Bavarian sugar cookies

Sometimes, when we lose ourselves in fear and despair, in routine and constancy, in hopelessness and tragedy, we can thank God for Bavarian sugar cookies.


And, fortunately, when there aren't any cookies, we can still find reassurance in a familiar hand on our skin, or a kind and loving gesture, or subtle encouragement, or a loving embrace, or an offer of comfort, not to mention hospital gurneys and nose plugs, an uneaten Danish, soft-spoken secrets, and Fender Stratocasters, and maybe the occasional piece of fiction.


And we must remember that all these things, the nuances, the anomalies, the subtleties, which we assume only accessorize our days, are effective for a much larger and nobler cause. They are here to save our lives. I know the idea seems strange, but I also know that it just so happens to be true.

-- Stranger Than Fiction, 2007

no time like the present!

i've been wanting to resume blogging since, i dunno, forEVER.

so, yeah, no time like the present, right?

it completely astounds me that it's been almost 7 whole months since i first came to HK, and therefore also 7 whole months since i last posted something.

i can always say that i've been horribly busy, but the truth is maybe i was also a little lazy, haha.

but the thing about blogging is, you gotta be inspired to write something down, you know? i don't want posting on my blog to be anything like a chore, something i feel just obligated to do.

so what has gotten me off my ass to finally write something down?

well... the answer is, obviously, up there ;-) hehe

baby-- here's to you ;-)

you mean the world to me.

and i know i could have emailed this to you or texted this to you, or even said this to you over the phone.

i dunno. i guess i wanted to do something relatively new, you know? ;-)

or maybe part of me wants to declare it to EVERYONE, you know? if anyone ever tried to Google me on the web, they'd come across this blog, and they'll know how much i love you, how much you mean to me.

i love you with all my heart, baby ko. thanks for shining your bright, sweet light into my life.

strangely at home

While I was walking down Gloucester this morning (i.e., the big main avenue in Wanchai where my office building is located), I was a trifle weirded out that it felt like I was walking down Ayala on any ordinary day in Manila.

This was the umpteenth time I had felt this since I arrived; the first time was yesterday evening, going home to the hotel from work, when I was at the corner deli grabbing a salad; the third and fourth and fifth was when I was riding the MTR; the sixth was when I was strolling down the streets of LKF, peering into bars and imagining I was in Malate (during more genteel, less jologs days); and so on.

Maybe every city is exactly the same as the rest, or maybe I haven't quite discovered the soul of Hong Kong just yet. The only difference I feel right now is that I can't hop into a cab and go to Greenbelt to meet my Bes, or go to the club to see Tan or Stef or Jef or Ets or the rest of the boys.

Put another way, like I told Jef when he called me last night, all I need is a friend's voice on the other line, and Wanchai transforms, in a heartbeat, into Makati in my mind ;-)

Hong Kong harhar

Pakshet, I love Hong Kong ;-)

But how can I not?? I've had two amazing meals. Then there are so many cute boys, haha. It's like I've died and gone to heaven.

first meal in HK: the best burger i've had in months, haha. greasy and fat and delicious. i was GV for hours after that. had my first taste of coke zero... na wala namang pinagkaiba sa coke light, anobeh. typical of awi, i go up to the counter, smile at the cute thai-chinese-whatever counter boy who grilled my burger pattie, and tell him "lovely, lovely burger." Mwahaha! My first official HK pick-up line.

This afternoon, my friend Christine takes me to this long leisurely merienda at her favorite cafe in Soho -- healthy organic vegetarian food that's super delicious (but also slightly expensive). We have spinach wrapped in phyllo pastry, nice coffee, then this amazing chocolate TOFU fudge cake. My gosh, chocolate and tofu, two of my favorite things. We talk for two hours, fill up my after-work calendar for the week (south korean gay movie on tuesday, party at this LKF bar to introduce me to her friends on friday, then maybe clubbing with alvin on saturday) and I feel quite at home ;-)

I take the MTR for the first time today. Evérything's so hyper speed! I fear for a short while that I will get lost meeting Tin but realize that there are clear directions to everywhere and all I have to do is follow the signs. Then theres a digital display showing how may frigging minutes its gonna take the next train to arrive, anobeh! I love love love HK efficiency. Kaya pala sinabihan ako ni TIn, Ï think I'm gonna be 7 minutes late, haha. She knew because she could figure it out from the effing digital displays.

Took a nap, had a longish (7 minute) conversation with bes, then discover that it probably cost me 25 frigging HK dollars!! Heller, mamumulubi ako if I dont switch to an actual postpaid line. Must get one ASAP.

All for now. Gotta get me a camera to add pics to this blog....

My result when I took the 'How Daring Are You?' quiz

You Are a Dare Devil

For you, life is one big dare. And you're all in for any adventure. Others find you exciting, inspiring, and a bit intimidating. Your biggest challenge at this point is trying to top yourself!

How Daring Are You?

tribute

I'd like to think I'm a pretty fabulous gay guy ;-)

A few years ago, though, I was not this fabulous. In fact, I was pretty much ensconced in my shell -- not exactly 'in the closet', so to speak, but not living my fullest life possible.

The person I owe this huge transformation to is Alvin, my (Singaporean) Inchik who hung out with me, and mentored me, and taught me that, yes, it's quite ok to be fabulous, haha.

Happy birthday, Inchik. Love you!

updates

Omigod, it's been ages since I last posted pala. Kakahiya naman with my three regular readers.

Last week didn't turn out as horrible as I thought it would be, with the office completing a successful transfer to our new location, my flatmate and I getting along famously (though of course we're currently running into each other once a week lang), and my wisely ditching the Paris Hilton album launch for dinner with my team after our lipat.

This week, on the other hand... wow. This week was the week I had to reap all the bad karma I've accumulated for my past several weeks of dissolute living. On top of having to do an immense amount of work for a workshop my team ran this Thursday and Friday, I had to spend ALL my after hours on an extracurricular writing project -- na hindi ko pa tapos, by the way, so what the fuck am I doing blogging?

Anyways, above are pictures of the last time I made yosi in my old office balcony, which, in hindsight, is one of my favorite places in the world. Nothing like a meditative five minutes with a yosi stick and a few smoking buddies to put everything in the proper perspective.

Here's to Tanya and Cynthia, my smoking posse ;-)

Self-Esteem Boost

Argh. Hectic, hectic week:

My new flatmate is moving in today, and though she is gorgeous and cool and funny and the sweetest girl imaginable (luv u, Au!) , she is still virtually a stranger, and it's going to take a few weeks for us to find each other's groove. So, yeah, I worry about this.

Then there's the Foundation moving to Salcedo Village this weekend, and though our new office is hip and swanky and fabulous and is a five-minute walk from my apartment building (yipee!), moving is enormous physical stress! So, yeah, I worry about this.

To top it all off, I have to attend the Paris Hilton album launch on Saturday, and I have nothing to wear. And hell yeah, I worry about this.

TWO major life-changes this week, plus ONE important PARTY. Pakshet.

(Sigh.)

(Sigh ulit.)

(And one last sigh, for good measure.)

One surefire method I use when my confidence is ebbing and I need a self-esteem boost: I look at my 'before' and 'after' weight-loss pictures ;-) Haha.

This is my 'before' picture, circa 2001:

And this is my 'after' picture, taken last year; I'm 80 pounds lighter and packed with more muscle (choz!):

To quote from the Credo: "I believe that I can do absolutely anything I set my mind to."

Go go go, Awi! ;-) Kaya yan, ikaw pa.