Plastic ka ba?

A close friend and I were talking a couple of days ago and we were discussing "tupperware" people.. yah, ung mga "plastic" .. pretenders, or whatever you want to call them. At first we were so annoyed at how some people can be like this but later on we somehow pacified ourselves and gave the topic a good laugh.

I know I just posted something about back-stabbers and now, perhaps a brother of that are the plastics. Ok - I don't wanna be untrue and not admit that, at one point or another, I was also like this. But as grew older, I came to a point (in which I know most of you have), that being "plastic" becomes such a chore and a burden and I just couldn't keep up with it, especially when other people are like that.

Alam naman natin that it's BAD.. bad, bad, tsk tsk... Pero it's amusing how people love to swim in it. Even if I exhaust all thoughts and compile what my friends think about the topic, it will still boil down to this - it's unproductive, fruitless, pointless, derogatory, childish, foolish.. Here's what the Bible has to say about it.. If you fear the Lord, or if you say you believe in Him, consider these...

Psalm 5:9Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with destruction. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongue they speak deceit.

Job 27:4my lips will not speak wickedness, and my tongue will utter no deceit.

Matthew 23:25"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.

Psalm 12:3May the LORD cut off all flattering lips and every boastful tongue

Proverbs 19:22What a man desires is unfailing love ; better to be poor than a liar.

Deuteronomy 19: 17-19 17 the two men involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD before the priests and the judges who are in office at the time. 18 The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against his brother, 19 then do to him as he intended to do to his brother. You must purge the evil from among you.

What Pattern is Your Brain?

Your Brain's Pattern

Structured and organized, you have a knack for thinking clearly.You are very logical - and you don't let your thoughts get polluted with emotions.And while your thoughts are pretty serious, they're anything from boring.It's minds like yours that have built the great cities of the world!

What Pattern Is Your Brain?

The Back-Stabber

I’ve come to think about people who back-stab today. Silly me, but the subject just floated out of nowhere, now I feel compelled to say something about it.

I wouldn’t know if I’ve been a victim, but then again, with that Filipino culture of putting on a good face (even when it’s not called for), I’m sure I have .. and even you for sure. As I ponder about the realities of interpersonal relationships, the explosion of gossip and the trouble of people who are fond of making a fuss over simple things, I twist in dismay. Even more when I find myself tap dancing in the same water.. (but thank God not anymore!)

Why do people back-stab? These things come to mind – insecurity, bad childhood, bad environment, not God-fearing, envy, jealous, bad habit, blinded perception. When there’s back-stabbing, there’s gossip. When there’s gossip, there’s bent truth. Friendships come to ruin, trust is broken. Perhaps if we as humans, know how to be vocal about how we feel about things, back-stabbing wouldn’t be so much of an evil thing among us. Look at people in other culture, they are very frank and direct as they speak. We respect them for that and we appreciate their comments. But why is it hard to implement in your own country?

The cure for back-stabbers? To be comfortable with themselves and realize they are not perfect. Instead of bad mouthing the people around you, it is way so much better to approach and say, ‘Hey, I have something that I’d like to open up with you.” I say seek peace! I say down with gossip! I say start focusing on the worthy things in life!

Sow a thought, reap an act.
Sow an act, reap a habit.
Sow a habit, reap a character.
Sow a character, reap your destiny.

Ped Xing

Every morning I drive down North Edsa to get myself to work. Right past the MRT station and just before you climb up the flyover, if you look to your left, you'll see a conspicuous, clear-cut, straightforward sign in the aisle that says, "WALANG TAWIRAN, NAKAMAMATAY" (no pedestrian crossing, or you'll die!! hehe). From Mondays through Fridays and just about any day that I pass by that same area, I see bundles of pedestrians attempting to cross the wide, car-bus-infested road. I say to myself, 'what could these people be thinking?!' Sure they need to go somewhere, sure they need to get to the other side of the road.. or maybe there's no convenient way to cross over, but, what about the law? What about their lives for crying out loud?

If we think about our spirituality, often times we can identify ourselves with these stubborn pedestrians. The commandments written in the Bible are straight to the point, yet, as sons and daughters of God, we tend to deviate and do what we want, without sometimes thinking about its consequences. Perhaps if we allow ourselves to view the Bible as a direct instruction of living a peaceful, godly life, then we don't have to buckle under the desires of our flesh. Imagine a world with less self-inflicted problems, less stress, less sickness, less unpleasant feelings, etc, etc. No worries, uncertainties, fears, unnecessary risks. God sent the Bible to protect us. Not to suffocate us. Street signs were put there for a reason - public safety. God's Words were written for a purpose, too - for us to be saved. I guess next time we short change God and feel that seeking Him is a sign of weakness, think again.... Everything we have belongs to Him and was given to us on a loan... No matter how much we resist, His purpose will always stand.

what we've learned..

