How To Register in iMBC if You’re Living in Abroad

This is my first time to do a step by step procedure online, so please bear with me. ^^,

step 1. Go to MBC website

Click this link —> http://www.imbc.com/

You should be seeing this page.

Note: You can use Google Chrome and translate the whole page in English.

step 2. Now click “회원가입” or simply the “Register” link

• If you didn’t use the translate in google chrome, click the link as shown in the figure.

• If you use the translate in google chrome, click the register link.

step 3. Click the “Foreigner Living in Abroad”

step 4. In terms and condition, click the “I Accept” link at the bottom (see figure)

Note: You don’t need to check or uncheck anything here.

• If you didn’t use translate in chrome, you should be seeing this.

 

• If you use translate in chrome, you should be seeing this

step 5. Fill up all the information needed.

step 5.1 Filling up the “ID” or “Username” – AVAILABLE

• Click the “ID check”

• You will be transferred here.

• If your username is available for use, you will see this.

(The first picture is in korean, the second one is translated.)

step 5.2 “ID” or “Username” is NOT AVAILABLE

• If the desired username is not available, you will see this (Korean, English respectively). Try to input another username  and check whether it is available (see the picture in step 5.1), if it’s still not available, continue until you succeed. ^^,

step 6. Click the confirmation at the bottom

• After filling up the info sheet, verify the words in the captcha and then click the verify/confirmation link (see the picture below).

• After verifying, you will now then be transferred to this webpage. CONGRATULATIONS! YOU’RE DONE REGISTERING!

 

Now, if you want to vote for the upcoming MBC Drama Award

click this link —-> http://www.imbc.com/broad/tv/ent/event/2011mbc/couple/

Hope I was able to help you. Have a happy holidays everyone! Happy voting!

July: Let the Music Take Control

The month of July is full of firsts. I had my first practical test in Social Dance (Good Lord, He blessed me with right and left feet… and not two left feet), and I also had my first quizzes in all of my subjects. I could say that the practical dance was the main highlight for this month, so I named it “Let the Music Take Control.” In dancing, it’s as simple as that, letting the music take control of your body and go with flow. After several hours of practicing, the day of performing our dance piece will now be witnessed by our professor and fellow PE-mates. We were really happy that everything went well, we’ve got 1.25!

Another first for this month – quizzes. Most of my quizzes are taken online, either using e-LEAP or moodle (Though I really prefer taking exams inside the classroom because online assessments are a lot harder). The picture on the left shows my grade for quiz #1 in Environmental Engineering. I also got high grades with other subjects.

School aside, I started attending the first ever speech class in our church which started just two weeks ago. This class is headed by Ms. Lyn Abad, our speech instructor and the mastermind, and it is held every Saturday.  I’m really enjoying this class, I’ve learned so many things in just two Saturdays and I’m so excited to learn more for the upcoming sessions. Before, I thought that as long as you can speak basic English it’s fine already, but with this class, I learned that having a good communication skills, such as emphasis and right pronunciation, is an advantage too, so that your listener would be able to understand your message effectively. The picture on the right is our class logo, we got the idea of this logo from the American box office superhero film “X-Men: First Class” since our class is also the pioneer for the said class.

Another month has passed, new endeavors and new experiences are about to come this August. The prelims week is fast approaching – oh how I missed this one week of sleepless nights. Till next time.

Verse of the Month:

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” – 2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV)

July VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

What the Bible says about: VOWS

Judges 11:29-40

Is there something you want that blazes in your heart like an ever-burning fire? You think about it all the time, and it takes all the faith you have to wait for it patiently. You’d do almost anything to have it; and though God has already promised to give you the desires of your heart (see Ps. 37:4), you feel like you need to go the extra mile to motivate God to give it to you. So you offer God a deal you believe He can’t refuse.

This is the way Jephthah’s tragedy began. As war with the Ammonites loomed ahead of him, a passion for victory burned in his heart. He pleaded with God in Judges 11:30-31, “If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.”

Even though Jephthah knew that the territory the Ammonites wanted rightfully belonged to Israel – and though he realized that God would protect the inheritance He had given them (see Judg. 11:15-24) – it seems that Jephthah still doubted. And whether it was to show his devotion to the Lord, or to move God to act in Israel’s favor, Jephthah made the vow that he would soon deeply regret – without consulting God whether he should make the vow or not.

Doubt makes us do many things that are not God’s will for us. Jephthah learned this the hard way. When he returned home from successfully defeating the Ammonites, Judges 11:34 tells us, “There was his daughter, coming out to meet him with timbrels and dancing; and she was his only child.” What a sad and horrible day. Although Jephthah had gotten the victory, he would have to sacrifice his only child in order to fulfill his vow – and he knew he couldn’t go back on his word to God (see Num. 30:2).

