I Resolve...

It's that time of year to get out the old list of the New Year's resolutions we didn't quite follow through with last year.

I don't see much of a point in waiting until January first to start a resolution. I start right when I think about it, so by the time the first comes around, I'll already feel committed rather than obligated.

I also break my resolutions down into smaller goals.

You'll also notice numbers at the end of some of the goals. I am participating in the 101 in 1001 challenge and some of the goals could help me complete some of my 101 tasks.

My goals for 2013 are:

1) Finish writing the draft of a writing work in progress

Designate a day of the week to write for a minimum of 15 minutes.
Conduct thorough background research for my  notes.
No editing while writing.

2) Establish a daily routine

3) Establish healthy habits (#18)

Elimintate meat from diet.
Exercise: bicycle commuting, yoga (#17), and cardio throughout the week. Strength training as desired.
Make an effort to sit and stand up straight. Work on relaxing shoulders to avoid backpain.
Drink at least 2 liters of water a day by carrying waterbottle. (#31)
Follow the five ingredient rule.
Reduce pop intake.
Reduce sugar intake. (#35)
Make meals at home ahead of time.
Brush and floss twice a day.

4) Become as eco-friendly as possible 

Invest in reusable goods (such as produce bags, handwarmers, sandwich bags, lunch boxes, teabags, swiffer pads, paper towels, bowl covers)
Only drive when absolutely necessary. (# 76)
Begin using homemade laundry detergent. (#50)
Use natural cleaning supplies (lemon juice, vinegar, water, baking soda) (#51)

5) Focus on savings

Pay bills immediately after getting paycheck.
Budget any extraneous profit and deposit budgeted money into savings.
Five dollar savings plan
30 day waiting list for any items desired. (#46)
Thrift shopping for any clothing purchases needed, if can't be found online for under $10 (excludes intimates).



[Edited 01.01.2012] I hadn't quite pinned down how I wanted to tackle my language progression this year. So it wasn't included in the original post.

6) Maintain languages (ASL, French, German, & Spanish) (#6 #61)

Use the Radio Lingua Network as a lesson guide for subject vocabulary for French, German & Spanish
Personal study of grammar as a supplement to vocabulary
Bill Vicars ASLU as a guide to maintain ASL
Google+ Communities & Language Practice Hang Outs to get in some "face to face" practice.
Use the Pomodoro Technique to prevent burn out


What are your New Year's resolutions??

See a professional ballet

Now that the holiday season is coming to an end, I guess I can write a little update. Especially from my 101 in 1001 list, as there are some great updates on that. I'll space them out over the next few days/weeks so I'll actually be posting. Oops. Life takes me away sometimes. Kudos to those bloggers dedicated and disciplined enough to write every day!

Number 92 on  my list is "See a professional ballet"

It's been a while since I've actually seen a ballet done by a professional company, rather than a local ballet studio and it's students. Riley and I went into Spokane to see the State Street Ballet put on The Nutcracker (my favorite holiday tradition).

As a former dancer, I cherish the art and sport of ballet. The amount of artistry and strength it takes to convey a character and execute the steps perfectly is phenomenal and takes me into a different world.

You can take the dancer out of the dance, but you can't take the dance out of the dancer, I guess!

Riley really didn't know what to expect, but he enjoyed himself. The company did a great job of appealing to all audiences, and not stuffy old ballet-loving grandma's like me.

In true theater etiqutte, I didn't take any pictures during the show, but beforehand we did go and look at the Christmas Tree Elegance auction at River Park Square mall and the Davenport Hotel. Some great pictures were taken by the Spokane Review, which you can see here.

Each Christmas tree had a theme with themed and cash prizes and patrons bought raffle tickets to win them.

My favorite, since it was book themed. See the garland made out of book pages?

Christmas is really one of my favorite times of year.

Hope your holiday (whichever you celebrate, if at all) was great and Happy New Year to you all!

A Birthday Never Celebrated

Dear Daddy,

Today you would be 53. Mom would have made you a big fat breakfast burrito and given you a kiss as you left the house.

I would've sent See's chocolates -- a signature favorite of yours -- and called to ask you if you wanted anything else. Probably another classic rock album that you didn't have yet (if that were possible). Maybe some concert tickets or a new winter coat (plaid, of course).

A funny card would've accompanied the chocolates, something sarcastic and dorky, but you would've laughed anyway.

