Unicorn Child

WOW Philippines Promo!

2010-02-04T00:24:00.002+08:00

Win a Free Boracay Vacation Package by WOW Philippines Travel Agency

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- Three (3) Meals each day, Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
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- PLUS - 5,000 peso Spending Cash

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Living Fearlessly 2

2010-01-26T16:41:00.003+08:00

In a world where fear and worry are as common to many as eating and breathing, the thought "What if?" can pop into a person's mind several times in a day. If you have an overactive, overly imaginative mind such as mine, the "what if's" can give birth to more "what if's" and can spiral out of control! Whether it is a "what if" for the future or a "what if" from the past, both are thoughts that can cause fear and are definitely from the enemy!

What are the common "What if" thoughts I have come to entertain in the recent year?

What if I don't get any new work? Will we be able to provide for the family's needs?

What if one of us gets sick? Will we have money to get medical help?

What if the year doesn't get easier for our family?

What if I didn't do this or if i did this instead of this when I was raising my child, would
things have turned out different for him?

What if i didn't have another child, would my son feel more secure and more stable?

What if? What if? What if?

Sometimes when we dwell on the "what if's" for too long it can consume us to the point where we can actually "will" these bad things to happen! I am often guilty of allowing these awful thoughts to enter my head, and in the end I feel bad for doing so because it robs me of my peace and causes physical ailments which I otherwise would not have felt if I just turned my "what if" into a "what now, Lord" prayer. I know it is so much easier said than done, especially when we are right in the middle of a crisis. But unless I catch myself at the moment I start playing these words in my head, it will just go on and on to the point of me starting to believe these terrible lies! The Bible says, "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." 2 Corinthians 10:5. By turning over these worrying thoughts over to the Lord the moment they begin playing in my head, I am able to prevent them from taking root in my heart.

Battling the "what if's" will always be a struggle for me, but I hold on to His promise of peace as long as I give to Him anything that causes me to be anxious. By His grace I am able to face each day with courage, believing only what He wants me to believe and receiving a life free of fear and worry.

"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:7

Glitter Word Generator

Living Fearlessly I

2010-01-20T23:04:00.002+08:00

I am starting the year (actually middle of January to be exact) with going back to blogging as a means for me to find healing for the (recent) past hurts and strength to yet face the coming months. Joining the Living Fearlessly series with Iris of Grace Alone and other bloggers is a big step for me to confront my gnawing fears of what is still unknown to me, and hopefully to help me leave the painful past behind.

I would like to equate worry with fear, and believe me I am no stranger to worry. I grew up in a family where worry was a habit everyone could never seem to break. Even as a renewed Christian my worrying never really left me. In fact, with two kids and a new home, my worries seemed to grow stronger as they grew older and became more and more exposed to the evils of this world. Sadly, my security was anchored on things of the world -- my business and the money we had in the bank. As long as I knew we were financially stable and our business was bringing in money for our family, I knew i had my fear and worries at bay.

Last year with the onset of the global recession, my company was one of those that took the hardest hit. With financial concerns rising in several industries, marketing and advertising budgets were the first to go in most companies. My business, being in the design and marketing services industry was no longer first priority in their budget allocations. As the months rolled by, signs of cashflow problems were showing. By November 2009 the inevitable happened -- we needed to cut our losses and close down the office. What "I" had built for 8 long years to become a reputable design boutique was suddenly throwing in the towel. What I held on for the longest time and what I viewed as my "identity" was pulling away from my grip. I felt my world crumbling down and my faith going down with it. By December I officially said goodbye to my staff who have become my family over the years, and bid the office adieu. So much pain, resentment and the feeling of failure engulfed me, and at such a horrible time! Christmas was just around the corner and we were in no way feeling the Christmas spirit.

I cried buckets and buckets to the Lord and asked Him why he allowed this to happen. I felt like a rug was pulled out from under me and I had lost my balance. I was afraid of so many things -- fear of people being disappointed in me, fear of having no other source of income, fear of not being able to help provide for my family's needs, fear of losing a sense of who i was. I dreaded the coming of the new year as it would make the realization of not having an office to go to more solid and painful. Fear consumed me but my faith in the Lord grew with each day I had to wake up and face what He had prepared for me.

The Lord, apparently, had other plans for me. Plans that I would never have even given much attention to as I was too much involved in my business and my career. By the last quarter of the year, several very unfortunate events happened in my family involving my children and my home. Events which threatened our security, our safety, my children's emotional and spiritual well-being and even my marriage. In short, there was much disorder, imbalance and disarray in my household -- and I never even gave attention to them because I was too focused on my work and my business woes! It had to take this to happen for the Lord to get my attention and to set my sights on what really mattered. And with "new eyes" I saw that I had take for granted so many concerns in my home to the point where everyone one was already crying for my help, and I didn't hear any of them! I am not saying that God took my business away, but rather He allowed it to run its course so that I would see the bigger picture. My family needed me badly and the only way for me to take notice was to remove the distractions that have been preoccupying me for the longest time. With the closure of my company, I was now forced to stay at home and spend most of my time with my kids and watching over the needs of my household. And that is where I am right now. I am embarking on a new journey as a work-from-home mom, taking on work on a per-project basis while taking care of my kids -- something I have not done in the past 8 years.

Of course there is still so much fear in my heart, but knowing that the Lord is in control now helps me deal with it better. Because His plans are better than mine, I can only trust in His wisdom in this new path I am taking. Because His ways are higher than mine, I can only rely on His grace to get me through whatever lies ahead. I remember telling our worship leader, "I feel like I am standing at the mouth of a very dark tunnel where all I can see is darkness and I am unsure of making that first step through." His reply brought peace to my heart: "Remember, it is in the darkness that our eyes focus best." The Lord and His promises are true yesterday, today and tomorrow... in the darkness, i will focus on these and find the light to guide me through it.

Glitter Word Generator

I'm Back!

2009-11-02T17:00:00.002+08:00

Hi all!

I am back in my old home. Boy, have I missed this place! Am I back for good? I am not so sure. But I know the blogging world is beckoning me again and I feel the need to reconnect once more. It's been more than a year since I've put my thoughts and feelings in writing, filled with a series of toddler nightmares and schooling terror stories throughout the past years.

I am hoping to be able to keep this blog up longer, with more interesting stories to share with everyone. The mystic stables are open again!

Cheers!

Glitter Word Generator

Hairspray tickets -- get them here!

2008-10-17T19:02:00.000+08:00

A truly star-studded cast awaits everyone in the staging of the hit Tony Award winning musical HAIRSPRAY, which runs at the Star Theatre, CCP Complex.

Madel Ching makes her debut as HAIRSPRAY lead, Tracy Turnblad -- a pleasant, plump and big-haired teenager who, through a spot on the Corny Collins Show, uses her newly found fame to kick down the barriers for black and white integration.

Just one of the many well-know members of the cast is award winning film/television/stage actor Michael de Mesa, who will be playing a woman on stage in the role of Edna Turnblad. The role was recently made famous By John Travolta in the 2007 movie musical. Also in the line-up is multi-awarded singer Dulce who plays Motor Mouth Maybelle. Queen Latiffah recently received rave reviews of her performance in the movie musical version.

Other names to look out for:
Actor/Director Leo Rialp will play Edna Turnblad’s loving husband, Wilbur.
Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, stage veteran and director of Stages’ West Side Story success returns to the stage as the sultry and villainous Velma Von Tussle. Velma’s role in the movie musical was played by Michelle Pfeiffer.

Singer/Songwriter Nyoy Volante plays African-american Seaweed J. Stubbs. Comedian Gabe Mercado plays The Male Authority Figure. Theatre veteran Enchang Kaimo plays the Female Authority Figure. Corny Collins who was played by X-Men Cyclops James Marsden in the movie musical version, will be taken on by Noel Rayos. Link Larkin, played by High School Musical heartthrob Zac Efron will be played by Tim Espinosa. Christine Allado will play Amber Von Tussle and Monica Reynoso will play Penny Pingleton.

Joining the ensemble cast are Jordan Aguilar, Emy Alcid, Caisa Borromeo, Erika Cedilla, Red Concepcion, Gerlin Francisco, Bea Garcia, Crienna House, Yanah Laurel, Cheeno Macaraig, Michael Odoemene, Anthony Ong, Myrene Santos, Mark Tayag, and Lee Villoria.

HAIRSPRAY is the winner of 8 Tony Awards including Best Musical. It is directed by Bobby Garcia and choreographed by Cecille Martinez. Musical Director Archie Castillo will be conducting the FILharmoniKA orchestra.

Ready to buy tickets?

HAIRSPRAY SHOWDATE
November 15 (Saturday), 2pm

VENUE
Star Theatre, CCP Complex

TICKET PRICES:
Front Orchestra (Rows A to I) - P1,200
Upper Orchestra (Rows J to S) - P1,000
Loge (Rows T to X) - P800
Balcony (Rows Y to Z) - P600

EARLY BIRD PROMO!
5% Discount -
for tickets purchased October 1 to 31, 2008 (cut-off at 6pm)
*Early bird rates apply only to tickets for November 15 showdate purchased directly from Allan Marasigan.
**PLUS**
Free delivery for Alabang, Las Piñas, Parañaque and Makati areas (by arrangement only)!

To reserve tickets (maximum of 3 days only afterwhich unpaid tickets will be released), fill out the HAIRSPRAY TICKETS RESERVATION FORM.

SEATPLAN (as of October 17)*
Click here to download the Hairspray Star Theatre
seatplan for November 15 showdate

CONTACT DETAIL FOR TICKET INQUIRIES:
Allan Marasigan - 0917-4382299 (Globe) or 0922-8372935 (Sun)
Email - ronaldallan.marasigan@gmail.com
or leave me a PM!

Goodbye to Blogger!

2007-12-19T15:22:00.000+08:00

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?

2007-11-13T14:48:00.000+08:00

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....

2007-11-09T12:04:00.000+08:00

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

The Marasigan Family Show!

2007-10-26T19:08:00.000+08:00

Thankful for Celebrations

2007-10-11T20:57:00.000+08:00

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!

2007-09-28T10:55:00.000+08:00

Glitter Graphics

Thankful for my beautiful princess

2007-09-20T22:15:00.000+08:00

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....

2007-09-06T00:29:00.000+08:00

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

2007-08-17T11:35:00.000+08:00

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!

2007-08-06T20:47:00.001+08:00

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

2007-07-24T09:39:00.000+08:00

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

2007-07-12T18:44:00.000+08:00

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!

2007-06-28T18:56:00.000+08:00

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

2007-05-31T16:19:00.000+08:00

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

2007-05-23T13:54:00.000+08:00

Pikachu meets
KEIRACHU!

Water Babes

2007-05-16T14:55:00.000+08:00

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

2007-05-10T14:28:00.000+08:00

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

2007-05-04T19:02:00.000+08:00

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!

2007-04-30T19:21:00.000+08:00

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

2007-04-24T15:40:00.000+08:00

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

2007-04-12T19:10:00.000+08:00

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

2007-03-27T18:51:00.000+08:00

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 :-)

My Boy is 8!