Oli and I were talking passionately about God last night and we had a few notes to exchange about what it means to have a personal relationship with our one true Maker. Here are some interesting points to note:

RELIGION, RELIGIOUS GROUP, WHA?
It doesn't really matter which group or religion you're in (James 1:26), what matters is:
- how you strive to live like Christ and move away from all that the Bible calls sin (1 John 1:9);
- how you can serve & glorify God by serving others (Col. 3:17);
- making your conduct reflect that you are indeed a child of God (2 Cor. 8:21);
- you have committed yourself to Jesus and acknowledged the fact that without Him you are nothing (John 6:28-29);
- daily acknowledge that Jesus died for you on the cross for your sins - and that is reason enough for you to move away from your "old" self to your "new" self in Christ. (Romans 7)

OH, SO YOU'VE CONVERTED?
Being "renewed" in Christ does not mean you have "converted" as other groups pray to God anyway. What it means to be a Christian is that:
- You gave your commitment to our Lord God that you will strive to follow His Word as you live your life (2 Cor. 3:17-18);
- That you know what it means to "repent" from the sins you have done and that you will do all means to change and avoid the same old sins;
- While people will always judge you depending on what your "religion" is, at the end of the day, God will ask you, "have you been faithful to me and not anybody else?" That is why being a Christian means having a "personal" relationship .. it is between God and YOU. Not between You and the religion you're in. When you face Him one day, you cannot call on your Pastor or Priest to come to your rescue. It will be just You and God;
- Some people may not understand but again, at the end of the day, we are answerable to God and NOT to anybody else.

TO FLEE OR NOT TO FLEE
- There are about 7,000 promises in the Bible. Promises for a good life, prosperity, growth, etc. But it also entails responsibility, commitment and OBEDIENCE if you would like to prosper in whatever area of your life. Obediece to God and His "law".. God will bless those who follow Him and following means, being obedient. (Deut. 11:13-17)
- Some Christians avoid certain things that lead them to sin (2 Timothy 2:22, 1Cor. 15:33, James 4:7). Some people find it weird, strict, exaggerated. But again, the Holy Spirit will convict you of the things you must avoid (John 14:15-21). And it is not the teaching of Victory or any other religious orders/groups out there. The groups are there to support us and to help us "know" God and not to tell us that, that's bawal, that's masama or what. It will then again boil down again to you and the choices you make.

IT'S ALL A MATTER OF CHOICE
- God gave us the right to choose. Left or right, black or white, yes or no. We are able to decide correctly if we constantly seek Him and acknowledge that He is the Lord of our lives;
- Some people might think that some Christians are trying so hard to "convert" the people around them, but, the truth is, no word can ever describe the "joy" you will have in Christ if you dedicate your life to Him and only Him alone. Just as Jesus made disciples, and just as His disciples preached the Good News, we as Christians are called to spread the Good News as well (Read Book of John and Acts);
- Having a "new" life becomes difficult when we have not made up our minds to leave our "old" selves;
- If we've given up our "old" selves and committed to God that we want to change, God himself will give us the strength to overcome.


So I guess the bottomline is, who exactly do we want to serve as we live on earth? Is it ourselves? Is it money? For Oli and myself, we're blessed to share the same conclusion.. That all of us are created differently, but yet our spirits seek only one God.. That Life on earth can be disrupted by so many forces that lure our focus out from God.. That living a fruitful life, with meaning, with purpose and sense, with simplicity and humility, does not match any worldly things that bring temporary joy and relief.. That when it's time to go, we can proudly tell God about how we did our best to be obedient to His Word and nothing else...

Dell Q2FY06 Ends Today! Whew!

Cheers to another great quarter! A lot of changes have taken place but the Dell
Team in Penang & in Manila is still 100% super supportive to us distributors! I miss Meiling and ML! Anyhoo, if you guys are reading this, I hope you're doing great :)

** Luau Party at the Rasa Sayang Shangrila Resort, Batu Feringgi, Penang, Malaysia with Dell Team & Dell Phil Distis.

chain letters..

I don't know about you but I've been getting some chain letters lately and somehow, it's quite irritating. I don't mean to offend anyone or anything like that but, thing is, chain letters aren't true. It's just not true. It's pure hoax. It's a waste of time, of effort and that precious happy cells inside your body are disturbed with these chain letters.

Just what is a chain letter? As researcher D.VanArsdale puts it, "Texts that appeal to superstition to encourage their copying or publication have circulated for over a thousand years. Beginning around 1900, copy quotas and deadlines were added, and claims of divine authorship and magical protection were removed. The resulting "luck chain letters" still circulate, and in over four thousand generations of copying (with variation) they have accumulated ways to increase replication that challenge our understanding."

