Typhoon just passed away…

Posted by Mike Lopez under Mike's Blog
No Comments
Aug 2004
28
12:15am


Well, it’s not actually a typhoon but a rather “boosted” monsoon rain. The boost came from a nearby super typhoon which pulled too much rain clouds over the poor islands of the Philippines. The resulting rain was torrential and it flooded lots of cities and towns. Crops were ruined and lives were lost. But then, it’s over.

Now, Filipinos who are in the Philippines (like me) are back on our feet. Most of us know that there is always something better up ahead. We know that after all this turmoil, there will be a moment of calm and rest. A moment of rebuilding. A moment of rejoicing and laughter. A moment of triumph. Ahhh, perhaps that’s what Filipinos are made for. To bring hope to this world that no matter what happens, we still manage to smile. After a day of crying, we still manage to have years of joy.

I then realized, this is not that different to everyday life. Problems drop by. Family feuds occur. Misunderstandings come but then they all go. It’s simply a matter of having a good and positive outlook to everything that happens. Even better, as a Christian, I know that there will always be a God who will help me walk through this dark tunnel of life.

After all, all we can do is put our trust and faith on the One and Only Capable God who can save us from anything that troubles us. And for sure, God loves and enjoys saving those who call upon His name. So what now? Should I surrender? Never. Rather, I will keep on going and going and going. Even farther than that “toy rabbit” in the Energizer advertisement can go.

God bless you all.



Typhoon just passed away…

Posted by Mike Lopez under Mike's Blog
No Comments
Aug 2004
28
12:15am
Well, it’s not actually a typhoon but a rather “boosted” monsoon rain. The boost came from a nearby super typhoon which pulled too much rain clouds over the poor islands of the Philippines. The resulting rain was torrential and it flooded lots of cities and towns. Crops were ruined and lives were lost. But then, it’s over.

Now, Filipinos who are in the Philippines (like me) are back on our feet. Most of us know that there is always something better up ahead. We know that after all this turmoil, there will be a moment of calm and rest. A moment of rebuilding. A moment of rejoicing and laughter. A moment of triumph. Ahhh, perhaps that’s what Filipinos are made for. To bring hope to this world that no matter what happens, we still manage to smile. After a day of crying, we still manage to have years of joy.

I then realized, this is not that different to everyday life. Problems drop by. Family feuds occur. Misunderstandings come but then they all go. It’s simply a matter of having a good and positive outlook to everything that happens. Even better, as a Christian, I know that there will always be a God who will help me walk through this dark tunnel of life.

After all, all we can do is put our trust and faith on the One and Only Capable God who can save us from anything that troubles us. And for sure, God loves and enjoys saving those who call upon His name. So what now? Should I surrender? Never. Rather, I will keep on going and going and going. Even farther than that “toy rabbit” in the Energizer advertisement can go.

God bless you all.


GMail - GoogleMail and GreatMail

Posted by Mike Lopez under Mike's Blog
No Comments
Aug 2004
26
11:24pm
People out there, I finally got myself my own GMail account. Thanks to Jonathan Ty who sent me an invite. Foxz, was supposed to send me an invite too but Jonathan came in faster. :-) So thanks to both of you guys for considering to invite me.

So what’s with GMail? It’s the latest craze of the town. It’s Google’s own free e-mail service but since it is still in “Beta” mode, only invited people get access to the system. GMail comes with 1GB of email space so you don’t really have to delete emails for a long time. As Google puts it, “Archive, Don’t Delete.” Furthermore, with Google’s powerful search engine, you can also search your emails (I don’t remember any other webmail service that has this feature). Also, e-mail communications in the same context are “viewed” as one e-mail. You no longer have to search for replies to previous e-mails. It’s all in one click.

What else? GMail comes with powerful anti-spam and filtering features. Contacts can also be imported in CSV format. But the best thing that I like is that it’s really really fast! Compared to other free email services, this one’s lightning fast.

To Google, you did a great job! Once more, you’ve proven that you’re worth the space you’re taking in cyberspace! To me, GMail is not just GoogleMail, it’s also GreatMail! God bless you guys!


Found a new past-time

Posted by Mike Lopez under Mike's Blog
No Comments
Aug 2004
26
10:34pm
You guys won’t believe this. Me and my wife Evelyn found a new past-time. Something that is keeping us closer together and it’s giving us lots of fun! Try to make a guess.

