CURRENT MISSION

trying to live a life without regrets...thereby seeing, doing, and experiencing everything I can

ABOUT ME

I'm a writer, an editor, and a photographer. I'm also a presenter and scriptwriter for the Living Asia Channel, as well as an aspiring producer and artist.

Past gigs include:
Managing Editor and Social Media Editor, Good Housekeeping Magazine Philippines
Managing Editor, BBC Top Gear Philippines
Band manager, The Sleepyheads
Editor, Total Girl Magazine’s 250 Totally Embarrassing Stories (Vol. 2)
Guidebook writer (Berlin), Northstar Travel Media (Weissmann Reports)
Editor and writer, mydaytrip.com
Production assistant, School Wise Press

My adventures have taken me to the U.S.A., the UK, the Netherlands, the Philippines,the Czech Republic, Greece, Australia, Canada, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), China, Morocco, Singapore, and South Africa.

I'm on the lookout for my next expedition.

Contact: mlabrera@yahoo.com/ michatheperegrine@googlemail.com

PHILOSOPHY

"Go for broke. Always try and do too much. Dispense with safety nets. Take a deep breath before you begin talking. Aim for the stars. Keep grinning. Be bloody-minded. Argue with the world. And never forget that writing is as close as we get to keeping a hold on the thousand and one things--childhood, certainties, cities, doubts, dreams, instants, phrases, parents, loves--that go on slipping , like sand, through our fingers." - Salman Rushdie

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Too many to mention. All I can say is: I don't regret a single moment of it.

Interests

Books, film, art, ideas, challenging the status quo, meeting people and learning about the world through their eyes.....and oh, yeah...traveling!

• wildlife
• arts
• writing
• books
• literature
• running
• shopping
• traveling
• socializing
• blues
• camping
• communications
• language exchange

Music, Movies, and Books

Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline, Cat Power, Handsome Boy Modeling School

Books!! ahhh...my happiest days are often in a really cool bookstore. Kerouac, Ginsberg (his poetry completely inspires me), WHitman, Paul Theroux, Fukuyama, Kira Salak, Said, Carlos Bulosan, Roald Dahl (I really love him! I grew up with his books), Hemingway, any kind of travel writing...because I want to be a travel writer..

Movies...anything considered "different." A good film stays with you. You can watch it over and over and still find something new..My hands down favorite is "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless MInd." A close second is "Y tu mama tambien."

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I guess the most amazing thing that Ive experienced was being near a volcano eruption. My dad and I used to live in Olongapo City near the Clark Air Base and during the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991. I remember the day turning to night and the night turning to a hail of ash, rain, wind, and utter darkness. When light finally came, the entire town was covered in ash and it glistened like grey snow.

other cool experiences ...

Ridden on the rooftop of a jeepney on the way down from Sagada..never seen such blue skies. Kept thinking of that song from Willie Nelson called "Blue Skies," it goes:

Blue skies, smilin' at me
Nothin' but blues skies do I see
Bluebirds singin' a song
Nothin' but bluebirds all day long

Blue days, all of 'em gone
Nothin' but blue skies from now on

Very nice.

Walked through rice patties, drove a 16 foot moving truck from San Diego to San Francisco, rode on an elephant, stayed in a hostel that turned out to be a brothel in Morocco, 'run for our life' moment in Paris, volunteered in a wildlife reservation, hung out with the beautiful katoys during the King's birthday in Thailand, went to a pot parade in Rome, 'lost in translation' afternoon with a Moroccan goat herder (but we somehow, communicated and bonded anyway!), unforgettable road trip in Andalucia, partied in a Doner shop in Berlin...hmmmm...a lot more...life is sweet.

Teach, Learn, Share

What I can offer:
Some knowledge or teaching in:
English/writing/literature
Film theory
travel advice
camping tips
language exchange/tandem - tagalog, german and turkish bad words (=P)
What I want to learn:
.....teach me anything! I want to learn!

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, Morocco, Myanmar, Netherlands, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, Philippines, United States

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