I have a pretty sweet bucket list that I've been adding to and editing since high school and I figured it was time to share it with the world. If there are any suggestions on things to add, please comment with suggestions, or even your own bucket list! This list is in no particular order :)
1) See King Tut's tomb-This one has been a dream of mine since the fifth grade. I've always been fascinated by the history behind his young, premature death, the discovery of his tomb, and all the mystery behind his tomb's excavation. I also have a general fascination with Egypt, so this would be the dream vacation of a lifetime.
2) Skydive-I am deathly afraid of heights. I feel like this would change that.
3) Laugh until I cry and can't breathe-I do laugh a lot, but I've never laughed this much. I've always wanted to know what that feels like.
4) Attend an Olympics-This has been a dream since I first watched an Olympics at the age of 7-when they took place in Nagano, Japan. I was fascinated by a young figureskater named Tara Lipinski going out onto the ice and just nailing every jump, twirl, and glide across the ice. I'm hoping and praying that I make it to London 2012. (that didn't happen...Rio 2016 anyone? I plan to be a speedwalker and crush the competition)
5) Watch a University of Michigan football game in Ann Arbor-I wanted to go to Michigan after first hearing about the school in 2004. Ultimately, my acceptance came too late in the summer, but I am still a very proud Wolverines fan. I also happened to write this point on my list when the Wolverines were really good at football....so take it as you will.
6) Watch a baseball game at Fenway Park-I've been told by people everywhere that this is the best place in the world after Yankee Stadium to watch baseball. Since Yankee Stadium no longer exists, Fenway is next on the list.
7) Watch an NHL game in every arena- So far, I've only been lucky enough to watch games in Toronto (the Air Canada Centre), Ottawa (Scotiabank Place), and Florida (Bankatlantic Centre). I read about a Tampa Bay fan that did this in 30 days recently, so it's definitely possible!
8) Visit the Taj Mahal-Achieved this one in December 2006 on my one and only trip to India! It was an absolutely breathtaking sight, and I remember sitting and watching the sun go down and the changing colours of the building. This was an amazing sight to see.
9) Run a half-marathon- Anyone who is good friends with me knows I can't run. I hate running. The pain I experience from running is one that I cannot take. I can walk forever and ever and I can kayak until my arms are ready to fall off, but running hurts like hell. This is a goal for me that I know will be ridiculously hard to achieve.
10) Get a tattoo-Achieved this one on October 6th, 2010! This is probably another one of those things I never thought I would ever get around to doing. But...one day in the MSU Boardroom, around 3 am, I made a bet with Mr Joe Finkle that if we raised over $80,000, I would get a Shinerama tattoo. We raised $85,900 for a cause that I have come to love so much-so I got the tattoo. Lesson learned for those around me: never ever make a bet with me because no matter how risky, I will take that bet, and if I lose, follow through. Muahaha.
11) See the Mona Lisa-This one is pretty straightforward: it's an iconic painting. I'm told I will be really disappointed when I see it, but if I do, it means I'm at the Louvre and I'm in Paris. I'm sure I'll get over the disappointment just fine.
12) Visit Victoria Falls-Victoria Falls is one of the seven natural wonders of the world..so why not?
13) Go on a safari-My African roots make this a necessary addition to the list.
14) Go to Uganda and see where Dad grew up-I always hear stories from my grandmother and Dad about the little village he grew up in, where my grandfather worked at a factory. I feel the need to go back and see where Dad has come from.
15) Go to Kenya and see where Mum grew up-My mother has such fond memories of Kericho and her home. I really want to go and see that and understand how she has become who she is today.
16) Find out what truly makes me happy and do it-I still don't know what career will truly make me happy. I want to be able to go into work every single day and love what I'm doing. The journey to find this out so far has been a bumpy one indeed. I think law is the right path, but who knows what the future holds?
17) Write a book-What about...who knows? I like to write (as you can tell by this epic post) so it's something I would like to sit down and do one day.
18) Build homes with Habitat for Humanity-I came up with this one when a friend went down to New Orleans to build homes with Habitat. I feel as if this would be a fantastically rewarding experience.
19) Eat chicken souvlaki in Greece- As Alison will tell you, I love chicken souvlaki. I eat it all the time. I crave it all the time. I like chicken and feta and when you put those two things together with some tzatziki and lettuce and hot sauce, HEAVEN ON EARTH! I've also always wanted to go to Greece and experience the beautiful history in the country.
