It may or may not be applicable to your way of travelling abroad, but Couch Surfing is quickly catching on; it’s where you surf and find yourself on a couch in another country, as you soak in the scenes, all for free!

Make Yourself at Home - Worldwide
A lot of us dream of booking a flight and scooting off to an exotic land of adventures, breathtaking sceneries and basking in sun, sea and sand.
Sadly, the reality of it all bites really hard: (read, “hefty accommodation bills”, “don’t know where to get good and cheap food,” “no idea how to get from point A to B in a jiffy”, “little or no knowledge of the more dangerous places where a murder involving 10 people just happened last week… ”, “no inkling of where the best hotspots are – the underground scenes - that are off the radar of any touristy “Go here, Go there”, guide books…).
Feeling thoroughly defeated, you pack away those dreams... yet again.
But wait!
Did you know that there are actually 265,306 homes in 230 countries all set and ready to embrace you on visits abroad?
No joke! These homes are just a few mouse clicks away. All you need to do is visit www.couchsurfing.com and you’re on your way to living your dreams of distant travels.
Firstly though, you need to be a part of the CouchSurfing.com (CS) project. CS is a worldwide project that encourages people from diverse cultural background to “surf each others’ couches”.
In other words, CS is a modem that works to build meaningful connections that are able to cut across oceans, continents and cultures by having its 829,431 members opening their homes, and their lives, to travelers (there is no pressure to host any traveler though; you can just meet them up for coffee).
Through this cultural exchange, CS envisions a change in not only the way people travel, but also how they relate to the world. Simply put, the project believes that hosting travelers and surfing foreign homes is the answer to create a better world.
Are you mad?
Open your home to strangers? Stay over at a place belonging to someone you have never met and know nothing of besides what was written on his profile page?
Have you gone out of your mind? Are you nuts? Have you gone completely bonkers? Cuckoo? Loco? Gone round the bend? Insane already? (Now, which part of “mad” didn’t you understand?)
That would come naturally; an automatic reaction to opening yourself to a world filled with crime and violence, rapes, kidnappings and Jack-the-Rippers...
But don’t close your doors or couches to CS just yet.
According to some of the most avid CS members whom Malaysian Today talked to, questions about safety were going though their minds as well when they first surfed the website and considered taking up the challenge of travelling and bunking in with strangers or opening their doors to them.
Kimberley Low, 19, first stumbled upon the CS project when she was trying to find a place to stay during her trip to Chiang Mai. Curious but cautious nonetheless, Kimberley browsed through the site and was bowled over the welcoming vibe she got from it.
“The CS website was not too flashy, and it is a non-profit site which has zero advertisements. Members have mostly joined through word-of-mouth recommendations.
“Moreover, each profile has testimonials and ratings (called “references”) from fellow CS members who have met the profile user. These references are a pretty accurate guide about what kind of person the profile user is,” explains Kimberly of Subang Jaya.
After a few emails, Kimberley finally chose a German girl residing in Chiang Mai as her host. She eventually came back in one, happy piece, gushing, “I’ve never had so much fun!”
Since then, she has opened her home to three surfers.
To most CS users, what convinced them that CS is a sincere project and, as Kimberley put it, “not a kidnapping ring” is its commitment to provide a community-based security system (See sidebar CouchSurfing.com Project in brief).
Melisa Pang, 22, opines that a healthy dose of common sense and intuition is also necessary to judge hosts or surfers through how they describe various aspects of themselves. (See sidebar Words from the Wise).
By being cautious yet open-minded, CS members get a unique travelling experience in exchange. Staying over at locals’ homes means that one gets first hand experience on the local culture – both the postcard-worthy scenes, and the authentic situations rarely glimpsed by the average tourists.
Of course, having no hotel bill is a plus.
“Hosts are not allowed to ask for money from their surfers, but out of courtesy, surfers would usually pay the hosts back in small ways, such as buying the hosts’ dinner.
“Most hosts are also happy enough with the smallest gestures. My host in Chiang Mai expressed her wish to make teh tarik, and so I brought her a huge packet of Boh tea bags. That alone cheered her up!” recalls Kimberley.
Melisa, who has hosted six surfers from various countries in her Cheras home, revealed that hosts stood to gain as well.
“I have learnt so many interesting things about my guests’ culture when they stayed over. Not only that, I’m learning more about my own culture as well. Imagine me, once a fervent history-hater, now studying the Malaysian history so that I can share it with my guests!” Melisa quips.
“The great thing about CS is that it creates sort of a balance to the current world view; we have people closing themselves to others in fear of being hurt, and now we have this bunch of CS members opening our hearts and our homes so that strangers have a friend in a foreign place,” says Kimberley.

