I travel primarily to make once-in-a-lifetime memories and to gain life experiences which I will never forget while building a network of international friends. I'm a student of life. I think it’s amazing to learn/discover something new everyday.

I used to memorize most of the capital cities of the world when I was a kid. But my first travel abroad was only when I became an exchange student in Singapore in 2010 (20 y/o) where I had the opportunity to interact with people from all over the world and also travel to Malaysia & Thailand. In 5 months, I was able to immerse myself in different cultures and traditions (yu sheng for Chinese New Year, walked barefoot with milk for Hindu Thaipusam, received blessing and string bracelet from a Buddist monk, did homestay with Malay Muslim family). I also learned how to scuba dive (and actually did it in Dayang, Malaysia with a Korean, Thai and Japanese friend) and we also climbed Mt. Kinabalu, Borneo's highest peak. In all of these travels, there was a local host (one of my friends) that made the trip real and way better than anybody will experience in a booked tour. Since then, my view of the world has changed and I swore to myself to keep exploring new places with every opportunity.

Now that I'm already working, I normally try to squeeze in some time to discover a new place during/after business trips. Since then I've traveled to (and have been amazed by) Athen’s sea and history (my favorite city!), Edinburgh's old city, England's geologic outcrops and stonehenge, London's play, Holland’s windmills and canals (and red light district), Dublin's Guinness, Northern Ireland's landscapes, Brussels's chocolates, Paris (the entire city), Brunei's golden mosque, Balinese food, Aachen's cathedral, Dubai's sand dunes, Abu Dhabi's fastest world roller coaster, Mulu's caves, Zurich's clocks, Engelberg's Mt. Titlis - first time to see snow in my life!), Rome's colosseo, Prague's charming city, Doha's corniche and Egypt's pyramids, Aswan's Nile river boat ride, Luxor's temples, Munich’s octoberfest, Berlin’s wall, Barcelona’s tapas, El Nido’s landscape, Kuala Lumpur’s skyscrapers, Kota Kinabalu’s sunsets, Barcelona’s paella, Ghana’s chocolates. My best trips involved talking to locals, experiencing culture, appreciating nature's wonders, being spontaneous and experiencing new things.

Some of the big things that are part of my bucket list include:
- seeing the Northern lights
- CURRENT TARGET: experiencing African safari
- seeing the diversity of wildlife in Galapagos and the penguins of Antarctica
- climbing Mt. Everest
- DONE: camping in the biggest rock in the world (Uluru, Australia)

I'm a petroleum engineer by profession and a chemical engineer by education, but I've realized that teaching is my life's purpose. I'm the eldest in a family of 6. I've always loved numbers and science but traveling and visiting museums have helped me appreciate history and the arts. People often see me as extrovert but I think I'm really an introvert.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Learn from the locals. Meet new friends. Maximize my visits to countries.

Interests

Culture & Landscapes. Beaches & Mountains. Adventure.

• culture
• scuba diving
• adventure travel
• beaches
• mountains
• nature
• landscapes

Music, Movies, and Books

Pop and Acoustic Music. I'm also a fan of those who can play the piano and those who perform on the streets.

Action, Romantic, Inspirational, or Disaster Films. I also like X-Men and Spiderman.

Books by Sidney Sheldon and Dan Brown. I also read a lot of self-help books, mostly about human psychology.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Spent a week in Egypt to learn about the country's rich history, art and culture - starting from Aswan, then Luxor and finally Cairo (highlights: boat ride along the Nile River, visit to temples and Pyramids of Giza). Got invited to an iftar by my host.

Teach, Learn, Share

I want to learn and experience how locals live their lives. Some local expressions or phrases would be cool too!

What I Can Share with Hosts

Filipino food and history. Cool places to discover in the Philippines.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Czech Republic, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Panama, Philippines, Qatar, Russian Federation, Scotland, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Philippines, Singapore, United Kingdom