(50?) Things to do before I die

Edited from notes made on 12/28/05:

Ok. Firstly, 50 seems to be "the" number in fashion. I don't know if I have 50 or less or more things. We'll see as we go along making up the list.

Secondly, some of the following have been picked from http://www.my50.co.uk/50list.php. I got routed there from www.theintellectualviewpoint.com. I don't know how I reached there though. Probably via reddit.

Thirdly, the my50 suggested list has some of the things I had dreamed of as a teenager but had since forgotten. I am thrilled to see "Ride a hot-air balloon" as a suggestion. I used to think this was one of the most romantic things to do. With the right partner, of course. Riding a hotair balloon hasn't crossed my mind in years.

On to the list. All suggestions taken from my50 are acknowledged in brackets. A lot of my50's suggestions are something I would like to do and have thought about doing and making a habit of. Those,like "Visit a health spa", I will not include in this list. There are a couple that I am iffy about, but still have chosen to put them on the list and mark as "iffy". Just in case I ever need a refresher course on living life :-)

1. Climb a mountain (my50. Mine would have read "Hike up Machu Pichu" or "Visit the Himalayas" or something)
2. Christmas in New York (my50)
3. Go horse riding(My own + my50)
4. Take a hot-air balloon ride(My own + my50)
5. Become a parent(My iffy, my50)
6. Visit Paris(my50. I'd like to make a habit of "Travel" but this one was too specific to not be on the list. Paris would certainly have been on my Travel list.)
7. Pass on a nugget of knowledge(Yes, teach was on my list too, my50)
8. Grow something (One of those things I am not sure is a hobby or a 50-candidate. Mine, my50)
9. Go scuba-diving(My own, my50. This I would like to refine and perhaps redefine. I will use this as a placeholder for "adventure sport". I might change it to bungee-jumping or something else once I am sure.)
10. Go to a sporting event(My own, my50)
11. Do a parachute jump(My own, my50. My sentiments on this one are similar to those on No.9)
12. Take a walk in the rain(my50. A desire that is not new. Something I associate with romance. Perhaps I should classify my list.Maybe later.)
13. Sleep under the stars(My own, my50. An idea that is not new. A hope that was implanted a long time ago. I would have put this under Romantic Date and Camping with Children.)
14. Visit the pyramids(My own, my50. Again, one of those "Must See" places. Travel-related)

15. Have a fun bet(my50)
16. Go whale watching(my50)
17. Get tipsy with good company(my50. I have not touched alcohol in my life. Well, except in medicines and such)
18. Visit Machu Picchu(my50. Well, would have been on my Travel, Hike up a mountain list)


Update on 9/16/07:

1. I am no longer iffy about 5. I most definitely want to become a parent.

The Importance of Blogging

12/28/05:

The importance of journalizing, rather. Every time we are in trouble, or we forget lessons learnt, we can go back to the good stuff and revitalise ourselves. It helps regain perspective, it helps in remembering what matters.

Even as a child, pre-teen teen and an adult, I had not thought much of having a diary. Even though some of my friends and classmates did it religiously, teachers suggested that it was a good thing to do, I scoffed at the idea. When I turned 29, R, amidst teasing me about turning 30 and old, suggested that start a blog chronicling my life till I reached the ripe old milestone age of 30. (I recall we had this conversation on my birthday or on a day that was close to my 29th birthday). I brushed the idea aside saying I am not the blogging/recording kind. Besides, up until now I had an active distaste for and flouted the mundane happenings of life. Because they were unexceptional, they were not noteworthy.
Perhaps there is truth and justification in my stance considering how unremarkable my life has been(well, from a different vantage point, it could be argued otherwise). Not just mine. Everyone's everyday life is somewhat routine and ordinary. I never saw the merit in recording "I had this for lunch today. I went to the bathroom more than once yesterday". Or maybe it was my painful sense of modesty which impelled me to undervalue my life and my learnings and my observations. Or maybe it was my excessive high standards which did not put sufficient premium on my life and learnings. I don't know. One way or the other, I was not huge on personal diaries and chronicling day-to-day events.

