It’s downtime. Let me put it to good use by listing things I wish to do. Hopefully, at least five of these would come true before 2011. The trick might work again, who knows. So here I am releasing my control over things, acknowledging that I am nothing, but that I am something in my nothingness, because I’m letting The Force take charge!
My short-term wishlist, dear Lord:
Discover. sing with Sagada natives, live in caves with tagbanuas in Palawan, and / or hang out with T’boli folk in Lake Sebu (and look for that old T’boli woman I met in Grade six). And when I come back to the cultural irreverence of the city, I wish to write them letters.
Revitalize. perfect my prayer-walking, and my meditation.
Sharpen. Re-learn Spanish and French where there are native speakers. French Guiana? Senegal? Togo? Sure, I’d love to go. (I’m nearly fluent in Bisaya already, thanks to Chong Hua and Cebu Doctors and Siomai sa Tisa)
Indulge. Draw, and paint, and walk, and eat pork everyday in Bali.
Earn. Sell recycled whatever with Vietnamese friends in a town two hours away from Ho Chi Min.
Bow down. Go to Brazil and see Christ the King and go to Ciudad de Dieux.
Aspire. Study Masters in Community Development, Social/Intercultu Communications, or Dressmaking.
Warm up. Buy a sandwich maker. (It has to be on the list because I don’t want useless spending otherwise they’d be trash).
Magnify. Contribute something significant at work, something that would help make us reach more people, more communities.
Conquer. Be a licensed Muro Ami. Or ok, for safety, a licensed SCUBA diver.
Invest. Acquire property by the beach (so, property could be a coconut tree, a chip off a rockscape, a rest house).
Love. Treat my mom to lotsa travel and pilgrimages and books and sugar-free chocolate.
Catch up. Find a copy of “Bienvenue Chez le Ch’tis” and all the Just for Laughs and Pinoy Meets World episodes (especially those with comedian hosts), and Travel and Living’s No Reservations, My Greek Kitchen, and Nigella Feasts episodes I missed.
Nurture. Learn how to farm vegetables. Tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, turnips, sigarilyas, sitaw, bataw, patani.
Simplify.Learn to document travels, Saturday walks, and things without a camera, only with writing.
Develop. Find a way to suggest a plan, or make known my vision for my beloved Bacolod City—that is, if my fellow Bacoleños agree with it, too.
Broaden. Search for hole-in-the-walls. Eating places, shops and such. I found the Solidaridad bookshop in Ermita. I found a Halal cafeteria by the Mosque in Quiapo.
Try. Okay, please afford me a little luxury from time to time, but strike lightning upon me if it already gets scandalous: Feast on a buffet of international cuisine at Sofitel’s Spiral. Or on chocolate buffet at the Shangri-La. Of course, not alone, but with my Mom, a brother, a sister-in-law, a niece, a cousin, or a Bacolod friend.
Befriend. Can I be an Erasmus student of communications or sociology?? Pretty pleeeaaase?
Please, whatever is meant for me at the right time, bring it on! My deepest, deepest Thank You.
