Goodbye to Blogger!

I've had this blog in Blogger for almost 3 years already, and I must say that I will definitely miss this stable that I've grown to love dearly. I have met several really good friends from all over the world through this blog, and I've learned so much about so many people through this little home in cyberspace. I've shared my life, my successes, my sorrows, my thoughts and feelings to hundreds of readers, as they have shared theirs with me too.

Sadly, after 3 years, I must say goodbye to my home in Blogger. It's really hard to maintain several sites, as I now own 3 (two which are in Multiply.com). I've made my new home in Multiply now (I just find the photo albums there so much more convenient to have) and I hope you would all visit me there someday.

For all those who would like to hook up with me still, please link your site to mine:

UNICORN CHILD -- www.chrixean.multiply.com

I look forward to your visits as I continue to prance around in cyberspace. To all my friends who I'm leaving behind here at the mystic-stables... thank you for allowing me to get to know you all. Hope to meet you all again soon :)

What's new with me?

My new unicorn tattoo!

Yes.... it's permanent!

It's about 5.5" inches tall and 3 inches wide. It's inked on my lower back (left side). It's made up of 6 colors and each part of the tattoo is composed of intricate little details that make this amazing unicorn design really pop out!

Painful? Yes, it was!

Was it worth it? You bet it was! I've waited more than 11 years to get this done. As an artist, it was something I HAD to do. And I did it. And I am SO HAPPY

Do your chores, or let your ears bleed....

Thank God, my mom doesn't sing classical! hahaha!

The Marasigan Family Show!

Thankful for Celebrations

Keira celebrated her 1st birthday party at Dad's Restaurant last October 7, and it was an unforgettable affair for all of us. I am thankful for the good Lord who, of course, made that day possible. I am also thankful for all the friends and relatives who pitched in to make Keira's special day a successful event. There's just so much to be thankful for, really, and just believe that my heart overflows with joy. The Lord knows how thankful I am for his blessings for my family :)

Click on the pic to view her birthday party album :D

Happy Birthday KEIRA!

Glitter Graphics

Thankful for my beautiful princess

She is to me the most beautiful girl in the world ... and God blessed me to be her mom.... :)

Keira's turning 1 on September 28. I can't believe it's already been a year! Time flies so fast, but I am so happy to have seen her every little milestone despite being so busy with work. My office is right next door to our house, so every minute I can steal to spend with her I make sure I do. She has been such a delightful baby to have, and her big brother Nicky just loves her to pieces! I cannot express just how thankful I am to have been blessed with another child who is as beautiful, sweet, cheerful and as lovable as my dear Keira :)

I love you, baby girl....

I Am So....

TIRED......

I NEED A / AN.....

1. Vacation. Out of town. Any country sounds good right now. Except war-ridden ones.
2. New artist. I need more hands.
3. Foot Spa. My feet are begging me to give them attention.
4. Cellophane treatment. Just call me "macopa".
5. An extra day. It should come in between Saturday and Sunday.
6. A mocha machine right beside my desk.
7. Back massage.
8. An extra 5 hours in a day. I need playtime to start at 8pm and end at 12pm so the kids could sleep at 15pm or 16pm...
9. Tons of eye concealer.
10. Sleep.

All About Me

Thank you, that I have time to post today! :D

Again, I've been quite erratic in my postings due to workload (thank you, Lord for them) and to trying to allow "me time" in whatever hours remain in the day. I've been going to the gym for the past 3 months, trying to get back into pre-pregnancy shape. So far I think I've been successful in this area because I fit into all of my old jeans and tees already (yes!). I need to lose at least 6 more pounds, and I can say I am really back in fighting form. I am slowly trying to rebuild my wardrobe as well (I still have my pre-pregnancy tops, and they are all out of fashion already...), so I try to purchase one or two items every pay day to update my look. I have yet to avail of all my Calayan Surgicentre skin treatments, to treat all the skin pigmentation problems I experienced during pregnancy. Hopefully I could fit that into my already crazy schedule.

