Had a busy busy weekend...I got myself absorbed in reading about the Holocaust; and I even ordered some five books by Elie Wiesel who was himself in the concentration camps at Auschwitz...This is the most historical event which entraps me in its snares of evil...and the question of God comes in!! Where was God?!! Does anyone of you have any answer to this?!

Anyways I'm still struggling with this and will be thus anxiously awaiting for the books to reach me in the coming days. On Saturday I went out with one of my buddies who is also here to do some good research at our world-renowned theology library which is acclaimed to be the second biggest in the world. Had an extra hour of sleep and woke up started off reading an excerpt from a book and got ready for church got back home prepared lunch ate also some typically ukranian food and drank some hungarian drink...with a mint flavour not my favourites but could not turn my mate down hehe...

Then headed back to my room finished reading the article and was about to start off writing my reflection on it but realized that it was time to get ready to get to the STUK for a jazz festival with my Polish and German friends....will get to post a photo of us there when I get to receive it from Christina (the German) it was quite fun, drank a couuple of sweet beer - will get the name some other day...it tastes quite good...it tastes like any other drink except like a beer!!

Anyways, this brings us to yesterday...andddd it rained all day...all day long...was planning to do my laundry after classes but had to forget about it...has to do that later this week...
And today I had to rush to the library to meet up with my promotor Profs. Hans Ausloos who will be my tutor or supervisor in my writing the research paper...I read out to him the proposal and guess what?!!! He was dumbfounded...he was so pleased with it!! Gave me the go ahead to sumbit it...I'll do that on Monday.

In the meantime I'm revising for tomorrow's Greek test....wiiiii

Have a craze for chocolate....does this have any psychological explanation?!!

Off to have a glass of wine...my Ukranian neighbour said that she is feeling and looking a lot better after she got to drink a glass of wine a day...Let's have a try at that...nothing to lose something to gain!!

Ejjjjj.....well well had quite an easy day today! went out late yesterday evening with one of my Profs' son and two daughters! it was quite a nice evening! Went to have a good ice-cream on Brusselsestraat which is quite near the city centre...was quite cold and never in my life had it occured to me that i would go for an ice-cream in such a freezing cold weather...but believe me it's one of the best of sensations! I had a banana split royoale! a huge ice cream!! That was what they suggested was the speciality of the place!! So I went for that!! It was superb!!

You see many students here go out on Thursdays!! Simply because on Fridays they leave to visit their families!! Thus Thursday is their day out! Should consider that it will mine as well!!

Got back at around 1am and then slept till around 9.30am had my breakfast at noon and my lunch at around 4pm. In the meantime, I almost finished reading a good illustrated book on Anti-Semitism and Post-Holocaust Jewish and Christian relationship...ordered a couple of books by Elie Wiesel which I expect to get in a couple of weeks!

Hope I'll have them here before a couple of my friends from Malta come to visit me so that I could send them to Malta with them!!In that way, I would have more space in my luggage for the clothes that I've already got and will still have to buy a couple of more items as Christmas presents plus the whole lot of my notes and books which I have to revise during my Christmas holidays in Malta as just after two days from my arrival from Malta I'll have to sit for my exams!!

Cool...off to have a waffle!!

Will save you a bite!!

We are one - the lion king 2

Just thought of posting this one video from a musical which I truly love...this was the one I also saw staged in West End London...one of the most awesome of experiences!! Anyways I love Lion King because it's so much about life!! Life in the wilderness!! Life in the world!!

This one track reminded me of my beloved father!! Who is much of a teddy-bear!! He is so much amiable!

It strikes a cord in me!!

We are One - Lyrics

As you go through life you'll see
There is so much that we
Don't understand

And the only thing we know
Is things don't always go
The way we planned

But you'll see every day
That we'll never turn away
When it seems all your dreams come undone

We will stand by your side
Filled with hope and filled with pride
We are more than we are
We are one

If there's so much I must be
Can I still just be me
The way I am?

Can I trust in my own heart
Or am I just one part
Of some big plan?

Even those who are gone
Are with us as we go on
Your journey has only begun

Tears of pain, tears of joy
One thing nothing can destroy
Is our pride, deep inside
We are one

We are one, you and I
We are like the earth and sky
One family under the sun

All the wisdom to lead
All the courage that you need
You will find when you see
We are one

No wonder why all are so fit!! All students here rent or buy a bike to travel round the city!! I never got one myself!! The reason is that I prefer walking myself to whichever place I need and want to go!! Besides they don't have the British system here but the French driving system!! So better not risk my flesh!!

It's more probable that you get run over by a bike rather than by a car!! From the very early ages they get a bike and they hardly long to get their car licence!! They don't need one anyways for they have good efficent transport systems.

"24hr Run"

Wowww....what a day!! Had a full day of classes...woke up earlier than usual had a couple of minutes to revise some vocabulary and grammar points for the Greek test...and guess what I got full marks in that!! In all the three which I had to sit for thus far!! Cool! Hope I'll keep this up!

Ate my home-made lunch at around noon and then had classes till 4pm with only an hour break which is the lunch hour here that is from 1pm till 2pm...where no one gets to have any classes, which is quite cool because you get to meet your friends then...

Well after that I got the bus (the firt time ever I used a bus) as I always prefer to walk myself around here! But it was so cold today that I just decided to get the bus and then get off near the 'ring round'!! Had only a vague idea where the Sports Centre was but Isimply had to follow some other students whom I assumed where heading there...then I just decided to participate and here I am running with a good speed...wearing only a thiny long sleeved jumper with a t-shirt bearing the logo of the theology student association here in Leuven - "Katechetika" as far as Flemish students are concerned and then there is the English counterpart for which I apparently was the only representative...indeed they were much surprised to have me participate at the marathon and treated me like a pro!!