Last week, while taking a bath, I looked at my armpits (yes, my underarms) and realized that all the hair is getting too hard, long, and ugly. So I decided to shave the hair off. This is actually the second time that I shaved my armpit. The first time was when I was in Grade 6. So what’s the new past-time?

Well, after a few days, hair started growing again and it all became itchy. I took the tweezer and started pulling out some hair. Ahhhhh, it was too hard. My eyes started crossing and I began to have a headache. So what I did was make a deal with my wife. For every 100 pieces of hair that she pulls out of my armpit, she gets to receive a favor - either doing the same for her, giving her a massage, etc. But where’s the fun?

The fun part is this. Each time she pulls out a hair from my armpit, we laugh. Why? Because it hurts. I’m the type of guy who will not cry even with a large wound but here am I shouting “ouch” almost every time she makes a pull. And since I want to prevent the itching, I have to endure the pain - all 100 of it. And so we laugh it all out.

So, is your married life getting dull? Guys, shave your armpits and do the mambo! It’s one good husband-wife bonding technique.


I met a familiar Fox online…

Posted by Mike Lopez under Mike's Blog
No Comments
Aug 2004
24
07:54pm
The title should say “Foxz” and not “Fox” because that’s how I knew him. Yes, that’s “him” not “it”. Now that I’m using Gaim in Linux (which works like Trillian on Windows but better), I was able to reconcile my contact list. And of course, old friends come alive. Foxz was one of them.

So who is Foxz? I met him originally 6 to 7 years back when I was still single and working as a desktop publisher. I was also making viruses (or virii or even vx) back then when I met Foxz. He was a fellow virus programmer like me. We never really met physically but well, we’re friends.

The last time we talked was about 5 to 6 months ago and we found out that we both no longer make viruses. He has his reasons, I had mine. But mainly because we have more important things to do now such as work and family. But for me, it’s also my conviction for a nice Christian life that urged me to stop making viruses. Foxz now does Linux networking (another thing we have in common).

You can learn more about Foxz in his blog at http://secandri.com/blog/. Be warned, his blog is in English and Indonesian so if you don’t speak Indonesian, just read the English part. :D
God bless you all! And to Foxz, cheers! May you find a better future for yourself and your family.


I met a familiar Fox online…

Posted by Mike Lopez under Mike's Blog
No Comments
Aug 2004
24
07:54pm
The title should say “Foxz” and not “Fox” because that’s how I knew him. Yes, that’s “him” not “it”. Now that I’m using Gaim in Linux (which works like Trillian on Windows but better), I was able to reconcile my contact list. And of course, old friends come alive. Foxz was one of them.

So who is Foxz? I met him originally 6 to 7 years back when I was still single and working as a desktop publisher. I was also making viruses (or virii or even vx) back then when I met Foxz. He was a fellow virus programmer like me. We never really met physically but well, we’re friends.

The last time we talked was about 5 to 6 months ago and we found out that we both no longer make viruses. He has his reasons, I had mine. But mainly because we have more important things to do now such as work and family. But for me, it’s also my conviction for a nice Christian life that urged me to stop making viruses. Foxz now does Linux networking (another thing we have in common).

You can learn more about Foxz in his blog at http://secandri.com/blog/. Be warned, his blog is in English and Indonesian so if you don’t speak Indonesian, just read the English part. :D

God bless you all! And to Foxz, cheers! May you find a better future for yourself and your family.


EGR Bataan - a Total Success!

Posted by Mike Lopez under Mike's Blog
No Comments
Aug 2004
16
01:22am

EGR Delegates
EGR Batch 6 - IRM Bagac, Bataan

Brothers and sisters in Christ! Allow me to express my excitement by telling you what happened in our recent “Encounter God Retreat” (EGR) in Parang, Bagac, Bataan held last August 13 and 14. Also, please allow me to express my thanksgiving to all those who prayed for us - your prayers were answered!

So what happened in Bataan? Many things happened.

We arrived at IRM Bagac, Bataan at about 8:00 am, took some rest and then had a staff meeting. When we have staff meetings, all that we usually do is to remind each other of our tasks and worship the Lord. It is an important point for us to acknowledge that we are nothing and GOD IS EVERYTHING. We came to realize that this is the key to success of most (if not all) of God’s servants. We sang a song entitled “Bakit nga Ba?”, composed by our brethren from Catanduanes and immediately, the presence of the Lord came. We knew that victory is at hand.

