Lisa's Bucket List

In no particular order, this is my 100 item bucket list!

1) Shop up a storm in New York

2) Learn to ski

3) Go on a roadtrip in the USA and Canada

4) See the Northern Lights

5) Do some study in psychology

6) Experience the cherry blossoms in Japan

7) Live and work overseas for six months or more

8) Try scuba diving

9) Swim with sharks

10) Fire a gun

11) Experience La Tomatina in Valencia

12) Take a road trip around New Zealand

13) Snorkel at the Great Barrier Reef

14) Go on safari

15) Visit every continent

16) Go on an international business trip (not for a conference, that doesn’t count!)

17) Improve my photography skills

18) Improve my photo-editing skills

19) Make a mosaic

20) Learn how to make candles

21) Become a confident cook

22) Host a 3 course dinner party (all cooked by me)

23) Restore a piece of furniture

24) Stop biting my nails

25) Make a big difference in at least one person’s life

26) Volunteer

27) Own a beach house or a farm house

28) Spend a week getting pampered at a 5 star spa

29) Start my own business doing something I love

30) Create a website for said business

31) reate enough passive income so that I don’t have to work another day in my life

32) Learn about tax minimization (when I have enough assets etc to make it worthwhile)

33) Have children

34) Pass on a family heirloom to my children

35) Mush a dog sled

36) Visit the San Diego Zoo

37) Live in a restored heritage house / cottage

38) Have a big garden

39) Spend time at a Vipassana/silence retreat

40) Own a dog

41) Attend the Mardi Gras in Sydney

42) Renovate a house DIY style

43) Go travelling with my Dad

44) Go travelling with my Mum

45) Make a living working with kids

46) Plant a tree with my kids and watch them grow

47) Get a professional makeover (makeup, hair, clothes)

48) Go camping in a foreign country

49) Fly first class

50) Have a mud fight

51) Go hot air ballooning

52) Publish a book

53) Learn to sew

54) Swim with whale sharks

55) Learn to surf

56) Make a piece of artwork and hang it on my wall

57) Take a pole dancing class

58) Go island hopping in Greece

59) Get engaged

60) Get married

61) Fall in love

62) Experience a white Christmas

63) Write a list of 100 things that make me happy and take a photo of each

64) Learn to ride a scooter or motorbike

65) Throw a dart at a map (blindfolded) and travel to wherever it lands

66) Visit Disney Land. Better still, take my kids there.

67) Buy a map of the world and pin all of the places I’ve been

68) See an octopus while scuba diving or snorkelling

69) See the Grand Canyon

70) Visit every state in Australia

71) Take my kids on a roadtrip

72) Visit the New 7Wonders of the World + the honourary 8^th  (only Petra, Chichzen Itza and the Pyramid of Giza to go!)

73) Visit the New7Wonders of Nature (Jeju Island, Komodo Island, Peurto Princesa Underground River and Table Mountain to go)

74) Visit Zimbabwe

75) Complete a Tough Mudder competition

76) Go on an Alaskan cruise

77) Invest in the share market

78) Own a convertible

79) See a Cirque de Soleil show in Las Vegas

80) Donate blood

81) Write a journal every day for 100 days

82) Win an overseas holiday

83) Volunteer at a Starlight Foundation children’s hospital play room

84) Learn proper dining etiquette

85) Eat at one of the world’s best restaurants (once I have mastered 84!)

86) Stay in a 6 star hotel

87) Own a house outright (no mortgage)

88) Design and build my dream house

89) Help out a random stranger in distress

90) Raise my kids bilingual

91) Learn and master meditation

92) Try a fried snickers

93) Experience Halloween in America

94) Make a bucket list scrapbook

95) See a glacier

96) Become a foster carer

97) Ride a horse along the beach at sunset

98) Host a bonfire party

99) Attend an Olympic games, or soccer world cup

100) Go spelunking

30 Before 30

As part of my university postgraduate studies, because (ironically) the university insists on wasting my time, I had to do a survey on 'time management skills'. We were then rated from 1-10, and told what we could improve on. Apparently, I need to improve my goal setting. I find this incredibly strange given that I am the biggest list writer I know- I get great satisfaction out of writing lists of things to do and crossing them off. 

