I think we all know it's pretty hard to summarize one's self, whether in a short paragraph or otherwise. We're all trying to put our best foot forward, usually balancing total openness with selective emphasis of our "best" or most interesting qualities. If nothing else what we write is partly a product of what's on our mind that particular day and moment, what we might have done most recently, etc. That being said, here's my view of me, for now.

I am analytical and inquisitive, forgiving and loyal, complex and quirky. I value my friendships and my time with good company far above most anything else. I am drawn to many new experiences and tend to prefer enjoying them with company. I like goofy and ridiculous humor (yes, LOLcats, The Oatmeal, etc.), not to mention well-done satire (Daily Show, The Onion).

I am in awe of the world we live in, the natural world in particular. I regularly stop and smell actual flowers (in fact I'm big on smells and smelling things in general). I grew up literally in the woods on 50 acres of land where my nearest neighbor was about a mile away, but now I'm very much a city boy and loving life here in San Francisco. Naturally I still crave time away from the city and I take as many opportunities as I can to go out for a hike, a camping trip, or something further afield. I'm planning on some time in Hawaii in 2013, but I'm hoping to get somewhere further away as well (New Zealand, Thailand, and Iceland are high on my list).

I deeply appreciate good food and try to eat organic and local whenever possible, but my definition of "good" is not confined to "good for you" by any means. Pork belly, yes. Fried chicken, definitely. I love hiking, concerts (and dancing, if you get a few drinks in me), road trips, watching movies (in or out), swimming, photo trips, and sky watching. I also have a great love of cute things, especially baby, miniature, and unusual animals. I am short but I walk fast. I love tea.

I am generally mellow and fun to be around but I can be a bit shy at times, particularly around groups of new people. I prefer to watch and absorb rather than act when confronted with new situations but I am easily drawn out if someone or something engages me. Oddly enough I've found that I tend to become rather chatty on first dates, but I think this is just nervousness.

I'm living in San Francisco - going on 5 years now - enjoying a flexible work schedule and a city full of things to do. I never thought I'd be a city person, but I'm officially converted. So I'm here and not planning to go anywhere any time soon, though as I said I love to travel, even for long periods (e.g. I'd go sublet in a city for a month just for fun, though I haven't done it yet). In general, and the last year in particular, I've been getting out and exploring the wonderful variety of San Francisco and the surrounding areas. 30-odd concerts and festivals this year (and the same the year before), tons of new restaurants, Treasure Island Flea, sailing excursions, beer tasting, ferry trips to Angel Island and Sausalito, etc.

That being said, I'm not one of those people who is always busy and on the go. I enjoy time at home, laughing at silly things on the Internet, listening to music, watching a movie, or just lazing around in the park at least as much as more ambitious activities. Sometimes the allure of a leisurely day inside needs to be overcome to enjoy a new and exciting experience, and for that it helps to have someone to conspire with, but just as often it's great to relax and appreciate the simple joy of being alive and eating potato chips on the couch while you watch bad movies all day long. I find both tend to be better with company. As someone who primarily works from home, that is particularly true for me.

I work as the Business Manager for a small visual effects software developer. I get to work with movie studios and places like the California Academy of Sciences, so it's pretty cool. I also do part-time as the Director of Technology for a non-profit vocational school. I have a good mix of stability and flexibility that I really enjoy.

I'm an also amateur photographer, so I spend a good amount of time out taking pictures. I've been playing with digital cameras since 2004 and have amassed a ton of photos. Most of those aren't that good mind you, but I'm getting there. You can check out some of my more recent photo adventures here: http://picasaweb.google.com/oshyan/

Remembering weird random trivia, singing along with songs and remembering the lyrics (but only when the song is playing), noticing the little things, figuring out technology, picking things up with my feet, conceptualizing, finding things, making toffee, driving long distances, packing light, smelling things.

It seems like this question is more about how aware you are of what other people think than what you know about yourself. People probably think I'm quiet, maybe even a bit arrogant, though it's really just because I am a little introverted and shy with new people. Physically it's probably that I'm short, haha.

Ok, I finally decided to steal pieces of other people's lists so I actually have something here. This is still far from a complete list, but it's something, and I found myself being more interested in people whose interests in movies, music, etc. were similar to mine, so I thought I ought to share some of my own.

Reading: Just finished Daniel Quinn's "Providence", a short read, and Dolphin in the Mirror. Now I'm revisiting Kim Stanley Robinson's "Mars" trilogy that I never finished. Past favorites include Neal Stephenson, some of Barbara Kingsolver's best, Edward Abbey's "The Fool's Progress", Ender's Game, Mark Twain, Tolkien, and, yes, the All Things Great and Small series (see point above about cute animals).

