The list - update

Now that I've turned 23, I have less than 2 years to finish the rest of the list. Here's a quick update of where I am. 

1. Start a blog, and update weekly (not sure when I can cross this off though?) I have 2 now, so I figure this is done.
2. Get my Silver or Gold Duke of Edinburgh award
3. Go skydiving or bungee jumping.
4. Go to Nicaragua or Ecuador (or anywhere international) to volunteer.
5. Hike the West Coast Trail
6. Get married. (Part way there! Less than 10 months to go)
7. Take a cooking class.
8. Get a dog. (I really hope this becomes possible.)
9. Take a photography course. (I have a groupon for one, so sometime in the fall with my sister!)
10. Go to NYC.
11. Get a drastic haircut.
12. Learn Italian (because two other Latin languages are just not enough) (I started this already)
13. Go skinny dipping. No idea why I've never done this.
14. Be comfortable with my body in a bikini.
15. Become a BIT, or preferably, an RPBio.  (As of the beginning of July, I'm a BIT!)
16. Read a Jane Austen book (preferably Sense and Sensibility ;) ) (Took six months or something...)
17. Learn how to decorate cakes/take a cake decorating class. (This fall?)
18. Hike to the Lions.
19. Canoe/kayak the Bowron Lakes chain.
20. Go to a spa (this probably doesn't seem like much.. but it's me).
21. Sell some of my photos (I'm trying, I really am.. )  Counting this as done - I got a photo in a book, and two copies of it.
22. Start dragonboating again.
23. Go on a trip with the group (Disneyland?)
24. Try a yoga class.
25. Buy a Mac. (This isn't happening. I can't justify the cost of a Mac compared to a new PC laptop)
26. Do a chinup (R's suggestion)

Looks like I've still got a lot of work to do in the next two years... 

The Jade Peony

The Jade Peony - Wayson Choy

From Amazon: "Wayson Choy's The Jade Peony is about growing up in Vancouver's early Chinatown. The book, which began as a much anthologized short story almost twenty years ago, is divided into three sections, each narrated by a different child from the same family: Jook-Liang, the "useless" female, whose main interests are going to movies, tap dancing, and imitating Shirley Temple; the adopted orphan Jung-Sum, the second oldest brother, who discover he's gay; and Sek-Lung, the youngest brother and the only one in the family born in Canada."

I read this book during an owl survey. I liked the way that it was written from three different children, and their struggles growing up in Vancouver during the war. It was quick to read but had a good story. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in a different perspective of Vancouver in the '30's and '40's.

Never Cry Wolf

Never Cry Wolf - Farley Mowat

From Amazon: "In the summer of 1948, young biologist and budding writer Farley Mowat, "infatuated with the study of animate nature," joined the Dominion Wildlife Service and, after enduring a few bureaucratic mishaps, was assigned to study a population of wolves in the subarctic highlands of southern Nunavut and northern Manitoba. Those wolves and their kin, Mowat's superiors believed, had decimated the once huge population of large mammals in the region, so that, as one worried official put it, "more and more of our fellow citizens are coming back from more and more hunts with less and less deer."

As a biologist (or at least working my way up to one), reading this book was really interesting. Wolves and other large carnivores have been misunderstood for years, and they still are today. This book was Farley Mowat's summer (or longer?) living up north with wolves. I really enjoyed his style of writing, as well as the topic.

Stones into Schools

Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace Through Education in Afghanistan &Pakistan - Greg Mortenson

From Amazon: "If you read Three Cups of Tea, you would be foolish to miss this book. The opening briefly recounts those events (to refresh your memory if you didn't read it recently, or to fill in the gaps if you have never read it all). From there, the story mostly moves to Afghanistan as Greg Mortenson and his colleagues from the Central Asia Institute (CAI) seek to keep the promise to bring a school to what may be the most difficult location in that challenged country. If providing schools in remote locations isn't enough, CAI also had to brave the ongoing war there. The story moves into its highest gear as Mr. Mortenson recounts the horrible devastation that a major earthquake (about the same power as the 1906 quake in San Francisco) brought to the mountainous regions, wiping out almost all the schools and killing many of the students and teachers"

I read Three Cups of Tea and enjoyed it, although I enjoyed this one much more. Having finished reading Mortenson's story about himself, this one was much more about the people. I read it in less than a week of busing to work (which either says that my commute is too long or I read too fast). It was captivating and really showed us what education for a girl can do in a country like Afghanistan. It didn't convince me to donate money to their cause, but I do believe education is important!

In Pursuit of Elegance

In Pursuit of Elegance: Why the Best Ideas Have Something Missing - Matthew E. May

From Amazon: "In this thought-provoking exploration of why certain events, products, and people capture our attention and imaginations, Matthew E. May examines the elusive element behind so many innovative breakthroughs in fields ranging from physics and marketing to design and popular culture. Combining unusual simplicity and surprising power, elegance is characterized by four key elements—seduction, subtraction, symmetry, and sustainability. In a compelling, story-driven narrative that sheds light on the need for elegance in design, engineering, art, urban planning, sports, and work, May offers surprising evidence that what’s “not there” often trumps what is."

I really enjoyed this book. It was nerdy in all the right ways, talked a little bit about stuff I didn't really understand, but not enough that I didn't want to read it. Plus, it was a non-fiction book..I haven't read one of those in a while. I think the nerdier people out there would enjoy this, but not so much for others.

Treasure Island

Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson

From Amazon: "Climb aboard for the swashbuckling adventure of a lifetime. Treasure Islandhas enthralled (and caused slight seasickness) for decades. The names Long John Silver and Jim Hawkins are destined to remain pieces of folklore for as long as children want to read Robert Louis Stevenson's most famous book. With it's dastardly plot and motley crew of rogues and villains, it seems unlikely that children will ever say no to this timeless classic."

There was a few times when this book was a bit confusing, but I really enjoyed it. Like Tom Sawyer, this was a pretty quick read. I enjoyed the adventure, and I'm not sure why I didn't read this earlier...

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - Mark Twain

From Amazon: " The book starts out with Tom Sawyer, a mischievous boy, just trying to have fun. He plays hooky on a Friday and then has to work on Saturday because his Aunt Polly finds out. Tom doesn't want to work so he convinces other kids to take the privilege of doing his work for him. He even persuades the kids to give him something so they can work for him."

I can't remember if I've read a version of this before - I remember the characters and some of the adventures. Either way, I don't think that I would have read this version, as a young child I don't think I would have understood some of the language. That said, reading it now, I enjoyed it. It was a quick read full of adventure. :)