Sunday, April 26, 2009

Painting the Town Red



Guess who's painting the town red?















Winter in Taiwan, just visited hot springs and sharing an apple and a few laughs with buddy Ricky...

Finding Nemo at Disney World...


My two best friends in the world...Ricky & Thomas (...director & producer).

My outdoor ad for swimwear in Taipei...Another outdoor ad in Europe...Hey look who's on telly annoying the cats!...















Swimwear ad at Cebu SM City...So is Victoria finally ditching David for me?....

Posters of me on sale.
















I'm everywhere....!!!....Have you seen the new Star Wars lately?...Ad for TEAM Clothing....












More to follow.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Picture of Faith


This is Faith. This dog was born on Christmas Eve in the year 2002. He was born with 3 legs - 2 healthy hind legs and 1 abnormal front leg which needed to be amputated. He of course could not walk when he was born. Even his mother did not want him.

His first owner also did not think that he could survive.. Therefore, he was thinking of 'putting him to sleep'. By this time, his present owner, Jude Stringfellow, met him and wanted to take care of him. She was determined to teach and train this dog to walk by himself. Therefore she named him 'Faith'.


In the beginning, she put Faith on a surfing board to let him feel the movements. Later she used peanut butter on a spoon as a lure and reward for him to stand up and jump around. Even the other dog at home also helped to encourage him to walk. Amazingly, only after 6 months, like a miracle, Faith learned to balance on his 2 hind legs and jumped to move forward. After further training in the snow, he now can walk like a human being.


Faith loves to walk around now. No matter where he goes, he just attracts all the people around him. He is now becoming famous on the international scene. He has appeared on various newspapers and TV shows.There is even one book entitled 'With a little faith' being published about him. He was even considered to appear in one of Harry Potter movies.


His present owner Jude Stringfellow has given up her teaching post and plans to take him around the world to preach that...

'Even without a perfect body, one can have a perfect soul'.

In life there are always undesirable things. Perhaps one will feel better if one changes the point of view from another direction. Hope this message will bring fresh new ways of thinking to everyone and that everyone can appreciate and be thankful for each beautiful day that follows. Faith is the continual demonstration of the Strength of Life.


Visit Faith's official website: http://www.faiththedog.net/

A small request: All you are asked to do is keep this circulating.

Coming soon...all about FAITH.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Earth Hour

Guess what.....???
It doesn't matter where or who you are.
But it matters which planet you are from.


Earth Hour is tonight from 8:30-9:30pm
(your local time).



Do your part in the worldwide event tonight
to help keep our planet against global warming.


Switch off all uneccessary lights and power
to save electricity and observe earth hour.




Just for 1 hour you have the chance to save our planet!!!


Help to make our planet a cooler, comfortable place,
the way it should be.

Be romantic! Light a candle instead...and don't stumble in the dark.

(Oh yes, you may turn on the TV, if you wish)
You may practice it every day...
Just a friendly reminder.
;-P

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Bread and Butter

There was this small town baker who bought his butter from a local farmer. One day, this baker weighed the butter he purchased and concluded that the farmer had been reducing the amount of butter in the packages but charging him the same. So the baker accused the farmer of fraud.

In the court, the judge asked the farmer, “Do you have measuring weights?” “No sir,” the farmer replied. “So how then do you manage to weigh the butter that you sell to the baker?” Then the farmer answered, “Sir, when the baker began buying his butter from me, I thought I’d better get my bread from him. Since then, I have been using his 1-pound loaf as the weight for the butter I sell. If the weight of the butter is wrong, he has only himself to blame.”

It is usually true that the traits that bother us in others are often the habits we have ourselves. Our bad habits and behavior patterns are the very ones that we most want to change in others. But why should others get to change first? Why not begin with you or me first? Naturally, it is easier to point fingers at others when it is a fault. But we are challenged when the person we thought could not change eventually gained self-improvement. We find it most difficult to change the bad habits and behavior within us. Therefore, we pass the changing process on others. However, there is always room for improvement. We are just too lazy to do something about it.

Do you find it easy to magnify others’ faults while excusing your own? If you are ready to criticize someone, check to see if you deserve the same criticism. Judge yourself first, and then lovingly forgive and help your neighbor. A forgiving spirit demonstrates that a person has received God’s forgiveness. If we are critical rather than compassionate, we will also receive criticism but if we treat others graciously, generously, or compassionately, these qualities will come back to us in full measure. Besides, aren’t we suppose to love others and not judge them?

Making hasty, unjust judgments about others is sin. The Pharisees of Jesus’ day seemed to be especially adept at this practice. They would try to elevate themselves by tearing down and slandering people’s character. Not only is this a sign of pride and self-satisfaction, but also it is certain that we will be judged in a similar manner. Jesus said, “For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged. And with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again.” Matthew 7:2 (KJV).

When Christ said, “Judge not, that ye be not judged (Matthew 7:1)” means He is against the judgmental, hypocritical attitude that breaks others apart in order to build one’s self up. It does not mean we should overlook the wrongdoings of others but simply it is a call to be discerning rather than being negative towards the other.

