30 Before 30

Here it is, the list that you've all been waiting for. Okay, maybe not all, but at least I know one person who's excited to see it—and I hope the rest of you would be too. You might've seen this kind of list floating around Youtube and other parts of the internet; so did I. It's been really inspiring to see other people's lists and snatch one thing or two goals that feel just as close to my heart. It may be a tad too late for me to create such a list, now that I'm 26—gosh, I still can't believe that number represents my age—but it's never too late to create goals and pursue our dreams, I'd say. Also, since this list takes longer to accomplish, I would most likely re-evaluate it from time to time—maybe annually?—to change some things that I no longer prioritise. And I will be keeping at least one of the goals private, I hope you'd understand. So here are my 30 Before 30 goals.

1. Graduate with a bachelor's degree

Yes, I'm a 26-year-old who doesn't have a bachelor's degree yet. And yes, that means I've been going to uni for far too long. For that reason, I refuse to still be pursuing this degree after I am 30. It has to be accomplished beforehand. It just has to! Right now I am at the later years of my education, so I really, really hope everything will hold out at least for a couple more years.

2. Visit one new island in Indonesia

Although this country I call home has over 17,000 islands—seventeen thousand!—I'm ashamed to say that I've only ever been to a total of three in the past 26 years of my life. I haven't even visited most of the major islands. How crazy is that? My goal is to visit at least ONE new island in this country. There are a few not too far away from where I live, so I thought I'd visit those ones someday. Someday.

3. Visit one new country

This is one of my favourite things to do in the world. It is my dream to be able to travel the whole wide world. It will always be part of my long-term goals. I haven't been out of the country in over four years and the wanderlust is real! Realistically, I think countries that don't require visas would be the easiest option. ASEAN countries, for example—and they are nearby too.

4. Be financially stable

When I think of this goal, a number comes to mind of how much money I should be making every month to qualify for it. I'm not going to tell you, but if you live in the greater Jakarta area, you might be able to approximate the amount. Right now, my finances are as unpredictable as the weather. Some months I'm raking it in, some months I'm barely hanging on. It'll be nice to have some sense of security for a change, you know.

5. Go to Japan

Childhood dream alert! It breaks my heart to see more and more of my friends visit the Land of the Sun, especially if they're not as passionate about this country as I am. In fact, my best friends have either lived there at some point or visited the country multiple times. Meanwhile, I'm still just dreaming of setting foot on Saku-chan's home country. It'd be nice if I could go there for honeymoon with Firu, though, since he's extremely passionate about it too.

6. Actually read 50 books a year

This one feels a bit like a cheat, since it's actually accomplished already. But, when I wrote it down, it still felt like a far-off goal, since it's not something I've managed to do before. This year, though, I managed to wrap up this goal before Halloween. Although, of course, I wouldn't say it was really done, because I also included two books I couldn't finish. Anyway, the end of the year is not yet here, so I've got plenty of times to read more—there's always time for books.

7. Become a published author

Probably the most far-reaching goal on this list. Writing has always been a passion of mine—although, to call it the only passion is total remiss—so becoming an author has always been part of my dreams. Of course, I don't necessarily mean I have to write a novel. I can draw comic books and still become an author, right? Just have to figure out what I want to make and get published.

8. Learn about taxes

To this day, I cannot say for certain if I understand how taxes work in this country. Some taxes I get—like the ones in restaurants and/or buildings—but most of them is a mystery to me. The biggest and scariest one, I must say, is working tax. How much do you need to make in a month or a year before you are required to pay taxes? How successful should your business be before you report as a business owner or freelancer? And, most importantly, what happens if you fail to follow the rules? These are things I need to find out from now on.

9. Go back to Germany

You know the saying, "You only know what you have until it's gone?" Well, this is exactly that. It has now become my dream to live permanently in Germany. Or, at least, I'd like to live there again for a while. It's not that I didn't appreciate the country when I was living there, but I feel a greater appreciation for it now that I'm not. Every year I am driven by the burning desire to go back and I will make it a reality. Just you wait!

10. Get back to my ideal weight

In the past, I have learnt that my ideal weight spans between 58-60 kg (128-132 lbs). Today, though, my weight is nowhere near that. Of course, the number is just a way to measure milestones. It hasn't taken body fat percentage and other factors into account. It is possible that my ideal weight has now changed or would change after applying those factors. All I know is that I'd like to be able to fit into most of my clothes and feel the healthiest I've ever felt again.

11. (PRIVATE)

12. Learn a new craft

I may be a very creative person, but crafts have never really been my thing. I'm not meticulous enough to be neat, I'm not patient enough to power through them and my hands, I swear, aren't made to do dainty stuff. However, I like seeing so many DIY projects on Pinterest and I'd love to be able to learn more. Something like weaving and crochet—which is, apparently, a more advanced level of knitting, which I can do—pique my interest very much.

13. Build my (portfolio) website

Having my own website has been a long-term goal of mind, ever since I knew how to use the internet. After creating this blog, this desire has grown stronger and stronger. I've been toying with the idea of having a one-stop-shop for my personal branding. It will include my illustration portfolio and my lifestyle blog. It will be the best place for everyone to find all my professional information. Well, that's the dream anyway.

14. Join an exhibition

By this, I mean an actual exhibition that will display my work and my name for visitors to see—not a collective one, where everyone's work is just jumbled into one area. It would be so great if I am also invited to join an exhibition, but I'm not holding my breath for that to happen. There are a lot of stories of my favourite artists' first exhibition being ones that they apply for themselves, so I think if I keep applying, it'll eventually happen.