2007-03-22T19:54:00.000+08:00

Nicky celebrated his 8th birthday last March 19, but treated his closest school buds and Friends of Jesus playmates to a one-of-a-kind "Pokemon camp" the Saturday before right here in our front yard. It was a huge success despite my doubts that Allan and i could actually pull it off. I had never ever planned a kiddie birthday party from scratch (read: conceptualized, cooked, decorated, planned the games and craft activities, entertained guests). It was actually fun, but VERY TIRING!

Here's a brief summary of the activities that we planned and succeeded in executing for Nicky's party:

1) Pokemon trading tent - This was the highlight of the party. Kids brought their trading cards and did the "official trading" of cards inside the tent. Nothing extraordinary about this but they seemed to be thrilled with the idea that they have some sort of hideout to do their card trading.
2) Paper clay arts and craft station
3) Thomas the train toy station - We set up large Thomas the train tables with tracks and a scenic mat of Sodor. Kids loved it!
4) Ball swim station - The younger kids loved this. They dived into an air-filled tent with colored balls all over where they could "swim" in.
5) Fishing game - We filled a kiddie pool with tons of chocolates and snacks, and the kids tried to fish them out using fishing rods with magnets attached to them. I never thought I would get these kids to follow the rules, but they did! They filled their lootbags with the goodies they fished out!
6) Chocolate fondue station - This was an instant hit with both the kids and adults. I've never seen children go gaga over eating fruits until that day! They ate everything they could cover in melted chocolate. Kudos to my mom for suggesting this yummy treat!
7) Street food vendor stop - Everyone lined up to get free freshly cooked street food-on-sticks! Kikiam, squidballs, fishballs, crab balls all deep fried and dipped in sweet and sour sauce! Yum!

I was worn out and my legs were throbbing by the end of the day. But hearing Nicky's heart-warming "this was the best party ever, mom! I love you and dad so much. thank you" words made it all worth it. My baby boy is now a young man. It was a party he definitely deserved :-)

Nicky's Mr. Bean cake. I couldn't find a Pokemon cake. Nicky didn't seem to mind.

Nicky's blows the candle.

Entrance to the Pokemon trading tent.

Kids "fishing" out their goodies.

The star of the buffet table - the chocolate fondue fountain!

Thankful Thursday: Everyday Joys

2007-03-16T20:33:00.000+08:00

My Left Hand website launch!

2007-03-13T11:07:00.000+08:00

The new My Left Hand Creative Solutions website is up! It's fun, it's dynamic, it's packed with tons of our creative works! Check it out quick!

For people interested to avail of our services, visit our Contact Us page and fill out our inquiry form.

CLICK ON THE PIC TO VISIT OUR SITE!

Thankful Thursday: Keira's Christening!

2007-03-07T20:52:00.000+08:00

I am thankful for all the people who welcomed Keira into Christianity! She was baptized last March 3 and was amongst family and friends at the Our Lady of the Pillar Parish. A thanksgiving lunch was thrown at the Congo Grille for everyone who our dearest to our hearts, and who constantly pray for our family and for Keira's health.

Below are photos of Keira's memorable Christening day :-)

A Song In My Head

2007-02-28T15:26:00.000+08:00

Power Of Two

- Indigo Girls

now the parking lot is empty
everyone's gone someplace
i pick you up and in the trunk i've packed
a cooler and a 2-day suitcase
cause there's a place we like to drive
way out in the country
five miles out of the city limit we're singing
and your hand's upon my knee

so we're okay
we're fine
baby i'm here to stop your crying
chase all the ghosts from your head
i'm stronger than the monster beneath your bed
smarter than the tricks played on your heart
we'll look at them together then we'll take them apart
adding up the total of a love that's true
multiply life by the power of two

you know the things that i am afraid of
i'm not afraid to tell
and if we ever leave a legacy
it's that we loved each other well
cause i've seen the shadows of so many people
trying on the treasures of youth
but a road that fancy and fast
ends in a fatal crash
and i'm glad we got off
to tell you the truth

cause we're okay
we're fine
baby i'm here to stop your crying
chase all the ghosts from your head
i'm stronger than the monster beneath your bed
smarter than the tricks played on your heart
we'll look at them together then we'll take them apart
adding up the total of a love that's true
multiply life by the power of two

all the shiny little trinkets of temptation
(make new friends)
something new instead of something old
(but keep the old)
all you gotta do is scratch beneath the surface
(but remember what is gold)
and it's fools gold
(what is gold)
fools gold
(what is gold)
fools gold

now we're talking about a difficult thing
and your eyes are getting wet
i took us for better and i took us for worse
don't you ever forget it
now the steel bars between me and a promise
suddenly bend with ease
the closer i'm bound in love to you
the closer i am to free

Thankful Thursday

2007-02-22T20:31:00.000+08:00

I am thankful for all my friends and relatives who greeted me on my birthday! It definitely brought a big smile to my face!
Foot spa! Had one on my birthday at this new place inside Rustan's called Nail Tropics, and it was the best massage and pedicure I've ever had. I should have one every month!
Bo Sanchez's Wednesday night Kerygma show. He is one truly inspired Christian preacher whom I learn a lot from, and his TV show is very funny and inspiring. At the end of long, tiring day, it's nice to just kick back and watch a show that is as uplifting and as encouraging as his.
Baby registries. Keira's baptism is coming up and I have been busy with planning the actual ceremony and thanksgiving lunch for family and close friends. Baby registries just makes life so much simpler and easier for both the gift-giver and for the parent who will be accepting the gifts :-)
My PowerMac, which has been in and out of the shop for months now, is finally home and hopefully will be here to stay!
American Idol. Just a no-brainer way to tune work out and to be entertained. Yes, it can be entertaining sometimes.

Three-three today!

2007-02-19T11:52:00.000+08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!

A Valentine Post: How We Met

2007-02-14T10:29:00.000+08:00

Tasha's blog is having a Valentine's Day contest, and the theme is called "How We Met". I'm not quite sure if my post will even make it to her deadline, but I will post just the same because today, Valentine's Day, is a special day for me and my honey. Why? Because it also happens to be Allan's birthday! Yay!!! (Happy birthday, hon! I love you!!!) :-) Ok, here's how our story goes...

How We Met

Back in 1998, I worked as an Events Manager for a big American multi-level marketing company (yup, you probably guessed already which one..) and Allan worked as a marketing and events manager for a club near my office. My job entailed that i set up events for the distributors to attend, and they were usually within the provinces here in the country and in neighboring countries like China and Hong Kong. My office counterpart did pretty much the same but handled events here in Manila and in India. Allan, on the other hand handled big party and launch events in his club, which fit a large group -- 1000 people max. Where am I heading with this story? I guess you can pretty much predict how this turned out. When my office counterpart was assigned to India for a full 3 months to handle the launches there, I had to take over her local events. She gave me a list of venues I could book for the weekly and monthly meetings, and a list of suppliers to contact. So when event month came, I made my round of calls to set appointments with these venues for an ocular inspection of their place.

On March 17, 1998 I drove out with my friend to go to one of my appointments at Meralco theatre, a local theatre in Manila, to check out the place. I was in the passenger seat of the car staring at the road ahead when my eye caught the name of a club. Limits was the name. I stared at it for awhile, and i wondered why I had a strange feeling about the place. My heart did a skip and I felt the urge to turn the car around to go back to that club. On impulse, I asked my friend to make a u-turn. He kinda freaked out at my request since we had driven quite a distance already. He asked if I had an appointment set there, and I replied that I didn't. I just felt that I had to check the place out. So, in kind obedience (hehe), he drove back and we went down to check the venue. I arrived the door of the club, but was hesitant to knock because it was dark inside and it seemed like it was still closed. Somebody must have seen our silhouettes through the glass door, because someone came running out to open it. And there he was. Allan. My future husband was standing right in front of me. Smiling in his dark short-sleeved polo shirt and brown slacks. Believe it or not, that's exactly what I thought at that very moment -- that he was my future husband! I was probably crazy to think that way, being single at that time and having come out of a really bad break-up two years before that. But it was true. Anyway, we inquired about the venue. To my pleasant surprise, the place was really big! It had everything I needed for me to put together this event I was planning. In short it was the perfect place. Allan stood up to get the details of the place and the contract. I stared at him as he walked away, and turned to my friend to ask, "how do i look?". He looked at me like I was possessed. "What??" I didn't understand it either. All I knew at the moment was I wanted to book the place and I wanted to look pretty while booking it. Allan came back out and took in the details of the event and explained more of the amenities, da da dah..da dah... I just stared at him the whole time wondering if there was such a thing as love at first sight. Surprisingly, he confessed that he felt the same way! He told me that he wasn't supposed to be at work that hour of the day, because the club opens at 6pm and he usually arrives work just before 6. When he saw me at the door he said he felt different and wondered at that moment if I had a boyfriend and...get this... if I had nice feet! Haha!

For all those who think the concept is unreal, well I am telling you all now -- Love at first sight IS possible and real! To fast forward my story, Allan and I met up everyday since that fateful day as friends getting to know each other. We became boyfriend-girlfriend after just a month. Then we became engaged in just four months after. By August of that same year we were already married civilly! We got caught in the whirlwind of that very first meeting and we've been married for 8 years already. Call it fate. Call it divine intervention. We were in places at that very moment were we shouldn't have been at. We were supposed to be meeting totally different people that day. But for some reason we were brought together, and everything happened almost spontaneously! Plans changed with just a snap of a finger. Just goes to show that we are never really in full control of our life. We think we have great plans, but God always has something better. And better was His plan for me indeed! 8 Valentine's days and 2 children later, I can say I am happy that I made that u-turn. :-)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY VALENTINE BOY!!!! :-D

Proud to be Filipino

2007-02-13T09:51:00.000+08:00

I came across this article in an email written by Ed Lapiz of INQ7.net which is entitled "What Makes the Filipino Special?". It is a very informative write-up which I would like to share with all my non-Filipino readers and blog buds. Hopefully this will give you an insight as to who I am beyond the stories I tell and the photos I post. I am actually not entirely Filipino. I am part British (maternal grandfather from Glasgow, Scotland), part Japanese (maternal grandmother from Okinawa, Japan), part Chinese (paternal grandfather) and part Filipino. But I am Filipino in almost all other aspects in my life. Read the article by Ed Lapiz below and get a better appreciation of who I really am.

What makes the Filipino Special?
Ed Lapiz
INQ7.net

December 01, 2006

Filipinos are brown. Their color is at the center of human racial strains. This point is not racism, but for many Filipinos to realize that our color should not be a source or reason for an inferiority complex. While we pine for a fair complexion, white people are religiously tanning themselves whenever they could, under the sun or some artificial light, just to approximate the Filipino complexion.

Filipinos are a touching people. We have lots of love and are not afraid to show it. We almost inevitably create human chains with our perennial akbay (arm around another shoulder), hawak (hold), yakap (embrace), himas (caress), kalabit (touch with the tip of the finger), kalong (sitting on someone's lap), etc.

We are always reaching out, always seeking interconnection.

Filipinos are linguists. Put a Filipino in any city, any town around the world. Give him a few months or even weeks and he will speak the local language. Filipinos are adept at learning and speaking languages. In fact, it is not uncommon for Filipinos to speak at least three: his dialect, Filipino, and English. If they work abroad, many speak an added language, the host country's language.