Music: All over the map. Lorde, Hot Chip, Gorillaz, Broken Bells (almost anything that Danger Mouse does), Mumford and Sons (much better live than recorded), CCR, Alt-J, Cat Stevens, Adele, Bjork, Florence and the Machine (also an amazing live show), Neko Case, Led Zeppelin, The Shins, Neil Young, Regina Spektor, The Rolling Stones, Ray LaMontagne, Geographer, The Black Keys, Paul Simon, Ryan Adams, Joni Mitchell, Bob Seger, Van Morrison, Little Dragon, The Milk Carton Kids, and much more...

Food: I like creative food with fresh, preferably organic and/or local ingredients - Nopa is a fantastic example - but I'm definitely not a food snob. I love a good burger and a beer too. I'm living in the Mission and loving my ready access to many delicious burrito options. Tacos at La Taqueria. I'm a sucker for Indian food, even if it's not awesome (but cheap is always nice). Love Vietnamese bun bowls (Bun thịt nuong being a particular favorite), not very creative I know but so delicious. I'm really enjoying the popularity of unusual ice cream flavors. So far lavender as an ingredient is a big winner for me. Humphry Slocombe is just edging out Bi-Rite for my favorite SF place at the moment (and perhaps surprisingly, not because of Secret Breakfast), and Tara's Organic in the East Bay. Good, creative sushi with really fresh fish. I also love fair food (you know, like at the county fair), so... yeah.

Movies: The Big Lebowski (I must have seen this 100s of times, also enjoy a lot of other Coen Bros movies like No Country and O Brother), Stand by Me, The Shawshank Redemption (yes I know, it's everyone's favorite, but it's amazing), LA Story, Empire Records, Hot Fuzz, Almost Famous, Sneakers, The Fantastic Mr. Fox (and most other Wes Anderson movies, Moonrise Kingdom was another recent favorite), Serenity, The Bourne Trilogy, The Dark Knight, and other good action movies, yadda yadda.

TV: I don't actually have cable but Netflix and other streaming options let me enjoy: Archer, 30 Rock, Arrested Development (will the revival be any good?), Top Gear, Modern Family, Robot Chicken, Futurama (although the newer ones are not as good), Mythbusters, and Firefly (just 1 season but it counts if you watch it over and over again, right?). Also educational classics like James Burke's Connections, not to mention wonderful stuff like Planet Earth and BBC's Life. Lately I have been watching Game of Thrones like the rest of the world.

friends, sunlight, swimming, good food, music, good conversation

Why all these attractive, often tall(er) women, with frequently horrible match percentages keep visiting my profile and whether I should message them. Whether OKC match % means anything at all.

Random website and other technology ideas. Food. How to save the world. How the brain works, and how awesome it is that my brain can think about itself. How my brain might not be technically able to figure out how it works (or maybe it can!). How to get to there from here and where the heck "there" is anyway. I spend a lot of time just *thinking*, actually. Like that Rodin statue.

Out with friends, at a concert, in watching a movie, working on a project... well, there really is no typical, just like most people. A sampling of recent Fridays:
- Pinball museum in the East Bay
- Mortified in SF (this is a brilliant idea)
- In watching TV shows and having drinks with friends
- Working on some 3D animation for my software job
- First Friday in Oakland (this is awesome, will be doing it again)

Almost all the relationships I've had have been with people I was friends with beforehand. So I have relatively little experience with normal "dating", meet for the first time somewhere and see what you have to talk about kind of thing. I may not be very good at it.

You're looking for someone to do cool things with (or just hang out) somewhere in the Bay Area and think we'd have fun together. If you want to check out interesting new restaurants, bars, etc. or you're into a band that none of your other friends like and can't always find someone to go with. Or you missed a movie in theaters and want to enjoy it on a squishy couch with home-made popcorn and some cuddling. Or maybe you just want to hang out in the park and swap ice cream flavors with someone.

Or if you read my profile, you're interested, but you're waiting for me to message you first. I try to message people that visit my profile and are interesting to me, but for various reasons I don't always get to it (at least in a timely fashion). So reach out and help me raise the connection ratio!

Basically, I've got a pretty flexible work schedule, most days I have time to go do *something* interesting, and hopefully you'd like to join me. Ideally you also have some flexibility in your work schedule, or at least a good amount of weekend and/or evening time to enjoy with company.

I'm looking to have fun and trying not to worry too much about the outcome or any specific goal. I want to meet new friends, have new experiences, and hopefully find someone to be all mushy and exchange fervent squeezing with, but I certainly don't expect anything more than simple fun and new experiences. So if I sound cool and you want to meet up, then say hello!

Also, if this makes you laugh, we are soul mates (the action starts around 27 seconds). It's a long shot, but test results are guaranteed!