Gandhi's 52 Things in 2014 Challenge

In the last post I started the new year with an intent to make some positive constructive changes and improvements to my lifestyle. Although a noble start, it was in no way a concrete plan of what I needed to do during this year to achieve said goals. While scouring the internet searching for inspirations and ideas to implement my goals I stumbled across this gem of a post. 

Basically you list 52 (since there are 52 weeks in a year!) things that you want to do in the new year in a bulleted format and track your progress in achieving said things. Since some of the tasks can be quantified, it's a good idea to set a numeric target to help measure your distance to your goal. The clincher is the fact that you put this list up for the whole world to view and share your progress report (and experiences achieving them) with everyone.

Taking a cue from Lady Kell I decided to publish my own list of 52 things to do in 2014 and intend to share my progress over the course of the year with all my readers.

Each week I'll update the progress on my list and also share my experiences meeting my goals. The following Colour format should help with a quick summary of my progress - 

Green - Completed
Orange - In Progress
Blue - Not Started

Health/Well Being

1. Reach my target weight of 85 kg.
2. Log a 500 km cumulative walking distance on Runkeeper.
3. Sign up and run a 5K event.
4. Go for a morning walk at least 3 times a week (0/156)

Travel/Treks

5. Plan a trip to Hong Kong/Macau.
6. Plan a trip to Cameron Highlands.
7. Go on a cycling trip to Pulau Ubin with the wife.
8. Go for a trek to Bukit Timah with the wife.
9. Go for a trek to MacRitchie Reservoir Park.
10. Visit LegoLand in Johor Bahru
11. Visit 5 new attractions in Singapore (0/5).

Finances

12. Spend no more than $5 for lunch for an entire week. Have at least 12 such weeks in the year (0/12).
13. Complete the 52 Week Money Challenge (1/52).
14. Complete the Monthly Money Challenge (0/12).
15. Pay myself $10 for every task completed in this challenge. (0/52)
16. Pay all my Credit Card Debt

Family & Friends

17. Go on intimate date nights with the wife more often. One every month at least (0/12)
18. Get a professional couple photograph taken of the wife and I.
19. Host at least one movie marathon at home.
20. Call/Skype with family back home at least once a week (0/52)
21. Go out with friends at least once a month (0/12)

Hobbies & Interests

22. Go for a photo walk every month (0/12).
23. Submit my photos to a contest.

Reading

24. Read 24 books (0/24).
25. Complete the following books before buying any new ones
1. A Dance With Dragons
2. Shantaram
3. The Wolf Of Wall Street
4. Matterhorn
5. Last Train to Istanbul
6. Trojan Horse
7. Dongri To Dubai
26. Read at least 6 Non-Fiction books (0/6).

Blogging

27. Write at least 2 blog posts each month (1/24).
28. Additionally blog weekly about the progress of “Gandhi’s 52 Things In 2014 Challenge” (1/52)

Self Improvement

29. Journal 5 times a week (2/255).
30. Take a selfie every-week (0/52).
31. Create a time-lapse of selfie images.
32. Go a week without eating any junk food. Have at least 6 such weeks (0/6).
33. Go to bed before 11:00 PM for a week.
34. Don’t stay in the same role at work by the end of the year.

TV & Movies (This list may grow as we go along)

35. Catch-up/ Complete watching the following TV Shows -
1. Boardwalk Empire
2. Breaking Bad
3. Californication
4. Downton Abbey
5. Dexter
6. White Collar
36. Re-Watch all episodes of the following TV shows -
1. That 70s Show
2. The Practice
3. The Wonder Years
37. Watch 12 new movies released in 2014 (0/12)
38. Watch the following critically acclaimed movies -
1. Apocalypse Now
2. Platoon
3. Milk
4. Frost/Nixon
5. The Wrestler
6. Raging Bull
7. Lawrence Of Arabia
8. Amadeus
9. Annie Hall
10. Fargo
11. Taxi Driver
12. My Left Foot
13. Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels
14. Trainspotting
15. The King’s Speech
16. No Country For Old Men
17. Rush

Charity

39. Donate Blood.
40. Sell/Donate excess electronics and gadgets

New Experiences

41. Eat at 1 new restaurant every month (0/12).
42. Watch at least 1 musical.
43. Get a Tattoo.
44. Learn to mix a new cocktail every month (0/12)
45. Sketch more often.
46. Cook one new recipe each month (0/12).
47. Learn to play poker
48. Learn to make mulled wine.

