Some Personal Info

My parents were from diverse cultures which gave me a great start in learning different cultures and it has only been expanding with my passion of travelling. I take great interest in cultures, languages and food. Over the course of my study and travel, I have made great friends from various parts of the world with whom I try to keep in touch as much as possible.

If you are wondering, my name is Muddasser (pronounced mood-das-sir, origin Arabic) Alam (pronounced aa-lum, origin Persian). My nickname 'Moody' is a condensed form of Muddasser (and has nothing to do with my mood!) and being called Moody doesn't really register on my Sarcasm-O-Meter.

Volunteering

I enjoy volunteering and have worked for various charities in the past. Currently, I am a certified Community Sighted Guide (Level 3) and work with Guide Dogs for the welfare of the blind and partially sighted people.

More recently (since 2015), I have been microfinancing entrepreneurs in the developing countries to help them pull themselves out of poverty. So far, I have funded over 150 entrepreneurs (details here) via Lend With Care and I've found this activity to be very rewarding.

If you ever found me convincing you to donate 10% of your income, it is because I am a member of Giving What We Can which encourages people to donate 10% of their income to charities of their choice. If you have time, consider taking the Pledge to Give here.