CURRENT MISSION

Carpe Diem Fanatic

ABOUT ME

I guess they'd say I'm entertaining, knowledgeable, trustworthy, patient, and understanding. I rarely get mad (except while driving!), and have almost never had any disputes throughout my lifetime. This is due to the fact that I listen to everyone and respect everybody's opinion. Some would say it's because I grew up in an international and multicultural environment; I'd say it's just part of my personality :)

PHILOSOPHY

Like they say at Google, "Don't be evil". Begin with that, and you're off to a good start in life. Doing good around oneself starts with those who are closest to you: family, friends, neighbours... Then, through your travels, your job, your life, try to improve the world. You don't have to be Gandhi, just play your role as a vector for good at your scale. Of course, don't forget to enjoy yourself along the way. I have to admit: waking up in the morning with these two often contradicting objectives makes it sometimes hard to plan the day!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I host and I surf! :) I hosted a number of CS guests in order to discover how CS works, meet new people, and give something to the CS community before asking. Now that I have hosted 3 times, I think I may starting surfing a little bit ;-)

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I had 3 hosting experiences. All three times my guests were amazing people and I really don't regret having invited them into my house! If you're new to CS, don't be afraid to host people, I've only had great experiences :)

Interests

I must admit I'm a news junky! I love to follow current events, analyze them, understand the complexities of it all, and talk about it with friends around a few beers. I'm passionate about economics, geography, and history. My love of geography also leads me to my love of different foods...or maybe it's the other way around! If you crash on my couch one of these days, I'll be sure to show you the best restaurants in Brussels! I don't do as much sport as I should be doing, but when I have time I always love playing some soccer, going to swim, or a relaxing game of ping-pong. Of course, I love to travel, but I think I share this passion with everyone on the site ;-)

• environment
• beer
• news
• traveling
• surfing
• sports
• soccer
• swimming
• economics
• geography
• history

Music, Movies, and Books

You're lucky: I keep a list of movies I really appreciated. I think I've been keeping this up since 2006, but I'm not sure. Anyway, here it is:
The Visitor
Die Welle
Lovers
Meet Joe Black
Ocean's 11
The Empire of the Sun
L.A. Confidential
In Bruges
Magnolia
The Pursuit of Happyness
Flags of our Fathers
Letters From Iwojima
Marock
Lost in Translation
Imarat Yacoubian
Into the Wild
Motocycletas Diary
The Trumann Show
Fanaa
Vicky Christina Barcelona
Crash
There Will Be Blood
Ray
Joyeux Noël
Revolutionary Road
Mystic River
The Godfather
American Beauty
7 Years in Tibet
Of Mice and Men
Forest Gump
Casablanca
A Beautiful Mind
2001: A Space Odyssey
The Illusionist
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Lemon Tree
Departures
Up in the Air
Le Voyage de Chihiro
The Matrix
The Party
Vincere
Unthinkable
Inception
The Shawshank Redemption
The Village
L'Immortel
Good Will Hunting
The Butterfly Effect
Habemus Papam
Wall Street
The Artist

Some of my favourite artists are:
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Kanye West
Supertramp
Lenny Kravitz
Jay-Z
Chromeo
George Michael
Gorillaz
Joe Hisaishi
James Brown
Michael Jackson
Daft Punk

As far as reading goes, I don't read nearly as much as I should. I do have a few books that I'd recommend as "travel reading". Crash by my place, and I'll show you which ones!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Traveling over the Arctic Circle in summer, waking up in the middle of the night, and finding the sun is still high in the sky! EPIC!

Travelling to Nikko, Japan to see 3 huge golden Buddhas in the temple of Rinnoji, taking the train back to Tokyo to enjoy a relaxing onsen (public bath), and then having an excellent sushi meal in traditional Japanese outfit! EPIC DAY!

Teach, Learn, Share

When travelling, I'd recommend you check out this site called CouchSurfing. It's really helpful and I'm sure you've never heard of it! ;-)

Apart from that, I'd have one very important reminder for all you surfers: when on a "transfer" flight (by that I mean you stop in an airoport between your departure city and your destination), don't forget to check in your ticket at the stop! I once thought my ticket was valid for both flights of my trip, well...I was wrong! And I ended up losing a whole day in Heathrow waiting for the next flight to Tokyo.

That's about the only original thing I can really remind you before a trip. If you ever pass by Brussels, I can teach you the complexities and absurdities of Belgian political institutions! ;-)

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, Japan, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belgium, Italy, Morocco