In addition, Tagalog is not 'sexist.' While many "conscious" and "enlightened" people today are just now striving to be "politically correct" in their language, in the process, bending to
absurd depths to coin "gender sensitive" words, Tagalog has evolved gender-neutral words since time immemorial - asawa (husband or wife), anak (son or daughter), magulang (father or mother), kapatid (brother or sister), biyenan (father-in-law or mother-in-law) , manugang (son-or daughter-in- law), bayani (hero or heroine), etc. Our languages and dialects are advanced and, indeed, sophisticated! No wonder Jose Rizal, the quintessential Filipino, spoke some twenty-two languages!

Filipinos are "groupists." We love human interaction and company. We always surround ourselves with people and we hover over them, too. According to Dr. Patricia Licuanan, a psychologist from Ateneo and Miriam College , an average Filipino would have and know at
least 300 relatives.

At work, we live bayanihan (mutual help); at play, we want a kalaro (playmate) more than a laruan (toy). At socials, our invitations are open and it is common even for guests to invite and bring in other guests. In transit, we do not want to be separated from our group. So what do we do when there is no more space in a vehicle? Kalung-kalong! (sit on another's lap). No one would ever suggest splitting a group and waiting for another vehicle with more space!

Filipinos are weavers. One look at our baskets, mats, clothes, and other crafts will reveal the skill of the Filipino weaver and his inclination to weaving. This art is a metaphor of the Filipino trait.

We are social weavers. We weave theirs into ours, so that we all become parts of one another. We place a lot of premium on pakikisama (getting along) and pakikipagkapwa (relating). At almost any cost, the Filipino will avoid the two worst labels, walang pakikisama (no comradeship) and walang pakikipagkapwa (cannot relate).

We love to blend and harmonize with people, we like to include them in our "tribe," in our "family"-and we like to be included in other people's families, too.

Therefore we call our friend's mother nanay or mommy; we call a friend's sister ate (eldest sister), and so on. We even call strangers tita (aunt) or tito (uncle), tatang (grandfather) , etc.

So extensive is our social openness and interrelation that we have specific titles for extended relations like hipag (sister-in-law's spouse), balae (child-in-law' s parents), inaanak (godchild), ninong/ninang (godparents) kinakapatid (godparent's child), etc. In addition, we have the profound 'ka' institution, loosely translated as "equal to the same kind" as in kasama (of the same company), kaisa (of the same cause), kapanalig (of the same belief), etc. In our social fiber, we treat other people as co-equals.

Filipinos, because of their social "weaving" traditions, make for excellent team members.

Filipinos are adventurers. We have a tradition of separation. Our myths and legends speak of heroes and heroines who almost always get separated from their families and loved ones and are taken by circumstance to far-away lands where they find wealth or power.

Our Spanish colonial history is filled with separations caused by the reduccion (hamletting) and the forced migration to build towns, churches, fortresses or galleons. American occupation enlarged the space of Filipino wandering, including America , and there are
documented evidences of Filipino presence in America as far back as
1587.

Filipinos now compose the world's largest population of overseas workers, populating and sometimes "threshing" major capitals, minor towns, and even remote villages around the world. Filipino adventurism has made us today's citizens of the world, bringing the
bagoong (salty shrimp paste), pansit (sauteed noodles), siopao (meat-filled dough), kare-kare (peanut-flavored dish), dinuguan (innards cooked in pork blood), balut (duck egg embryo), and adobo (meat vinaigrette), along with the tabo (ladle) and tsinelas (slippers) all over the world.

Filipinos are excellent at adjustments and improvisation, managing to recreate their home, or to feel at home anywhere.

Filipinos have pakiramdam (deep feeling/ discernment) . We can feel what others feel, sometimes even anticipate it. Being manhid (insensitive) is one of the worst labels on anyone, to be avoided at all costs. We know when a guest is hungry though he insists on the contrary.

We can tell if people are lovers even if they're miles apart. We know if a person is offended though he may purposely smile. We know because we feel. In our pakikipagkapwa (fraternizing in oneness), we not only get to slip into another man's shoes, but also into his
heart.

We have a superbly developed and honored gift of discernment that makes us excellent leaders, counselors, and go-betweens.

Filipinos are very spiritual. We are transcendent. We transcend the physical world, see the unseen and hear the unheard. We have a deep sense of kaba (premonition) and kutob (hunch). A Filipino wife will instinctively feel her husband or child is going astray, whether or not telltale signs present themselves.

Filipino spirituality makes him invoke divine presence or intervention at nearly every bend of his journey. Rightly or wrongly, Filipinos are almost always acknowledging, invoking or driving away spirits into and from their lives. Seemingly trivial or even incoherent events can take on spiritual significance and will be given such space or consideration.

The Filipino has a sophisticated, developed pakiramdam. The Filipino, though becoming more and more modern (hence, materialistic) is still very spiritual in essence. This inherent and deep spirituality makes the Filipino, once correctly Christianized, a major exponent of the faith.

Filipinos are timeless. Despite the nearly half-a-millennium encroachment of the western clock into our lives, Filipinos-unless on very formal or official functions-still measure time not in hours and minutes but with feeling. This style is ingrained deep in our psyche. Our time is diffused, not framed. Our appointments are defined by umaga (morning), tanghali (noon), hapon (afternoon), or gabi (evening).

Our most exact time reference is probably katanghaliang tapat (high noon), which still allows many minutes of leeway. That is how Filipino trysts and occasions are timed: there is really no definite time.

A Filipino event has no clear-cut beginning or ending. We have a fiesta, but there is bisperas (eve) and the day after the fiesta is still considered a good time to visit. The Filipino Christmas is not confined to December 25th; it somehow begins months before December
and extends up to the first days of January.

Filipinos say good-bye to guests first at the head of the stairs, then down at the descamo (landing), the entresuelo (mezzanine), the pintuan (doorway), the tarangkahan (gate), and if the departing persons are to take public transportation, up to the bus stop or station.

Other people's tardiness and extended stays can really be annoying, but this peculiarity is also the charm of Filipinos who, governed by timelessness, show how their brothers elsewhere how to find more time to be kind and accommodating rather than prompt and
exact.

Filipinos are space-less. As in the concept of time, the Filipino concept of space is not numerical. We will not usually express space in miles or kilometers but with feeling in malayo (far) or malapit (near).

Alongside numberless-ness, Filipino space is also boundless. Indigenous culture did not divide land into private lots but kept it open for all to partake of its abundance.

The Filipino has remained avidly "space-less" in many ways. The interior of the bahay kubo (hut) can easily become receiving room, sleeping room, kitchen, dining room, chapel, funeral parlor, etc. depending on the time of the day or the needs of the moment.

The same is true with the bahay na bato (stone house). Space just flows into the next space, so that the divisions between the sala, caida, comedor, or vilada may only be faintly suggested by overhead arches of filigree. In much the same way, Filipino concept of space can be so diffused that a party may creep into and actually appropriate the street! A family business like a sari-sari store or talyer (production or work area) may extend to the sidewalk and street. Provincial folks dry palay (rice grain) on highways! Religious groups of various persuasions habitually and matter-of-factly commandeer the streets for processions and parades.

It is not uncommon to close a street to accommodate private functions. Filipinos eat, sleep, chat, socialize, quarrel, even urinate, nearly everywhere or just anywhere!

"Space-lessness, " in the face of modern, especially urban life, can be unlawful and really counter-productive. On the other hand, when viewed from the Filipino's context, it is just another manifestation of his spiritually and communal values. Adapted well to today's context, which may mean unstoppable urbanization, Filipino spaceless-ness may even be the answer and counter balance to humanity's greed, selfishness and isolation.

So what makes the Filipino special? We are brown, spiritual, timeless, space-less, linguist, groupist, weavers and adventurers. Seldom do all these profound qualities find personification in a people. Filipinos should allow - and should be allowed to contribute their special traits to the world-wide human community - but first, we should know and like ourselves.

Thankful Thursday

2007-02-09T10:13:00.000+08:00

The great pediatrician in heaven. I am thankful that nobody loves my children more than their Maker! No amount of love I pour out to Nicky and Keira can match His love for his babies. That alone should be the best reason to trust that He will make sure they are well taken care of. Keira is still not completely well. Her bacteria and pus cell count levels went up yesterday and I had to bring her to see her doctor again. She is still being monitored for fever, but thankfully she hasn't had any and she is full of energy and life still.

Comfort food from my favorite Cibo. Nothing takes the stress and blues away than a yummy plate of Farfalle Genovese with Pate de Fegato and Foccacia bread. Mmmmm......

Petroleum Jelly. It's THE BEST way to keep your foot moisturized and fresh looking! Tried and tested! Just massage your foot with half a teaspoon of petroleum jelly and cover with socks overnight. Your feet will look like a baby's in the morning :-)

Baby Blues

2007-02-05T10:33:00.000+08:00

Last week was extremely tough for my family and I. My dear baby girl was rushed to the emergency room at 3am last Monday because of extremely high grade fever. She had experienced fevers earlier in the evening and we've been monitoring her temperature all throughout the night. It caused quite a panic when we suddenly saw her whole body tremble intensely due to chills and when her skin started to turn a deep blusih-gray color! My poor baby! While in the car driving to the hospital, I was hugging my dear Keira with a blanket wrapped tightly around her now really blue body. I was crying the whole way as I heard her breathing becoming shallow. I prayed deeply to Papa God to please watch over Keira as this was a situation where we had entirely no control of. What was happening? My baby is only 4 months old! Boy did I wish she could speak right at that moment just so I'd know what she was feeling! We arrived the emergency room after 15 minutes of travel, and the nurses immediately attended to her with a hot lamp placed over her, a thermometer, and a cold sponge bath. Her temperature was an alarming 40 degrees centigrade! I thought I'd faint then and there because apparently the whole time I was carrying her she was already having a convulsion.

After several blood tests done to her very young skin (again, poor baby!) and urinalysis tests, it was found that she had UTI (urinary tract infection) and the bacteria that was inside of her was a grave one -- E. Coli. She was immediately given treatment in the form of antibiotics that had to be administered intravenously. The medicines given were painful and I watched Keira cry each time they'd inject it into her vein. It was so emotionally exhausting to watch your newborn experience pain -- each time they'd prick her, I wished they'd just prick me instead. After 7 days of being the hospital, Keira finally came home Sunday evening. Her pus cell count had gone down from an overwhelming "LOADED" number to "0-2". She had undergone an ultrasound a day before as requested by her nephrologist to check whether her organs were normal. Thank God, she was cleared of any abnormality. Right now, Keira is still undergoing treatment for E. Coli that may still be in her body, and the doctors are monitoring for improvements as they are fearful that the bacteria may ascend to her kidneys.

I am back to work again, catching up on deadlines. I am so relieved that we were able to get through this ordeal. Because of this, we held an emergency baptism in her hospital room. I guess the fearful thought that I could lose my unbaptized baby girl haunted me enough to seek a priest.

I continue to ask for prayers from all of you that Keira will recover completely and be restored to perfect health. I also ask for prayers for my sick grandmother who was hospitalized at the same day Keira was rushed. I promise to keep all of you updated on everyone's health. Thank you in advance for your prayers :-)

Thankful Thursday 45

2007-01-26T07:44:00.000+08:00

1. Me time. After 9 months of pregnancy, 3 months of taking care of a newborn and 3 months of healing, I finally had my first real "ME" time. I took a few hours off in the day to go to the mall and spend time doing things I haven't been able to do in a long time such as sitting at a cafe to sip coffee, window shopping and reading several different books at my favorite book shop. It felt great and I didn't feel guilty one little bit.

