Ramblings

Admittingly, this weekend is culminating with a dash to the tube hoping that stations are still open after I arrive London Liverpool Street station just after midnight. I don't think I'd want to take a taxi considering that I know London like the back of my hand. I am aboard the 10 pm train to London from Norwich and it's like ghost-town inside the carriage. I'm tanned from today's sunshine but the other passenger haunts me with his pale, haemoglobin-deprived look. I'm munching on some minstrels and I'm tempted to offer him some nourishment. But I'm deciding not to. His posh accent tells me his rich enough to buy a herd of cows he can butcher and give him some much needed iron.

This evening is not about him really. It is about the weekend. I left Gelo at the station and has less than an hour drive to reach home. I have on the other hand just a little over two hours to my destination. I have ample time to write about the anecdotal accounts of what happened in the past 50 hours away from London. However, iPhone blogging as I mentioned a million times already is to pee under the influence of alcohol where you end up wetting your summer canvass shoes and you say "shit" when you know it's incorrectly used in two known levels of comprehension. "Ewwww" would have been appropriate but mocking oneself for stupidity is not a good idea in building self-esteem. So I will stop blogging nonsensical thoughts here and just outline possible titles for my coming blogposts.

- Thelma and Louise - with the police minus the chase

- State of mind - He is the highway, the corners and the nooks covered by sat nav

- If I was Simon Cowell

- Half of the battle won

- Captain America needs venofer and EPO



They're the titles and I can't wait to be home and start writing them. I hope the motivation potion is still frozen in the fridge but I haven't got a clue if my electricity top-up at home was enough to power the motor for more than 50 hours. Otherwise, photos will be an alternative to play and arouse your imagination. But then again, some people are lazy and pictures are enough for them to get that fix from reading blogs. The VoiceOver from the train is saying "We are arriving Ipswich...". Damn it, I have over an hour more to stare at this horrid blue train seats (with dull orange prints) that have seen and felt more backs and bottoms than my old, decrepit sofa at home.

An hour seems forever and minstrels chocolate buttons are running out.

Lastminute

It is Saturday night and I'm in a pub somewhere in Great Yarmouth with Gelo. Oh believe me, I have a lot to tell about this trip.

.... very interesting, exciting stuff indeed!

So before Saturday ends, allow this lastminute entry to fill the void.

-iPhone blogging while sipping Gin and Tonic!

friends

I am not blaming a partner or ex-partners for this phenomenon - lessening frequency of phone calls from friends in my phone directory. This is mad and upsetting but I will downplay this as if my ego is not bruised and torn apart. The fact is.... I am reeling from this to the point of inciting reflection.

This is probably a positive sign to move to Norwich for WORK.

Believe me... I am an extremely friendly mammal on Earth.

I guess, hits from FB and Blogspot count as an unconventional way of saying "HI".

But still.....

Jersey's not New York

I did promise a review of the JERSEY BOYS Musical.

However, that evening was about two objectives. See below:

- After 3 hours of chit-chat, I'd be able to reconnect with my 2 other colleagues who are off work for quite some time now.

- After 2 1/2 hours of passive/active involvement and occasional jeering/heckling while watching Jersey Boys, I'd be able to say "I've seen 99 percent of musicals in theatre-land".

The only thing I'd say is ... the musical is purely a hit or a miss in terms of personal enjoyment. You've got to be a fan of the 60's music to appreciate it. If not, you'd struggle with the tunes and if not a fan of Frankie Valli, you'd just shrug your shoulders and oblige to customary clapping (with less enthusiasm)after each production number.

Personally, I have two things to say about this evening:

- I am a fan of musical theatre and I have a wide range of musical interests. Watching the Frankie Valli inspired musical is a good experience. I'd recommend this as a must-watch if you haven't seen Les Miz, Chicago, Wicked or Phantom. If you have, then it would affect your judgment of this musical. If you've seen it all and this is the last thing you need to watch, then go. Balance in your life will be restored for doing so.

- I like the JERSEY BOYS but being a man, having two major reasons for a night-out mean I have to juggle priorities. These reasons muddle with my instinct to have an all-out fun resulting to a halved enjoyment denouement.

OK.

The JERSEY BOYS Musical is fun but far from being my favourite.

less imagination required

I'm way too lazy to process some imagination in cooking tonight's meal. I'm glad there's a bag of chips and buttered chicken all ready to bang in the oven for a good half an hour. All I need is the stamina to browse Facebook and the agreeable mood to write this rather short blogpost.

