…according to seventeen magazine. in my quest to “fulfill” my life with things people must do before reaching a certain age, i came across this — 21 things to do before i turn 21.

1. Take a road trip. 

This is something I’ve wanted to do practically all of my life. I mean, I’ve driven with friends up to Toronto and back to Rochester, but to go on a legit road trip? That’s something I actually really hope to do sometime soon.

2. Learn to play a musical instrument. 

Yay for being Asian! I started playing violin when I was in 3^rd grade, followed by flute in 4^th grade. Since then, I’ve sorta learned to poorly play a few more instruments, including alto saxophone, drumset…and yea. I also know like 4 guitar cords. Maybe I’ll take this challenge up and actually learn to play more guitar or something.

3. Go skinny-dipping! 

Interesting, Seventeen Magazine. I can’t say that I’ve done this before, but perhaps sometime with lots of girl friends at night, in the summertime. (Gah! Only one summer left to do this before I turn 21? >.<)

4. Save $1,000. 

I’m sure I’ve had $1000 in my bank account at some point in my life, but recently, the most I’ve ever been able to keep in there is a few hundred dollars. Maybe I’ll take this one up and even make it $1500 before I turn 21.

5. Know your grandparents. 

Unfortunately, I only have 1 grandparent left, and she’s all the way in Hong Kong. The last time I saw her was 9 years ago, and I don’t think I know enough Cantonese to carry a full on deep conversation with her. :( :(

6. Buy a lottery ticket.

Yes! This I’ve done. It was one of the first things I took the liberty of doing on my 18^th birthday. Every time I walk past a machine, I always get tempted to buy one, but then I remember how I didn’t win any of the previous times I’ve tried and how I wasted all of that money.

7. Win an award.

I haven’t exactly won any since I’ve gotten to college, but I think the last award I won that really meant a lot to me is when I won the Coach’s Award at my senior year high school track & field banquet. Even though it’s not something huge, I think the fact that my coach realized the hard work I put in daily and how dedicated I was, and the fact that he could count on me to get a workout done/lead a workout in his absence felt really rewarding.

8. Say “I love you.”

So…I’ve kinda been in a relationship for the past 3 years. That ship has definitely sailed. :)

9. Learn to drive a stick shift.

AHHH! So I actually really hope I get to learn to drive a stick shift before I turn 21! I’ve always wanted to learn, and it seems so cool, and my best friend from home drives one, so perhaps I will learn sometime when the roads in Rochester aren’t covered in ice and snow.

10. Milk a cow.

I would actually really enjoy doing this, but it’s kinda hard to find a cow farm around here, believe it or not. Perhaps this will go on a “things to do before you die” list.

11. Forgive someone.

I think I’ve definitely forgiven people before, but just off the top of my head, there are still a few more people that I need to reconcile with. At least I have a little over a year to do it!

12. Have your fortune told.

Maybe.

13. Go to a drive-in.

AH! This is soooooo old school. But I absolutely LOVE things like this and I think I’d actually really enjoy it.

14. Do your own laundry.

One word: college.

15. Ride a horse.

I think I rode a horse when I was really little, but I don’t believe I have recently. Perhaps I will engage in a little equestrian in the next year.

16. Donate your formal dresses.

This is SUCH a good idea. I have a few in my closet that I don’t really wear/only wore like once and decided I didn’t like them anymore. :)

17. See the ocean.

This would be fantastic. Must go to the Cape or the Shore sometime in the next year. Yum, salty water!

18. Waitress at least once.

Despite my lack of job experience in this field, the one time I did get to waitress was on a missions trip to Toronto I went on the summer after I graduated from high school. Every night for 5 nights, we got to work in the kitchen/out serving guests that entered St. Francis Table, which is a restaurant that provides meals for only a looney or tooney (I forget which one) mostly for homeless people or those in financial troubles. We all had to wait tables at least once, and even though the menu only consisted of 2 different things, it was such a humbling experience waiting on someone else. Multitasking with remembering orders, getting orders, remembering who they belonged to, yet still making sure the guests at my tables were all situated was a lot harder than I could have ever imagined.

19. See one thing that is “the world’s largest.”

Too bad I’m from Rochester. Maybe I’ll go to NYC and see…the Rockefeller Plaza Christmas tree or something.

20. Leave the country.

I’ve been to Canada and China? But I definitely plan on doing so again before I turn 21.

21. Learn how to love your body.
I guess this is something I should really strive to do in the next year. I guess people always associate “self image” problems with hormonal kids in jr. high / sr. high, but I think even now, I still struggle with 100% loving my body image. I often times find myself pointing out things I wish were different about my body, or things I wish I could change, and I usually do things in order to fix those “problems.” That’s why I love Psalm 139:13-14 so much. It reminds me that God created me with His perfect intentions in mind, and that because of that, my body is perfect just the way it is. :)

So I guess I have like 1/2 of them completed? Good thing I still have a year and 2 months before I turn 21!