Powered by Tofu » 101 Things in 1001 Days

101 Things in 1001 Days: Done (Sort Of)

poweredbytofu — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 16:00:22 +0000

Well, well… my 101 Things in 1,001 Days project is finally over… ummm, last month (I wrote this recap and then forgot about it). I’m a little disappointed to report that I only finished 71% of my list — but I’m really excited about the things I’ve accomplished and experienced in the last 1,001 days. Highlights: finished my MBA, white water rafting (2x), got a cat, quit my job to travel for a year, traveled to: Mexico, Panama, China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, Spain, Morocco, Azores, Bahamas, and Costa Rica, went to Bumbershoot, watched the top 100 grossing films of all time, read 52 books in 52 weeks, found my signature cupcake, volunteered, tried SCUBA diving, started my first garden… and a few others.

So instead of doing another 101 Things list, I’ve decided to try out a 30 Before I’m 30 list. Aaaaaah! :) So dear Internet, what should I add to my 30 Things Before 30 list? Ideas so far include: buy a house (update: done! I kind of sandbagged this one, but I’m totally going to keep it on the list), visit Iceland, try kiteboarding, start strength training, learn a really hard yoga pose (which one?), run a half marathon or try an easy triathalon (I suck at swimming though), visit all 30 microbreweries in Portland…

What else should be on my ’30 Before I’m 30′ list?

#99: Go To My 10 Year Reunion

poweredbytofu — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 22:56:03 +0000

I wasn’t invited to my 10-year high school reunion! WTH (H is a nicer word than F, but not nearly as much fun to say) I’m crossing this off my 101 Things in 1,001 Days list anyway because of: extenuating circumstances — such epic words, no? So I’m guessing it wasn’t too big of an event. Have these people not heard of Facebook? It’s very déjà vu to my graduation though, when people were shocked that I was in their class and therefore participating in graduation — they all thought I was a year behind them since most of my friends were class of 2000 youngsters.

So I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t get to see how plump everyone had gotten and to tell them all how I invented Post-It notes! ;) But I’m also a little glad that I didn’t have to go. (photo: fixe)

Did you (will you) go to your 10-year reunion?

#32: Use Public Transportation For 1 Week

poweredbytofu — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:52:52 +0000

After traveling for nine months, public transport is now the norm for me. My favorite cities for public transit are more modern and touristy: Tokyo, Madrid and Barcelona. However, my most memorable experiences with public transport are in Morocco. Nowhere else have I seen sheep put in the luggage compartments and the suitcases on top of the bus in Chefchaouen; held a baby for several hours while her mother stood in the aisle, refusing to take our seats on the way to Meknes; and chatted with a modern Muslim girl about university and how to pronounce certain Arabic words on a train to Rabat. Taking local transport gives you a chance to interact with locals while traveling in a foreign country. Occasionally it might be uncomfortable and crowded, but usually you’ll come away with some good stories and a few new words!

#41: Visit Europe Again

poweredbytofu — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 19:07:14 +0000

My first experience traveling abroad was to France in 2006 (when I officially got the travel bug). Since then, I’ve wanted to go back and see more of Europe. However, with the euro and dollar exchange rate at $1.60 this summer, I decided to stick to the outer edges of the EU that don’t use the euro yet. By starting in Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria, I didn’t have to cringe every time I made a purchase, but still had the convenience of being in the EU. Turkey was my next stop, and while not quite Europe, it was an amazing introduction to the Middle East. By the time I got to Greece in September the USD was on the rise and I didn’t feel guilty with every gyro and second gelato purchase of the day. So I rounded out my second visit to the European continent by ending in Spain. I’d still like to see more of Europe (I probably always will). And I still haven’t been to Italy! Or Germany! Or Sweden! Or…

#30: Walk To The Grocery Store

poweredbytofu — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:56:33 +0000

I’ve pretty much been walking to the grocery store since I started traveling. ;) I probably did most of my international grocery shopping in New Zealand and Greece though. New Zealand was an easy country to carry around a food bag and actually cook in the evenings, while in Greece I was buying more snack items like Bake Rolls and Laughing Cow cheese. So I originally put this on the list referring to walking from “home” to my closest market. But I’m still going to consider this one accomplished.

#87: Consciously Stop Saying ‘yeah’ And ‘like’ For 1 Week

poweredbytofu — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 20:33:31 +0000

The beauty of being in a foreign country alone, is that it can be easier to kick a bad habit! Since it was all Greek to me anyway, I found myself using less filler words when trying to communicate. All the added words, such as “like” and “yeah” just add confusion. So while I still had to stop and think a bit, I managed to tone down my “like” bad habit.

#47: Do A Bike Ride In Another Country

poweredbytofu — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 19:32:11 +0000

When plans to go hiking in Sakilent Gorge near Fethiye, Turkey didn’t work out, the son of the pension owner offered to take us on a bike ride to the beach. It sounded like an easy ride, but after zooming down the most massive winding hills with beautiful views of the Mediterranean the realization that we had to come back up this same road to get back started to set in. So after a few hours of swimming and relaxing, we started the ascent to Kayakoy, the most intense workout of all time! And I was cursing my bike because the middle gear was broken! When some British guys drove past and yelled “Nice legs!” I mustered enough energy to yell back “I know!” ;) And after a few water stops and one fruit stand stop for figs, we finally made it back to the pension. The good thing about amazing workouts is that they deserve shandies and massive dinners.