The retreat started at exactly 10:00 am with a total of 26 delegates. With a series of lectures and counseling sessions, the delegates slowly and faithfully opened their hearts to God, allowing their Creator to intervene in their lives and set them free by letting them know the truth. Though the delegates are already Christian believers, none of them lived a life of power and victory, until now. They confessed their sins to God, they cried for help, they jumped with joy, and enjoyed the presence of the Lord God Almighty!

EGR Team
EGR Batch 6 - IRM Bagac, Bataan

What God did to the lives of the delegates and even to our lives as staff is simply MAGNIFICENT! Just before the graduation ceremonies, the delegates testified of how God moved in their lives. They learned to forgive, they learned to give, they learned to love unconditionally, and more. But most of all, they learned to LOVE GOD EVEN GREATER THAN BEFORE. After all, what can we do when we encounter God?

To God be the Glory. Watch out for our next “Encounter God Retreat” this coming Friday and Saturday in Gatbuca, Calumpit, Bulacan. The best is yet to come…

God bless you all.


Cash Nearly Depleted!!!

Posted by Mike Lopez under Mike's Blog
No Comments
Aug 2004
11
03:58am
Have you ever come to the point where you almost have no money. What about having no money at all? Well, me too. I experience both frequently. Right now, our cash is almost depleted and we still have to pay lots and lots and lots of things. I have projects on the way, but they’re just on the way. I have money in my merchant account but they stay there until the total balance reaches $1300. In other words, they’re worth nothing for now. So, what am I trying to point out? NO, I’M NOT BEGGING. Just want to share you my story.

In times like this, it is typical for wives to start worrying and get pressured. My wife is not an exemption. Nonetheless, as the father of the house, it is not only my obligation to provide for our needs. It is also my obligation to stay calm and steady in matters like this. Thank God I have Him by my side to help me keep steady. I know He drives the car of my life as well as my entire family’s life. Knowing that, I have nothing to worry about. As I said, it is my obligation as father to provide. Wow! John 1:12 states that to those who believe in Him, He gave the right to become sons of God. I’m His son, He’s my Father. Oh yes, and since He is my Father, it is also His duty to provide for my needs.

What now, shall I let my faith in God be affected by these circumstances? NEVER! “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” - Romans 8:38-39

I challenge you all who worry, stop it. Trust in the Lord. Put your faith in Him. Ask Him to save you! As a Christian, I will not fear and I always hold on to the verse below:

“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” - Romans 8:15

After all, all I need to do is ASK MY FATHER WHO IS IN HEAVEN.


Quick Eye Exam…

Posted by Mike Lopez under Mike's Blog
No Comments
Aug 2004
09
01:44am

Here’s something that’s really cool for most people.

Just do it - don’t cheat!!!!!!!!!!!!

Try this…. its actually quite good.

But don’t cheat!

Count the number of F’s in the following text:

———————————–

FINISHED FILES ARE THE

RESULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC

STUDY COMBINED WITH THE

EXPERIENCE OF YEARS

———————————-

Managed it?

Scroll down only after you have counted them!

OK?

How many?

Three?

Wrong, there are six - no joke!

Read again!

———————————-

FINISHED FILES ARE THE

RESULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC

STUDY COMBINED WITH THE

EXPERIENCE OF YEARS

———————————-

How come?

The brain cannot process the word “OF”.

Is that incredible or what?

Anyone who counts all six F’s on the first go is a genius

Three is normal.


Quick Eye Exam…

Posted by Mike Lopez under Mike's Blog
No Comments
Aug 2004
09
01:44am

Here’s something that’s really cool for most people.

Just do it - don’t cheat!!!!!!!!!!!!

Try this…. its actually quite good.

But don’t cheat!

Count the number of F’s in the following text:

———————————–

FINISHED FILES ARE THE

RESULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC

STUDY COMBINED WITH THE

EXPERIENCE OF YEARS

———————————-

Managed it?

Scroll down only after you have counted them!

OK?

How many?

Three?

Wrong, there are six - no joke!

Read again!

———————————-

FINISHED FILES ARE THE

RESULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC

STUDY COMBINED WITH THE

EXPERIENCE OF YEARS

———————————-

How come?

The brain cannot process the word “OF”.

Is that incredible or what?

Anyone who counts all six F’s on the first go is a genius

Three is normal.