20) Fall in love-Pretty self explanatory...I haven't even been close yet. Here's to hoping that isn't the case for much longer!
21) Change someone's life-Also pretty self explanatory
22) Have children-I love kids. I'm always the one my parents turn to when they talk about grandchildren because the know I want more then the family standard of two.
23) Get married-As much as I love the bird lady jokes (I can't be a cat lady because I'm deathly allergic), I really hope that isn't my reality.
24) Watch an Olympic hockey game live-Who knows...maybe I can make it to Russia in 2014? (Yeah right)
25) Spend a summer doing an internship with Right to Play-I know that this is something I really want to do. They take roughly 2 summer interns every year at the Toronto head office, so fingers crossed, that's where I will be next summer. There are few causes that are as near and dear to my heart as RTP. I really do believe that every single child has the right to play and be a kid for a little while, especially if this isn't their reality all the time.
26) Learn to speak and write in another language besides English-I guess high school Spanish or French could count for this, but I want to be fluent and able to write with ease. I'm decently fluent in Gujrati, but I can't write it to save my life and noone knows how to anyways.
27) Make someone smile-Smiles are contagious...so why not?
28) Be the change I want to see in the world
29) Ride a motorcycle-I managed to ride a Vespa and not kill myself in Daytona Beach, but I do not think that is an appropriate substitute.
30) Swim with dolphins-Achieved in Chiceniza, Mexico! This one of of the better experiences of my life at the age of 13. The joy on my face in pictures is amazing..I don't think I've been that happy many times in my life!
31) Go to university-Achieved in September 2008 when I started at McMaster! Here's to hoping I graduate...I feel like I've been here forever already. Good think I love Mac or else I would be in deep trouble.
32) Get a degree from university-Nearly there!
33) Kayak with Adam Van Koeverden-He's one of the best kayakers to ever come out of Canada....and he went to Mac.
34) Scream at the top of my lungs-I feel like this would be a lot of fun :)
35) Get paid to do something great-Achieved this one in February 2010 when I was hired as the Fundraising Initiative Team Leader, and I got to plan Shinerama and the Terry Fox Run, as well as be the Student Co-Chair on the United Way Campaign. I basically got paid to fundraise, which I absolutely love doing.
36) Learn to salsa dance-This came out of going to a salsa night at 1280 for Sahil's birthday and realizing I couldn't salsa, and therefore couldn't participate in most of the dancing.
37) Snorkel in the same water as the Great Barrier Reef-This is more Mom's dream then it is mine, but I love snorkelling so I figure, why not try this with her?
38) Watch a show at the Sydney Opera House-Yolanda has talked about Australia and how beautiful it is...so I feel like this is a must-see.
39) Read Homer's 'Odyssey'-It is supposed to be one of the world's great classics, and since I love to read...seems about right to have this on my list.
40) Throw the first pitch at a Jays Game at the Skydome-I've been a Jays fan since pretty much birth. There are pictures of me at six months with a Jays hat on my head, and my dad said he watched the Jays win the World Series in '92 and '93 on TV with me on his lap. This is a lifelong dream that I hope I can eventually achieve.
41) Attend a Toronto FC Game-I haven't seen a game yet, and it's about time!
42) See Michael Buble in concert- Achieved this one: TWICE! I saw Buble in January of 2008 with Mom and again in August 2010 with Mom. He's absolutely fantastic in concert and he's also extremely attractive :)
43) Sit courtside at a Raptors game-I've always wanted to do this, but tickets are on average $1000 each. Maybe one day I'll be able to splurge on one.
44) Watch the Nutcracker in Toronto-I've seen the Nutcracker at the Living Arts Centre, but this would be the ultimate ballet for sure.
45) Watch a show on Broadway-I've only heard great things, so why not?
46) Watch a University of Michigan hockey game in Ann Arbor-Pretty self explanatory
47) Spend a whole week just reading books-I love to read, and this would make the happiest person in the world. I managed to achieve this one in Costa Rica in 2012...I burned through something like 9 books in 7 days and I was just the happiest person on the beach.
48) Sit in a library for a whole day and look at random books-This goes along with the loving to read part.
49) Learn to snowboard- I can ski decently, but snowboarding has always looked fun and challenging, and I love a challenge.
