Week Seven

The dreaded week seven striked again. Last year, it was a horrible illness. This year it was unprecedented amounts of stress... and the return of the cough.

So as not to dwell on pity

My week, in a nutshell, was very tiring. Lack of sleep (we're talking about 5 hours or less a night) + a lot of work (French test, psych readings) + NATS singing competition next week + Mustard Seed + violin recital coming up soon + performing at studio class, etc = STRESSED OUT JOSH.

But what was good about the week, you ask

On Friday, the Hvass's (SoulZone Ministries) had a night of healing and prayer at their house from 9pm to midnight. It was an awesome time of soaking in prayer and extended worship - seeking God's face, and His will, and His presence, and His touch. We split up into small groups of five after a time of worship, and I went into the den with Gary, Will, Leslie, and a gal from St Olaf, Laura. We spent more than two hours just praying... when a person was prayed for, he sat on this really comfortable rocking chair, and the rest surrounded him.

So I got prayed for for about a half hour I would think. It was awesome. God spoke to me in many ways... about stressing out, taking on too many things (and He even specifically told me what to drop from my plate because really this term has been one of the most tiring and stressful terms for me...) and even an insight as to why my cough is persisting. I believe it may be related to stress! :) We'll see. I'm going to try and take things easier till the end of the term (how that's going to happen I don't know, because things are getting BUSIER... AND we have to start registering for next term... but I'm trusting God on this one). And then look forward to going home!

Hey, God's already working. Today, Saturday, I woke up at 2pm. And I had NOTHING to do!! What a change. I actually felt so strange... like something was wrong. But I have to confess that I created work for me to do... well, read on.

Access to the secret room... my precious

So Annie (musical arranging genius, Exit 69) has the key to the Midi Lab, which is a room, always locked, in the basement of the Music and Drama Center... and in this room are treasures untold. Computers hooked up to keyboards and Sibelius!! :)

I spent all of today (pretty much the whole afternoon, and then from about 8-ish till midnight, with a break in between when I met up with Rashika and gang for a break) in the Midi Lab. Arranging music for caroling this year. Woot!

I am so excited about caroling!! :) And it will rock.

So yeah...

Tomorrow is Sunday. And then the craziness will begin again. But for now, I thank God that at least I got a chance to take a breather today (sort of) and even have time to blog about this.

God, I need more balance in my life. And time to CHILL... and just be like Mary. I want to find the better part. Help me.

Who's Who at Carleton

Apparently, famous people do come to Northfield. Today, the people on the Kerry Edwards campaign trail came to... my college! Yes, there was a big rally in the concert hall of Carleton College. And in addition to Kerry's stepsons, who I would suppose are famous in their own right, there was also Ashton Kutcher of That 70's show and Dude where's my car? fame. Yeah, and I was just watching tv, and they even showed Carleton on the news. Yeah... it lasted all of two seconds: "Later, Ashton Kutcher went to Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota". Saw the side of the concert hall flash on screen and disappear. Hélas, that was our two seconds of fame.

Storm

Tyler, Chieko and Erica came over for dinner... and we cooked up a storm. Seriously. We made baked salmon with mushroom and soy sauce, pek cham kay, french beans with minced pork, foo yong tan, tomato and potato soup (ha trying saying THAT), leftovers from House of Wu... Sorry, Rashika, I did invite you. :)

Thank God for SUNdays

Worship at church today: awesome. Weather: perfect. Tennis: YEAH! Thank God for SUNdays.

What a week!

Up a lazy river

What an exciting week it's been. Besides having tons of exciting school work, I also had a lot of other great experiences. Last week, for example, was midterm break. Initially I had planned on doing the standard midterm-go-up-to-the-cities-and-splurge thing, but then I thought to myself: I'm in Minnesota.... I need to get out to the great outdoors. So together with Emily, Steph and Tyler, we went to Cannon Falls, about 1/2 hour from here, and went canoeing on the Cannon River.




