As a little girl, I would enjoy trips to the supermarket. I do not think there is a single child in the world who would not want to ride that stainless, cold, and huge (well, for kids, it is) shopping cart. My younger brother and I would take turns riding it every time we visit the grocery, which is not that often. The other reason I enjoy grocery shopping is when it’s time to unload the cart and pay the cashier. I remember my heart racing every time we approach the cashier. I get excited when she (the cashier) punches the buttons of that huge cash register. And that was when I decided I wanted to grocery cashier when I grow up. Unfortunately, for me, this dream did not came to pass. Fast forward one hundred years later ( I feel so old sometimes you know), I became a dentist. Oh, this is not included in the list of what-I-want-to-be-when-I-grow-up, this was in my mom’s list.
So, anyway, I became a dentist. And that’s the end of the story. Nah.
The bible says , “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past” (Isaiah 43:18). So instead of regretting and dwell on the shoulda, coulda, wouldas I came up with a list of things I REALLY want to do, want to accomplish and wished I was doing NOW.
#1 Novelist. I had a very imaginative mind as a young girl. I would create stories ,mostly love stories in my head. I would write down names of my main characters, the setting, the plot. Everything. I would complete an entire Sweet Dreams edition in my head. I was on my way there actually in college. I took an AB course in UST to prepare me for the future I hope to have. My grandfather who was so excited that I was kindda following his footsteps or frustrations told me to major in Philosophy. I was only 16 then, naive and who just listened and obeyed to what my elders told me. So I completed my freshman year in college but was frustrated at the result of my final grades in prerequisite subjects. I told myself, how in the world am I going to major in Philosophy if my Philo 1 and Logic grades are just passing. Then enter, my mother. Why not take up Dentistry instead, she suggested. In just 6 years, you will be a “doctor”. So again, as obedient as I am. I did follow her and here I am now, a dentist by profession only!
#2 Restaurateur. Let’s go back again to my childhood. Told you, I had or still have a wild imagination as a child. So my girl friends and I would pretend we own a big restaurant. We would create our menus, cook them using my palayok-palayukan and luto-lutuan and gather ingredients from the neighbor’s plants. Our menus were composed of the Pinoy delicacy Adobo and Sinigang. Our boy friends would be our customers and we would really enjoy serving them and pretending to be restaurateurs then. When I got married and moved out of my parents’ house, I have no choice to cook. Fortunately, all those years of watching my mother cook (she is the best cook ever by the way) paid off. I was delighted in the recipes that I came up with and they tasted good too. Some of them I picked from watching cooking shows mostly on the Lifestyle Network. Studying Culinary Arts is not a problem but paying for the tuition is non-negotiable. By the way, in case I open my restaurant in the future, if God permits me, I would name it Jacob’s, the name of my firstborn child.
#3 Baker. This is somehow connected with my #2 right. Well, my mom is a baker too. She used to bake pastries and it became her business for a while. Her income from baking helped my brother and I finish college. I would go home late around 7pm after school (not because of school work but because of hanging out with friends) and I would wrap her 101 baked goodies, from mamon, brownies, and muffins. I would butter the mamon, dip it in sugar, top it with grated cheese then wrap it in plastic. Brownies need to be cut evenly into small squares and wrapped again. The same is true with muffins. She wanted to try baking early on but I was too lazy to do it. I would rather decorate the cake than bake. But then again, this could be a good business too. Since I have the equipment, I could do it too, I guess. Baking lessons are feasible.
#4 Athlete. This is just a wish you know. I was an adventurer growing up. I would take bike trips with my brother and his friends. I really want to have a sport and be good at it unfortunately, I was not able to do it. But recently, I became interested in boxing, not as a sport but for fitness. My whole body ached in the first two sessions but now, I think my body has adjusted to the jabs and upper cuts. So I would be pursuing this and hopefully get a picture with the Pacman.
#5 Singer. I am an American Idol fan. I love to sing but I don’ t like singing on stage. KTV’s I enjoy. But I want to be the next American Idol only here in my home 🙂
#6 Scriptwriter/Director. This is already connected with my #1, so no need to repeat it.
#7 Motivational Speaker. Yes, me a motivational speaker. Imagine that. I would love to encourage anyone who is hopeless or just broken. I don’t have the answers to everything but I know someone who has and all I need to do it point them to Him. I have my share of frustrations, heartbreaks and disappointments in life and I hope I could help in my little way somebody who might in the same shoes as I was before. Ain’t it great to be helping someone be better?
#8 I want to be taller. Both parents are not that tall. Should I blame my genes for this “shortcoming”, nah. But I wish I was 2 or 3 inches taller.
#9 I want to loose that lower ab bulge. When I lost weight 3 years ago, that bulge never really disappeared. Now that I am boxing, I hope Pacquiao can help me loose that stubborn “puson”. And it gets worse when I am about to have my monthly period, bloated like a puffer fish.
I think that’s about it. Some of them I think I could still achieve all by God’s grace but my height problem, well its not a really a problem, its my reality! 🙂