the big 3-0

that's right. i hit the third fourth decade (thanks terz) of life on earth today, and decided to make a list of some of the things accomplished so far and what i missed out.

things i've done / had done to me:
- met the woman i am convinced i'll spend the rest of my life with
- found my dream job
- visited five of the seven continents (europe, north america, australia, africa and asia [duh!])
- met more interesting people in the last eight years than most people meet in a lifetime.
- eaten worms, grubs and grasshoppers
- seen dead bodies
- bought a car
- bought a motorbike
- been to a rave (or ten)
- managed to clear myself of credit card debt
- lived alone
- indulged in illicit substances (a long time ago)
- covered natural disasters, plane crashes, elections in four different countries, SARS from the inside of an ICU and had more experiences than most people
- had my heart broken
- recovered from broken hearts
- shot a gun (more times than i care to remember)
- been shot at
- been mistaken for a samoan, a hawaiian, an indian, a malay, a latin american, and, on the very rare occasion, a chinese
- broken three different bones (three seperate times)
- slept in the mud
- not bathed for a week
- been published in time, newsweek, and the washington post
- worked with some of the best photographic eyes and editors in the industry (you know who you are)
- danced on a thai beach until the sun came up, then danced some more.
- made snow angels
- had a stalker
- had my own band and performed in public (no jeers!)
- taken fantastic pictures while drunk that i have no recollection of taking
- kayaked around singapore
- skinny dipped (during the slim years)
- punched someone
- had sex in a public place
- played tennis an hour after shooting a riot
- molded young minds
- molded not so young minds
- switched to a mac (1998)
- ridden a snowmobile
- conned my amusement park adverse father into taking a ride in space mountain
- seen my face on the jumbotron downtown
- been on tv
- been on radio
- spent over US$2,500 on a monthly phone bill
- jogged around central park
- passed out under a tree in central park for several hours in the dead of night
- thrown up in times square at 5am in the morning while sitting at the back of a fire truck
- been parasailing
- ridden an elephant
- survived a heatwave exceeding 55 degrees celcius
- trekked in nepal

things i still want/need to do:
- hear the patter of little beekers running around
- jump out of a plane
- bungee jump
- have a solo exhibition i can be proud of
- visit the other two continents (south america and antartica)
- ski
- ride a motorcycle to china and beyond
- shoot nothing but film for a year
- appreciate "catch-22" (the one classic i never really GOT)


it's late, i'm tired and a long day awaits me. this list will grow though as thoughts pop into my head, so be sure to check back for updates.