So exams are done.

This was quite the (learning) experience: a painful and draining one, to say the least.

Anyways, I wanted to express a sincere "THANK YOU" to all of those who prayed for me. It has been a tough trial for me to endure considering all the circumstances at the time, and it was such a comfort to know that other people were praying for me.

It's 3:30...that number will haunt me for the rest of my life*. So that means that I need to sleep. (No more all-nighters every other day for me....NO MORE. I honestly think I'm going to die--LITERALLY--if I do that again.)

* (FYI: BIOL 330 - Molecular Biology....the exam that I think I may have failed. I passed out in this exam THREE times and was unable to answer 20 marks worth of questions (out of a possible 90-100 marks?....maybe 80 marks)). I needed to get over 45% on this exam to pass the course....and considering the fact that I was in a state of delerium that day...uh, such an ugly exam)

...Please pray for me.

Please pray that I will survive my exams.
This is a sincere request. I've never struggled so much academically...I think, no, I'm positive,I may have failed my English exam today (and this was supposed to be one of my easier courses)...let's leave it at that (there's A LOT more to say, but I don't have the energy to write much longer....I've been working on 5-7 hours of sleep for the past 3 or 4 days...I won't be getting sufficient rest until Wednesday).
Please pray that God will give me strength to endure this burden (physical, mental...and sometimes even spiritual) and that I will be humble in accepting whatever outcome arises from this...



I need HIS strength to get through. I have a huge hurdle to overcome this week, and I won't be able to get through without God.

"...He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint."
Isaiah 40:28-31

...Amen

I've come to the realization that I LOVE learning languages. I've always known this deep down in my heart - you know, in the general area of the tricuspid and bicuspid valves. How do I know this? My heart's been telling me alllllll along.

John's heart: John, you "LUB" languages.
John: Shaddap...just keep pumping!
John's heart: That's it, one day, I'm going to infarct on you.
John: Oh deng...Well we'll see about that!! *starts popping blood thinners and calcium channel blockers*

Anyways, I digress. 
So I've decided that by the time I graduate I will know FIVE languages. That's right...FIVE. What five languages you ask?

English - yeye, I'm fluent, baby!! (hmm...on second thought...)
한국어- I am ashamed to say this, but I am the definition of "illiterate" here. Oy vay. It's my mother tongue for crying out loud! John + Korean = John rocking back and fourth in the corner of the room crying.
Français - uh...yeah, enough said.   ahaha. I am so rusty at French ><. Je ne comprende (sp?) pas bien!!
Español - the language of LOOOOOVVVVEE (..did I just say that???). Unfortunately, I couldn't continue with this after grade 10....stupid Asian 6-pack!!
汉语 - I took Mandarin last term and I LOVED it. Although memorizing about 500 characters/words was a bit on the difficult side, I still enjoyed it =)   太好了!!

Hmmm...I also want to learn 日本語 (is that right??) - Japanese. We'll see though.

So I guess that ups it up to (potentially) 6 languages to learn during my tenure here at Waterloo. So sad because I'm pretty sure this won't really happen considering I have only 3 more terms to go. But hey, I love to aim high .

Anyways, I need to get back to my psych lectures or else I'll fail out of school. And no, that's not a good thing. 

From the UWCCF blog on blogspot.com...

Closing the Gap

Commit the will to God, and immediately you will find Him near. Not because He has moved any closer, for He has always been at hand, but because you have finally allowed yourself to be near.

It is a common occurrence for Christians to feel distant from God, not a rarity.

We may feel God has left us to fend for ourselves. In a way He has, but He has not forsaken us. Sometimes God appears to leave us so we can grow. Parents cannot always be at their children's side if the children are to come into their own.

We may feel, furthermore, distant at some spiritual level. Not only does God seem to ignore our prayers but I no longer "feel His presence". However, God allows us to lose the sensations of spiritual high because He wants to give us a choice. We are not impelled to follow Christ by surging emotions, but in the quiet we must choose. "If you love someone, set them free. If they come back they're yours; if they don't they never were." This is of course an analogy, imperfect as all analogies are. God does not leave us permanently like this, but He tests us and shapes us through so many different ways. This may be one reason.

Sometimes we feel especially kindled with fervor. A Christian life is not led by such passionate impulses as that which constitutes emotions, but by love.

In seeking to be restored to the right place with God, do not try to climb back up to a spiritual high like you might have had when first you decided to commit yourself to Christ. Just commit yourself by your will. "Spiritual highs" come and go. They are not bad in themselves, but they are only a catalyst.

Feeling distant? Ceaselessly steel your very will to that of God's, realize that you are near, and you are near. The entire Christian life -- a life of Love -- is a constant affair of the will.

-Bily Xiao