SO. a 3-week lull in blogging has made me feel obliged to come pay a visit to Bronzage and post something, no matter how nonsensical or trivial the post may turn out to be (hell, i dunno why disclaimers will always follow, even though im fully aware that we are entitled to post whatever crap we want). fifth week into school and at last im much better settled in, and getting into the groove of things. and so, im very much thankful for that. it has been slower and much more difficult than i had anticipated. now, my weekends are usually quite meaningfully spent, since more people have shifted up to paris. sadly, some of them here ought to head south, or better, to the polar opposite end of the world. im sure you've heard of people having faces only their mothers would love. never seen any of this rare breed? there's a whole menagerie here in paris. some of the species here bear testimony to that. and they have especially endearing characters to boot.

school has been kinder to me thus far, at least when academics arent concerned. in that respect, school's a real bitch.. but at least, perhaps thanks to my supreme talking-cock skills that have finally dared to rear its head, ive managed to coax some of the people in class to open up more. and boy does talking cock lighten up most things. it's beyond my comprehension how they can queue up for lunch and study english vocabulary all the time. granted, most of them have quite a dismal grasp of the lang, but studying it just like that aint gonna make them proficient anyway, so why not wile away the time by watching people and talking cock? just look ahead at the snaking queue, and you see a motley crew of people with clothes so fanciful, and at times so garish u cant help but stifle your laughter if your eyes ever meet. so far, ive met an alizée look-alike (a joy to look at), a KAREN MOK look-alike ( right down to the very big mouth that swallows bananas whole sideways), a scary spice (horror has never been this real and upclose) and some aspiring manga-character wannabes (err.. i think some of them have added a gothic touch, so i really dunno wat to say). apparently, france is the 2nd country after japan with the largest no. of manga fans. weird isnt it? anyway, let's not digress. my favourite sighting so far must have been this girl who looks exactly like a scarecrow. she has big permed hair and some weird hat not unlike those of samsui women. her glasses are of a weird shape and her earrings are small chinese crackers (pao4 zhu2 in chinese if im not wrong) that extend all the way to her shoulders. pass me a lighter and id make sure they combust spectacularly haha. and to complete the très chic ensemble, she has a big green cloak that could certainly earn her a cameo in LOTR as gimli's bride maybe, and gypsy clothes that ... really make me at a loss of words. im usually able to find things to say, no matter how absurd, so if she managed to make me tongue-tied, u can imagine how 'awe-struck' i was.

moi à maxime, en lui indiquant de mater la fille pas loin d'où on était: c'est quoi ça? un épouvantail?
maxime, en tournant pour la voir : se mettre à glousser

currently, the talking-cock topics bandied back and forth tend to revolve around schoolwork. how awfully boring. i shall try to get them to talk about more light-hearted things. =) who needs further discussion on homework when you already have 8 hours of lessons on most days?

right now, my head is spinning and my throat is so raw it feels as if someone has maliciously grated it with sandpaper. i hate falling sick. it's one thing feeling so ethereal and light-headed, it's another having to complete assignments and revise for exams. how terribly heartening. god speed my much-welcomed respite in 3 weeks.

anyway, being down and out has made me more... religious. well, somewhat. at least that's what i wld like to think hah. but it's especially hard seeing that i've just bitched about some people in e paragraphs above. nonetheless, i would just like to share with you ppl, in this rare moment of unadulterated feverish sobriety, some brief points that ive gleaned while doing my Quiet Time. hasty as it usually is in the morning, i dun have much time to ponder over and reflect on the deeper significance of the verses quoted/anecdotes illustrated when i read them. yet it is as if some of them were specially tailored to suit the situation that i was in.

2 Chronicles 20:17-Do not fear or be dismayed, for the Lord is with you.

Mark 11:22- Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God".

Ephesians 3:16- That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His spirit in the inner man.

John 10:3- The sheep hear His voice, and He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out.


my confidence in people was, is, and will continue to be misplaced. friends can fail us. life is not always fair, but God is always faithful. I need to think of His words when i grapple with fear. some of Jesus' words to His disciples about having faith in God leave me wondering if i can ever exercise that level of trust and confidence in prayer. i cant recall telling a mountain to relocate itself into the ocean and watching it happen.


i quote:
faith is holding onto the faithfulness of God and, as long as you do that, you cannot go wrong. faith does not look at the difficulties. faith does not look at itself or at the person who is exercising it. faith looks at God. faith is interested in God only, and it talks about God and it praises God and it extols the virtues of God. the measure of the strength of a man's faith, always, is ultimately the measure of his knowledge of God. he knows God so well that he can rest on the knowledge. and it is the prayers of such a man that are answered.

how often have we stubbornly tried to rely on ourselves when we're trying to serve God? instead of self-effort, we shld try to find strength in 'Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us'. and on a more personal note, doesnt it feel good to be acknowledged as an individual? all of us have a desire to be known; be it by our friends, family, colleagues or by our neighbours next door. it's especially sad to know that friends, either fair-weathered or subscribers to the 'out of sight,out of mind' mentality, dun bother to know each winding path we take, and every sorrow, pain and ache. but God will not forsake us, He knows and loves His own. He knows our every thought, sees each tear that falls, and hears us when we call. To rest on the knowledge that God loves us immensely, and thinks about us all the time, is definitely a comfort we can luxuriate in when the going gets tough.