The question remains: Was it really necessary?

In fact, the answer is most definitely no! Jephthah’s sacrifice wasn’t necessary. God desires obedience rather than sacrifice (see 1 Sam. 15:22). The Lord promised, “If you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your god… the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth… The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face” (Deut. 28:1,7). God was going to give Jephthah the triumph anyway, but because of his doubt in God, he paid a great price.

Understand that God does what He wants to (see Ps. 115:3, 135:6) – your vows do not move Him. Your epic acts of sacrifice will not cause Him to adjust His timetable. And, in fact, your pledges may be evidence to Him that your faith still isn’t mature enough for what He wants to give you.

Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne… But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one” (Matt. 5:33-34, 37).

Friend, don’t fall into the trap of the evil one – thinking that you can convince God through vows to give you the desire of your heart – because that road only leads to heartache. Rather, obey God, count on His promises, and express your faith that He will do as He says. He will most certainly fulfill His promises to you above and beyond what you can imagine (see Josh. 23:14; Eph. 3:20). Because, as Jephthah learned, the consequences of living any other way are far too great.

Thoughts-of-Mine

While reading Jephthah’s story, I was reminded of the story of little mermaid. I’m not talking about the Little Mermaid of Disney (we all know that Disney’s fairy tales always end with: and-they-live-happily-ever-after ending) but the original story of Little Mermaid (Den lille havfrue) which was written by Hans Christian Andersen in 1837. When little mermaid turned 15, she swam into the surface of the world, above the underwater kingdom that they lived in. She then found a prince, and fell madly in love with him that she was willing to lose her tail, and made a vow with the Sea Witch. However, the prince married another girl,  so the little mermaid, brokenhearted, dissolved into foam and she turned into a spirit, a daughter of the air.

The original story isn’t really a happy ending, though the little mermaid turned into a spirit instead of becoming a sea foam and cease to exist. Based on the story, we know that she got what she wanted, which are legs, but ended up frustrated, being not able to marry the man she loves.

At some point of our life, we may be like Jephthah and the little mermaid. We are so desperate about something, that our heart will explode if we can’t have it, and that we will do anything just to get that thing or to achieve something. We don’t even consult God whether we need that particular thing or not. And most of the time, we ended up frustrated and regretful that we thought to ourselves, “I shouldn’t have done that.” or “If only I could turn back time.” This kind of practice only shows that we don’t really trust God, that we don’t believe that He will fulfill all of His promises to us. It also shows how immature we are with our faith. Increasing our faith isn’t the solution to comply with God’s instruction, but having a genuine faith. Just like in books, it’s not about the thickness of the book, but it’s about the content.

Source:

Is "fleece throwing" a good way to discover the will of God?

Judges 6:36-40

Some try to determine God’s will by “throwing fleeces.” We say, “If X happens, the I’ll do one thing; but if Z happens, then I’ll do another.” But how does such a strategy differ from treating the will of God like a coin toss and basing our decisions on whether it falls heads or tails? In most cases, putting out a fleece demonstrates not a robust faith in God, but an unhealthy suspicion that He doesn’t have our best interests at heart and that He really can’t be trusted to fulfill His word.

We find the act of fleece throwing in the Book of Judges, when God calls Gideon to fight the Midianites (see Judg. 6:36-40). Gideon doesn’t feel so sure about the divine assignment and puts out his fleece, not to discover the will of God, but to try to gain some confidence that he will enjoy success. Notice three things about this questionable practice.

First, the fleece throwing was Gideon’s idea, not God’s. Nowhere in Scripture does God authorize such a practice or call it a desirable method for knowing His purpose.

Second, only here in Scripture is this method used. No one else employs it.

Third, Gideon did not perform the fleece throwing to know God’s will, but to gain confidence in the outcome that God had promised. Gideon already knew with certainty that God wanted him to lead the people into battle against Midianites. The armies had already gathered for battle! Gideon knew he was the leader. He simply wanted an extraordinary sign from God that he and the Israelites would succeed.

Repeatedly in Scripture, God calls us to remain faithful to Him without regard to whether we will succeed. Genuine trust in God means that we follow Him wherever He leads and do whatever He directs, without any concern for the outcome. Job had the right idea: “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (Job 13:15).

Gideon’s fleece throwing indicated that he didn’t really trust God. Likewise today, many people who use “fleece throwing” reveal that they don’t really trust God to remain true ti His word. But God calls us to a different path, laid out by the psalmist: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea” (Ps. 46:1-2)

Thoughts-of-Mine

When I read this story again, I was reminded, and asked myself, “how many times did I perform fleece throwing in my life?” The answer, so many times that I couldn’t even remember how many instances in my life that I’d perform this practice. Before, if the circumstances or conflicts arise and I needed to make a big decision to solve it, I always ask for a sign, like what Gideon did, that if A happens then I will do this, but if B happens then I’ll do this.