So, amazingly, it turns out that only Steph had been canoeing before. Tyler had been out once... on a lake, with his grandparents. And turns out, that I hadn't gone canoeing before... at least not in this kind of canoe... apparently it was a kayak that I had been out on. So, this was definitely going to be an interesting ride. Add to that the fact that the temperature was a not too balmy 50-ish degrees fahrenheit... which is approximately 11 deg. celsius maybe?... and you can see why I did not want to tip the canoe and fall into the cold waters of Cannon River.

Anyway, it was with a fair bit of nervousness that we all climbed into two separate canoes (Emily had decided she'd rather be with Steph who had been canoeing before, rather than two Asian city boys who felt more at home in a car battling thousands of motorists than on a canoe in a big river... okay, so maybe Tyler doesn't drive, but that's besides the point).

So, the first thing the guy tells us (oh btw, the place we rented canoes from was this dilapidated laundromat-cum-canoe-rental shack, where the owner lived in a trailer behind the building... even more cause to be edgy). Anyway, he gave us some instructions that began like this: "So, once you push off the bank, and make it past the current that goes this way, you want to continue on the right, and look 50 yards ahead for any rapids..." And at this point, I'm going "Waitaminute! Hold on! Current?? Rapids?? What???" All this in my head of course. Nothing would belie my cool and collected exterior. And then I had to ask... how long exactly is the trip? To which he replied with the degree of nonchalance only a seasoned canoe..er could muster: "Oh.. just about 8 miles". Ack.

Anyway, turns out, it wasn't too bad... well, maybe it was. 100 metres into our trip Steph and Em got stuck on shallow rocks... so Tyler and I tried to divert that and went left... onto shallow-ER rocks. So we were wedged pretty good... and the fact that we both probably weighed more than Steph, Em, her nalgene bottle, and the canoe combined didn't help at all. It was a funny sight, I would have to say... we almost tipped, and that would have been miserable, because we had a two hour journey ahead of us. So after much frantic prayers mustered amidst gargantuan efforts punctuated by "Puuuuushhhhh"... we managed to dislodge ourselves. Yeah, we could have gotten out, gotten our feet wet, but where's the fun in that?

So anyway, we went on our way... and it was beautiful! Simply magnificent! There is something about being out in the open, out in nature, rowing down a river, never knowing what was awaiting us around the bend... at many points, the river split into two going around an island, and we had to choose which way to go. Tyler and I usually went left, just because it looked safer... and there was this one time when we went left, because it was SO TRANQUIL, but after rounding a bend... we came across some mini rapids... mini because it was in shallow water, rapids because... the water flowed... rapidly... and that was kind of exciting. But, just being there, seeing blue jays... and eagles... and we even came really close to a crane or a heron... I don't know, I'm not a bird guy... that just flew over our heads... it really lifted my spirits, and made me realize how BIG our God is. And how BEAUTIFUL He must be.

And then, I got hungry. :) So anyway, this was us, 2 and a half hours after our tumultuous beginning... safe and ashore. Yeah!

Cannon River, created by God the creative creator... isn't it beautiful?

So, our souls filled with wonder, we proceeded next to fill our stomachs with food. Good ol' American food. Country Kitchen. This is Steph with her "Country Boy Burger"... it's bigger than her face. Seriously. But we were all FAMISHED. So that was my midterm break.

Joshua meets Joshua

Another incredibly exciting thing that happened this week was that Joshua Bell came to perform at my college. Once a year, the St Paul Chamber Orchestra performs at Carleton. Last year, Sarah Chang was the guest artiste, and this year it was JOSHUA BELL! For the uninitiated, Joshua Bell is only one of the BEST violinists around, Grammy-award winner, played the violin in the Red Violin soundtrack, among many other things. He made his debut performance at age 14... and he owns a $4 million dollar Strad!! Joshua Bell.com for more info. Anyway, the concert was phenomenal, he played Vivaldi's four seasons, then a movement from Mozart's and then played with the orchestra... and the best part? I had FRONT ROW SEATS! Anyway, at the end of the concert, some of us hung around... to take in the ambience, in awe at the virtuosity that we had just witnessed... me? I wanted an autograph! hehhehheh. Yeah, I got it, AND I got a picture too. I'm so inspired to practice. Well, maybe not to practice. But I sure wish I could sound like the other Joshua. :)

Other exciting happenings

Another exciting thing that happened over the weekend last week... was Homecoming. Yeah, we had a home game, and our football team won their first home game in four years! 55-14. Go Knights!

