Last November, I wrote a post entitled “You’re Not Dead Yet! Bucket Lists: Part I”. Rereading this entry, it’s interesting to see not only how much my life has changed, but my priorities as well. Some of the places I wished to see when I originally wrote this dream inventory in 2003 have faded into oblivion. And while there are many things I’ve done and lands I’ve explored since 2012, there is still that ever-growing list…

Should I explain to you what has changed in my life since last November? Maybe it’s important to know that I’m now free and standing strongly alone. Perhaps it would help to know that freelance writing seemed a fairytale last year, while today I proudly claim the title. No matter; I believe that my goals and achievements are able to speak for themselves.

Activities from Part I that still apply:

◦Skydive.

◦Rock climb in the great outdoors. (Clinging to boulders while hiking doesn’t count!)

◦Write and complete a novel. (I now wish to focus on writing a non-fiction collection of travel stories.)

◦Get a 2nd tattoo. (I did this in Buenos Aires in 2005, and now at number five, it is possible I have a new addiction. My latest tattoo was designed and etched into my back in traditional Iban style, one needle tap at a time, in Kuching, Borneo.)

◦Learn more about botany/zoology.

◦Have an art exposition of my own art. (One day, I’ll have satiated myself with writing and will devote myself to drawing and painting!)

◦Learn to play the drums.

◦Get over my fear of (motorcycles) mopeds. (This item has gone full circle from being obsessed with Harley Davidsons to being petrified of two-wheeled motor vehicles. It really deserves its own post. For now, suffice it to say I took the first step of conquering my fear by riding a moped in ChuTung, Taiwan about a month ago.)

◦Learn how to swing dance

Places to Visit from Part I:

1.Cuba

2.Spain 

3.Italy

4.France

5.Malaysian Borneo 

6.Ireland

7.Scotland

8.England

9.Africa (North, South and almost everywhere in between.)

10.Iceland

11.France

12.N’ Orleans

13.Australia (The Great Barrier Reef, holding a koala, diving, and spotting kangaroo are definitely musts in this country.)

15.Lowell, Massachusetts (to visit Jack Kerouac’s hometown and grave.)

16.James Lick Observatory (This is practically in my backyard; I really need to do this when I return to San Jose.)

17.Visit the snow: go skiing, make snowmen, etc. (I was able to visit Lake Tahoe in March. While I didn’t ski or make snowmen, I made snow angels!)

Recent Aspirations:

1. Visit the Taj Mahal in Agra, India

2. Visit Powell’s Books in Portland, Oregon

3. Go on a road trip from the Bay Area, California to Vancouver, B.C., Canada

4. Travel (at least part of) the Silk Road or Trans-Siberian Railway into Moscow, Russia (inspired by Paulo Coelho’s Aleph)

5. Get a Thai massage in Thailand (and eat Pad Thai, too!)

6. Meditate with Buddhist monks in Thailand, India, or wherever else calls to me (I recently chanted with my host family in ChuTung, Taiwan, who practice Soko Gakkai, and this was an amazing experience that left me wanting more.)

7. Go scuba diving

8.. Learn Italian and Russian

9. Walk the Camino de Santiago in Spain

…And much, much more!

What is on your bucket list?