Our Marathon Bloggers challenge for this Saturday is:
Let us lay our hearts open, and talk about our “Bucket List”, 10 things you want to do before you kick the bucket. It may be a plain and simple bucket list, or a contextual subset, 10 adventures you want to try, 10 foods you want to try, 10 holiday locations you dont want to miss, and the list goes on! Run your imaginations wild and entertain us all 
10 is just a number, it will be easy for people to read and interact, else sky is the limit.
10 is just a number, it will be easy for people to read and interact, else sky is the limit.
This is not something I've ever attempted, mainly because I wouldn't know where to stop I guess ;). But here goes:
1. Visit one new destination in India every year, wishlist starts with Rajasthan, Konark, Kashmir.
2. Visit one destination outside India every other year, phoren places start from London, going on an African Safari, parts of Europe that I've seen before but in a very touristy way, and I want to go there again with hubby. Children are not necessarily included in all these trips, as I think some parts of the world need to be attained by yourself to get the right flavour ;).
3. Become a consistent bread baker and manage to bake that perfect loaf of wheat bread - yes boring I know, but it is something I have been wanting ever since I realized the poor nutrition content in most store bought breads. I do not manage to try out the baking very regularly, so I hope a gadget like a KitchenAid (part of my 2013 wishlist) might help! As I was telling hubby today, for all the jewelry I have never bought, I do not need to feel too guilty about wanting appliances ;).
4. Become organized - seriously this is a long journey for me. I want to reach a state where thinking about the meals for the next day doesn't from time to time send me into panic mode (like realizing at 11 pm I have no butter in the fridge when breakfast is supposed to be bread!), where the house is reasonably clean all the time and I don't have to scramble when someone is coming to visit.
5. Gardening has been a passion for a little while now, but as a side effect of point 4 above, I feel like my clutter extends into this space a bit too. If I can plan better on what to plant when, do my fertilizing regularly, and have an expectation of harvest times, I hope to reach a stage where I can grow at least 50% of my vegetables. Even better if it's 100% and a farm!
6. Slight cheat, partly taking from point above, I'm hoping to move as much towards organic foods as I can, in the hope that products certified as organic actually are!
7. Be the most efficient mom I can be - provide super nutritious meals for my kids, be encouraging without being nagging, teach them to follow their hearts.. you get the drift.
8. In between all the above, learn to pamper myself in between too. My hair, skin, feet all need regular attention that I'm terrible at providing.
9. One of the smaller wants - I want to learn to take good food photos - good photos in general, but especially food photos because I seem to usually finish my baking only in the evenings, and at times of low light my lovely Nikon S9100 doesn't serve me very well. I resist buying a DSLR because I cannot yet call myself enough of an enthusiast to deserve it, but hope to figure out to make the best use of what I have as a starting point.
10. Phew! That was tough... thinking very hard on what should make up this last point, and I think it has to be that in the long run I would love to be doing something actively to spread that message of going green. I try to do my little bit, but if I could make even a few others change their thinking I would be really happy about it. I try to do it online anyway, but this is more of a grassroots campaign I am talking about.
Posted for Day 22 and Saturday Challenge of the Marathon Bloggers December Dhamaka :).
Posted for Day 22 and Saturday Challenge of the Marathon Bloggers December Dhamaka :).
I love the one where you say you want to take care! I am one of those people who dont pay a whole lot attention to myself...This is a great list and it ll be wonderful to see the progression same time next year :) Good luck Aparna!
ReplyDeleteTell me about it Swathika.. after seeing your list I realized I hadn't even mentioned exercising.. see the priority I'm giving it :(.. Going for yoga classes now, so feeling slightly less guilty.. but along with pampering myself I definitely need to get fit too!
DeleteAww!!! All can be done, and its such a happy list.
ReplyDeleteYeah boring and mundane, and doable ;). Thanks Prats!
DeleteArre I wrote this long comment and then clicked 'older post' a bit too soon and it was all gone. I hate it when the comp does that.
ReplyDeleteAnyway.. loved your list. Hope you get through it one day.
Aww that's too bad Tulika, I hate it when that happens. Thanks so much :)
DeleteVery realistic BucketList.. Wishing you luck Girl ..you can do it!
ReplyDeleteThe organisation thing makes me think of only on thing "To-Do" Lists and PostIts .. I use them like mad.. helps me a lot.
Sirisha, all you guys saying realistic is making me think I'm aiming too low ;). But yeah, I guess I'm a bit too realistic if an optimist :). Probably need to make a new bucket list after the kids are grown up and I know I can do my own thing!
DeleteAnd I might be PMing you for some organizational tips soon!
are when did u write this?
ReplyDeleteOnly since yesterday Aaron, once I started writing it seemed to come pouring out :), more or less at least!
DeleteAm getting this feeling you're going to be completing that bucket list this year! As for 'getting organized' - I've had it on my wishlist so often and I've finally given up on it. Realised the world's divided into 2 sorts of people - those who are organized and those who are not, and I'm permanently in the latter
ReplyDeleteThis year you say Jane.. will have to see about that.. probably a year end update is in order :). And I know what you mean about 2 types of people.. and I'm usually quite happy being the way I am.. joking about it to hubby even when he's going into angry mode about it. But sometimes I do feel a wee bit panicky at not having checked provisions in time and scrambling last moment, so hoping to hit middle ground somewhere, fingers crossed!
DeleteHey u made a list...thats a great start...I feel you are doing such great stuff already in terms of going green and cooking healthy. You are totally right about setting off your kitchen/baking appliances against all the jewellery you never bought...I use that logic for all my travel :)
ReplyDeletehaha Aparna, glad to know I have company there, must try the strategy soon then!
DeleteAnd thank you for the sweet words, that helps make me feel a whole lot better for sure :).
Good luck babe. Time to start planning your next vaca. As for scrambling for stuff, making lists and sticking them on the fridge helps. Really helps. And crossing out the stuff you've done already helps even more. What helps most is to ensure completing the list week on week :)
ReplyDeleteHEre's to an organized 2013.
Meera
Thanks Meera, a great 2013 to you too! I try the fridge thing, but here's my problem - forget to write down stuff into the list, or forget to actually LOOK at the list!!! But I shall just plod on and hope to get there!
DeleteHoping a long vacation during summer 2013 works out - somehow I'm reasonably organized at planning those ;). Hubby tells me when I REALLY want to do something I can make it happen, apparently housework doesn't figure there!!