Apart from me, I am happy with my family life. Keira is turning 11 months by end of August, and is showing some of her spirit and character already through her mischievous grins and knowing glances. Nicky is enjoying school and has been a really loving and caring older brother to his baby sis. Allan is, as always, really wonderful to me. He has been teaching me to take care of myself more by encouraging me to go to the spa, to shop more (see, isn't he wonderful?) and to spend time with friends. He is enjoying his work a lot lately and is relishing the time spent with the kids. Work has been very fulfilling as well, and hopefully, we can achieve the goals we have set out to achieve for our company in the next couple of months.

Well, that's me and my life for now. I am happy and content. I surrender the days ahead to the Lord, who sees beyond what I can see, and I enjoy whatever lies clearly in front of me. :)

** Thank you to my photographer, Jennie, for taking such great pics! A new career lies ahead...

We're 6!

Our company, My Left Hand, turned 6 this July! We had a simple lunch celebration at Oyster & Oyster here in Westgate, Filinvest (where we pigged out and played IceBreaker games and pigged out some more...). The business has indeed come a long way and I am so proud of our accomplishments throughout these years. I am thankful for all the people we've worked with in our team and who we continue to work with, and bless us and others still with the work they produce. I am thankful for all the clients who have come and gone, and who continue to stay loyal to us after 6 fruitful years. I am thankful for the Lord God's blessings and provisions... He made this company for all of us, and it remains His to grow and to prosper!

Happy 6th Anniversary to MY LEFT HAND!

Living A Dream

I am so happy for my mom. After decades and decades of hard work mixed with disappointments, frustrations and tears -- she finally was given the opportunity to travel outside of the country. For the longest time my mom has been waiting for her passport to be approved and released. Due to our British lineage, it has been extremely difficult for most of us in the family to travel. Good thing I was able to settle this issue at an early age when birth certificates need not be authenticated by the NSO (National Statistics Office), and an appearance at the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) was all it took for the government to issue me my passport. But for my mom, it was a painfully long process. It took more than 10 years before she was finally granted access to the world, and she well deserves all the travel opportunities that are coming her way now because she waited far too long to be held back!

Mommy left for the US last July 19 to attend several business meetings in various States in the East and West Coast. I was so excited for her because it was her first time to ever leave the country, and she was already flying Business Class and First Class to several destinations! And because this was a one-month all-expense paid trip, she is being treated to the finest hotels and restaurants in each State. Allan and I were so involved in the preparations for her departure and arrival in Michigan, we made sure that she was met by my brother-in-law and his family, and treated to the sights and shopping places all over Detroit. She had so much fun in Detroit, and that was only her first stop! She's only been in the US for slightly over a week, and already she's gone to Detroit, New York, Connecticut, Memphis, New Jersey and today she's in Kentucky. Tomorrow she'll be going to San Francisco to meet up with her friends, and their hosting her stay before she moves to Los Angeles. I can't wait to see all the pictures she's taken and to hear all her wonderful stories about her first international travel. As soon as she gets back, she's scheduled to go to several Asian countries, Bangkok and Hong Kong included. What a jet-setter she's turning out to be! Hehe.

After several years of waiting, she's suddenly exposed to so much more beyond the walls of her hospital and her office. It's just so wonderful that she's finally living her dreams of traveling, and it's even more wonderful to know that this is all just the beginning for her. I look forward to being able to travel with her and explore new worlds, new cultures and new experiences. She deserves every minute of joy she is feeling right now, and I thank God that in His proper time, He does fulfill his promises to make your dreams come true. ;-)

Thankful In Every Situation

The weeks just get busier and busier, and try as I will, I seem to always fail making time to post a blog entry. My apologies for the delays.

I want to focus my Thankful Thursday post on being thankful in situations where the frustrations tend to outweigh the accomplishments. We neglect to see the "light at the end of the tunnel", the "silver lining behind every dark cloud", the "glass being half-full" and all the positive aspects of a situation when we are confronted with obstacles. We forget that in all circumstances that life throws our way, God is near and is just waiting for us to let go off our worries, our doubts and fears. We forget that everything has an end, and that "this too, shall pass..".

I am thankful for every waking moment that i spend with my family, every free hour I have for myself to restore my mind and body, every available evening I have to see friends, every spare opportunity to watch my favorite TV show or DVD, every minute of sleep I get, every day I wake up feeling healthy and strong. Life is good -- we all just have to see the joys and reasons to be thankful in the dark as we do in the light. :-)

Happy weekend!

