maliolani

I am a married, retired man living in the desert state of Arizona. Although Arizona is famous for the Grand Canyon, I live far in the south, near the Mexican border, where it is much hotter than at the Grand Canyon. This area I live is called the Sonoran desert, and there are many cactus here, with summer temperatures sometimes 45C or above.

I like to spend my time learning new things, walking, keeping in good physical condition, meditating, reading, watching foreign movies, and cooking vegan, plant-based food. Being retired is a challenge, looking for new ways to keep active and busy.

I used to be a ballet dancer when I was young but had to quit due to a foot injury requiring 3 surgeries and the removal of a bone. Now, I still try to keep in good shape.

I have visited or lived in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, England, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, Chile, Philippines, Peru, Mexico, and Canada, plus about half of the 50 states in the United States.

I prefer scenic postcards of your place, hopefully with some description of what they are showing. I would love for you to write something about you personally, what your life is like, your favorite thought, what book or movie touched you most, so that I feel like I have met a real person. If someone might like to be penpals, let me know.

I like books, movies, and music that touch me emotionally at a very deep level.

Favorite books of mine:
Wuthering Heights
Lord of the Rings (and The Hobbit)
Everything by Banana Yoshimoto and most books by Haruki Murakami
The Samurai's Garden
Everything by Thich Nhat Hanh
Memoirs of a Geisha
Totto-chan
The Girl with the White Flag
Tao Te Ching
The Teaching of Buddha
White Oleander
Fahrenheit 451
Animal Farm
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and the follow-on books

Favorite movies of mine:
Grave of the Fireflies (best movie ever)
Departures (second best movie ever)
Somewhere in Time
Resurrection
Pan's Labyrinth
All Studio Ghibli movies
Black Orpheus
The Book Thief
The Secret in Their Eyes
Up
Idiocracy
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring
Tokyo Sonata
Amelie
Norwegian Wood
Dersu Uzala and many other movies by Akira Kurosawa

Favorite anime:
Clannad
Mushishi

Favorite music:
Classical
Easy listening from the 60s and 70s