Pursuit Manila Retreat & New Adventures

Rhiza4 Comments

Pursuit Manila Retreat

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Three of the women in this photograph, Jamie, Madz and Love, I just met this year. One of them, Sheila, and I have been really good friends in high school and college, but other than exchanging online messages and comments here and there, I didn’t see her all that much until this year. The other one, Karen, is part of the group I disciple in church; we would see each other every Sunday and pray and read the Bible, our interactions confined within the four corners of our church.

What I’m trying to drive at is, one year ago, I never imagined I would be journeying with these beautiful women of faith, or leading a community and doing a special ministry with them. I never pictured that we would be spending one weekend together, getting to know each other in a deeper way, putting together beautiful styled shoots for the fun of it, laughing (and shedding joyful tears) to the wee hours of the night, talking about how God has been turning our lives around.

Even more so, one year ago I never imagined I would be part of a community of talented, God-loving female creatives who are making a huge impact around the world. I can’t even grasp the right words to describe how [insert synonyms of] amazing the past 5 months have been.

Truck loads of photos after the jump. You were warned. :)  Continue reading “Pursuit Manila Retreat & New Adventures” →

Pursuit Manila: What’s Your Story?

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March Gathering Class Picture

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A lot of people have been asking me what Pursuit Community is all about, and sometimes I find it hard to describe it in just one sentence! So I post these recaps of our gatherings to give you a picture of who we are and what we do. I hope these posts answer your questions with great detail!

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But first, an apology

Before I update this page about what happened in the March gathering, I thought an apology should be in place. Sorry for the lack of updates! There’s just so much going on, in my personal life and work, and more importantly, in the way the Lord has been leading me about Pursuit Manila. Our March gathering has been the biggest gathering we had so far, and to say that it left us feeling overwhelmed is an understatement. What’s next?, we ask.

38 people is no joke, and for someone like me who’d rather hide my face behind the computer screen, opening up my life to that many people was just beyond me.

It’s a good problem, no doubt. None of these would have transpired anyway if the Lord didn’t bring us to this point, barely 5 months since we launched Pursuit Manila. This month I got a deeper understanding of what this ministry really is. That it’s so much more than just getting women together in a pretty place, and drinking coffee together, and meeting new people and making small talk.

On March 21, about 38 of us squeezed ourselves in this quaint cafe / art gallery in Guijo Street called Restock (it’s a lovely lovely place!), and that day I knew that this community would never be the same again.  Continue reading “Pursuit Manila: What’s Your Story?” →

Mommy Reflections & Easter Sunday Photographs

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Sometimes, it just happens. A perfect long weekend. Followed by a perfect week. Even though there’s really no such thing as perfect, perfect is just too good a word to not be used, especially if you mean something close. These photographs were taken on Easter Sunday.  I have more of these where it came from, they’re just too many to flood my Instagram with so I thought I’d post some of them here on the blog. :)

No yaya and no work, we spent the entire weekend being lazy and spending much-needed quality time with the girls. We went to a family reunion on Friday, but pretty much stayed in the rest of the weekend. It was the Holy Week, and although most of our activities included drawing on the wall, dancing to Hi-5, singing silly songs, learning new words and colors, and making sure the little babes were happy and entertained, there’s much realization for me about the power of the cross and God’s presence in this season of my life.  Continue reading “Mommy Reflections & Easter Sunday Photographs” →

Chasing Dreams 2015

Rhiza6 Comments

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ocean / stationery / clothes / bench / succulents

Surprised (about the new look)? I feel a bit surprised, myself. ;) I have found that the best time for me to work on personal projects is on a whim; coming to terms with the fact that if I waited until my commissioned projects were done, or when my to-do list was cleared out, I would never have the time to work on my own projects. So, on a whim, it is.

Over the Holy Week break I started building my brand board and re-skinning the site, but the desire to re-brand has been building up since the start of the year. I’ve been growing a lot as a designer, and as you may have noticed, have become more comfortable owning up to the title. What you’re seeing now on the pages of this site is a reflection of that growth and a refining of my design aesthetics. From feminine and frilly to classic minimalist, you’ll notice that the evolution of my design style and preferences is quite evident in the way this site has evolved.

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I thought it was worth mentioning that as far as my personal branding is concern, my gold phase is over. (I still love making other people’s brand sparkle with gold though, it’s a beautiful accent color!) You’ll remember how prominent gold was in my past two redesigns, but lately I find myself preferring basic and neutral colors. I guess this is also starting to show in the clothes I like picking out for myself. Navy blue, black, grey, white, beige, brown (the recycled color kind of brown). I also like blush, mint, and desaturated shades of green.

Sometime five years ago I waxed poetic about my love for the color blue (go ahead, read it!) and thought that all these years, blue has remained a constant favorite. I mean, I wouldn’t choose it to be our wedding motif if it didn’t hold some sentimental value, yeah?

I get a bit obsessive about typography. Ok, a lot! I like it clean and modern and minimalist. I like white spaces and minimal flourishes, too. I like patterns and design elements that are geometric and flat. I apply (minimal) textures and patterns only when it helps bring out the personality and the story of the brand. I like a design that brings the attention to the content of the site—both text and photographs—and not on the embellishments that surround it. I like a design that highlights you and your message. 

When you avail of my design services, I hope you come to me for these things. :)  Continue reading “Chasing Dreams 2015” →

Love Him Well

Rhiza

Missing Dad

My Dad wrote these words for me on my 18th birthday. Everyday I remember these words (and every year on March 26 I post it on my wall ️), praying that I will be able to love God well and that it will be evident in my actions, my thoughts, my life. Not an easy thing to do, not at all, but I always remember my Dad’s life and how, as imperfect and challenging as it had been, we can always remember him to have lived these very words—He loved God well.

It’s been exactly 8 years today since my Dad passed away, but his life and his legacy lives on. I’m so blessed and proud to be his daughter, and to have been a recipient of the rewards of his (and my Mom’s) obedience, many of which we still reap, even until today.

I miss you, Daddy! Thank you for setting an example, and for showing us that it’s not impossible to live a life of love and service and passion. Love you always.

Posted from Instagram account

Trust Him With All Your Heart

Rhiza

Proverbs 3:5-6 is my life verse. For someone who can be so doubtful and skeptical and analytical, TRUSTING is just so hard for me to do. My tendency is to make calculated steps; often I find myself needing to see first before I believe.

In the recent years God has taught me a whole new level of trust. I’m not saying I’ve mastered it, not at all, I’m still a work in progress. But one thing I did learn is that sometimes—most times—I don’t need to see one or two or a dozen steps ahead, I just have to say YES to Him, right now, and just trust Him with the details.

Trust becomes easy when you know exactly Who to trust, and for me it’s the One who holds the future (and the present!) in His hands and knows what He’s doing. His promises are real. Whatever you’re going through today, just trust God. He will direct your path, just as He promised He would.