Hi, I’m Ben and this is the online journal of my ‘bucket list’.
Why? I finished many years of study and thought “Hey, now I can do all those cool things that I was (usually) too busy studying to do!” So, I started writing a list. Based on good suggestions from close family, I decided to keep track using a blog.
Use the drop-down box on the right to see all posts for a particular list item. Or click on the links below to see the first posts for each item, listed in the order I started them:
- Create a short stopmotion film (DONE 28 December 2012).
- Skydive (DONE 26 August 2012).
- Own a grand piano (on hold).
- Reach 12 percent body fat and good muscle tone, i.e. have a ‘good’ body (on hold).
- Climb an overhang rockclimbing wall (DONE 30 October 2012).
- Climb a rope (DONE 15 December 2012).
- Watch the Top 50 Films (DONE 24 July 2013).
- Do handstand pushups (DONE 8 June 2013).
- Record a few pieces of music, where I play/sing all the parts (DONE 6 January 2013).
- Artificial intelligence (sub-list: 4 posts).
- Find something interesting in my family history (DONE 10 April 2013).
- Make and release a graphical computer game (DONE 30 September 2013).
- Have a 30-minute conversation in German with a native speaker (on hold).
- Edit Wikipedia (DONE 27 Feb 2018).
- Learn about Buddhism (DONE 21 Apr 2018).
- Publish a fiction story online.
Any items listed as a ‘sub-list’ refer to an index page, as these items may be open-ended or contain many, many sub-items.
Here are the items yet to do, in no particular order. This list will probably expand over time as I think of more items, and I may need to rephrase some before I start on them. Some list items I may not get to, whether due to prioritising other items or I simply change my mind.
- Live overseas for at least three months.
- Be conversationally fluent in Italian, French, Russian, a Scandinavian language, an Asian language.
- Do cartwheels properly.
- Conduct a music performance.
- Setup and fund a self-sustaining music scholarship.
- Read ‘The Classics’.
- Learn more about history, art, philosophy.
- Travel through western Europe, Scandinavia, Russia.
- Visit the United Kingdom and Ireland, and pick up the accents.
- Visit the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World.
- Visit Aztec and Mayan sites, especially Machu Pichu.
- Ski the Swiss Alps.
- Go on an African safari.
- Relax on a tropical island.
- Create a physical arcade game.
- Create a virtual reality game/simulation, complete with VR goggles.
- Create a robot (or robots!) to wander around the house.
- Write comedy, and travel articles.
- Hangglide.
- Go whitewater rafting.
- Hit the bullseye at an archery range.
- Ski a black diamond run without stopping or injury.
- Fly a helicopter.
- Cook a souffle, without it collapsing.
To be continued…