A Million Thanks!

I stopped blogging for 3 weeks for a good reason. God blessed us with tons of work and gave us a wonderful opportunity to serve our kids ministry in the best way we can. Below are the top three reasons why I am so thankful and blessed:

1) High School Musical On Stage!
Stages and Trumpets Playshop are doing a 2-month run of the popular Disney's High School Musical movie phenomenon, and our design company My Left Hand was tapped to do their souvenir program. It was a wonderfully unique (and stressful) project, as the entire concept was to turn the usual program into a colorful teen magazine! We did an entire 64-page full color magazine from concept, writing, design and layout up to printing of 3,000 copies in just 2 WEEKS! It was difficult, tiring, challenging (faith testing!), but truly rewarding in the end because the client was so HAPPY! No, more like elated! Partly shocked also because they didn't expect that we would be able to pull off delivering the full quantity on the day of their first show. The magazine got so much positive reviews -- the sleepless nights, the working on weekends till early mornings, the worry, the tears, and the frustrations were definitely all worth it. Thank you to the Good Lord for entrusting us with this project and giving us the talents, skills and capabilities to give client more than what they expected. Thank you SO MUCH to the MLH team - Allan, Jennie, Kax, Dan - bravo! See sample pages below:






2) Noah's Ark Musical
Our youth ministry which Allan and I are a part of organized again this year a musical production, this time with Noah's Ark as the theme. It was a huge production (huge given our ministry budget), and we were blessed with twice the number of participants, elaborate costumes, set design, props and sound equipment, a FULL HOUSE (even sold Standing Room Only tickets!), and of course, the involvement of our dear son, Nicky. This year he played a turtle in Noah's Ark, and he had so much fun doing the show. It is Nicky's 3rd year of performing on the big stage, and I am so proud to say that he is really getting the hang of it! Our company, My Left Hand was also tasked to produce the souvenir program, and we also had some really great feedback from the people who bought them (they ran out of stock on opening night!). I am so thankful for the wonderful opportunity for my entire family to be a part of such a big evangelistic event for the youth. It also gave my extended family (parents and in-laws) the chance to spend time together for an evening of fun, food (we had dinner at Oyster, Oyster that night -- yum!) and entertainment.

Opening number

Nicky's the green turtle!

Noah doing an Elvis impersonation

Whole cast closing number

Little animals

3) Martin's 7th Birthday Party
My good friend Claire and her family came home from Singapore to host a birthday party for her son Martin. It was a grand event held at Palms Country Club, and it was a wonderful opportunity for all of us in our cell group to come together in fellowship and spend time with our kids. It was a costume party, and Nicky went as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (uhm... notice the costume???) and Keira as Wonder Woman... er, Baby! I am thankful for the fun, the fellowship, the food, and most of all, for Nicky winning the costume contest! Not bad for a recycled costume! haha!

Nicky won 1st prize!

Wonder Women

Tita Claire with Keira

Thankful Thursday: All's Good

I have been EXTREMELY busy, tied up with work, family and baby-sitting (my maid's on leave and so the nanny is the maid for now...). But despite the load, I am still very thankful for all that the Lord has provided me.

• I am thankful for new projects. Right now, I am happy that work just keeps pouring in -- from both old and new clients. God has blessed our company with talented and hard-working people, and the clients are now appreciating the service that we are giving them and seeing the value that they get for the money that they pay. Quality is very important to us, as seen in the the 6 years of work that we've done (view our work here), and our business continues to grow because we make sure we deliver what we promise.

• I am thankful for my computer. If not for this machine, there will be no artworks delivered to our clients. I will continue to pray for two more Macs -- a Mac Pro and a Macbook Pro. It will definitely make work faster for everyone!

• I am thankful for good health. I cannot express thankfulness enough for this. It is so hard to be sick. We had a health scare the past 3 weeks. With Jennie and Rein down with viral infections, we needed to keep our resistances up by taking our daily dose of Vitamin C. Thank God, we were all spared from any illnesses (especially Keira) and He continues to protect us from any bodily harm.

