30 before 30: A Review
Tuesday, March 06, 2012
On the eve of my 30th birthday, I'm revisiting this list and checking how many we've accomplished in our 30 things to do before we hit 30 list so far. Some of you may know that one of the first few posts we wrote upon starting this blog was the 30 before 30 list. A little over a year later, we haven't even finished half. Here's the updated list:
1. Set foot in at least 5 of the 7 continents. (one more to go)
1. Set foot in at least 5 of the 7 continents. (one more to go)
2. Surf in Siargao (Philippines), Indonesia (Jul 2011), Hawaii and Australia.
3. Witness the four Grand Slam tournaments - US Open, Wimbledon, French Open and Australian Open.
4.
5. Have a Beer Laos and go tubing in Vang Vieng. Sole Sisters (April 2011)
7. Be conversational in another language.
8. Hike the Inca Trail up to Machu Picchu.
9. Basejump – or at least skydive.
10. Celebrate Carnival in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil.
12. Learn to snowboard.
13. Swim with the gentle whale sharks (butandings) in Sorsogon, Philippines.
15. Snorkel and Dive in the Great Barrier Reef.
16. Find an uninhabited island in the southern part of Thailand.
17. Sing, not in the shower or a karaoke booth.
18. Witness the beauty of Sakura blossoms.
19. Watch baby turtles take to the sea for the first time.
21. Fulfil someone’s childhood dream.
23. Learn to ride a motorbike.
28. Swim with non-stinging jellyfishes in Palau.
30. Generate 1,000,000 page views on this blog. (391,460 views to go! Do it!)
Do you think we're disappointed?
- We finally realized our dreams of getting published in a magazine. The first was in Cebu Pacific Smile, then S.E.A. Backpacker Magazine and Mabuhay Magazine. Fingers crossed for more writing assignments in the coming months!
And the excitement doesn't stop here. Our soles are itchier than ever. We can't wait to conquer more hidden towns, dive into breathtaking moments and meet other global nomads. We can't wait to run with bulls in Pamplona, surf in Australia, find quaint lodging in Mexico and explore more of the Philippines.
Care to share your lists?
Do you think we're disappointed?
Did we think our plans were to ambitious to accomplish in one (or 2) lifetimes? Hardly. Sure, there were a lot of grand plans that we set our hearts on. But there were also a lot of awesome surprises that we never could have imagined- not in our wildest dreams! Just to name a few:
- Sole Sisters won Best Travel Blog in the National Level in the 2011 Philippine Blog Awards.
- We finally realized our dreams of getting published in a magazine. The first was in Cebu Pacific Smile, then S.E.A. Backpacker Magazine and Mabuhay Magazine. Fingers crossed for more writing assignments in the coming months!
- Chichi found her dream job in Singapore.
-Lois finally made it back to her favorite city, New York, and also got her certification for the Passion Test- a course she has been wanting to train for years! She's having her first workshop this coming weekend!
-Sole Sisters continuous to become a thriving community of travelers who choose a different way of life. We support each other, learn from one another's stories and empower others to find their own adventures.
And the excitement doesn't stop here. Our soles are itchier than ever. We can't wait to conquer more hidden towns, dive into breathtaking moments and meet other global nomads. We can't wait to run with bulls in Pamplona, surf in Australia, find quaint lodging in Mexico and explore more of the Philippines.
Lesson learned: When you're setting goals and making plans, you don't always have to stick to it. Always say: This or something EVEN better!
Care to share your lists?
Adding to the 35 before 35,
Sole Sister Lois
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21 sole trails
It's so nice to cross out items on a list. And even if you haven't achieved some of them, the thought that you've achieved something is already something worth celebrating. Ayos Lois! :D
ReplyDeleteCongratz Sole Sisters! Our adventure never ends... Cheers!
ReplyDeletehappy birthday!
ReplyDeletewill you stll continue the 21-day challenge??? looks like you're both not in the PH... :-)
ReplyDeletemade my own list for this year too... my first time to actually write down the things i want... am excited to cross out things accomplished by end of the year! :-)
by the way, http://www.ekstranghero.com/2012/03/lois-ann.html. :-)
ReplyDeletekakatuwa yung dance the night away. saya sigurado lahat.
ReplyDeletemade my own list for the year too...although i'll be ditching a lot of my SEA escapades and adventure in Phil because of the free trip here in the US.
ReplyDeleteImpressive list and for crossing out a lot on it was really impressive. I bet you'll accomplish the rest in no time. Looking forward to the 40 before 40 list. Does that include "Get married somewhere in South america?" hehe
ReplyDeleteang saya na slowly you are crossing out the items in your list... me too, i have a list... my challenge to myself of visiting all the 80 provinces in the Philippines... I'm glad to slowly finishing it... hehe! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the boost Ed! Cheers to more travels!
ReplyDeleteCheers Ephraim!
ReplyDeleteThanks Paulie!
ReplyDeleteMay chance din yan very soon Charn. Hope you can share your list with us someday.
ReplyDeleteSuper thanks uli Paulie!
ReplyDeleteHaha... masaya talaga yun Dong!
ReplyDeleteDo share your list!
ReplyDeleteuy panalo yung suggestion mo Marky. At this point, getting married is not exactly on the horizon. But things can change in a day ;-)
ReplyDeleteYay for lists! Hope we all get to accomplish them. If not, let's just keep adding ;-)
ReplyDeleteHi Solesisters, I read about your story just last March 15 on Cebu Pacific Magazine while I was heading to Thailand. I so love travelling but that was my first time to be out of the country. Reading your story, my heart leaped and got very inspired to go backpacking solo one of these days. Maybe, for a start, I'll do it anywhere in the Philippines then somewhere in SEA someday soon. But then, even after reading your post about 6 life lessons your learned while travelling (which inspires me once again), i still can't take away my fears. I am afraid that I wouldn't be able to conquer my fears. I know only me can take away those fears. Please give me some tips and advice on what I need to do so I would have a successful solo backpacking someday.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the inspiration. I'm at my late twenties too. Thought it might be hopeless but reading your posts is such an enlightenment.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the inspiration. I'm at my late twenties too. Thought it might be hopeless but reading your posts is such an enlightenment.
ReplyDelete