You would call me mi hija and told me you love me and miss me. Then you would've said you were going camping or fishing this weekend to celebrate with mom and the dogs.

You'd yell at the bird to shut up, because he loves to mimick you while you talk on the phone.

But your age is frozen forever at 46. While mom and I move on and grow older, you've only celebrated 46 birthdays.

We miss you so much and love you forever.

Happy birthday daddy.

Today is the greatest day I've ever known

Imagine the perfect concert experience:

Your favorite band.
Front and center seat.
Favorite songs played.
Amazing lightshow with a giant psychadelic globe.
Great crowd.
Lead singer ackowledges your existence.

This happened to me on Wednesday, 10 October 2012.

I traveled via bus alone to Everett, Washington to see my favorite band of all time: The Smashing Pumpkins.

No sir, this is not zoomed in.

You may not recognize their name. But listen to this song, this song, or this song and you may have heard them on the radio once or twice.

The setlist was amazing. The opening band got us jazzed up real good.

Billy Corgan (lead singer: man who kept me alive through his lyrics for much of my angsty teenage years; lyrical god) had some commentary in between songs (such as "without beautiful women there wouldn't be ugly men" and "Part B of my life is Part A in this set; Part A in my life is Part B of this set") to which, us fans of course, cheered at his wisdom.

At the end of the show, I was staring at Billy as he was saying goodbye to the crowd and put my hands in a pleading position with big puppy dog eyes... and he smiled, nodded, and tossed his guitar pick to me, which has since been tucked away until I can find the perfect display case for it.

Excuse the post-concert hair. Headbanging is vicious.

Then on the 7 hour bus ride home, I started showing symptoms of the flu and have been in bed since I got back.

And thus, I completed #52 on my 101 in 1001 list with the best band I've ever known.

Readers I Do Not Know

Every blogger thinks they're talking to a wall and the only reader they have is their loving boyfriend and/or mother who reads every post with a encouraging "great blog today" when you really think it's crap..

I received a Facebook comment from a reader I actually DO NOT know, and it made my day:


"A quick note today to say, thank you, danke, gratzi, mil gracias! I'm not sure how exactly I landed on your blog from the Spokane AOPi   page, but I just read through your 101 is 1001 and it's got me feeling fully inspired! I'm going to set to work on drafting my 101 today. 

Also -- you're an exceptionally talented writer -- full of insights and keen observations. I hope you continue to write -- and share it with the world. 

Big hugs and roses to you from the east coast this a.m."


Thank you dear reader. I can't wait to read your 101 in 1001 and I hope my future posts inspire you even more, no matter how infrequent they are.

Rose in the Wintertime

Tonight was Preference -- the last night of Formal Recruitment and, in my opinion, the most magical night. It's a time to put aside the chants and fun songs and cute outfits and give a glimpse of our Ritual to those who choose to walk through our door and giving them a chance to possibly join our sisterhood.

While I was sitting in the back, listening to the chapter singing, I reflected on my own time through Preference and one of the songs we sing.

Bring me a rose in the wintertime, when it's hard to find. Bring me a rose in the wintertime, I've got roses on my mind.
For a rose is sweet, most anytime and yet, bring me a rose in the wintertime, how easy we forget.

Bring me a friend when I'm all alone, when it's hard to find. Bring me a friend when I'm all alone, I've got friendship on my mind.
For a friend is sweet, most anytime and yet, bring me a  friend when I'm all alone, how easy we forget.


Bring me love here in AOII, when there's none around. Bring me love here in AOII I've got love on my mind.
For love is sweet, most anytime any yet, bring me love here in AOII, how easy we forget.

I was having rough thoughts during work and feeling really lonely and a little angry. Then I went to the AOII house and spent time with my sisters.

I'm really glad I told Riley J that he couldn't go to a school that didn't have an AOII chapter; and whether he made his decisions on accident or with divine interference, I'll never know, but I do know this:

I don't know what I would do without the women of Alpha Omicron Pi.

No matter where I am, I will always have my sisters. I can always "find a red door" and find myself home.

I can see the decor, with a picture of our Founding Sisters: Stella, Bess, Helen, and Jess and look at the familiar letters on the wall and know that my sisters are there.

It's always hard while in college. Everyone has a "fed up" period of time where they're just done and never want anything to do with it again. We even have those days outside of college in the "real world".


