25Mar 2020 by Dave Macleod No Comments
2013 Roundup

2013 Roundup

BUCKET LIST
I was busy in 2013 and managed to complete eight items from my bucket list. Three of them were completed on my trip to Las Vegas and then one was completed in Canada before I moved to New Zealand. The remaining four items were completed in New Zealand as I travelled around and explored everything this beautiful country has to offer. In case you have missed any of the stories or lessons from my bucket list adventures in 2013, here is a roundup of them. #25 Go to the Grand Canyon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6GThvLCtFk Completed on 4th January in Arizona, USA [#25 Lesson] Witness Things With Your Own Eyes #40 Jeep or Buggy Sand Dunes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_AOs67PYBc&t=1s Completed on 5th January in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA [#40 Lesson] Take Time to Make Decisions…
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11Mar 2020 by Dave Macleod No Comments
The Adventure Gene

The Adventure Gene

GENERAL, INFORMATION
Have you heard of DRD4-7R? Probably not. It is better known as the adventure gene or the wanderlust gene. DRD4 is a receptor that controls the dopamine levels in our brain. Dopamine is a chemical that is released when we experience something that we enjoy, which is what gives us the feeling of reward or pleasure. For some people, dopamine can be released from something as easy as enjoying their favourite food or just enjoying a sunny day. However, some people have lower sensitivities to dopamine, which means it takes more for them to feel reward or pleasure. Extreme sports athletes come to mind when I think of lower sensitivity to dopamine levels. These are the athletes who are chasing 100-foot waves, skiing down near-vertical rock faces and flying their…
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26Feb 2020 by Dave Macleod No Comments
[#35 Lesson] Sometimes Great Ideas Shouldn’t be Repeated

[#35 Lesson] Sometimes Great Ideas Shouldn’t be Repeated

BUCKET LIST, LESSON
This life lesson relates to my previous blog post #35 Eat a Tequila Worm. This was not the first time I learned this lesson and it will not be the last time. My friends and I are always coming up with ideas or adventures for the activities that we like to do. This means we are always testing out new adventures and not all of them are a raging success. We describe the activities by either Type 1 Fun or Type 2 Fun. Type 1 Fun relates to an activity that is fun while you are doing it, still feels fun in your mind when you look back on it and is likely to be repeated because it was so fun. Type 2 Fun relates to an activity that is…
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12Feb 2020 by Dave Macleod No Comments
#35 Eat a Tequila Worm

#35 Eat a Tequila Worm

BUCKET LIST
This bucket list item was completed on 6th December 2013 in New Plymouth, New Zealand. After finishing a few months of travel throughout New Zealand, I was running out of money and it was time to find a job. Kyle and I headed back up to New Plymouth to try to find engineering work. I was not focused on any specific industry. Instead I just knocked on the door of any place that said they hired engineers. In 2013, the oil & gas industry was booming and that meant jobs were easy to find. We started job hunting on the Monday and were both given contracts to the same engineering firm on the Friday. We were stoked about how quickly things progressed and before we knew it we were working…
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29Jan 2020 by Dave Macleod No Comments
[#3 Lesson] Sample Life for Everything It Has to Offer

[#3 Lesson] Sample Life for Everything It Has to Offer

BUCKET LIST, LESSON
This life lesson relates to my previous blog post #3 Go Skydiving. I did my first tandem skydive in August 2013 but did not learn to skydive until December 2014. For some people, they are hooked after their first tandem and jump straight into their advanced freefall course to learn how to solo skydive. I was a bit different. I did my tandem jump to cross it off my bucket list and it was exciting and an amazing rush, but I did not instantly think it was something that I wanted to do as a hobby. It was in February 2014 that I was watching episodes of Nitro Circus when I decided that I wanted to learn how to solo skydive. In their show they were always doing skydiving or…
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15Jan 2020 by Dave Macleod No Comments
#3 Go Skydiving

#3 Go Skydiving

BUCKET LIST, TRAVEL
This bucket list item was completed on 10th August 2013 in Wanaka, New Zealand. Our snowboarding trip on the South Island of New Zealand continued through Queenstown and Wanaka after I crossed #14 Ski a “Real” Mountain off my list at Mount Olympus. The Queenstown and Wanaka area is amazing because there are so many adventure sports and activities packed into one little zone. The skiing is seasonal but mountain biking, bungee jumping, skydiving and many other activities are done all year round. I found a good deal on a tandem skydive at Skydive Wanaka, so we made sure to fit that into our plans. I had always wanted to skydive when I lived in Canada and tried to organise it with my friends a couple times, but it never…
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01Jan 2020 by Dave Macleod No Comments
Top 3 Unbelievable Adventures

Top 3 Unbelievable Adventures

GENERAL, INFORMATION
Well, it’s New Year’s Day on this side of the world and that means that it is time to think about what you want to do this year, if you haven’t already. I recently read The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferris. Tim thinks a bit different from the general population and offers many tips and tricks to be more effective and achieve all your life goals. One chapter that I really liked was called “Doing the Unrealistic Is Easier Than Doing the Realistic”. In this chapter, Tim says, “Having an unusually large goal is an adrenaline infusion that provides the endurance to overcome the inevitable trials and tribulations that go along with any goal.” This inspired me to compile a list of my top 3 unbelievable adventures. These are crazy…
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