15. Live debt-free

Before you say anything, let me just clear it up: I do not have a shopping or credit card problem. Yes, I have a credit card. Yes, it's still not all paid off. But they are all necessary purchases—like the laptop I am typing from right now. It would be nice if one of these days I could pay it off. Also, this goal doesn't mean I wouldn't get credit card bills anymore, as I am not counting subscription services—like Adobe CC—as debt. That is a whole other category I can't live without.

16. Work in an office

Nope. I've never done this before. How crazy is that?! Yes, I'm still in uni, so that's a huge reason why, but I'm also working on the side. However, that job has been largely freelance. Listening to my friends' and family's stories, I can say it's very different from office work. For me, the biggest difference is in job and financial security. Luckily, next semester I'll be starting an internship position—not sure where yet—so it should be interesting.

17. Learn to grow my own food

This is something I've been wanting to do for years. I've always loved the idea of growing my own food. It cuts down on so many carbon footprints. In the past, though, I've tried my hand at gardening and, I must say, it was disappointing. However, maybe this time I can do research on which plant will be the easiest to nurture. We'll see how this pans out.

18. Live more intentionally

If nothing else, this is the most important goal on this list. Living more intentionally means being really mindful and conscious about the decisions I make on all aspects of my life. The big three aspects are food, sports and purchase. It means I want to be more deliberate about what I eat, how I choose to move or not move my body and what I spend my money on. It requires me to think long and hard about my choices, so that I won't look back and ask, "How did I get here?"

19. Make an actual investment

Finances have been something of interest to me in the past couple years. What I've learnt about money in that amount of time is that preparing for the future is crucial. For that reason, I feel like making an investment is a wise move to make, especially around this age. The sooner we start, the bigger our investment will become when we retire or in need for any extra cash. Also, what I mean by investment here is not to "invest" on high quality clothes or tools, which I will wear/use. I mean solid, payable investments for a rainy day.

20. Move out of my parents' house

I've lived away from my parents before, of course. For years and years, in fact. However, for the last four years, I've been living back with them. It is my goal to go back to independence, hopefully fully independence too—including financial. Ideally, in Germany, but anywhere else, I'm down too.

21. Get a full body check up or blood test

It is highly crucial for people to get tested as early as possible. Arguably, it is somewhat too late for me right now, though. But I've never been fully tested yet. Whenever I had blood tests, they were to pinpoint a certain disease—ahem, TBC, ahem—so I'm sure any other red flags had been ignored. I need to know if I have a good chance of getting—or perhaps already diagnosable of—terminal diseases, such as diabetes, heart problems and cancer.

22. Get a pension and emergency fund plan

Still with the finance theme, the reason is basically the same as no. 19. After a great talk with friend Maya on my birthday, I think a proper emergency fund needs to be 12x my living cost. Now, though, my emergency fund is literally 0. Oops.

23. Learn how to compost properly

The one thing I have yet to do to close the loop of using items is composting. To truly go from cradle-to-cradle and not cradle-to-grave, composting is crucial. I love when people talk about composting and I admire them for it. It is supposedly so much easier than you'd think. I haven't tried it yet, but I will definitely give it a go.

24. Upgrade my tools

I've been using pretty much the same tools for around 6 years—camera, laptop, tablet. Okay, my old laptop and tablet broke, but the new ones that I have aren't all that different from the old ones—actually my sister's tablet that I now use is a downgrade from my old one. My hope is to be able to upgrade on these tools, especially my camera—either get a new one or a new lens. So far, though, the only upgrades I get is on my Adobe programs (lol).

25. Hang out at the beach

Yes, I live in an archipelagic country. Yes, I've been living here for most of my life. But no, I've never actually hung out at the beach. Visited it, sure, but often at bad timing, like when it rains, too crowded—and gross—or at night when it's closed out, due to some religious ceremony. I've always wanted to know what it feels like to play on the beach, lay on your towel under the umbrella or even go snorkelling.

26. Meet new online friends

You may know how much I love building online friendships. I love meeting new people on the internet and talking to them about a number of topics. The best part about online friendships, however, is bringing them into the offline world. Meeting up with online friends, hanging out with them and, essentially, strengthening our bond through new things we learn about each other. In the past, I've met with a few already, but I'm always eager to meet more.

27. Visit a conservation centre

I'm not big on domesticated animals. Seeing cats, dogs and other pets doesn't stir my heart very much. However, I do care about animals in general, especially endangered ones. So far, I've ever only cared from afar, pouring what little money I have to organisations that ensure their continued existence. I'd love to be able to visit these lovely survivors someday. I think there's one in Yogyakarta; I wonder if it's open for public.

28. Downsize my wardrobe

While I pride myself for not adding more items to my wardrobe in the past year or so—at least not through purchasing—I still do have quite a lot stored. It's delusional to think that I wear everything that I own. There are just too many to circulate. I think I'd want to really look at all my clothes and downsize exponentially. So far, I've got several items listed on my preloved store—please do check it out, you might find something you like.

29. Learn more about Islam

You've probably noticed, I'm a religious person, but not a complete devout. And I'm a Muslim. I use the term rather loosely, as I often miss out on the daily rituals of the religion. When I was little, I learnt a lot about the religion in school, but the older I grow, the more I forget what I've been taught. I want to recall those lessons, as well as learn new ones that are more suitable for my age now. I want to have knowledge in my arsenal and deliver the best possible version of a Muslim to the world.

30. Get married

If you think number 11 was this goal, you clearly don't know me very well. It seems to be so low on my list, but, frankly, I think we should all save the best for last, don't you? Getting married is the big, big, BIG thing I want to be able to accomplish. To be honest, I don't know if it will happen before I'm 30 and I'm not too hung up on it. If by the time I'm 30, I've already done all the above, I don't see any reason not to accomplish this one too. However, even just planning to get here is good enough for me.