Next time you see a chain letter lying around your inbox, you can choose to read it or delete. But try to really intuitively ask yourself, 'will a mere letter give me bad luck?', 'will it REALLY give me good luck if i pass it within the specified deadline?'. I don't think there's any logical explanation for it. Ultimately I would say, if you need "good luck" in your lives, polish up on your skills, do good with your job and keep on praying to God for guidance. If you think na "wala namang mawawala sa kin if i try it", i hate to bust your bubble, but, ya, meron ngang mawawala. Your time, the effort, that 5-10 seconds na sana you tried to invest in something more worthwhile, and of course, you'll end up hurting the feelings of God (who made you and everything!).. Do you trust Him enough for the blessings or are you going to sit there in doubt?

If there's anything more powerful in this world, then I'd say right away (and i'm sure most of you will agree), it is God. Who do you pray to at night? Who do you call on when you're happy? Scared? Fearful? Depressed? No amount of forwarded chain letters can take away your unwanted feelings, let alone will bring you that "luck" in life.

heaven sent!

Well guys call me mushy, or mushy, hehe, but it's high time someone paid attention to the most beautiful people in the world (aside from me and my family ofcourse hehehe). Call it kidstuff or what, but, hey, we don't see this around very often now do we?

Ok - i've been through so much in school and while i was in my teens.. we actually dunno how we would have suvived adolescence without each other. it was a great mix! we've got clowns, nerds, serious people all rolled into a single package. ever will i be thankful to God for blessing me with such great friends.

Girlfriends! Take a bow :)

CAMILLE

Oh yes, the voluptuous, the ever so charming, the very wacky Ca-Ca! Or Fungi during our high school days. I love Camille's wit, her smile and her ability to make something really fun... even if it's dead boring. She's smart and straight to the point. She can knock some sense into a person's head without sounding too offensive.. even if she's using offensive words.. haha. What can I say, it takes talent to be like her.

LEANNE

She's the powerhouse of the group I would say. She speaks with such conviction and is just so darn intelligent.. Leanne or Lehy as we call her is not someone you'd want to toy with. I mean she's fun and all but you better not get into her nerves or else you'll get some good ol beatin'. :) But of course Leanne's a loving and thoughtful person to her friends. All in all I can say that Lehy's one of the few people here on earth who can easily understand a friend.. No non-sense, direct, no beating around the bushes approach. Beauty and brains, my friend.

CARLA

Carlooney! Man, she's probably the kindest person I know and the scariest person at the same time! Please don't get her angry on the road. Kidding! Oh but Carl is such a sweetie. She's someone who has such great insights about life and would most often bring the group back on the right track. It's a blessing to be around Carla because she's such an angel. Need an advice? Need to hear something good? Need someone to pray for you? Need someone to help you with your walk with God? Carl's all that and more.

CHA-CHA

Everytime she would come before we would say Ho-Ho-Ho.. But now, when she comes, people say, oh good, Cha's here! Cha's the life of the party. She is totally hillarious. Can make your cheeks turnin purple as she pulls off her jokes. Cha can also be serious at times, and she is a deep-thinker. You can count on her whenever you need help and it's just amazing how she can blend well with the people around her. I admire her courage and tenacity, her drive to excel and her love for her family.

ELAINE

You have time for a nice long chat? You have time to read through a novela-type email? Elaine can stir up great conversations that can leave your jaws hanging. Haha. She's funny, she's smart and most of all God-fearing. Her two little kids are so lucky to have Elaine as their mom. She's a real blessing. I love Elaine's fighting spirit and her passion with work and family. One thing's for sure, Elaine will surely be blessed as long as she's here.

SOPHIE

Yoohoo, Sophiee! I've known this gal since grade school and all I can say is that, over the years, she never changed a bit. She's still the innocent type kind of person (innocent type, may I stress..hehe) and her patience on anything is just about awesome. I think when God taught us patience Soph aced the class. Fun to be with, sincere, loving and super thoughtful, Soph is a jewel of a friend that you can surely cherish for years to come.

LALA

Ms. Popular! Lala was the ever so showbiz person in the group. She'd be friends with literally everybody in school. Reason why she's a people magnet is that she is very accommodating, friendly and sincere. We've known each other since we were in our tiny cute underwears in pre-school? Or kinder? I admire Lala's will to succeed and her drive to make it good in her career. She is a blessing to her family and friends, indeed.

good mornin!!

(Copyright Gospel Communications International, Inc - www.reverendfun.com)

Verse of the Day

[God Disciplines His Sons ]  Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. ”- Hebrews 12:1

I'm blogging!!

Ha! I finally gave in. Well, I'm not a writer by heart.. and I don't recall "writing" ever liked me. .. Hehe. No I don't think it's a fad.. it's simply one of the nicest ways to write about anything under the sun and improve yourself along the way. Oh writing is just a great therapy! Cheaper than going to the spa.. I hope I can update this as often as I possibly can. God bless y'all!