The Bucket List

A week back most of us were busy making lists. It was the time of "New Year celebrations" and making a to do list for the upcoming year is the cliche which has remained in fashion always. But how many of us actually fulfill all that is called "resolutions"? I do not and that is the sole reason I do not make "New year to do list". 

It was all hunky dory till that time until yesterday when I realised I am suddenly on the wrong side of 25. 

Shit! did you think I am fretting over wrinkles and under eye circles? Not that I do not resort to those kind of self fretting, but this time the realisation was more than about just growing old. It was about somethings in life which I always wanted to do but kept on pushing just by the thought of "oh! there is enough time..may be tomorrow!" What if there is no tomorrow? No! seriously, I do not intend to sound like I am dying, I only meant what will happen if the museum that I have always wanted to visit suddenly shuts down? Or the random piece of jewellery that I always wanted to own is no longer available? And to top that I have already lived 25 years of my life and have not done anything to see that happen. 

All that and much more made me think about jotting down a bucket list. A list of things which I always wanted to do and will love to do in the coming years. Bucket Lists are actually fantasy novels which we write for our own selves :) It is only those moments which make life worthwhile and for anybody who knows me, must be knowing how much I believe in the philosophy of "living for the moment".

Image Courtesy: http://marshallmashup.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/bucketlist.jpeg

1. Travel around the world - OK! this sounds cliched and must be there on everybody's bucket list but it had to be there for mine too. I was lucky to be born to parents who were both travel hungry. So I had the advantage of starting early. You name any of the 'to do destinations in India' and chances are that my parents have already been there and I tagged along. But one thing that travel has imbibed in me is the fact that it is not always about destinations....it is also about fulfillment. So, you will find lesser known places like Shimultola, Deogarh, Falta, Sarnath, Chandipur or Rajgirh featuring in my parents' travel map apart from the usual big suspects. Precisely the reason I want to travel and find out about anything and everything that makes the world go round.

2. Publish my own book- That is something I have dreamed about for so long that even I cannot imagine. My own book and handing out an author signed copy to one of my fans who may say "Didi, apni boddo bhalo lekhen. Ki kore je amar moner kotha bolen" ("You write so well. How do you understand my feelings so well!") Gosh! that day will be like something in the league of me owning one of those Solitaires which Sushmita Sen and Shilpa Shetty made so fashionable. Yes! that big rock I mean.

3. Read- Anything and everything. Since childhood I have been blessed with one good quality which never lets me get bored about anything. The habit of reading- anything and everything under the sun. I may have a hearty laugh about every so called trashy novel that everyone is busy writing nowadays, but the truth is that I read all of them. You can go and judge me now. But I just hope I continue to do so- from reading nondescript magazines to the latest bestseller to the ones termed "classic literature" and in both Bengali and English. I will die if I am monolingual. And probably German too ;)

4. Owning a huge rock - Admit it, if you are a girl you cannot possibly overlook the charm of Diamonds. And though my husband already gifted me a perfect piece of Solitaire during our wedding, I just wish the rocks keep on getting bigger and better with every passing year :P Come on do not give me the look about me being so greedy. Even you want to own one of those Sushmita Sen kind of solitaires. The finger ring I mean...my piece of attraction! The one that can make everyone around Super 'J'.

5. Owning the most beautiful collection of clothing/accessories- I have no qualms in admitting that I have that tinge of jealousy rushing through my veins whenever I see someone wearing something exquisite and beautiful. That may be something as insignificant as a Rupees 35 earring from the shopaholics' paradise "Gariahat". I want to own them all....even though I do not know when and what to wear that printed cotton sari I saw on that online shopping website, with. Hell yeah! I want to possess it :)

6. Meet in person all the friends and foes I made online- We have to admit that our generation grew up in a tinderbox of online complications. Friends were made,couples dated, relationships went kaput- all happened online. And there is no denying it. I have made friends, foes and random acquaintances....people with similar tastes and background. The ones if I had met in person, who would have made the so called "besties". I hope one day I meet all of them, in person.

7. Do all the routine sweet nothings-I know it is routine and boring, but who told boring is not awesome? I want to do all of them..like holding his hands and dancing down the Keukenhof fields  or prancing around in sari just like a Yash Chopra heroine in the pristine backdrops of Switzerland. I want to do all of that. Did I say that I love Bollywood? Add to that, watching ganga arati in Varanasi and watching a beautiful sunset over the Taj Mahal along with him :) I am a die hard romantic. 

8. Get married again- Yes! I have no idea how  my husband is going to react to that but I surely want to get married again..of course to the same guy! I do not mind getting married again in the traditional style- Ala red benarasi sari and gold jewellery, but I definitely want to have a beach wedding and a Vegas wedding some day. That Vegas bit is a little bit of 'FRIENDS' hangover. My mom always told that American television turned me into a crazy being :P

9. Family- I am blessed with a wonderful family and sometime in the future I want to be a mother and have wonderful kids. Not exactly now, but sometime in the future. I just hope I continue to have the wonderful close knit family that I have. My parents, my in laws, my sister-who will always remain my first kid, how big she may grow, my brother in law, my grandparents, chotoamma, dadubhai, My pishimoni, pishon, didibhai, shake da, bhai, tai, Mamabari...everyone!

10. Money- I have earned quite a bit (strangely which has also been a part of much speculation) and thankfully God has been kind on that front. I just want him to be kinder. So even though I might cry over the professional hazards (we all do, we are never happy with our own jobs!), I just want to earn some good money so that I can fulfill some bit of everything mentioned earlier. The saying goes that Money cannot buy you happiness, but yes! it can help you to reach somewhere close by. So while I am on this break and having a gala time in Europe, there is a little part of me who will be happy to go back and start playing office office again and I will not deny that it will be for the cash that flows in. After all money can definitely buy you some securities and I am not the one to complain here :)

Actually, all I want is everything :)