The New Nomad
With “couches” available from New York to Nepal, “nomadic” travelers not ready to go home or settle down can find a welcoming abode rather easily.
Meet Robert McDonald, 33, a CS “Nomadic Ambassador”. Having covered 27 countries, surfed about 50 homes and hosted around 30 guests, Robert is now taking a break from travelling and has settled down in Kuala Lumpur.
“Nomadic ambassadors are the coolest of all ambassadors, though I might be biased,” jokes the soft-spoken but friendly Australian.
“We tend to move a lot, city to city, country to country, often spending time in places where CS isn’t very established yet. I’ve set up a lot of city groups around the world and started CS gatherings in those cities, while encouraging the locals to become City Ambassadors themselves,” Robert explains further.
With his impressive travelling experience, Robert was living the nomadic dream – fantasised by many but fulfilled by few. However, the avid traveller did not expect to be where he is now as well.
“Finding CS changed the duration of my trip, I didn’t plan to be a nomad when I left home originally (I haven’t gone home since), but CS started me on an adventure that has no end in sight,” reveals Robert.
Thus, for those aching to see as much of the world as possible, Robert recommends CS because “the amazing people you can meet and generosity you receive from the CS community allows you to extend your travel plans for a long period of time.”
He added that the city groups can offer help with everything from finding places to live, to short term jobs for travellers wanting to stay around and enjoy a particular city or country longer.
“Simply put, CS provides you with an instant network of friends in whatever countries you end up in. Having a local that you know and trust is especially helpful if you don’t speak the language of that country,” says Robert.

Non-travellers welcomed aboard too
While some harbour the nomadic dream, others, like Nurhanani Ali, 24, are bewildered by its concept.
“It amazes me how some of them dared to quit their well-paying jobs and have been travelling for more than a year, not even sure when they would be heading for home. Just thinking about this scares me,” says Nurhanani, a Hospitality major.
In contrast to these globe-trotters, Nurhanani is not quite ready to travel the CS way, mostly because she travels with friends whom she would split the accommodation bill with. She also has no couch to host, as the KL student does not have a place of her own.
Even so, Nurhanani still rides the wave of the CS spirit – she has made friends with over 50 travellers by just having a drink with them when they are in town. Sometimes, she also takes these travellers sight-seeing.
“CS has a unique social network in that its members share a common interest – to learn more about the world through traveling. This is different from other social networking sites, where members have wide-ranging interests,” says Nurhanani.
International students and housemates Ali Rahimi Ferdosinezhad, 18, and Mahdad Khorasanizadeh, 18, could not agree more. Both Iranian and currently studying in Sunway University College, Ali and Mahdad were amazed with how people of varied religions, different skin colour, diverse cultural backgrounds, and of different nationalities could click so well.
“If we had kept to just our college circle, our friends would be limited to people very much like us.
“However, through CS, we have gotten to know a host of interesting people that we would never have met otherwise. The best part is, despite our many differences, we share endless conversations and experience so much fun together!” exclaims Ali.
The two housemates may have just played host once so far but they are active in regular gatherings which the local CS group holds for its members. The CS community in Malaysia with its 2890 members also makes its gatherings a great way to befriend interesting and diverse locals.
“CS is a social networking site that operates much like Facebook, but it is unique because CS members have gone beyond just being virtual friends,” observes Mahdad.
Ali nods in agreement. “We go out together and since the group is so big, somebody would know a good place to hang out in KL and bring everyone there. Of course, it’s a plus that we usually have a great time while keeping to the tight budget we students are constrained to.”
The talkative and cheerful duo also appreciate CS for providing them with a wider perspective of KL and what it’s truly like, with a myriad of things to see and do besides just clubbing.

