24

two dozen years. i suppose that is a bit of a milestone. in commemoration of my birthday (oh yes, self-aggrandizement for the win), i have compiled a list of 24 random tidbits [and pardon the delay in posting, it's been hard to put this together]

1. trying new and different things and lifestyles can be enjoyable and expand one's horizons, but an ounce of caution is often warranted
2. good shoes are warranted if you are going to run long distances
3. there is a class of drug that decreases mortality in heart failure in African-Americans (not in whites, not in Asians, etc...) - hydralazine/nitrates
4. singing can be so very, very fun
   
5. sometimes the things we value are fleeting - it is important to enjoy them nevertheless
   
6. as cute and cuddly as the platypus might look, it's venom is powerful enough to drop a grown man and cause him to writhe in pain - never trust those monotremes
7. best song ever: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTa8U0Wa0q8
8. there's nothing quite like being home for christmas
9. the united states only spend 7 cents per day per person on its human spaceflight program - we'll need to do a bit better if we're ever going to get to mars
10. wouldn't it be nice if everyone loved everyone?
11. if you want to talk in a british accent - remember the long o - as in when you say 'gone' - and remember the short o - as in when you say 'hot'
12. china is an economist's heaven: sustained gdp growth of ~10% annually for almost 30 years, an absolutely precedented feat that has brought more people out of poverty than probably every aid agency and ngo put together
13. jia's sayings: Meow! Friend-pat! Purrrrrrr! Hugbot! Lovebot!
    
14. if i could go anywhere in the world, it would be jerusalem
15. sadness is woven into the tapestry of life: it's something you can't run away from and it's something that defines the human experience
16. bill gates is a pauper compared to john d. rockefeller of standard oil fame - he was worth around $318 billion in today's currency
17. i think it is sad that society equates christianity with close-mindedness, hypocrisy, and being judgemental
18. how is it that in recent polls the wildrose alliance blew the progressive conservatives out of the water? for shame alberta - why is it the wealthier we become, the more regressive we want our governments to be :(
19. pikachu may be cute and cuddly, but i'd rather a dragonite anyday - hyperbeam ftw!
20. we should donate more of our money to the needy - what is a new tv compared to food and water for a starving family?
21. "But the sun's been quite kind while I wrote this song/ It's for people like you that keep it turned on"
22. kfc is yumtacular
    
23. edmonton, often underrated, as
    
24. thank you - friends and family - for being with me over these 24 years