50) Jump off a cliff-This sounds like fun, and would help with the whole 'scared of heights' thing. We went ziplining in Costa Rica which I feel is a hell of a lot scarier then jumping off a cliff. Therefore it qualifies.
51) Watch a New England Patriots Game in Boston-I'm a huge fan of Tom Brady (he went to Michigan) so I'm hoping to achieve this before he retires/leaves the Pats.
52) Have a Harry Potter marathon and watch all the movies in a row- I've grown up as a HP fan, so this would be awesome. I'm waiting for the last movie to be on DVD before I attempt this epic marathon.
53) Watch Canada play in a World Junior Game live- This is my favourite tournament to watch and I'm a very proud Canadian, so this would be a dream come true.
54) Raise $100,00 for Right to Play
55) Climb up the CN Tower Stairs- I've always wanted to do this and know it's a major achievement, seeing as the CN Tower has 2579 steps to the Skydeck.
56) Watch an NHL game in another country-Achieved this on December 31st, 2009 (I have a few times before then but this was the first ticket I found in my box of memories) in Sunrise, Florida. Dad, Mom, Niki, and I watched the Panthers take on the Habs (the Habs won 3-1 or something if anyone cares). It was one of the best hockey games I've ever been to..Habs fans are awesome! (I cannot believe I just wrote that)
57) Attend Wimbledon-I am a lifelong Wimbledon fan...I guess that's inherited from both my parents, who spent their teenage years in England, watching one of the greatest and oldest sporting events in the world.
58) Go to graduate school-Here's to hoping the law school ambition works out. I sure as hell have been studying hard for it.
59) Work for a professional sports team-Anyone who knows me well knows that this is the ultimate goal. I'm hoping to works in sports management for the Leafs :D
60) See the Leafs win a Stanley Cup-At the rate they have been going at in the past few years, I'm going to be 100 years old before they come even close. I see them having a legitimate team in 5-7 years time, if they draft well and actually let their draft picks develop. Oh yeah, and don't trade the good ones away, we need them.
61) Buy Dad a Zegna suit from their flagship store in New York City-I remember going to this store with Dad and him trying on a few beautiful suits. They tend to run at $3,000+ and my dad would never ever buy one for himself, but after years of hard work and dedication to me and my sister, he definitely deserves one.
62) Buy myself a car with my own hardearned money-This requires me getting a job first. Argh
63) Go up the Eiffel Tower-Again, this requires me to go to Paris :D
64) Use a paintgun-This looks like it would be fun!
65) Eat authentic butter chicken in India-Achieved in New Delhi in 2006! This was one of the best meals I have ever eaten, and I have yet to find something even CLOSE to it in Toronto.
66) Ride in a hot air balloon
67) Visit the Grand Canyon-Achieved in May 2003! Before heading to Vegas, we went to the Grand Canyon, which is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. I wish I was brave enough to hike down it a bit
68) Learn to surf-This is hopefully achievable soon :) I'm told it's incredibly hard but I'm up for the challenge! Done August 2012 in Tamarindo, Costa Rica! I suck at it, got surf burn on my legs, and have permanently scarred my eyes from all the salt water but it was an amazing experience.
69) Stay at the Bellagio in Las Vegas- Achieved in May 2003! Lucky for me, Dad had a conference here in 2003 and he took Niki and I along with him. What an amazing city, I need to go back now that I'm legal.
70) Go on a butter chicken tasting adventure and find the best butter chicken in Toronto- Dad and I did this one summer in the city, and ate at at least 10 restaurants. We found it at the Host, and even better, the Host opened in Mississauga around that time!
71) Participate in a city chase event in Toronto-I've always wanted to do something like the Amazing Race, and this is the closest thing to it that I could find. I've seen the participants at Jays games before, and really want to be a part of that. The best thing about the City Chase? It's a Right to Play event!
72) See Shinerama raise $1.25 million in one year-This is something that I really, really want to be a part of. Shinerama does so much good for cystic fibrosis research, and this is the ultimate goal for us over the next few years. It would be such an amazing thing if this was achieved soon.
73) Travel to 25 countries in the world. So far we've made it to: The United States (about 20 states and counting...thanks long car rides to Florida!), Mexico (X3), Cuba (X2), the Dominican Republic (x4), Costa Rica, Puerto Rica, St Maarten, St Thomas and the Virgin Islands, England (X15 at least), Italy, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Austria, the Vatican City, and India. I'm hoping to add Ireland or Scotland to that list during Reading Week 2013.
