Hi! I'm looking to expand my circle of friends and hopefully meet someone great to spend my free time with. Although I'm fairly busy with work and school and have many wonderful friends, I'd like to make more time for romance. =) I'm very liberal on the political/social spectrum and gel better with others who are too. I'm extroverted (ENFP) and love to laugh and have fun. I also need a good amount of time to be creative and artistic...painting, playing guitar, writing, cooking...I crave almost anything tactile.

I'm finishing up my final semester in grad school (international affairs) full-time, and am also working at a international development/humanitarian assistance org doing communications work.

...saying what's on my mind and in my heart. I used up my quota of lies when I was a kid and am pretty straightforward (but not in a rude way!)

...expanding my horizons and adapting to new environments. I've traveled to over 35 countries and feel comfortable in my own skin, no matter where I am, and love listening and learning from others

....doing anything creative and exploring new options for expressing myself artistically.

...speaking Mandarin Chinese...and I'm pretty shameless about using it whenever I have the opportunity

probably my smile and laugh...I also get a lot of attention for my curly hair.

Books -- I'm addicted to reading Haruki Murakami -- in fact, his book Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World was so good that I re-read it about 5 times in a row! Other authors I love include Kenzaburo Oe, Salman Rushdie, Franz Kafka and Kurt Vonngut.

Movies -- must admit I don't watch many films, and I never seem to remember the details of most of the flicks I see! I'm always amazed by people who can recite verbatim the lines from movies... In general, I prefer independent and foreign films, though, to big blockbusters

Music -- favorite artist, hands-down, is Ben Harper. LOVE HIM. I also really love Jimi Hendrix, Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews, Coldplay, Aimee Mann, Beth Orton, Neil Young, Roger Waters, Led Zeppelin, etc.

Food -- I love spicy Asian food of most sorts -- adore Indian, Thai, real Chinese (which I love to cook at home, since it's so hard to find authentic Chinese at DC restaurants!), Japanese (sushi)...I also really love seafood. My least favorite food (besides fast food) is Mexican...

My two awesome cats, Rufus and Gloria

My wonderful and supportive friends

My passport...I just love to travel and explore the world

My computer...so that I can write and connect with my friends and family

Paint, canvas and other things to be creative with

Red, red wine...

Why karma doesn't always work out as it should (why should Dick Cheney still be alive and kicking when so many great people have been cut down early in life?)

What job I'm going to take next

What I'm going to paint next

Probably meeting up with friends for a nice dinner over a bottle of wine

I went to the NYC high school that the TV show and movie Fame were based upon. (Was a fine art major)

you think I'm cool and want to get to know me better! (This is a pretty silly question, I think!)