CURRENT MISSION
Enjoy life, create a vacation lifestyle where work & play is one in the same, and help make the world a better place to live in

I used to have a couchsurfing profile 5 years ago and deleted it after couchsurfing 'sold out'... (can you tell I'm from Portlandia? #hipster)

I'm an ebook designer, web designer + writer. I'm multi-passionate.

Interested in social good, and passionate people making positive change.

I'm bit of a bohemian/nomad/wanderlust free spirit. I have met a handful of people on couch surfing that I still keep in contact with today.

I learn best through experience.

I'm a third culture kid and consider myself a world citizen. Born in the Philippines but raised in the Pacific Northwest near Portland, Oregon.

Non-smoker, social drinker. I am a very chill, open, honest, down-to-earth, and low-maintenance person. I go with the flow.

You can see my website at http://www.janetbrent.com

MY PHILOSOPHY
March to your own beat.
Live your dream, not the American Dream.

My favorite quote is: The time came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. -Anais Nin

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE ON COUCHSURFING
In the good old days, I loved to meet-up with fellow travelers wherever I happened to be. I remember one serendipitous time I set up meeting a couchsurfer while in the Philippines. He ended up finding another Couchsurfer by chance, asked if he was meeting me too, and then invited him to meet me and the other travelers I was with! The more the merrier. I love how Couchsurfing connects people and you can become good friends that you meet again and again. I am open to meet-ups or a cup of coffee (but I'll probably order tea, I don't really drink coffee). And if you're in the Portland area when I'm not traveling, I'd be happy to meet-up there too. I myself have never hosted anyone through Couchsurfing yet... But have hosted travelers outside of setting it up via Couchsurfing so I definitely have the CS spirit. :)

Interests

reading, writing, design, the internet, health, spirituality, philosophy, hiking, nature, traveling (duh), running, yoga, playing violin and sometimes guitar, singing karaoke, dancing, eco-consciousness/sustainability, green smoothies, minimalism, culture, social anthropology. i'm pretty much your typical PNW hippie. ;)

• culture
• writing
• singing
• design
• dancing
• coffee
• yoga
• running
• meditation
• walking
• drinking
• reading
• traveling
• minimalism
• guitar
• violin
• karaoke
• hiking
• surfing
• anthropology

Music, Movies, and Books

I LOVE music. I have eclectic tastes. anything from rock, indie, jazz, classical, classic rock... but I would say my favorite overall is anything electronica (EDM, trip-hop, drum'n'bass, dubstep, chillout, trance). // Massive Attack, Daft Punk, Aphex Twin, Avicii, Tycho, Deftones, Incubus, Smashing Pumpkins, Lana Del Rey, Beyonce, Portishead, Mogwai, Kaskade, Lykke Li, M.I.A., DJ Krush, Coldplay, Björk, Radiohead, Caravan Palace, Parov Stelar, The Beatles, Ravi Shankar, Fela Kuti, Miles Davis, My Morning Jacket, Neil Young, Sleater-Kinney, Elliott Smith, Sigur Ros, Pink Martini, She & Him, Florence & the Machine, etc.

My favorite books are Women Who Run With the Wolves, Wild, The Alchemist, 1984, Cradle to Cradle, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, The Power of Now, A New Earth, No One Belongs Here More Than You... I'm a pretty big personal development/self-help junkie.

Movies - I'm a David Lynch, Kevin Smith and Wes Anderson fan. Fight Club. Into the Wild. Me and You and Everyone We Know. Buffalo 66. American Beauty. Amelie. I also enjoy documentaries and foreign films, and comedies like 40 Year Old Virgin, Wedding Crashers, Office Space and What About Bob?

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Walked Palawan island from south to North in the Philippines. About 400 miles.
Joined a zen monastery for six months & even shaved my head.
Lived in the Manila slums for 2 1/2 years.

Teach, Learn, Share

I love learning new things.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'm knowledgeable about design, branding, and wordpress web development. so if you're into geeking out about those things, I'll light your fire. I can also share my perspectives on minimalism, eastern philosophy, meditation and learning how to slow down, relax, and enjoy life. I can share my stories on living in Buddhist temples for six months, as well as walking 400 miles in the Philippines.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Germany, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, Philippines, United States