500 Things to do Before I Die (Part II)

(Please forgive any wrong grammar or structure, it should be noted that English is not my first language.)

Hello, again! This is part two of list of things I wanted to do before I die. The things including places I want to see or just random stuffs that other people see interesting and I want to try, and in no particular order as I just scribble on my notes every time I think of something. And I realize that I may never be able to accomplish some of these things as it require a lot of money that I don’t have, but hey, a girl can hope. I first wrote this list on 2010 and still continue to complete it until now. The ones in bold are the things that I already done.

101. Get an infinity tattoo.

102. Attend the funeral of someone I didn’t know that well (my former best friend’s dad)

103. Make new friends (wave and blow kisses to my twitter friends. Love y’all!)

104. Set foot on all seven continents (I really hope this will happen sometime in my future)

105. Learn to Rollerblade (I have a crappy balance, this is a challenge)

106. Ice skating (I got bruises on my arms, knees and pretty sure my ass. But it was worth it)

107. Become known for something I cook (I’ve been told that my pancake and pasta are to die for)

108. Solve a Rubik cube (I’ve tried. But man, those shit are hard)

109. Finish a jigsaw puzzle (God, I love puzzles)

110. Become a collector of something that fascinates me

111. Learn to speak another language fluently (Guess how many languages I speak ;))

112. Swim with a dolphin (or dolphins, I love them)

113. Skinny-dipping (pure curiosity)

114. Tell someone the story of my life, spare no detail (this will result in depression to that someone. So maybe I’m just gonna write a book, and the readers can start a group therapy)

115. Drink beer at Oktoberfest

116. Swim in the ocean

117. Learn archery (I LOVE archery. I think Legolas will be proud with my archery skill)

118. Learn to fire a rifle

119. Go to a shooting range

120. Learn fluent sign language (I can do the basics, but still can’t do it fluently)

121. Learn the Arabic alphabet

122. Go on a helicopter ride (Preferably with Christian Grey driving)

123. Visit Basillica di Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence, Italy

124. Stay at the Ice Hotel in Sweden (it’s a hotel made of ice! Come on!)

125. Allow yourself to make mistakes

126. Learn how to take compliments (I always think that people have a hidden agenda when they gave me compliments)

127. Get a Masters (preferably through a scholarship)

128. Meet your favorite author (since Agatha Christie, Tolkien and Ludlum are all died, so that leaves J.K Rowling, Heather Huffman, J.M. Darhower, Debra Anastasia and Sylvain Reynard)