Bed of roses, with the occasional thorn
At this point, CS is sounding dangerously like a project too good to be true. Of course, the global effort did not burgeon without hiccups – people taking advantage of the website.
Despite the website’s insistence that it is not a dating platform, some members still seek potential flings for those lonely nights in a foreign land.
“There was a male traveller who requested to meet me for coffee. He came on as a really nice guy at first. But towards the end of out meeting; he started to get really mushy and even tried to talk me into having sex with him.
“His exact sentence was ‘You’re single. Why not try something new? Humans have needs,’” recounts an agitated Nurhanani.
She also finds it a tad humorous that female travellers are less keen to meet up with female locals.
“You see, when I find out - from the CS site - that there are new travellers in KL, I will welcome them, irrespective of what gender they are. But usually I will only get replies from the males. There haven’t been many female travellers who have responded to my messages,” sighs Nurhanani.
Other than that, there were also instances of hosts trying to earn a quick buck from the project. At least one CS forum has discussed travellers’ experiences with hosts who have requested “donations”.
Furthermore, CS may not be as cross-cultural as it aspires to be. Mahdad has observed that at gatherings, people still divide or find themselves in local and foreign cliques.
“Of course, this is unavoidable because we tend to stick to like-minded people. However, the gatherings do provide better opportunities for locals and foreigners to mingle, compared to other social circles out there,” adds Mahdad.
Cultural differences aside, Robert also points out that the diverse preferences and personalities in CS mean that you would find individuals who are truly bizarre, and might even cause some discomfort.
“Thus, it is really important to be honest in one’s profile so that people would know whether they would be comfortable hosting you or surfing your couch.
“People’s honesty with the references they leave for others is also what makes the website works. Be truthful about the kind of impression you have of a person,” advises Robert.
All in all, Kimberley insists that people are “generally very nice”.
You, don’t believe her? Just check out a CS statistics page which recorded approximately 1,532,801 positive experiences. Or better yet, try it out yourself.
As Melisa puts it, “Stop envying others who are able to share their amazing travelling tales and have done things you thought you could never do. It’s not about whether you can do it or not, but how much you want to do it.
“Go live your dream. Go travel! But wherever you go, bring along some common sense and a sincere heart.”

Plan your holiday properly so you won’t have any problems...

THE end of the year is upon us again and with it comes the holiday season. Everyone is getting into the holiday spirit and many are planning getaways to reward themselves for a year of working hard.
Although holidays are supposed to be relaxing, sometimes things can go wrong and a holiday could unfortunately stress you out. The key to minimising this is proper planning!

Company
First of all, who you go on holiday with is very important. Sure, you may have a lot of friends… but not all of them are suitable holiday companions. Hanging out together and going on holiday together are two very different things! You see, you have to find people who are on the same wavelength as you when it comes to having a good time. If you like lazing about and doing nothing, then going away with people who like their days filled with activities would be the wrong thing to do. Make sure you consider this point carefully.

Destination
You need to figure out what you would like to do on holiday and choose a destination accordingly. For example, if you like going to night markets, eating at food stalls, and sightseeing, then going to a one-resort island is not going to make you happy. There are many things to consider here- Are you a beach or a city person? Do you like the cold or warm weather? Would you prefer a quiet destination or an opportunity to mingle and meet people?

