Last week, on July 15th 2023, I turned 29. The magic year. I’m officially in the thick of my Saturn Return, a time when a lot of people have a quarter-life crisis or the period where sh*t turns upside down.
For us Astrology-nerds or Astro-curious folk, our “Saturn Return” is when the planet Saturn returns to the place in the zodiac where it was when we were born as this planet’s full orbit is around 29.5 years. Saturn is the planet that is all about rules, obligations, duties, responsibilities. It is occasionally called the “Teacher of the Zodiac”. It’s a period that acts as a challenge to “step up” or “put your money where your mouth is”. In my opinion, it’s less of a challenge-period and more of an opportunity to move into the life you want to live.
I entered my 29th year of life in an amazing place. I’ve been a full-time artist for over a year, and I recently moved to NYC, my dream city. Despite being so grateful for my present reality, I was feeling stagnant. It was that feeling that led to me make this bucket list.
A list of 100 things to do before I kick my 20s-bucket and enter a new decade!
*Small note:
I tried my darndest to strike the middle between challenging and realistic. It is only ONE year after all. Also, it is my hope that some of these items can be grouped together. For example: “Fly a homemade kite — Hang in Central Park”, “Take a cooking class — Make Pasta”, “Send loving praise to 30 people — Send holiday cards”.
100 by 30
Art / Creative
1. Get a professional photoshoot — My first professional photoshoot was taken by the amazing photographer, Mariah Miranda. I use these photos everywhere! But it’s been over 3 years now and I look quite a bit different (red hair, long-ish locs, etc.) so we need an update!
2. Do my own gel-polish
3. Learn how to make a great cake
4. Learn how to make great bread
5. Create a light-fixture sculpture
6. Improve my Tarot skills - Learn Celtic Cross spread
7. Take an in-person cooking class
8. Learn and post a TikTok dance
9. PRIVATE — personal goals that I prefer to not share on the internet.
10. Sew a quilt from old clothing
11. Vlog my entire day
12. Make a kite and fly it
13. Go trash-ure hunting
14. Go to a “BIG” artist’s opening reception
Health / Wellness
15. Get CPR certified
16. Fast for 24 hours
17. PRIVATE
18. PRIVATE
19. Get a Therapist —Just a good ol’ fashioned thing to do!
20. Social media break for one week
21. Take cold showers everyday for one week
22. Take Sam’s yoga class
23. Eat vegetarian for a week (5 days)
24. Try Orange Theory
25. Try Soulcycle
26. Donate blood — My mom donates blood every year to honor her late father who died from Sickle Cell Anemia complications. He needed regular blood transfusions. I want to follow in her foodsteps.
Purchases
27. Buy an item of clothing in every color of the rainbow
28. Get a new tattoo
29. Get lashes done
30. Tarot reading
31. Get my astrology chart read
32. Print out and frame Hawaii and Japan photos
33. Create a capsule wardrobe
34. Buy a new suitcase
35. Make a new bag from my old leather bag — If you knew me well between the 2012 to 2018, you probably saw me carrying around a leather messenger bag. It was a gift from my dad (he got it with a new laptop purchase) and I wore it until I literally could not anymore. I tried so hard to keep sewing the newest hole but it was getting a bit ridiculous. I still have the bag so if anyone can recommended me a tailor or someone of the sort?
36. Buy new prescription glasses
37. PRIVATE
38. Buy a new laptop
39. Buy (20) new records
40. PRIVATE
41. Buy a new piece of artwork
42. Create an emergency “Doomsday” kit
43. Get a nice bookshelf
44. Buy a new wallet
Love / Social
45. Have a Christmas in July party (for my 30th)
46. Write a letter to myself in 10 years
47. Send holiday cards (Vday/NYE or Christmas?)
48. Host a 3 course dinner party
49. Buy myself flowers and chocolate
50. Send loving praise to 30 people
51. PRIVATE
52. PRIVATE
Financial
53. Pay off credit card
54. PRIVATE
55. Get a new credit card
56. Create a budget and savings/investment plan for my sister
Professional
57. Be featured in a major publication
58. PRIVATE
59. Have a successful blog
60. Create a children’s book — Another long-time dream and probably one of the most difficult items on the list! The books that I read as a child had a major impact on my creative mind. I can still remember the images from “ The Rainbow Fish”, “Harold’s Purple Crayon” or “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”. I want to make a book for the magical/tarot-loving/Astro-nerds that are now parents.
61. Be in an art show in NYC
62. Get an art studio
63. Get a new passport (Mine expires in 2024)
Travel
64. See Gaudi’s art in Barcelona, Spain
65. Go to New Orleans
66. Visit the Glenstone Museum
67. Fly first class
68. Weekend solo trip — I’m unsure why or how this hasn’t happened yet but I often daydream about going to one of those cube-like cabins and spending the weekend totally disconnected. Two whole days of reading, writing, daydreaming, and walking out in nature.
Food
69. Have dinner at a michelin star restaurant
70. Find delicious pizza NYC
71. Find the tastiest bagels
72. Make my pasta
73. Dine at Misi or Sodi (Italian) — Randomly chosen *fancy* restaurant
Entertainment
74. Watch all of One Piece anime (currently at halfway at around episode 500)
75. Watch Bleach anime
76. Watch DeathNote anime
77. Watch Akira movie
78. Watch Howl’s Moving Castle movie
79. Read Tibetan book of the Living and Dying
80. Read A Brief History of Time
81. Read Sweetgrass
82. Read A Short History of Everything
83. Read the Women Who Run With Wolves
84. Learn to play spades
85. Learn to play chess
NYC Tourism
86. Hang out in Central Park — Technically, I have already done this before but *not* as a resident!
87. Statue of Liberty
88. Botanical gardens
89. Summit One
90. Swim at a public pool
91. Area 53
92. Take the ferry to Staten Island
93. Scholars Garden (Staten Island)
94. Go to a speakeasy
95. Rowboat in Central park
96. Take the iconic Brooklyn Bridge photograph (in Dumbo) COMPLETED
97. Studio Museum in Harlem
98. New Museum
99. American Folk Art Museum
100. El Museo del Barrio