May be it was my habit of living more in my head than in reality that precluded me from having a vantage point on life. Sometimes it was just sheer laziness though. More than once, I have bemoaned the fact that I had not written down original ideas and worked on them only to find a couple of years later that someone has come out with something very similar and is famous for their work. One of my friends is a big believer in blogging and says I should blog too. For this reason alone, if nothing else.

But now, I realise how valuable a diary can be. It is a security blanket. It is a trusted confidant. It is a wise friend. In times of trouble, it reminds us of the positive and puts us back on the rails. I had asked on this site for tips on sustaining the flashes of happiness and wisdom we sometimes receive- http://dirtsimple.org/2005/11/refactored-self-part-1.html. I have discovered that recording the event, the triggers, the stimulants and the reactions is a good way to regain it when we feel it is lost. Making a habit of it can provide sustenance and consistency and not just help recover what is lost. Life is lived in the quotidian as well as the portentous moments. Wisdom is as much gained through phenomenal experiences as it is through the banausic. I am a convert.

Hmm!

A man never tells you anything until you contradict him. - George Bernard Shaw

Blogging Best Practices

For better user experience.

1. Have comments pop-up in a separate window. Having to navigate back to the post to cross-refer or read the post again is annoying.

2. Do not post only a portion of your text with a link to "More". It is not funny and the suspense is not exciting. This is another irritating habit of some bloggers who have delusions about the high quality of their posts. Post the entire thing in one shot. People do not like clicking too many times to read one measly post, especially a mediocre one.

3. This one is for food bloggers. Everyone may not be interested in your everyday meals, just because you have a fancy camera. Some of the recipes are obviously bad despite the pretty pictures.

4. Never use a black background. It hurts the eyes. Dark backgrounds should be avoided in general.

More to come.

Schoolgirl Fiction

Yesterday, I saw a delightful movie on HBO- Samantha, The American Girl Holiday. It was a heartwarming tale of innocence and childhood. What I also found immensely moving is the good-naturedness and generosity of Cornelia and Uncle Gard. I wish there were more people like them in the world.

I don't think I will ever grow out of children's fiction. I do remember reading "Daddy Long Legs" many years ago and really liking it. Another set of the most lovely schoolgirl books I read when I was a schoolgirl myself was the Katy- series - What Katy Did, What Katy Did Next, What Katy Did at School. I absolutely adored these books back then.

The best thing about schoolgirl fiction is the language and the sincerity with which the ideas are put forth. The sincerity just shines through. Such works are a must-read for young children.The finest testimony to these books is perhaps the language that is gushing out of me to describe them - "absolutely"," adore" etc.- very much schoolgirlish in itself.

Intuition vs. Intellect

For some time now, I have been experiencing intellectual fatigue and physical exhaustion and have been on the verge of giving up my long-cherished dream of pursuing research. I had many wonderful, unique and original ideas. I hoped to become a bluenosed scientist and give back to the world. I had pet subjects and favourite topics.

However, the past two years at work have been taxing and I may well be burned-out. I need a year off from work to re-coup.

Meanwhile, I read this article today and am wondering if research is worth it.

http://bestdocumentaries.blogspot.com/2007/09/dangerous-knowledge-full-documentary.html

All said and done, research into any subject is a quest for certain answers. It is all about the mind and the intellect.

Ancient wisdom asserts that the key to bliss is to achieve a state of mindlessness. This state is above the intellect and reason. A state of mindlessness is not about being insane or having no thoughts but rather a state where thought is irrelevant and unnecessary. Everything in known, communicated and manifested without thought. With intuition, for lack of a better word.

I should probably strive for the state of mindlessness and achieve harmony and inner peace instead of trying to apply reason and science to "understand" and articulate.

LUSH cosmetics and Great Design

I have seen pictures of LUSH bath products on amazon and my mouth is watering. A 100, thousand points to their product designers and marketers. LUSH products make me want to eat them and the juicy descriptions make me want to buy them. I am sold.


Note: I have not been paid by anyone to say nice things about LUSH. This above is a voluntary gush about LUSH.