And oh yeah, last night I also went to my first ballet by the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia!. That was the only reason I went though... because they're good. And it was good... only it was a contemporary interpretation of Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet... so it felt a bit more like West Side Story than Swan Lake. But it was good. And today, we had "Singles' Night" at FISH... haha... and we had sundaes, malts and then we went to SUMO to watch Spiderman 2! Sigh, still love the movie. "I've always been standing at your door". Oh yes, and I also watched all of Season 6 and I'm almost through with Season 7 of FRIENDS. It's so addicitve but so funny! I know, I'm sad. :D

So, it's been a crazy week. Lots of homework, papers due, appointments, ,meetings... but God is faithful. And God is good. It's super that in the midst of the storms of your week, He is STILL the calmer of the storm. And He is still perfect peace.

And... I miss home. And... you guys need to EMAIL ME! :) Love you all. Here's a pic of Mustard Seed. Yes we all need psychological help. Who knows, I just might be a psych major after all. 

A milestone of sorts, or Australian Open here I come!

Today marks another milestone in my life. This time, however, it was not something that will echo through the corridors of eternity. Or maybe it will. Who knows? But, I won my first IM tennis match of this term! Yippee yi yay. Yes, it's not a big deal, and yes I beat a freshman girl, but the thing is not so much that I won, but the manner in which the victory was secured.

See, it was just one of those days where as hard as one might try, it would seem impossible to get ahead in the competition. I held a game, she held a game. I broke her serve, she breaks my serve. It was infuriatingly s..l...o....w. At 4-4, I was ready to quit. I was so hungry! I had been playing for a while... and it was getting cold and dark... and I had wanted to cook dinner.

But not one to throw in the towel without a fight, I kept at it... and tried to pick up the pace. But so did she. Darn!

Finally, we were even at 7 games a piece. This is uncharted territory for me. Me who lost both of my previous matches. So Tyler yelled out "You play a tie break". At that point, all the "I'm hungry" thoughts became "I'm hungry for this win". Ok, so I didn't actually think those words, but hey...

Anyway, so yes, I won the tie break. And no, I didn't cook after. Too tired. And too hungry. So yes, I went to LDC. Eek. :)

It was great!

House of Wu

Yes it is a corny name. And yes they had a corny sign. But oh my gosh, I hadn't realized how much I missed char siew, siew bak and roast duck until I sunk my teeth into the delectable food! We also had bean curd and kai lan. We being me, Tyler, Jon, Vince, Erica and her sister, Jaynie, who is a Carleton alum and a real cool person. Good times!

(Yeah, just so you guys know that I miss food at home!! ARGH!)

Thank God It's Friday!

At the risk of going on blogger overload, here are some pictures I took while on my bike ride today. It was GREAT. It's beautiful today! Thank God it's Friday!! In the picture below, you can see the wind turbine that belongs to Carleton - yeah we're the first college in the US to own its own wind turbine. Yay?

Finally, COWS, colleges and contentment...

I went for a walk in the arb too...

Isn't it gorgeous?

Flexing my photographer muscle...

:) 

The latest update on the busy life of Josh

Now for another installment of "The Busy Life of Big J Holla". Yeah, I have been incredibly busy lately - with school work (if you do pray for me, please remember me specifically in the area of academics - I just feel like I'm not doing as well as I can be. But also pray that God will give me greater grace to work out Matthew 6:33 and not stress out too much over homework!). Well, anyway, I thought I would give a quick update - and what I lack in words, I'm hoping the adage "A picture is worth a thousand words" will suffice for now... so here it is. A quick update...

So last weekend was the Carleton Christian Community retreat. It began on Friday with a combined worship with St Olaf and the Northfield community. Owing to bad weather, "Worship in the Park" became "Worship in Olaf". But it was cool. Later, we all returned to FISH House to hang out and play games. It was a crazy time. I was wired, or so my housemates claim. They have decided that it is their God-given responsibility to keep me away from all things sugary or caffeine-y. This is a picture of (L-R): Jason, Steph, Jori, Ben -faroeb-, me and Mary at FISH house. I think this happened while we were playing a raucous rendition of Mafia.

