I turned 25 a few weeks back. And I realized that I haven’t done anything noteworthy in the quarter of a century that I have thrived on this blessed planet. So here’s a list that I have come up with, and am constantly adding to/updating, of things that I need to get done at some point in my life. There’s no deadline, no prize, no pressure, no nothing. Just the heartfelt satisfaction of having done some badass things in life. (Some of the items on the list have been retrofitted).
- Own a home in my adopted country the US and my home country India.
- Have a picture taken with a major A-list celebrity.
- Be an authority on wine.
- Take a vacation to some exotic land all by myself.
- Learn about cars enough to NOT be a mute spectator in car conversations.
- Remodel my parents’ home while they are away, jazz it up with state of the art electronics, and be there to see the look on their faces.
- Design, develop and launch a website without a thought of any monetary gain from it. Similar to the Wikipedia and Craigslist model. Do no evil.
- Be fluent in a foreign language.
- Take ballroom dancing lessons.
- Learn to drive.
- Get a driver’s license.
- Take a road trip to a state that isn’t New York or New Jersey. (Drove back from Columbus, OH to New Jersey in Mach 2010)
- Go snorkeling.
- Go scuba diving.
- Go bungee jumping.
- Go skydiving. (August 2008)
- Go diving with sharks.
- Climb to top of the pyramid of Giza.
- Interview someone famous for my blog.
- Get interviewed for a magazine or television.
- Have my parents visit me.
- Sell one of my photographs.
- Go rafting.
- Attend a speed dating event.
- Grow my hair long enough so that it can be pony-tailed.
- Try my hand at gardening.
- Visit all the 50 states in the US. (7 8 9down, 53 52 51 to go, updated March 2010)
- Live as a vegetarian for a month.
- Teach.
- Attend a rock concert. (U2 in New Jersey, September 2009)
- Get another Masters degree.
- Visit every Ivy League campus. (1. Columbia, 2. Cornell)
- Own a 50+ inch television.
- Have a female roommate.
- Have a non-Indian roommate.
- Join a bookclub. (December 2009)
- Compete in the NYC marathon.
- Complete the NYC half marathon.
- Complete the NYC marathon. Yes, baby steps.
- Visit one of my best friend’s in Madrid, Spain.
- Paint a canvas.
- Grow a beard and live with it for a month.
- Dance at an Indian wedding.
- Write a short story.
- Learn to make Pad Thai.
- Learn to sail.