• I am thankful for another year in my mom's life that she will be celebrating. My mom's birthday is on Saturday, and I am glad that she is well and happy. We will be celebrating her birthday, together with all the other June celebrants in the family at a new resort, Club Manila East. I am hoping to make the most of whatever's left of summer by letting the kids enjoy a cool swim.
  

Newest Pokemon Member

Pikachu meets
KEIRACHU!

Water Babes

Summer is so here and the heat is driving us mad! Keira is not happy with her new experience of heat and has been crying and complaining every minute of the day (we cry and complain along with her because the heat is truly unbearable...). Last May 14 was Election Day here, thus it was a non-working day for everyone. I thought it would be fun to have Nicky and Keira dip in a pool to beat the summer heat. I bought them a nice big inflatable kiddie pool and bought blow bubbles for them to play with. They had tons of fun, and i didn't have to leave the house! Keira got to wear her really adorable new swimsuit (which almost didn't fit her!) and enjoyed splashing around with her big brother. Check out their cute pics below :-)

My little mermaid showing perfect form

Marasigans cool off

Thankful Thursday: Grateful to be a mom

My good friend Claire sent this Mother's Day message to me this morning, and I thought it befitting to re-post as my Mother's Day blog entry, as well as my Thankful Thursday post.

I am thankful to the Lord, for giving me a great mom and for giving me the opportunity to be a mom (as great too, i hope :D). It is the best role a woman could ever play in her lifetime.

Before I was a Mom I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.

I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.

I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom - I had never been puked on.

Pooped on.

Chewed on.

Peed on.

I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.

I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do
tests.

Or give shots.

I never looked into teary eyes and cried.

I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want
to put them down.

I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.

I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.

I never knew that I could love someone so much.

I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom - I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.

I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.

I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.

I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom - I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.

I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

Thankful Always

• I am thankful for the work that I do. It may tire me, stress me out, bring tears and frustration to my eyes, but it is my passion and I am glad that if I had to make sacrifices in areas in my life, it would be for the work I do now.

• I am thankful for my wonderful officemates (that's you Allan, Jen, Kax and Dan!) who make work easier for me, as well as making it fun and exciting.

• I am thankful for my babies. They give me a million reasons to smile each day.

• I am thankful for the Lord's provisions.

• I am thankful for weekends and holidays. :-)

They're Growing So Fast!

My kids are growing up so fast! They say (well to me, at least) that the less you see your kids, the faster they seem to grow. Well, I see them the whole day nearly every single day and I still get shocked at just how fast they've grown in the last few months! Time is indeed the most precious treasure of all....

For all of you who would like to know my kids better, here are just a few of their descriptions:

NICKY:

• 8 years old
  
• 2nd grader this coming schoolyear
• Chess enthusiast
• A voracious reader of Philippine history, and the lives of national heroes and Philippine presidents
• Math and Science wiz
• Prehistoric genius particularly in the area of dinosaurs
• Pokemon trader and collector
• Artist / performer
• Book Talk champion

KEIRA:

• 7 months old
• Weighs 22 pounds and very tall for a Filipina baby girl (only clothes that are for ages 12 months and up fit her)
  
• Started solid foods last month and loves Gerber Applesauce, Squash and Sweet Potatoes. "Dislikes" any Cerelac flavor but eats them anyway
• Sits up on her own, crawls crazily around her playmat and can stand up on her own when holding on to outstretched arms or bedposts
• laughs and squeals out loud when watching the Bear in the Big Blue House
  
• Can say "mamamama!", "dadadadada!" and "grrrrrr!"
• Can make a mean "keirachu" face

Nanny Nuisance

No I haven't fallen off the edge of the earth again. I'm still very much here. I just haven't had the chance to blog lately because my hands and feet have been tied due to my nanny's long absence from the household. I was quite upset for the past 3 weeks because she asked permission to go on a vacation to see her family for 10 days, which we readily agreed to because it fell right on Holy Week and her arrival was supposed to be on the day work resumed. Cunning that she was, she managed to come up with a story that a family member had passed away and that she now had to stay another TWO WEEKS for the wake and the burial! Amazing how that dead body stayed well-preserved for 3 weeks....

