CURRENT MISSION

Take risks, experience new things & have fun. Planning to go to Vanuatu some time in 2017.

ABOUT ME

I am an economist, but don't hold that against me I'm one of the good guys. In Australia I work for the Department of Finance (similar to the American Treasury). I recently spent 3 years living In Tokyo exploring as much of Japan and the region as possible, often using the CS site to join in activities & sometimes stay at people's places. Would love to meetup with other CSers traveling through Canberra, especially from Germany/Europe as I am wanting to go on a holiday or live there some time in 2020 when the Olympic Games and Para-Olympic Games are on.

PHILOSOPHY
Enjoy life, maintain confidences, try to think outside the square and be open to trying new things. I believe that your life is often as interesting as the people you meet as they will give you ideas on where to go and what to do; the more interesting people you meet, especially from other countries, the richer your life will be.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING
I attend and sometimes organise CS events, especially when traveling. Whenever I meet fellow CSers I share ideas with them about where to get information on what to do and what I have done.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE
I have met some great people at CSing parties / get-togethers, shown CSers around and had fellow CSers show me around. For example, I've:
been to CSing Hanami Parties at Osaka Castle Park & Kamogawa in Kyoto;
attended several of the monthly get togethers in Shibuya, Tokyo;
gone on a few on the monthly walking tours in Tokyo; and
CS with Japanese people in Nagoya and Kyoto.
When I was in Hawaii in 2014 I organised a Pub Trivia Team through CS and we went to China Town and came first. Each person won a cocktail of their choice.
When I was in Moscow in July 2013 I met several local Muscovites who showed me around. Had a great time exploring the city.

Interests

Scuba Diving; Massage; Traveling; Economics; Modern art; Languages both teaching and learning; Dinning out, especially trying new foods and restaurants; listening to music; Stand-up comedy.

• arts
• modern art
• cocktails
• walking
• partying
• trivia
• traveling
• music
• scuba diving
• skiing
• economics
• teaching
• languages
• tours
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Books - My favourite authors are normally people who write about factual things in an interesting engaging way. They include: Bill Bryson; Ben Elton; Clive James; Michael Lewis; Malcolm Gladwell.
Movies - My favourite movies tend to be either Science Fiction or Comedy movies and include: the early Woody Allan films, especially Annie Hall & Sleepers; Ender's Game; Minority report; The Core; All the Alien movies; LA Story. My favourite Indie film is Stories we tell by Sarah Polly.
TV Shows - My favourite TV shows include: The Wire; Breaking Bad; Shameless; House; The Sopranos; True Blood; Dexter; Battlestar Galactica (the new series, not the original); Visitors; Big Love; Six feet under; & Sons of Anarchy.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I spent a ski season in Aspen Colorado and skied most of the ski mountains in Colorado and New Mexico and got a job as an extra in a ski movie. I have been Scuba Diving on and off for year. Scuba Diving highlights include; doing a night time dive with a compass to navigate my way across a bay in Tahiti; and diving in the Similian Islands in Thailand.

Teach, Learn, Share

I have been a public servant in Australia and worked at several agencies including: The Department of Defence; The Australian Tax Office; The Superannuation Agency (monitors people's pension funds); and the Department of Finance. Before becoming a public servant I worked as a pharmaceutical sales representative. I have also worked on and off as an English teacher to people from a non-English speaking background. So I have a varied background and I am happy to discuss a range of issues.

What I Can Share with Hosts

If visiting Canberra, as I have a car, I can show you around &/or you can join me doing things. For example, on Mondays I go to a Pub Trivia night, the first Tuesday of the month I go to the Amnesty International meaningful movie night, the first Wednesday of the month I go to a standup comedy night.

Countries I’ve Visited

Cambodia, Canada, China, Egypt, England, Fiji, France, French Polynesia, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Philippines, Russian Federation, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, United States, Vanuatu, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Japan, South Korea, United States