Some more ccfers during yesterday's visit downtown for researching and studying. And dinner at the foolish pbs show "treehouse" - house...the CCF house #2, the first actual intentional community house - full of young froshies and so forth.
I am glad that they're working at such a level, rather than a convenience and coincidence level.
today is angus glen library party day. Lazy Henry Hung, JAY and Gway are all as lazy as can be.
Especially Kevin. but ESPECIALLY JEFF. Who is lazing his way out the door right now!
however, I am being much more productive this summer - now that I don't have my internship to do, and that I'm only doing 1 course instead of 2.
trying to figure out when to preach! blarrrr and visiting friends at church and visiting churches taht i've always wanted to visit.
On the list? TCBC meeting house that united church downtown... errr...Emmanuel Howard park united church but it seems that I don't have that many sundays left to me =\
just got back from a salvation army + Christian Community Development Association joint-conference.
about surburban poverty, urban poverty, and gentrification, market forces, etc..etc..! all very good. VERy tiring though. Even though it was in 1 facility, not much moving around. but a lot of mental energy expended, I actually stayed away for all 19 hours spread over 2 days.
Lots of thinking, lots of ideas. it's good to see that God is moving and that there are clear results, and ideas and not just doom-sayings (as I may be tended towards...) about the future of the urban church, the plight of the poor in the face of a rapidly changing world and so forth.
ALSO! Ran into LON - whom i haven't seen for FOUR years! I thought i'd be the only chinese guy there (as didhe) and i'm sitting down...and looking over...and i thought. "hey...there's only one other chinese guy here. I know him!" BAM!
and also, there's a lady at the 614-Regent Park (Patricia something...) site that knows Jacob's Well because her sister (or sister in law...) is on the BOARD of directors! MADNESS!
met the director of Yonge Street Mission, and also the guy in charge of Sanctuary Ministries' wood-working shop. Jawesome.
A full week of randomness! Excellent 1st week back in TO
1/8
Saw a few people on monday...tried to ambush people in their library-study-space, but it's like people don't study? WTH?!
Wednesday - Ran into RAcHEL! (whom i met in Vancouver at the CTSA conference!) while i was sitting around at the Newman center...she was there to set things up because!!!! who's getting married, in a week!!!! MADNESS! And later that day, I ambushed my young apprentice whilst Wang Sang and i were on our way to procure whopper wednesday dealies. SOLID! DOuBLE victory!
On Friday... I ran into a member of my congregation from OUT WEST! lol. She's here for her first year, and in exams, and I saw her as I was on my way to get my hair cut. solid pastoral care, CROSS COUNTRY!
and that night, whilst heading northbound on the ill-fated TTC of doom I ran into no other than First name - Chen, Last name - Chen! lol. From MDHS days of yore! lol
And today, I saw lazy-Ashley from VICrew, who's being lazy in pharmacy now and not doing dragonboat (though I heard and understand the reasoning behind these choices)
And such is the chronicle of my downtown adventures for 1 week! next week? Doing homework, Systematic C - Pneumatology, Ecclesiology, and Eschatology beckon! zzzzz
DONE THE TERM! just mailed in my Anglican History & Theology exam today.
now onto summer...
- Systematic C: Pneumatology, Ecclesiology and Eschatology - The Bible, Homosexuality, and Sexual Ethics - Simon Peter remembered: From Bethsaida to Rome
...wait...this just looks like a normal term! >= \ blast!
So....i'v been back in Toronto since...Sunday night / monday early monring (1-2am)
and i've been downtown on monday and today...
and pretty much any conversation that's been with professional figures (professors, priests, other ministry people...) have had an element of social jusice! and they've all been very supportive of it.
Professor Q spoke of a friend who's experienced loss of family to the mental diseases associated with homelessness and substance abuse, and also of a friend who's been very active in the Vancouver hospital scene in turning things around. Good talk today about random and various things. my opinion of him has gone up another notch!
Anyways...good sermon today by the visiting priest at Peggy's church (sorry, HOMILY...) =p was able to bring all 3 passages, Acts 15:1-6 Psalm 122:1-2, 3-4ab, 4cd-5 ; and Jn 15:1-8 into coherence with one another, about how we ought to be connected to the tree, but will have our own uniqueness - and giftings and callings. And we ought NOT to insist upon uniformity and forced-conformity. from the CATHOLIC Church! That which Protestants are so often...protesting against for being uniform. He spoke about the Spirit being "wind which blows where it wills."
good times.
and talked with Peggy's parish priest - Father Pat, who had some...interesting things to say about vancouver's DTES, but meh. I won't get into that here.
okay. I'm out. TO FINISH THIS STUPID EXAM! well, good questions but again...I WISH IT WAS IN-CLASS! at least here, he says "take 2 hours only to do this"
so...with the exception of 1 more exam (Anglican History and Theology) I am DONE year 2.
Gotta write this up, and MAIL IT IN (not this type of mail)
Anyways...I will gripe about THIS... take-home exams...that are open book, but open-time limit, but referencing requeired. Wait! I've described an ESSAY. Correct.
And so...this "exam" which will be marked as such...will receive different amounts of time-invested. in both the research/study AND the writing.
with exams, the one equalizer is that all students have is the equal time that all of them have to write it in (2 hours or 3...whatever) but that's taken away here. BLEGH. granted, each paper is marked on its own benefits and weaknesses...but I think the point is to assure some sort of equal footing.
would I feel better if we were told it was an essay at the beginning of the year? Yes. Because now, I have 4, 5 other essays to do and they've got adequate research. I am seriously bothered by this, and I may write up a more thought-out and civilized version of this to the school.
But...all that aside, W00t! summer! was downtown today, good day, hanging out with people...not as many studying-disruptions as I had hope. Where DO you people study these days!? Or do you just NOT?!
So, got some basic outlines and research/stuying done for the exam. 2 hours of typing, aww yeah!
In other news... my flight came in Sunday/monday at slightly past midnight...and so I'm waiting for my luggage and talking on teh phone...when I hear the intercom call me over to luggage services, where I'm impatiently informed by the guy there that "we've been trying to page you for a while now Mr. Leung." And I thought to myself...wtf? So it's my fault?!
and he tells me the great news that my large luggage, with my school books necessary for this exam has been "left behind" in Vancity...and that it's coming tomorrow. All in a very impatient, annoyed tone! So I'm pretty tired, and I wish I was energized enough to verbally smite him! well..whatever...they shipped the luggage over. but i wish the attendant didn't act like he was so bothered about this, about my incredulity and everything. This was what got to me! this is his job! Why does he have to take his (whatever) out on me?!