Sometimes, we behave like the baker in this story. We are so blatant and quick enough to point out the wrongdoings of others while we fail to recognize our own misconduct. I’ve known some people who were so quick to criticize and ridicule their church pastor (usually the most easy target). They keep on pointing out their pastor’s mistakes but they fail to do anything about their own shortcomings. They are often too worried on the wrongdoings of others that they have overlooked their own. The worst case, they keep on criticizing but never do anything to help make an improvement. Is there such a thing as good critic? A critic is one who tends to make harsh or carping judgments, a faultfinder. From the Greek word, ‘Kritikos’, means able to discern. So what makes a good critic? It is someone who forms and expresses judgments of the merits, value, and truth of the matter, not only its faults. In addition, wouldn’t it be a better place to live if a critic can point out your spots and help clean them up as well? Meaning, for someone to have a critical eye, should also have a ready-solution. A solution that helps not destructs.

It is clear that people often rationalize their sins by pointing out the same mistakes in others. What kinds of specks in others’ eyes are the easiest for you to remove? When you feel like criticizing, just remember look at your own ‘checklist’ first and you will find you’ve got less to say.

Let us not be too hard on the person who sins. For one day, the yardstick that we lay on another may someday be used as a measure to ours. Let’s not judge, or we’ll be judged in the same manner we did. It's just like looking in the mirror!

Bible passage to read: Matthew 7:1-5

“THE FAULT WE SEE IN ANOTHER
MAY BE THE REFLECTION OF OUR OWN”

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Leaning On Jesus


One night I was on my way home, a slow, large crane tractor pulled out from the entrance near the market where I was about to enter. It has a long, heavy, steel arms that lifted a man in a basket all the way to the top where he changed the light bulbs of the street lamps. Then while at work, there were men who walks on bamboo scaffoldings constructed just outside my office window to refurbish and paint the building walls. What do these men have in common? Well, they both work on high places. They both risk their lives by strapping themselves securely and leaning their weight on a thick leather safety belt.

Actually, this is what trusting in the Lord is like. We go about our round of tasks at home and at work doing variety of tasks. It appears that we all work on our own sufficiency, but little we realize that our spiritual success depends on leaning our emotional, spiritual, and volitional weight on the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source of our strength and security. We are dependent on Him. Our times are in His hands. Of course, who else do you think holds our future but God! Trusting in the Lord, leaning on His adequacy, is possible as we anchor our confidence in the promises of God. There are some fearful moments in life, times when we doubt. But when circumstances are less than favorable, nothing is more comforting or stabilizing than looking to the Scriptures for support and direction. God’s Word is sure. It never fails – not one word. We fail God. But for sure, He never fails us. His Word ministers to our deepest needs and speaks to our innermost beings. When we place our faith in God’s Word, we accept it as His truth, despite our wavering feelings. We simply believe that God means what He says and that He will fulfill all His promises. We also lean our weight on Christ by affirming the character of God. We can trust in His Word because He is trustworthy. We can count on His help because He is faithful. The attributes of God – such as His holiness, goodness, mercy, justice, and grace – anchor our faith in Him. The better we know Him, the more we trust Him. The more we trust Him, the more we see His hand at work in our midst.

There are times when we find it difficult to continue trusting when there seem to be nothing happening. We demand that we see the big picture in the process. When one person is strong, attractive, famous, rich or talented, it is difficult for him to put his trust in God easily since there is pride, conceit and vanity. Who needs God when I am so strong? Who needs God when I have so many talents? Who needs God when I am the most attractive one? Later you’ll simply discover that all these will fade away realizing your weaknesses and the need to lean on something more dependable and trustworthy.

But once we begin to put our trust in God, we immediately put that trust into expressions. Perhaps one of the most significant ways that we place our full trust in Christ is by praising Him regardless of the circumstances. By praising we shout our faith in God. It exalts Him and declares that we will follow Him and look to Him even when the odds appear against us. This is what Paul and Silas did while in prison. They were stripped, severely beaten and later was thrown into prison. They were placed in the inner prison and their feet clamped with chains. By midnight, the two were singing hymns and praying to God while their inmates listen. Suddenly there was an earthquake that shook the prison’s foundations. All the doors flew open and all of the prisoners’ chains were loosed. The jailer was awakened to see the prison doors were widely open thinking the prisoners had escaped. So he drew his sword to kill himself but was stopped by Paul saying they did not escape. (Acts 16:22-27).

When we praise God, we magnify the majesty and greatness of our Father, focusing on who God is, and that is divinely given catalyst for trusting Him even more. Praise drives away fear and builds faith. The person who trusts in the Lord is blessed. He clings to the promises of God, delights in the character of God, and worships God whether in darkness or in light. He leans on the everlasting arms that never fail or forsake him.

Bible passage to read: Acts 16:16-40

“What a fellowship, what a joy divine;
Leaning on the everlasting arms”