Regressing back to childhood

Well, ok, 'useful' things will have to wait. I think I did need a break this afternoon. We had so much fun ! Went to have coffee with a couple of good friends, and we then ended up going to Brandon Hill park, and having much fun there - involved 'Pirates', bushes, racing up hills, going on swings...generally having a good laugh together. Have been out for 2 and 1/2 hours. Haven't laughed so much in a while. I'm still tired, but less so than before. And I feel more refreshed and ready to get back to it for a while.

2 down, just 4 to go...

...or 5 if you include my project viva I have at some point. As of this morning I have now completed 52% of my degree ! (Ouch). It was data handling this morning. It went slightly better than the one on wednesday (at least I am pretty confident I at least passed this one), but I still ran out of time majorly - but then again, I think very few people finished.

I now have a couple of weeks (to revise in) before my next 4 which come pretty much one after the other for a week - aren't biochemists nice ! I may go home for part of the time though, especially as my birthday is next week (21 - can't believe it !)

I am shattered though now. I feel 3 and 1/2 hours is too long for an exam - so hard to concentrate that hard for that long. It was nice though to go for lunch after with some biochemistry friends, so I only got back in about an hour ago (hence my sudden reapearance on the net). I will now sort a few things out, and then try and decide what to revise tomorrow - i.e. generally trying to do 'useful' things, but which aren't too strenuous.

And I continue my previous sentiments - do all keep me updated as to how you're all doing, and if there's stuff coming up that I can pray for.

Post-first exam thoughts...

this will have to be fairly quick, since I am in great need of sleep !

Haha. Thanks Rich and Jammin. Umm, the exam didn't really go that well - ok, it was terrible. Not something I could have done anything about with anymore revision though, it was mainly cause I seriously ran out of time. I'll be lucky if I got 40% in that one.

Still, I'm trying to forget about it now, and concentrate on revising for the next one on friday (eek). Or at least, I am now I had a good let out of emotions and some listening to 'heavy' rock music earlier (or at least heavy for me) :-) (After which I do feel a little better).

I do feel very tired now - all my limbs ache a lot, which I think always happens when I'm really tired or have put a lot of work into something...(so my mum tells me, since she gets it too). But I do feel really blessed to have so many good friends who are so concerned about how I'm doing. So THANK YOU so much to all of you, you know who you all are. I know that you all have exams and stuff and generally a lot on too, so it does mean a lot. I do really hope that you're all doing ok. (Btw, I do feel a little self-centred writing all this stuff. But if there are exams/deadlines etc coming up for other people, do let me know, and I'd love to be praying for specific things if I can.)

I will try to keep going, even though I'm not sure how I will get through - even with so many supportive people around me. It's 'only just' started, and already I want it to end, and I want to go home again...But then, I need to try and remember how I've been got through in past years when I haven't thought I'd be able to. I'm sure He'll get me through again somehow ! Night night !

Exam thoughts...

Well, first one is tomorrow. I don't feel ready in the slightest. I think it's also partly a case of disbelief - it's hard to believe that after tomorrow I'll have completed precisely 46% of my final degree. Weird huh. Isn't it so weird trying to think that after however many years it has been of education, the climax is now within the next month, after which...I'll end up with a bit of paper which will supposedly tell everyone how good I am at my subject. Hmmm. How can anyone ever be defined by a bit of paper ? On paper I might appear to be really amazing - have had almost top marks the past 2 years, amazing work experience, impressive sounding projects, done a lot in spare time...but in reality, well, the story's a lot different. I may have all that on paper, but does that really mean anything ?

I guess I'm rambling now - probably cause I'm tired. I've never seen uni as about getting a bit of paper really. I just wanna understand all this Biochemistry stuff ! (Was actually quite fun today when things started clicking into place. Only worrying thing is it doesn't seem to be staying there !) But thinking of it as above, I spose in order to try to scare myself into working harder or because I don't feel like I'm as stressed as I 'should be', just feels strange. Any other final years feel/felt the same ?

Anyway...can't do anymore now. Nothing else is going in, or has been for the last few hours. So I think some sleep is in order within the next hour. I shall perhaps give a progress report tomorrow.

(p.s. I finished Season 1 last night !!! Need to find somewhere I can buy season 2 now...)

And so it goes...

Well, brief update on what's gone on with me since Easter - I am now back in Bristol, and trying to get used to it again; projects are due in tomorrow (thankfully finished last week); exams start on wednesday, spent several hours removing a virus from a housemate's computer this afternoon (glad to have been able to help, but was certainly interesting), am very tired (due to sun waking me up ridiculously early, certain nightmares last night, and being back in Bristol - I never sleep well first night in a different place. Hopefully tonight will be better). I'm not complaining in any way, just stating facts. It's all ok though - exams will be over soon (far too soon probably). Church was good this morning - very good to see many good friends again, and a good service. Will try to be strict with amount of time spent on internet these next few weeks, so may not be around much, but I shall maybe do brief posts like this one from time to time. I hope everyone else is doing ok, and all the best to those with project deadlines and exams coming in the near future.

