Heard Any Bells Ringing Lately?

My post has nothing to do with sounds you hear a day after downing a bottle of Cuervo or any other alcoholic beverage you may have readied for the New Year's Eve celebration. It is also not related to my friend Jennie's recent blogpost (I realized that her wedding post is similarly titled! Just a coincidence, folks, hehe) And no, I am not going crazy and have not been hearing voices, or whispers, or any other audibles (although these past weeks' toxicity is enough to drive anyone insane!)

It has to do with a letter, or article if you would call it, my Auntie Minerva wrote one morning this Christmas out of impulse. To give you an idea of who my Auntie is, she's an 82-year old sweet, soft spoken and joyful woman who out of pure love and generosity just loves to give to others and finds pure joy in doing so. She has 10 children, all successful in their respective fields, and now lives with her youngest daughter's family blessed with everything and anything an old lady could ever need -- family, friends, good health and material comforts. I got the chance to visit her today to drop off some long-overdue Christmas presents, and in return was blessed with an outpouring of her love and affection through endless hugs and kisses. She shared with me this write-up, and in the process she gave me a piece of her heart. I would like to now share this with all of you, in hopes that it would bless you, inspire you, touch you, or maybe just to simply bring a smile to your face. We all need to be reminded time and time and again just what the spirit of the season is all about.

THE BELLS IN HEAVEN ARE RINGING

Do you have bells ringing for you in heaven? If you are not sure, start this year by doing something nice for a poor and needy family. If you do not strive to do good this year, you may never get a chance to do so. What is the reason for our existence on this earth? Just to live? Therefore, is it ok to be selfish, uncaring and deaf to the cries of those who are needy and near you?

We should have the unconditional love of God in our hearts. God is forever helping us with no strings attached. Do we ever stop to say "thank you"? Why is it that we only remember the Lord when we need something? Yes, at times people can be so ungrateful.

There was a time when I visited a friend. I saw her lying on the floor with a baby by her side. She was so haggard. Unfortunately, I only had P100 ($2), and I had to pay for the fare downtown. So what little money I had left, I bought a small can of milk which was about P20 ($.38) and P5 ($.09) worth of sugar. I talked to somebody who owned a small store and asked a favor to boil water so I can mix the two. When the milk was ready, I picked up my friend and held her in my arms. She drank the milk as if it were her first time to be fed! I told my mother about it and she said "child, don't you know that the bells in heaven are ringing for your good deed?". I was overflowing with joy for what my mother said! I promised then to let the bells in heaven ring for me a lot of times as long as I lived on this earth.

Now, I do have children who let the bells of heaven ring most of the time, and I do hope the bells would not be destroyed. I am so proud of all of them for they have understood the true meaning of "unconditional love". I owe this good trait to my parents, and I believe I have passed on this trait to my children, as they will hopefully pass it on to their children.

So let the bells of heaven be ringing for you also forever!

- Minerva Chavez

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!

May the New Year be a year of giving, not just of material possessions, but of sharing one's self to be a blessing to others!

Warm (More Like Hot) Wishes This Holiday Season

I am pooped. I've been yawning every half a minute. December has been the most hectic month for me this year (and I don't mean involving just work). Starting a project a client recently signed on for me to do has never been this hard to begin, that I am now looking forward to New Year's eve celebrations.

But as promised, I'm posting photos of our recent holiday vacation at the beach of Cebu's Maribago Bluewaters Resort in Mactan Island. For all those out there who are neck-deep in snow, sick and tired of seeing white, wet and cold fluff, and silently wishing to see the bright, yellow sunlight hit a clear blue sea... these are for you! :-)

Nicky and I waiting to be checked in at the resort's reception / front desk. I played around with Nicky's hair and made them all stand up. Heehee.

In front of our unit...

Having breakfast with my in-laws

View from the 2nd floor of the apartelle. The pool is right outside our door.

Allan on a jetski with niece Neobi

Nicky, enjoying the sun (and for the first time ever, actually enjoying the beach!)

Father and son in front of the Seven Dolphins fountain.

