My Bucket List

UPDATE IN 2017




UPDATE IN 2016
Almost two years ago, 2 days before giving birth to Rafa, I wrote down my first bucket list.
I figured back then that it was the right time to commit them beyond memory as when epidural and motherhood hits, I was not sure if I'd even remember or dare to have one.

As it's a Chinese New Year today, I thought it would be good to look back and see where I am with my list. The past 2 years, as anticipated, has been a time of learning, adjustment and really 'settling down'. Grand adventures are now few and far between but what filled them were moments that I need not travel wide to experience or find - most I found in the loving arms of my husband and my son.

2014-2016 Bucket Hit List
1) Bake a cake for someone 
- With not much time to go out, I have learned to have my little adventures in the kitchen and finally got to dabble a little bit in baking. I've now learned how to bake various kinds of bread, cookies and anything actually that has a recipe available. It also proved useful as I even learned to bake my own lactation cookies as the ones out there were ridiculously expensive. My little one is also a picky eater so baking comes in handy.
- The first cake I ever baked was for my hubby during his first father's day. I baked blueberry cheesecake and it was surprisingly good!

2) Take a picture of my son every day week for 1 year
- This one I can't take primary credit for as it was the hubby who really made this happen. Looking back, I think this little weekend activity made a huge difference on how we relished my son's first year and how we enjoyed our time as a young family. A big plus is that now my son would have tons of photos to look at when he grows older. I've also created a video out of it.

3) Purchase our first family home and decorate it uniquely
- A fully functional, practical, warm and unique home has always been a dream. During my maternity leave, we started scouting for a home we can nest in. I had two must haves: a balcony and a bathtub. The only places who had these were the very expensive condos which both me and my husband didn't find practical given the sky high property prices in Singapore. We started our search and came across a development that just opened to the public on the very month we started looking. We immediately fell in love with the area - walking distance to public transport, near the malls but with a quiet neighbourhood and an up and coming town hub that will have an indoor/outdoor swimming pool, library, sports facilities, etc just literally near our doorstep. Best of all - the budget allowed us to renovate the place to our liking. We hacked the walls with an open floor concept and celebrate this decision especially when we see our son running around to his heart's content.

4) Grow a herb indoor and an outdoor garden
- We discovered a huge plant shop near our home and bought edible plants we can find - mint, parsley, rosemary, curry, lime, chili, etc. Not all survived but most live on with the care of my helper who enjoys taking care of them. I've used most of them at least once but the lime and chili are probably the ones that proved most useful.

5) Help someone complete their studies
- 6 years ago, I took my aunts, nephews, nieces, cousins out for a post Christmas dinner and movies. While lining up for our movie tickets, I asked my aunt where her eldest son who was both my cousin and first godchild was going to college. She was unsure so I made a decision right then - let me send him to school. Pick a school and let's make sure he finishes so he can later on send his little sister to school as well. I learned a lot along the way - sending someone to school was a huge responsibility and not just financially. I had to keep my resolve in the midst of changing courses, failing subjects and trimester tuition fees that just kept coming.
I was not sure the day would  happen but it did. One day, my cousin made me so proud and finally said he was graduating. Now, he has a job and has become such a responsible young man. This and my aunt's happiness just made it all worth it.

6) Ride the bike with my family
- A few months after marriage, my husband taught me , a 35 year old, how to bike. But alas, we discovered I was pregnant right after our  first long bike ride so the bike was parked for awhile. I got back at the saddle only when my son was fit enough to ride a bike with his Papa. Remember those movies where you see a happy family bike along with nursery rhymes playing as they sped along? Well it was like that and more.

7) See Sarah Geronimo in a concert
- I'm a big Sarah fan as I find her to be such a nice and unassuming girl. I bought tickets to her concert in my first year in SG but it got cancelled - perhaps I was the only one who bought a ticket. Haha. When I heard she was going to be in SG again, I grabbed the chance to see her. It was during the time I was breastfeeding my son so it became tricky. It was the first time I got out of the house without him. Was it worth it? Not sure. It was also in my dreams to get my mom to see her as she's an even bigger fan. Just a few months back, I got her and Lala tickets. Was it worth it? She was not sure as well. But then again, at least we know! Haha.