I didn't know lazy smelled this great!

fuming

I seriously thought, you can be "no read (barely read), no write" and "poor" (in the context of being less privileged and less moneyed) but be a good-natured and well mannered person. I don't think treating another person with goodness, understanding and respect would need thorough, high-brow education and money to make it known and felt. But obviously not...

I guess I have to blame a chronic disease in this regard.

I don't understand how people can incorporate the F word every after two-three words in a sentence (imagine the amount of Fs in a 3-minute rant). It's simply appalling. I don't have respect for people who are like that and they simply are not the kind I'd like to associate myself with, no matter how close they are to my bestest buddies in the whole wide world.

This blind item is for real.

To be honest, he's worse than this blogger I know who swears for England but not necessarily mean it. I'm regretful I even took on this responsibility of being his friend on Facebook (and indirectly as an "actual friend", through my bestest GURL-friend). I guess he'd never notice if I block him from my updates and just ignore the F_____ bugger!

365

London 2012 Olympics is soon punching the clock!

The hunt for perfection is beckoning.

vanity plus

This is how you use changing/fitting room when boredom catches up with you.

This is how you use changing/fitting room when you got tired of trying on a SMALL garment on your FAT errr... large body.

found a pound

As I was about to pay for my oyster card, a 1-pound coin was slotted inside the change dispensing cavity. This week, I plan not to top up a week's worth of travel for I have commitments outside London (Norwich) this weekend. It's a waste of money to do so. This is why finding a pound is a joy.

On checking my card, it flashed 80p and on that note, I had to top up with the remaining coins in my pocket. With extra two pounds and 80p, this would guarantee an entry through the gates. It was indeed a lucky day for me.

A Sterling Pound is equivalent to 69-70 Pesos... not a lot compared to Kuwait Dinar but higher than a Euro, Dollar and all other currencies of the world. With that amount during the early 90's, it would mean a very decent meal and a return fare via jeepney back home. I went on holiday few weeks ago and a teeny-weeny barbecue was 25-30 Pesos and we are talking about street-grilled stuff. It is probably worth pointing out that my niece is attending nursery at Diliman Prep and my sister is paying 60K for a year (now, FREAK OUT - because I did). My nursing tuition fee was 3000 Pesos back then. Now do the inflation rate.

Finding that Pound coin is somehow a reflection of value. I have changed over the years with regards to seeing the value of things; the value of money. In fact, I still feel the pinch of my wicked ways in the past. For me, small things matter because great matters are made up of them.

Actually, I'm a lot easier to please these days.

BEAT THIS!!! Mr. Pursuit for Life

I got a mention from Mr. Pursuit For Life.

It seems like my reputation re: cramming and last-minute working on assignments, is becoming acceptable in terms of justifying one's inclination to do the same thing. The therapy and assurance from this mention is that brilliant minds (eherm!!!) do not have to purge blood and work doggedly to achieve a passing mark in essay-writing (or any academic stuff for that matter). I am flattered for I know Mr. PFL has healthy and over-excited neuronal discharges.

However, I don't recommend this habit to anyone.

I requested an extension for two of my remaining assignments and was granted few months of respite from labouring on it. SEE BELOW!






Now, if I don't get high grades for these asSignments then I must be the thickest, most stupid, least motivated and indolent homosapien that ever lived. This last statement is a good measure of motivating myself. I promise to NOT JUST PASS THESE TWO MODULES.

I WILL SHINE!

Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons

... review coming up!

double F____ YOU!

OK.

The tracking note reads "The parcel was refused by the recipient and returned to the sender". This message makes me grrrrrrrrrrrrr to the nth degree.

- I didn't refuse it. The security (of the building) did!
- The courier didn't even bother to contact me.
- The courier didn't even bother to reason out!
- I tried calling the company but the f____g customer service operators were shite!
- I was on the phone to an 0845 number for over 10 freaking minutes (do you know how much it costs, ha!????)

I'm not a happy bunny!

past week

As I was trying to live my life pain-free and hassle-free, the world witnessed grim and loss.

Norway's massacre of the innocents


Amy Winehouse's death


The world has so much problems right now that to whine/whinge about my petty problems is not worth it. I better shut up.

beer

I HATE BEER.

MOST HETEROS WOULD SWEAR TO LOVING IT AS IF NOT HAVING ONE PINT A DAY WOULD MAKE THEM GO CRAZY. THIS IS ENGLISH CULTURE WE ARE TALKING ABOUT. I HAVE ADOPTED AND ADAPTED TO THIS WAY OF LIVING BUT ONE THING THAT I COULDN'T GET MYSELF INTO LOVING IS THE B.E.E.R.!

