1. The Rubik's Cube: I love puzzles and games, so I was thinking about teaching myself how to complete the Rubik's cube in under 4 minutes. I would have to practice a lot and teaching myself would be easy because there are plenty of tutorials and instructions online. At the end of the 5-6 weeks I will spend on this project, there will definitely be a risk of failure if I cannot complete the cube in under 4 minutes.
2. Blind tasting wines: I have always loved wine and wine education. I have worked a lot with wine and I realize the more I learn about it, the more it seems there is to know. One skill I think is impressive is when sommeliers blind taste wines. For this project I would study 5 white varietals and 5 red varietals. At the end of the 5-6 weeks, I would be able to blind taste the 5 white and 5 red wines and identity the varietal and which region the wine is from. My reservations with this idea is the fact that I will be blogging about an alcoholic beverage and I'm pretty sure that is faux pas in the world of public education. Obviously, the element of failure in this project is if I can't correctly identify the wines after 5-6 weeks of studying.
3. Planning my next dream vacation: Traveling is a huge passion of mine. I have been thinking about a particular adventure now for a while. It includes flying to China and staying for a couple weeks then hopping on the Trans Siberian Railway all the way to Moscow. After that I would transfer trains through Eastern Europe and all the way down to Spain, cross the Straight of Gibraltar and spend a few weeks in Morocco. My project would include a lot of research on the adventure to determine the major sights I would see, how much time I would need, where I would stay, and how much money I would need. There isn't a huge element of failure here.
4.Learn how to ferment food: I am also passionate about food and gardening and I started to like fermented food when I taught English in South Korea because fermented food is a huge part of their cuisine.I like the way fermented food tastes and I know it is really good for a healthy gut. This project would include me learning about how to ferment food and ideally taking cabbage or other vegetables from my garden and fermenting them. Learning about it would be easy to do on the Internet and I would consider myself not failing if I am successful at fermenting some food and I like the taste!
5. Create a painting to hang above my bed: I have never been too artistic, but I hear it is a healthy activity. This project would require me to buy a canvas big enough to put over my bed and to create a piece of art using oil paints (is that even how to say it? That is an example of how little I know about creating art). I would watch videos online to give me ideas and tips on painting techniques. Success with this project would be a completed painting that I like enough to hang in my room.