In a nutshell

1. I attended a 2-day animal handling course this week. It contained legalities and philosophy, justification and propoganda, paradoxes and controversy. The only thing that suprised me was the delicious morning tea. The only thing that will stick with me for life is the fact that every issue always has two sides to the coin.

2. We recieved 2 litters of mouse pups this week. 8 in one litter and 11 in the other. They're adorable! They have the cutest tiniest tails and have white bellies from the milk they suckle. So proud of the mothers <3

3. Cake day today! Got to meet somemore ppl from the MMB department. Now we officially have 2 cake days a week: Monday and Friday. Gonna get fat man...

4. O-Week this week. Got so much free stuff! USU was giving away these bags which had Red Rock Deli chips in them. Twice I went to get my free chips and Coke zero, twice I walked away with original flavoured chips. argh! T_T

5. SOTE today about BGR, lust and masturbation. I learnt two things today:

(a) It is okay to look at a guy/girl and be sexually aroused because thats just the way God made us but its not okay to look again with the intention of engaging in a fantasy/sexual thought. This is a new concept and quite different from people drilling it in that even a thought is sin. I think its more the fact that you're entertaining that thought that is sinful rather than the split second emotion. And of course, I would take the word of an academic theologian the same way I would trust a professor's word over a high school teacher's.

(b) Masturbation is not wrong if it is a means to release you sexual frustration, as long as it does not engage in sexual fantasies (especially with ppl that you know because they are not yours to covet/desire). Its also a big no-no if masturbation becomes an addiction, a hindrance to your marriage (because you're meant to be serving your spouse sexually as well) and becomes an activity that consumes your thoughts day and night. It is hard to keep a pure mind and if masturbation does not help you do that, then it is to be avoided.

This is because the Bible does not say anything about masturbation and therefore it must not be a big issue i.e. it is not right or wrong to do it. Its neutral the same way dating is not mentioned in the Bible and so it doesn't matter if you decide to court someone before you marry them or just propose (after careful and sober consideration, of course) without dating. Sexual desire is after all a gift for God with a goal in mind, which is to serve as a bond for your spouse/marriage and so just like eating is glorifying to God because its doing what He made you to do, so masturbation can sort of be seen to be glorifying to God as well. Especially if it means it'll stop all that porn and sexual fantasy business!

okay im sleepy now. Gosh im really getting old... -_-