My Bucket List / Life Wish List

• Get a better job than the one I have now. I recently got hired in a retail/grocery store. And I have full-time hours, which means even with my near minimum wage pay, I'll make enough money to take care of the basics and maybe a little extra (in addition to Squidoo monthly earnings). But though I very much appreciate the paycheck, I hate my job. It's monotonous, involves no real creativity, and I'm constantly walking around in circles all day, fixing everyone else's crap. The work environment is pretty stagnant and negative (which makes it harder for me not to think negatively as well). Plus, again, it's about minimum wage. My clerical job I had before this one paid nearly twice as much per hour while I was in school. Although I don't know if I'll ever be able to get a clerical job again, as much as I would like that compared to my current job.
  
  Though I really hope to one day have a career in something that I would love and not just like. This would include travel journalism, graphic design, interior design, being a model (for the agencies that don't mind taking someone who's only 5 feet 1 inch tall at best), or becoming a YouTube partner (I have a plan for this that I'm not discussing fully until I have all the money & tools I need to do this). And ultimately, I want to work for myself and not work for someone else for the rest of my life.


• Get BETTER health insurance. More of a need really, and I do have health insurance now, but it could be better (especially with me being asthmatic).


• Finish my driving lessons & get my driver's license (YES, I am long overdue for this, but don't have anyone to practice with at the moment, so I need to pay for lessons again- LONG story; also probably have to get auto insurance to go along with whatever car I get)


• Pay off my college loans- I'd like to remove the financial cloud hanging over my head as a result of these loans.


• In addition to a job, I'd like to get my Zazzle store business up and running (see the Diva's Designs lens for more on that). I've spent a lot of time and effort designing my products, but I don't want to design anything else until I can get enough traffic for the store through promotion. I mean, it would be nice to actually sell a few products every month. Designing is fun for me, but now I want to get serious with it.


• Buy some more red wigs and/or get red hair extensions. I LOVE red hair (so much that I created a lens about it-- Red Hair and Redheads). I was finally able to buy a new red wig, which looks lovely and healthy. But it will get old and become hard to comb through in a few months. And I want to eventually buy a few quality wigs with quality hair so that I'm not buying a $200 wig every month or two (which I was before). When I wear long, fresh red wigs, I look great and feel really great about how I look.
  
  Please note that the girl pictured above is NOT me, but a girl with the color and one of the hairstyles I want next.


• Get a tattoo....or 2 or 3, but all in discreet places or places where they won't be seen immediately (thinking in terms of job interviews & the business world)-- A quote/saying in cursive tattoo lettering/font on the underside of my forearm, a word on my pointer finger, and a set of stars on my ankle. Because of my many allergies, it's possible I could be allergic to the ink. So I would probably test the ink on my skin by getting a small tattoo done first before getting any larger or more complicated designs done.


• Get ear piercings (four in each ear lobe). I didn't even want ear piercings until I kept noticing this girl (see left) in the Goo Goo Dolls music video "Here Is Gone". She appears right before the sunrise and first chorus kick in. I watch that video a lot, but only recently just noticed the girl's ears. I like how it looks on her, and I think those piercings, arranged in the same way with similar earrings, would look ok on me too. So I hope to get that done some time in the near future.

Screen cap of girl with four earrings/ear piercings is from the Goo Goo Dolls music video "Here Is Gone".

(Photo of awesome redhead courtesy of Luv-emo.com)

• Nose piercing, either a ring or a stud; not a huge deal, except for when you're doing job interviews, so I'll wait until I have a steady job with a company that allows their employees to be pierced. The picture seen here is of British pop-soul singer Joss Stone with a nose ring.


• Change my name. I've wanted to do this since I was 15. I already have a name picked out, and found out that although it does cost money and involves some legal stuff, it's much easier to do now. However, I would then have to contact the loan people, change my social security card, change my passport, list two names on all my job applications... you get the idea.


• Move to Florida- the issues for me are getting my driver's license, finding a place to live and having a job available there before I move down there.

(photo of Joss Stone courtesy of The Inquisitr)

Photo courtesy of Art.com (Buy/see here)

I am a procrastinator by nature, something which I'm forever suffering the consequences of. If there's something I know I should do, but really don't want to, I put it off until I finally have to do it. The following are big things that would improve the quality of my life, and yet they take so much energy, I've just decided I'll do them when I'm ready...

• Clean my room. If I were living on my own, this would only be an issue when I have people over who actually want to see my room. And even then, I'd probably just tell them they could see it the next time they come over. And I could keep telling them that, lol. But because I still live with my parents (who seem to just nag more and more about everything as they get older), it's an issue. For them, really, not me or anyone else. My room is upstairs, and when company is over, no one ever goes upstairs anymore, so it's not like they'll ever see my room. Anyways, I suppose it would be nice to have everything organized.
  