I have decided however to compile a '30 before 30' list, that is, a list of things to have done by the time I turn 30. I have no doubts this list will be redundant in a few years (and I still won't be 30), but it might be fun to look back on. So here goes:

1. Own my own house / townhouse / apartment. 

2. Decorate my abode with lovely retro and vintage funds, but with a modern functional touch.

3. Learn how to sew, using my very own sewing machine (which I do not yet own).

4. Go skiing or snowboarding.

5. Do some psychology units at university or at least read some books on the subject.

6. Visit the USA, specifically NY and some little interesting redneck towns.

7. Sift through Californian flea markets and find some treasures.

8. Visit Japan, when the cherry blossoms are in flower.

9. Play in a womens soccer team.

10. Go on some roadtrips, explore more of Australia.

11. Visit the Kimberley region of Australia.

12. Visit Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory.

13. Lie on a beach in Thailand.

14. Take a pole dancing lesson.

15. Consult with a personal stylist / colour analyst.

16. Take a professional makeup class.

17. Go camping.

18. Learn karate, or another martial art.

19. Refurbish some furniture, adding my own touches

20. Write my will (morbid? well yes, but necessary too)

21. Do some volunteer work.

22. Learn how to do my hair so that it looks professional. 

23. Become more empathetic, and a better listener.

24. Negotiate a salary/pay rise.

25. Change a flat tyre.

26. Learn how to poach an egg properly.

27. Get married.

28. Plan a big party for my 30th, to celebrate in style.

29. Decide what I want to do with my life, and where I am headed.

30. Be content.

So there you have it. If I can say I'm content at 30, with life and love and everything - that would be the dream.

I probably won't be posting for the next few days - I have some work related travel to do, and I have decided to spend the weekend in Sydney to do a little exploring afterwards. This means I will have some interesting Sydney insights to share, no doubt :-)

2011... the year of change

2010 was a fantastic year for me, possibly the best year of my life. I spent it nannying (children make my day better, most days) and then traveling throughout Europe and South America. To top 2010 is a big ask, so I won't be making any comparisons.

2011 is bringing with it many changes. I'll be changing my physical location (moving from WA to Canberra), changing my lifestyle (starting full-time work), challenging myself (that whole career thing), changing my accommodation (moving out of home, officially), changing my eating habits (no more Mum's cooking, now I need to learn some skills for myself) and meeting a whole new circle of friends.

Am I excited? Yes. Nervous? Definitely.

What better way to start a blog than with resolutions or goals, so that at the end of 2011 I can evaluate my success. My goals for 2011 are (in no particular order):

Education and Projects
~ Learn to cook some simple, healthy meals and cook for myself more often than not.

~ Learn new skills at my job but take things as they come, and not worry too much about future prospects. Trust myself and my performance.

~ Keep a blog for a year and bind into a book.

~ Be organised with my budget and important documents.

~ Do my own tax return.

~ Have a 'back to basics' month where I don't buy anything except essentials (to be defined later)

~ Read more books - try for one per month. I just have not been into reading lately...

House and Home
~ Avoid clutter. Moving out is a great way to leave clutter behind, so I don't want to accumulate more junk.

Love and Family
~ Be open to dating and a relationship.

~ Do new and exciting things with my family, like travelling with them or exploring new cafes and places together in Canberra.

Health and Diet
~ Loose weight. At least 3kg, but given the amount I have put on recently, it should really be 5-6kg. Goal weight - 53-54kg.

~ Find some way to exercise and get fit and toned. My hip pain cannot be an excuse, I have to work around it somehow.

~ Try Bikram yoga.

~ Be able to run 5km without feeling like I'm going to die.

~ Play a mixed sport. I know this is pushing it with my hip, and I probably won't be able to, but it would be amazing and I want to at least try...

Fashion and Beauty
~ Reduce my online shopping. I tend to go crazy on Ebay and online stores and this is how I accumulate junk!

~ Plan more outfits and experiment with my current wardrobe instead of expanding it.

~ Sell my clothes on Ebay or Oztion or at the markets if it will be worthwhile.

Travel and Relaxation
~ Holiday in Bali with Odette. Spend at least a week lying by the pool, drinking cocktails and eating hotel food brought to me at my sunlounge...

~ Experiment with meditation and relaxing music.

~ Explore some of the East coast during weekends, and learn to ski.

Friends
~ Meet new people, be more social and have more fun.

~ Keep in touch with all of my WA friends.

~ Hold a dinner party for 3 or 4 friends.