I'm lucky enough to have a friend like Sebastian who invited me and a few of my friends to try sailing with him. A great adventure, beautiful views and entertaining company.

At the Canada Day Parade a young guy was walking around with a "Free Hugs" sign and gave Ann Marie a hug. Noticing that he had a couple extra signs, Ann Marie asked "Can we join you?". Well we did join him and we became a part of the parade.

Continuing to be a tourist in Vancouver, Vivian and Sonia joined me in exploring West Vancouver's Lighthouse Park.

In anticipation of an outdoor rock climbing adventure, Sean, Sonia and I took a belay lesson at Vertical Reality. I saved Sonia's life several times during the lesson and earned the nickname Hero. On the flip side, I ended up all scratched and bruised as Sonia let me plummet to the floor on more than one occasion (kidding, she's actually pretty good).

Went for a walk around Lynn Canyon and Rice Lake.

In support of the Walk to Cure Diabetes, we got free admission to the Greater Vancouver Zoo! And they had veggie hot dogs!

After exploring Europe, it occurred to Vivian and me that we hadn't ever really explored Vancouver so we decided on a stroll through Stanley Park. Walking through Vancouver with the eyes of a tourist really highlights how remarkable Vancouver really is.

Went to the Grouse Grind again and showed drastic improvement. Only took 1hr 40min this time. That's an impressive 29% improvement. During the climb, Vivian mentioned that I have too much energy, so I took her back-pack (while still carrying mine) and put a heavy rock in one of them (see picture below).

First try at the Grouse Grind this season. Time: 2hrs 20min. More importantly, Vivian and Akash both finished. Made me proud.

This was my first time dabbling in travel. We checked out London, Paris, Barcelona, Venice, Florence, Rome, Athens, Crete and Dublin. 12 flights, 19 days, unforgettable memories.

Here are some of the lessons I learned from my traveling experience.

1. Always ask. You'll be in no worse position if a person doesn't help, but if they do, you'll be swiftly on your way to your end goal. There's no point wasting your time trying to figure something out when another person will readily help you.
2. Being a contrarian is no better than being a conformist. Either way, you give up thinking for yourself.
3. Try it before judging. You can't be certain that you won't like an activity without having tried it. Jump in, and if you end up liking it, you can do it again. If you don't like it, you can move onto the next thing.
4. How you make a person feel matters more than anything else. It's not what you do, but the feelings that you evoke in another person that determines their attitude towards you. People do shy away from those that make them feel worse.
5. We all want to connect with others and feel significant, whether we explicitly express it or not. Make others feel that way.
6. The adventure comes from within. It wasn't the external environment that makes the most magical memories possible, but instead the decision to do those things. I could climb a mountain in Vancouver, I could have a picnic here in Vancouver, I could watch the sunset here in Vancouver, I could do 90% of the activities here, yet in the past I've decided not to. The adventure is within me and I can express it whenever I'd like.
7. You can give 110% of yourself to a friend, yet not fill their needs. Sometimes they just need 10% of a different personality. Don't take it personally.
8. Your examples have a greater influence on others than your explicit advice does. People will do as you do if they see you getting the results they also want.
9. Care.