Posing at the beach...with no one around to laugh at us. Hehe.
T'was a great four days :-)

In My Stables: LIFE MY WAY

Hi y'all!!! I'm back from my 4-day vacation in Cebu! Man, it was the BEST vacation I had this year -- I was more relaxed, I had more fun this time being around Allan's family (seriously...I had fun with my in-laws!.... Seriously!), and best of all, it was all expense-paid! By my in-laws! (but no connection to why I had fun with them... seriously! :D) Ate almost 5 times a day, went swimming, sun-bathing, jet-skiing, boating and island-hopping, shopping and did more eating! I'll be posting vacation pics soon (have to charge my camera first so i could upload the files), so hope you come back to check them out :-)

Anyways, my reason for logging on and blogging on Christmas Eve (Man, i'm all fired up! No Christmas holiday keeps me from checking my blog!), is to welcome my newest blog tenant -- Bozette! APPLAUSE! APPLAUSE!

Bozette's blog is called MY WAY, a personal diary which shares with her readers her day-to-day accomplishments and her interests. She's been married for 26 years and has a pretty big family. She makes all these WONDERFUL wooden crafts and pens! I was so amazed to see how creative this woman is and how lovely her products turned out. Check out samples of her Christmas wooden ornaments and wooden pens!

If you're curious to know more about her, why don't you trot over to that stable space on my right side bar, and tell her that Chrixean whispered her name to you. :-)

MERRY, MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL!!!! GOD BLESS!

A Merry Messy Christmas

I am so tired. I have absolutely exhausted the number of hours in my day, and I still have so much to do! To name a few:

1) I need to submit two CDs of Final Artworks to 2 clients today. Sent one over just now thru my staff. One more to go. Halfway through that.

2) I need to wrap my Christmas gifts. Have I told any of you before just how much I LOATHE wrapping presents? I really, really do. Really. Really.

3) I need to buy presents. Realized I can't wrap anything I don't have. Am still not done with shopping! Darn it. Was selling our newly launched shirts at the Christmas bazaar over the weekend, in between attending Christmas parties here and there, that buying gifts didn't seem like a priority. Till now. Shoot...

4) I need to DELIVER the dang gifts. Realized also that these things don't just mail themselves. Darn it.

5) Pack my bags. Here's the upside to it all. We will be leaving for Cebu to spend four days at the beach. YES. The beach. All the way till Christmas eve I will make sure that I shake off every bit of stress I had put on for the past two weeks and just enjoy lying on the sand and getting burned crisp (that is, if it doesn't rain..)

So whole of today (my flight is tomorrow), I still have to do all of the above. Why the heck am i still blogging? Need to vent, that's why. So sue me!

I'm outta here!

In My Stables: JANE LOVES TARZAN

I'd like everyone to welcome my new stable tenant, Jane! APPLAUSE! APPLAUSE!

Jane's blog is called Jane Loves Tarzan, and has probably been called insane by known friends at one time or another (Who hasn't, really?), but instead says "Sanity is the playground of the unimaginative. I'm not insane; I'm bipolar." I think I'm her perfect landlady, if this is the case... Jane loves camping, cooking, reading, and enjoys listening to all types of music, except country.

Why don't you guys give Jane a visit right now (she's in my right side bar) and tell her that her name was whispered by Chrixean :-)

My Best Friend's Wedding

The day finally came… Jennie and Rein tied the knot and vowed to love and cherish each other, for all eternity.

It was a lovely, touching and meaningful celebration. Allan and I were so blessed to have been a big part in the preparation of this event, and felt overjoyed that the wedding affair turned out to be a great success. Jennie was truly a “goddess” that day, a beautiful blushing bride, indeed. It was the simplicity and elegance of all things that made this particular wedding memorable -- the thought that went into the details of the church wedding and reception, the garden layout which set the mood and ambience, the beautiful music – all tied into the calming turquoise and elegant butterfly concept that held it all together.

Here are some scenes from that enchanted evening...


Jennie's gorgeous hairdo adorned with various crystals that got people staring in awe.


Pretty maids all in a row.


The blushing bride


The wedding cast.


Allan and I in our evening threads.


Presenting Reinier and Jennifer Tatlonghari!

To the happy couple, welcome to our world! God bless your new and exciting life together :-)

We love you! Mwah!

Listening in the Loo

Overheard while in the ladies room (water closet, loo, bathroom, comfort room, powder room, or whatever room you want to call it)....


