Plans for 2012

Here's the deal. There are two things that I really, really want to do next year.

The first is to attend the NAB Show with hubby. For those who do not work in the same industry as I do, NAB is an annual event and is one of the - if not, THE - biggest exhibit for media practitioners. As far as I know, it is traditionally held at Las Vegas, Nevada every year. Aside from giving exclusive sneak peeks into the newest, most cutting-edge equipment from suppliers all over the world, they also provide the latest information on new media, IPTV, Video-on-Demand, etc. As their tagline sums it up, it's "Where Content Comes to Life." Visit this page if you want to learn more.

Okay, so that really isn't my purpose. Of course, it would be nice to visit the exhibit but I'm really more interested in the shopping and side trips (SO SUE ME!!!). This will be hubby's third time to visit the exhibit, if ever, and he's been wanting to bring me along for the longest time. First time around, we did not have any budget so that was out of the question. Last year, it was largely my fault because I waited until the last minute before I started thinking of my US Visa. So this year, I am starting early...in fact, I've already registered online as a participant. Which, in my opinion, is pretty good timing, considering I'm back working with a broadcast company.

Shopping/side trips notwithstanding, the main reason I want to go the US is to settle some personal issues. It's not really for sharing, but for the very select who knows where I'm coming from, this trip would really mean a lot to me.

The second thing I want to do by 2012 is to have another baby. Figured it's about time we give our son a sibling. After all, it's really lonely to be an only child, and in all honesty, I can see how much our son is yearning to have someone his own age around the house. I also want to have a baby with the same Eastern astrology sign like I do...I'm thinking a double Dragon in the house will double our luck ;)

Owing to last year's big move, this "project" is actually quite overdue. I know it sounds selfish of me but I've procrastinated because of career-related decisions. I was in the middle of two countries and as far as I perceived it, my job was not as stable as I wanted it to be. I wanted to make sure both hubby and I will be able to provide a comfortable life both for our present family plus the new addition (if ever), so we decided not to seriously pursue Baby #2.

These past few weeks, however, have seen us being less...ahem...careful in the hope that nature just takes its course. We're not getting any younger and time's certainly a-wastin'. Given that we're anticipating the blessing of another bundle of joy in the near future, I am now unsure of how I can travel to the US.

Both goals are equally important to me. So what's the best way to deal with a dilemma? Leave it up to the Divine Writer, of course.

I struck a deal with my Writer (as if I'm really in a position, hahaha!). I told Him, okay, if You feel it's time for me to settle all my personal issues, the stork will not be coming until after I'm done with the US trip. If, however, You want to tell me that the time is not yet ripe, then we will be welcoming a Dragon baby sometime around the 4th quarter of 2012.

The next few months will be a wait-and-see approach. In the meantime, I'll just apply for the US Visa in case He wants me to go exercise my retail privileges ;)

Growing old, Desperate Housewives-style

It may seem an irony for a full-blooded production person like me, but I rarely watch TV. I used to, in heavy doses, but that was when I was much, much younger. The time when I didn't drift off to sleep within five minutes of staring at the tube.

However, there are some TV series that occasionally catch my attention and have me looking forward to new episodes every week. Desperate Housewives is one of them. I find the characters funny, the plot engaging, and the writing style equally witty and insightful. I think that if I were half as good as their writers there, that would be my writing style, too (although I do not think I would make a racial slur like they did one time, but that is a separate issue altogether). I was watching an episode last night and one particular scene touched me.

Two of the characters, husband and wife Tom and Lynette Scavo (played by Doug Savant and Felicity Huffman), were having an argument. As a quick background, Tom wanted to have plastic elective surgery done to his face. He felt that the years have taken their toll on his features, and he's blaming what he perceives as his unsavoury appearance for his lack of employment. He is convinced that prospective employers give him a cursory once-over during interviews, and he immediately loses out to the next fresh graduate sitting in the waiting room. Apart from his increasing insecurity stemming from Lynette's flourishing career, his ego received a further bruising when they chanced upon an old classmate who looked about 10 years younger than Tom did. And Lynette just happened to rub salt into his wounds when she laughingly remarked, "Seriously? You two were classmates? You were IN THE SAME CLASS?!"

Lynette tried dissuading Tom from the procedure. Of course, there was the money issue; they had several school-age kids plus a toddler in a single-income household. She is also afraid that once Tom's outward appearance improves, he would think she looks unsightly and would dump her for a pretty young thing. She went as far as inviting an officemate to their house - someone who had a botched-up surgery - just so she could drive her point in. But Tom is adamant. And as they argued in the kitchen, far from their guest's hearing, Lynette revealed her true reasons for not wanting him to go under the knife.

Lynette said she did not look at Tom's lines as wrinkles, but as a map of their life together. Each crease represented an important event. The thought lines on his forehead, "That's you worrying about how to provide for us." The frown marks, "That's my cancer" (she is a cancer survivor). The crow's feet at the corners of his eyes, "That's all the laughter we shared together." Needless to say, Tom relented and did not pursue the surgery.

Touching and true. Each moment of laughter, each heartbreaking instance, the marching years make sure that they are all indelibly etched into our countenance. Most of us choose to pay attention to the superficial; I, for one, am guilty of that (I find myself increasingly attracted to wrinkle-control creams, and I actually keep a nightly regimen to keep the creases at bay).

But, perhaps, what we must all aim to do is to look beyond the sagging skin and diminishing youth, and focus on how well we journeyed using the Maps of our Lives. And it is only when we are truly happy with our life's voyage can we stand in front of the mirror, look at those wrinkles without batting a heavily-mascara'd eyelash, and still say that, "I am beautiful."

I hope to remain beautiful for my husband. And I pray that, someday, many years from now, despite my age and outwardly appearance, he will continue to bestow me with the same loving look and say, "You are still my beautiful wife."

Tom and Lynette's photo courtesy of ABC.

Old couple's photo courtesy of Getty Images.