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My “31 Before 31”- A Brand New List!

n my opinion, the biggest item on the list!

I had always planned on blogging about my “30 before 30” list once I turned 30. I figured I would want to debrief on how it all went, how many items I was able to cross off, and which tasks I didn’t complete. That said, I never did debrief about my list. Does it mean that I forgot about it and tossed it aside? On the contrary: the list did exactly what I was hoping it would do.

I can recall a time in my life where I felt consumed by work and stress. This was right after completing my degree, and I spent most of my off-time thinking about work. I let work get to me. I put my mental well-being, physical health, and social life on the back-burner. There were things I always wanted to do and thought: “I’ll get to that someday”. I knew I needed a change.

Moving to Calgary was one of the best decisions I have ever made. It gave me the change I was seeking and a sense of independence, but more importantly, it allowed me to think about aspects of my life on which I wanted to place high importance. I always knew I wanted to be more physically fit, but could never get myself to exercise. I always wanted to enjoy the outdoors more, but just never seemed to make the effort to do so. When I decided to start P90X, focus on achieving some of my goals, and ultimately, create my “30 before 30” list to help me stay on task, I never knew it would instill in me the sense of adventure, possibility and momentum that I now feel. So I never debriefed about the list simply because there were many mountains to climb and fun adventuring to be had. Nothing really stopped after I turned 30. In fact, right after turning 30, the list of “31 before 31” was already shaping up nicely!

Today I finally finished thinking of 31 items to tackle before I’m 31. Now that I do the math, that is only 9.5 months away, and I think the list is a bit ambitious! NBD, No Big Deal, I’ll just do my best and see how it all goes :). Here it is…

Adventure
1. Go white-water rafting at Kicking Horse
2. Try paragliding (or hang-gliding)
3. Go caving in Canmore
4. Hike crypt lake in Waterton
5. Try ice climbing
6. Go kayaking or canoeing in Glenmore Reservoir
7. Go overnight camping (Egypt Lake?)
8. Go zorbing at COP
9. Try cross-country skiing
10. Do the CN Tower Edge Walk
11. Go dog sledding
12. Go zip-lining at Elora Gorge

Career/Education
13. Write the GMAT by the end of March
14. Complete my Certificate in Relational Databases by June
15. Get my SAS Advanced certification

Fitness
16. Complete one round of P90X2
17. Complete a 30 day yoga challenge
18. Run another half-marathon (Hopefully Vancouver!)

Fun/Social/Just ‘Cause
19. Float down the Bow
20. Go to the water park at West Edmonton Mall
21. Buy a bike
22. Watch Casablanca
23. Watch the original version of The Shining
24. Watch until the end of How I Met Your Mother Season 3
25. Watch all 4 seasons of Battlestar Galactica
26. Take a cooking class
27. Make Trinidadian pelau, macaroni pie and eggplant dip dishes
28. Have a lobster dinner with Marie (for real this time!)
29. Bake a chocolate cake from scratch

Travel
30. Take a wine tour in the Okanagan
31. Hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru

OMG! I’m Almost 30 and There’s a List!

It’s a true story. I’m almost 30. I’m by no means dreading turning this age- aren’t the 30’s the new 20’s like Pink is the new Black or something like that? I’m actually quite excited about what my 30’s will bring. I hope for as much adventure, self-discovery, and ups and downs as the last decade, and I’ll embrace and cherish whatever comes my way.

The reason for the mini-freak out is that I have a list of 30 things to do before 30, and I realize I need to get moving on it! I can use every excuse there is- it is eternally winter in Calgary… I got super busy with work… or I just got lazy with it. Either way, I have a renewed sense of focus. I do, however, fully acknowledge that I may not complete everything on the list in the next 3 months. The whole purpose of my list was to motivate me to keep living, learning and experiencing. Goal-setting and me work well together. I’ve had some great experiences lately, like hiking in the Grand Canyon in early April, and hiking up Prairie Mountain last weekend. I think these are pretty list-worthy.

And since I made the list, I think I’m allowed to change it. For example, I have now made the following update:

Go ~~Skiing~~ Snowshoeing in the Rockies

I wanted to go skiing just to do some kind of activity during the winter months. My feelings for winter are comparable to my feelings on high-fives or all things Charlie Sheen- I just don’t like. But since winter is a long season in Calgary, I figured I should do something. Though I do enjoy skiing, I’ve had a few skiing experiences where I felt I almost broke my legs. So I do have some fear and apprehension when it comes to skiing. Excuse? Maybe… because I think it’s sheer laziness that kept me from going to the mountains, and I know I’ll get back on the horse at some point. But then during an awesome Easter weekend away in Revelstoke BC with some great nerds, I was able to go snowshoeing. That’s definitely a winter activity. So I’ve now swapped skiing with snowshoeing. Just ’cause I can.

