Every new year, we swear to ourselves that this time we’ll be disciplined enough to work out in the mornings, eat healthy, get to work early, do more of X and less of Y. But in the end, when the tail end of December rolls around, those resolutions are as dusty as the unused treadmill, and forgotten like gym card still attached to your keychain.

I’m not sure if it comes from my Peruvian or Chinese culture (growing up it’s been an amalgamation of both, where one cannot be clearly discerned from the other), but, as the clock strikes 12 on the eve of Dec. 31, my family and I each eat 12 grapes and make a “wish” for each. Some wishes are as hopeful and whimsical as winning the lottery, others more compassionate like less stress for my parents, happiness for my loved ones. Most require a bit of a struggle and lots more than wishful thinking – traveling, getting a job, earning a degree. It’s not enough to “wish,” to make a resolution or hope that this year will be different. When it comes to goals that are in your control, it’s up to you to make sure you carry them through.

So this year, I’ve decided to make a Bucket List. Not a list of things to do before I die, but a list of things to do this year so I can live – fully. I’m a writer and also, a finisher. Often I write things in my calendar or on a scrap paper that I’ve already done just so I can relish in the feat of crossing it out. I ran long distance and cross-country in asphyxiating Miami heat simply for the satisfaction of finishing a 5K race. Knowing me, I can’t and won’t leave a list uncrossed.

1. Blog for the week of 1/2/2011

2. Ice Skate in Bryant Park

3….


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