Those who know me well would order me gin and tonic or a mojito. I plan to ban beer on my special day. I hope Gelo agrees.

middle age

OK.

I am old. I feel old. I talk old. I smell old.

That's my psyche talking.

I'm glad my body feels differently.

8

This is strange.

I am holding a number 8.

(Photo taken from Brighton)

C.P.

This photo is meaningful to both of us.

After a month of being apart (break-up), we decided to seal our first meeting with a day trip to Brighton. A lot had happened since that reconciliation. We went on holiday together, met our families and got to know each other very well in the process. We've known each other for eight months now and the reason why I'm stressing this number 8 is because sealing a commitment doesn't follow a number. Strange but two of my closest work colleagues got married after 3 and 8 months after their initial meeting. They both have a marriage mileage equivalent to hundreds of thousands of miles covered and there are no signs of slowing down as far as I know.

I am not justifying and rationalising anything at this point.

sun's out = miracle

When I got back from holiday (Phils), I was not surprised to be greeted by a week long of rain. I was expecting occasional bouts of sunshine but to my mild dismay. I have nothing against rain and the bleak, dreary effect of dark clouds looming over the metropolis but this has major impact with the way I get that opportunity to play tennis.

So while Gytis's frolicking somewhere in Regent's park and Bo, doing a high class dog-act of frisbee catching, I decided to do my own thing - tennis at Holborn. Ninoval and Lito cancelled but Albert and Daniel obliged to join me in my quest for a healthier lifestyle. Aside from ruptured blisters - both hands and feet, I'm glad to have done this au naturale exercise outdoors (doing sit-ups and lifting dumbbells in the living room don't count as natural workout really).

However, I'm knackered to the hilt and it's not even Monday yet.

good luck

I have seen Priscilla twice but this is Gelo's first time. From where I come from, you take someone to an event the very first time and that would give you good luck. I am desperate for that luck.

I want us to be happy for life.

unhealthy

Whether they're expensive meals or not, I felt like my blood vessels clogged by almost a millimetre thick, shortening my life-span by few years. Why is it that a tasty meal carries the most lethal unsaturated fats in it? I need to make necessary changes with my life plan if I want to steer it to better prospects and eventually allegorise longevity with good diet.

devouring a bloody t-bone

cram

So it is just a matter of a week and a bit before two assignments are due to be submitted to the board for scrutiny. The subjects I'm tackling are getting more and more difficult. It's verging to an unknown territory, taking me out of my comfort zone. When you have these topics and you have less time to play errrr... work on it, it's double the pressure.

I'm seriously FUCKED.

I usually trust my instincts but this is plain disaster. I don't like failures especially when these are something within the remits of my physical, emotional and mental fortitude.

I need HELP.

the laundry

I finally decided to use a different brand of laundry soap as advised by le partenaire. My laundry smelled like Spring flowers and I'm overjoyed. I realised that in life, even minor decisions count and most of all, matter.

the meeting

So, Bo and Gelo finally met.

Here's the analysis through a song by HoD. Click ........

....HERE.

With love

We all go through a series of unfortunate events. At this juncture, I won't delve into it. I want to focus and remain optimistic. I certainly have a good reason to be that positive anyway. While money and other related things wreck havoc to my sanity, I feel stable with matters of equal magnitude to finance and its disposal. As they say, balance sought or not will try to assert itself when the situation calls for it.

I know this is the philosophy of people who cannot identify logical and illogical reasons to not achieving the desired effect and outcome to set out objectives. However, I do believe in this phenomenon. I couldn't count the number of times I had more than enough savings (amazing right?????) only to part ways with it due to reasons of emergency nature. Fate is that bitch we all forgive a million times in our lifetime because whether we run out of logical explanations/actions or being left without choice, we embrace her like our alterego.

It's not a deep, thought-provoking insight about living. I am just stressing a point that if I have to find the mode, mean and median of my existence at this very moment, I'm probably break even. If push comes to shove, I'd rather be in love than anything and everythig else in the world without love.

Ps- ignore the grammar and spelling. iPhone blogging as I said before is a PAIN!

holiday every week

I can close my eyes and picture Liverpool Train Station vividly in my mind. I have frequented this travel junction a million times that I know the shops and layout of the whole place. It's even easier to plot the corners and dips of the station as it is now nearly midnight and the whole expanse of Liverpool is getting less busy by the minute.