What else can I write about regarding my list? I will say it right now: I will fail to read The Kite Runner (#15). I just won’t do it. However, I am still working away on The Comfort Trap (remember, I’m all over the self-help books as revealed in a previous posting), and The Thief of Always, by Clive Barker. I remember reading this latter book in elementary school and decided to re-read it now as an adult. It’s scary stuff for a kid! According to the Miami Herald- “Menacing demons, wondrous miracles, sinister magic, and vivid characters… A compulsive, lightning-paced tale that almost begs to be read aloud.” Agreed Miami Herald. Agreed.

For #6, Buy Myself some Expensive Jeans, I just don’t think I’ll do this one right now. Maybe sometime down the road I’ll walk into Harry Rosen, throw down a wad of cash, and say “Dress Me!”, but at the moment, financially, I cannot justify this action. There are also many other things on which I could spend a wad of cash… you know, groceries and consumables. And lastly, it will not be possible to complete 5 rounds of P90X by the time I’m 30 (#22). The number of days left are just not there. I’m on the verge of completing Week 7 of Round 4 though. Just gotta keep bringing it! Damn you Tony Horton and your addictive exercise DVDs!

Overall, I’m content with the progress I’ve made on completing the List, but clearly it’s time to step it up!! Thirty is just around the corner….

My “30 before 30” List!

In August 2010, after completing a wonderful three weeks at Epidemiology summer camp in Ann Arbor, Michigan (I know, right? I’m THAT cool…), I found myself back in the Toronto area having dinner with my good friend Marie. It was a beautiful day outside; we were sitting on a patio at some restaurant located at the Harbourfront Centre downtown. It was around the Caribana weekend, and men and women were all dressed in white awaiting the start of their boat cruise where they’d party the night away. There was a light breeze in the air, and a bird flew by. I was oddly subdued and mellow. It was a few days before my 29th birthday.

Marie: “What’s going on with you?”
Me: “Things are going good. I’m good.”
Marie: “You’re so mellow, it’s weird!”

Me: “OMG, woe is me!” [Eye roll; dramatic sigh]. “I just don’t know what to do. I lack direction and need something to help me focus. But what can a humble analyst do?” [Sip my drink… let’s say wine]It’s true. I was looking a bit spacey. I can’t quite recall what I was thinking about, but I want to say that the realization that my month long break from work was coming to an end weighed on my mind, and I would soon return to Calgary, at 29, with a lack of a life plan. I had no S.M.A.R.T. goals (i.e. goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely). I was like a lost puppy, both in terms of cuteness and being lost. The following conversation took place VERBATIM:

Marie: [SLAP] “Snap out of it, man, and pull yourself together!”
Me: “I can’t believe I’m turning 29. It’s that much closer to that age next year.”
Marie: “Eureka! I know EXACTLY what you need to do. You need to create a list. A list of 30 things you want to accomplish before you’re 30. In other words, a “30 before 30″ LIST! My friend Claire has one, and I’ve started one, and it’s the Best. Thing. EVER!”

Okay, so maybe the conversation didn’t go exactly like that. Marie is awesome and not violent, so she wouldn’t have slapped me. Nor would she have used the word “Eureka!”. And I do think we referred to 30 as that year, but it’s really NBD, no big deal, as it’s just a number. But the main point of it all is that I sat there, moved, and lost in thought. Marie was absolutely right!

There are so many things many of us talk about wanting to do… I want to do this, that, and the other…. and sometimes those ‘things’ get lost in our thoughts, we forget about them, or put them off for another rainy or sunny day. Or maybe we just can’t work up the courage to even attempt them in the first place. I definitely have a good collection of these ‘things’.