But to tell you the truth...I almost fainted as I had only had my lunch earlier today and did not have anything else afterwards! But as soon as I regained my breath I had an apple and headed back to my room! I had to miss out on the Interreligious Celebration today. It will have to be next time!

Soon off to bed!!

• 

Isn't this a beauty?!! One cannot but be intrigued! What a free spirit...watch it how it soars!!

Had quite a nice day today! Woke up brushed up some Greek grammatical points for tomorrow's test and then had my breakfast at noon...rushed to the supermarked bought some food...got back and then started off reading an article on the creation accounts...finished up with that...had lunch late in the afternoon and rushed to classes...got back and then got ready for the work out - to warm up for tomorrow!! As I'm also supposed to participate in the "24hr run" organized by all of the university-based associations...it kicked off this evening at around 8pm.I'll try to go tomorrow after classes that is at around 5pm or so!! Later on there is an interreligious celebration at the Sint-Jan-de-Doperkerk at the Groot Begijnhof...these may sound weird names to you but that's a church in a very nice place here in Leuven! Will take some good shots whilst I'm there...

Off to bed...for a full day ahead!!

Join the dance class!!

Dancing with God!! He leads I follow!!

Let's Dance...YOU and I God!!

Hold me close and let your arms surrond me!!

Sunday....

This is the park I walk through to reach the other side of the city of Leuven. There is more to it than this...and actually I was walking through it this morning on my way to the University Parish I got some other good pics but but I could not upload them as I forgot to put the memory card back in my cam yesterday so they were all stored on the internal memory of the cam itself and I left the USB cable at home...so have to wait till around mid-December for that!

Had an easy day today...slept some 10hrs...which is pretty good and then woke up to read some other pages from an article which I still have to finish and then got ready for the Sunday mass...my greek professor presided today...Profs. Reimund Bieringer. He is quite of a figure here...

We always have a small reception after mass. I didn't linger much today because I still had to rush back here to prepare my lunch...had a chicken recipe on mind but had to do away with it because the chicken breast which I bought on Wednesday had a certain smell...hehe!!

Now I'm all done soon off to have my siesta...to get up later to start writng my reflection for Profs. DeMey...quite demanding!!! pppfffff!

Weekends are the worst!! I always get homesick! There isn't much going around here as many Flemish students just head to their families on weekends! So on Friday's there is this exodus of some 45,000 students...all on foot or else with the bike! You're more likely to get run over by a bike rather than get hit by a car!

More about bikes laters...

Could not help but take a shot of this! It reminded me of the buses we still have in Malta...This was the kind of "limo" for the bridal party of today's civil wedding ceremony! Couples here just go the city hall and declare to each other infront of their respective families that they are now marrried!!

This is a shot of a part of the college where I reside...It's Leo XIIIin the niche, to whom this university college is dedicated. This is a reasonably nice place to live, with spacious rooms and all the facilities. We even have a chapel here!
This is by far a better place than the room I had last time I was here which was some two years ago... I had a very tiny room, hardly any space to move around but I was still as happy then; I could stand it as long as I kept on reminding myself that I'd be gone soon!
The weather today is quite nice but chilly cold. After I finished up reading some articles I went out took some shots and bought some presents for my two nieces...and I also had to treat myself with something and thus I bought some others for myself! But could never find a pair of jeans that suitsme the way I like!!

Off to my siesta!!

FareWell Party @ St. Thomas Bay

This is a photo taken at my farewell party...before I got to leave to here!! What a nice get together..it was also in the occassion of Mariella's b'day...it was actually her idea that we should ask our friends to get together and many of them did actually made it to St Thomas Bay...some got lost on the way...but in the end got to see them still! All of them are gifted gifts...how lucky and grateful I am!! Each of us had to bring over some finger food and we all did and had many thigns to indulge ourselves into! Some even brought wine! Another friend of ours just ordered a pizza (quattro staggione) woww and she only ate it as a margherita...she took away most of the toppings as usual!! haha...

These leaves though fallen and trodden upon...still have beauty to them...So when you feel as fallen just remember that you're still as beautiful and that when you feel that you're down to nothing know that God is up to something!!

4th Wk

Perhaps you could tell that I'm still finding my way around here!! This is the thing I should have done earlier but never got to do it! Actually somebody did it for me and I just had to post blogs!!

Well, I'm back in Leuven. Here for a couple of months to get done with my pre-doctoral year. Actually this is my fourth week here! So far so good...I still have a long way to go...but I'm over many things; Actually, it's quite tough when it comes to leaving behind your beloved. This decision was quite a tough one to take but I'm glad I did actually get to follow my dream because dreams are the calls which we have to harken to! And my being testifies for this. But all good things come with a streak of affliction. Indeed, this has taken quite a toll on me and I'm still dealing with this ordeal...it's not something you get over with shortly but have to deal with it in a fresh new way every single day...hoping each day would be better.

I've been spending most of my time in the library looking around for books and photocopying much of them...the most intriguing fact is that which ever book you look for you're sure to find it somewhere. There are tonnes of volumes of books. As for today I had a very interesting class with a Romanian Orthodox Theologian who is a guest professor here...a person that has an aura to him...Nicu Dumitrascu is his name!

After class I rushed to the library and started looking up an online catalogue and looked up some material for my research paper...and then decided to have some supplementary readings for Profs. De Mey's class...which would definitely help in writing my reflection for next Monday which reminds me that I'm running out of time...it's already Friday and I still have to start reading a couple of articles before I get to write my reflection-reaction....

Woww woww...well don't get the impression that I limit myself to doing these things only!
I get to involve myself in much more things...but will have to wait till I get to tell you about these!! That's for next time!