19Oct 2022 by Dave Macleod No Comments
2019 Roundup

2019 Roundup

GENERAL
This was a crazy year that took me to Japan, USA and Canada. I had some wild culture shocks in Japan and managed to complete five items across these three countries. In case you have missed any of the stories or lessons from my bucket list adventures in 2019, here is a roundup. #31 Eat Blowfish Completed on 4th February in Tokyo, Japan [#31 Lesson] Peer Pressure can be a Good Thing #32 Drink Sake in Japan Completed on 4th February in Tokyo, Japan [#32 Lesson] Language Barriers Make Travelling Interesting #70 See the Hollywood Stars on the Sidewalk Completed on 12th September in Los Angeles, California, USA [#70 Lesson] Make the Most of Long Layovers #37 Go More Than 200 km/h on Land https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38_aRBZY4pY&t=26s Completed on 13th September in…
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09May 2018 by Dave Macleod No Comments
#50 Take a Punch by a UFC Fighter

#50 Take a Punch by a UFC Fighter

BUCKET LIST
This bucket list item was complete on 23rd July 2010 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. This may seem like a strange one to a lot of people but the inspiration (or what I thought was the inspiration) came from the movie The Hangover. In one of the scenes Mike Tyson, played by himself, punched out the character Alan, played by Zach Galifianakis. Following the release of the movie, rumours began to spread about the scene. The rumour was that instead of a classic movie punch where no contact is made, Zach Galifianakis requested Mike Tyson to actually make contact because it would be an honour to be punched by one of boxing’s greats. I had heard multiple people tell me this same story and it seemed plausible enough so I…
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28Mar 2018 by Dave Macleod No Comments
#74 Fly in a Wind Tunnel

#74 Fly in a Wind Tunnel

BUCKET LIST
This bucket list item was completed on 24th February 2010 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. One of my closest friends throughout high school was Michele. Michele is a year younger than me and we were introduced to each other through mutual friends. The more we socialised, the more we began to build a strong friendship. No one can escape the trials and tribulations of high school but luckily Michele and I had each other to talk to about things. We helped each other through the rough times and shared things that we didn’t share with anyone else. In 2008, I threw my mortarboard in the air and graduated high school. I moved on to university in autumn and while I was completing my first year, Michele was finishing her last year…
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27Feb 2018 by Dave Macleod No Comments
#81 Eat a Raw Egg

#81 Eat a Raw Egg

BUCKET LIST
This bucket list item was complete on 20th February 2010 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. For anyone who has watched the Rocky movies, you know exactly what this item is referring to. In Rocky, the first movie that launched the franchise, Sylvester Stallone wakes up at 4:00 am, cracks five eggs into a glass and proceeds to drink them before starting his morning workout. I watched these movies when I was a kid and as a kid there are many things you see that make you cringe; this was one of them. I remember thinking that it looked disgusting and it must have tasted even worse. When this scene appeared in the movie it create a cultural phenomenon, an action that so many people witnessed and wanted to mimic. I…
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17Jan 2018 by Dave Macleod No Comments
#97 Become a Vegetarian for a Week

#97 Become a Vegetarian for a Week

BUCKET LIST
This bucket list item was completed during the week of 8-14th February 2010 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. When I was creating my bucket list this was a generic life goal that appeared on many lists throughout the Internet. For some people, being a vegetarian is not a hard task. Many people naturally reduce how much meat they consume or completely eliminate it without much change to their diet. For me, it was a bit more difficult. I grew up in a hunting family and was accustomed to eating wild meat from a young age. This became a tradition in our family and my parents would invite their friends over to experience “Wild Night”. Wild Night was a dinner party that my parents hosted where the menu consisted of about…
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06Dec 2017 by Dave Macleod 2 Comments
#9 Give Blood

#9 Give Blood

BUCKET LIST
This bucket list item was completed on 28th January 2010 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. This was the second item that I complete on my list and did so only four weeks after my first item #86 Go for a Polar Bear Swim. My friend Candice was going to the same university as myself and was studying to become a nurse. She had never donated blood either but was keen to do it as well. Candice gave me the push to do this one immediately. After our classes on 28th January, Candice and I met up and went to the Canadian Blood Services location in downtown Halifax. Upon arriving we went to registration and were handed several forms. The questionnaire we had to complete was very detailed. There were over…
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16Nov 2017 by Dave Macleod No Comments
#86 Go for a Polar Bear Swim

#86 Go for a Polar Bear Swim

BUCKET LIST
In How I Started My Bucket List, I described the process I used to create my bucket list. When I created the list I had #86 in mind as being the first one I would complete. This bucket list item was completed on 1st January 2010 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The event that is held each year is called the Herring Cove Polar Bear Dip. The event involves getting into summer swimwear and jumping into the freezing cold Atlantic Ocean on New Year’s Day. I mentioned to my friend, Dave that I wanted to complete this item on New Year’s Day to kick off my bucket list. He thought it sounded like a great idea and agreed to come along. We were going to a party near Dave’s house…
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16Nov 2017 by Dave Macleod No Comments
How I Started My Bucket List

How I Started My Bucket List

BUCKET LIST, INFORMATION
In 2009 I was in the second year of university, studying to become a mechanical engineer. For anyone who has endured university, you know that you need small indulgences to keep you sane. A friend of mine introduced me to the TV show Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory and it instantly became my indulgence. I would stream the episodes from the MTV website and always watched the new ones as they came out each week. The show followed Rob Dyrdek, a professional skateboarder and business mogul, on his day-to-day adventures in his home of Los Angeles. Rob started by purchasing a factory and then built an office and skate park within it. He then proceeded to fill it with various toys such as dirt bikes, skateboard ramps, foam pits, basketball nets,…
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