Purchases & Collections

49. Get a Mac Mini
50. Build Blu Ray disc collection with one new addition each month (0/12).
51. Upgrade to a new DSLR camera body.

And Finally…

52. Make a new List for 52 Things in 2015 Challenge!

So there you go. My 52 Things in 2014 Challenge to make me a better person before the next year!

Starting New

Happy New Year All! 2014 is upon us. The first day of a new year is a chance to start afresh. Most of us resolve to make changes in the new year. Some vow to hit the gym more often, others decide they're gonna learn a new skill, and then there are those who choose to get more serious and focus on financial or professional stability.

Well, this year I have a few resolutions as well. Sounds kinda corny but maybe a list of goals to achieve might be in order to ensure that I have a plan in place to reach said goals. With a little determination and dedication I hope I can see these to fruition. So what are these resolutions you ask? Well here's the list - 

Read More!
I am a slow reader. It takes me around a month (sometimes six!) to complete a book. Also I'm kinda easily distracted by the telly. As a result the number of books I consume in a year is abysmal. This year I want to change all that and read loads more. I haven't set a goal yet but I definitely want to aim for more than one book per month.

Get Fit!
I'll be honest, I'm pretty overweight, to the point that my excess weight has caused much concern as my cholesterol levels are through the roof. I sincerely hope my attempts at curbing my binge sessions as well as increased exercise and fitness routines help battle the bulge way before the year comes to a draw.

Learn Something!
They say learning never stops. So here it is, this year I want to learn a new skill. Am unsure what's this new skill. Could be a new language, a new trait or maybe even a new dance style. But something new needs to be added to my (rather small) list of abilities and talents

Snap Away!
I developed a passion for photography in early 2010 and was quite regular in my photo-walks. Unfortunately that momentum slowed in the last 2 years. This year I am hoping to kick start the passion and possibly even make it much more.

Blog Often!
And of course I need to buck up and blog more often. Not only to keep my readers engaged but also to have a creative outlet for my thoughts and opinions. Keeping that in mind I guess I need to start writing more from the heart and not cater to someone else's standards or expectations. So here goes the first of many such personal blog posts.

So that's my small list of resolutions for this new year. Granted they're not too grand but then again all big things start off small. Who knows, if I'm able to stick to these resolutions this year, next year may see me making some bigger, bolder commitments!

Here's hoping that I keep my resolutions intact and also that my blog post inspires you to make some of your own solid resolutions for this new year as well. 

The Lucky One.

Raj was a having a terrible day, the worst in a line of truly bad ones. All day he'd been the victim of a cosmic conspiracy which was out to ruin his aspirations, goals and everything in between.

Or so he thought all day. 

He missed his usual train to work and ended up reaching an hour late to the office. That would've been alright had this not been the day of the big meeting with all the associates. His tardiness caught the bosses' eyes and cost him that coveted promotion he was eyeing all year. 

Or so he thought all morning.

Afternoon did not bring any respite with Raj having to skip lunch to work on an absolutely critical presentation. It didn't help that his co-workers were out on a fabulous team lunch at a newly opened fine dining restaurant. He knew they ditched him on purpose.
Or so he thought all afternoon.

As if things weren't bad enough already, Simran, his date for the evening, called up and cancelled on him. He was absolutely certain she was cheating on him and seeing that weasel Prem from management.
Or so he thought all evening.

As the work-day came to an end, Raj felt he was possibly the unluckiest person in the world. He decided to simply call it quits and head to the pub across the street for a stiff drink to drown his sorrows.

As he made his way across the street he noticed a small crowd gathered. Walking closer to the crowd he saw they were witnessing a performance by what appeared to be school kids, no older than 10. Although he wasn't in the mood to appreciate performances, the energetic movements of the dancing children were hard to ignore.

The dances continued for another ten minutes and Raj found himself glued to the ground as he felt overwhelmed with awe of the spirits of these little angelic children. As their performance drew to an end, the children all huddled around one of the performers, the youngest and the most energetic of the lot, and held up a banner with an arrow seemingly pointing to the child who was the centre of attention. Raj began reading the wordings of the banner. What he read made him wince -

"This is Ajay. He is 8 years old. He is HIV+ Please help support him with a small contribution"

Raj stepped back. Suddenly all the sorrows, the troubles, the hinderances he had faced all day seemed inconsequential. Here was a child, who for no fault of his own, was suffering from a disease with no cure and for whom the future held nothing but bleakness. Yet he was smiling, dancing and living his life.

And so Raj thought, for the rest of his life, he was the lucky one.