Budget
Work out your budget! Going on holiday when you don’t have enough money to spend is no fun. Plan it out carefully so you won’t have to watch and worry over every sen you spend. Yes, of course it’s good to be prudent but the word ‘worry’ shouldn’t be part of your holiday vocabulary.

Research & Pack
If you’re going to an unfamiliar place, check and see what you’re going to need to bring. Are you roughing it out? Then maybe you need mosquito patches. Are you going to be basking in luxury? Well, then maybe all you need is your bikini! Do you need sunscreen or jackets? Flip-flops or stilettos? What about when it comes to meals; would you have problems finding food to suit your diet? For example, you may want to research if you can easily find halal, kosher, vegetarian food and so on.

Travel Documents
Don’t forget to make photocopies of all your travel documents. These will come in handy should you, unfortunately, lose your original ones.

Nitty Gritty
A great holiday depends on planning and being organised. Sort out all your travel plans from door to door, and also whatever other detail imaginable. It’s better to be super anal and have a wonderful holiday, rather than have a lackadaisical attitude and being stressed out while on holiday.

AN heroic performance by goalkeeper Brian Jensen on Tuesday earned Burnley a place in the Carling Cup semi-finals at the expense of Premier League Arsenal.
Jensen had been the hero for the Clarets in their quarter-final penalty shootout victory over Chelsea and the big Dane, affectionately known as 'The Beast' was keen to ensure that Owen Coyle's side continued to enjoy their fairytale cup ride.
Jensen made the first of a serious of saves as early as the fourth minute to deny striker Nicklas Bendtner.
The home side went in front with their first real threat on goal when Robbie Blake found Chris Eagles and his ball to the near post was turned in by Kevin McDonald, after goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski had been put under pressure by Martin Paterson.
Bendtner had an early opportunity to equalise when sent clear by Carlos Vela, but Jensen was equal to the task.
Jensen was then called into action to save from both Mark Randall and Vela, before in a rare Burnley attack Paterson had a left-foot strike at goal, but his effort lacked power.
A lovely backheel by Bendtner sent Randall clean through on goal, but Jensen produced another fine save to deny the young midfield player who had spent a short while of last season on loan at Turf Moor.
Jensen ensured Burnley went in at the interval in front with another remarkable save after Bendtner was again the provider with a pass to Vela.
Fran Merida should have tied things up just two minutes into the second half when he beat three Burnley defenders, but shot wide of the far post.
That was to prove an expensive miss as Arsenal were caught napping by a quick thrown-in from Eagles which sent MacDonald through on goal to score his second of the evening.
Meanwhile, Nathan Ellington's last-gasp penalty fired Derby County into the Carling Cup semi-finals and sent 4,500 travelling fans into delirium at the Britannia Stadium.
Both sides had squandered a succession of chances in the second half and extra-time looked a certainty until Stoke City's Andy Griffin handled a cross from Przemyslaw Kazmierczak.
The linesman closest to the incident gave nothing, but referee Rob Styles pointed to the spot and Ellington made no mistake as he sent Steve Simonsen diving in the wrong direction.

Topsy-turvy battle for supremacy

THE sudden retirement of incumbent No.1 Justine Henin left the WTA Tour in anarchy.
If you've ever played that game where you build a tower of wooden blocks, then withdraw them one at a time while trying to prevent the tower from toppling, you'll understand what Justine Henin's abrupt retirement in May did to the hierarchy of the women's game. It removed a structural beam, and the resulting pile was kind of a mess. If you like parity, variety and surprises, 2008 was your year. We review some of the highlights and head-scratchers below.

Player of the year

The contenders should be plain to everyone: Rock, Paper and Scissors. Jelena Jankovic finished the year at No. 1 and won four tournaments but no majors. Ana Ivanovic won Indian Wells and her maiden Slam at the French Open, and she also briefly held the top ranking. Venus Williams earned her fifth Wimbledon championship (and seventh Slam overall) along with the year-end title. After considerable waffling, we've decided to waffle. There is no clear POY, or even a clearly defined debate, and we're not going to force it.