Girl approaches an old lady who is in line to pee at one of the toilet stalls.
GIRL: Hi tita!
OLD LADY: Oh hi! I remember you! You're looking great! I haven't seen you in quite awhile...
GIRL: (smiles) Thanks, tita. I've been busy lang po.
OLD LADY: (Trying to recall girl's name, she looks at her intently..) I remember you e. You're....you're... Nipple, right?

Awkward pause. All eyes turn to girl.

GIRL: (blushing) Tita, it's Dimple po.
OLD LADY: Oh.....

Remembering John Winston Ono Lennon

Watching The Wheels

People say I'm crazy doing what I'm doing,

Well they give me all kinds of warnings to save me from ruin,

When I say that I'm o.k. they look at me kind of strange,

Surely your not happy now you no longer play the game.

People say I'm lazy dreaming my life away,

Well they give me all kinds of advice designed to enlighten me,

When I tell that I'm doing fine watching shadows on the wall,

Don't you miss the big time boy you're no longer on the ball?

I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round,

I really love to watch them roll,

No longer riding on the merry-go-round,

I just had to let it go...

People asking questions lost in confusion,

Well I tell them there's no problem,

Only solutions,

Well they shake their heads and they look at me as if I've lost my mind,

I tell them there's no hurry...I'm just sitting here doing time.

I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round,

I really love to watch them roll,

No longer riding on the merry-go-round,

I just had to let it go...

I just had to let it go...

Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa BCD!

I can't believe it's December....already! I'm not done with the work and errands i needed to finish in November! I still have so much to finish in terms of work, work, work... and wedding arrangements (Jennie's Dec 12 wedding date is just a week and so away!).

So forgive me again if I will miss some posts during the next few weeks (I will try my best to not miss a BCF post. TRY.). I am cramming three new project deadlines for different companies, as well as launching our new apparel line (vintage tees which we call Bubblewrap :-D).

Anyways, to get me into the Christmas spirit, i've decided to draw one of my son's favorite decor in the whole house -- our dancing Santa. This has to be the cutest thing we have here at home! By just pressing the tiny red button on his shoe, this miniature version of the jolly bearded fellow will do a boogie twist with his candy cane to the tune of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town". I decided to post all three versions of the Santa -- the BCD with color which i put in using Photoshop CS, the raw BCD where i tried to experiment with pen types and tried using a black felt marker pen (to get good solid lines), and lastly, the actual photo of the main man himself. Looking at the BCDs, i noticed that I drew two rows of streaked lines for the candy cane's striped-effect. I couldn't figure out why, though. Looking back, i probably thought i had forgotten to draw it in, and ended up with two sets of stripes.

Ho ho ho! Hop over to Inkfinger to check out new blind contour drawings for the week!

Dog Tired

My friend Jennie treated me yesterday afternoon to a one-hour Thai massage at a quaint spa in Alabang (thanks again, Jen!). I didn't realize just how long I've gone without a spa treatment till I hit the massage bed and felt the familiar feeling of relief and relaxation as the kneading hands of the masseuse began working on my legs. I used to go to the spa almost every month, and even going as frequent as twice a month when the pressure at work became too much to bear. An average stay at the spa for me would be a little over two hours -- that including a shower, 15 minutes in the sauna, another 15 minutes in the jacuzzi, an hour and a half having my Swedish massage and aromatherapy facial and probably another 30 minutes for lounging around the poolside or the lounge, sipping iced tea and reading a magazine or watching a video. That was pure heaven. The ultimate escape from reality which didn't require me to drive far or spend a lot.

I am not the best person to talk to regarding de-stressing and relaxing. For somebody as high-strung as I am, the thought of just letting go and giving the mind and body a rest has been an eternal struggle for me. Being caught up with the busyness of daily living -- trying to be a mom, a wife, a business owner/slave to clients (well, not always...hehe) and a servant to the Lord's work -- more often than not, leaves me tired by the end of the day! A "worry-wart" for most of my life, it is only now that I am beginning to understand the importance of relaxation and all its benefits.

Recently, I chanced upon this site called Ilona's Reflecting Pool and found interesting and practical de-stressing tips that we could surely learn from man's best friend, the dog. If a dog had a human voice, here are probably some of the advises it would offer:

* Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

* Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.