For sunday...

HAPPY EASTER everyone !

Life, the universe, and everything...

Well, maybe a bit of an ambitious title, but I'm not feeling very creative today (anyone else find that the title is nearly always the hardest part of a post to write ?!) And so much for possibly not posting again before Easter ! Anyway...just wanted to note down this observation:
Over the course of the time I was away, I obtained several CDs and tapes (most of which were in bargin bins at Spring Harvest, so don't worry I didn't go mad and spent very much money, as all but 2 (1 was a present for someone) of the CDs were about 50p/£1. Is just a good way at learning lots of new songs quickly for cheap I find). Anyway...back to the point...despite the fact that I bought these few CDs, I think my favourite new CD has to still be the one I got for free - the New Root's acoustic set from the Louisiana (you can listen to the tracks from Ben's website). I have now lost count of the number of times I have listened to it. I still love it ! Now, cheesy as this is going to sound - shows you the best things in life come for free; like good friends and ummm the New Root CD...Well anyway, I do think the New Root acoustic gig sounds amazing. Do go and have a listen, and I'll just hope that Ben doesn't mind me linking his site ;-)

Garfield comic strips

Hehe. On a completely different note from my earlier post: My brother just sent me a link to this site where you can create your own Garfield comic strips ! Try it, it's fun. He also created this strip below (very amusing I thought, so thought I'd share it with you all since I have a blog for this kind of thing...) Enjoy. See, I can do short posts ! :-)

"There and back again" - a Spring Harvest tale by Ro...

Yesterday afternoon I completed the full circle (or technically I spose it was a triangle) by arriving back in Reading, from where I began my journey to Spring Harvest (if you don't include my journey from home to Reading before getting a lift). It did feel a bit like I'd just completed something. Anyway...I'm rambling...

I have just had an awesome week and weekend. Last week (mon 3rd-sat 8th) I was, as I said in my last post, in Skegness at Word Aive Spring Harvest 2006. If I were to attempt to write about everything that happened last week then the blog post would become so long that even the most dedicated readers of this blog would probably give up partway through ! I can try to summarise though and mention a few specific things. I can say that I learnt loads (which will take me probably the next year to process) and had great fun. There were about 75 of us from the Bristol Christian Union, and I also had a chance to catch up with a few other people I know from elsewhere. We were (as usual) staying in flats/chalets of 6 people; I was with one of my housemates and 4 guys from Bristol cu. Our chalet was such fun - at this point I could tell many hilarious stories, including the one about the duck and chilie, or the eating peas from a bowl, or the 'exile into Babylon', but that would take too long so I will just have to leave you in suspense :-D Seriously though, it was really great to get to know some of the guys in our chalet better, and I especially appreciated chats with one in particular who I went to the morning sessions with.

Each day at Spring Harvest I went to a 'Bible reading' and then 'understanding and applying the Bible using Exodus as an example' in the morning. In the afternoon there were a range of seminars, but other than the subject related or worship leading related ones I mainly chilled in the afternoons. The evenings were time to cook and eat together before going to the student celebrations (imagine thousands of students from all over the country coming together to praise God) and then some nights I did go to hear various people playing (YFriday again, Electrolyte, Kristyn Getty, Andy Flannagan), followed by various parties/gatherings in chalets. In the student celebrations we were looking through the book of Colossians in the New Testament. In Colosse at the time there seem to have been false teachers there, saying that what they had heard wasn't all they needed to do to be Christians and to be saved, that there was all this extra stuff they needed to do too...but in this letter of Colossians Paul, the writer, was saying no, that's not true. To know God, and to be in relationship with Him, all you need is JESUS, nothing more, nothing less. Yes, things like praying are good (vital in fact), but NOT the means by which we are saved. Jesus comes first; these other things come afterwards as a response. So we were looking through this book and looking at what it means to be an authentic Christian. On a similar note actually, on the way back yesterday I happened to glance at a magazine in WH Smiths which claimed to have all you needed to know on the confusing issue of religeon in it. It compared various 'religeons', looking at when they originated and what they said concerning big issues of life. I was quite concerned over what it said about Christianity. It said, what I think is the false belief of a lot of people, that to be a Christian and 'get to heaven' you have to follow what Jesus says and do 'good things'. When in fact, that's basically what this letter to the Colossians was about - that that's not true. Being a Christian first and foremost means that you believe that in dying on the cross (at Easter in fact) and then rising from the dead 3 days later, JESUS took the punishment that EACH of us deserve, for all the wrong things we have done, and the way we want to go our own way and turn from God, our creator. That it's only through Jesus we can be 'reconciled'(1) 'reconciled'(2) to God, NOT through doing good things, and that we can then be restored to having a relationship with God ! Sorry for long rant - wasn't intended, but talking about these things again gets me excited, and saddens me so much that we so often think we know what Christianity is all about, but actually a lot of the time people don't have the amazing, exciting, full story ! Christianity is all about a person, Jesus, and being in a relationship, NOT about following a set of rules and regulations to earn your way to heaven. If anyone does want to know more about this issue, of who Jesus really is, what He did and why He did, then I'd encourage you to either come back at me (in the comments or you can post your e-mail address if you'd rather everyone else not read something too, and I can e-mail you), or take a look at this page on the website of my home church, which probably expresses it better than I just did ! Also, this site has a lot of helpful articles on specific barriers/big questions people may have, such as why does a God of love allow suffering etc...

Back to talking about Spring Harvest - after probably the biggest tangent I've had yet on my blog (though I don't regret it in the slightest!) Other things I was reminded of, apart from how exciting things are, were: how fragile life is. Now, although I may often seem pretty together as a person, I know that although I don't often admit it even to myself, I am so broken and messed up in so many area of life - so much so that it got a bit overwhelming at one point during the week. But then I was reminded that God is the God who brings healing and wholeness; that maybe it's only when I admit how broken I am, that He can start working in me to put the pieces back together. I was also reminded of just how much responsibility I've been given - with the amazing blessings I've been given, and also with being used in sung worship. That I sometimes need to step up to that, and not to just keep hiding.

As I predicted, the journeys to SH were also 'interesting'. The one back was slightly less eventful as the one up there (where we arrived about 4 hours late), but both were fun. Ask me if you would like to hear details, otherwise I will leave it as this post is going to be very long already I fear !

Then I had an absoloutely AWESOME time on sunday night at the NR gig at the Fleece in Bristol. I loved walking down with such a big group of friends for once, and just seeing everyone at the gig. (I have been given some REALLY AMAZING friends !) Much laughing was done by all, and see Ken's space for some photos of what we got up to ! I also enjoyed spending time with another of my housemates on sunday afternoon - was good to chat generally, to tell her about SH, and to try to teach her to strum on guitar !

I am now very, very tired still - after a week of not much more than 5 hours sleep a night - and have much work to do, which I'm not too keen on starting really. But it'll be ok. I just want to make sure I hold onto all the things that I learnt last week, and remember all the fun I had on sunday, so that I can work really hard in the time I have avaliable now. I shall be around the blogosphere again for a while, though I may try and not be around too much, for work's sake. I hope everyone is doing ok. Do remember to come back at me if you want about anything I've said. I shall hopefully post again soon, but in case I don't manage to before the weekend: I hope everyone has really good Easters ! xx

Next week

I have some news everyone: I’m afraid to say that I will be off the internet (e-mail checking and the blogosphere) for just over a week from tomorrow. “NOOO”, I hear you cry, (well, maybe not, but it adds dramatic effect). But do not fear, cause I will be back before long. Also, there is a rather exciting reason for my lack of internet access – I am going up to Skegness for a week. Now, lovely as I know Skegness is, I do actually have a reason for this. I’m going to Spring Harvest, which is a kind of Christian conference thing. The week I’m going for is called Word Alive, which as well as the normal Spring Harvest programme has a special student programme, which is organised mainly by UCCF. There will be Bible overviews in the morning, and Bible readings (not sure what the topics are yet this year), a range of seminars to choose from in the afternoon, student celebrations in the evenings, as well as a variety of gigs* and full use of the Butlins facilities (including amazing swimming pool). I’ve been for the past 2 years, also with people from Bristol CU. There are always quite a few of us who go, and each time has been good, for different reasons. I’m really excited about: building new friendships, deepening existing ones, and most importantly about spending time just listening to and learning from God, without all the usual busyness of life. In the past it is true that I have had various issues with UCCF and Word Alive, but I think that this year certain things are a lot clearer in my head than they were say in my first or second years at uni, and I’m just looking forward to quality time away, and seeing God doing something new, as well as continuing things He's been starting in me. I shall attempt to write a post when I get back, detailing how it all went (including what I’m sure will be memorable car trips there and back) and attempting to share the main things I learnt.

I’m also looking forward to being back in Bristol for a couple of days after Spring Harvest finishes, as I’m going to the New Root gig at the Fleece on sun 9th April. I may well also try and make it to Woodies in the morning (depending on how sleep deprived I feel after the week in Skegness) and so I may see some of you then.

But for now, I shall sign off (sniff !) And don’t write too many blog posts for me to catch up on when I get back, lol ! I must now go and pack...



* In past years I have seen YFriday, Steve, Nicki Rogers (who signed one of her albums for me), Bethany Dillon, Shawn McDonald...I wonder who I'll decide to go and see this year !