2011's Top 10 Ways to Pursue Awesomeness

    Hello everyone, in honour of the past year I have assembled this list of the 10 awesomest things I have mentioned in my blog in 2011. We laughed, we cried, we became much more awesome. Whatever awesome things you are doing out there on the Internet or, even better, in the real world, I salute you. The future looks bright (and awesome), but we should not forget where we have been, so without further ado, I present to you 2011's Top 10 Ways to Pursue Awesomeness:

10. Colouring Books

Pun to follow

    Colouring books are a "magical" adventure in creativity and wonder. (Pun intended because puns are awesome.) You probably loved colouring books when you were a child, because you were awesome as a child. Somewhere along the way you lost some of your awesomeness, but with a blank picture and a pack of crayons you can reclaim your youth until your boss comes in and reports you for misuse of company resources.

9. Sunsets

Florence, Italy

     In May I traveled through Germany, Austria and Italy. Sometimes I took pictures, and to compensate for my lack of photographic skill I took pictures of things that already looked good like historic buildings or mountains or sunsets. See above. The picture looks awesome. You almost can't tell that I'm not a professional photographer. Thank you sunsets for making me seem more awesome at stuff.

8. StumbleUpon

    I found this using StumbleUpon. Need I say more?

7. Doing Nothing

    As you may remember, the last time I tackled this topic I put in a pretty weak effort, and I never really explained why doing nothing was so awesome. But I did promise I would elaborate at some point in the future, so I guess that would be now.

    First, when I say doing nothing, I mean doing nothing. Not watching TV, not reading, not listening to music. Doing nothing. You can sit and look at the wall I guess, but that's it. Then you think. You might say, "That's not nothing! That's thinking!", but compared to what most people are usually doing, this is practically nothing. People spend so much time doing too many things that they never really have a chance to think about what they're doing or why they're doing it. So you're sitting there, and you're thinking. You can think about anything you want. And it's awesome. Some of my best ideas have come from doing nothing, like when I decided to start this blog when I was lying on my bed in a hostel in Venice. To be honest, I don't spend nearly enough time doing nothing even though I recognize it is awesome. As an added bonus, doing nothing is incredibly relaxing. So take ten minutes to ignore everything (after you've finished reading this Top 10 of course) and do nothing. It may help you figure out how you can unleash your true awesomeness.

Tip: It may be useful to write down your brilliant, life-changing ideas after doing nothing, so you can remember them and properly implement them.

6. Novelty T-Shirts

I'm wearing this right now.

    Starting conversations takes effort. Wearing clothes that start conversations for you takes much less effort. And if people know you're awesome based solely on your clothing, then it's a lot easier to convince them of how cool you are.

5. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

:O  <--- Me when I saw this ^^

    There is nothing like taking a week off work in the middle of the summer to go visit Hogwarts. Who knew they sold churros in Hogsmeade? Okay, so maybe the food wasn't that magical, but seeing Hogwarts in person after imagining it for more than 10 years was pretty awesome.

4. Long Exposure Photographs

http://tinyurl.com/7ywzwm8

    Taking long exposure photographs, like taking pictures of sunsets, makes you feel like you're an awesome photographer because even if the picture sucks, it usually looks pretty cool anyway. You could just aim your camera at lights and move it around randomly, and you'll still get something interesting. Plus, look at that picture. Sweet.

3. Bonfires

http://tinyurl.com/888zm2m

    Ever since Prometheus gave us fire, man has loved to burn things and watch other people burn things. As such, bonfires are understandably awesome. So gather your family, friends and a defenseless tree and watch the latter burn.

2. Fireflies

http://tinyurl.com/8ypgbsv

    Once upon a time, at a Ramada far, far away in the land of Lansing, Michigan I saw fireflies for the first time. At least the first time that I can remember. I ended up finding out how awesome fireflies are without even pursuing it, it just sort of happened, so I guess the lesson would be get out there and start doing anything because you never know how awesome it might be.

1. Mix Tapes

    As you probably know, I like movies, and one of the reasons movies are so awesome is because of their soundtracks. Music turns boring, non-cinematic things into the best, awesomest, most epic things you've ever seen. Walking up a hill? Cue epic music. Holy crap, you're ascending that incline like a boss! Now imagine if real life was that epic. It can be, just make a mix tape. Whether it's telling someone that you love them, getting pumped up for the big game, hosting sick parties or just for the lolz, making mix tapes can make real life seem significantly more awesome. Plus, when your life seems more awesome, often you become more awesome. Yes, mix tapes can induce next-level awesomeness, and that is why they are the Number 1 way to pursue awesomeness for 2011.

P.S. Thank you to everyone who reads this blog. There may not be that many, but that makes everyone who does even more important. Hear that? You're important! Congratulations, and keep pursuing awesomeness in 2012! Oh, and remember, becoming awesome is not a spectator sport, so get out there and start being awesome.