One Way of Giving Love on Christmas Season

          I started my day with a bright ray of the sun passing through my window. It's just 8 days before Christmas. I checked my planner and December 18, 2011 was filled with a schedule. The schedule was so important and it reads.. "Make the less fortunate happy in Missionaries of the Poor".

          Before anything else, what is Missionaries of the Poor? The Missionaries of the Poor (M.O.P.) is an international monastic order of Brothers dedicated to "Joyful Service with Christ on the Cross" to serve the poorest of the poor. The order was started in 1981 by Father Richard Ho Lung and has now grown to over 500 brothers around the world.

Unusual Food. So Yummy or So Yucky.

I know that you won't love hearing this story. I'm thankful to my friend who informed me about this.


It all started as a chitchat with my friends and classmates. We chatted about school stuff and even love life then suddenly we reached the topic about food. One of my friend, named Rile started to throw jokes about food. He started asking if what do we feel if we accidentally ate a dirty food from a restaurant. Of course, all our faces went to yucky expressions, then my other friend Jan started to tell his story.

Where Is The Spirit Of Christmas?

Few days to go and it will be December and some few weeks more will be Christmas. 

http://flickrhivemind.net

             Every night when I have my trip home, I cannot ignore having a look to those Christmas decors nearby the streets. All those decors are glimmering with colorful lights that seems to have a perfect rhythm. Some of the decors were shaped with an angel. Others were patterned with Santa Claus and reindeers but mostly they are formed to look like stars that brights up our nights. I have seen not only one but two or more night stores that exhibits their Christmas art piece to all the people passing by the road. I was really amazed on how do these things can ignite our spirit for Christmas. What amazed me more is that, those decors where made by skillful hands. Every time I see those kinds of Christmas decors, I ask myself if how long does it take one decor to finish and ready to be sold.

Bibingka Cook-Off at SM Hypermarket

SM Hypermarket heralds the holiday season with a bibingka cook-off

          Bibingka has always been a Cebu pride. It may not have been the staple food to the Cebuanos but it is very famous not only in the province but also in the country. No true Cebuano doesn't know this food. Mandaue City, being the home of bibingka's best, had developed its tourism with it. With SM Hypermarket's Bibingka Super Sized Cook Off, it gave way on promoting the delicacy to the whole country as well as in the world.

Visayas Blogging Summit 2011 in Cebu!

          One week to go and it will be the largest blogging gathering in the Visayas. This will surely be a great event to all bloggers and to non-bloggers as well.

                 Last November 27, 2010, Iloilo City through the Iloilo Bloggers hosted the 1st Visayas Blogging Summit at SM City Iloilo - Cinema 2.

          This year, Cebu will host the 2nd Visayas Blogging Summit this November 26, 2011. Cebu Bloggers Society, Inc. will be spearheading the event which will be attended by several bloggers, students and also non-bloggers.

  

Songs You May Like

Lucky are the ones who are given the sense of hearing. And if by chance you we're part of the lucky ones then, make sure you should appreciate any sounds that you hear from your environment and from yourselves as well.


Sounds can alter our emotions in every way.  We can frequently notice it if  we watch movies. Aside from the moving pictures, we can also notice its sound effects. When the movie becomes scary, the sounds as well becomes scary. If the movie we are watching is very funny then the sound will then project the laughing sound. Indeed, music has become part of our emotional shift. 

Why Not Sun or Smart? Why Globe then?

      In almost 10 years of my mobile phone experience, I have tried different network providers. Before the network providers become many and competitive, Globe and Smart already exist. They are considered as the giant companies when in terms of telecommunication. They have served the people with their social needs. We cannot deny the fact that these giant companies have affected our lives in many ways.


      Between the 2 giant companies in telecommunication, I personally choose Globe. In all the network provider that I have experienced, it is only with Globe that I felt the fast and real customer service. I can really say that they do valued there costumers whether big or small. Aside from their customer services, I do like their perseverance in developing or shall I say in upgrading their services. One of these is there strong pick-up of signal. In all the places that I've visited in the Philippines, I never had the problem with my signal unlike Sun Cellular. In terms of my load, Globe Telecom, totally gives me an accurate balance, unlike Smart, they make some load deductions without my knowledge. Those were just my opinion. 


     Although Globe Telecom don't achieve the majority number of the subscribers in the country, I still do trust their services. They already have proven their worth to me and to all the loyal Globe subscribers. It started with a simple service then grow to a big commitment to serve the people. That is what I know about Globe.
As the years go by, I will continue to appreciate its services and comment on its dealings.


