i know that i have made a list of what i want for Christmas (or at least, every thing material that i want to amass before the year ends). today, while getting my groove back to resume a presentation i have been making for the past 2 days, i realized i want to do a list of what i want to be in my next lifetime.  

i remember when i was a little girl, there was a time i wanted to be a teacher, an actress, a nun.  Then i dreamed of wanting to become President of the country (which in hindsight, i will be forever grateful (for) of not being one because i don't have that many friends to fill 5,000 vacant positions in government).  besides i don't have the political machinery to begin with.

most people thought i would be a journalist (or a professional writer) because i wrote a lot in school.  but i belong to that generation when parents' opinion on one's baccalaureate degree becomes a given rather than the alternative. thus my dad made me pick political science for two reasons: (1) it'd lead me to the study of law; and, (2) a writer would not earn a lot of money.  (of course we all know that #2 is baseless nowadays.)

yes, i wanted to be a lawyer, especially when it seemed that almost all my blockmates' route was into that direction. i felt law school would be more fun (and easier) with people you spent 4 years with in UPD.  it would seem like an extension of your University life.  but i wasn't afforded that chance to go to law school.  instead i was given a chance to work for government that allowed me to think, research and write.

i miss working in PMS, and i would love to go back when that right time comes.  i have had another offer just last week but i felt it wasn't the right time yet. just so my country will not be short-changed, i am arming myself with the appropriate tools and gaining more relevant work experience so i would be a better civil (or career!) servant than i was when i first started in 1999.

anyway, there are some jobs that i wish i am doing right now.

a pediatrician. because i think babies are God's gift to man, even if it isn't even your birthday.  babies' smell makes one delirious, their coos and little cries, smiles and burps, and just about every little thing they do can activate every emotion that you never thought you had.  and to be a doctor for them would feel like being part of their safekeeping so they become really healthy, good persons when they grow up.  (of course, i am not delusional. babies and the care they need are huge tasks and could be time-consuming but this entry is meant to be devoid of anything negative and is intended to leave readers "dreamy-eyed.")

a chef. watching Top Chef and all those cooking shows in TLC, even those local shows of China C., Janice DBL, Sam O. and Rosebud make me want to buy my own set of knives and wok. i remember what Curtice Stone said the other night that cooking will allow you to use all your senses, and i'd want that. i am not a good cook but i like whipping up something in the kitchen.  i enjoy hearing the first hiss of garlic as it touches the hot oil. i am comforted with the smell of onion and garlic being sauteed then adding ginger for that mint-y aroma.  i like the feel of those vegetables as i peel and pare, dice and cube, chop and mince for pinakbet.  i look forward to plating and garnishing, setting the table and seeing the appreciative glance of Mr P for my effort (albeit once in a blue moon initiative).  of course, i like to eat.

a paid blogger, shopper or anything "paid" that actually involves a hobby or an activity that you enjoy doing in the first place.  (this, i guess, is self-explanatory.)

a flight attendant so i can travel for free and be compelled to glam up. (compelled being the operative word here.)

a filthy rich woman, a patron of the arts, a socialite, the #1 desired guest in every event in high society and politics. because i want to feel how it is to wake up obscenely late, worry about nothing except my hectic social calendar, follow a very laid-back yet regimented pampering routine --- mani-, pedi-, foot spa, scrub, hair spa, facials, yoga, pilates, pole dancing, body sculpting, etcetera, etcetera, attend galas and dinner to benefit this and that, throw lavish parties and yes, allow magazines to peek into my blings, shoes, bags and clothes because we are, after all, voyeurs in a uniquely distorted way.

a judge in every beauty contest so i can grill the finalists with the most provocative questions --- like "if you were a cosmetic surgeon, would you go under the knife yourself? and would you perform that operation?" (lol! i couldn't stop laughing while typing this.) another one, "what do you think is the greatest challenge in wearing 5-inch heels, and how does this impact in the poverty situation in Somalia?" "citing specific experiences drawn from you own life, what is your advice to the following women: Lindsey Lohan, Katie Holmes, Victoria Beckham, Michelle Obama and Drew Barrymore?" (please feel free to add to these questions.)

a boy. i want to be free to go topless and still be socially accepted, earn money, put food on the table without having to do the "dirty work" of going to the market, prep and cooking and all those household chores, buy the latest of everything  --- bike, car, rubber shoes --- and use them until they beg to be replaced. burp, fart, talk and eat at the same time without getting hurt being called a "pig".  party and get all sloshed with my buddies and still get looked after by my partner with a cold towel and comfortable bed.  and after all that's been said and done, i want to meet THE ONE, pursue her and start a family. from being a boy, i will grow up to be THE man that my mother has always prayed for that i become one day.

what about you? what is one *?" that you would want to be?