Gelo is arriving just after midnight from Norwich. I am approximately 20 minutes away from this station but Gelo takes over two hours to get to London. This is not a bad time difference between us. I'd rather have this than two hours of world time difference or two hours of flight time. Two hours train time is far more tolerable and feasible to make a relationship afloat and going.

However, distance is still distance. A phone call and a text wouldn't suffice to replace that constant longing for touch and visual connection. My previous relationships taught me the art of living together. To share each waking moment is a step forward in fostering a meaningful and relevant partnership. I'm sure some relationships work via long distance but I can tell you now that I believe in satisfying all of my senses without fail.

Few more weeks and we both are aiming to resolve this issue. When you love, a compromise is not as hard as doing a "Sophie's Choice". The outcome matters more than the process.

The good thing about this is that.... I'm actually super-duper excited about the prospect of moving in together. It gives me that vibes of celebrating christmas and new year every week.

barrio-tic fiesta

Since when did London Barrio Fiesta become a fashion runway?

Is this because of the "London" before it?

This is not the point why I'm writing this. It is unnerving to note that with Filipino gay culture, there's nothing but pure bitchiness and dissent that stand out. Too much pride, alcohol, gossip and American/French/Italian fabrics have polluted their sane and right-minded composure.

I sincerely went there for "kakanin", banana cue and buy salted eggs for Cecile.

I'm glad it rained.

verbosity is twitter's greatest anomaly

I was writing a tweet...

"I am thinking of what to tweet... My soon-to-be C.P.? My craving for tennis? My desire to leave work for a full time teaching job? My quiet yet fulfilling humdrum existence (I dunno how humdrum and fulfilling could co-exist in a statement but hey...)? Just thinking of what to tweet lulls me to soporific state. The w.w.w. ether is too vast it's pointless to shout out and be heard keenly. Amen!"

Then as I was about to press the send button, it wasn't highlighted. I was MEGA, SUPER-DUPER OVER the limit re: words. I was disappointed. I pressed delete button with so much finger pressure I swear I could almost break the iPhone screen.

Twitter sucks!

PS - I wish people get ludicrous phone charges for every single tweet they send out there.

blast from the past

I don't remember how old I was but I pretty looked innocent then.

Geez, I hate it when I have nothing to write. It's pretty obvious.

Bozo is not a clown

HoD shows his softer and gentler side (not entirely but ...) and I'm happy that he's happy for me. With that, I wish him the BEST and the BEST man there is out there.. in the market... in the bookstore.... or on eBay.

Check out this LINK!

happy

Life is complex and living it is hard.

That's a fact.

You may argue that the rich and famous plod through life with ease but the truth is they too, go through the process of cyclical pain and happiness life-model. Being human makes us all vulnerable to such thing as consistency of inconsistencies in keeping life's predictability. That's quite a mouthful to refer life to but constancy isn't something there is to expect for as long as we live.

But amidst this notion, I drift and saunter through it with an understanding that I am a honed traveller through all these changes. I am ready to go through anything because happiness is not a valley a person explores and pass through many times over in a lifetime.

rain rain don't go away

Call me Mr. Strange but I love rain.

purpose

We were not disappointed with the underwater camera.

It was seldom used but it served its purpose.





London is having few days of torrential rain but not even once that I have worn the wellies I bought two years ago. I hate beautiful things that are of no use to me except for cluttering the space they occupy.

Manila vs London foot/feet

This is to show Cunelva the difference of my PAA...

Manila



London

nearness of you

meeting family.... check!

start

I HATE BREAKFAST WITH PASSION.

Since moving to UK, I could count the number of times I've had something fried and dairy to start the day. I'd be happy with coffee and a glass of water to take me to a growling tummy at lunchtime. However, how could I resist these tempting brekkies when it was sculpted (literally) and coddled to perfection by Gelo?

I am not sure if challenging norms set by my own psyche is a good thing but he certainly does that with utmost pride and confidence. The feeling is like that of a child taking first steps to self discovery and freedom. The latter being an antidote to selfish, prudish ways and acceptance of virtues other than my own.

Breakfast is really good start.

HP

As Harry Potter breaks records all over the world, I am proud to say that I am few minutes away from King's Cross station. I get to head-butt with tourists who clamour for photos with THE WALL.

consolation

He lost SEVERAL times to Novak (this year) but the previous year was Nadal's best. There is nothing for him to prove but accolades/awards are a good justification of one's sporting contribution being highly valued.

RAFAEL NADAL - BEST MALE TENNIS PLAYER, ESPY 2011