So it’s a little over a month to go before the deadline for my to-do-before-30 list arrives. I’m turning 30, people. (If you’re nervous about turning 30, here’s a tip: get knocked up at 29. You’ll be so scared shitless about the upcoming childbirth that the 30th birthday won’t even matter.) Anyway, I haven’t done everything that I set out to do, but I’ve done some things that I’m happy with and there are still loads of things on the list that I want to, so hey, given that life’s ever changing, I’m changing the list and renaming it the to-do-before-35 list. I’m sure the kid’s appearance will change some of the items on the list (I honestly don’t envision myself backpacking through Europe over the next couple of years) but we’ll deal with those changes as they happen. I’m also taking off the $10 per item donation thingy. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but it seems crass and selfish now. I do donate money on a regular basis but the idea of letting my accomplishments (or lack thereof) dictate just how much I will donate seems very wrong. Donating money should not be “punishment” for not meeting my goals and while I didn’t ever think like that, it is in a way, what I was saying.
Okay, so I did cross off a few more items on the list and make progress on several more. Here’s the update:
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009. Start painting again.
I did start painting again this year, though not nearly as much as I would have liked. Most of the work I threw out since I wasn’t happy with it, but I did buy supplies and allowed myself to just enjoy it. It was fantastic. I don’t think I’m ever going to paint anything that’s going to go up on my walls, but it’ll be therapeutic nonetheless.
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013. Get cured of my Internet addiction.
When you’re able to go a month without blogging, Facebook or Twitter and not miss it, I think you can safely say you’re cured. I’m cured. I baked cookies and made fudge in the time that I wasn’t spending online (don’t laugh, they were good).
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029. Buy a car.
Done as of earlier this year. Maybe the new goal should be to pay off the damn loan?
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032. Read 100 books a year. That’s 400 books. – (294/400)
I’ve actually read 99 books so far this year, but my dismal performance in the years gone by has brought down my average. Ah well, I’m sure my maternity leave will give me time to catch up. And I know I’m way too geeky about this. Don’t rub it in.
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033. Watch 100 movies/documentaries a year. That’s 400 movies. – (308/400)
Inching closer, one bad movie at a time. I was tempted while making this list to watch Ra.One simply so that I could add to the count, but I’m going to save myself from the disaster. And while we’re on the subject, I think something’s really wrong with the world when a movie like Avatar wins Best Picture. Husband and I watched it the other day and half way through, we just gave up and started making fun of it instead. Color me puzzled.
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046. Attend a yoga class.
This was the item on the list that I thought I would never in a million years get around to doing. Life’s full of surprises, apparently. I got sciatica in the last couple of months and my back and right leg went completely numb, which meant I could barely walk. My doctor suggested yoga and even recommended an instructor and because I love my doctor to bits, I resisted the urge to scoff and signed up for classes for a month. Within four classes, the pain was gone and I was up and dancing. Remind me never to make fun of things I’ve never tried before again. I’m still not a fan of the “find yourself” spiritual kind of yoga, but I’ll admit that the physical benefit was too obvious and too quick to dismiss.
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052. Get my accounts in order– figure out stuff about savings, monthly planning, retirement funds, etc.
Done. Took a few months for us to figure it all out, since husband and I are different nationalities with accounts in different countries, etc, but we’ve managed to get it all sorted. I feel very much in control of my finances now, rather than the other way around.
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053. Start investing in the stock market. Spend more time learning from Dad.
I love that I take after my father in terms of interest in numbers and more than that, I love that my husband is the same way. I grew up surrounded by people who invested in the stock market– my parents, my aunts and uncles, an uncle we’re very close to was even a broker. So I’ve got solid background. But I always said that I wouldn’t invest even a Rupee unless I understood the game for myself. Now I’ve got the time and motivation (and money) to finally begin.
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055. Meet four people I admire. – (4/4)
This is bittersweet. I finally got to meet Kiran Bedi, a woman who has inspired me since I was a teenager and I was absolutely thrilled to have the chance to sit and talk to her. (We took photos but they’re in my editor’s camera so I don’t have them yet.) The bitter part of the story is that Ms. Bedi made some bad choices and ended up in a controversy on the front pages of the country’s newspapers. Her actions are indefensible, unfortunately (and she’s not denied them), which means that pedestal I’d put her on has suddenly collapsed. It doesn’t take away from the work she’s done, but it does put a damper on my excitement over having met her.



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