I don’t want to lead a hollow, cocooned life centered around things within my reach. i want to be shocked. i want to be taken out of my comfort zone. i want to stretch myself and push my body and mind to the limits, to experience what life has to offer. in short, i want to be a better person. and i’m willing to work for it.

here is a rudimentary list of what i want to do for the next phase of my life:

  1. Go on a humanitarian/ mission trip to a third world country.I can begin with my church’s yearly trips to Shan Refugee Camp in Thailand’s border. as i grow older, i want to put aside some part of my salary and time to venture to other countries like The Phillipines, Cambodia and Bangladesh. Maybe if i’m ready, i may join organisations like Oxfam or Doctors Without Borders. I’ve always felt the urge within me to reach out beyond my clean, safe country. When i’ve picked up some basic skills like swimming, and when i’m older and wiser, I’ll take it on.
  2. Fix my bad posture. my spine is seriously crooked. i’m considering either going to the chiropractor’s, or getting a metal brace attached to my back. whatever it is, i’ll have to make a choice soon. or should i just let it be? advice wanted.
  3. Get a Crucifix tattooed on my shoulder blade.for this, i’ll wait till i’m 21. and then I’ll see if i still want it, before I go ahead.
  4. Go Backpacking. I’ve been travelling since I was a kid, shuttling around in airplanes, getting seasick on fishing trawlers, nearly falling off a speedboat, and feeding lions in safaris. I know what it’s like to be a tourist, but not a real traveller. When i’m 25, i plan to embark on a backpacking trip around Europe with a mutual travelling partner, who’s willing to spend nights in a sleeping bag, not shower for a few days, and lose a few valuables. This is something i MUST do before I get married.
  5. Write a Book.this is going to be real hard considering my capacity for short proses. i haven’t tested my long term writing skills yet. my last attempt at a “novel” was when i was Twelve, and i was a rip-off of R.L Stein’s ghost fiction for kids. i stopped at the second chapter, when i ran out of ideas as to how to make my ghost scarier, besides making weird noises in a haunted mansion. ‘Nuff said. I’ll try to make it happen.. maybe when i’m a senior citizen in a nursing home.
  6. Get high on good-quality hash.if i do get to go to Holland in the future, i’ll give it a go. it’s one of those things in life which are silly, pointless and yet, you just have to do it. Like supporting your favourite soccer team, even if you’re a thousand miles away from them.
  7. Improve my character. i’ve got a lousy character, i know. i aim to be more tolerant, optimistic and forgiving. i want to be less bitter, sarcastic and scheming. okay, my toes are laughing already.
  8. Be a Musician. Not for a living, though. i hope to join/form a proper band that is open to any genre of music, and just play music for the love of it. don’t remind me of my days as a poser-bassist in Pretty Potheads (now defunct, formed by a group of rocker wannabees). that was a nightmare. those days of hero-worshipping rock stars are behind me: now, i appreciate them for their talent. I don’t want to be a rock star; just a musician, thank you.
  9. Be grounded to earth.  above all, i pray for rootedness and a sense of stability. i want to keep it real. my life, that is.

not very impressive, i know. but for now, this will do. :) thanks for reading. hey, why don’t you sit down and think about the bigger picture, too? you don’t have to fulfill everything, but at least you get a sense of direction. and yeah, if you’ve “been there, done that”, feel free to tell me what you think about this list.