* When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

* When it's in your best interest, practice obedience. (oh dear, tough one....)

* Let others know when they've invaded your territory. (actually, learning to say no is the difficult first step...)

* Take naps and stretch before rising.

* Run, romp and play daily.

* Eat with gusto and enthusiasm.

* Be loyal.

* Never pretend to be something you're not.

* If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

* When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.

* Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

* Avoid biting when a simple growl will do. (Bite your tongue instead, it's something I do A LOT lately)

* On hot days, drink lots of water and lay under a shady tree.

* When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

* No matter how often you're scolded, don't buy into the guilt thing and pout...Run right back and make friends.

* Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Of course, there's good ole' reading a book, taking a hot bath and catching up on sleep to recharge and wash away remnants of worries, stress and tiredness during the day. But I'm always open to new and creative ways to make each day more pleasant and bearable.

What about you? Are you anxious, way over your head with work, stressed-out or just plain dog tired? How do you, in your own personal way, cope with stress and invite relaxation into your life? Care to share them with me? :-)

Blind Contour Friday 16

I absolutely LOVE shoes. Or maybe love is an understated emotion to describe what i feel... I LUST over shoes.

I used to think when I was young and single that I could lose all my clothes and all my other possessions, but I will never let anyone take away my shoes. That's how much shoes meant to me then. That was, until I got married, had a child, and learned a new emotion that all mothers seem to meet along the way called "guilt".

Once again, i drew the shoes that i found in a fashion magazine to be my favorites (i've been attracted to really colorful pairs of shoes lately) first with a graphite pencil and colored them in using Photoshop. Then I did a blind contour sketch of my first drawing. I like how they turned out, and getting the colored straps on the bottom shoe drawn in the right places was a surprise to me. The middle shoe seemed to have grown a bad set of teeth, though...

To see more blind contour sketches, visit Inkfinger

We Interrupt This BC Post With A Quiz....

I am late again for my BC post, but hopefully i could scan my BCD today and post it by tonight when i get home...

In the meantime, i took one of Me-An's online quizzes, particularly the one on my love life state. Not that I need to know the answer through a quiz! It was actually a choice between this quiz and one that will tell me what kind of vampire I was. Tempting, since i was once a frustrated vampire (hence my vampiress name -- Chrixean), but being a beautiful, porcelain-looking blood-sucker no longer piqued my interest as it used to :-).

Anyway, here are my results:

True Love
Lucky you! You guys have a very mature and
down-to-earth view of love. You've been through
a lot together, so you realize that it isn't
all a bed of roses. You are very comfortable
around each other and confide in each other
about almost everything. You can't imagine life
without one another and are committed to seeing
this through. Go you!

What Kind of Love are You in? (Beautiful Romantic Pics!)
brought to you by

A Wicked Surprise

What a crazy, exciting and fun Saturday it was for me. Jen's sisters (Miren and Patty) and I have been conspiring for weeks to organize Jennie's wedding shower party. It took about 2 weeks to decide on the theme, the concept, the guest list... and another week to invite guests, assign potluck food, follow-up on attendance. It was actually fun planning and putting the whole thing together. What was difficult was trying to keep everything a secret, especially for me and Jen's sisters because we speak to Jennie almost everyday! So throughout all the sneaking around, textings and YMs in the middle of the night, email exchanges, and crazy runabouts getting lost looking for the venue (i was late for the shower, would you believe that? I got the villages mixed up -- Went to Merville instead of Marcelo green Village in Paranaque!! Smart! But i still got there ahead of Jennie -- Phew!), we finally managed to give Jennie her dream bridal shower (i hope...).

Anyway, here are pictures from the Wicked-themed party (Jennie and her family love the musical Wicked so it was only appropriate to make the show, along with other popular Broadway shows, the theme of the party).