I just realized how difficult it was to not have a nanny around, and have to work full-time still! Good thing I had the help of my loving hubby, my mom and my officemates, who more than willing offered to take turns in playing with Keira while I tended to Nicky and the other concerns in the house. But realizing after a few days that I couldn't go out on meetings if I had the baby with me, I had to resort to hiring a part-time caregiver. It was a very expensive decision, but it was the only option I had. It was difficult at first to leave my baby with a total stranger, seeing that Keira was also uncomfortable being held by a newcomer. But because the lady was a trained caregiver and had nursing skills gave me more confidence to let go and to let her do her own thing. It did help that the caregiver was also nursing a baby of her own, so taking care of mine was not a new thing to her. It only took a day for Keira and her to become fast friends. Because I finally had the chance to turn over the baby-sitting duties, I was now in a hurry to catch up on all my past due client deadlines. I had so much to finish that I had no time to blog.

My caregiver left last Friday and it was a sad farewell (haha, sentimental!) because she grew quite fond of Keira, and we all enjoyed her company as well. She was an angel sent to us at the perfect time, and I am just so thankful that there are people who are available to help out in times like these. My "nuisance" nanny is back (I shall refer to her as such until I get over what she did), and things in the household are slowly going back to normal. I now realized how much change can happen just three weeks in the life of a baby by how long a list the nanny had to make to keep track of Keira's new developments and feeding schedules (Keira was not eating solid foods yet when she left!). I am hoping Keira will be able to adjust back to a new caretaker, and hopefully will not need to meet a new one any time soon. Right now I am happy that I can get my much needed rest back and hopefully have the time to blog again.

Till next post! :-)

Thankful Thursday: REFLECT, REFRESH, RESTORE

I am thankful that we had a whole week "vacation" to commemorate the passion of Christ (what we call Holy Week here). It gave us a week to REFLECT, REFRESH and RESTORE our minds, hearts and spirits. Below is a glimpse of how the Lord allowed me to rest, reflect on my life and my service to Him, and to reconnect with people who are dear to me:

• ALONE AT BELLEVUE - I checked myself into a hotel overnight so that I can spend time alone. It was an amazingly wonderful experience! Not because I wanted to be away from my hubby and kids, but because I felt I needed to "find" myself again. I gave birth last Sept 28, and just after a week of recovering from a C-section I went back to work! Shocking? Yes. Because when you own a business like mine, you can't be away from it too long otherwise nothing will get delivered as scheduled. And I've been working straight from that time on till now. The stress and lack of rest (due to work, taking care of the baby, taking care of Nicky and Allan) has taken its toll, and I was almost on the brink of a burnout. The time out I took was indeed what I needed. I spent my whole stay at the hotel scrap booking (finished Keira's baby scrap book, finally!), reading a book while dining in a dimly-lit fine dining resto, watching TV till late night alone in a King-sized bed, having lunch by the pool and reading some more. It was great! I should do this more often. It gave me a chance to gather strength that I lost from months of un-rest, and enjoy being with myself again. I came home a happier and more complete woman :-)
• EASTER EGG HUNT - Bonding time with my son again! I brought Nicky to an Easter Egg Hunt at the AAV Country Club last Easter Sunday. It was extremely HOT that day (sweltering is the word!), but Nicky had fun, nonetheless.
  
  
  Nicky at the entrance of the club
  
  
  

The hunt begins!

• BLAST FROM THE PAST - I feel like I've lost touch with the outside world ever since I got pregnant and gave birth. My friend Don came home from the States for a visit, and it gave everyone the chance to meet up and reconnect with high school friends.

In His Loving Arms

This lovely photograph was taken by Keira's beauteous ninang Jennie

I see this picture and I think of how Keira has allowed her daddy's loving arms to surround her and how she surrenders to his protection and comfort -- trusting that he is in control, that he loves her and that she can find peace in believing so. How wonderful it must be to be an infant once more, innocent and trusting, in the presence of our heavenly Father! I look at this picture and I close my eyes.... imagining that I am Keira and my papa God is carrying me with the assurance that He is in control, that He will protect me, and that I have nothing to be afraid of. I am a baby again in my papa's loving arms. I am safe :-)