CURRENT MISSION

See the world, learn a lot, and make a positive impact.

ABOUT ME

Happy. Friendly. Brutally honest. Unintentionally funny.

PHILOSOPHY

I believe in karma, that if you do good in the world, good things will come back to you. In that vein, I think honesty, generosity, and open-mindedness are really important traits that make couchsurfing work.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I'd like to meet people to get the insider's perspective while traveling.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

None so far. I hope to get some experiences in Australia/New Zealand though!

Interests

I really like to learn.
Whether it's trying random classes (hang-gliding, beekeeping, rock climbing, bread making) or attending interesting events, I'm always trying to expand my horizons. By day, I'm a postdoc at Stanford trying to understand what proteins dictate how our neurons find and connect to each other. I listen to NPR, cook and try restaurants, bike, swim, like design and fashion, hang out with friends, and find start-ups interesting.

• arts
• architecture
• design
• fashion
• cooking
• traveling
• socializing
• violin
• cycling
• rock climbing
• swimming
• engineering

Music, Movies, and Books

Recently I've watched a lot of Miyazake movies (Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke) and find them really beautiful. I also watched The Matrix over six times when it was first released, so have an interest in sci-fi.

I used to play violin as a kid, so appreciate classical music. Now that I've grown up, I like to dance, so anything with a good beat for dancing or exercising is good: David Guetta, Lady Gaga, Janelle Monae.

I've started a lot of non-fiction books, but have yet to finish any. I find myself reading a lot of New York Times and New Yorker articles or blogs, rather than entire novels these days.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Have you guys ever seen a street with your name on it?
Well, one day a labmate was looking for apartments and I went with her. Her car had GPS and all of a sudden, on the screen, I see "Louise Street" and exclaim "OMG!" After we go to the apartment, we take a detour to Louise Street. The whole neighborhood has tree-named streets: Oak, Evergreen, Lemon, etc. As I get out of the car to take a picture, though, guess what I saw? The cross street was Stanford Ave! What are the odds?

Teach, Learn, Share

From a practical standpoint, I can teach you how to cook or speak Mandarin.

At a higher level, I once taught a friend to swim and another how to ride a bike. I used to teach violin to younger kids. I can talk about neurobiology, engineering, start-ups, architecture, art, fashion, and many other things.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, China, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Morocco, Netherlands, South Africa, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, Singapore, United States