129. Invest in real estate

130. Drive a Lamborghini or a Ferrari (even if they’re not mine)

131. Buy my first home

132. Own a canopy bed

133. Build my own private library (I LOVE books)

134. Take up yoga

135. Donate blood (I can proudly say that I donate blood regularly now)

136. Donate clothes I no longer use

137. Take a vow, keep it.

138. Find the love of my life (it doesn’t have to be a life partner)

139. Go on that trip that keeps getting postponed with my loved one.

140. Kiss someone so passionately.

141. Got so drunk till I don’t remember anything.

142. Attend a new year’s eve party abroad.

143. Overeat for a week (preferably in another country)

144. Take a sexy photo of myself

145. Go to Las Vegas

146. Go to Thailand

147. Got into a fight to defend someone (repeatedly)

148. Give a panhandler all of my money in my wallet.

149. Spend a weekend at a silent retreat.

150. Find inner peace.

151. Learn to live in the now

152. Go on a blind date

153. Ride a motorcycle (junior to high school)

154. Make a difference in at least one person’s life.

155. Smash food into someone’s face (looks fun in the movies)

156. Sleep for more than 24 hours

157. Create a YouTube video

158. Change someone’s mind about something I care deeply about

159. Go camping

160. Visit a renaissance fair (preferably with costume)

161. Witness an eclipse

162. Skipped my school reunions

163. Try egg benedict

164. Try escargot

165. Kiss someone at midnight on new year’s eve.

166. Visit a winery

167. See a Broadway Show (Magical Musical at Sunway Lagoon, Malaysia)

168. Participate in a cancer charity

169. Jump off a high cliff into the ocean

170. Go on a safari

171. Eat at the undersea restaurant

172. Participate in Halloween party

173. Watch the fireworks over Sydney Harbor on New Year’s eve

174. Hold a snake

175. Ride a gondola

176. Stayed up for more than 24 hours (thesis is a bitch)

177. Stop feeling guilty

178. Buy a car

179. Buy an incredibly expensive lingerie

180. Get in a physical fight

181. Go on a holiday with my best friend (it was a disaster but we had fun)

182. Go to a nightclub

183. Get my palms read

184. See a psychic (my mother dragged me into this)

185. Get a tarot card reading (again, MOTHER)

186. Get hypnotized

187. Go to a vacation, tell no one.

188. Sung karaoke

189. Walked on a beach by moonlight

190. Joined a prayer group

191. Receive flowers

192. Gambling with money

193. Go to a strip club

194. Jump into a pool fully clothed

195. Attend a murder mystery dinner

196. Go to a masquerade

197. Buy a wig and wear it all day out in public

198. Save someone’s life

199. Meet someone famous (someone famous that I actually care)

200. Make my own birthday cake.

Thanks for stopping by 😉 xx

My Review on Sempre by J.M. Darhower

Characters:

Haven Antonelli, Carmine DeMarco

The Synopsis:

This is a story about sacrifice…death…love…freedom. This is a story about forever. Haven Antonelli and Carmine DeMarco had vastly different childhoods. Haven, a second-generation slave, grew up isolated in the middle of the desert, her days full of hard work and terrifying abuse. Carmine, born into a wealthy Mafia family, lived a life of privilege, never having to answer for anything he did. Both now seventeen, a twist of fate causes their worlds to collide, making them question everything they ever believed. Entangled in a web of secrets and lies, they learn that while different on the surface, they have more in common than anyone would think. In a world full of chaos, where money and power rule, Haven and Carmine yean to break free, but a string of events that started before either were born threatens to destroy them instead. Murder and betrayal are a way of life, and nothing comes without a price–especially not freedom. How much will they have to sacrifice? Can they escape their pasts? And, most of all, what does it mean to be free? Not everything is as it seems, and no one can possibly come out unscathed, but maybe, just maybe, it’ll be worth it in the end.

My Review:

I read Sempre after I read my friend, Elena, review of this book over at Bookish Temptations. Just like Elena I love the title, it’s simple yet captivating. Another thing that drawn me to read Sempre is the modern day slavery theme. I always appreciate authors who expose this kind of issue in their books, and they certainly have a special place in my heart. So, I dedicated this review to J.M. Darhower and Elena.

To say that Sempre is an amazing story is an understatement. Haven and Carmine love story is both sweet and heartbreaking. They were two people who grew up in two very different worlds but thrown together to find freedom, love and meaning in their life through each other. Haven is a remarkable character and I’m very impressed by her. She has lived her entire life as a slave, she grew up isolated in the middle of a dessert along with abuse and cruelty and yet she has a loving, patient and caring personality. My heart broke for her so many times over, but I love watching the self discovery and seeing her grow into herself.

Carmine was, how do I put this delicately, he was a jerk and a manwhore. That is until he met Haven. Seeing someone you love die at a very young age would defintely make you a mess and that is what had happened to Carmine. Despite his wealth and good physical features, he was a broken kid that still hunted by the guilt and remorse from her mother’s death. When he met Haven there was an immediate connection between them. Haven made him rediscover the part of him he thought had died with his mother and Carmine helped her adjusting with her new life and fight for her freedom. I’m impressed by how Carmine evolves from a spoilt selfish teen through his love for Haven into a man who is willing to make a huge sacrifice for her and that is ultimately what this novel is about – sacrifice.

J.M Darhower does an amazing job at developing the characters; giving us readers reasons to fall in love with them and the necessary background information that helps to explain a lot at the end. She also made this book purposeful, not only to provide entertainment for readers but also enlighten us about modern day slavery and human trafficking. In conclusion, Sempre is a powerful novel. I highly recommend this book for your TBR list.

My Favorite Quotes:

“Sogni dóro, mia bella ragazza,” he mumbled, closing his eyes. “Sweet dreams my beautiful girl.”
― J.M. Darhower, Sempre

“Colpo di fulmine. The thunderbolt, as Italians call it. When love strikes someone like lightning, so powerful and intense it can’t be denied. It’s beautiful and messy, cracking a chest open and spilling their soul out for the world to see. It turns a person inside out, and there’s no going back from it. Once the thunderbolt hits, your life is irrevocably changed.”

― J.M. Darhower, Sempre

“How about we just be Haven and Carmine?” she suggested. “We don’t know the ending, but we can always hope for the best.”

“I like that,” he said. “Besides, there’s a reason we don’t know how the story ends.”

“Why?”

“Because it doesn’t.”

― J.M. Darhower, Sempre

Thanks for stopping by 😉 xx