2. Us time. Allan and I are leaving for a couple's weekend retreat in the mountains. It's our first time to be together away from our kids since I gave birth. Though I feel a bit anxious about not being with Keira that long for the first time, I know it will be good for me to take a breather and to focus my attention on just "us".

3. Allan's time. I am thankful for the hours that I get to spend with Allan in a day. He recently took on a new project away from My Left Hand, where almost half of his week is spent at his other office doing meetings and presentations. The adjustment to this new schedule and routine has been a bit difficult for me because I have been accustomed to being with him all hours of the day, every single day for the past 5 years in the business. I miss him so much when he is gone long hours. I feel helpless in the office when he's not around because I've gotten used to him taking care of things that are usually outside of my creative territory. But I know that this is all meant for our best because aside from it allowing us to earn even more income as a family, it will allow us to grow indivdually in our careers and in our personal lives.

My Life as a Graphic Designer

2007-01-21T20:47:00.000+08:00

This cartoon which I found on one of my favorite blog haunts, pretty much sums up my life as a graphic designer, and what I have to deal with on a daily basis.

But don't get me wrong, I love my work. I love everything about it -- the meetings with clients, presentations, conceptualizations, the actual design process, watching how your idea becomes an actual tangible object, and the ego boost you get when the clients absolutely love what you did for them. It is a surprise to me that I actually lasted this long in the work that I do, that alone being a true indicator of my love for my profession. There are moments when I get an absolute high from the daily grind especially when I love working with the client, or when I love the project and I know the hard work will definitely be worth it in terms of beefing up the company portfolio, profit, and investment in the relationship with the client. But of course, like any job, there are "those" days where nothing seems to be exciting or interesting enough to make me want to jump out of bed, nothing seems to be leaping out of my monitor despite hours of sitting in front of it, or nothing that my client says or do is worth the money they're paying us.

For all those who have no idea how the business of advertising and graphic design works (and I speak to all my friends who have known for quite a LONG time and still don't understand what I do and what I have to deal with, thus causing me so much stress), the cartoon on top should explain why my job is not always as fun as it seems. I think every single designer in the world will agree that they have come across each of the examples depicted in the illustrations. THE WAFFLER and THE WET BLANKET alone are enough reasons for me to just throw in the towel and close shop. This plus of course the long, unpredictable work hours, the stress of meeting impossible deadlines, the worry of whether we are actually meeting the client's expectations, and the nightmare of running after overdue receivables. Every single white hair sprouting from my scalp and every tiny wrinkle found at the corners of my eyes are attributed to the 5 years I have spent in front of my computer preparing a brochure, a print ad or a glossy magazine for a client. I have eye bags down to my chin and dark circles that can rival a panda's. Is it all worth it, you ask? Probably not for most people. But for me, it's what I do. It's what I love. It's what I see myself doing until I get sick of it. It may not have brought me clearer skin and healthier hair, but it's given me a clearer, sharper mind and a healthier understanding of running a creative business. It may not have brought me wealth and prestige, but it has allowed me to have treasured moments with my family -- something I never had a lot of when I was a manager in a top corporation. It may not have taken me up the corporate ladder, but it has allowed me to reach greater heights in my skills and my talents which I never felt confident exploring on my own before. I've known quite a few people in my life who've criticized me, not for my work, but for my choice of work and for the career path I chose. But God chose this path for me. He has blessed the works of my hand with a flourishing business which has allowed me to meet amazing people in different fields of work, the opportunity to work 24/7 with my husband for the past 5 years, a chance to spend time all hours of the day with my 2 kids, and the means to earn good money to provide for our family's needs and wants, as well as being able to provide work for people around us. Through my work as a graphic designer, I have seen more of Him in the people I interact with. I have seen the beauty of His works and the miracles that faith and trust can bring to every impossible situation. And most importantly, I know that I am able to bring glory to His kingdom by being the best I can be in the work that I love.

Do I think it's all worth it? Mmmmm, yes, i guess it all is.

Thankful Thursday, A Fresh Start

2007-01-18T22:57:00.000+08:00

I would like to announce that I have passed on the torch as hostess for our weekly Thankful Thursday to a dear friend, EPH2810. Due to my divided time between my new baby Keira, Nicky, my husband and time for my work, I have to let go of my hosting "duties" and bequeath it to someone who I feel will be able to bring more life to Thankful Thursdays. I am and will be forever grateful to EPH2810 for accepting my offer to be the new hostess. Thankful Thursday means a lot to me because it reminds me on a weekly basis to be grateful and thankful to our dear Father for all the blessings, big or small, that he bestows upon me. It also serves as a reminder for all the goodness that people around me show that I normally take for granted. I am indeed thankful that this wonderful weekly meme will not have to fade away due to my lack of maintenance. Because of EPH2810's graciousness, its legacy will continue on. Thanks EPH2810. Thank you also to Running2Ks who started Thankful Thursday, and who trusted me to take over her hosting duties. Lastly, thank you to all those who participated in the past and who are new to the meme. I hope you all learn to make Thursdays, and everyday as well, a reason to be thankful for all that you have in your life. :-)

Choco Scare!

2007-01-15T15:34:00.000+08:00

Found this really cool online game on my friend Melanie's blog, and i asked permission to post this on mine. As a marketing gimmick for their new dark chocolates, M&M's challenges you to name 50 dark or scary movies based on clues from a Renaissance painting in this Flash based game. Name as many as you can, then post your answers here by leaving me a comment. I will post the answers after a few days, so name as many as you can!

To start the game, click on the pic:

Holiday Gallery

2007-01-10T18:18:00.000+08:00

FINALLY, Blogger is being nice to me again! Just when I was ready to pack up my HTMLs and GIFs, I am now able to post at the right time and speed. So as promised, I am posting our Holiday photos to show how Keira celebrated her first Christmas and New Year with my entire family. Enjoy! :-)

CLICK! -->Marasigan Christmas 2006

CLICK! --> New Year 2006 at Bellevue!

BAD BAD BLOGGER!

2007-01-06T20:43:00.000+08:00

"What? Can't open Blogger?"

Blogger has been very, very, very frustrating this past week. Would you believe that after one whole day of trying to open Blogger's dashboard, it's only now (12 hours later) that I was able to access it? I can blame it on the recent earthquake in Taiwan, which affected almost all our internet connections and phone lines. Because of the quake, we are all still having great difficulty with our Yahoo emails and Yahoo Messenger services, which has lead me to revive my dormant Gmail account. Or I could simply blame it on Blogger's poor service. Either way, it pisses me off so bad that I am contemplating moving my entire blog to another space. I actually have another blog account at Multiply, which I've been using as a mirror for my Unicorn Child blogspot site. Right now I use it as a photo album to store my photos. I haven't really decided if I want to migrate to Multiply because I don't think I can customize my blog to the look I want. And because I'm a cheapy, I want my blogging service to be free.

So, if you've been dropping by these past days expecting to see photos of my recent Christmas and New Year celebrations, as well as my latest Thankful Thursday post, I apologize. Not my fault that the internet connection sucks and Blogger sucks. I will be posting our holiday celebration photos, by hook or by crook! And if you come by in a day or two and still find this same post, then understand that Blogger is being BAD again and is not letting me in! Instead, go straight to my Multiply blog and view my photos from there. Here's the link (I suggest you add this to your blogroll already just in case I never show up here again!) --> http://chrixean.multiply.com.

Any suggestions where I can move my blog to? I need an alternative address, quick!

I Loved the 80's!

2006-12-30T15:35:00.000+08:00

Take the test --> BEST 80S MUSIC QUIZ

I absolutely LOVED this 80's quiz! All of you out there who sported the Flock of Seagulls 'dos, sang nonsensical The Cure songs and wore acid wash jeans -- you know who you are! Sadly, I only scored a 68! And i thought i was a true blue 80's music geek already...

Just for fun, take the quiz and let me know what you scored. :D

'Tis the season to be blogging

2006-12-30T10:49:00.000+08:00

I'm back from my few weeks of hibernation -- lots of things have happened and lots of pics are begging to be posted! Christmas, as i expected, was a blur. Allan and I were shopping practically everyday trying to scratch out every person to give to on our list, and yet I just found out this morning that we still missed out on a few people (people who we won't be seeing in the next few weeks anyway). Gosh, there was just so much build up to the actual day itself than when Christmas family arrived, it ended also just like that. I really missed the days when we were kids when we didn't have to think about anything the whole Christmas season other than to write our wish lists to Santa, made sure they got "mailed" early to get to North Pole on time, and just wait for midnight of Christmas Eve to see if Santa would drop by. One thing I look forward to during the holiday season -- SLEEP. It's the only time in the whole 12 months of the year that I actually get to rest and not think about deadlines and clients following up on work.

Anyways, in the next few days I will be posting photos of events at work and at home, as well as kid updates, to prove that I have been busy and I haven't fallen off the edge of the earth which most of you might have concluded by now. Right now I will be posting photos of our recent My Left Hand office Xmas party which we celebrated with our team and their spouses / girlfriend. It was held at a popular Japanese resto here called Tempura where bowls of Sukiyaki, trays of Makis and Sushis, and baskets of Ebi Tempura overflowed. After a few games and a mini-raffle (where my friend Lita brought home a stand fan for her house -- lucky girl!), we moved to a bar called Cable Car and held a mini billiard tournament over glasses of margaritas and bottles of beers. It was a really fun evening because it was a match between couples, where the men got to show off their "Efren Bata Reyes" skills and women got to, uhm, do their best to not embarrass the men, hehe. I enjoyed this part of the night because billiards is one of my most favorite sports (or should I say, is the ONLY sport I am actually good at), and it gave me a chance to play after months of being pregnant. My staff Dan and his wife played a great game after competing against 3 pairs, and emerged as the billiard champs by 1am. Everyone had a fun time and gave them a chance to leave work worries behind and just chill with friends.

Everyone shows off the gifts they got after the exchange gift game

My Left Hand gang

Jennie and Rein in game mode

Kat aims and Emong cheers on

I "try" to make a difficult shot while my "competition" looks on

Not the evening's champs

Emil shows off his prize after guessing the number of colored candies in the clear mug

Thankful Thursday 44

2006-12-14T20:46:00.000+08:00

What CHRIXEAN is thankful for this week

I am thankful for all my blogging friends who've been patient enough to visit my site every so often despite my erratic postings. I know my blog hasn't been as exciting and as story-filled as before, but time is the enemy here and I really need to get my schedules fixed first before I can get back to serious blogging. I may have to take a blogging leave for a week or two, just to allow myself to finish up on work and shopping errands, and to close the office for the Christmas break to allow myself some family time and quality hours with the kids. So to everyone, goodbye for now. See you guys hopefully in two weeks!

FROM ME AND MY FAMILY, MERRY CHRISTMAS Y'ALL!!! :-)

"Bye! Bye! See you in a few weeks! See you in.... CLICK! what the.....?"

Thank you! Thank you! I'll miss you guys! MERRY CHRISTMAS! Check back in two weeks!

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Happy Anniversary!

