What would you like do next?

I was browsing around the web for inspiration and found an article on iVillage about "Things We Want to Do Next".

"What's the next talent you'd like to acquire, the next skill you'd like to master? Did you always want to learn how to sail, or golf like a pro? Do you want to learn to bake like a French pastry chef?"

For as long as I can remember, I have always been in search of new things to learn. I used the library to read up on things I wanted to know. Before I entered into the working world, I frequented the library for recipes! Yeah, my mom wondered what got into me. I figured since I was sitting at home for a few months (freeloading), I might as well contribute to expanding our family's menu for meal times. I was also determined to try baking a cake before I turned 21 and I did. My first cake was Orange Cake. Happy to report no one died from all my experiments. yippee!

When I saw how interesting cross-stitching was, I asked my cousin to teach me. Then, as the years progressed, I bought books for more ideas.
Another area of interest is learning foreign languages. I have learned several but with anything, if there is no practice, the skill goes down the drain. I have forgotten Mandarin and Tagalog. I can only get by with "How are you?" and counting from one to ten in those languages. Could those words come in handy to save one's life?

I still have interested in learning more things. The current interests, among others, are more languages (and keeping up with it) and life-saving skills. I have completed a course (and passed the exams) in First Aid and CPR by the American Red Cross but I would like to acquire life-saving skills in the waters. To do that, I first need to venture out to the deeper side of the pool!

Enough of my ramblings. Here's the rest of the article from iVillage.

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We put the question to iVillagers: "What's the next thing you want to learn how to do?" The responses we got were amazing and inspiring — as one iVillager put it, "There are so many things I want to do, I think I'll need a few lifetimes to fulfill them all."

1. I would like to speak fluent Arabic… or at least be able to make conversation!

2. The next things I'd like to learn are how to (properly) cook Indonesian and Chinese cuisines.

3. At the moment, I'm working on developing my portrait photography skills by training and working in a portrait studio part-time. I've been doing nature photography for decades, and now I'm branching out into "people photography."

4. I would like to learn to really dance. I can wiggle my booty to rock (no skill required — LOL), but I would love to learn salsa or ballroom dancing. That would be awesome!

5. I'd love to learn to paint. Now that I work for an artist, I have a different way of looking at each canvas.

6. I would like to gain the CompTIA A+ certification. I fiddle with computers a lot, and I've even built two myself. But it would be nice to have that piece of paper that says I can do it, and I would probably learn a lot more along the way.

7. The goal that I am currently working on is finding a community of people who support one another on individual spiritual paths.

8. I'd love to learn to rock climb.

9. I want to learn how to grow an herb or vegetable garden. Or at least "grow" a green thumb, so my plants will survive my overwatering them!

10. I want to relearn math. I got myself some of those little-kid flashcards and have been working on memorizing the times tables. I'm doing pretty well… All the old noggin needs is a push!

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(Note: These wishes, from 1 to 10, were from readers at iVillage. They are interesting - I would like to learn some of them.)

So, what would you like to do next?

The purpose of learning is growth, and our minds, unlike our bodies, can continue growing as we continue to live. ~Mortimer Adler

(P.S. I will be busy the whole of next week. As such, I will update my blog when the week is over.)