Thanks to Me-An and Patty who helped me big-time by sending me broadway playbill photos for the look of the posters and invitations (see extreme top photo) and Me-an especially for putting together those super fun shower games (thank you even more for excluding me from them, haha!). Thanks to Miren and Patty for all the help, grabe! -- I wouldn't have a clue what to do with a Broadway-themed videoke session if not for their extensive collection of music, musical shows and minus-one CDs! Oh, Miren's souvenir broadway musical CD compilations were a perfect remembrance to all Jen's guests. Really nice... And of course, a big thank you to all the guests who confirmed, got to the venue on time (even when I was the one who arrived late -- kakahiya!), brought food, and just made Jen's special day even more super-duper extra special by simply being there and letting her know just what she means to them :-)

Lastly, to Jennie, my sweet soul sister and over-all best friend -- i hope this will be one of your best-remembered days in the video gallery of your mind... I'm really glad to have been a part of it :-)

Now off to the wedding day!

Blind Contour Friday 15 - CRAZY PORTRAITS

This is a drawing of my grandchild.

Well, actually, he is more like my grand"nephew", and I his grand"aunt". Ah, yes, I am 31 years old and I have a darling 1 year old, extremely handsome grandchild we call Enzo. He is such a bundle of joy to be around. He isn't a fuzzy baby, and often times he just laughs and bounces around in his bed whever he gets excited watching the people around him.

Once again, for this sketch, i missed the spots on the page and drew the eyes further down the head, which moved his mouth and his stuck-out tongue outside his chin. He was leaning back on his favorite teddy and birdie printed pillow that time, laughing at everyone around him, and probably wondering what the frig we were all fuzzing about.

I enjoy being his new lola (Filipino word for grandparent). But "uncle" Nicky doesn't seem too happy with his new family position...

To see more blind contour sketches, visit Inkfinger.

7-Up!

One of my favorite bloggers, dear MamaK, tagged me with the theme "Seven Things" and i found her own list quite interesting. So i'm posting my answers to her tag to feed my own curiosity about myself... Don't worry guys, I'm not tagging anyone. But you can feel free to make your own list on your blog if you feel like it :-)

Here goes...

7 celebrity crushes:
1. Brad Pitt - Er....uhm....drool.....
2. Mark Wahlberg - The Italian Job did it for me
3. Richard Gere - And so what if he's an oldie?
4. Orlando Bloom when he was Legolas - My oh my, what a hot blond he was......
5. Tom Cruise - ok, it's a bit cliche but it doesn't mean he's no longer handsome. And I can pretend Katie does not exist....
6. Hugh Jackman - love the accent, love the body, love the face
7. Jim Caviezel - Oh no! Is this sacrilege? But, but, his eyes are just so beautiful....

7 Things I'm good at:
1. Graphic Design and Digital Imaging
2. Drawing (depends on my mood)
3. Singing (it's the stage fright that kills it)

4. Cooking for my hubby - Chicken fajitas, Tuna pasta, Chicken in Tarragon Cream Sauce are my specialties :-)
5. Playing billiards (for a girl, at least)
6. Irritating my husband
7. Shopping (hehehe)

7 things I plan to do before I die:
1. Make sure i've set aside an inheritance for my children and grandchildren
2. See Nicky (and whoever other child will come after him) get married and become successful in his chosen career
3. Meet and get to enjoy being with my grandchildren
4. Travel to places I still have not seen
5. REALLY finish an oil painting and be proud enough to display it at an exhibit

6. Create a children's book with my friend Jennie
7. Make sure I let my husband know just how much I love him and how my life was made more meaningful because of him :-)

7 things I cannot do:
1. Write to save my life
2. Wrap gifts - I suck at it. I can't even cut tape properly!

3. Burp on command
4. Lying - I always get caught... so what's the point?
5. Add, subtract, multiply, divide and anything that has to do with Math and numbers!
6. Small talk. I hate small talk.
7. Interior Designing - i can't seem to automatically know how to match furniture pieces. It's sad....

7 things that attract me to the opposite sex:
1. Height
2. Smile (beautiful teeth is a bonus, but not a requirement)
3. Lean yet fit body
4. Eyes

5. Sense of humor
6. Thoughtfulness
7. Loyalty

7 things I say often:
"can i share?" - to all my close friends when i have to break a news bit...
"hello!" - said in astonishment over something that was said to me
"masaya ba?" (is it happy?) - in reference to almost everything when i want to know if a person likes something
"anyways"
"okidoks"
"whatever" - most often used when Allan and I argue and i get tired of making my point (men!)
"love you, baby" - to Nicky, because he'll always be a baby to me.... *sniff*

They Say It's Your Birthday!....

....HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU....... JENNIE!!
God bless you today, dear friend..... :-)

Blind Contour Friday 14

I'm late in my Blind Contour post. My drawing was done last Friday, but my computer conked out on me shortly after and i couldn't scan my picture till today. So i'm posting two BCDs this week....

Anyway, this is me doing a blind contour of me doing a blind contour.... haha!



I shifted around several times on my bed while holding onto my sketch pad, till i chanced upon my reflection on the full-length mirror beside my dresser. Thought i'd be an interesting subject that day because I had on a colorful beaded necklace with a matching beaded bracelet and a bright turquoise tank top. I thought I looked like E.T. in drag in this drawing though -- the shape of my head and the giant eyes skewed towards the lower part of my face was a clear reminder of the famous alien. Then again, it may actually be an accurate self portrait of how i feel on a daily basis.

The Halloween Dino Hunt

But of course.....Nicky went as a dinosaur this Halloween!


After all that talk on his Jurassic and Cretaceous creature obsessions, will it seem fair to our dear boy to have him don a Pirate or Spongebob costume? Of course the task, i thought, was almost impossible when we began our search. We went to every single mall we knew that carried Halloween costumes and the closest we found was a blue reptile-like creature which fit toddler sizes only. I was about to give in to a Ninja outfit when i decided to ask around for possible costume designer referrals, in hopes that 1) he or she makes dinosaur costumes and that 2) they can make it in less than a week! Thank goodness, Jennie (Thanks so much, Jen!!) had made some inquiries recently with a costume designer in Alabang and she forwarded the contact details to me. 'Lo and behold, they do make customized dinosaur costumes! And at a VERY reasonable price! And.... they only needed 2 days to make it! Fantastic!




So here are some pictures of how Nicky's costume turned out. One word when i saw the finished product -- WOW! It exceeded all our expectations, really! The costume makers were great in meeting all our little requests. The reward for this almost impossible costume-hunting task?





Nicky won the grand prize in Powerbook's Halloween Costume Contest! :-D

Blind Contour Friday 13

A blind attempt to make my Unicorn statuette come to life...

Sigh... been caught up all week with family stuff, last-minute errands and rush final artwork preparations. My head is now throbbing.... I think I badly need this one week vacation. I will be busy this whole weekend (tons of parties, family reunions and Halloween celebrations!) so i'm posting my illustrations early :-)

My favorite Unicorn (the real statuette actually doesn't have any color, i just added these in...)

So, in my "play hour" with Nicky the other night, i decided to include my beloved Unicorn statuette in the Jurassic play theme happening on his bedroom floor. After a few minutes of watching his T-Rex biting and clawing his Stegosaurus... I got bored and instead took out my sketchpad and did a quick sketch (using a ballpoint pen! I couldn't find a decent sharpened pencil in his bedroom....) of my Unicorn. Can't say it was a great sketch given i only a ballpen on hand, but i think it's pretty much what i'd imagine a horned horse would look like.

I also did a Blind Contour version of the statuette, but this time including the base because i found the flowery details on it challenging to draw. Didn't feel like coloring in the BC, though... just felt like it needed to be kept that way to give attention to all the little details going on inside and around it.


For more Blind Contour drawings, visit Inkfinger.

Blind Contour Friday 12

I recently joined Blind Contour Friday -- a series of fun drawing activities participated in by several illustrators, which will require members to post blind contour illustrations on a weekly basis. The last time I did something similar to this was back in college when my Compos1 (Art Composition) professor would make us draw subjects placed in front of us while our hands and sketchpad were hidden under a giant "bib" (read: Manila paper with our heads poked through). It was a fun art exercise which I looked forward to a lot, so being a part of this group seemed like a cool idea.

Anyway, my first "attempt" at Blind Contour is actually my breakfast this morning. I rarely eat breakfast, because I normally sleep really late the night before (due to work overtime) and end up waking up somewhere between breakfast and lunch. But today seemed to be a good day for breakfast, so I helped myself to some Vienna sausages, bread rolls and a cup of decaf coffee. My placemat had these cute yellow daisies and green stripe patterns on it, so i thought i'd include them in my sketch. I liked my coffee mug a lot because it had a really dainty ladybug on it and it seemed to add to the sunshiny mood of the morning. I struggled with finishing my bread rolls since I was on a low-carb diet, but it didn't seem natural for me to eat my sausages alone. By the time I ended my illustration, my coffee was cold....