We can always go back home to our sweet Ritual. We always have our sisters.

My Beef with the Internet

I recently deleted a ton of online accounts and minimized the ones that I do have down to a very select amount of content.

I deleted over 50 boards on Pinterest, and combed out the remaining ones with links that didn't work or things I really didn't need to have pinned right then and there. Half the fun of Pinterest is looking for a cool new craft or recipe to try anyway. How often do you look through your current pins?

I deleted hundreds of friends on Facebook I never really talked to or who posted things that I didn't care to see. I went through my posting history and pictures and deleted anything that could hinder my character. How many friends on Facebook do you talk to or interact with regularly? Have any unbecoming pictures up?

I unfollowed Tweeps I always skipped over, who spammed my feed, or tweeted things I didn't care to see. Do you see your follower count as a popularity contest?

The internet -- and namely social media -- is not an extension of self, as the websites we subscribe to would have us believe. It's not a crime to not have Facebook (or Twitter, or G+, or Pinterest). It's not a crime to delete people off of a social media site because you do not talk. It does still mean you can be friends. These sites do not rule the world, though it certainly seems that way.

When a website is automatically telling everyone what articles you've read, what music you're listening to, who you're playing a game with (and the score), where you are, who you're with and every other move no one really cares about, it can be quite overwhelming.

Remember when we were teenagers and our parents always asked who we're going with, what we'll be doing, how long we'll be doing it, and then when we came back, they want to know every detail? That's how I feel about the internet. And quite frankly, it's as annoying as it was back then when I didn't want to tell my parents every single little thing I did.

Everytime I post something, I think about why I am doing it. Do I want attention? Do I want people to perceive me a certain way? Do I keep a certain friend or subscribe to certain things because I want to be associated with their characteristics? Am I hoarding sentimentality by keeping a stranger with memories as a friend, when we rarely talk, even in chat?

Believe it or not, but there is a world outside of the internet. It's big, full of beauty, and way more interesting than spending all day on these websites with your "friends."

True friends will pick up a phone and call or text instead of whining about why they can't message you in a little box or see your every move on a white and blue website.

Cabin Fever

Ever had real cabin fever?

The feeling of strong boredom that zaps every energetic bead out of your system.

The feeling of suffocation while in your own space, even when it's clean. So you leave.

But the place you leave to has the same effect. You don't want to be there.

You want to be at home -- the very place you tried escaping from ten minutes ago.

Because you're bored and too caught up in being bored that you can't do anything about it.

Your favorite activities are so tired and worn out, they seem monotonous when you do them.

You turn to things you've always wanted to do, but never really made it a priority.

But after the first few days, you lose focus, because those become monotonous too.

You turn irritable, exhausted, constantly wanting to sleep, subconsciously wanting to  kill time by being unconscious.

You covet new activities, and fill time by purchasing new equipment for such things. A new treadmill for your awesome workout regime, a new kindle for the library you've downloaded, a puppy to keep you company.

But these things soon fall into the large pile of failed interests stuck in the corner of the garage or the back of your closet.

The puppy becomes another burden, just another thing to entertain when you can't even entertain yourself, another mouth to feed, when you can barely summon the energy to heat up some ramen in the microwave.

Cabin fever, my friends, is a bitch.

Care Package

I went on an insane liquidation spree in the apartment. I think I was feeling a little claustrophobic in my emotional life (nothing having to do with Riley) so I was taking it out on my possessions.

I guess you can never get rid of too much stuff can you?

We (meaning, I) had a large pile of junk I've been meaning to either sell or donate sitting in our bedroom for the better half of two months. Most of it was used clothes, towels, linens, or items no longer in use (such as my VHS tapes, some DVDs I no longer care to watch, and the half broken VHS/DVD combo player).


Part of this pile was four large grocery bags full of baby clothes. My sister has a 7 month old and one of my good friends, fellow blogger, and AOII sister has a 2 year old with a very extensive wardrobe that no longer fits her.

It was logical to relieve Caty from the burden of these clothes and send them to my sister, who's child will eventually grow into them and look adorable in all of those ruffles and footie pajamas for the next couple of years.

I sent a care package, crossing off item #8.15 on my 101 in 1001 Days list


I really wish I had taken pictures, but I was a woman on a mission and nothing was stopping me.

Not even to take some crummy picture of a pile of junk.