     At the end of the day, we all have the power to choose on which network provider we will trust. We now have Red Mobile, Smart, Talk n' Text, Sun Cellular, Touch Mobile and Globe.  What matters most is that they are able to give us their needs as well as our wants. In my case, I have chosen Globe. 

A Keen Eye

       
              The above pictures amazed me so much. And I don't know why.


          As I was walking in our backyard, I noticed this particular leaf that looks strange. I approached it and suddenly I realized that there was something on it. At first, I was really afraid to go near to it, thinking that it might be a harmful insect but then it was a larva. If you won't take a close look on it, you won't be able to know that the leaf has a larva on its top since the larva just camouflage with the leaf's color. 


          It's been a long time that I've been amazed with what I've seen in our backyard. Most of the time, I don't see anything interesting in our backyard. I see them just like the other day and the other month, same  plants and position. But the time that I've come across with this larva, I got more fascinated in checking our backyard everyday, hoping to see more interesting object. I just love how this simple insect awakens my nature-loving heart. 


          This thing simply defines the idea that you cannot see everything with just one glimpse. With an active sight as well as an active mind, we will never run out of things to discover. It might be small enough to be quickly noticed or so big enough to be ignored. It is just a matter of being aware on our environment.


          Who would have thought that a small insect like a larva can get my attention at all.

Street Crimes: So Alarming

          As I was waiting for a jeepney at the front of a popular mall here in Cebu, I witnessed a street crime. A lady was snatched with her necklace. The suspect run smoothly without someone going after him. He was able to escape from his crime and leaving the poor lady in great dismay. The people around us was very curious on what happened to the lady and totally forget about the suspect. After few seconds, the jeepney arrive and I was able to ride on it. While I'm in the jeepney, I was able to reflect on what kind of society do we have, on how secured are we in the streets. I suddenly remember that what happened a while ago was the only street crime that I have witnessed. It really makes me so alarming that the street crimes are getting frequent everyday.


          Another street crime that I've witness had happened while I was inside the jeepney. My co-passenger, whom is a young woman, was looking outside with the jeepney's window wide open. When the jeepney got slowed because of the traffic, a dirty looking young man punched my co-passenger in her cheek without any reason at all. The young man then quickly run away that he was no longer visible to us.After that incident, the poor young woman had nothing to do but cry on to herself because of the pain that resulted to that punch in her cheek.


          After reflecting those incident, I cannot stop thinking on how does the law enforcement agency can solve this kind of problems. In the other side, maybe we humans have to cleanse or environment as well as the  people living in it. If only this kind of incident are properly reported to the authorities and the authorities, as well, will do their part in taking action to this, then maybe we can resolve this street crimes. The problem in our society is that we ignored those small things without thinking that those small things will eventually become big and uneasy to handle.


           Hopefully those incidents will be an eye opener to us.

Dog Lover: I Am

                Not all of us appreciate an animal. I’m not one of them. I love dogs. They have been part of my life. They keep me accompanied when my parents are away. Because of them, I don’t feel alone. Because of them, I have what we call “brothers”. And because of them, I become a dog lover.

                Before the existence of our dogs, I was always alone at home for my parents have to supply our business. I am an only child. I never knew what it feels like to have a brother or a sister but I learned to appreciate friends for they were the one that stands us my brothers and sisters. One of my greatest friends is my pets, Pawee and Kuji. Both of them are males or male dogs. They were raised and nurtured in our house. They are loved and will always be loved. They always make me happy and I’m trying my best to make them happy too.

                At first, I was very reluctant in having a pet at home and it’s not only me but also my mom, but thanks to my dad that we were convinced to have them for my dad really loves dogs since his childhood. I can still recall when my father told my about his memorable moments with dogs. While our dogs were still puppies, they always make a mess in the house. They make the floor dirty especially when I mop the floor, they run though it even though it is still wet thus leaving the wet floor with their footprints. They bite some furnitures specifically our salas.  They leave their bowels everywhere and later on, we can just smell something which indicates their wastes. Every time I went home, they easily get excited and jumped over me making my uniform dirty. They bark so loud that we can’t even hear the television. But those were just the beginnings. Later on, they were disciplined enough to understand us and to have a proper behavior. They knew when to play with us and when to behave. In our side also, we were able to know their needs and wants.

                As months passed, they are becoming part of our life. I have totally accepted them not only as my pets but as my brothers. I can still remember the time when one of them was sick. I was so worried that I want to check on them every minute. Even if I’m into something, I still can’t stop thinking about them. It makes me sad to think that they are suffering from such illness.  With that, it only proves that they have an impact in my life.

