Remembrance Day is November 11 – a time for us to reflect on our freedom and honour the brave men and women who served (and continue to serve) our country in both times of war and peace. Continue reading
Tag: things to do
Assemble a Book of Encouragement
A couple weeks ago I wrote about the birthday “human art show” my friends and family performed for me while I was in the hospital undergoing chemotherapy treatment. Another uplifting and awesome thing they pulled together was a “book of encouragement.” Continue reading
Host a recipe swap night
Here’s a simple idea that’s both a fun social activity as well as a way of beefing up your personal cookbook (or vegging up as the case may be). Throw a Recipe Swap party. The rules are simple. Continue reading
Sandboard the Dunes: Peru, New Zealand, Namibia and more
Growing up in Canada, tobogganing factored big in my childhood. Each winter the hills around Port Albert, Ontario became the grounds for epic battles with my siblings and cousins. I often felt bad that people living in warmer climates were missing out on this awesome activity. But then Ashraf Dean submitted this photo of him in New Zealand and I got introduced to something called sandboarding. Continue reading
Align your gearbox: the drinking game
Backpacking can introduce you to all sorts of fascinating customs and traditions. Hostels and guest houses serve as the hippie equivalent of the United Nations – a convergence of cultures, nationalities and ideas. This exchange of ideas can revolve around politics, music, religion, philosophies, worldviews and other big discussions. It also facilitates the spread another essential cultural tradition: drinking games. Continue reading
Work abroad
Working overseas has many advantages. It looks great on a résumé. It lets you really immerse yourself in the day-to-day life of another country and culture. It’s a great way to make overseas travel affordable. It gets you out of your comfort zone and helps you grow as a person. It broadens your perspective and lets you see the world through a broader lens. It helps you pick up girls at bars as you regale them with your exotic adventures. Continue reading
Perform a human art show
On October 15th I celebrated my 4-year bone marrow transplant anniversary. Or, “transplantiversary”, as my friend Tina calls it. Four years! Holy crap! In many ways it seems like yesterday I was undergoing treatment for leukemia. In other ways, it seems like a lifetime ago. Either way, I have to pinch myself sometimes to remind myself just how lucky I am to be here at all. Continue reading
Play Tri-Pong
Rainy days at cottages are the mothers of invention. This week’s Backyard Badge goes to Rob Shirkey for introducing me to the awesome game of Tri-Pong. A couple years ago, while visiting his cottage near Minden, Ontario, Rob taught us how to play this simple, yet exhausting version of ping pong. Continue reading
Take a soak in the Banff Hot Springs, Alberta, Canada
I’ve never had much of a fashion sense. Most of my clothes are unfit for a blind hobo. Despite this complete ineptitude and disinterest in anything to do with fashion, I knew the moment I laid eyes on that old fashioned bathing suit in the display case at the Canadian Rockies Hot Springs in Alberta, Canada, that I had to have it. Continue reading
Yarnstorm the streets: Graffiti Knitting
When I think of knitting, my 86-year-old grandma comes to mind. When I think of graffiti, an angry youth who wasn’t hugged enough as a child comes to mind. When I think of combining knitting and graffiti, my mind explodes from the ensuing awesomeness. Continue reading
Go Geocaching
Ever wanted to be a pirate and search for buried treasure? Is your favourite part about Easter the egg hunt? Do you pride yourself in your ability to find lost car keys? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then geocaching just may be for you. I’ve wanted to go geocaching for years. Last week I got my chance and had a great day with my friends Shane, Shaun and Tina. Continue reading
Visit the Moeraki Boulders, New Zealand
Tina Coghlan submitted this photo into the “That’s Awesome” Photo Contest of the Moeraki Boulders in New Zealand. I thought they were so cool they deserved their own Badge of Awesome post. Continue reading
Host a pasta dinner fundraiser for your birthday
Last week I introduced you to Nicole Smith, who completed the Susan G. Komen 3-Day walk to end breast cancer. Well apparently the apple doesn’t fall too far the tree. Because this week’s Badge of Awesome goes to her son, Keagan, who recently celebrated his 10th birthday in a very awesome way. Continue reading
Play Spoons (with vigour)
Spoons is a card game that was very popular in the Martin household growing up. I’ve played a few variations of it over the years but the general idea remains the same. Continue reading
Have a beer at Oktoberfest, Germany
Prost. Schnitzel. Lederhosen. Oompah. Ziggy zaggy ziggy zaggy, oy oy oy. If these words confuse you, odds are you’ve never been to Oktoberfest. As a resident of the Kitchener-Waterloo area in Ontario for many years, I’ve attended my fair share of Oktoberfest events. If you do go, prepare to have your fill of sausage, sauerkraut, polka music… I feel like I’m forgetting something here…
Oh, that’s right: beer. Lots and lots and lots of beer. Continue reading
Walk to end breast cancer: The Susan G. Komen 3-Day
Today’s post is dedicated to my friend and mentor, Myrta Rivera, who passed away of cancer earlier this week. One of the best people I’ve ever known.