101 in 1001

I'm not a huge fan of written memes, but after reading a few of these lists and thinking about what constitutes a meaningful, successful life I couldn't pass this one up. Read about this challenge here. If you're looking for some other awesome lists, google "101 in 1001" and go through the first 3 pages. Some pretty awesome challenges out there!

Date started: August 21, 2012

Expiration: May 19, 2015

Key:
Tasks Completed
Tasks In Progress 
Tasks Waiting to be Completed

Experiences will be blogged about either in words or pictures.

Without further ado, here's my list (in no particular order than the random thought process of my mind):

1.      Have 10 people recommend books to me and read all 10 of them

·         God, no! by Penn Jillette – Chris Cate

·         The Help – Araceli Olivas

·         Fahrenheit 451 – Ashley Armstrong

·         Trinity by Leon Uris – Tanya Bailey

·         Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell – Shawn Browder

·         House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski – Nicole Marcon

·         Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt – Vicki Clark

·         Tell No One by Harlan Coben – Lisa Evarts

·         No Second Chances by Harlan Coben – Lisa Evarts

·         The Book Thief by Markus Zusak – Lisa Bjorkman

2.      Pay off my student loans

3.      Save 20% of my income

4.      Make an AOII t-shirt quilt

5.      Au pair in Europe

6.      Write 10 poems in each of the languages I speak

7.      Do 15 "random" acts of kindness

1.       buy someone a coffee at Starbucks

2.       make our neighbors a holiday treat

3.       leave a nice note on someone's windshield

4.       tip a server 100%

5.       give a warm meal to a homeless person

6.       say "good morning/afternoon/evening" to a complete stranger (in a public place)

7.       bake something for someone “just because”

8.       let someone in line go in front of me (while in a long line)

9.       volunteer my time for a cause

10.    write a letter to someone who made a difference in my life, but probably didn't know it