Check out more Blind Contour drawings at Inkfinger.

What? Another Tag?

I know, i know... I am aware of just how busy I am these days. In fact, I have three projects i need to submit before Friday (duh, that leaves only today and tomorrow!). But when my head begins to cramp from so much visualizing and pretending to know what I'm doing (hehe), I just have to stop and leave it completely to do something else. So what do I decide to do instead? I answer Crazy Momcat's interesting tag!

I'm to list 20 random things about myself and I'm to tag as many people as it took minutes for me to write my list. Well, I won't tag anyone this time (seems like everyone I know is tag-tired already), but if anyone would like a quiet diversion from whatever he or she is doing, just feel free to swipe it off my post! :-)

20 RANDOM FACTS ABOUT ME

1. I am part Chinese (from my dad's side), part Japanese (my great grandma was from Okinawa), part British (my middle name when I was single was McCann) and part Filipino (from my mom's mom's side.

2. I have never been to any other country (apart from the Philippines) other than China and HongKong.

3. I married a man whom i had known for only 4 months. We've stayed married and recently celebrated our 7th year wedding anniversary.

4. I HATE spiders. As in frickin' scared-to-death of them!

5. I am an only child.

6. I love to paint but I can never seem to finish any of my pieces.

7. I was kidnapped by a crazy man when I was 9 years old. I was with my 8 year old cousin then. We managed to escape. He, on the other hand, was not so lucky. The police killed him.

8. I loved riding BMX bikes and doing all sort of stupid bike stunts when I was in 6th grade. And yes, I loved the movie "Rad".

9. I don't eat almost all kinds of fruits. The most I can take eating is a banana.

10. I had never had a major stitching in any part of my body until I gave birth normally to Nicky. Think about how horrified I was then!

11. I experienced post-partum depression for 2 weeks after giving birth to Nicky. Since I had NEVER ever held or seen a baby in my family all my life, I had no idea what to do with Nicky in those first weeks. Thank goodness it only lasted two weeks...

12. I sing. But I don't sing in front of a lot of people because I have stage fright. I can actually start a career as a ghost singer for someone else.

13. I adore the Beatles.

14. I don't like wearing perfume. It causes me allergies.

15. I don't carry around a handkerchief because I always end up losing them.

16. I am a worry-wart and I've been praying for a cure.

17. I miss my Grandpa Charlie a lot. He passed away 3 years ago. I've always seen him to be a cartoon character -- who'll never age and never die. Sigh...

18. Rainy days and Sunday afternoons really get me down.

19. I don't trust a lot of people because I've been hurt a lot in my life. I've learned that the only one you can trust in this life is God.

20. I hate bathrooms with wet floors and that don't carry toilet paper. As in big time!

I could go on and on with this list... but the tag says I should do 20. So maybe I'll save my 21 onwards list on another post :-)

And hey! If you decide you want to be tagged, let me know if you've posted your answers to your page so I can go read it.

What are the 20 Random Things I don't know about you?

No 7-Year Itch

Seven years ago yesterday, Allan and I were married at the St. James Cathedral in Ayala Alabang Village, Muntinlupa City at 3pm. So much has changed since then -- aside from waistlines and scale numbers, Allan and I have grown stronger in our love and our commitment to one another, we have become more secure of our relationship, and God has played a bigger and more active role in keeping our family together.

I still can't believe just how good God has been to me. Allan and Nicky are the proof of His immense love.

Thank you. Sniff*...

Anyway, wondering how we celebrated our 7th year of wedded bliss (sans the itch)?
Allan and I at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel where we checked in last Saturday to celebrate the same place we first had our honeymoon. Instead of our original plan to dine at a fancy fine dining resto, cutting up our steaks and sipping wine with our pinky finggers turned upward -- we thought better and ditched the idea. So we ended up chowing down tons of shrimps, baby back ribs and barbecue chicken legs at Bubba Gump! Wisest decision we've ever made :-)
A new haircut and look to start off the beginning of a new year of marriage ahead, hehe.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, HON!