Thing #84: Lobby Your Local Congressman (Redo)

I had to write to my MP on an important matter. It was good to see that... at least I got a reply.

Thing #83: Dye Your Hair

My first ever post on his blog was on the 5th of January 2007.

Since then...

It is 4566 days from the start date to the end date, end date included. or 12 years, 6 months, 2 days including the end date or 150 months, 2 days including the end date.


4566 days can also be converted to one of these units (in case you are wondering):

• 394,502,400 seconds
• 6,575,040 minutes
• 109,584 hours
• 4566 days
• 652 weeks and 2 days 

After such a long time, it's not just my hair that has gone grey. I bet yours have gone grey too, waiting for this blog to finally complete the 101 things to do!

On a positive note I am still not THAT old and not THAT boring.

Thing #29: Climb to the Top of a Mountain

If you climb at the top of a mountain then you have reached the Peak. I took a photo to prove it!

Thing #78: Update

Perhaps not surprising, none of my magazines got sold on eBay. "Fortunately" I had by accident ordered two games for my console which were not compatible with it. I found these much easier to sell! In less than 24hrs the transaction was complete and I had my first eBay sell under my belt. Consequently Thing #78 is once more completed!

Thing 64# Make Your Bike or Skateboard Look Cool

I went out for a walk this afternoon and passed by a known retail-chain. I thought to browse the new range of products they were stacking in case they had something of interest. Guess what I came across!  A fingerskateboard. Clearly under normal circumstances I would have paid any attention. Who would buy such a thing anyway? For starters one who write articles about making your mike or skateboard look cool and they don't have either of them. Well now I have a skateboard. It even came with a sticker I could use to make it look cool. If I was feeling extremely cool (or if I preferred yellow to grey) I may have even changed the wheels. Then again I had to do some DIY earlier today, which was enough for a day. In anyway, I can proudly claim (again) this Thing completed!

Thing #78: Hold a Yard Sale

I have recently decided to simplify my life as much as possible. It is as a very convenient decision indeed, given that I have to hold a yard sale for Thing #78. As yard sales are not my thing, I've decided to donate most of the things I did not have a need for anymore. 

In addition, in order to meet my objective I've also decided that in the future I am to avoid paper in any form and shapes. Not only is it good for the environment, but it also means I don't end up collecting things. Say, why go for a paper version when you can access  magazines in electronic format? Paper versions end up taking much space and once you have a few years worth of staff, recycling feels a bit of a "waste". This is especially true for a science magazine I have been collecting for almost 20 years now! Given that they are all in mint condition, I have decided to put them up on eBay and see if I can find a good home for them. I don't expect to have the science community rushing to buy them. Still if nothing else, it will be an interesting experiment to see if there is any interest. I will update you on the progress of the sale in due course. 

In the meantime, I think I will claim Thing #78 done.

Thing 64# Make Your Bike or Skateboard Look Cool

Given that I don't like mods to the things I own, I would not be able to claim this Thing done. If nothing else, it's ancient times since having a bike or skateboard made me feel cool. Then again being "cool" never was and never will be my thing anyway. In fact, I'd rather be "hot" than "cool".

Now.. if my memory serves me well, my first bike  was given to me when I was around 9-10. It was a chopper-styled one. Very 80s, very heavy, very slow. It was the sort of bike you certainly did not want to pedal uphill. It looked good though.. and the best part is that you did not have to add something to it to make it look cool. In fact... it still does! Perhaps after all these years coming across it in the garage brings back all these fond memories, while the genuine retro look can't just be ignored.



Having such a bike should suffice to claim this Thing done. However I thought to claim this via an alternative route. About three months ago I went through airport security and as required I took my laptop out of my bag. The lady at the belt was about to place it in the tray when she paused for a second: "This is the thinnest laptop I have ever seen. It looks really good." Clearly, she has good taste. What made her remark though impressive was that she must handle hundreds or laptops on a daily basis.

I don't like leaving things unfinished. Even if that means coming back to a blog 5 years later and having another go at finishing the 101 Things To Do Before I am Old and Boring. I may be older, but.. I am not old! Hopefully this time I will get to finish off the list and finally move on to something else.

Think #98: Drive something

Driving something different is good, but flying a plane is even better. I have postponed this Thing for far too long. So when I was at probably the ideal place, i.e. an airport, I thought to finally complete it and book my first (and hopefully not last) flight! I even have a certificate to prove it. Well an aerial photo is better...

Thing #89: Learn to stick up for yourself

OK, I am not Chuck Norris, but there is no point trying your luck, right?

Thing #49: Read These Books

I used to read many books when I was a kid. I still do, even though lately I don't invest as much time as I would have liked to. Other committments take their toll, and consequently it's not easy. So, it was rather convenient as far as this Thing is concerned that I was asked to write a book review, which I have now completed.


I guess this is a good starting point to get back into reading. In fact, I now know how many of my 212 books I have not read. The 212 number is not random. I found an excellent Android app called... 'Book Catalogue' and added all my book in it! Highly recommended!

Thing #84: Lobby Your Local Congressman

If you want something done, just get elected. What's the point in just lobbying? So in April, I decided to put myself forward and see if I can get elected. After a long, but exciting campaign, I was elected a few days ago... albeit not as a congressman. Perhaps next time!

Alice Bucket List

Most certainty a more interesting list compared to mine: http://alicepyne.blogspot.com/

"life is what we make of it and so I'm going to make the best of what I have"

Thing #46: go as fast as you can by train

As I was going to travel from Osaka to Tokyo by train I decided to measure its speed using my GPS for Thing #46: go as fast as you can.

My first impression was that of a deja vu! I have been on a train like this before, I thought to myself. Indeed, it turns out Taiwan's High Speed Rail and more specifically the THSR 700T train series is a variant of the 700 Series Shinkansen, built by a consortium of Japanese rolling stock manufacturers. So no surprise that they looked very similar.

GPS recorded about 265 km/h which is not really that fast for high speed rails. What is probably more interesting is the reliability of the the Shinkansen. In 2003, JR Central reported that the Shinkansen's average arrival time was within six seconds of the scheduled time. This includes all natural and human accidents and errors and is calculated over roughly 160,000 Shinkansen trips completed.