My Impossible List
This is NOT a bucket list!
The idea was originally from Joel Runyon and I based my list on Thomas Frank’s version.
The impossible list should always evolve, listing experiences that lead to other experiences. Somehow it ends up inspiring others as well as yourself and, more importantly, it compels you to take action. I was quite impressed to see that I’ve already completed some of my goals, it really is an awesome exercise.
Life and/or Legacy Goals
- Be self-sufficient and location-independent
- Help my parents and my brother to live a good life
- Share a happy authentic life with a partner
- Build an off-grid tiny house
- Rescue a dog and/or cat (could be multiple)
- Provide an education to 100,000 people
- Help people expand their potential (always in progress)
Language Goals
Based on the CEFR
- English: Pass as a Proficient User (C1 level) on IELTS - did it multiple times for different reasons
- General: overall score 8.0 (January 2025)
- Academic: overall score 7.0 (March 2023)
- General: overall score 8.0 (July 2021)
- General: overall score 7.5 (May 2018)
- Academic: overall score 7.0 (Sep 2015)
- Spanish
- become conversational (B1/B2 level)
- become fluent (C1/C2 level)
- French: Pass as an Independent User (B1/B2 level) on TCF Canada across all skills (Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing)
- 3rd TCF attempt: scores stagnant and burnout (June 2025)
- 2nd TCF attempt: Speaking increased to A2 (May 2025)
- 1st TCF attempt: Speaking still A1, but Reading and Listening already at B1 (April 2025)
- Start taking classes (February 2025)
Professional Goals
- Create an online course
- Make $10,000 (gross) in a month
- Give a TED Talk
- Write a book
- Make a documentary
Geek Goals
Based on The Coders Bucket List
- Bring a website to production (you are looking at this beauty!)
- Learn to use vim
- Learn to use emacs
- Learn Shell Scripting
- Compile my own Linux Kernel
- Install and run stuff on FreeBSD
- Contribute to Open Source
- Write a compiler
- Learn a functional programming language
- Develop a mobile app (and release it)
- Write a JavaScript single page application
- Write a server rendered app
- Hack in a Capture the Flag Contest
Beer Goals
- Do a Beer Tour
- Drink a trappist beer at a belgian monastery
- Drink real ale at a British pub
- Visit the Heineken Experience in Netherlands
- Learn how to pour a Guinness in Ireland
- Take a tour at Fuller’s Brewery in England
- Go to Munich’s Oktoberfest
- Visit Delirium Village in Brussels and try as much of the 2000 beer options as possible (or as much as my liver can take)
Health/Fitness Goals
- Get out of anti-depressants
- Get out of high blood pressure medication
- Get my first pull-up
- Deadlift 150kg (330lbs)
- Back Squat 100kg (200lbs)
- Clean and Jerk 70kg (150lbs)
- Snatch 45kg (100lbs)
- Bench Press 45kg (100lbs)
- Finish a CrossFit Open within the Top 1000 overall rank worldwide for my division
- Complete the One Ton Total challenge (500kg/1200lbs for women)
- Complete a Spartan Race
Skill Goals
- Learn archery
- Learn knife/axe throwing
- Learn woodchopping
- Learn to snowboard
- Learn to rock-climb
- Learn to surf
- Learn to ice skate
Fun and/or “Insane” Goals
- Climb a mountain
- Scuba dive
- Kayak
- Horseback ride
- Ride in a Hot Air Balloon
- Play drums again and perform for an audience
- Play an instrument available at a public space
- Have an epic Nerf gun battle
Events to Attend (in person, not online)
- FISL - Fórum Internacional de Software Livre (2015) : best thing I’ve ever done. Absolutely life changing. So sad it’s over.
- Medieval themed events
- Open Source Summit
- Cisco Live
- Deftones concert
- Download Festival
- Glastonbury Festival
- Red Rocks Festival
- Comic Con
- Rugby Six Nations Championship (a Scotland and/or Ireland match)
- European Rugby Champions Cup finals
- NHL finals
- Rugby World Cup
- Summer Olympics
- Winter Olympics
Travel Goals
- Canada (I live here now)
- Halifax, NS (2022)
- Toronto, ON (2024) - and I live in just a couple hours away, I’m there frequently
- Ottawa, ON
- Québec City, QC
- Lunenburg, NS
- Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse, NS
- Cape Breton Island, NS
- St. John’s, NL
- Brazil : used to live there, but it’s a huge country with a lot to see, and I don’t have photos of every trip
- Porto Alegre, RS (2012 and 2015)
- Gramado, RS and region (2012)
- Águas de São Pedro, SP
- Barra Bonita, SP
- Ubatuba, SP
- Curitiba, PR
- Uruguay
- Peru
- Iceland
- Hungary
- Romania
- Stamora Germana (my great-grandparents were from there)
- New Zealand
- Japan
- Thailand
- Do a Euro Tour
- See the Aurora Borealis
- Enjoy an awesome cruise