The retreat was held at an awesome place called "Lonnie Land" (because the owner's name is Lonnie, duh) just 10 minutes away from Carleton. It's a huge place - and Lonnie, who is a GREAT guy, made the lake on his own! Yeah. Seems he does excavation or something as his work... and there I was having a mental picture of him digging up the ground with a shovel. Haha. Go Josh. So anyway, Lonnie Land is super! There was a mega trampoline...

... a super cool slide...

... a beautiful lake on which to go paddle boating (that's me with Amenah. She didn't know how to steer... and there was this fountain in the middle of the lake... so I was steering her into it... she started pedaling furiously in reverse - it was hilarious!) ...

... paddle boating again...

... fun games - there was a beach volleyball court, a basketball hoop, ping pong table... a cabin to hang out in... and here we are trying to untangle ourselves... I stepped out to take this photo...

... and of course, great fellowship! The theme of the retreat was "It's All About Grace" and this theme extended to the Mustard Seed Chapel Service ("Amazing Grace") on Sunday. It went really well, thanks to those who prayed for it. I even had the opportunity to share a song I wrote during the worship. Guess what it's called? Guess quick! Yeah, Amazing Grace. I will try and record it and post it some time. When I'm not as busy... that would probably be... Christmas time. Ha! :) Let's see what else has been happening...

I've been cooking a lot! :) Eating at home is so much nicer than eating in the dining hall. BUT, it's so much more time consuming. Especially since I have been so used to GOOD food (Thanks to my MOMMY and MAMA and yeah my DADDY... and even my BROTHER can cook! yup. He cooked for me before I left for the US the last time around! Except Karsimah lah. She doesn't cook that well. :D) So yeah this was a couple of days ago. I took this photo because I was excited to make my favorite soup... recognize that Mom? It was almost like my mom's except I forgot the carrots. Oh well. And that chicken... well, I take after my dad in that we like to just throw things together... I don't even know what to call it... oh wait I do.... DELICIOUS. Haha.

One of my housemates, Pam, also celebrated her 21st birthday yesterday! Now she can drink! haha. :) Her room mate Emily baked her zucchini bread (her favorite it seems) and we all gave her a surprise party. Except she came home while we were putting up decorations... so ... surprise.

So yeah, that's what's been going on recently. God's grace is the only thing that has been keeping me going. What with all my work, Mustard Seed, Sola, Exit, working on the website, preparation for NATS (a national singing competition type thing... please pray... I have to sing in English, Italian AND German... I hate German! Auch!), coughing (still coughing a bit... but much better), and seeking His kingdom... and trying to live a life that would count for something... man, it's TIRING. BUT, the verse for the day... or this season is... "His strength is made perfect in our weaknesses." Isn't that awesome?

Some things that I am looking forward to:

• Concert with Joshua Bell - he's coming to Carleton... if you don't know who he is... he's the guy who played the violin in "The Red Violin"... he's AWESOME. Just bought his latest CD.
• Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet by the BOLSHOI BALLET COMPANY!!! YAH!!!!!
• How God is going to show Himself real next... He IS the God of the miraculous! and of course...
• going home! :)

To the people at home, I miss you all heaps... and thanks for praying for me! :) Please send e-mails... and tag me! :) To the people at Carleton: what are you doing reading this? You should be talking to ME in person! :) Kidding. I love you all too!! To the people I don't know... yeah. :) Ok. Write me. Gotta go. French test tomorrow. Pray! BYE! Oh yeah... this pic is what I get to look at just outside my window :) 

Frigid Fall

It's such a dreary Friday. It is now 1:49pm, I am in the LDC trying to start on my French paper, listening to KTIS, and... it is 5.9 degrees celsius outside! Can you believe that? It's not even October yet. Oh wait, it is! It's supposed to be freezing tonight, and when I say freezing I don't mean it metaphorically. It's going to literally FREEZE tonight. We're like a couple of weeks into fall. Come on!

Oh well. Back to work. :)