I believe in physical fitness, and I lift weights 3 times a week. I like to vacation where I can explore nature and appreciate local natural phenomenon.

I have fish as pets. I despise cats because they hate and avoid me. Plus, I'm allergic to 'em. I don't mind dogs.

My interests are orchids, specifically, Cattleya alliance, Paphiopedilum, Phalaenopsis. I also raise bromeliads and carnivorous plants (nepenthes and drosera). Digital photography also holds great interest for me. I am currently hunting for a teleconverter for my G2 that will raise my equivalent focal length to ~250-700mm. I am a geek at computers and practice my snort-laugh in order to get in good with other geeks and nerds. I can't stand 1st person perspective games because I get nauseated, but I can play real-time strategy/tactical games like Command & Conquer and Warcraft. I enjoy drinking all sorts of booze as long as it's good booze. I feel like it's a part of me that I can continue to explore -- red wine, cognac, tequilas, mescal, rum all have different personalities. I enjoy smoking cigars with 'em -- my favorites are Padron, Sancho Panza, Onyx Reserve, and Arturo Fuente.

I like gourmet food. Actually, I like all food, but I do enjoy well-prepared, well-presented food with unique ingredients, taste and texture combinations, and preparation methods. French, French fusion, Asian fusion are the pinnacle of taste. Chinese is next, but despite its value and spectacular variety, it's not as subtle. Tuscan dining is also savory and hedonistic.

Musically, I like classical and baroque, New Age, U2, REM, Seal, Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots, Chanticleer and other Rennaissance choral styles, Nine Inch Nails, The Prodigy... I hate any prepackaged, overmarketed laladrivel like Britney or J[el]Lo. I also hate whiny music like Papa Roach, Counting Crows, Puddle of Mudd, Lou Reed...

I always appreciate a great actor/actress. Great actors include Anthony Hopkins, Morgan Freeman, Ed Norton, Lawrence Olivier. Great actresses Salma Hayek, Jodi Foster, Judy Dench, Emma Thompson, Laura Dern, Meryl Streep. Worst actors list: Adam Sandler, Pauly Shore, Keanu Reeves. Worst actresses list: Jennifer Lopez, Bo Derek, Tori Spelling.

My favorite movies are Full Metal Jacket, Fight Club, Citizen Kane, Terminator, Silence of the Lambs, and Glory.

I appreciate art, especially Dali, Klee, Monet. From photography, I like the work of Helmut Newton, Ansel Adams, Steve McCurry, Eric Kroll, Herb Ritts.

I choose not to discuss politics here, but I consider myself modestly well-informed about society, culture, and history. I do need to learn more about Western philosophy. My personal philosophy is closest to pragmatism, but I believe in the elevation of individual by will in the Nietzchean sense. I am also a skeptic in that I hate liars like homeopathists, naturopaths, Chinese herbalists, reflexologists, spiritual mediums, and other purveyers of wishful thinking made cash.

My favorite books of all time: Three Musketeers, Lord of the Rings, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Neuromancer, and The Mayor of Casterbridge (by Thomas Hardy).