So You Want To Know About Me?

At this time, my dream is to be able to live in a comfortable little condo near Wineglass Bay in Tasmania, Australia. I want to live there, walk on the beach everyday, and spend a quiet meditative life. That is all I want to do.

So what is stopping me? Two things. One, my dogs are still young, I love them very much and am responsible for them. They will not be able to survive the ordeal of a trans-Pacific journey. So, I'll have to stay here till they get their angel wings and can fly with me. Two, I don't have the money yet to make myself comfortable there. Looks like I'll have to wait for a decade and a bit.

In the meantime, I need to keep occupied, here is a list of "drugs" I'm currently investing in......

• Sketching and Painting - wanted to do this since I was four
• Writing fiction - have started dabbling in it, but need a lot of training
• Improv - Love, Love, Love
• Diving - have always dreamed of being in water, swimming with the fishes
• Writing poetry - never tried it, very enticing
• Photography - never had the time
• Video production - sounds very interesting, want to find out more

Bucket List
Several friends have told me that I need to start a bucket list. Apparently, the very act of writing down, they say, take me a step towards fulfilling these dreams. Here are the list of things I want to do before I die:

• Travel around the world - see a county a year, may be. I want to absorb the culture, make new friends, taste the food, touch the soil, observe the wildlife, be one with nature.....

• Snorkel/dive in the top ten reefs of the world.

• Spend an assignment / quarter / year in Antarctica.

• Learn to dance. I am so shy when it comes to dancing, I don't have the confidence and feel really embarrassed. (Yes, I'm pathetic, I dance like Elaine!) Someday, I want to be able to feel free and dance - for the fun of it!

• Work at a vineyard and learn about making wine. From the grapes to the table - get to appreciate and understand the entire process.

• Open/be actively involved with a restaurant, where people come to have a good time, be happy, and enjoy food made with love.

• Learn the basic techniques and profiles of food around the world - Morrocan, Ethiopian, Mediterranean, Mexican, Peruvian, Aboriginal, Thai, Fillipino, Malayasian, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, and Persian.

• Learn Spanish and French. I love French cinema and want to be able to appreciate the movies without having to read subtitles. I want to learn Spanish because I love the way it sounds, I feel it's very romantic, and I want to be able to appreciate Neruda!

• Learn to read Bengali fluently so that I can read and enjoy the wealth of literature from home.

• Do few Water Corps assignments in Africa and South America.

• Spend a year at Dharmashala, meditating.

• Write a book or two. Don't know what - may be a cookbook, or a memoir, or share my lessons learned in life, or fiction, or poetry. Who knows...

• Make a movie - does not matter if I act in one or get to direct one, or am in the background managing the production. I just want to be a part of a movie making project.

• Fly low on a small plane or jet! DONE!! In 2014, thanks to a very good friend who is a fabulous pilot. I flew over San Diego in his Champ, and then in his Yak along with few maneuvers. DONE!!