The Bucket List

Bucket List Entry #72 - Go to the M&M Factory

Bucket List Entry #146 - Freefall

I loved ziplining in Mexico so much that I had to do it again.

I am a straight, Caucasian/Asian female.

I believe in equal rights for everyone, regardless of their age, race, sexuality. I don't care if you're blue, purple, white, black, grey, pink. I don't care if your hair is black, blonde, brown, red, orange, green, teal, because those colors are merely a matter of pigmentation in your skin or hair, and those things just shouldn't matter. It doesn't change who you are. What matters is what is inside. If you're an ass, I probably won't like you. Doesn't matter what race you are. Depends on your capacity for kindness and love. If you're as sweet as the lilacs outside of my window every summer, lets be friends. I would love to have more people who are kind around me in a world full of hate.

I don't care if you're gay, straight, transgender, pan-sexual, asexual, metro-sexual.  We are all human beings, born into the same world and deserve the same rights. Discriminating against people who happen to be homosexual is like hating someone because they prefer brown hair rather than blonde hair. In the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, as laid out by almost every country, it proclaims that you get to keep your rights and freedoms so long as you don't infringe on the rights of others. By denying gays the right to marry, and receive the same benefits as straight people, you ARE denying someone their rights. If they get married, how is it infringing on your freedom? They will have nothing to do with your marriage and be considered just another couple. You find it disgusting/unnatural? That's too bad. Unfortunately there isn't anything anywhere that says you have the right to be a close-minded bigot that is prone to hate speech and lashing out against love.

I don't care if you like the same things as me, and I don't care if you think things that I don't enjoy are fun. We might not get along as well, but I'll never hate you because you hate purple and love red. I'll never hate you because photography and cars are not your thing, but tennis and rock climbing are. I don't care if you suck at things, because I know with all my heart that even if you're terrible at something, you're fantastic when it comes to something else. Maybe you can't put an engine back together. Maybe you can't compose a photograph properly. Maybe you're not good at drumming, basketball, tennis. Maybe instead, you're good at painting a masterpiece, or maybe volleyball is your preferred sport. Maybe you think you aren't good at anything, but you can love with all of your heart. And that, my friend is a great quality to have.

There are many things that people can hate about people (rudeness, and bigotry being a couple). Don't make people feel small because of who they love, or what pigments there are in someone's hair or skin.

I'm Agnostic, bordering Atheist. No, I don't hate religion. No, I don't hate religious people. I don't worship the devil, and I am not filled with hate. I just simply don't believe in a deity because I was not raised with any particular religion. I actually usually prefer to NOT discuss religion. The only reason I will ever display hatred towards anyone who is religious is when they insist that I must believe in something, and if I don't I'm going STRAIGHT TO THE FIERY PITS OF HELL. Religion really is like a penis, folks. I don't want to hear about it, I don't want to see it, and I don't want you to think it's the only one for me. No, it will not change my life, because I would rather live my life now and enjoy it, than wait my whole life away being careful so I don't upset an almighty being to enjoy my possible life somewhere nobody can prove exists. If I were to believe in any sort of God, it would be the ones depicted in Greek mythology, simply because they know humanity, and make mistakes. They are imperfect, as so many human beings are, and therefore I could believe that we were made in their image. And if there is a God, and I'm totally wrong, I'll humbly admit it, and apologize. Then, bring on the heat, I can take it. I don't shove my beliefs down your throat and tell you to swallow it with a grin on your face. I would like the same courtesy afforded to me.

I am Pro-Choice. Some people are not meant to be mothers, and NO, I do not relish the thought of someone dying at all. But how can you possibly refuse the idea of abortion, and then get mad at a teen mom? There are some people who are simply not mature enough, not psychologically capable, or are just NOT ready to have a child. Let me put it this way. If your significant other wanted to go on a roller coaster, but you're terrified of roller coasters, or heights, how would you like it if they made you go on it with them? Or if society made you go on it, simply because it wasn't cool to not ride the roller coaster. This is essentially the same idea as forcing someone to be a mother when they are not ready for it. They may turn out to be great mothers. Maybe it turns out you're not so scared of roller coasters after all. But what if the opposite happens? What if you hate being a mother, or you can't handle it? Maybe you threw up at the top of the loop in the roller coaster and it landed on you on the way down. Now you hate roller coasters. If someone is not ready to be a parent, then don't tell them they have to be. There are even other cases, when abortion is necessary. Like when your doctor tells you that there's a 0% chance your child will live past 6 months old (or, example, this one -  http://www.mommyish.com/2013/05/30/beatriz-el-salvador-denied-life-saving-abortion/ ). You can have the baby, and watch it die for 6 months, having very little time with them, or you can, ultimately, save a life full of pain and suffering. I'm not saying that abortion is the way, and I'm CERTAINLY not saying that it's totally right. I don't believe in abortion, I believe in the right to choose your own fate.