Match of the year

Serena Williams defeats Venus Williams, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (7), U.S. Open quarterfinals. It may seem strange to choose a two-set match for this honor, but the 17th meeting between The Sisters was the most riveting of their long, convoluted series, and better than their Wimbledon final, or any other 2008 Grand Slam final for that matter (though Serena's victory over Jankovic in the Open final had its moments). The match represented a complete turn of the wheel since the early days of their rivalry, when the siblings seemed so conflicted about playing one another that their encounters were flat or worse. This time, both Williamses were in top form, ultra-professional and intense, and went at each other as if their reputations were on the line. We hope to see many more like it.

Most improved player

Once again, we'll opt for a player who climbed a few steps closer to the top in thin air rather than someone who made a lot of progress from base camp. With the help of new coach Zeljko Krajan, No. 3 Dinara Safina harnessed her emotions so they complemented her game more than they sabotaged it and learned to dig herself out of holes where she would have been buried in the past. Marat Safin's little sister won four important titles, reached her first Slam final at the French Open and finished the season in the top 10 for the first time in her career. If she keeps it up, Marat may be known as Dinara's big brother in years to come.

Most improved American

Bethanie Mattek began the year ranked No. 114, and most tennis insiders thought her stock would hover around that level indefinitely. After all, she was already 23 and better known for wild outfits than match toughness. The effervescent Minnesotan committed to fitness and came dressed for success this season. After an indifferent start, Mattek collected herself with good results in lower-level clay-court events, took a set off Maria Sharapova at the French Open, then took off on grass, reaching the semis at Birmingham and the fourth round at Wimbledon. Mattek ended the season on a high note, appearing in her first WTA final in Quebec City and winding up at No. 39. As a bonus, she's lost none of her down-to-earth, player-next-door charm.

Young player to watch

Portugal's hard-hitting Michelle Larcher de Brito will turn 16 in January and thus is still limited in how many WTA-level events she can play. This phenom and Florida resident had some quality wins in 2008, notably in Montreal, where she qualified into the main draw, beat Vania King and then-No. 18 Flavia Pennetta, and pushed then-No. 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova to three sets in the round of 16. Larcher de Brito finished the season at No. 126. Honorary mention: At age 14, it's still too soon to get an accurate read on Laura Robson's chart, but it should be interesting to see the Wimbledon junior champion contend with the British yearning for a female player to rise up and join Andy Murray on the world stage.


Biggest upset

Coming into the U.S. Open, Ivanovic was struggling with injury and the pressure of being No. 1. That doesn't mean she was a pushover, especially in the intimidating confines of Arthur Ashe Stadium. No. 188 Julie Coin of France, a qualifier and former Clemson University player, pulled off one of the most mathematically improbable results in Grand Slam history when she ousted Ivanovic 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in the second round.

Golden glow

Once hamstrung by yips on her serve, No. 4 Elena Dementieva has conquered her demons to become one of the game's most consistent performers. The soft-spoken, engaging Russian had her best year ever in Grand Slams, reaching the semifinals of both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, but the crowning achievement of her season and perhaps her career was the Olympic singles gold medal in Beijing. Dementieva candidly admitted the win means more than any major in her home country. "In Russia, if you stop anyone in the street and ask what is a Grand Slam, I don't think many people can tell you what is this,'' she told reporters at the U.S. Open.

Strangest season, competition category

After Sharapova's impressive, take-no-prisoners march to the Australian Open title, this looked like it could be the year the statuesque Russian consolidated her patented strength with a more varied game and made 2008 her own. That scenario was derailed by a chronic shoulder injury that limited Sharapova to four matches after the French Open. She vanished in August, resurfacing only in commercials and on red carpets, and leaving a gaping hole in the women's game.

