dining
• cooking
• drinking
• reading
• traveling
• blogging
• magic
• guitar
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• snowboarding
• sports
• adventure travel

Music, Movies, and Books

Unmissable authors: Haruki Murakami, Kurt Vonnegut, Douglas Adams, Graham Greene, Ernest Hemingway, Jack Kerouac...I could go on forever.

Unmissable moves: Anything by the Cohen Brothers, Dead Man, Roadside Prophets, anything by Stanley Kubric, anything by David Lynch, anything by Spike Lee, Chasing Amy (best love story ever), Leon (another wonderfully weird love story), True Romance, again, I could go on forever.

Music: There is so much these days. Boards of Canada, Tricky, Bjork. Tool, King Crimson, Mars Volta. The Tallest Man on Earth, M. Ward, Xavier Rudd. Radiohead, Cake, Johnny Cash. I could go on...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

1) Hiking the Banaue Rice Terraces in the Philippines: http://www.matt-gibson.org/photos/photo-essay-the-banaue-rice-terraces/

2) Watching a traditional Daoist healer heal my girlfriend's broken foot with, as far as I could tell, magic: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/matt-gibson/my-girlfriend-was-exorcis_b_730631.html

3) Searching for Pygmy Elephants in Borneo: http://www.matt-gibson.org/2011/03/adventures-in-malaysian-borneo-part-1-driving-at-night-with-no-lights/

Teach, Learn, Share

I know quite a bit about:
Writing, design, photography, photoshop, graphic design, web design, publishing, online marketing, snowboarding, travel, China and chinese culture, literature.

I'm happy to share what I know, or learn from anyone who knows about these things.

Countries I’ve Visited

Cambodia, Canada, Guatemala, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Philippines, Portugal, Spain, Taiwan, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, Taiwan, Thailand, United States