CURRENT MISSION

Looking for the perfect beat

ABOUT ME

DJ and music collector/selector. Can carry a conversation on any subject - not quite a know-it-all, but maybe a know-it-most. MacGuyver should be my middle name. Would-be-could-be-chef if my other careers don't pan out. Be careful, sometimes I'm just talking nonsense to get people to think - so many of us don't think in our daily lives and it is too bad.

PHILOSOPHY

Believe in yourself, but don't believe the hype. Don't let your ego get ahead of you.

Love everyone and everything. But keep in mind that sometimes loving means doing it from a distance- walking away or closing doors even.

Manifest destiny. Life is what you make it. Thoughts do not become reality. Thoughts are reality. From the moment we wake up every day we create our entire world around us. We just forget most of the time to do it in a thoughful, conscious, deliberate matter. So our world is chaotic because we don't feed and nurture our minds and spirits properly. Garbage in, garbage out. Love in, love out.

It ain't about the destination, it's about the journey. If you focus on your destination in life too much, you miss the journey which is where/when all the fun, excitement and growth in your life occurs. Goals are important in life to set a course towards a destination, but if you become a slave to your goals you miss out on life. So keep half an eye on your destination to make sure you do not stray too far off course (or to set a new course when necessary), but keep the other eye and a half open to enjoy and participate in the journey.

A little bit of love goes a long ways - love yourself, love the ones around you, love everyone, love everything, even those people or things undeserving of love need love just the same, perhaps even more so. The energy you put out into the universe comes back to you everyday in so many little ways that we often forget to see it. Even when you are wound up or wound down, it is still there and if you just open yourself up enough to see it and feel it you can receive it coming back to you. Some may see it as the creator's love, but perhaps it is the love of creation* flowing in a circle back to those who give it out.(*creation, as in all things great and small, seen and unseen).

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

With my old roommate Kimo, we hosted 30+ people in about 4 months, ever since we posted our couch as available. Other than that, it is all about being openm minded and genuinely caring for your fellow human being.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Before I found out about the CS project, I went thru a period of a few months in 2008 in which I considered myself to be "Sofa Surfing". I was in between flats and jobs and considering moving away from Hawaii. While I was searching jobs and other options, I lived for weeks at a time with different friends, acquaintances and random people I met serendipitously.

Not quite the same as the CS concept because in a few of the places I had stayed, I was paying or bartering services for lodging. I also knew some of the people prior to staying with them, but I have always been open to these kinds of experiences. Both I and my family have hosted complete strangers in need of a place to stay at various points in my life, so the CS project makes complete sense to me now that I found out about it.

Interests

Open mind, open heart...

I consider myself a world citizen and I try to do my best to learn about the world, its creatures, peoples, cultures, etc. And I also love to work on making the world a better place. I have a degree in Ethnic studies (1 part sociology, 1 part history - study of race and ethnicity in the USA), but I work in a technical field as an audio/video engineer. I also dabble in music (DJ) and art and writing.

• arts
• culture
• writing
• walking
• traveling
• music
• canoeing
• surfing
• art history
• engineering
• ethnic studies
• history
• sociology
• budget travel
• lakes

Music, Movies, and Books

Recommend any book or essay by Paul A. laViolette. (science/history/technology) Not necessarily all proven, but interesting thought experiments to say the least.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

In the Boy Scouts, I spent 2 weeks conoeing the boundary waters on the US/Canada border (Minnesota/Ontario). There are literally thousands of lakes and you canoe across the lake, then you portage (carry your packs and canoes) to the next lake over (between 100 feet and up to 1/2 mile to each lake). It was so peaceful and beautiful. We did not see anyone else for 10 days straight.

Teach, Learn, Share

Budget traveller tip: When staying in a hostel or guesthouse that provides linens, but not towels - on the last day when you leave, use you linens as a towel to dry off when bathe. That way your travel towel doesn't get mildew or mold from being stored while wet in your luggage. They're just gonna wash the linens after you leave anyways!

something to do in Hawaii on the island of Oahu...A fellow CSer had emailed me asking for things to do on Oahu. I'm sure the things I told them were similar to what most people would tell, but I did have one to share that is a little bit off the beaten path.

My recommended must see place on Oahu is the Waipahu Plantation Village . Hawaii has a large mix of ethnic groups, many of whom came to work on Hawaii's sugar cane plantations from the late 1800s thru WWII.

If you consider yourself culturally aware and a world citizen, you would want to understand the local Hawaii culture we have today. To do so, it is important that you understand the different ethnic groups that are here. If you are only passing thru, the plantation village is a great introductory crash course into that history and culture.

Most visitors or newcomers to Hawaii will hopefully try to learn something about the Native Hawaiian indigenous culture from activities such as learning about Polynesian Culture Center, Bishop Museum, Polynseian Voyaging Society, etc. These are all things I recommend too, but if you want to understand Hawaii and its local people today, the plantation village should be the next stop on your list after learning about Hawaiian culture.

I went with a summer course I took at UH in 1995 and I took my family there when they came to visit me the first time after I moved back to Hawaii in 2003. I didn't grow up here, but I believe many schools send their kids here to learn about it and I think it is definitely worth while.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Bahamas, Germany, Indonesia, Mexico, Thailand

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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