Strangest season, non-competition category

It's hard to imagine a more tumultuous off-court saga than Ashley Harkleroad's. After recovering from a frightening emergency surgery to remove an ovary in the spring, Harkleroad announced she had posed for Playboy magazine and entertained reporters with details of her photo shoot at subsequent news conferences. Then, just a few weeks after her appearance as the August cover girl, Harkleroad, who is engaged to her coach, Chuck Adams, discovered she was pregnant and abruptly withdrew from the U.S. Open. Perhaps one of these days life will slow down for the amiable Georgian, but we wouldn't bet on it.

Dubious milestone

Only 18 women have ever held the No. 1 ranking since the WTA instituted a points system in 1973. Five players traded the spot like a hot potato this year: Henin, Sharapova, Ivanovic, Serena Williams -- who regained it after five years, the longest such drought in history -- and finally, Jankovic.

Non sequitur of the year

In Jankovic's last U.S. Open news conference, reporters asked the runner-up if she had seen her mother yet. "I don't know where she is now,'' said the Divine Miss J. "I just received a vaccine, you know, so that's the first thing I've done, receive the needle in my arm and some more torture. … You think it's easy being a professional athlete?'' The sinister-sounding incident actually was a shot prescribed by WTA doctors. In the same session, Jankovic declared she should have won a trophy for her acting. We would agree and recommend her for open casting calls on any medical drama. The expressive, athletic Serbian channeled Lucille Ball a few times this season. Who else would have dashed across the Australian Open grounds in a soaking wet dress after an ice bath or refused to let go of the microphone on court after the U.S. Open final, asking how much prize money she'd just won?

Off the radar

Michaella Krajicek's 2007 appearance in the Wimbledon quarterfinals at age 18 seemed to confirm her potential, and she was ranked as high as No. 30 early this season. But the Dutch teen lost her first 10 matches of the year before briefly righting herself with a couple of grass-court wins, then spiraled downward again, bothered by a knee injury, and found herself having to qualify for lower-level events; by year's end, she'd drifted to No. 206.

Parting words

"I don't need this adrenaline of being in front of thousands of people to really be happy.'' - Henin at a news conference on the eve of the French Open, less than two weeks after her sudden retirement.

MALYSIAN teams dominated the World Cup Asia 2008 Paintball Tournament held in Bukit Jalil recently.
It was just reward for hosts Malaysia who persevered to hold the tournament after all the earlier Asian legs were cancelled.
Thailand, Taiwan and Philippines were penciled in to host the other legs but later declined due to unavoidable circumstances.
The 4-day competition attracted 60 teams and were divided into three categories which each team fielding men and women.
Foreign teams included those from the US, Austria, France and Australia while the Asian teams were from the Philippines, Thailand, Iran and Indonesia.
Hosts Malaysia registered 33 teams and stole the thunder from the foreigners with seven teams standing proud and tall on the podium.
In Division I, however Infernal from Thailand emerged champions with the Malaysian teams Ronin and Xtioneer taking second and third place respectively.
Real Pinoy of Philippines and Australians WASP Black took first and second spots in Division 2 followed by Malaysians KL Killerbeez and Iron Sea in successive order.
Malaysians monopolise the top four spots in Division 3 when Johore Pirates, Team Romeoz, Team Undeath, D’Mercy kidz all made the podium.
Winners in Division 1 were awarded cash prizes inclusive of paintball equipment to the tune of USD14,600.
Similarly in Division 1, a total USD17,000 were up for grabs with the huge slice going to the champions and so too are USD5,600 in Division 3.
Tournament liaison officer, Allan Phang said: “The competition were successful and ran smoothly as the weather has been very kind.
“The general consensus of the participants was that they had a wonderful time and they will have fond memories of their stay here.
“What was more remarkable was that Malaysian teams took centre stage to dominate the tournament," said Allan who is a member of Team Xtioneer.
The other team members are Paul Lam, Catherine Chew, Mohd Redza, Nicholas Wong, Dennis Tan, Gary Lee and Exkay Ong.