11.    be a designated driver

12.    pay a stranger's tab

13.    send a handmade card to someone

14.    write a thank you note for no "real" reason

15.    send a care package

            9.  Visit my family in Albuquerque at least twice throughout the duration of the 1001 days

           10.  Make a cheesecake completely from scratch

           11.  Start my own herb and veggie garden

           12.  Sew/mend my own clothes & refresh old ones

           13.  Surprise a friend with a visit

           14.  Watch all seasons of How I Met Your Mother in succession

           15.  Organize my iTunes

           16.  Convert my physical book collection to Kindle and only collect unique physical books

           17.  Achieve Adho Mukha Vrksasana

           18.  Reach and maintain my ideal weight of 120ish lbs for a minimum of 6 months

           19.  Learn to snowboard

           20.  Bike 5 miles

           21.  Make gifts and cards by hand for 6 months

           22.  Don’t log into Facebook for 3 weeks

           23.  Wear my hair curly for 6 months

           24.  Cook a meal from two cultures on every permanently inhabited continent

           25.  Learn to French braid my hair and someone else's

           26.  Learn to shoot a bow and arrow

           27.  Take a cooking class with Riley J.

           28.  Create a piece of artwork

           29.  Watch 25 movies I've never seen before (more than 1 year old)

           30.  Get health insurance

           31.  Drink only water for two months

           32.  Go on a wine tasting tour

           33.  Go on a beer tasting tour

           34.  Go on a road trip at least 800 miles long

           35.  Cut out sugar from my diet for a month

           36.  Go to Oktoberfest in Leavenworth, WA

           37.  Get rid of unnecessary possessions

          38.  Read to kids in a library or public school

          39.  Establish a tradition with Riley J.

          40.  Attend a high school or college play/musical

          41.  Plan a surprise party

          42.  Register as a bone marrow donor

          43. Make a scrapbook for a friend

          44.  Go to Vegas with Mathew (my brother)

          45.  Wake up before 8 every day for 30 days straight

          46.  Have a no spend week every month for 3 months

          47.  Study 5 tarot cards a week until finished

          48.  Get CPR certified for infants, children, adults, and pets.

          49.  Kiss Riley J at midnight every New Year’s Eve for the duration of the 1001 days.

          50.  Learn to make my own laundry supplies and dish washing detergent

          51.  Use entirely eco-friendly cleaning supplies

          52.  Go to a concert

          53.  Take Riley J to the International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque

          54.  Write a will

          55.  Go to Canada

          56.  Go to a poetry slam and present

          57.  Visit another AOII chapter

          58.  Move to another state

          59.  Put 25₵ in a jar every time I swear for a week and donate the proceeds to charity

          60.  Keep a “my day in 5 words” journal for 6 months

          61.  Read a book in each of my languages

          62.  Learn the following in 10 languages:

o    Hello

o    Goodbye

o    Thank you

o    Please

o    Yes

o    No

o    Sir/Ma’am

          63.  Get my planned tattoos done

          64.  Go to a local art gallery

          65.  Learn the metric system

          66.  Reread the Lord of the Rings trilogy

          67.  Read the entire works of Edgar Allen Poe

          68.  Have an Audrey Hepburn movie day

          69.  Watch Riley J graduate from graduate school

          70.  Go to a movie alone

          71.  Go horseback riding

          72.  Own every Disney movie that has been released out of the vault

          73.  Have a Doctor Who marathon

          74.  Take a dance class

          75.  Get engaged to Riley J

          76.  Take only public transportation for a month

          77.  Visit the east coast

          78.  Visit Riley J’s family in Nebraska

          79.  Get a dog

          80.  Go to at least 3 MLB games throughout the duration of the 1001 days

          81.  See a University of Nebraska football game

          82.  Celebrate Christmas Day with Riley J

          83.  Go camping four times throughout the duration of the 1001 days

          84.  Stay in a hostel

          85.  See an opera

          86.  Read the entire works of Jodi Piccoult

          87.  Read the entire works of Nicholas Sparks

          88.  See Jim Morrison’s grave

          89.  Become a manager for a hotel

          90.  Start earning my bachelor’s in Hotel & Restaurant Management

          91.  Write a letter to myself for the day I graduate with my bachelor’s

          92.  See a professional ballet

          93.  Go whale watching

          94.  Hang out at a ski lodge

          95.  Watch a movie in a park

          96.  Have a picnic in a park

          97.  Celebrate a non-American holiday once a year during the 1001 days

          98.  Go stargazing

          99.  Make pizza from scratch

          100. Make ice cream from scratch

          101. Go on a trip with Davrey (my sister)

Some inspiration for your day

via PostSecret blog

List of 30: 28. What is your love language?

 List of 30

My love language is action, not words.

Words are meaningless. Telling someone you love them or care for them is pointless without a follow up with action.

"He loves me because he says so" doesn't hold a sparkler to "he sat through Titanic with me because I wanted to see it"

Though motives behind the action mean more.

Riley and I did long distance for nine months recently. It was tough and several times I got upset with him because I felt disconnected from him.

When we were in the same place he would buy me lunch or dinner, bring me something to show he had thought of me while he was out, kiss me, and hold my hand, or something small. It's the small things that count.

When we were 1500 miles apart, it was a little harder for him to show that he cared, no matter what he said.

In romance movies, there's always the big gesture. The big "aw" tearjerker moment.

We rarely get it. Honestly, it's usually not that huge and in your face.

But it is the small gestures that are the language of love.

It's the little notes, the dishes done, allowing you to control the remote, the kiss goodbye, or the look in their eyes when they look at you.

It's not the materialistic things they can provide for you. It's the thoughts throughout the day they have for you that dictate true love.

List of 30: 02. Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears.

List of 30

Fear #1: Free falling

I'm not so much afriad of heights as I am about the feeling of falling and the stomach in the throat nonsense that comes with it. I can be up in a tall building, but the elevator ride up and down gives me anxiety. Forget those free-falling rides that take you to the top of something and dropping you. I almost cried on Tower of Terror in Disneyland.

I think it's because I got stuck on the monkey bars in 1st grade because forgot how to get down and then I was on a free-fall ride that refused to stop. You'll notice on my bucket list  the clichéd item of sky diving isn't on there. Well, that's why. Not my cup of tea...or shot of whiskey.


Fear #2: Bugs that fly

Things that sting, things that bite, beetles that belong on the ground, flies, lady bugs, and anything else with wings that can chase me around freak me out. Butterflies are cool because they don't fly, they flutter. And they're pretty. But those other things I listed? Screw that. I hate mosquito bites (along with the rest of the human race) and I currently have one on my back that is driving me insane as my shirt rubs against it. I've never been stung by anything and I'd like to keep it that way. Oh and ants, especially if they fly. We had an ant infestation at the beginning of this summer and that was pure hell.

