I'm an actress and a teacher from Singapore. I love story-telling, sports, singing and meeting new people. As an adventure junkie, I'll try almost anything at least once. Bring it on. Most times I'm pretty laid-back though, and enjoy deep discussions beyond small talk. My general interests are in the arts, politics, education, business and cooking. At the moment my place is unavailable to surfers, but I hope to start hosting others next year.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

It's been my dream to travel the world and listen to other people's stories. Nothing interests me more than finding out what it's like for people who lead different lives from me. As an actress and a teacher, I bring these stories back and re-tell them either onstage or as an educational point for my students. One of the biggest reasons why I'm here is because I want to hear your personal story. I think all of us on CS have a little bit of wanderlust, and like everyone else, I'm mildly obsessed about sampling the different flavours around the world, literally and metaphorically.

Aside from the people, I travel for the scenery. I try my best to visit every theatre, museum, memorial, cemetery, church, cathedral, mosque, synagogue and temple I find. However, while I love cities for being centres of culture, concrete jungles can get boring sometimes, because cities across the world share many similarities.

That's when I turn to nature for my fix. I love to hike up mountains, trek through forests, dive into lakes and seas, climb over sand dunes and run across rolling fields. Being a city gal, access to the great outdoors is limited. While my mind is at home in the city, my heart belongs in the wild.

Interests

Big foodie. So it's quite fortunate that I live in Singapore, which has the best food in the world. If you don't believe me, come give this place a visit. You'll love it. If we're ever lucky enough to be friends, let's exchange some recipes shall we? Better still- I'd like to help you cook, or cook for you if you'll let me borrow your kitchen. P.s, as I am a Muslim, I don't eat pork or drink alcohol, so please don't be offended if I decline an offer to partake. On the other hand, I won't be offended either if you'd like to have a beer or enjoy a bacon sandwich in my presence. You're most welcome to do as you please. Live, love and be happy, I always say.

• arts
• singing
• fashion
• education
• dining
• cooking
• recipes
• drinking
• clothing
• politics
• reading
• traveling
• jazz
• hiking
• sports
• rock climbing
• swimming
• teaching
• religion

Music, Movies, and Books

All music is great but I have a particular penchant for show-tunes, jazz and classics from the 60's-90's. These are my bathroom favourites. I aim to learn at least one song in the native language of each country that I visit. So far I've learnt the Happy Birthday song in two other foreign languages- Polish and Welsh, but let's hope it won't stop there.

As for movie genres, I generally watch Psychological Thrillers and Comedy. My fave TV shows are Orange Is The New Black, Veep, Game of Thrones, How to Get Away With Murder, The Golden Girls, Allo Allo, Buffy, Xena Warrior Princess, Maude and Roseanne, among many others. To be honest I'm usually on the documentary channel though, watching Life Below Zero, How It's Made or some other Sci &Tech, Survival or Philosophy show. Never too young or too old to learn something new is my mantra, and also the excuse I'm using to defend the fact that I watch cartoons like Adventure Time and Steven Universe too lol.

Fantasy books these days- things like Game of Thrones, anything by Neil Gaiman, etc, you know the works. I've read most classics- Dostoyevsky's Crime & Punishment, anything Shakespeare, The Iliad etc- all the good stuff.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

The Spartan Race. Oh my god, The Spartan Race. Do it, people. Barbed wire, mud, terrifying heights, ropes, wooden walls, concrete blocks, spears and live coals. Crazy shit. I nearly died. BUT IT WAS TERRIFIC FUN.

I'm going to cheat and talk about a second experience because I honestly can't decide which is more amazing. It's this: Wild Swimming in a Northern Welsh lake. 15'C water- it was high summer, but I couldn't stop shivering. My teeth chattered uncontrollably. That said, the view... Gosh the view was spectacular. Breath-taking really. (I suppose the cold was also "breath-taking" haha) Anyway, the view was as unbelievably picturesque as a postcard. The whole experience was absolutely terrifying too, because it's such a vast place and you're all alone. There's nothing quite like the feeling. Evocative of melancholic poems in old, forgotten languages...

What I'd give to be back to do both activities again. In short, what I'm trying to say is that you should totally try doing one of them.

Teach, Learn, Share

Authentic Malay/Indonesian cuisine. If you have a kitchen and access to some ingredients, I'd be delighted to show you how to whip up some fantastic crowd pleasers.

Since I primarily teach English, I could also help you with English speaking or writing if you like. If you're up to learning an Asian language, I could teach you a little Malay. Knowing Malay will stand you in good stead if you visit Malaysia, Singapore, or Indonesia, as it's widely used in these countries.

Some skills I'd love to learn in no order of preference are: 1) basic programming 2) useful phrases in your native language 3) recipes from your local cuisine 4) an instrument that you play.

Honestly though, a nice chat to get to know you is good enough for me.

What I Can Share with Hosts

The least I can offer to my generous hosts is my effort around your homes. Let me know how I can make my stay as hassle-free as possible. I can help you shop for groceries, throw out the garbage, vacuum your floor, walk your pets etc. Aside from that, we can always have a good chat and share our experiences.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Maldives, New Zealand, Philippines, Poland, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, Vatican City State, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

Singapore