2006-12-12T18:49:00.000+08:00

HAPPY 1st WEDDING ANNIVERSARY,
REIN AND JENNIE!

May God continue to bless your union with a strong bond of love and respect, good health and lots and lots (ok, maybe three at most to start) of lovely children! :-D

P.S. It says the first year is called your "Paper Anniversary"... may you be showered with lots of paper gifts -- with dollars and peso signs all over them...hehehe....

With tons of love from my family to yours...
God bless!

Thankful Thursday 43

2006-12-06T23:18:00.000+08:00

What CHRIXEAN is thankful for this week

Smiles - Can turn a bad day into a joyful one.
Work - We are busy (as you guys may probably have figured) with tons of work, and I am thankful for the opportunities that the Lord continues to send our way.
Family - It's my true source of joy here on earth. No matter how tired I am, I know I can be with people who I love and who will truly love me back unconditionally.
Rest - At the end of each day, I know the Lord gives me the rest that I need to be restored and renewed. It allows me to draw in new strength to face a brand new day.

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For My Baby Girl (She makes me feel mushy...)

2006-11-29T17:50:00.000+08:00

You’re finally here
My heart is overwhelmed
Rush of emotions come flooding in
As I see you for the first time
Tears roll down my cheek
While I stare at you
Disbelieving
Such a wonder and a beauty
Given to me
To love and to care for
I feel God’s love for me
Through you
And there’s a warmth
That comforts me
As I look into your eyes
As if God was looking back at me
Your soft skin
Your fresh baby scent
Your tender coos
Fill me with a joy
That reminds me I am truly blessed.

Out of Touch

2006-11-22T20:16:00.000+08:00

So sorry to my millions of readers worldwide (wahahahahaha!!!!! just needed a good laugh before i proceeded) for I have been missing several days of posting already. My trusty Mac died on me last week and it's been in the shop for a week already. I'm really pissed because it's the fastest computer in my office and house, which means I'm left with my I-Book and it is just sooooooo slow. I'm not complaining. I am thankful to have another computer that I could use for work, but it just gets so frustrating when it takes 2 minutes to open a Word document! So right now I am using my mom's computer just to make this quick post to let you know that I am still alive and breathing!

To update you on how things have been the past week:

Allan was hospitalized for 2 days. Why? Over fatigue. He hasn't been sleeping long enough to get the right amount of rest and he missed a few meals in the day. So he ended up with an extreme case of vertigo and dehydration. I saw him puking by the toilet when I walked into the house! Poor hubby! We ended up in the emergency room and eventually he needed to be confined so that they can give him tranquilizers and fluids.
The day after I went home from the hospital to breastfeed Keira and get some rest, I woke up with a really high fever! Talk about a bad bug! I'm guessing that because of my lowered resistance as well due to lack of sleep, I might have picked up something in the hospital air.
I had a bad encounter with my accountant over her negligence with taking care of our family's social security remittances and our health care claims. Because of this, we were unable to claim my maternity benefits and avail of Allan's hospitalization discounts. It really made me so upset that her failure to do her job properly cost us a huge amount of money (money that we could have saved to pay for other important expenses that are coming up), and I made sure I let her know this. Right now I've forgiven her and surrendered my disappointed to God, and just prayed for the Lord's continuous support for our business and finances.

But despite the seemingly bad experiences, I am still thankful that Nicky and Keira are well and healthy. I am also thankful that I am almost fully healed and so far, I've been pain free already for two weeks. It has made my nursing moments with Keira so much more pleasant, and I've enjoyed staying up with her until the wee hours even more.

I hope I could post my Thankful Thursday tomorrow. My time at work (thank goodness my hubby and I work together!), time with Keira and time with Nicky fills up all hours of my day, and probably will stay this way in the next months still. Thank you to everyone who still drops by and visits despite my erratic postings. I am praying my Power Mac comes back from the shop already and hopefully I will be able to get back in the loop.

Not Another One!

2006-11-14T17:57:00.000+08:00

Time: Evening, preparing for bed
Scene: I'm sitting on Nicky's bed preparing him to sleep. I just changed into a tight tank top and pajamas, without my abdominal binder on (which i wear during the day to protect my surgery area and to keep my abdomen pressed in). It's Nicky's first time to see my abdomen hang loose underneath tight clothing.

Nicky: Oh no!
Me: Why?
Nicky (pointing to my bulging abdomen): You're having another one?
Me: What?
Nicky: You're having another baby? (Panic-stricken expression)
Me: No!
Nicky: Then why did it grow upward?
Me: Haha! Actually, it hasn't gone down yet!
Nicky: So there's nothing in there?
Me: Just my insides and my wound which is still healing inside. That's why it's still bulging. It will take awhile for it to go down. It's only been a month, Nicky.
Nicky (pretending to feel faint, plops down on the bed): Phew! That was close!

End of scene (:P)

Thankful Thursday 42

2006-11-09T19:48:00.000+08:00

What CHRIXEAN is thankful for this week

Time for mother and son bonding!

Nicky has been feeling anxious again these past days, feeling Keira's overwhelming presence in the family and seeing her as a threat to his position as the only "baby" in the household and to the love that was previously entirely his to bask in. The effects have not been too good for him and for us. He has become increasingly loud and aggressive in his behaviour, he has regressed in so many ways (acting like a baby again), and has become overly sensitive to people's reactions towards him and Keira. It has gotten to the point where we've all become emotionally tired and stressed out due to lack of sleep, work and trying so hard to be understanding of Nicky's personal concerns. Because of this, i decided to work overtime yesterday evening so that I was free today to take Nicky out for a whole day of fun mom and son activities.

It has been a long time since Nicky and I had actually done anything together for a full day, and this meant doing all the stuff that he wanted to do, and me joining in everything! I never thought I'd have so much fun, but I did! Especially when we spent the afternoon at the video arcade -- I didn't want to get off those car racing machines! We went to toy stores, book stores, coffee shops and soft play areas, and had a blast (and I didn't spend a lot! :D)! I really had a great time, and I know Nicky did, too, because he kept telling me he loved me and kept holding my hand while walking around the mall. I told him we should continue having mommy and Nicky dates on a more regular basis, especially since I am able to move around better now (my sutures have healed and have just a bit of pain left underneath).

I look forward to our next date, and hopefully I will be able to strengthen our mommy and son relationship even more through our frequent times together. :D

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Celebrating life

2006-11-07T19:47:00.000+08:00

JENNIE!

God bless you today, dearest friend of mine...

Take care and may the deepest desires of your heart come true for you today! :-)
HUGS & KISSES!

Can you spell R & R?

2006-11-07T18:09:00.000+08:00

Here are pictures from our recent stay at Bellevue hotel last November 1. All four of us packed our overnight bags and hied off to the hotel to get much needed rest and relaxation, and to spend quality time together as a family. It was the first time for Keira to sleep in a place other than her room, and it was our first time to have a month old baby with us away from home. It was quite an experience! We found out that Keira hated the cold, and so she obviously didn't welcome the hotel room's crisp coolness. We tried turning off the aircon, but Nicky complained of the heat. But Keira seemed to love swimming in her sweat! What to do, what to do? Keira couldn't sleep in the cold, and all of us couldn't sleep in the heat! So where did Keira end up sleeping? -- in the bathroom! Hahaha! We parked her stroller right beside the bath tub, and she enjoyed every minute of sleep in the warm room while all three of us slept in the cold airconditioned bedroom! What a funny girl she's turning out to be. I just love her quirkiness! :P

I invited our relatives to join us to swim at the hotel's pool, and below are some of fun photos from an afternoon of complete R&R.

"Hi Keira! Swimming is fun! Jump in!"

"Daddy, swimming does seem fun. Can I go?"

"Mommy, it really isn't cool being stuck in here. I want to swim!"

"Uhm, this isn't what I had in mind...."

"Sigh. Ok, close enough. What'dya think bro?"

Spirit Break

2006-11-01T11:34:00.000+08:00

It's Halloween and All Soul's Day, and I personally think my soul needs a break as well.

I haven't been getting a lot of

due to Keira's crazy sleep schedule.

I've been swamped with tons of project deadlines, too!

Which got me really

yesterday!

So today, since it's a holiday, my family and I are checking in at a hotel to get rest.
My body and spirit definitely need this break.

Otherwise, I will end up

HAPPY HAUNTING!

Thankful Thursday 41

2006-10-26T07:46:00.000+08:00

What CHRIXEAN is thankful for this week

TIME

Time for myself. My dear hubby treated me to a wonderful foot pampering at my favorite Tips N' Toes place. It was the only day when I could just kick off my shoes, sink into an ultra-soft lounge chair, and doze off without any worries.
Time for Keira and Nicky. Tuesday was a national holiday here, which meant no work for me and no school for Nicky. We spent the day at home together, and I was able to pour my energy into spending time with the kids without work to distract me.
Time to cook. Because of the holiday, I was able to set aside time to prepare one of my hubby's favorite dishes -- my tuna cream pasta.
Time to blog. This week has been really, really hectic. I've gone back to work (but mostly just doing my computer / desk jobs) and I've had to do a lot of catching up. This, in between taking care of Keira, has kept my schedules full.

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Thankful Thursday 40

2006-10-19T13:13:00.000+08:00

What CHRIXEAN is thankful for this week

My precious angels. Looking at them, staring at their faces, makes all things better.

Links to other Thankful Thursdays -->
As My World Turns
EPH2810
Friday's Child
Imagine Bliss
Journalling Through the Valley
Mommy Needs To Vent
Mabuting Balita.Net
Nightingale
Looney Bin For Sure
no_average_girl
Show Them Through Me
Uzi's Musings
Russell And Aine's Haven
Do you Have Issues?
Gabrielle

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It's Our Anniversary!

2006-10-16T17:43:00.000+08:00

It's Our Anniversary!

8 years! Seems just like yesterday when I first met you....
I love you, honey. I must have done something really good to deserve you.
Truly the best husband a girl could ever ask for...

Thankful Thursday 39

2006-10-12T12:06:00.000+08:00

My apologies to all those who have been visiting me the past week and was disappointed to see my last Thankful Thursday still as my most recent post. I am still adjusting to my new schedule given the arrival of our new baby, and so blogging may have to take a back seat for awhile until we have a more stable routine. Nevertheless, I am still going to be faithful to my Thankful Thursday posts, as I believe that nothing should ever prevent us from being thankful for our week's blessings, and from sharing them with others.

What CHRIXEAN is thankful for this week

I am so, so thankful for the support of my family during this period of healing, recovery and adjustment. I know I haven't told Keira's birth story yet, but to give you an idea of what i went through -- after 12 hours of labor all the way to 10cm of dilation, I had to undergo an emergency C-Section because Keira's head was in a transverse position and had gotten stuck in my pelvic area. I cried when I found out that after all the waiting and the laboring I would end up having a surgery. It just goes to show that nothing really is within your control. I had prepared well for a normal delivery -- making sure I ate well and did my walking exercises. Throughout my nine months I made sure that I wasn't sedentary and that I moved around as much as I could. So up until the last minute when Keira's head was not progressing because it had already gotten jammed in my pelvic area, I was still hoping I could her push her out. But my doctor said she was going into distress and that they had to get her out as soon as possible. I was disappointed because I felt like such a failure, for not having delivered her normally as I did with Nicky. I know it wasn't my fault, but the feeling of frustration stayed with me all the way until I arrived back home. It was a difficult first few days for me. I didn't expect the pain of having a cesarean delivery to be this bad. I was limited with my movements, which prevented me from really being there for my baby girl. I felt so bad that I couldn't even carry her, because it could hurt my stitches.

