The World's Your Oyster

Now the academic session is finally over and I have to actually start living the adult life that I so long avoided..... I did some deep thinking of what I would like to accomplish over the next decade or so. I have a few things that I have wanted to do for ages and what better then to write an actual to do list. During my uni years my mate started the tradition of writing a ‘to do’ list but we….actually I never got round to anything productive.....mainly because if you look at the picture below I wasn’t actually that serious.


This is what it would usually look like.......

So these are a few of the things which I want to do over the next few years..... Whether I get round to doing them is another question and a whole other blog......

1) Backpack around Europe: I grew up hearing stories from my teachers of how they backpacked around Europe and the exciting/rough/funny experiences they had. This is what started my enthusiasm for the idea. I understand it certainly won’t be easy and on top of that there will be lotsa different bugs and stuff that I won’t be able to stand but the experience is what entices me. Visiting the locations and gathering in the scenery will be worth all the hard effort. Mind you I’ll probably end up hiking for like 6 hours and then check into the nearest hotel. I can’t give up all of life’ comfort I’m afraid.

2) Visit the Seven Wonders of the World: I’m someone that literally has not left the U.K ever, so the prospect of visiting new countries to see the wonders leaves me in awe. This is next on my ‘to do’ list simply because the visiting the places hints at the history of the people, the culture and their way of life. I mean it is so different from the way we live our carefree life and visiting these breathtaking places and knowing the history is worth the wait. Mind you... I did go to a friend’s house that had recently moved and I absolutely love her house!. It’s so different from the standard house formats you get these days... I mean in her house she had small doors leading to random places and discreet cupboards everywhere. It is wonderful and very homely.

3) Learn a new language: Whilst I am only fluent in two languages, Tas is fluent in 5 or so languages... or was it six. That is why that is also on my list. I want to learn Arabic and recite it beautifully. I once heard a mate recite and as it was the first time I heard her, I was blown away. Didn’t think she had it in her and what more, is that she probably unaware of the way she recites. She is very fortunate as only a few people can pull it off like that. Mash’Allah. This is an Arabic word used usually when a compliment is given to someone and so it doesn’t jinx her, but it doesn’t count because I’ve been using that all my life lol.

4) Learn to cook: I am well aware of my cooking skills. I mean the first time I actually tried to fry an egg, it was half scrambled, half fried and half burnt and that was at the tender age of 17. Mind you I have progressed very well. Rather than making a dish from fresh I just open the package and bang it in the oven or worse still, the microwave. I mean it has come to a point whenever we go on a picnic and everyone has to bring in food, my only concern is what supermarket I should go and get the food from. I absolutely detest cooking at home and have no passion in it and that is something I want to change. I want to be able to make these home cooked dishes that I eat made by a few mates of mine.

5) Learn to Drive: Now I’ve had my provisional for almost 8 odd years, still with the picture of myself in college days. It expires in two years and now I finally want to learn to drive. Not only that, but I’ll have more independence and won’t complain as much because I’ll be able to have the option to stop using public transport (woohooo). We also then can finally go on the road trips that a few of us have already planned of as soon as I obtain my license and a car!!

6) Bury a time capsule: I’m actually going to do that very soon with a few mates and we are all praying that we do not have to bury it in my back garden. What we are planning to do, is put a little piece of our self from uni days in the capsule and bury it and just in case we ever lose contact revisit that place in 10 years to open the capsule up. Hopefully we won’t forget where we bury it and we all turn up!!!

7) Go on a hot air balloon: Wouldn’t it just be amazing to be in the sky and look down at everything and everyone from so far. I also realised this can be also achieved from going to the top floor (via lift of course) of a building but it’s not the same I guess.

8) Learn to be patient and control my anger: I am a very impatient person and with my self confessed anger issues, I feel I have somewhere lost the ‘nice & quiet’ Raz. So in the near distance future I’m going to try to be more patient and control my anger. Don’t think I can learn to be quiet though, once I unleashed my personality there was no going back. However, how it will be achieved I have no idea and as life is for living it will eventually be crossed I hope.

9) Pack up and disappear in the middle of the night: Okies I know how dodgy this sounds! But would it be wonderful to simply leave everything that ties you down in the world and disappear for a few months or a year without a second thought and without informing anyone what you have done. Mind you. I’ll probably start missing people a few weeks into this plan and will have a lot of explaining to do when I do return....
If you do want to carry this out make sure you take the essentials!

So this is so far, my ‘grown up’ to-do list and it is what I aspire to do and now with all the free time in my hands I have no excuse. However, I’ll let you readers know if I ever accomplish some of the stuff on the list.