  EDIT: I have actually started cleaning & organizing my room (for me, not for the parents), and it's half-way done. I must say, having things somewhat organized has somewhat improved my state of mind, not just my environment. I still have a ways to go though...


• Make exercise a part of my everyday life. I have no problem starting to exercise. In fact, I'm always starting, because I'm always stopping and I don't continue to do it. I don't need a gym membership, and as much as I'd like to have a personal gym with my own exercise equipment, I know I don't need that either. I need something I can do everyday and not get tired of. Something that will help me tone my body, because losing weight is not an issue for me and never has been. I'm pretty slim. But I'm not toned. And that's all I really want. And I think I've found a single program to help me with that-- P90X. Seriously, go Google that right now and check out the website (or look it up on YouTube). You'll see what I'm talking about.


• Be a better Christian and have a better relationship with God. Well, if I decide to remain a Christian, that is. I go back and forth on the whole being-a-Christian thing. I go to church & participate in worship because I am forced to (by my parents, despite the fact that I'm in my late 20s), not because I want to. As I mentioned above, things really aren't good for me at the moment, and that has had a huge impact on my spiritual life. While things have improved some... well, to speak metaphorically, I feel like God is just giving me morsels to get buy on while everyone else can have an actual meal, or better yet, feast. As a result, I'm reluctant to do anything beyond prayer, and I'm even reluctant to do that. So I've been doubting a lot of things, including whether or not I even want to continue practicing Christianity. Anyways, not to put off anyone reading this who isn't into God, because I perfectly understand that right now. This is just an ongoing personal battle for me, and so it's something I'm trying to work on.

Moving on...

• Get an apartment or buy a house, preferrably in Florida, but I can stay where I'm at if I HAVE to for a little bit.


• Get a yellow, mid-sized SUV (like a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited or Honda CRV) that has high safety ratings and is fuel-efficient (or is a hybrid or electric vehicle); I'm going to also need auto insurance to go along with this...


• Get married... to whoever it is I'm meant to be with. I really could care less about guys right now, though. I'd much rather be single for a while than date someone who isn't worthy of me.


• Have (or adopt) kids- MAYBE. I'm kind of undecided on whether or not I want kids, but if I DO have any, definitely no more than 3. I got to know what my limit will probably be after seeing Octomom and Kate Gosselin. I do NOT want that kind of life...


• Get life insurance & a living will (probably a good idea to do this once I end up with any of the things above; I don't have a family or own anything major right now)

Photo courtesy of FreeRangeStock.com.

Photo of Avril Lavigne courtesy of Art.com (Buy/See photo here).

• Learn to cook vegan recipes (I'm vegan by nature- allergic to ALL dairy products, eggs, ALL nuts and meat products [in addition to other food allergies], so I'd like to eat more than JUST fresh fruits and cooked veggies)
  
  EDIT: I started fixing vegan dishes during the 2009 Holiday season, and I haven't really stopped. At some point, I might include a lens with links to the sources I got the recipes from.


• Learn to speak, read & write the following languages:
  
  - Hebrew (a college Hebrew Studies class course sparked my interest in the language)
  - Hawaiian (I just want to)
  - Dutch (because I have two Dutch friends and I'd love to be able to speak to them in their native language instead of them always speaking English with me)
  - Spanish, but fluently (I already know some, but I should & could know it better)
  - French (my dad speaks it nearly fluently and tried to teach me when I was younger, but I refused to learn)
  - German (my grandfather speaks fluent German, & he had an Austrian daughter-- my aunt & my mother's half-sister-- who passed away in July 2010; I think me speaking German would really surprise & please him)


• Take guitar lessons/Play the guitar (acoustic & electric; above right -- Avril Lavigne playing guitar)


• Take drum lessons/Play the drums


• Take dance lessons (specifically in the following genres: hip-hop, contemporary, & ballroom)


• Voice lessons/learn to sing solo (I sang in two choirs over the course of 10 years, but I never did anything solo)


• Re-learn to play the piano on my own terms (took lessons for 12 years and stopped because I hated being forced to do it)


• Take self-defense classes. This day and age, it's important (especially for kids and single women) to learn how to defend yourself if you're ever attacked. God-willing it won't happen, EVER, but you just never know. So I want to learn how to kick anyone's ass if necessary.

Picture courtesy of AllPosters.com

• Swimming with the dolphins


• Snorkeling


• Scuba-diving


• Water tubing


• Surfing


• Water-skiing


• Jet Skiing


• Parasailing


• Spend a day on someone's yacht and just relax (okay, this is not a sport, but it IS an activity, even if it I'm not using much energy, lol)

Unless otherwise noted, I would likely stay in a 4 or 5-star hotel or resort in the following areas (if I didn't visit them by cruise ship):

• Florida-- until I move down there, that is. Tampa, Clearwater, Miami & the Florida Keys, in particular.