Thank God for blessing me with a wonderful husband! Allan took on the mommy role from the moment I gave birth (till now, even!) -- watching over Keira through the night till early mornings, changing her nappies, bottlefeeding her (alternating with my breastfeeding), bathing her, putting her to sleep -- without expecting me to lift a finger till I was well and pain-free. Keira is now 2 weeks old, and by now, though I still have pains underneath my stitches, I have made an effort to hasten my healing by exercising and walking around as much as I could. I share baby duties with Allan now -- taking her to work with me (yup, i've gone back to work, but only a few hours a day just so I don't get stuck with unmet deadlines), so i could give my dear hubby the rest he well deserves.

I am thankful for the business the Lord has given us -- a home-based business where we are able to adjust our work hours to what the situation calls for, and we are able to give the necessary attention to our children without sacrificing our careers.

I am also especially thankful for my mom who offers an additional pair of hands when ours are already quite full. Having our family by our side right now is really a blessing for me, because I can focus on getting the physical, emotional and spiritual healing and recovery I most definitely need as I enter a new chapter in my life.

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Thankful Thursday 38

2006-10-04T20:47:00.000+08:00

What CHRIXEAN is thankful for this week

Kirsten "Keira" Soleil

Keira's first photo with mommy

Links to other Thankful Thursdays -->
A Revision
As My World Turns
EPH2810
Friday's Child
Imagine Bliss
Journalling Through the Valley
Mommy Needs To Vent Mabuting Balita.Net


Nightingale

Looney Bin For Sure
no_average_girl
Show Them Through Me
Uzi's Musings
Blog Charm
Russell And Aine's Haven
Gabrielle

Click here for the Thankful Thursday code

Click here for Chrixean's blog

Trackbacks, pings, and comment links are accepted and encouraged!

View More Thankful Thursday Participants

2006-09-28T15:29:00.000+08:00

Thankful Thursday 37

In behalf of Chrixean, I would like to announce this exciting news...

...Kirsten Soleil has now become a very lovely member of the family. She was born weighing 7lbs & 10 ounces by caesarean section on September 28, 2006 at 3:54 AM. She, Allan and Nicky would like to thank the Lord for blessing them with this little miracle. Chrixean and baby are both doing very fine and will be out of the hospital in two to three days. By then, she will be posting pictures of their new bundle of joy.

Links to other Thankful Thursdays (If you participate, leave your link in the comments and I'll post it below; or, you can post in the comments)

Click here for the Thankful Thursday code

Click here for Chrixean's blog

Trackbacks, pings, and comment links are accepted and encouraged!
View More Thankful Thursday Participants

Special thanks to Running2Ks for help with the code design. The Thankful Thursday Blogroll:

*Unicorn Child (new "home" of ThT and code)648r133 A Child of God A Revision Anna's Place**As My World Turns****Friday's Child**Imagine Bliss Journalling Through the Valley**LadyBug Crossing**Looney Bin For Sure Mabuting Balita Momma's Life**Mommy Does It All****Mommy Needs To Vent****Nightingale****no_average_girl**Reverberate58 Show Them Through Me Sting My Heart Uzi's Musings Yellow Rose's Garden

Where's the baby?

2006-09-26T11:37:00.000+08:00

Yes, where is she?

I'm on my 39th week and still no sign of Keira coming out yet.

I am...

Tired
Impatient
Tired
Tired
Heavy
Concerned
Anxious

I don't want to be induced into labor again. I prayed for the last 8 months that this baby come out naturally, so I am not going to accept the idea of labor induction. My exact due date is on October 2, so I have less than a week to convince her that it's time to come out. I've been walking almost every other day already, and I may do it daily starting this afternoon if I know it to really help. If you see me in person, you won't even know that I'm due to give birth soon. The baby's sitting so high still, my OB-GYNE says she can still feel the baby's head "floating" a bit above my pelvic area.

Sigh.

I've read about the different ways to induce labor "naturally" without the help of an IV, but I don't feel comfortable trying any of these methods without my doctor's consent. So I guess, I'll have to just stick to walking some more and hope and pray that Keira cooperates with me.

To all the mommies out there who have given birth naturally (meaning no C-sections), have you ever gone beyond your due date? What did you do to make sure the baby came out already? Would really appreciate it if you shared with me your birth story...

... before I lose my mind waiting.....

Thankful Thursday 36

2006-09-21T20:05:00.000+08:00

What CHRIXEAN is thankful for this week

* Nicky is well and healthy. He's been down under the weather since last Friday, and we've been concerned because he just recently recovered from a bad cold and a fever. I'm thinking it might be because his classroom is closed and airconditioned, so when one kid gets a cough and a cold, it's much easier for the virus to be passed on. Good thing he was given an ok sign by his pediatrician this morning when we brought him for a check-up, and was given supplements and vitamins to boost his appetite and to increase his body resistance.

* I've met several design deadlines before I gave birth. Early this month, my biggest worry was not being able to deliver most of my ongoing projects' deadlines thinking that I might not make it to Keira's arrival date. But I guess I should really leave it up to God to decide what should get done on time and when I should bring Keira into the world. With the help of my office team, I was able to submit all my projects on time, and I actually now have time to accept new projects while waiting for labor.

* Dinner with friends. I recently had dinner with my really great friend Jennie G, and I was so happy to have spent time with her after a long while of not having a girls nightout. When I wasn't pregnant yet, I used to go out with her on dinner dates or for coffee chats at least twice a week, just to relax, have a good laugh and to swap gal stories. So it was quite a change for both of us when I got prego and had to cut down on the late night outs and the coffee meets, and just settle for text exchanges to keep us updated on stuff. Tomorrow I will be having dinner with my friends Bien and Jerome, who are in town for a visit. I haven't seen them in almost 4 months, so I am quite excited to have this time to spend with them too.

What are you thankful for? I bet there are a lot that you can think of! If you want to join Thankful Thursday, just email me or leave a comment, and I will add you to the weekly list and to the TTh blogroll :-)

Links to other Thankful Thursdays -->
A Revision
As My World Turns
EPH2810
Friday's Child
Imagine Bliss
Journalling Through the Valley
Mommy Needs To Vent Mabuting Balita.Net


Nightingale

Looney Bin For Sure
no_average_girl
Show Them Through Me
Uzi's Musings
Blog Charm
Russell And Aine's Haven
Gabrielle

Click here for the Thankful Thursday code

Click here for Chrixean's blog

Trackbacks, pings, and comment links are accepted and encouraged!

View More Thankful Thursday Participants

My Brain In a Knot

2006-09-17T12:46:00.000+08:00

Image courtesy of Milana Huang's Knot Gallery

This is my first day in the past weeks where I am actually sitting at the computer doing nothing else other than to surf, blog and read blogs. Isn't that wonderful? I declared today an I-will-be-a-sow-and-just-eat-sleep-watch-tv-and-blog day. The downside to having your office right next to your house is the temptation to go to work and finish stuff that you know are still dangling over your head. So I had to fight this temptation (since I practically worked the whole day of yesterday anyway) by keeping my mind of the week's project line-ups and focusing on useless, senseless and unimportant stuff like YouTube videos, fastfood online delivery menus (just felt like having a totally unhealthy Jollibee meal for lunch today) and memes. I feel like my brain is in this really tight knot and it needs unravelling badly.

So be prepared to see a lot of useless information being unravelled right before your very eyes, as I will attempt to write down a list of 10 things about me which probably a lot of people didn't know (even my closest friends) that I just happened to think about (or remember, for a more appropriate word) right now and which I will list here because if I don't I will probably forget them entirely.

1. I had a pet cat at age 9 named Sylvia. I didn't buy her at any pet store. She just wandered into our house, so I decided to pick her up and lay claim to her fate. She stayed with me for less than a year because she ran off with another kitty. That's when I learned she was actually a Sylvestre....
2. I am scared of dentists. I am more scared of dentists than I am of gynecologists.
3. I want to have a tattoo. Why? Because it's cool. Because I am an artist. And because I am an artist, I want my art to be tattooed on my body for the world to see. Why don't I have a tattoo then? Because I am scared of needles. And so ends my dreams of having a tattoo...
4. I drove my schoolbus into a wall. I accidentally turned the ignition key of the bus instead of turning on the radio (which I was told to do!), and so the bus jerked and slammed into the school's wall. No, I wasn't drunk. No, I don't need psychiatric help. I actually don't even know why I did it in the first place. I probably had an out-of-body experience of some sort....
5. I don't like nature trips. I am a city girl through and through. I don't like the outdoors where there are trees and grass and hills and streams.... I don't like any place that didn't have a hotel and a mall nearby. I don't like camping (which is why I never joined the girl scouts). Trees, mountains and grassy areas to me are equivalent to bugs, SPIDERS, snakes, roaches and all things slimy, icky and gross.
6. I want to study ballet again. I did. I stopped. I never went back. Now I like the thought of dancing again.
7. My dream as a child was to be a world-renowned fashion designer. I had stacks and stacks of sketches of dresses and ball gowns. I have no idea what happened along the way, but I lost interest and ended up doing other things.
8. I never liked children. Up until the time I had Nicky, I would never have imagined myself being around a baby, much more to take care of one!
9. I lost a baby sister who I named Christine Anne Morse Percy. I don't know why I gave her such a strange long name, but I know for sure that if she were alive today, she wouldn't be too happy with me.
10. I don't wear perfume, I don't carry handkerchiefs and I don't bring make-up or a hairbrush in my bag. Perfumes make me sneeze, I lose hankies ALL the time, and I am not one of those girls who go to the ladies room to fix my hair or to retouch my makeup.

I just realized that 10 in my list is not enough. I will need a separate post to continue this list, but for now, I think these are ok. My brain is breathing more freely now, and I've accomplished my first senseless task for the day. Now I'm off to eat a heavy, unhealthy fastfood meal and go about doing absolutely nothing the rest of my lazy day.

Bye!

Thankful Thursday 35

2006-09-14T19:19:00.000+08:00

What CHRIXEAN is thankful for this week

Less pain on my back and sides which meant better sleep. It's either the baby has descended slightly, or my body has gotten used to the pain. Whichever the reason, as long as I get enough sleep, I'm happy :-)

My newly hired designer. I know I was thankful about this same thing several TThs ago, but that designer resigned. So I'm thankful for this new one I got to assist me in my work. Seeing that I only have days to count before I give birth, having someone to do the work I will be leaving behind is a blessing.

Good health. I am so happy that I made it to my ninth month healthy and strong. God has indeed granted this specific prayer. I continue to pray that my labor and delivery will be complication-free and that Keira would come out a healthy little baby.

Links to other Thankful Thursdays -->
A Revision
As My World Turns
EPH2810
Friday's Child
Imagine Bliss
Journalling Through the Valley
Mommy Needs To Vent Mabuting Balita.Net


Nightingale

Looney Bin For Sure
no_average_girl
Show Them Through Me
Uzi's Musings
Blog Charm
Russell And Aine's Haven
Gabrielle

Click here for the Thankful Thursday code

Click here for Chrixean's blog

Trackbacks, pings, and comment links are accepted and encouraged!

