My Bucket List
One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree.
“Which road should I take?” she asked.
“Where do you want to go?” Cheshire cat asked.
“I don’t know.” Alice answered.
“Then…” said the Cheshire cat, “it doesn’t matter.”
Life is that way.
If you don’t know (or never answer the question) where you want to go, every road will take you there or no where. Just like a boat in the ocean. If you don’t set your compass towards a certain direction, you would still float. You have a good time here and there, but somewhere along the way you will feel that there is just something missing.
Some people say: “It’s not just about the destination, it’s about the journey.”
I agree except if you don’t know where you are going… you can enjoy the sun, the dolphins or the octopuses swimming around you all day long, but it will still feel empty and boring.
I bring up these stories because today is my birthday. I am thankful that I had the chance to experience some amazing stuff in life: amazing people, things, journey, books, music, and places. Where do I want to go from here? Where did I go in the past that I really enjoy?
You can’t really get more of what you like if you don’t know clearly what you really like. Because of this I will write down a list of things that I truly enjoyed and know that I will reminisce for the rest of my life. Plus why not give myself a little pat on the back on my birth day.
Here are experiences that I remember and truly enjoyed (in no particular order)
- Moved to Indiana by myself when I was 16. First feeling – what the hell?!
- Climbed Inca Trail for 4 day and reached Machu Picchu – Wohoo!
- Scuba Diving in Great Barrier Reef – Scared to death! Thought I couldn’t breath.
- Traming in New Zealand South Island – Brought cooked lamb from the Chinese restaurant to the mountain and made all the hikers really jealous
- Drove my mom and uncle across New Zealand and felt like we were in Lord of the Ring – the movie!
- Visited Thailand with my of 3 best girlfriends and took pictures with beautiful ladyboys
- Drove across the Midwest cornfield with Lin in and got a ticket – doh!
- Watching Madame Butterfly in Munich – Front row seat and truly felt like a million bucks!
- Drank Kiwi Caipirinha on the hottest day in Brazil and felt so refreshed beyond belief
- Hiked in Mount Rainer and saw Edith’s Creek – I am not kidding! There was such a creek.
- Cave diving in Yucatan, Mexico. Could not control my BCD and got stuck. LOL!
- Sky diving in Monterey. Felt like life just passed me by and actually enjoyed the free fall moment.
- Quitted my job and left corporate America without much planning. Would I do it again – of course!
- Started organizing entrepreneur Meetups ‘cause I felt like it
- Started putting together BizTechDay feeling that was the right thing to do
- Started a company – man this is more scary than anything else I have ever done.
- Went to Egypt and Muslim women wanted to take pictures with me and touched my hair. Thought I was the tourist…
- Saw the real painting ‘The Kiss’ and felt it took my breath away
- Went hiking with my mother on Hong Kong Island
- Ate (will eat more) my mother’s mom made dumpling
- Arm wrestling with my grand father. He was a strong man even his 80s
- Hitchhiking at the San Juan Island with my friends and got on the back of the truck
- Went protesting in Hong Kong for Tiananmen square
- Swam with the shark in the Melbourne Aquarium
- Every time I drank Archery Summit Oregon Pinot or Penfold Bin 389
- Sang jazz at Tula’s, Seattle
- Walking down Parisian street with mother and pointing out all the dog shit
- Biking across all the canals in Amsterdam and feel quite high afterwards
- Ate the best Raman on the street of Tokyo – in heaven. Really!
- Ate the best sushi the Tsukiji Fish Market – wow. Beer/sushi at 10:00 a.m. My first for sure.
- Saw rap/jazz dancing in a Korean club. All the girls dressed up like MC Hammer.
- Ate fried locust on the street of Thailand
- Drink whiskey from the Scottish Whisky Society in Edinburgh
- Saw a naked artistic show in Edinburgh Art Festival – Wow.
- Realizing what I am truly good at while I am still fairly young J
- Told my mom how much I love her on my birthday
- Went to a wedding in a Castle in England
And here are some things I still want to do:
- Live and learn Spanish in Barcelona and Madrid
- Have a sip of Chai tea while looking at Taj Mahal
- Work in a French Restaurant in Paris while leaning French
- Party at Ibiza and be a bartender there for a day
- See all the ruins in AnkaWot
- See the Northern Lights while sipping a glass of Champagne
- Climb Grand Canyon from bottom to top or the other way around.
- Pet animals on Galápagos Islands
- Eat Pho in Saigon, the real Saigon
- Start an nonprofit helping kids to learn entrepreneurship skill
- Learn how to cook Thai food in Thailand
- Take the Sound of Music Tour at Salzburg
- Visit the birth place of Chopin
- Meet Jason Mraz and sing a duet with him – I am yours
- Run a marathon in Hawaii
- Archery in Scotland – Scream Brave Heart!
- Play Soccer with the kids in Brazil
- Play Frisbee in Bali
- Build a multi-million dollar business and sell it
- Own a Penthouse apartment free and clear
- Be inspired by the person I love every single day for the rest of my life
- Make a difference in someone important in my life
- Build a school
- Make my mom a grandmother
- Watch the “Before Sunrise” movie in Vienna and walk the trail
- Watch “Before Sunset” movie in Paris and walk the trail
- Witness a solar eclipse
- Paddle a boat on the Blue Lagoon
- Do public speaking in front of 10,000 people
- Be a leader in a rally
- Write a letter to at least 3 of your closest friends to let them know how much they mean to you
- Beat a video game
- Watch god father in New York
- Write a book on something that means a lot to you
- Put together a 10,000 person conference
- Learn how to walk like a model in New York
- Do a photo shot with cool women in Hollywood
- Join a social etiquette class and further refine your mannerisms
- Go on a blind date! (for the singles!)
- Learn how to play the Violin
- Sing and play piano with Diana Krall
- Win a lucky draw for a million and buy a home that day
- Learn how to dance Tango in Argentina
- Yoga Retreat in India
- Go on a road trip in Africa
- Take 3 months off travelling around the world
- Volunteer for a year
- Act in a film with Jude Law
- Be on the cover of Fast Company
- Celebrate New Year with 10 of my loved ones every year for the rest of my life
- Have dinner with Obama and Nelson Mandela
- Go to the World Cup
Let me know when you want to join me on any of these items, and I will let you know when and where we are going to do it.