• California-- Los Angeles, Beverly Hills & Malibu


• Bermuda-- I've been once, and I sooooo want to go again. If there's a next time, I might stay in a hotel instead of staying with the godparents....


• The Carribean (nowhere particular, just wherever a cruise would take me)


• The Bahamas


• Hawaii-- maybe I'll do the surfing here...MAYBE...


• Tahiti


• Bora Bora


• Cancun, Mexico (but NOT during Spring Break- I don't wanna be around college kids)


• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (location of the 2016 Summer Olympics)


• Melbourne & Sydney, Australia


• Japan (all over it) <- EDIT: In the wake of the earthquake & tsunami that hit Japan in March 2011, I'm reconsidering (or at least postponing) ever visiting Japan. Not solely because of those natural disasters, but because of the problems they've had with their nuclear power plants, particularly Fukushima, being unstable & having already leaked chemicals. I don't know if or when that will ever change.


• India


• Turks & Caicos


• The Maldives


• South Africa (most definitely staying with close friends/family here; it's suggested by many that you not visit here unless you know someone living here or your wealthy and can stay in a nice hotel or resort, as there is a significant amount of crime in many areas)


• Dubai (United Arab Emirates; Want to know where all your gas money goes? It's here. Seriously, Google "Dubai" and view the pictures that come up. They had enough money to build their own islands. Yes, seriously. And on one of those islands is a magnificent hotel called the Atlantis Hotel, and I want to stay there for a week...)


• Italy


• Spain


• London, England (location of the 2012 Summer Olympics)


• Sweden

Photo courtesy of FreeRangeStock.com

• Concerts by any one of the following acts (all of whom I haven't seen in concert yet) - P.O.D., U2, No Doubt & Kerli. Yeah, it's a short list right now (I'm picky about which concerts I go to, unless it's a concert/music festival)...


• Acts/bands I've seen before that I'd definitely like to see again in concert - probably just Paramore & Backstreet Boys right now.


• Rock on the Range -- Annual concert event held on a weekend in May in Columbus, Ohio (and apparently, also Winnipeg, Canada) where hard rock acts such as Flyleaf, Seether, Shinedown, and Staind have performed. P.O.D, Evanescence, Sum 41 & Korn were among the acts that played this year's events (2011).


• SXSW (South by Southwest) Music Festival -- 4 to 5 day concert event that is held in March in Austin, Texas. Acts can be as pop as Lily Allen and eclectic Swedish pop artist Robyn, as Hip-hop as Kanye West, Ice Cube and Common, or as rock as Ben Harper, Hawthorn Heights, Paramore or Flyleaf (yeah, they've played here too). There's a little bit of something for everyone.


• Coachella (full name- Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival)- 3-day-weekend concert festival that takes place at the Empire Polo Fields in Indio, California, located in the Inland Empire's Coachella Valley; features alternative rock, indie, hip-hop, electronic music, and some well-known pop acts/bands/artists as well. Among the artists/bands that have played Coachella- Prince, Madonna, Jay-Z, The Killers, Duran Duran, Kanye West, Muse, Vampire Weekend, M.I.A., Morrissey, The Cure, Franz Ferdinand, Cee Lo, Florence and the Machine, Gorillaz, Paul McCartney and more. People usually go in groups & camp out on the Coachella camping grounds for the entire weekend. There's also plenty of art & food to enjoy.
  
  NOTE: This year (2011), several of the performances were broadcast live on YouTube, including Empire of the Sun, Best Coast, Ellie Goulding, Duran Duran & Kanye West.


• Bonnaroo -- 4-day music festival that takes place every June on a large farm in in Manchester, Tennessee; according to the Wikipedia page, it features "a diverse array of musical styles including indie rock, world music, hip hop, jazz, americana, bluegrass, country music, folk, gospel, reggae, electronica, and other alternative music." Several of the acts that have played Coachella also play here, including The Black Keys, Radiohead, Phish, Dave Matthews Band, The White Stripes, Kings of Leon, She & Him, and more. The festival also features comedians (Conan O'Brien was the biggest comedy draw at the 2010 Bonaroo festival).


• The Bamboozle -- Normally a 2-day musical festival held in New Jersey (held for 3 days in 2011); the acts/bands that play here seem to consist mostly of several different genres of rock & hip-hop, and include acts/bands such as VersaEmerge, Dashboard Confessional, The Pretty Reckless, Hanson (yep, that band), Far East Movement, Good Charlotte, Third Eye Blind, and so on. 2011's Bamboozle acts included Eminem, Wiz Khalifa, Bruno Mars, & 30 Seconds To Mars, etc.