View More Thankful Thursday Participants

Countdown...

2006-09-12T10:29:00.000+08:00

I just met with my OB-GYNE recently and she told me that I am already full term at 37 weeks and that I can expect labor any day or any week from now. Do i look forward to this? I'm not really sure. I'm not saying I don't look forward to seeing Keira, because more than the excitement of a new baby in the family, I am absolutely curious to know how she looks! What I'm not sure about is whether I look forward to the whole birthing process again. Ok, so what mother actually looks forward to labor pains and delivery (Ok, for moms with their hands up, don't even bother saying anything....)? It's been 7 years since I last experienced this, and I don't know if I should feel more prepared since I know more or less what to expect, or if I should be more fearful because i DO KNOW what to expect.

I didn't have much of a dramatic birthing story to tell with Nicky, which is fine because drama in the delivery room is definitely not good. I gave birth to Nicky just a few weeks earlier than my due date, all because I had that sudden "energy surge" to fix the baby room and do a makeover till 2am. I woke up at 530am to pee and saw blood flowing out. So we went straight to the hospital that morning and was "confined" to it for the next 19 hours! I was at 2cm from 7am to 2pm, and stayed at 2cm until my OB-GYNE suggested to induce the labor. I quietly agreed, not knowing what I was saying yes to. And boy, was that decision a shocker! In the next few hours, my contractions intensified to 3-4X the pain I was experiencing earlier. It was like someone suddenly pressed the FAST FORWARD button on the player! Everything was happening so fast and the pain was horrible. I felt like sawing my body in two. Good thing I studied Lamaze breathing exercises, so the paced breathing helped me to calm down a bit and gave me the chance to rest in between contractions. I distinctly remember looking for my anesthesiologist at the 11th hour of my labor, because I was oh so ready to have my epidural in! I was getting upset and irritable by this time because my anesthesiologist was stuck in traffic and i was nearly about to tear off the labor bed's railings. After almost an hour she arrived and I willingly welcomed that frighteningly long needle to entire my spine, because at that point, nothing scared me or freaked me out any longer. I just needed rest from all the pain. Ok, so to shorten my story, I finally gave birth 8 hours after I got a "slight" reprieve from the pain. By 12am, I was sore, tired and very irritable. I just wanted to get the baby out and go to sleep! By 1220am, my OB-GYNE asked me for one big long push. My Lamaze breathing exercises and Kiegel exercises paid off well, because I finally delivered Nicky into the world! All I remember from that moment was my doctor saying, "here's Nicky!". She put Nicky on my chest, I looked at him once, smiled, then passed out. Next thing I knew I was in a recovery room with another girl who had probably just given birth too.

Ok, so that was 7 years ago. Fast forward to the present now. I am now 7 years older, I am more stressed out and have more work to do than I did back then, I move around more and I gained lesser weight. What does this all mean? Nothing, really, i guess. We've all listened to and read various versions of mothers' birthing stories, and there really is no definite pattern to how it will turn out whether this is your first delivery or second or third. What happened 7 years ago may or may not happen this time around. I may wish for a shorter labor, one that need not be induced but hopefully would just progress to delivery in its natural pace. I would also definitely wish that no complications arise from my labor where I will suddenly need an emergency C-section. So what will I expect to be different in this birthing experience? My prayer and my faith. My family and I have been declaring and claiming in faith that there will be no complications that will arise, that I will have an easier time in labor, that I will deliver fast and easy, and that Keira will come out normal, healthy and well.

With God with me in the labor room and the delivery room, I will leave the fear, the pain and worry in His hands, and just wait to welcome my baby girl into mine. :-)

Thankful Thursday 34

2006-09-07T09:38:00.000+08:00

Hey everyone! So sorry that my post is yet another Thankful Thursday. I have a lot on my plate right now, and I am having more and more difficulty blogging at this time due to work and preparations for Keira's big arrival (she's expected in 2 weeks!). But I make it a point to not forget to be thankful still for all the wonderful blessings that come my way, so here are my thankfuls for the week....

What CHRIXEAN is thankful for this week

More love "showered" on me and Keira! Jennie surprised me with this really cute "Star Baby" shower party. I was shocked, because of all the baby showers I've had recently, this was planned in secret really well. Thanks of course once again to my hubby, Allan, who by now has mastered the art of hiding these baby celebrations. I thought all along that I was going to help plan a surprise party for Jen's hubby, Rein! You should've seen the look on my face when I walked into Jen's house and saw big bright flowers, a milkyway of stars and a clothesline of pink baby clothing hanging across the room. My first thought was -- why in the world will Rein like this decor? Hahaha! Of course, then only did it hit me that it was actually a party for me! And it was a really great one, too! I loved the decor (thanks so much to Jen, Rein and Me-an!) so much that I brought them home and stuck them to Keira's wall! The food was great -- (oh my, oh my, you guys should try those creamy cheesy colorful sandwiches Ria makes. Mmmmmm!), and the cake was gorgeous (I felt so bad that I had to eat it at one point)! It was another memorable day for Keira and me, and again I feel so, so blessed to have such wonderful, caring and thoughtful friends. Thank you so much Jen and Rein for planning this day really well and for allowing us to mess up their lovely house in the process! Thanks also for all the great gifts for Keira, ninang! The clothesline was a great idea (and made for fantastic decor for the party!). Thanks to Me-an (I'm sorry, but the unicorn dolly is MINE! hehe) and Gigi (perfect scrapbook color choice!) for coming all the way to this side of town to be a part of the party! Thanks to Patty, Miren, Bianca and Niña, who adopted me and made me one of their siblings (I loved all the baby stuff... glad that we also have the same tastes too, hehe). Thanks everyone!!! Now all I have to do is sit back, relax (I wished...), and wait for Keira... :D

Isn't this a wonderful photo? Pretty maidens, yummy food under pink layette and a starry background!

The spread was mouth-watering! But those colorful sandwiches on top right were hands down winners!

A new take on the "guess-my-waistline" game. These creative ladies got carried away and created some really flashy belts.

The accomplice...

Great, great gifts all!

Under the laundry line. Jen and the supposed "surprised" birthday boy Rein (so sorry the Sammy surprise didn't happen...)

Beauties without their Geeks...:P

Links to other Thankful Thursdays --> A Revision As My World Turns EPH2810 Friday's Child Imagine Bliss Journalling Through the Valley Momma's Life Mommy Needs To Vent Mabuting Balita.Net Nightingale Looney Bin For Sure no_average_girl Show Them Through Me Uzi's Musings Blog Charm Russell And Aine's Haven Gabrielle

Click here for the Thankful Thursday code Click here for Chrixean's blog Trackbacks, pings, and comment links are accepted and encouraged! View More Thankful Thursday Participants

Thankful Thursday 33

2006-08-31T18:47:00.000+08:00

What CHRIXEAN is thankful for this week

For friends who have expressed their love for me and my baby!

I was thrown two separate baby shower parties by my friends from my highschool and my friends in our Christian community. They were all truly pleasant surprises and I enjoyed their company, the food (of course, hehe) and the fun games they prepared. The first party's theme was an "all-pink" party. Unfortunately, it was a surprise party and I wasn't informed of the color theme. But it was a really lovely set-up with all things pink -- from the wall decors, to the mini-scrapbook and the pink baby gifts. The second party had the "baby scrapbooking" theme, where each couple gave gifts that had to do with completing Keira's scrapbook. It was a great idea since I had already began to layout the initial pages. The assorted gifts I received -- scrapbook baby accessories and pastel colored papers, greeting cards and prayer notes, as well as actual scrapbook pages already laid out ready for photo collaging -- were perfect for me to complete my personalized baby book for Keira!

Here are the pics from the two parties:

The Pink Party:

Expectant mommy and daddy

With my two best buds, Jennie G and Ging.

Winners of the baby shower games show off their prizes :)

Great gifts! Mom Ging and daughter Andee

Noy and I strike a pose.

The pink ladies and their kids.

Baby Scrapbooking Party:

A pink rose amongst the thorns :-)

Sexy sisses all in a row

I love the pastel colored decor, especially the hanging pieces!

It's so cutie! I want one for me too!

Cute scrapbook accessories to add to my pages!

A game favorite - guess my waistline size!

To all my friends who made these parties happen, especially to my hubby who coordinated the schedules and the arrangements in secret, thank you so much! Keira and I feel extremely loved by all of you! Kisses from mommy and baby... mwah! mwah!


Nightingale

Looney Bin For Sure
no_average_girl
Show Them Through Me
Uzi's Musings
Blog Charm
Russell And Aine's Haven
Reverberate - My Echo
Gabrielle

Click here for the Thankful Thursday code

Click here for Chrixean's blog

Trackbacks, pings, and comment links are accepted and encouraged!

View More Thankful Thursday Participants

Mood Swing

2006-08-29T10:46:00.000+08:00

Your Mood Ring is Light Blue

Emotions mixed
Unsettled
Cool

Mood Ring Generator

I've been feeling out of sorts lately. I feel a little better this morning, but I generally feel tired. It has been a long and emotional past few weeks for me and I think it's taken its toll on my body and my emotions. The stress of work (had to finish layout of an entire magazine for a client in between preparing layout concepts for an anniversary book for another client) and the emotional and physical stress of losing a dear aunt to leukemia has affected my mood and my body. I experienced really strong contractions and hyperactive movements from the baby since Saturday evening after my aunt's cremation, which prompted my OB-GYNE to make me stay in bed till Monday morning. The rest (coupled with my Duvadilan medication) helped a lot, and my contractions have somewhat subsided and allowed me to get better sleep. I am hoping for more time off in between my working days (i know, I have to make this time off happen!) when I get my new graphic designer (my previous designer resigned!). For now, I just take in what I can and try not to worry too much about deadlines and trying to be everything to everyone.

I'm currently dreaming of.....
A foot spa at Tips N' Toes
An overnight stay at a hotel -- just to sleep and eat and sleep some more
A shopping spree for the baby (I still lack a lot of baby girl stuff)
Hair color treatment (I look dreadful....)
Food tripping (what the heck, it's just a few more weeks...)

Thankful Thursday 32

2006-08-24T12:06:00.000+08:00

What CHRIXEAN is thankful for this week

For all the prayers I received from friends, family and bloggers, and for the time the Lord has granted me to spend time with my Aunt Mercy.

My Aunt Mercy passed away yesterday morning after 4 years of battling breast cancer and 4 months of battling the aggressive stages of leukemia and bone cancer. It has been a difficult past few months for me and my entire family. To watch a very dear family member wither away in front of your very eyes, to watch her struggle to live, to watch her family put up a strong front in the midst of sadness and fear, and to watch each one surrender her fate to the Giver of Life. It has been quite stressful for me especially, being pregnant and having to go through another death after just a few months of dealing with the passing of my Aunt Minerva. Through it all, I hung on to prayer for strength and renewal of faith. I had to re-learn the realities of the life we lived on this planet -- accepting that all things are temporary in this life and learning to let go, believing that there is indeed a better life for all those who have left us here. I say "re-learn" because these are things that we already know and believe in because the Bible has taught us about it. It just becomes more difficult to apply when these situations happen to you and your immediate family. So to all of you who have been praying for my family and my Aunt Mercy's help from the very beginning, thank you.