The Titanic exhibit is located in the center of the Luxor hotel on the Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. It truly is humbling and incredible, I recommend you check it out! =)

Bucket List Entry #55 - View Titanic Artifacts

Completed May 8th, 2013

I'm one of those people who finds certain pieces of history fascinating. I'm in love with Greek Mythology, the story of Cleopatra, Italian history, the Mexican ruins, El Dorado and Atlantis, real pirates, the French Revolution and things like the Titanic. It's my infatuation with things like these that drives my love of travel and inspires me to go to a lot of the places that I want to go (Egypt, Italy, Greece, Spain, France, England). I've done a lot of reading on a lot of these things and I enjoy books on them a great deal. So when my grandma heard that I wanted to see artifacts recovered from the Titanic (originally I wanted to dive to the ruins of the Titanic, but that would require a lot of money and as I found out - the ruins are expected to be completely dissolved in 10 years), she mentioned that there was an exhibit at the Luxor in Vegas, where we planned to go in a few months. While there, that was one of the things I really wanted to do, and I would have loved to have pictures taken of me inside the exhibit, especially next to the "Big Piece" but photography was not allowed inside.

They had a lot of things, dishes, jewelry, briefcases, models built to scale  of the Titanic as it was and as it is, under the sea. They had cooking utensils and postcards written to family members, you can stand on the First Class deck of the Titanic, view what all of the rooms would have been like, have your picture taken on the Grand Staircase, they even have an iceberg, so you can feel how cold it was in the water when people went in (a little morbid, but a necessary piece of history).

The Big Piece was my favorite part of the entire exhibit. For those that are not aware, the Big Piece is a bit of the hull that was recovered from the wreckage of the Titanic. It took 4 years for researchers to successfully bring it up from the water. It's certainly huge, but in relation to the diagram of which part of the ship it came from, it is extremely tiny.

On your way into the exhibit, they give you a boarding pass with someone's name on it. This person was actually on the Titanic, and at the end of the exhibit, you find out if they survived. I didn't have to wait that long, however, because my person was staying in one of the rooms right next to the rooms in the Big Piece, and they told the story about how she survived but her actor husband did not.

Bucket List Entry #44 - Perform on the Street

Completed May 8th, 2013

While on Fremont Street in Las Vegas, during the laser light show, Heart was playing. Originally we planned on dancing to our iPods randomly on Fremont Street, but I'm a big fan of Heart and "Magic Man" was playing.I'll admit I was a little nervous going into it, Ryan practically had to drag me to the spot that had the most room, but after a while I stopped caring about what people may think.

Bucket List Entry #46 - Ride in a Gondala

Completed May 9th, 2013

Bucket List Entry #15 - Go to Vegas

Completed May 6th-10th, 2013

In order to complete the Bucket List Entries that include getting over my crippling stage fright, gaining confidence and Performing on the street, I've taken to dancing and singing outside whenever possible. This is an update of sorts, mostly to let you all know that I'm working on these particular entries.

Bucket List Entry #114 - Redo my entire wardrobe.

Completed from July 2012 - December 2012

More things I've already done that don't have pictures.

Entry #70 - Witness a meteor shower Completed Mid-August, 2011

It was a few days before my 17th birthday, at Slave Lake with my grandparents. It was overcast in most areas of the sky, but in the parts you could see there was something that looked a lot like lightning happening. It was too small and too frequent and there was no thunder...  It left us wondering what could possibly be happening in the sky. Was the sky falling? Then we realized that it was a meteor shower. It was a wonderful sight, and I'll forever remember it.

Entry #79 - Sail Completed in the Summer 2007

I don't remember much of it, so I plan on redoing this one, but it was with my grandparents and their friends on Lesser Slave Lake.

Entry #91 - Fly in a Helicopter Completed Summer of 2009

My grandma works at a helicopter company, and every once and a while, they take their helicopters out for a test flight - and if I'm in town - I get to go for a little ride. I plan to redo this one as well in order to get pictures.

Entry #114 - Go to a Postsecret Event Completed November 8th, 2012

I found this event very touching, and I will carry the memory of hearing everyone reveal their secrets and trying to find one to reveal myself. I got Frank Warren to sign my ticket and my book. I found it all so inspiring.

Entry #125 - Jump into a Pool Fully Clothed Completed February 17th, 2013

Excited to be off of the plane and to be in Mexico, I did a celebratory jump into the pool wearing my flowy paisley tube top and green shorts - flip flops and all. It was a decision that I almost immediately regretted with the light breeze, but I would do it all over again for the feeling.

Entry #155 - Get a Belly Button Ring Completed October 7th, 2012

For obvious reasons, I'm not posting a picture of this (perverts online and my own self conscious reasons). Didn't hurt nearly as much as I thought it would, but was a pain in my ass for a good 5 months.

Bucket List Entry #5 - Laugh When I Want to Cry

Completed April 2013

Okay, so it's a general consensus that I'm a tough person. Some say I have a chip on my shoulder, some say that I'm mean, some say I'm a strong person. I like to think I'm straight up and things don't bother me the way they bother other people. Its not that I'm entirely insensitive, and its not that I don't have feelings, I'm just extremely good at hiding how I actually feel from everyone, though sometimes only in short bursts.

On a particular day, I was feeling really upset, and admittedly I was already crying when he showed up from all of the things that had piled up since last time I cried (something like 8 months ago) and some from a stupid person. When Ryan showed up, it took him a bit to realize what was happening, because I had my face buried in a blanket, but when he did, he sat next to me and waited until I'd calmed down enough for him to hold me. Pretty soon afterward he had me laughing, and I forgot my tears for a while.