                Some of the best traits that I can’t forget about them are when I get out of our house and went to school, they look so sad and do a crying voice. Every time I eat my meal in the table, they patiently wait for me to give them some food. When they hear the cracking sound of our gate, they quickly rushed through the gate and see who is coming in. When I feed them with their food, they graciously waggle their tails. During Christmas and New Year, they usually hide underneath my parent’s bed to escape the loud popping sound of firecrackers. When they are newly bathed, they stay in our backyard to dry their fur under the heat of the sun. When they fell asleep during afternoon, I love their different sleeping positions. It is just so weird to look at. When they hear the ‘meow’ sounds of a cat, they rushed to where the sound is and find for the cat. It’s just so funny to think that even in their natural moves they make me happy. Those are my dogs and I love them for who they are.

                It is just so sad to think that some of us don’t even care for them. Others want them to be eaten and some wants them to be abandoned and ignored as if they do not exist. I can even hear or watch if from the televisions that dogs are being killed using a gas chamber. Those are just so anti-animals.  Do they not know the importance of dogs in our household and do they not even know that having a dog in our house adds a 2 years lifespan on us. Dogs are considered as the man’s bestfriend and so we humans should also be the bestfriend for them, but I cannot please everybody for we have different views in life.  

                One thing is for sure, being a dog lover will never be taken away from me. Many years may pass and many dogs will come and go, but this trait will remain in me. I don’t how it started and I don’t want this to have an end.  Because of them, I’ve learned to love and appreciate some animals too like cats, lizards and even some insets.

                How I wish my dogs can read this, so that they will know how important they are in my life.
                        
                        How about you? Are you a dog lover too?

Give me a Simple Life

Written by Anonymous

Satan called a worldwide convention. In his opening address to his evil angels he said, "We can't keep the Christians from going  to church. We can't keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth. We can't keep them from conservative values. But we can do something else. We can keep them from forming an intimate abiding experience  in Christ. If they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken.


"So let them go to church, let them have their conservative lifestyles, but steal their time, so they can't gain an experience in Jesus Christ. This is what I want you to do, angels. Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout the day!"


"How shay we do this?" shouted his angels."
"Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life and invent unnumbered schemes to occupy their minds,"  he answered.


"Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, then borrow, borrow, borrow. Convince the wives to go to work and the husbands to work 6 or 7 days a week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their lifestyles. Keep them from spending time with their children. As their family fragments, soon, their homes will offer no escape from the pressure of work."


"Over stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still small voice. Entice them to play the radio or CD player whenever they drive, to keep the TV and the DVD's going constantly in their homes. And see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays music constantly. This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ."


"Fill their coffee tables with magazines and newspapers. Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day. Invade their driving moments with billboards. Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, sweepstakes, mail order catalogues and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering, free products, services and false hopes."


"Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Have them return from their recreation exhausted, disquieted and unprepared for the coming week. Don't let them go out in nature, send them to amusement parks, sporting events, concerts and movies instead. And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip ans small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences and unsettled emotion."


"Let them be involved in soul-winning. But crowd their lives with so many good causes that they have no time to seek power from Christ. Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family unity for the good of the cause."


It was quite a convention in the end. And the evil angels went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians everywhere to get busy, busy, busy and rush here and there. 


Has the devil been successful at his scheme? You be the judge.

THE (SCIENTIFIC) DEATH OF JESUS

Before doing anything.. READ THIS.. something we don't usually hear or read but is so essential.

For the next 60 seconds, set aside whatever you're doing and take this opportunity! Let's see if Satan can stop this.

http://www.godsfastfood.com/images/Jesus-Christ-on-the-Cross-Wallpaper.jpg

THE (SCIENTIFIC) DEATH OF JESUS


At the age of 33,
Jesus was condemned to death .

At the time

Crucifixion was the "worst" death. Only the worst

Criminals were condemned to be crucified. Yet it was

Even more dreadful for Jesus, unlike

Other criminals condemned to death by

Crucifixion Jesus was to be nailed to the

Cross by His hands and feet.

Each nail

Was 6 to 8 inches long.

The nails

Were driven into His wrist. Not

Into His palms as is commonly

Portrayed. There's a tendon in the wrist that

Extends to the shoulder. The Roman guards knew

That when the nails were being hammered into the

Wrist that tendon would tear and

Break, forcing Jesus to use His back

Muscles to support himself so that He could

Breath.