I just don't like being chased by tiny things that I can't keep track of and usually buzz.

Fear #3: Stupidity

It really concerns me how many stupid people there are in the world. I don't want this to sound pompous, but I like knowledge and learning and when someone asks me an ignorant question or chides me because I enjoy educational documentaries over the new Tyler Perry movie, it really makes me wonder where the world is going. We spend more time watching idiots on MTV binge drink and screw everything that moves than progressing and investing in our personal futures. Most would rather watch 16 and Pregnant than see girls the same age kicking some ass in the Olympics. It gives me hope for the human race when I see someone who is kind for the sake of kindness, rather than for the glory of the title of being kind. I love when people are learning for the sake of learning (you wouldn't believe how many people give me crap for learning languages on my own instead of going to college and getting a degree in it).

Most of all I love people who live off the beaten path and go their own way, rather than succomb to the norm. I try and influence people to think outside the box (something I've apparently been able to do since infancy, according to my mom) and live their life how they want to, rather than how they think they're supposed to.

And lastly, intelligence is a wonderful thing, but what you do with it matters more.

From A to Z

I recently decided I wanted to be called by my middle name of Zoë. It's a name I've always had an identity with but never really "felt" like a Zoë. I was called Tatiana in high school and it worked out well with foreign friends who found it hard to pronounce the very anglophone "Autumn."

I was severely teased for my first name (Autumn) throughout my childhood and still get worn jokes about what season it is and whether it's okay to call me "fall" (it's not) and if I was born in autumn (I wasn't). I've learned to brush them off over the years, but it's still pretty annoying.

The main reason for the change is I'm just not the same person I was even six months ago, much less someone I used to be 3 years ago or more. I've grown into the beginnings of a person I've always wanted to be instead who I thought I should be (as I've said multiple times on this blog). I'm a new person.

Plus Zoë is pronouncable in many languages, which keeps things simple and uniform.

Zoë means life. And at this point in my life, I can finally feel that my life is mine, rather than held captive by tragedy, debt, or my insecurities. 


Please change your address books and phones to Zoë and rhymeswithjoey@gmail.com. Please do your best to call me Zoë.


Thank you :)

Re: The signs of a meaningful life

I'm a reader of the Skool of Life blog by Srini Rao and as I was going through my feed today, I saw this post by him.

In this post, he's on the way to a beach for a surf lesson and he sees a bunch of signs, looking much like someone's public bucket list.

I'm not a huge fan of "bucket lists" since I'd rather map out goals and make them happen as my circumstances allow.

Srini wrote: "But when I got  to the beach, I thought to myself “If I did all the things on this guy’s bucket list, I would feel as if I had lived a meaningful life.” An hour later, I overheard a girl in the water talking about the signs and the fact that she had just been proposed to. So I assume the signs had something to do with that.  The signs reminded me of just how much more valuable a life made up of experiences is than one made up of possessions."

I'm not a materalistic person. While I enjoy my possessions, the only things I truly would be devastated if something happened to would be my scooter. Everything else is moderately easily replaceable (though I'd rather not go through the inconvenience of doing so), but that scooter is a rare model and much more difficult to replace than a yoga mat, DVD collection, or iPhone.

How many of us would have items on our bucket list that simply show wealth or money or power? How many would actually be experiences?

If this was the last year of my life, what would I put on those signs?


1. Live in Europe
2. Hug a koala
3. Help an underdeveloped village in Africa
4. Hike to Machu Picchu (Inca Trail) and have a ticket to Huayna Picchu.
5. Backback from China to Singapore
6. Have coffee with as many friends (old or new) as possible.
7. Take yoga lessons in India
8. See all 7 Wonders of the World (Medieval list)
9. Write a novel
10. Leave my mom with enough money to retire comfortably

I've recently started putting my life back together and realized I had a blank canvas. I'm preparing to live the live I've always wanted and be the person I truly am and want to be, rather than the one I thought I should.

Srini said "When you get to the end of the road of this journey called life, all you’ll be left with is the feelings you’ve felt, the memories you’ve formed,  and  the footprints on your  imagination from the experiences you’ve had. As you might remember, nobody leaves this world with a thing in their pockets. So give some serious thought to what you want to be able to take with you when you go."


What is most important to you? What would you do if you found out you had only one year to live and a grant to let you do whatever you wanted?

This is my list. What's yours?