i've learnt a lot in the first week (rather, 2 days :] ) of school.

not necessarily in school, but in the activities surrounding school, no matter how peripheral, and hence my life in general :]

many things have unfolded in directions i'd never have dreamed possible, and other hopes quashed in quite the kachua-like fashion. :]

thank God for how my cell group's FINALLY going to start :] :] :] i've felt so long that Madison's a spiritually dry place, and i guess it didn't help that i let myself backslide into a torpor of errr, nothingness.

i didn't try hard enough to upkeep my faith, and so the if-you-don't-progress-you-regress rule came into effect. i suppose it was just easier not defending my faith; gosh, now that i come to think about it more, i practically jumped over the deep end (if-you-can't-beat-em,-join-em).

anyway, thank God for the rescue.
whoohooo!
my buff lifeguard from heaven swoopin' down. :]

back to cell group: i don't know what we're gonna call it yet, nor have we finalized the day and time for cell coz we haven't had a full week of school to check out our timetables and workloads yet, but YAAAAAAAAYY for God here. :]
i've felt this burning on my heart for such a long time it's just pure, viscous JUBILANCE pouring out of me thinking about it. :]
mmmm it's gonna start as a small group of 7 (Shawn, See Howe, Jen, Rose, Josephine, Ephraim and myself) so it's nice and tight. we'll invite more people in when we're more stable. :]

I guess I'm closest to Josephine (Jo), and I'm praying that as people with the same heavenly lifeline we'll grow each other in faith. PLUS, we'll go back to working in EDB together. Shawn too, eventually, coz he's going to be with a private company when we go back, then come back to EDB after his private-corporation stint.


I learnt something really poignant at our pre-cell meeting, sidetracked to talking about how God's a God of blessing, and not of vindication, as many people think (and our Asian culture perpetuates).

and it's NOT God's intention to make anyone suffer; no, he's not the cause of ANY suffering--suffering is man's choice and intent. we're the bitchy ones. what more can i say?

God's just, but NOT vindictive.
He calls all, but some reject Him. that's the free will that we've got.


friendships-wise here, i'm not all contented coz i know all my true friends are back home (everyone say awwwwww hahaha, but no, seriously, ya'll're).
was just talking to sarah about who we'd call out if we wanted to go out for dinner, and i just couldn't think of ANYONE i knew who'd go out of their way to make time for me.
it's scary, really.

haha this is my sublimal message to tell you guys i miss you. :]


still am tossing with the idea of joining the UW Gospel Choir, actually.
i have WAAAY too many commitments this semester.
it's incredible.
if i stick with what i'm doing, save for a small amount of tweaking, these are the number of papers i have to write this semester:

1. Advanced Organic Chemistry honors paper

2. Introductory Zoology research paper

3. Bioethics (Body Modification) papers--5 short papers, 1 looooooooooong paper (20-25 pages)

4. Biochem honors report--10, reports on talks i have to attend

5. Independent study thesis

THESE ON TOP OF COURSEWORK.
argh.

well, i'm trying to see if i can combine 2+5, and hopefully 3+5 haha.
this all might fall through, and THEN i'm dead.

praypraypray.

honestly, though, writing it all down makes it look reasonably more manageable. :]

(and hey, jac, or anyone else, how do you put a link to other people's blogs here??)

staying happy in madison, or trying to, at least. :]
love, rach.