Student "edition" found at {csi dot journalspace dot com}.

Maybe I shouldn't have started this blog now, not with everything that's been going on.

Last Saturday's IPR or inter-personal relationship session for the Socio-Pastoral Team was something I haven't experienced since high school.

The first part involved letting candle wax drip on your naked palm as a reminder of your worst pain - although the memory may not be physical.

In high school, there was this session where we had to hold our open palm over a candle flame for the duration of one Hail Mary.

This was supposed to symbolize our willingness to sacrifice for our promise of "holiness" to God, for which we had a burn to remind us.

It didn't heal for weeks, but it eventually did, and no one squealed to their parents about it. It was, after all, a priest who supervised us, and it was the closest to a barbaric passage to manhood we could experience in a Catholic institution.

Anyway, for last Saturday's session, it was self-controlled, as in each person determined how much wax would fall on their palm.

For me it wasn't just the palm, but the way I was holding the small candle, even my fingertips were included in the exercise.

Obviously, by the way, I can't write about this in the student accessible version because the Student Council still has their session on Wednesday, under the same facilitator, Ms. Alona.

Afterwards it was small group sharing again, then big group briefing.

There was, of course, a short lecture part related to our experience, which talked about active non-violence for all types of oppressors, whether personal or institutional, for which one of the solutions is a rally, showing which leaning this doctrine comes from.

The one that hit home to me was writing about it, into a play or a song.

And strangely enough, it ties in with the anti-bullying campaign of the younger grades this week, as our session was held in their chapel.

Session 1707 is used to coercing their classmates into letting them copy assignments or let them join their group for a project and not contribute anything. Class dismissed.