21 Things I'll Do Since I'll be 21

Inspired by Ate Chyng’s “A Goal Without A Plan Is Just A Wish” list, I started off 2011 by writing down 11 random things that I have to accomplish within the year. The legit goal is to completely finish everything on the list by 11:59 pm December 31, 2011. The list went like this.

○ Learn Photoshop – PARTIAL SUCCESS! My sister downloaded Adobe Photoshop CS5 a few months ago but I just started to use it last month. I started with basic, Tumblr-worthy stuffs. In fairness, I’m quite satisfied with the outcomes but I know I can do better. So practice, practice, practice. Next project: a new blog banner.

○ Grab my second license – SUCCESS! Passing the test really means a lot to me. I’m not just satisfied with my score. Ewww, ang baba lang. I kind of deserved it though. Anyway, I got another license this year – DOH-HEMS Basic Life Support Health Care Provider. Bongga!

○ Get a job – PARTIAL SUCCESS! I won’t go into detail anymore, I know you’re just too sick of that story. Me too! Lol, I’m so bitter.

○ Give Mom a decent gift on her birthday – FAIL! I was broke then. I gave my mom a grocery spree last Christmas but I think it didn’t count.

○ Watch 20 movies in theaters – FAIL! I managed to watch only four movies this year, 2 local (No Other Woman & Praybeyt Benjamin) and 2 foreign (X-Men: First Class and Real Steel). Still, 2009 is my best “movie-watching” year.

○ Get a phone – SUCCESS! It’s not a high-end phone but it’s definitely thousand miles better than my old one. My former phone was so overused and outdated, I used to refer it as the “jurassic phone”, that I’ve wanted to get rid of that phone (without feeling guilty) since 2010. So just imagine my delight when I accidentally lost my phone on a bus. That’s a valid reason for Tita O to buy me a new one.

○ Buy a DSLR – PARTIAL SUCCESS! Tita A bought a Nikon D3100 as a reward to me for passing the NLE. The thing is, she has yet to ship it from Dubai. Sheeze. And the LBC people are charging her too much. Double sheeze!

○ Learn Bisaya – NO PROGRESS! I can only manage to speak a few phrases. I didn’t expect that learning Bisaya would be so damn hard. And it’s so hard to find free Bisaya tutorials online. Lol. Walang basagan ng trip, kuripot ako. Thank God, I have Bisaya friends who are ready to help me out. The only problem is I’m not a fast learner. :P

○ Corregidor & Calaguas/Caramoan – DOUBLE EPIC FAIL! But then, I haven’t travelled as much as I have this year. In a year, I went spelunking with friends in Hoyop-Hoyopan cave, enjoyed a beach in Cebu, climb Mt. Mayon, attend the Penafrancia Festival in Cam Sur and splurged with the family in a 5-star hotel. I even experienced my first airplane ride ever to Cebu City!

○ Invest in a good pair of shoes – SUCCESS! I bought a pair of black MFG shoes last September. The first time I saw it on the racks, I just HAD to buy it. I knew it was a good find. And true enough, it’s worth the money I paid for. And the 10% off was a bonus.

See? I messed up big time this year. It was barely completed, it’s pathetic really. It’s heartbreaking that I had all this time in the world to do these stuffs but I made a terrible job out of it. This year, ‘cos I still believe wholeheartedly in the power of telling the universe of what I hope for, I’m starting over. I will put those failed/partial success goals on the list for 2012, again, with a note to myself to try harder. I’m also gonna add 21 new, random things to do. I know some of the stuffs that I have in my list are too common for others and embarrassingly it may sound but I haven’t done them before.

# 1 Gain at least 20 pounds. I really, really have to do this year. I’m planning to enroll myself in a gym class (please refrain yourself from laughing); but I still have to study and choose the best program. And in connection with this, I really have to work on my discipline. Masyado akong tamad!

# 2 Read at least one book per month. My only problem is that I tend to read a lot of books at the same time and it takes me forever to finish one.