Cancer sucks. Fighting cancer is awesome. As a cancer survivor myself, I know all too well how important family, friends and community are to the journey. One of the greatest demonstrations of this community support is the Susan G. Komen 3-Day walk to end breast cancer. Continue reading
Build a trebuchet (and launch flaming pumpkins)
I never took physics in high school. But friends of mine did and I remember them having to build miniature catapults (and other medieval instruments of destruction) as part of their coursework. I’m all for kids getting excited about education. But what happens when your students get too excited about physics, and decide to apply what they learned on a larger scale? Well my friends, you get the very bad-ass, very awesome Trebosterone Trebuchet: Continue reading
Chase some cheese: Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling, Gloucestershire England
I spent a lot of time this past summer watching the London 2012 Olympics on TV. And while England put on a good show, there’s one sport I was disappointed didn’t get any coverage at all. A sport from their own backyard no less: Cheese-rolling. Continue reading
[Blog] Hanging with Fred Penner photo: That’s awesome
Voting is now open for the “That’s Awesome” Photo Contest. Check out the entries and vote for your favourite!
I don’t typically “geek out” and I’ve never really been into following/stalking celebrities. But let me tell you: when I saw Fred Penner–my favourite and cherished childhood musician and TV personality–perform at the Dawson City Music Festival a few years back, I became a giddy school boy. And then, I got to MEET Fred Penner in the beer tent later that night! Well, let’s just say it was all I could do to not vomit from excitement. You can keep your Justin Biebers and Johnny Depps. For me, celebrity awesomeness doesn’t get much better than Fred “the-mutha-effin’-cat-came-back” Penner. (And yes, he’s as cool and nice as you would think he is).
What strange, beautiful or outrageous photos have you snapped? Add your “That’s awesome!” photos on the Badge of Awesome Facebook Page and vote for who you think should win the “That’s Awesome” Photo Contest.
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Badge of Awesome is a collection of cool things to do close to home, around the world and to help others. Share your own awesome experiences by visiting the Submissions Section. Or add your stories, photos and videos to the Badge of Awesome Facebook Page.
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Go WWOOF’ing: World Wide Opportunities On Organic Farms
A couple weeks ago I talked about my experience volunteering on a refugee camp in Ghana. Keeping up with the theme of volunteer travel, this week’s Buddha Belly Badge is all about WWOOF’ing. WWOOF stands for World Wide Opprtunities On Organic Farms. It pairs willing workers (affectionately known as WWOOFers) with organic farmers looking for help. In exchange for your labour, the farmers provide food, accommodation and the chance to learn more about sustainable and organic lifestyles. Continue reading
Attend a local festival
A recent visit to Cowapolooza (Woodstock, Ontario’s annual cow festival) got me thinking about all the cool events happening in our own backyard. You could spend an entire year hopping from one local festival to the next. It seems every community has one, even if some of them make you scratch your head. Continue reading
Pipe down the sun: Port Albert, Ontario
If you blink you could very well miss Port Albert. You’ll find this tiny speck on the map on the shores of Lake Huron in Southwestern Ontario. Home to such famous landmarks as the Port Albert General Store, the Inn at the Port and a fish ladder at the “old bridge,” you won’t find much else in this quaint village nestled in farm country. Continue reading
Perform a random act of kindness
It’s often the little things that have the biggest impact on our days. Whether it’s that stranger holding the door for you, your friend sending you flowers “just because,” or your fellow commuter waving you in when you’re trying to change lanes, little acts of kindness are just plain awesome. Continue reading
Get Lost (I mean that in the nicest way, I swear): Random road trips
This week’s Backyard Badge of Awesome comes to us via Kendra Barrick of Ottawa, Ontario. Sometimes having no destination in mind at all leads to the best journeys. Random road trips where the only goal is to have a fun time are awesome. Here’s Kendra with her version of “Get Lost”: Continue reading
Sleep in a cave: Cappadocia, Turkey
I’ve slept in a lot of different places in my day. Couches, tents, floors, laundry rooms. At the foot of a volcano, in a village on stilts, on a beach, on a mountain, in a farmer’s field. Train stations, bus stations, airports. But I’ve never slept in a cave. And after seeing photos like this one, I really want to. Continue reading