CURRENT MISSION

One asking Socrates of what country he was, he did not answer, of Athens, but of the world

ABOUT ME

" Stephen is ..........................."probably the most awesome person everrrrrr." If you're down to have a good time, he is the man you want to call. If you're looking for a pleasant conversation and a fancy dinner, you should treat him out. Stephen is a fun, outgoing, sincere, open minded, and socially interactive person. Working day to day makes my life interesting and worth living. He is helpful, intelligent, and extremely insightful. The bottom line is, you are missing out on life if you haven't had a dose of ol' Stephen. "
they seem to say!

PHILOSOPHY

You can read all you want in books, but half of the time you have to spend doing it

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

It all began in 2006 when I was messaging a Malaysian sprite, back and forth while thinking about my upcoming spring break to Malaysia and Thailand. After a few emails I felt really comfortable and excited. More than going on this vacation, to meet this excellent itinerant journalist! After landing I phoned her. She advised me to avoid a $40 taxi and ridiculous hourlong traffic, suggesting a $2 and 10 minute train to meet for a cuppa. Note: anybody who uses the word "cuppa" so liberally needs to be met, how versatile and lovely a culture this cuppa embodies! Cocoa, kafe, rhum...? Anyways, on the spur of the moment she invites me to a tropical paradise, the Perhentian Islands. This was the first stop in her journey away from home, she planned to not return for several years without solid plans! Onto the road ACTUALLY onto the speedboat ! ! We had tropical rainforest, bonfire, stars, food, hikes, coconut trees... and best of all an amazing person. If this is what CS can afford somebody I can't wait to have adventures, either legendary or simple nights in, with others. Sometimes yeah, there are people with whom one ain't quite click, but with those that you do, there are few things better.

Interests

squashing coins under trains, wing chun kung fu, coooking for friends, science, whiskey and wine but not vodka, massages, tortillas with queso fresco, searching for the spiciest foods, gloving and lightshows, black lights and electronic music in a glow-in-the-dark trippy paradise, the 'heels' of bread: the all-crust piece of bread that I beg my friends for, and of course sunsets over the ocean. oh yeah, Pirates over ninjas YARR!

• culture
• books
• dining
• wine
• music
• electronic music
• hiking
• journalism
• science
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

recent music: much much much dubstep. curious about what the hell this Trapstyle is all about so digging through tons of new dubsteppy/trappy/drum n bassy subgenres etc etc
My favourite way to get new electronic music is through blogs. Will add to this list when I remember:
gottadancedirty.com || sublvl.com || thissongissick.com || dailydoseofbass.com || killmyspeakers.blogspot.com || hypem.com || earmilk.com || roargasm.com || soundcloud.com || vibeaddict.com || rudeboybass.com ||

Books: Liquid Life, William LeFleur; Guide to Happiness , Dalai Lama; Faster than the Speed of Light, Joao Magueijo; The Essays of Michel du Montaigne; Heart of Darkness, Conrad; Surely You're Joking Mr Feynman, Feynman; Hamlet; Brave New World, Aldous Huxley; Tao of Jeet Kune Do, Bruce Lee; Great Gatsby

movies: good will hunting, Lucky Number Slevin, borat, ikiru, donnie darko, all bruce lee movies, Kung Fu Hustle, suicide club, poolhall junkies, man on fire, Deja Vu, oldboy (top5), good will hunting, paprika, The Big Sleep = all time favourite. need to see some older jackie chan flicks now...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Growing up in southern california my whole life, all you see is blue skies, grey skies, green palm trees, and brown hills. There is nothing I've seen more beautiful than osaka, kyoto, and nara in the fall. Thousands of trees, leaves of firey yellows hearty purples and deep reds surround temples and castles like a treasure chest full of jewel encrusted brooches and shimmering gemstones. only not quite as shiny.

Teach, Learn, Share

a beautiful symbolic image comes from the 1978 movie Apocalypse Now. the opening sequence describes a snail crawling along the sharp edge of a knife, not being cut in half. Balancing on the razor thin edge, with so soft of a body is a symbol for living. balance

living in japan has taught me that it all depends on context

Countries I’ve Visited

Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Japan, United States

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