BTW, please visit all our other Thankful Thursday participants listed below and on our TTh blogroll. We've added quite a number of people to the list recently and it would be great to add them to your list of frequented sites as well!

Links to other Thankful Thursdays -->
A Child of God A Revision
As My World Turns
EPH2810
Friday's Child
Imagine Bliss
Journalling Through the Valley
Momma's Life
Mommy Needs To Vent Mabuting Balita.Net Nightingale
Looney Bin For Sure
no_average_girl
Show Them Through Me
Uzi's Musings
Blog Charm
Russell And Aine's Haven
Reverberate - My Echo
Gabrielle

Click here for the Thankful Thursday code

Click here for Chrixean's blog

Trackbacks, pings, and comment links are accepted and encouraged!

View More Thankful Thursday Participants

Prayers Wanted!

2006-08-22T12:23:00.000+08:00

Need urgent prayers for my auntie Mercy who has been diagnosed a few months ago to have an advanced stage of leukemia. She was rushed to the hospital over the weekend due to an extreme drop of her blood pressure and a decrease in her heart rate. We all thought we would lose her, and our entire family has been by her bedside since then. Last night was a rough night for everyone as she was struggling with her breathing and was slipping in and out. We still believe in miracles, no matter how advanced the stage of illness is. And so we pray for the miracle of healing to still prevail. But if it is the Lord's will for her to go through this and to welcome her as early as now into his kingdom, we pray that He would take her in peace -- without the pain, without the struggles.

Thankful Thursday 31

2006-08-17T20:28:00.000+08:00

What CHRIXEAN is thankful for this week

For feeling slightly better after a week of having a bad cold. Thanks to antihistamines, lots of juice, my husband's TLC, and of course, papa God's healing touch.

For God's provision in the preparation of the kids' new room. Was finally able to set-up the kids' room to make space for Keira's arrival. Because Nicky had SOOOOO much stuff that we needed to store and because he had outgrown his toddler bed, we managed to build a custom-made adult-sized bed which could store all his toy cars, dinosaurs, trains and tractors underneath it for less than half the prize of one that we could have bought in a department store. With the money saved, we were able to buy Nicky and the baby brand new cabinets and book shelves, Keira's crib, beddings, toiletries and other immediate baby necessities, and additional storage boxes. I am so happy that Nicky was so cooperative and was so willing to share his room with Keira. His excitement and enthusiasm when we were setting up the spaces gave me the extra energy boost i needed to make sure the task was done well.

I forgot to post this picture last week. It was the awarding ceremony for our win in the Parent-Child Book Making Competition.

Nicky and I are shown here (I am the whale in the middle wearing pink, hehe) together with the other book winners (moms and kids on the right) and the gradeschool heads. One of the women in the photo (2nd from left) who is currently the gradeschool principal, was my old prep teacher from the same school! Boy, was she proud to show me and my son off to her fellow teachers. :-)

Links to other Thankful Thursdays -->
A Child of God
A Revision
As My World Turns
EPH2810
Friday's Child
Imagine Bliss
Journalling Through the Valley
Momma's Life

Mommy Needs To Vent
Mabuting Balita.Net

Nightingale
no_average_girl
Show Them Through Me
Uzi's Musings
Blog Charm
Russell And Aine's Haven
Reverberate - My Echo
Gabrielle

Click here for the Thankful Thursday code

Click here for Chrixean's blog

Trackbacks, pings, and comment links are accepted and encouraged!

View More Thankful Thursday Participants

Sucks to be sick

2006-08-15T11:24:00.000+08:00

My body finally gave out. Never realized how dependent I had become to my multivitamins to keep my body strong and resistent to illnesses. For the last 8 months I had never gotten the cold virus nor the cough. I missed just 2 days of drinking my multivitamins (because we ran out and forgot to buy some), and now I'm down under the weather. I can't breathe, my throat is sore, my eyes are swollen and my sinuses are throbbing. It really sucks.

Just thought I'd gripe about it....

Thankful Thursday 30

2006-08-10T09:19:00.000+08:00

What CHRIXEAN is thankful for this week

• For winning 3rd place in the Parent-Child Book-Making Contest! Woohoo!!! Of course, I would have preferred 1st place, but then..... hehehe. To read more about this contest and how our entry looked like, click here.

• For waking up after a good night's rest. Sleep is very difficult to enjoy lately due to Keira's heavy weight. To actually sleep a straight 8 hours with a just a few bathroom breaks in between is already a reason for me to celebrate.

• For the wonderful Saturday night I had. I met up with my old college buddies who I haven't seen altogether for 11 years, and I had the time of my life! I ended up laughing for a whole 5 hours straight, just recalling all the crazy college stories being thrown across the table. The past weeks have been very hectic for me in terms of work and preparations for the baby's room, that this was truly a much needed break.

Links to other Thankful Thursdays -->
A Child of God
A Revision
Anna's Place
As My World Turns
EPH2810
Friday's Child
Imagine Bliss
Journalling Through the Valley
Momma's Life
Mommy Does It All

Mommy Needs To Vent
Mabuting Balita.Net

Nightingale
no_average_girl
Show Them Through Me
Uzi's Musings
Blog Charm
Russell And Aine's Haven
Reverberate - My Echo
Gabrielle

Click here for the Thankful Thursday code

Click here for Chrixean's blog

Trackbacks, pings, and comment links are accepted and encouraged!

View More Thankful Thursday Participants

Thankful Thursday 29

2006-08-04T13:49:00.000+08:00

What CHRIXEAN is thankful for this week

God answered my prayer!

I’ve been asked so many times by my OB-GYN and by friends if I wanted to have a 4d ultrasound done so I could see Keira’s lovely face up close. Of course I’d love that, but spending so much for such a procedure (which costs 10X more than an ordinary 2d ultrsound!) is to me impractical and extravagant. Even if I could afford it, I cannot bring myself to spend that much on something which is unnecessary. Plus, I know the money could be used for other more important things that need to be settled. So my answer was always, “I’ll have the 4d done ONLY if God blesses me with it”. Meaning – if He gave it to me for free.

How could I have doubted that such a gift would not be given to me?

As I was touring the hospital’s Diagnostic center facilitiesfor a commemorative book project my company was commissioned to do, I was told very casually that they had just recently acquired a brand new 4D ultrasound machine! And the best part of all, I could have an ultrasound demonstration for FREE! I was in shock! The words FREE rang loudly in my mind. Thank you, papa God! Oh my!

So below is the first ever 4D portrait of my lovely baby girl 8 months inside me…. Everyone…meet Keira!

My company My Left Hand Creative Solutions celebrated its 5th year in business. I would NEVER have imagined that this business would have made it this far. I started the company as a reason for me to have work while I shifted from my corporate life to that of a stay-at-home mom. 5 years later, I have more than 60 clients in my portfolio, a husband who works with me full time as head of marketing, a creative team and staff who supports the company’s growth through their marvelous work contributions, brand new equipment and a newly-renovated and expanded office. Praise God for his love and faithfulness in providing for our company’s growth and for using the business to be a vessel of blessings to other people.

Mommy Needs To Vent
Mabuting Balita.Net

Nightingale
no_average_girl
Show Them Through Me
Uzi's Musings
Blog Charm
Russell And Aine's Haven
Reverberate - My Echo
Gabrielle

Click here for the Thankful Thursday code

Click here for Chrixean's blog

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In My Stables: MOM's MUSINGS

2006-08-01T10:17:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone! As you all may have noticed, I went on a long "Rent My Blog" hiatus due to my erratic blogging schedules. But my stables are back in business again -- fresh, clean and with a new coat of paint -- and now I am welcoming a new tenant again to stay for the week.

Please all welcome Ruth from Mom's Musings! APPLAUSE! APPLAUSE!

Ruth is from Ontario, Canada and she is a home-schooling mom to 4 children. I enjoyed reading her blog because she shares a lot of issues or thoughts about her Christian journey and church life, and I feel I can relate to a lot of what she talks about. I particularly like her latest entry where she struggles with trying to keep God's word in her heart. I feel this way a lot of times especially when the enemy's attack is targetted strongly on me, so this post is a lot like my own personal diary entry -- except that she had more guts to talk about it than I did. She also has a lot of fun stories to share about her daily mommy experiences (which I am sure all you mom readers will enjoy), which makes her blog a light, relaxing read. You may already have visited her on occasion through Wordless Wednesdays and Thursday Thirteens, but nonetheless, visit her again and let her know just what a great blog she has!

Well, have you all forgotten the drill? Go on over and trot over to the thumbnail on my right sidebar and give it a click now! And don't forget to tell her that Chrixean whispered to you her name :-)

Thankful Thursday 28

2006-07-27T10:00:00.000+08:00

Thankful Thursday: What CHRIXEAN is thankful for this week

I am thankful this week for having joined my son in their school's Parent-Child Book-Making Competition. It was the perfect bonding activity between us because it was an artistic challenge that we were both up to doing. The activity was meant to reinforce reading and learning in kids of all ages, while further strengthening the bond between child and parents through creative thinking and teamwork. The contest run from 830am till 1130pm, which meant we had 3 hours to write a story (had to be about an animal), decide on the page layout, draw the characters and the scenes, cut them and glue them, and create an entire story that actually made any sense. Parents arrived the contest venue with their 'weaponry' -- plastic cases containing their scissors, rulers, pencils, glue and colored markers, rolls and rolls of lace, cloth, wrapping paper and kraft paper, and stacks of colored art paper. I thought it was an amusing sight because it was my first time to have ever participated in such a school event. Of course, Nicky had to put the pressure on me by saying,

"We have to win this mommy. You're the artist, so we have to win!"

GULP!

I smiled at him and said to him that we will just have to really do our best given the time limit that we had. And that if we didn't win, what mattered was that we had fun together and we could proudly said that we made our first ever book.

It didn't take us long to decide what the story was going to be about. We agreed before hand it would be about him and his new baby sister. So when the contest emcee announced that the story had to have animals in it, we quickly agreed that his favorite dinosaurs will be the leads. Anyway, below are a few pictures of the book pages we did. We were able to make a whole 10 pages in the amount of time we had, but I only got the chance (and the space) to take 4 shots of it (i only had my camera phone with me...darn it). We still do not know who won the contest, as the judges are still reviewing all the entries. It would be cool if we did win any prize, but for the first time, knowing how competitive I can get, I feel ok if we didn't because I actually had fun and was just so glad to have shared this moment with Nicky. :-)

Our book cover

Nicky's drawing of his favorite T-Rex toy

Nicky shown here with Clifford of Scholastic Books and his favorite Elmo book

Mommy Needs To Vent
Mabuting Balita.Net

Nightingale
no_average_girl
Show Them Through Me
Uzi's Musings
Blog Charm
Russell And Aine's Haven
Reverberate - My Echo
Gabrielle

Click here for the Thankful Thursday code

Click here for Chrixean's blog

Trackbacks, pings, and comment links are accepted and encouraged!

View More Thankful Thursday Participants

I'm Dreaming Of....

2006-07-25T20:38:00.000+08:00

Rain just SUCKS*!

*There's a typhoon here and classes were suspended for the past 2 days. I hate rain, I hate wet and I hate gloom. Bring out the sun!!!!