12 wishes for 2012

If dreams were my reality, these would be my 12 wishes (or fantasies, if you will) for every month of the New Year:

January

If God grants me a lovely singing voice, even if it is valid for only a few hours every night, I would put on a pretty dress, curl my hair so that it falls in soft waves around my shoulders, and with lips colored carefully and very precisely in MAC Russian Red, I would sing songs like The Nearness of You, I’ll Be Seeing You and Fly Me to the Moon.

I would sing during that magic window every single night in January to an audience of family and friends, and before the spell finally ends I must, at one point, climb up on a grand piano and sing the way Michelle Pfeiffer did in the movie The Fabulous Baker Boys. Oh, joy. All my shyness would disappear because I would be confident of a real singing voice to carry me through.

February

If I could be the best at baking just one kind of cookie out of the thousands that temptingly come in every shape and form, I would single out the shortbread cookie. Not too sweet and deceptively light, I know it is everything but  for every bite is butter-laden, I know, and glorious, too, in its decadence. I would have had stumbled serendipitously upon a perfect recipe and from there bake hundreds, no, maybe even thousands of them in a chubby pillow shape with rounded edges. They would be packaged carefully in the prettiest tin cans that I would have specially made, to be sent off with lots of good wishes to people close to my heart. 

March

If I could renovate any part of our house, more than the basement I know we desperately need, I’d choose to concentrate all efforts on a new bedroom first. We’ve lived in our present space for all of 13-plus years and it is very clear to us already what makes it shine and where it falls short.

To sum it up, Richard and I have agreed that we need a space that is as comfortable as the one we presently have but more efficient in the sense that areas are designated according to purpose instead of mish-mashed together here and there. Consequently, it should afford us a space as serene as the ones that come by way of hotel suites, where everything is in its place, and more importantly, where there is a place for everything (the latter is key to the former). The wires of all the gadgets we heavily use should be organized in a work-cum-charging station; clutter would be limited to each of our desk area and the room would have a general lived-in warmth despite its sleekness. Both Richard and I work hard and keep long hours so our bedroom must be a haven, a respite from the all the busyness we have to deal with during the day.

April

If God so wills it, may I please be pregnant with not just thoughts but also babies. Yes, plural. I would not mind having twins; that should double the joy. Although a baby boy will be perfectly fine, too, one who will look exactly like his daddy, with long lashes and thick, wavy hair. Why April? Because that is Richard’s birth month. No gift could ever top that one.

April would also be the time when I would buy the prettiest set of teacups and saucers of my dreams, delicate and pretty in a blue and white pattern. The teacups will make my milk tea and coffee taste even better than it already should, and its beauty and weight will be such that even sipping plain hot water will be a pleasure.

May

If I had the luxury of time, I would make lovely things with my heart and hands. I would want to learn how to carve wood, how to make delicate porcelain flowers, how to ice and embellish a cake, among several other gentle things. I would also want to learn to crochet really well and together with women’s groups in our district, come up with lovely crocheted products that will find a market in the big cities, where women love beautiful things just as much but simply do not have the time to make it themselves. 

June

If all goes as planned and scheduled, more classrooms will be either inaugurated or turned over to many different schools in the district I represent. Not only will they be functional spaces, they will also be pretty ones. The new school building design will employ green architecture  maximizing natural light, ensuring cross ventilation, and more efficient use of space  all for the same budget. As Plato once said. “The most effective kind of education is that a child should learn amongst lovely things.” That is so true.

July

If I find a teacher whose schedule is as fluid as mine, I would like to take art lessons with Juliana. I’ve always wanted to but never found the time. Maybe every weekend in July we can do that.

August

If I would have my way, by this time I would have had ordered and prepared the bulk of Christmas gifts. Before I store them I would already wrap and label them, individually or in groups, so that they are good and ready to go. Christmas being my favorite season, I like giving thoughtful gifts, even if my list is long, and for that early preparation and careful planning is key. Doing all of these way ahead of time would free up my December and by then, I would hopefully be so free to enjoy all that December will bring, especially in terms of time with family and friends.

September

If my fairy godmother could grant me a wish, I would want to be, by this time, even just half the dancer I have always wished to be. So yes, September will find me dancing, dancing and, yes, dancing. But if I get my April wish, I do not know how that will be still be possible.

October

If the universe conspires to make mine and Richard’s schedules match, I would love to travel for a stretch of two weeks, taking full advantage of Juliana’s semestral break. I would also have, by this time, read at least half a dozen books from the stack that is waiting patiently for me by my bedside table.

November

If space and cost were not relevant, I would have a wonderful gift-wrapping room, where the star is a big wooden armoire filled with gifts. I would have a huge table that I can work on and. at my disposal, beautiful paper, tissue, ribbons and accents, drawers full of supplies, and a long happy list of recipients I can give gifts to for every reason and season. How wonderful that would all be! The room would be bright, with a high ceiling, and walls the color of lemons and cold butter.

December

If I could, I would eat every cookie and cake I meet and enjoy the holidays decadently. In my dreams I would also have a pretty ice cream shop that serves pretty concoctions and delicious sandwiches. There would also be milk tea and two kinds of real meals that would be stellar  maybe a pot roast and good pasta. The floor would be black and white marble arranged in a checkered pattern and the walls would be white. There would be huge windows and lovely curtains and the pops of color would be coming from the cake display counter, the cushy sofas, the patterned pillows, the cups and plates that would be used. There would be nice music and it would be a very cold and very happy place, where wonderful memories can and would be made.