# 3 Purchase DVD of “FRIENDS”. Yes, the complete 10 season. Shikes! That would cost me a lot, like thousand bucks but I don’t care. This is for Phoebe and her smelly cat. :>

# 4 Seriously start with my savings program. I have to think of the future ‘cos I’m not getting any younger. I’m 20 for crying out loud and still, I’m broke. I have 3 ATM cards but only one has funds (if you call a few bucks a fund). Shikes! I also need to be more frugal whatever that word means. I’m a compulsive shopper, just so you know, and I’m not proud.

# 5 Be published in a magazine. I never really thought about this but after a friend asked me to write for their college magazine, I gave it some thoughts. But because I’m ambisyoso, I want to write for a widely-published magazine. Hello Garage Mag, I’m here!

# 6 Meet a blogger. I’ve been blogging since junior high but I’ve never met even a single blogger’s soul. Shame on me. So I’m really looking forward to meet my blogger buddies. Really.

# 7 Write for a cause. I’ve been writing loads and loads of nonsense stuffs in my blog. I think it’s high time for me to incorporate my passion to write in supporting NGO’s. #TheAwesomeGivesBack

# 8 Take part in a charity event. In college, I’ve been involved in a lot of outreach programs and charity works. I really miss that. Nothing beats being a help to others. #TheAwesomeGivesBack

# 9 Learn how to use a DSLR. I have to start with these, I’m thinking of three; one, buy photography books (pricey); two, enroll myself in a photography class (again, pricey); three, talk to a travel photographer (afford!).

# 10 Go to Manila Ocean Park. Don’t you know that I’m a fan of underwater creatures? I want to go and see the wonders of the Tubbataha. But for a broke man like me, this is the closest thing I can get. I hope to bring my family with me.

# 11 Join a fun run/marathon. Trust me, I’ve been wanting to take part in the Milo Marathon since 2010 but to no avail. I really admire their advocacy.

# 12 Watch an Azkals’ game live. If you’ve been following/stalking me for a while now then you prolly know that I’m an Azkals’ fan. But I’ve never been to one of their games. Shame on me, again.

# 13 Refresh my wardrobe. My current wardrobe is rather monochromatic. My clothes aren’t colorful. I try to minimize my look and I’m boring like that. I hope to add, at least, some colors in my classic black-and-white (+ gray) wardrobe.

# 14 Get a Blackberry/Samsung Galaxy S. *drools* Honestly, I don’t know how to get one of these. (I’m broke nga, di’ba? Paulit-ulit, paulit-ulit? UNLI?!) Maybe I just need to be a good boy. Di’ba Tita A?

# 15 Go back to my birthplace and see the Hot-Air Balloon Fest. We used to go to Clark to watch hot air balloons when I was a kiddo but since the time we settled here in Bicol, we never got the chance to see the huge balloons again. *sigh*

# 16 Write for another blog. I want to get out of my comfort zone and write in someone else’s blog. I think it’s pretty cool. Besides, it’s also one way of promoting me. Lols. Who wants to be my host?

# 17 Try lone backpacking. Because, hell, why not? I love doing things alone. I often go to the movies or shop alone. So, why not travel alone? I would like to go somewhere I have never been to before like Batanes, Batad or Palawan. This is where the saving program is badly needed.

# 18 Learn how to cook, at least, 3 dishes. If you think that I’m the typical lazy teenager who doesn’t know how to cook, then you’re right. But I don’t want to be a cliché anymore *with full conviction*. And someone told me that “a way to girl’s heart is through her stomach”. I agree.

# 19 Go out on a date with an old friend. We’ve been planning this since October but, for some reason (my fault actually), it didn't push through. I don't want to call this a date before 'cos I have a girlfriend then, but now it's really a date. (Newsflash: we both had a crush on each other in 6th grade. Aww.) Let’s see how this goes.

# 20 Go ziplining somewhere. Thank God, I'm not afraid of heights! And besides, ziplining fees in the country are quite cheap.

# 21 Decide on my future. This is maybe the hardest thing to do. Honestly, I’m pretty clueless now. I don’t know if I’ll pursue a master’s degree, change careers or just enter showbiz. HEEEELP!

This is a longer list compared with last year. For real, I’m going to take a serious whack at it this year to make up for my pathetic attempt last year. I’ll give myself until 11:59pm December 31, 2012. The ultimate goal, though, is to have fun!