8) Breastfeed my babies for at least a year six months
- One never knows how difficult something is until they do it. What kept me going were all those commercials in tv that got ingrained in me as I was growing up- "Breastmilk is best for babies up to 6 months". I must say that exclusive breastfeeding may have been one of the toughest mental, emotional, and physical battles I had so far but it was certainly the most fulfilling especially when I see my son growing up quite healthy.
I penned my thoughts on breastfeeding in this blog I created specifically for my son: http://ourletterstorafael.blogspot.sg/2014/06/our-first-trek-breastfeeding-series.html

9) Donate my kid's old stuff to charity regularly and get the family to participate in charity activities
- On Rafael's first birthday, we shipped a jumbo box of his old and loved stuff to an orphanage in Tagaytay. We never got word on whether they received it but somewhere out there, I hope little babies are enjoying them.

10) Sell something in eBay  carousel
-  My first ever sale was an entire couch which had no space for our new home and was picked up the same day I sold it. We continue to spring clean every now and then and sell our stuff online. Of course, there's some buying involved too!

There's still tons in my bucket list left but no rush. I just know time will come for each one of them - including "sporting rock hard abs". I'm looking forward.

Mama Joy







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WRITTEN IN 2014

In a few months, I'm going to be 35. If I'm lucky enough and live till the age of 70, this would mean that I've already reached the mid point in my life taking into account that from 60 onwards, I'd probably be less energetic and limited with the things I can do. In a few weeks time I'll probably (scratch that: most certainly) be caught up in the happy frenzy of motherhood and in the process be in danger of neglecting to pursue my own dreams and aspirations and in the process become less of the woman I want to be. I continue to believe that to be a good mom and wife to Rafael and my husband, I need to continue to live my own life so I'll have more to share, more love to give.

I've never really written down a bucket list and thought that now is a good time to do so.

What I'd like to do:

1. Complete a full marathon (42km) - register for a night run to avoid the heat and just because I run better at night
2. Establish a successful, little, unique, hands on business matching my interest
3. Climb Mt. Fuji, witness the cherry blossoms in Japan See  Mt Fuji with mom, sis and bro in law - ticked in 2017
4. Write for a publication
5. Bake a cake for someone ticked in 2016
6. Bungee jumping
7. Attend a masquerade or halloween party and wear a great costume
8. Learn to paint
9. Sport rockhard abs
10. Camp in the wilderness with my family and setup a bonfire for hotdogs and mallows done in 2017
11. Sing in a bar/lounge even just once
12. Display my toilet collection
13. Overcome fear of moving animals like dogs, cat
14. Cook a particular country's cuisine every month for a year
15. Ride a red convertible and wear a red bikini 
16. Swim in an outdoor, natural hot spring
17. Take a picture of my son every day for 1 yearticked in 2016
18. Be part of a flash mob
19. Go on a road trip in the US using an RV
20. Go on a cruise
21. Learn how to drive
22. Stay in cave hotel or an igloo
23. Go to a drive in movie 
24. Play the guitar, piano
25. Try pole dancing even at least once
26. Learn to french braid
27. Create a phone app based on a need i identified
28. Grow a herb indoor and an outdoor gardenticked in 2016
29. Sew a quilt that I can hand over to my kids
30. Purchase our first family home and decorate it uniquely ticked in 2016
31. Help someone complete their studiesticked in 2016
32. Own a retirement home/bed and breakfast
33. Spend a holiday in a log cabin somewhere cold ticked in end 2016 Tagaytay
34. Be a leader for a small group in government and make a difference that would be emulated by others
35. Participate in an activity that will be registered in the Guiness book of world records
36. Ride the bike with my family ticked in 2016
37. Be passionate about a cause
38. Create our family tree
39. Learn to whistle
40. Write my last will and testament
41. See the northern lights (Aurora Borealis)
42. Play a full round of golf, tennis
43. Milk a cow
44. Finish a 1,000 piece puzzle of a picture I like and have it framed
45. Learn to count 1-10 in 10 languages
46. Scuba dive
47. Party at a Mardi Gras
48. Celebrate New Year party in a hotel till the morning
49. Give a waiter a ridiculous amount of tip after a good service
50. Build a time capsule
51. Learn CPR
52. Take a helicopter tour
53. See the German concentration camp
54. Stay in Cambodia ticked in 2019, with hubby
55. Fly in a hot air balloon
56. Create a source of passive income
57. Weigh 107 lbs and maintain it
58. See Niagara Falls
59. Donate back in Assisi - the foundation who gave me my scholarship
60. Attend our high school reunion
61. Learn how to do a cart wheel
62. Philippine tour - see Batanes, Benguet/Sagada, Mayon Volcano, Palawan, Bohol, Davao
63. Organize meaningful, activity based children's party for my kids
64. See Sarah Geronimo in a concert (har! har!)ticked in 2016
65. Join a tv show contest like Amazing Race, Apprentice, etc
66. Complete an ironman triathlon
67. Be a lector in church
68. Type in a keyboard properly
69. Attend the lollapalooza
70. Attend the white dining party
71. Create a documentary about a topic I am passionate about
72. Grow my own fruit, vegetable
73. Save for retirement
74. See a chicken or a turtle hatch in front of my eyes - ticked in 2017, science center museum
75. Make a snowman
76. Ride/surf in the dessert of Dubai
77. Attend a rodeo
78. Organize a flea market
79. Organize, declutter my parent's home ticked in 2018, renovated house and cleaned, decluttered house
80. Have a silky white armpit
81. Become an organ donor
82. Volunteer to help read the newspaper for old folks
83. Teach others about a topic I am passionate in
84. Take a 3 month sabbatical ticked in 2017
85. Have grandchildren
86. Attend my children's parent-child school activities ticked in 2017, Rafa's school
87. Retire latest by 50
88. Breastfeed my babies for at least a yearticked in 2016
89. Celebrate our yearly anniversary in a traditional manner ticked since start
90. Get rid of my stretch marks
91. Open a savings account for my children that they will maintain as they grow up
92. Donate my kid's old stuff to charity regularly and get the entire family to participate in charity activitiesticked in 2016
93. Develop a recycling system at home for paper, bottles
94. Sell something in eBayticked in 2016
95. Really learn the art of meditation
96. Be a student of Harvard in one way or the other
97. Setup own photo studio to support my husband's love of photography
98. Sky dive
99. Go on an african safari adventure with my kids
100. Try pottery

What I've scratched off so far:

1. Step into the Coloseum, Vatican, Sistine Chapel; throw a coin in the Trevi foundation in Rome
2. Visit Tuscany (Siena, Florence) and do wine tasting
3. Ride boat in Venice, see St Mark's Square, watch a Vivaldi performance, see the island of of Murano, Burano
4. Kiss someone atop the Eiffell Tower in Paris at 12 midnight; see the real Mona Lisa in Louvre
5. Witness the works of Gaudi (Sagrada Familia)
6. Eat in a market in Barcelona (La Boqueria)
7. Step into Parthenon (in Athens), Olympia in Greece
8. Watch the sunset from Santorini; sunrise in Yogyakarta Borobodur
9. Live in one of the cycladic houses in Mykonos
10. Go to a nude beach and see naked bodies
11. Visit the Taj Mahal
12. Visit the Statue of Liberty
13. Walk on the Great Wall Of China, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City
14. Travel from Beijing-Shanghai; Paris-Barcelona in a high speed train
15. Boat along the Yangtze River in Shanghai
16. See the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco
17. Experience Las Vegas
18. Celebrate St Patrick's Day (in Chicago)
19. Visit Disney Land - in Florida, HK
20. Snow ski in Korea
21. Swim in a volcano's crater - Pinatubo
22. Learn Tai Chi before sunrise in a floating boat in Halong Bay, Vietnam
23. Eat authentic pho in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
24. Shop in the street markets of Bangkok
25. Attend a cirque de soleil show
26. Attend a blueman group show - and even became one of the ushers
27. Skywalk - in Oz Tower in Sydney
28. See Sydney's Opera House, Blue Mountains, Bondi Beach in Gold Coast
29. Embrace a Koala bear
30. Witness the wonder of the Grand Canyon
31. Experience skydiving - pseudo in Genting Highlands Malaysia
32. Climb a mountain - Kota Kinabalu
33. Plant a tree - mangrove, ride a seaway in Langkawi
34. Go on a dinner/sunset/bbq cruise - in Langkawi, in Singapore
35. Experience Phuket; go kayaking
36. Help a random stranger - bought corns from a couple and left them with 500
37. Be pregnant
38. Fall in love and be married to the man I love
39. Attend an Octoberfest - in Swiss Club
40. Live in a foreign country for a year - in Minneapolis, Chicago
41. Be a movie extra -in a Korean movie in Boracay (never saw it though)
42. Complete a post graduate studies - Global Finance in Chinese Univ of HK
43. Participate in a protest - Edsa II
44. Fly business class - first class hopefully next time
45. Buy a house while single
46. Buy a farm while single
47. Fly a kite
48. Connect with the teacher who made an impact in my life
49. Pay for a stranger's meal - secretly gave a couple celebrating their anniversary a cake
50. Build a habitat for humanity home - in Batam Indonesia (2x)
51. Donate blood - around 10x
52. Go down a zip line - in Bedok Reservoir
53. Go rappelling - in Bukit Timah
54. Take a makeup lesson
55. Mentor someone's career
56. Organize a family photoshoot - during our  prenup
57. Play in the snow
58. Full blown pillow fight 
59. Send, write christmas cards to those I love and who are far away
60. Watch classic broadway shows 
61. Become a guest speaker in a class' graduation
62. Complete simbang gabi
63. Completed 145 km in total runs for a year
64. Bring my family to Singapore, HK, US
65. Build my parent's home
66. Buy a car for my parents
67. Make out with a stranger in a bar (how scandalous! hehe)
68. Write in a blog
69. Write letters for my kids and give it to them when they grow up
70. Gamble at a casino - in Genting Highlands
71. Attend an F1 race (3x already)
72. Watch an NBA game (for free in Minneapolis)
73. Take yoga, pilates, zumba classes
74. Take language classes - Mandarin
75. Take guitar classes
76. Take ballroom dancing classes - with myself as the youngest person
77. Get completely drunk and not remember anything the following day
78. Play paintball 
79. Organize surprise parties for friends to make them feel special
80. Watch a concert
81. Really jog on a beach wearing just a sports bra/shorts
82. Witness controversial trippers (ok fine, even live sex in Phuket -> this was by accident)
83. Do a boudoir shoot 
84. Celebrate my parent's birthday in a super special way - 58th/60th of Mom; 70th of Dad
85. Indulge regularly in facial, pedicure/manicure, haircut, bikini wax
86. Spend every birthday surrounded by family, friends I love
87. Complete my PMP certification, ITIL certification
88. Join a dragon boat team
89. Be a groupie and wait for a celebrity to come out after a show and have our picture taken - with Leah in HK
90. Be a cupid to friends - successfully matched 3 friends so far
91. Complete a daily blessing series
92. Eat at a Michellin restaurant - in Venice, SG
93. Write a newsletter for significant milestones in our lives (did one already for our wedding)
94. Travel completely on my own - Switzerland, India 
95. Go on a travel getaway with my sister - HK, Malacca, Chicago, Indonesia, Bangkok
96. Witness a shooting star in a very romantic way
97. Leave an inspirational note on a book and give it to someone who will hopefully hand it over to someone, and then another, etc
98. Send a postcard to my bf/husband whenever I travel on my own
99. Watch a movie, play, ballet under the stars
100. Give my first salary to my lola