Both of His feet

Were nailed together. Thus He was forced to

Support Himself on the single nail that

Impaled His feet to the cross. Jesus could

Not support himself with His legs because of the pain

So He was forced to alternate between arching His

Back then using his legs just to continue to

Breath. Imagine the struggle, the pain, the

Suffering, the courage.

Jesus endured this

Reality for over 3 hours.

Yes,

Over 3 hours! Can you imagine this kind of

Suffering? A few minutes before He died,

Jesus stopped bleeding. He was simply pouring water

From his wounds.

From common images

We see wounds to His hands and feet and even the spear wound

To His side... But do we realize His wounds

Were actually made in his body. A hammer

Driving large nails through the wrist, the feet overlapped

And an even large nail hammered through the arches, then a

Roman guard piercing His side with a spear. But

Before the nails and the spear Jesus was whipped and

Beaten. The whipping was so severe that it tore the

Flesh from His body. The beating so horrific that His

Face was torn and his beard ripped from His face. The

Crown of thorns cut deeply into His scalp. Most men

Would not have survived this torture.


He had no more blood

To bleed out, only water poured from His

Wounds.

The human adult body contains about 3.5 liters

(just less than a gallon) of blood.

Jesus poured all 3.5

Liters of his blood; He had three nails hammered into His

Members; a crown of thorns on His head and, beyond

That, a Roman soldier who stabbed a spear into His

Chest..

All these without

Mentioning the humiliation He suffered after carrying His own

Cross for almost 2 kilometers, while the crowd spat in his

Face and threw stones (the cross was almost 30 kg of weight,

Only for its higher part, where His hands were

Nailed).

Jesus had

To endure this experience, to open the

Gates of Heaven,

So that you can have free

Access to God.

So that your sins

Could be "washed" away. All of them, with no exception!

Don't ignore this situation.

JESUS CHRIST DIED FOR YOU!

He died for you! 

It is easy to pass jokes or foolish photos by e-mail, but

When it comes to God, sometimes you feel ashamed to forward

To others because you are worried of what they may think

About you.

God

Has plans for you, show all your friends what He experienced

To save you. Now think about this! May God bless your life!

60 seconds with God...


For the next 60 seconds, set aside what you're doing and take this opportunity! Let's see if Satan can stop this.

All you have to do is:

1. Simply pray for the person who sent this message to you
2.Then, send this message to people.. The more the better.
3. People will pray for you and you will make that many people pray to God for other people.
4. Take a moment to appreciate the power of God in your life, for doing what pleases Him.


If you are not ashamed to do this, please, follow Jesus' instructions.

He said (Matthew 10:32 & 33): "Everyone therefore

Who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge

before My Father in heaven; but whosoever denies Me

before others, I also will deny before My

Father in heaven".


please SHARE.

People Be MOVED

http://johnhobbs.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/freedom_by_5phinks.jpg

I just want to share this story to you... 

           

          There once was a man named George Thomas, pastor in a small New England town. One Easter Sunday morning he came to the Church carrying a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit. Eyebrows were raised and, as if in response, Pastor Thomas began to speak...'I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming toward me swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright. I stopped the lad and asked, 'What you got there, son?' 'Just some old birds,' came the reply.

'What are you gonna do with them?' I asked.

'Take 'em home and have fun with 'em,' he answered 'I'm gonna tease 'em and pull out their feathers to make 'em fight. I'm gonna have a real good time' 'But you'll get tired of those birds sooner or later. What will you do?'

'Oh, I got some cats,' said the little boy. 'They like birds. I'll take 'em to them.'

The pastor was silent for a moment. 'How much do you want for those birds, son?'

'Huh?? !!! Why, you don't want them birds, mister. They're just plain old field birds. They don't sing. They ain't even pretty!'

'How much?' the pastor asked again.

The boy sized up the pastor as if he were crazy and said, '$10?'

The pastor reached in his pocket and took out a ten dollar bill. He placed it in the boy's hand. In a flash, the boy was gone.

The pastor picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot Setting the cage down, he opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars persuaded the birds out, setting them free.

Well, that explained the empty bird cage on the pulpit, and then the pastor began to tell this story.

One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just come from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting. 'Yes, sir, I just caught the world full of people down there. Set me a trap, used bait I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all!'

'What are you going to do with them?' Jesus asked.

Satan replied, 'Oh, I'm gonna have fun! I'm gonna teach them how to marry and divorce each other, how to hate and abuse each other, how to drink and smoke and curse. I'm gonna teach them how to invent guns and bombs and kill each other. I'm really gonna have fun!'

