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Every year around this time, we like to pause for a moment, take a look at what our fellow Canadians have created for the Web, and just marvel at how... um, interesting these folks must be in real life. Not convinced? Then take a second look at some of the more interesting homegrown sites we've highlighted this past year, and judge for yourself...

Around (Parts of) the World in (About) One Year - one wanderer's record of his wanderings around the world. >From April 1997 to April 1998, Paul Stockton travelled all over Asia and the Pacific Rim to explore that part of the world. Why? Hey, why not? Life's too short to ask why. [Featured June 12]

Backpacking Europe Solo: A Canadian Chick's Guide to Travelling Alone - a student at Simon Fraser University is a bit of a pro at getting around by herself, and she shares a few tips on the art of solo travel at her site. [Feb. 14]

Backyard Wrestling Federation, The - what do you call a bunch of guys from Mississauga who dress up and pro-wrestle each other in a backyard ring, and then broadcast their bouts over the Internet? No, there's no joke here, we're really asking you, 'cause for once we're speechless. [Mar. 13]

Big Things: Community Monuments in Canada - David Yanciw has done a bit of travelling in his time, but don't expect him to bore you with pictures of sunsets or funny-looking tourists. No, he's much more interested in the big things in life -- the world's biggest lobster, axe, piggy bank, skunk, nickel, curling stone... [Aug. 7]

Bills from the Bank of Canada - remember when paper money used to be worth something? This site's author apparently does. With images of the late and lamented $1 bills, $2 bills, and $1,000 bills (not to mention every other denomination still in play), this is truly a numismatist's nirvana. [May 22]

Canadian Letters and Images Project, The - an ongoing effort to publish the letters exchanged between Canadian soldiers and their loved ones during wartime, this is a true testament to the power of the written word. [Nov. 13]

Canadian Police Cars - who knew there were so many different ways to paint a police car? [Jan. 17]

Daniel Bastaja's Birding FAQs - have you ever wanted to take up the exciting hobby of birdwatching, but didn't know where to go with your questions? If so, then Daniel has a site that's truly for birds. [July 10]

David Manners - an online tribute to one of Canada's almost-forgotten movie stars, it follows his life from his birth in Halifax to his movie roles starring opposite the greatest movie stars of Hollywood's golden age. [Oct. 30]

Digital Life, A - what do you think it would be like to live on a houseboat and conduct your entire life online? Toronto's Brady Gilchrist can tell you, 'cause he's done it himself. [Nov. 6]

Don's Cemetery Page - Don has taken up the interesting hobby of talking about the dead people buried in Calgary's cemeteries, telling the life stories of people who have passed on to the next world. Who knew the dead could be so entertaining? [July 10]

Focus on Photographing Butterflies - you won't believe how tough it is to get all of them to say "cheese" at the same time. [Mar. 20]

Frank White's Newfoundland Songs - "Oh, Jack was every inch a sailor..." What, you don't know how the rest of that goes? Don't worry, Frank's got you covered with his salute to Newfoundland's musical heritage. [Aug. 21]

Great Canadian Tunebook, The - have you got a Canadian folk song stuck in your head, but you can't remember the title? This page might have the answer. It comes with both lyrics and sound samples of some of our most cherished folk songs. [Sept. 4]

Hot Toads! - aside from commenting on this fellow's possibly unhealthy interest in shrunken heads and giant toads, what more can we say other than check it out for yourself? [Apr. 3]

Icebike.com - billing itself as "home of the winter cyclist and other crazy people," this is the site to see for advice on extending that biking season into the bitterest months of winter. (Taxi!) [May 1]

Johnny Canuck's Wartime History of Canada - "There are too many Canadians, both young and old, who don't recognize Canada's disproportionately large contributions to Allied victory in the two world wars," says the site's author, and he's got a point. Our large-for-our-size participation in past world wars has taught the rest of the world one important lesson: don't mess with us. [June 5]

Kids in the Hall Audio Archive - "My pen! My pen! I can't work without my pen!" If this means nothing to you and doesn't provoke spasms of laughter, then you should probably freshen up on your Kids in the Hall terminology, starting with a visit to this site. [June 19]

Marigold - "40% feminist rally, 60% slumber party, and 100% Canadian." 'Nuff said. [Feb. 7]

Parietal Pericardium: An Online Journal - one Halifax writer's deepest, darkest delvings into the inner recesses of her twisted mind. Plus some recipes. [June 5]

Redhead Cluster Phenomenon, The - Joe Clark is just an average guy in Toronto who discovered one day that he would observe no redheads at all for days at a time, but then a whole bunch of them would walk by in a single afternoon. Coincidence? You be the judge. [June 5]

Research Guide for Students, A - a teacher-librarian from Mississauga puts the Web to good use by providing helpful advice on everything from using the Internet as a research tool to how to write a speech for class. [Oct. 9]

Scott's Kewl Home Page - this is supposedly the homepage of a 36-year-old Newfoundlander who works at Radio Hut, but we have our doubts. There's something awfully fishy about that Dead Man Web Cam, as if someone is out to make fun of homepage Web cams... [July 10]

SFWriter.com - the fellow behind this coveted URL is none other than Canada's Robert J. Sawyer, a very prolific sci-fi writer. His site contains no fewer than 735,000 words, many of them forming complete stories for your online reading pleasure. Aspiring writers shouldn't miss his tips on getting into the business, either. [July 3]

Speaking Cohen - one fan's shrine to Leonard Cohen, Canada's first gentleman of poetry and song, complete with song lyrics, pictures, and articles on his general coolness. [Nov. 6]

Stomp of Approval - "book reviews with attitude" is how this site bills itself, a refreshing change from all those other wishy-washy book critics... [June 26]

Ultimate Captain Canuck Tribute Page, The - for those of you who don't follow his comic-book adventures, Captain Canuck dresses in the colours of the Canadian flag to thwart evildoers. Which is a good thing, 'cause someone has to do the thwarting around here. [Jan. 10]

Ultimate Guide to Canadian Literary Publications, The - looking to break into the big-bucks world of Canadian publishing? Then take heart; this site's your first stop, with a listing of Canadian publications that publish literary works. [May 22]