Living Fearlessly 2

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

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Living Fearlessly I

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.

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I'm Back!

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!

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Hairspray tickets -- get them here!

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!

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

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

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

UNICORN CHILD -- www.chrixean.multiply.com

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

What's new with me?

My new unicorn tattoo!

Yes.... it's permanent!

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

Painful? Yes, it was!

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

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

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

The Marasigan Family Show!

Thankful for Celebrations

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

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

Happy Birthday KEIRA!

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Thankful for my beautiful princess

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

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

I love you, baby girl....

I Am So....

TIRED......

I NEED A / AN.....

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

All About Me

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

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

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

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

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

We're 6!

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

Happy 6th Anniversary to MY LEFT HAND!

Living A Dream

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

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

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

Thankful In Every Situation

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

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

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

Happy weekend!

A Million Thanks!

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

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






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

Opening number

Nicky's the green turtle!

Noah doing an Elvis impersonation

Whole cast closing number

Little animals

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

Nicky won 1st prize!

Wonder Women

Tita Claire with Keira

Thankful Thursday: All's Good

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

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

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

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

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

Newest Pokemon Member

Pikachu meets
KEIRACHU!

Water Babes

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

My little mermaid showing perfect form

Marasigans cool off