My life's goal is to reduce waste while increasing access. Right now, that's in the form of Last Minute Gear, the only outdoor gear shop where you can buy, rent, or borrow gear for camping, backpacking, skiing/snowboarding, or climbing. It's based in San Francisco but we have customers from all over, and we've helped many people get outside for the first time because our rental program is 90% off retail and our borrow program is free. Every time someone tells me they didn't have to buy because they used us... that makes me super happy =) Check it out! www.lastminutegear.com

NOTE: I need some time to plan, please do not send a last minute request. The best time to send a request is 1-2 weeks before you want to come. Too early and I may not know my schedule enough.

PHILOSOPHY

You must be the change you want to see in the world.

Also, below are the books that I really resonate with (if you liked them we will get along phenomenally). As you can see I tend to like authors that write consistently about one type of life philosophy.

Anything by Daniel Quinn (Most famously: Ishmael, The Story of B)
Anything by Eckhart Tolle (A New Earth)
Anything by The Minimalists (Everything That Remains)
Most things by Michael Pollan (Omnivore's Dilemma)
Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg

Also it would be a big plus if you are a native Spanish or Chinese speaker, so then I can also do a language exchange =)

SPECIAL NOTE FOR DECEMBER - I will be traveling Dec 7 to Jan 10 for friend's wedding. Since this will be expensive and I unfortunately am not over-flowing in funds, I'm looking for folks to sublet my studio apartment downtown and I'm pretty flexible around those dates. For example if you wanted it just for month of December, from before I leave on 12/1 to 12/31, that's fine as well. Shorter than a month is also ok, but preference for around a month. Please send me a message if interested!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have happily been surfing every time I've traveled since I discovered this amazing project. In addition, I've hosted many fantastic surfers, all of whom shared so many stories and made the few days we had so exciting and fun! I like to really be a tour guide and show my CSers around to all the best places in town.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Hosted, surfed, participated in events. All were great experiences!

Interests

Outdoors sports because I'm an adrenaline junkie (rock climbing, parkour, skiing, backpacking, hiking, camping, kayaking etc.), and because I love nature.

Food because I'm a good cook and a good eater, and SF is a foodie's dream!

Photography because... well I like it I don't know, it's inexplicable.

Music is life.

• books
• photography
• causes
• dining
• cooking
• baking
• running
• music
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• backpacking
• kayaking
• camping
• surfing
• skiing
• sports
• boxing
• rock climbing
• tourism

Music, Movies, and Books

So many books and movies! I really like epic adventures and tales that can suck my mind away for weeks on end (not always a good thing).

With music, I like to listen to one thing without end for a couple of months and then move on. I love sharing music with CSers and will probably devour whatever you have to offer.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I recently went on an expedition to Antarctica. Nothing else that could fit in this box would do it justice. But you can see some photos at my website: www.jamesdong.com.

Teach, Learn, Share

- When doing a front flip, don't just run and jump! Run, then at the last second when you jump, jump off of your heels straight up. This will bring all your momentum in the upward direction, and prevent the flip from carrying you forward 8 feet.

^ Incidentally, even though I was once able to do this fine, now I'm terrified. Stupid mental blocks!

- Baking powder and baking soda actually work in different ways; one causes expansion in the vertical direction, the other causes expansion in the horizontal direction!

Teach me anything you want!

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, United States

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