28 THINGS ON MY 28TH YEAR

I’m a sucker for bucket lists! That I admit. I spend hours contemplating what to do and where to go or where to fly to the next time I  get a time off from work and I write them down on the first thing I get my hands on may it be a tissue paper, a sticky note or a scratch pad which later I would mindlessly throw away along with the other garbage. I don’t keep a diary nor a journal. I think they are for little girls or for lonely people. I also find myself too old for that stuff. When I don’t have a pen, I write with my fingers in the air, on the dinner table or on my dad’s back everytime he asks me to scratch the itch off it. This. Folks… is probably the reason why out of the thousands of things written in my imaginary bucket list, I only have ticked off a few. I’d be lucky to have ticked off 20 but I doubt it.

With the emergence of technology, things got a little better. Plenty of apps round the internet which are readily downloadable and most of them are free. Got me a couple of them installed in my phone. I finally got something to do the task of organizing my thoughts which often times are all over the place. Gone are the days of writing in the air with people staring thinking I’m retarded. Items on my bucket lists are just a few clicks away now. Whoosh. Sweet!

Tech may have made things easier but me growing up into a full blown woman with my bad hair, unshaven underarms  and other womanly mundane coupled with my 9-5 job taking much of my time and posing a seemingly insurmountable challenge in the fulfillment of every one thing in my bucket list. Today I am saying goodbye to my 27th year and welcoming my 28th. Along with a year added to my age is the pressure of not being able to fulfill all of my dreams before I enter a new chapter in my life which is marriage and settling down and have bunch of kids which would also mean no more selfish ME-time.

Heck, I did this list to remind me that I have a whole 12 months ahead of me to tick off some things on my list I have been wanting to do all along. After the 12 months is over, I only have another 12 more to give it one last shot and the rest after that would be lost into oblivion. So here they are. Things that would keep me occupied from today until next year’s July 19.

EXPLORE MY BACKYARD

You wouldn’t believe I have been living in Metro Manila in the Philippines for more than 7 years now but I know so little about it. I fear one wrong turn into an unfamiliar alley would get me panicky and lost for hours. So I thought it may be time I get to know this place which have been my home for quite a while. Here are some things I felt was long overdue.

1. Visit Rizal Park
2. Visit the National Museum
3. Visit the Spolarium Of Juan Luna
4. Roam Around Intramuros
5. Food Trip in Binondo
6. Visit Trick Art Museum in Quezon City
7. Visit the Cat’s Cafe
8. Dinner in a yacht at sunset in Manila Bay

BECOME BOLDER AND SEEK MORE MIND-BLOWING ADVENTURES

I want to keep challenging myself. I just love that wonderful feeling of overcoming something I thought I’d never be able to do all along. This time it’s going to be more extreme that I would feel that tingling sensation of adrenaline rushing all over my body. You might find it a little exaggerated but I like to describe my thirst for adventure with this very captivating statement that goes, “You are the most alive when you are closest to death.” 😀

9. Sand Boarding in Ilocos
10. Go on an adventure in Porac Pampanga’s Sandbox
11. Swim with Whalesharks
12. Canyoneering in Cebu
13. Go Whitewater Tubing
14. Surf in Baler or La Union
15. Scuba Dive

SHARE MORE SPECTACULAR VIEWS ON A MOUNTAIN SUMMIT

Just this 2015, I rekindled my romance with mountains. I first fell in love with them during my high school senior year when I was most free. Then college took all the freedom away. Four years later, my 9-5 job made it even worse. I’m just glad that now little by little, I’m starting to figure things out.

16. Mt. Pinatubo
17. Tarak Ridge
18. Mt. Makiling
19. Mt. Pulag
20. Mt. Apo

TRAVEL FARTHER

21. Visit Batanes
22. See the Mayon Volcano
23. See the Chocolate Hills and the Tarsiers.
24. Admire those white sands of Kalanggaman Island

GET TO APPRECIATE OUR CULTURE EVEN MORE

I am a Filipino and I am proud of it. Despite the way things are in the country right now, I still believe that there will come a time our land will prosper. The world may see us as just another poor Asian country but little do they know our wealth is not something determined by numbers. It’s our rich culture and traditions that set us apart from the rest.

25. Witness festivals (Dinagyang, Moriones, Penagbenga)
26. Get a tattoo from Whang Od

GO INTERNATIONAL

I am an OTAKU and the people who knew me well can attest to that. This is the reason why on my first travel abroad, I would want to see Japan first. Other than my love for anime and everything about the land of sushi is the funny truth that before I knew there was China and Thailand or Malaysia and Indonesia, the only country I know outside our land is Japan.

27. Spring Time Tokyo & Kyoto

BE KINDER AND GIVE BACK

Given how my life is now, I can never be more thankful. Despite what I had been through and how much I struggled in the past, I have always thought I am blessed. I think it is just right that I give back that kindness this world has bestowed me.

28. Do charity (Feeding program to kids or Medical Mission to elders especially those located in remote areas)

There you go. I hope you’ll join me on my journey as I fulfill each one on my bucket list. Thank you for you all for sticking with me up until now. See ya. 😀