'And what will you do when you get done with them?' Jesus asked. 'Oh, I'll kill 'em,' Satan glared proudly. 'How much do you want for them?' Jesus asked

'Oh, you don't want those people. They ain't no good. Why, you'll take them and they'll just hate you. They'll spit on you, curse you and kill you. You don't want those people!!'

'How much?' He asked again.

Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, 'All your blood, tears and your life.'

Jesus said, 'DONE!'

Then He paid the price.

The pastor picked up the cage he opened the door and he walked from the pulpit.

Notes:

 Isn't it funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell.

Isn't it funny how someone can say 'I believe in God' but still follow Satan (who, by the way, also 'believes' in God).

Isn't it funny how you can send a thousand jokes through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing?

Isn't it funny how when you go to forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it to them.

Isn't it funny how I can be more worried about what other people think of me than what God thinks of me.

I pray, for everyone who sends this to their entire address book, they will be blessed by God in a way special for them.

And send it back to the person who sent it, to let them know that indeed it was sent out to many more.

13 REASONS WHY WE NEED TO STOP SINNING

"Heal the world.. Make it a better place.. For you and for me and the entire human race..."

Yes, sinning is one of the things people do. But how can we stop doing it? What could be the consequences of doing  sin? The following may convince you to stop sinning:

---> Sin does not satisfy. (Hebrews 11:25)

---> Sin leads to more sins. (Proverbs 5:22)

---> Sin leads to worse sins. (Ephesians 4:17-19)

---> Sin enslaves. 

             * Sin enslaves to its last. (Proverbs 5:22)

             * Sin enslaves to the flesh. (Romans 7:14-24)

             * Sin enslaves to demons. (Matthew 12:43-45)

---> Sin degrades and humiliates. (Proverbs 6:32)

---> Sin steals joy. (Psalm 16:11)

---> Sin steals our confidence before God. (Genesis 3:6-9)

---> God will punish sinners in this world and in the world to come. (Revelation 3:4-6)

---> Sin hurts the Lord. (Luke 19:41-44)

---> Sin hurts the sinners. (Proverbs 4:18-19)

---> Sin hurts the sinners' family and friends. (Hebrews 12:15)

---> Sin puts the sinner on the side of the devil, demons and the world. (John 15:19)

---> Sin blocks the blessings and the promises of God. (Deuteronomy 28:15-16)

After knowing all those consequences of sinning, are you still going to do it again?
             

The Pleasure of Beautification

I know people all around the world is doing this. They beautify themselves and I will be hypocrite to deny that I myself is doing it. But if we are going to compare the beautification of the males and the females, we can see that the females do it more often than the males. Now, let's focus on the females or the women. Why do the women do all this beautification. Is it just the pleasure of doing it or there is something else? Maybe the following points are some reasons:

• Women do beautify themselves to attract some opposite sex. A good example for this is a wife fixing herself to be noticed by her husband.
• Woman beautify themselves to look clean and of course, beautiful. Well, maybe an example for this is the daily routine and hygiene like taking a bath, cutting some fingernails, fixing the hair and a lot more.
• Beautification on women adds personality. Just like what professional women are doing. They beautify themselves to be able to out stand the profession that they have.
• Lastly, they make some beautification because that's their hobby. Simple as that.

But aside from the reasons above, I can personally say that the beautification on us women really generates some pleasure within us. We don't even think how much we spend on each of the process of beautification and also the time we are able to accumulate by just staying in our favorite salon. And indeed, beautification also helps us feel comfortable within ourselves that no men can ever understand.

Dogs fear in BOOM!!!

Let me tell you something...

As we celebrate the coming of the metal rabbit 2011, people can't help to blast some firecrackers. It has been part of the New Year's Celebration to have those kind of colorful and loud sounds. It has been a tradition here in the Philippines that the louder the firecrackers you blast the more the evil spirits stay away from you. But what'a alarming in this kind of tradition is that the firecrackers that is being pop can even generate 100 - 120 decibels which can destroy the hearing sense of a person and even the animals like cats and dogs. Now, what can we do to protect our animals in this occasional activity?

Me and my family have dogs and as we notice them in New Year's celebration, they tend to be fearful with the loud sounds associated with the firecrackers. Even if they are safely closed in the room, they still tremble in fear. Just this New Year's celebration, we made a new approach on how to ease our dogs when the firecrackers blast. We turn on the radio to destruct them in listening to the loud firecrackers. We also try to play with them.

As this year 2011 mingles in our life, lets not forget our pets that takes part of our life.