I wasn’t even aware that every time I do that practice, I’m doubting God’s sovereignty over my life. I’m doubting my faith that He is an all-powerful God, an all-knowing God, and an omnipresent God. While reading this passage, I was just reminded by God of this verse from Deuteronomy 31:8, it says, “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

In knowing and fulfilling the will of God in our lives, we need to remember three significant things. First, the God that we serve is ahead of us. We can never be ahead of God, and no one in this universe can. If He’s ahead of us, He had seen not only our future but even our past and our present. He knows exactly what will our life be ten years from now. He even knows what we’re going to eat for dinner later. Every action that we will do, every decision that we will make, and every word that we will speak; He knows it all.

Second, the God that we serve will always be by our side, He will never leave us nor forsake us. He made a promise that He will always be by our side whenever and wherever we need Him. He is true and faithful to all his promises and they are all “Yes” in Christ (see 2 Co. 1:20). He is the God who will never abandon His sheep, that if one of them gone missing He will look for that sheep no matter what.

Third,  we need not to be afraid or be discouraged. The Bible says in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power and love and self-control.” If God wants us to accomplish something, even though it seems too impossible or too difficult to be done or too senseless to be done, all we have to do is to obey Him. He gave us power and strength so that we can overcome whatever circumstances that we may face.

Let’s always remember that the God that we serve is an omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent God.

Source:

Life Examples: The Narrow Way

Passage: Luke 13:24

Martial artist Morihei Ueshiba once philosophized, “There are many paths leading to the top of Mount Fuji.” His statement reflected the idea that many people believe, which is that there are many ways to find God. Life is a journey and people are free to choose their own path to the deity of their choice.

However, Jesus completely refuted that idea. In Luke 13:24, He said, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not able.” In other words, there are people who will spend their entire life pursuing a deity that cannot save them and will not realize it until it’s too late. It’s a horrifying thought.

So, why do so many people think there is more than one way to find God?

Generally, the belief that there is more than one path to God stems from the fact that in  every society in the world – it doesn’t make any difference how civilized or uncivilized – there are always people who believe in come kind of deity. Therefore, many anthropologists and sociologists reason that there is no one true religion – everyone simply worships the deity which best reflects their environmental influences.

Such scientists conclude that everyone is entitled to their own idea of god – including believing that there is no such thing as supreme being. Unfortunately, that’s human reasoning.  It sounds logical, but the problem with it is that it is a complete contradiction to the way the one true God has provided for us to know Him (see Jn. 3:16-18).

So why are there so many cultures, with so many deities? Romans 1:20 explains, “Since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.” People are without excuse in knowing that God exists. That is why every culture has a concept of God – He’s clearly seen throughout nature. However, it’s not up to us to imagine who He is or to create Him out of our own reasoning or culture. Rather, we must look to the way He’s revealed Himself to us, which is through the person of Jesus Christ (see Matt. 11:27; John 14:7).

Unfortunately, people are sometimes offended when Christians say that Jesus Christ is the only way to God because they say that God wouldn’t exclude all the people who don’t believe in Christ from heaven. However, their reasoning is completely wrong.  It’s not that the one true God is exclusive. In fact, He is completely inclusive. Jesus said in John 12:32, “I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all the peoples to Myself.” Jesus offers salvation to everyone. Jesus would never turn away someone who put their faith in Him (see Rom. 10:9-13).

Though life may be a journey, and though there may be a multitude of roads to the earthly Mount Fuji; there is only one way to God – and that’s by accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior (see John 14:6; Acts 4:12). Christ offers the only road that leads to salvation. Though the world may offer an abundance of choices, they’ll never lead to what you’re really looking for (see Prov. 14:12). That only right choice is the road God offers – and that is through Jesus Christ. Though the path is the narrow one, it’s always wide open to you. Trust Him.

Thoughts-of-Mine

No matter what our background is, where we grew up, what culture we’ve live in, what our religious background is, WE HAVE NO EXCUSE! There is only one way passing through that narrow road – and that is through Jesus Christ. That’s why as Christians, we need to proclaim the truth, which is the Word of God, to all the people in this people. Every people, in every nation. God has given us the great commission, and that is to “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age (see Matt. 28:19-20).”

Source:

Are We Good Enough?