Taking a helicopter tour over the volcano on the Big Island, Hawaii

So Marie and I began working on my list right then and there, entering items into the Notes application on my iPhone. It was inspiring. One may even call the process epic and awesome. My list would consist of OMG-you-haven’t-done-that items, like trying a gin and tonic, as well as bigger goals, like run a half marathon. Some are not S.M.A.R.T goals, but items to help guide me. And not all of the items are new. Some are things I wanted to make sure I do (again) at some point between list creation in August 2010 and my 30th birthday in August 2011. And if I don’t accomplish them all, I won’t sentence myself to the depths of despair. Like I said, my list is a guide. But it’s true what they say: by writing down these goals, there’s now a greater chance that I’ll complete them. And now I’ve started creating other lists, including my 3 Things Before 32, and my work in progress Things-I-Hope-To-Do-In-My-Lifetime-(Not a Bucket List)-List. What I’m really trying to say is that I’m a nerd, and I like To-Do Lists. So thank you, Marie, for making me start my 30 before 30 List. I dedicate this blog posting to you! And now others like Dan and Beth, with their 101 things to do in 1001 days, continue to inspire me and keep me motivated to accomplish as much as I can in my lifetime. Pure awesomeness indeed :).

The Year of… 2011

Each year my siblings, cousin and I come up with a goal for the new year. It’s not quite a resolution, but more of a reflection on how we think the upcoming year will be, or how we would like it to be. For me…

2011 will be a year of taking control of and enjoying my current situation. It’s all about embracing the phrase: “Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery, Today is a Gift, That’s why it’s called the Present”. I feel fortunate to have a great position in Calgary, and one that allows me to have a flexible schedule with generous vacation time. Over the past year, I’ve thought a lot about my next step or move- Another career, moving back to the GTA, or a new overseas experience. Although Calgary may not be ‘my city’, I began to realize that I didn’t do enough to take advantage of the many opportunities available to me, in the city, in the present. I hope to change this by counting my blessings and being more thankful of my current situation.

2010 was a year of being selfish- I focussed on myself by integrating fitness and health into my life (with which I will continue to go hard-core), and I put my well-being and awesomeness first :). This year, I’ll chip away at the black heart that makes up this cold-hearted Leo and just be more open to what’s out there, whether that encompasses friendships, relationships, or new adventures (but hopefully all of the above!).

Like the first and most important of Gretchen Rubin’s Twelve Commandments found in “The Happiness Project”, regardless of what happens in 2011, I’m going to approach this year just being me. Be Rick. I’ll be myself, do the things I like, and try some things I’ve always wanted to try. I hope it will be a good, positive and fun year.

Dear 2010… Welcome!

So I figured that after not blogging for quite some time, I would start getting back into the swing of things. In fact, I remember when I used to do a lot more blogging (while living abroad, for example), that I really felt that typing the words was very therapeutic. Maybe it’s because I have my new MacBook Pro, with the fast sounding ‘clicks’ of the keyboard, that just makes me want to write again. The most significant change to the blog- I’ve changed my blog title to: “SMOKES is OUT and ABOUT!”, for this signifies that things have changed a bit for me personally (not that it ever really changed, but I’m starting this new decade with the support of family and friends :D); I’m proud of the way things have gone up until this point in my life, but I’m ready for a little more that will focus on the personal side; and I am up for the new and exciting opportunities that may present themselves, either here in Calgary, or wherever my travels may take me. Random interruption photo: Me ice skating at the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto on January 2, 2010. This is probably my first really photogenic photo of the new decade, so I feel that it’s appropriate to post it. It was bitterly cold, yes, and although hot chocolate was free, the answer is no, all three of them weren’t for me.

So what does 2010 hold for me? I hope to make new friends and work on the ones I’ve already established. I hope to be a little bit ‘selfish’ in a way, focusing on my health and the opportunities that cross my path. I want to be in control of my finances and more in control of my emotions. I tend to dish some logical black/white advice when need be which can come across as pretty cold-hearted sometimes, lol. It turns out, however, that when the emotional tables are turned, I cannot follow this advice at all! This cold-hearted Leo ain’t so cold-hearted anymore. So although there will be many emotional ups and downs, I hope to embrace those feelings, but remain the optimistic and positive person I try to be, and ride through the turmoil with my head held high barf to the cheese…. But it’s true. And as most years include a trip of some sort, this one is no different, and I hope to take at least one vacation to somewhere new in the coming year.

So in my opinion, this year should shape up to be quite an interesting one. Already starting the year is a brilliant idea entitled ‘theDOTproject’ (see link at the side for my bro’s blog), and my decision to ‘BRING IT’, courtesy of Tony Horton and the P90X Beachbody team. Damn you Tony Horton for making your 90 day boot camp so intense!!!! But hey, no pain, no gain. Barf on the cliche. But if you don’t know me by now, I love my cheese and cliches, and never like to let a good joke die prematurely, WOOT!