The other day, I was watching the news on TV in which they were giving 2013 forecasts based on Chinese zodiac signs. People born in 1985, the Year of Ox, will be lucky when it comes to money. Also, a major prediction for my astrological sign, Libra, is that this year will involve travelling. Nice combination, right? Money + Travelling = an exciting year, an excited Patty. Boyfriend na lang ang kulang. 🙂
2012 was an amazing year in terms of travel. I plan on making this year even more amazing. I also have other activities in mind, some of which I haven’t really tried doing. I guess it would be a challenge to make 2013 a lucky year despite the common belief that 13 is an inauspicious number.
With extreme excitement, I listed down the things I am targetting to tick off my bucket list this year of the snake:
1. Travel to Malaysia – I am a certified child at heart. If there is one place I’ve got to set foot on this year, it has to be Legoland in Johor. The first international theme park in Malaysia opened on September 15, 2012 and has around 40 rides, attractions, and shows. I am looking forward to seeing those colored blocks in different shapes and forms, and to experiencing that childlike mirth that only comes from being inside a theme park – careless and free, with a pink cotton candy in hand.
2. Continue my love affair with food – I love to eat! Yes, it’s not obvious unless you stare at my bulging cheeks. I have a sweet tooth, making me a constant fixture in restaurants or establishments which offer cakes, pastries, and other sugary treats. This year, my quest for the coolest and must-visit restaurants will begin with a dinner in a restaurant named Van Gogh is a Bipolar. My friend Maggie has showed me a review about the place situated in UP Village, and I instantly said yes to her invite to go there. But I don’t just plan on eating and eating and adding those unwanted calories all year round. I also want to try out…drum roll please…cooking! Yes, you read it right, I want to cook! I just realized that cooking is something that every girl should at least try her hands on. Well if you consider Lucky Me pancit canton and corned beef and Spam as dishes, then I can say I know how to cook. But hey, we can’t live on those preservatives-loaded foods alone. I want to try cooking my favorite Filipino dishes like Sinigang, Adobo or Kare-kare. And since it’s just January and there are eleven more months ahead of me, I might as well try baking cookies or pastries to satisfy my constant craving for sweets.
3. Be the bookworm that I am – Aside from diamonds, I know you’ll agree when I say that books are also a girl’s best friend. I love the smell of a new book, the sound that flipping to each page makes, and the stomach-jolting sensation as a book transports me to a different dimension. I have a humble collection of books, most of which are comprised of gifts from people who know how much I value reading. I also adore the task of covering each book with plastic, preparing it for a daily journey with me, from start to finish. I especially love Paulo Coelho’s books, so I am aiming to finish all his works this year. Apart from around five books from him, I also have Books 5-7 from the Game of Thrones series to read, and the last book from Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Series to cap off the first half of the year. I’ll check out nice recommendations from Goodreads for books that I can devour once I’m done with that line up.
It seems that these tasks are rather unchallenging or trivial to even make it to somebody’s bucket list, but for me, I find them emotionally arousing. I work five days a week, eight to twelve hours a day, so I will barely have time left to do them. I will definitely be busy at work just like last year, primarily because I will be handling direct reports of my own. I wouldn’t let that stop me, though, from flying off to Malaysia and seeing for myself what it has to offer. I really don’t like being in front of a stove for extended periods of time, but I still want to come up with a signature dish or something really yummy in my tummy once I learn the basics of cooking. I used to think that I’d rather eat than cook, so including this item in my bucket list is a step in the other direction. At night, I’d rather doze off after a long day at work, but I will still make sure that I feed my curiosity by reading a few chapters from my book of the month before getting some shut-eye.
In completing my bucket list, there’s no room for complacency. Time flies pretty fast when you’re too busy or too engrossed in something, so I want to promise myself that I will make the most out of this year. After all, finding time to do the things that you really love is the key to making 2013 a lucky and fun-filled year.
Pink Pens and High Heels 