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” – Genesis 1:26

Long before Plato wrote about deforestation and erosion during the ancient Greek in 4^th BC, or when George Perkins Marsh warned the world with the ecological consequences of poor environment stewardship, or even when Rachel Carson wrote Silent Spring (1962) that helped in launching environment movement, God was the first to make us aware that we should be a good stewards to every creatures that He has entrusted to us. “Over all the earth and over all the creatures” includes our environment.

Being a good steward to our family, or to the animals and endangered species around us, is not enough to make us the good steward that God wants us to be. He wants us also to be a good steward in how we preserve and protect our environment. Garbage disposal is one of the many ways where we can help preserve and nurture our mother earth.

Garbage disposal has been an age-old problem for society. During the pre-historic time, people disposed their waste like bones, tools and clothes in wastes heaps call middens. Ancient civilations usually recycled materials from dominated cities and pillaged buildings. Problems concerning to solid waste disposal have increased as the cities grew larger and the human population increased in number. Landfill is limited and as prosperity increases, the amount of waste also increases (Davis et. al, 2009).

Four pounds or 1.8 kilograms of garbage per day doesn’t sound like much, but when it is multiplied to the total population of the United States of America it will reach up to 880,000,000 pounds or 400,000,000 kilograms of garbage per day, a massive amount of garbage isn’t it (Morgan et. al, 2004). That figure is for USA alone, how much more if we include the everyday waste disposal of all the countries here on earth.

 

Last September 26, 2009, tropical storm Ondoy wreaked havoc in Metro Manila and nearby provinces. Ondoy brought a month-worth of rainfall in the Metro in just 9-hours. Many Filipinos lost their houses, especially those who lived in shanties along rivers, and many lost their loved ones. Over 300 people died, and almost 340,000 people were affected by the typhoon (MB & GMAnews). A big part of this disaster was caused by garbage. If we could have disposed our wastes properly, the damage could also have been less. I hope we learned from our mistakes.

As a good steward of God’s creatures, do we play the role that our God has entrusted us to? Do we keep small things such as candy wrapper or a chip wrapper when we don’t find a trashcan, or we remain apathetic when we see these things on a street or even in a public vehicle? Do we throw our household wastes on the right place? Do we recycle things that can still be used?

Our nature is beautiful and we are stewards of God’s creation. Being the most intelligent among all creatures, we could either destroy these creations or sustain them. All we need to do is to obey what God told us to do, “rule over all the earth and over all the creatures.” We must rule over them in a positive way, without manipulating them for our own advantages. We must use our natural resources wisely, so that future generations will still be able to benefit from it.

“If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will send you rain in its season and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit… and I will grant peace in the land.” – Leviticus 26: 3-4, 6

Sources:

Davis, M., Masten, S. (2009). Principles of environmental engineering and science.

Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

Morgan, S., Vesilind, P. (2004). Introduction to environmental engineering.

Australia: Thomson/Brooks/Cole.

http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/PictDisplay/Plato.html

http://dennisvillegas.blogspot.com/2009/09/wrath-of-typhoon-ondoy.html

http://www.mb.com.ph/node/222586/ondoy-death-toll-pa

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/173284/over-100-killed-and-almost-340000-affected-by-ondoy

June: A Start of Something New

June, the first month of the first semester, is full of excitement and fun. I was really excited to go back to school after a six month break in school. I was eager to see my classmates and friends again and have a good time with them like the old times, oh how I missed them so much! Since I’m an international student now (it means irregular student), I was really excited to meet new classmates, new friends and new professors in different sections since most of my subjects this semester are in the Chemical Engineering Department.

But before I was able to attend my classes, first, I had to go through a dilemma, which is the getting the best schedule. Since this is my first time as an irregular student, it was really tough for me. I had to go to different departments just to get the best schedule for me. While I was loitering in different departments, instead of feeling discouraged with my situation, I realized that no matter how tiring it was to go from one department to another, walk from first floor to second floor and sometimes up to the third floor, these things aren’t bad to experience at all. At least, once in my college life, I get to experience these.

One of my favorite subjects this semester is our Safety Management class. I’m really active in this class that our Professor, Ms. Ezra Barboza from Chem Eng’g Dept, immediately noticed my passion for her class. There were times that even if I’m not raising my hand, she’d still call me. I am really grateful that I was able to attend the OSH (Occupational Safety and Health) seminar and learned so many stuffs about safety and hazards. It was held last February during the Safety Thematic Week where I met Dr. Gia Sison.

The month of June passed by so swiftly – one down, four months to go. We haven’t had any quizzes in any of my subjects this June, so I expect that the first quizzes would be this July. Just here for now – so excited to experience and to learn new things this July.

Victor Eleazar “ELI” Martinez

Verse of the Month:

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men”  Colossians 3:23 (ESV)

June Pictures VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL