I feel really awkward summarizing myself, due to my inherent tendency to avoid bragging of any sort (not to mention my intense dislike for labels). You won't find me trying to actively impress people, since any display of that sort makes me feel like a peacock.

This said, I guess I am one of those still waters that run pretty deep, and it's not that hard to discover the "real ME". I might be somewhat introverted, but not to the point of reclusiveness.
I like to travel. A LOT. I've seen most of Europe, but wouldn't mind seeing much more. For example, I haven't even been to PARIS! Now that's a shame, isn't it? On the other hand, I've seen Siberia and the Baikal, and that compensates for a lot.
I'm an environmentalist, I suppose, and quite concerned about the way our consumerist society tends to ignore the long term consequences of its exploits. So far, I'm just an armchair activist, though, debating my friends and trying to do my share by buing fair trade and organic products.
Right now, I'm back in G�ttingen, Germany, studying English literature and Fenno-Ugric Languages. I'm not really sure what I'd like to do with my life. Will I be a professional author, essayist or poet? Or will I end up working for Greenpeace, UNICEF or the like? Who knows? As long as I don't have to become like most of the ruthless economy students around me, estimating the value of a person by the size of her bank account, everything is fine.
When I'm not busy writing short stories or poems, daydreaming, reading, surfing the web, cuddling with my girlfriend or meeting friends, I devote my time to looking into shamanism, hinduism, taoism, wicca deep ecology, tantra,philosophy and the like, trying to grow spiritually. Well, I'm not exactly one of those new agey incense-burners, but I enjoy pondering the mystery of life.

Reading, writing (poems and short stories), engaging in furious debates with Conservative Fundamentalist Christians via the Internet, daydreaming, cooking, meeting friends, curling up with my girlfriend, meditating, going to the movies, reading some more...

oh, and studying, of course! (It's a bit shameful to admit it, but I'm definitely not a diligent person, because I usually manage to receive good grades without any considerable effort. It has always been like this, and in the exceptionally few cases where more preparation is mandatory, I usually end up doing most of the work within the last 24 hours or so. I'm notorious for procrastination - but I usually succeed with that, too.)

Right now I spend my days working on my master's thesis on Intertextuality in Michel Faber's The Crimson Petal and the White. A wonderful read - and a very productive topic.

Understanding people and offering advice, especially as far as relationships are concerned.
I'm also quite good at writing, I am told, although I usually don't like my own poems and short stories.

We-ell, most people don't seem to notice me at all - at least at first. It usually takes them a few days and several chats to discover what I'm like, because I'm not much of a small talker, but won't even consider touching upon "deep" issues as long as I don't know you well enough to be sure that you might be interested in my thoughts.

a) I've read too many books to name a clear favourite: Salman Rushdie, Charles Baudelaire, Galsan Tschinag, Joanne K. Rowling, William Wordsworth, "Nothing new on the western front", Jane Austen, Shakespeare, Tolkien, Chaucer, Terry Pratchett, Calvin and Hobbes, W.B. Yeats, Jeffrey Eugenides, Michel Faber, Goethe, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Umberto Eco, Virginia Woolf, Zadie Smith, John Irving, Douglas Adams, Ian McEwan, Kazuo Ishiguro, Jane Austen, Chuck Palahniuk...
My taste is far too diverse to come up with any definite No.1.

b) Well, I liked "Frida" and "Amelie", for example... But again, I enjoy a wide range of movies: Pulp Fiction, Chocolat, the Downfall, Monty Python's Holy Grail, The Lord of the Rings, American Beauty, Fight Club, the Pianist, Matrix (there can be only one!), Girl, Interrupted, Being John Malkovich, Donnie Darko, Princess Mononoke, some David Lynch flicks, Nochnoi Dozor (although the novel is MUCH better) etc.pp.

c)Again, it's much easier to say what I *don't* like, because I enjoy a wide range of different styles. I'm not into Techno at all, and "Pop Idol" and the like annoy the hell out of me. I completely ignore the music industry's efforts to make money by casting bands without any talent and pushing them to the top.

d) The same procedure as before: I enjoy italian, French, Indian, German, Japanese, Chinese and Finnish foods, without any definite preference. As long as it's not some greasy meat dish or fast food, it cannot be too exotic. I'm not a strict vegetarian, but I do not eat meat on a regular basis - and I don't eat anything that's been produced by the meat industry. The thought of slaughterhouses or battery eggs makes my appetite evaporate instantly.

Nature (the forests, the sea, lakes, undefiled places, songbirds, everything), Love, Imagination, Friendship, Cuddling and lots of new things to discover!

How to keep our species from self-destructing, how our culture grew to be the way it is and how we may snap out of the vicious circle, spirituality, new story hooks, humanity - and my girlfriend, of course.

Recently, I watched a film about the food industry and the way all the problems of this world tend to be interconnected. Here's an example:

- In Brazil, vast rainforests are burned down to make room for GMO-soy.
- This soy is exported to the USA and to Europe, and used to feed cattle that never sees the light of day, to be slaughtered in fully automatized factories.
- At the same time, the European Union produces a surplus of corn and wheat, which is then burned or sold to Africa, where it ruins the local economy because it's cheaper than locally produced food.
- At the same time, millions of people in Brazil STARVE while our cattle feasts on the soy, due to the mechanisms and principles of a globalized, free market.

At home, playing board games with my friends, writing short stories or watching some movie on DVD.
(Clubs and parties seem increasingly unattractive ever since I moved in with my girlfriend.)

I once cried tears of compassion for a poor, maltreated... CHRISTMAS TREE. (Okay, I was but seven years old back then, but it's still a nice story. Message me if you want to know the details.)

Upon realizing that no one was too impressed by my Christmas tree story, I decided to try something a little more DARING... I like furry mammals! No, seriously! Isn't that shocking? I know, I know: I'm a rebel.
Oh, and I once ate my lunch before lunchtime, too!

You should message me! No "if"s attached!

Since I'm somewhat opposed to traditional gender roles, I'd appreciate it if you didn't wait for me to seize the initiative, just because that's what MEN are supposed to do. To hell with the tired old clich�s! I certainly won't hold it against you if you write me - I promise!