• MTV Video Music Awards -- but in Europe or Australia (the ones here in the States kinda suck now; they always seem either staged & over the top, or really predictably ridiculous)


• Radio Music Awards


• American Music Awards


• Grammys (a.k.a. The Grammy Awards)


• World Music Awards


• The Emmy Awards


• The Golden Globes


• The Academy Awards (a.k.a. The Oscars)


• The Sundance Film Festival


• The Cannes Film Festival


• The Summer Olympics


• Time Square on New Years Eve (preferably in the MTV or ABC Studios)


• Any of the above "Places to Visit" on New Year's Eve

Photo of concert crowd courtesy of Stockvault.net.

• Ride on the back of a motorcycle-- I only want to do this ONCE (and definitely with a helmet on)


• Go indoor skydiving. It looks something like this.


• Go zorbing/sphering. What? You don't know what zorbing/sphering is? Click here to figure it out. HINT: You can do it with or without water.


• Buy or rent a tour bus/RV


• Go on a shopping spree. And when I say shopping spree, I mean being able to spend at least several thousand dollars without worrying about emptying my personal bank account. (Yeah, I realize I may never get the chance to do this unless I win some contest or the lottery or something.)


• Meet a famous person, get their autograph and/or take a picture with them, and hang out with them for a day. I do have a shortlist of celebs I'd like most to meet. At the top of my list right now:
  
  -Audrey Kitching (alternative model, fashion designer, fashion blogger, diy interior designer- she's so freaking artsy, and she's also sweet; go check out the link to find out more about her)
  
  -Paramore (yes, ALL of them, not just Hayley, although I DO relate to her the most because we are both females in our 20s who like rock music & fashion...)
  
  -Backstreet Boys. I've seen them in concert 4 times now, but I've never actually gotten to meet them. I've been a fan since I was a teen, so being in my late 20's now, it's about time I meet them. Easier said than done, though.
  
  Again, these aren't the only celebs I'd like to meet. They're just the celebs I'd most like to meet.


• Visit (and maybe be a guest one day too, on) one or all of the following late-night TV shows- Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (definitely), Jimmy Kimmel Live (maybe), Conan O'Brien's new late night TV show Conan on TBS (definitely), and Last Call with Carson Daly (okay, this show isn't live anymore and has a more informal format, but I do really like the show & would love to get interviewed on it one day)

Alice is a 15-year-old girl with terminal cancer who started a bucket list blog, even though she knows she won't be able to complete all the items on her list. While it's somewhat sad considering the circumstances, it is also inspiring. The blog (which she started in June 2011) will document the things she is able to cross of the list. So check her blog out, and if you know of any way you can help her complete certain items on her list, you can contact her & family at alicesbucketlist@aol.com.

BucketList.org is actually a great site to list your bucket list on. As good as Squidoo? Probably not, but still good nonetheless. (I just joined and added just a few things from my own bucket list.) You can also look at other people's bucket lists, as well as see what they have & haven't completed and why they want to complete certain items. Also, if they have managed to complete something, there might be a story about how they went about doing it. They (& you as well) can add photos & videos to go along with the story.

My profile on this website can be found under my same name, Cherrybomb2009.

Thanks to fellow Squid/lensmaster Rick (a.k.a Dismantlerepair) for suggesting the site!

43Things.com is yet another website where you can list things on your bucket list and share them with others. But this website will send you email reminders (according to how often you want them, if you want them) of whatever you've listed, so you can stay on track with your goals. You can then mark which things you've accomplished. Again, I still think Squidoo is better (because you can personalize your bucket list webpage and make money off of it if enough people view it regularly). This is just another alternative you can consider for an online bucket list.

A mood/dream/inspiration vision board is basically like a picture version of your bucket list. It serves the same purpose- visual representation of the things you truly want in life. It's something you can create so that you can look at it daily and be inspired by it. Audrey Kitching has one (see this blog post), and Oprah.com has a feature where you can make a vision board online.

Mine is pictured above, and while it does not include everything I have on this bucket list webpage, it does include a lot of it (the nose ring I want, the tattoos I want, the driving lessons & driver's license I want, the Jeep Wrangler I want, the home I want, the beaches I want to live near, my desire to be my own boss, etc). I still need to add more experience-based photos to it, as it does seem heavier on things right now. I might even end up making a second vision board. There's no rules to making one, except that 1) it should contain the experiences & things you want the most, and 2) it can't have anything negative on it. An example from Miss Kitching's post- "Instead of writing 'I do not want to be sick anymore', you should write 'I will be healthy and energetic'."

Just another way to visualize your dreams and aspirations...

Here are some link directories I used for this page (yes, these take individual Squidoo lenses):

• Skoobe Link Directory

NinaLee_CherryB (my personal Twitter page)

OR

Cherry Ambition (my official Twitter page for my Cherry Ambition blogs)