The year that was and the year that will be
2007 seemed to be a year of stillness and not much happening for me. Looking back a lot happened but nothing sticks out as being either amazing or terribly bad. It was a good year.
From going round the world and seeing friends for the first time in several years, to achieving some of my goals I set last year. Whilst at he same time forgetting or adapting some of my goals from last year too.
This was most definitely a year where my obsessions over my body and image have taken a back seat to striving for a totally different type of achievement. In fact I have not been to the gym at all this month, and at the moment I most definitely have a small bump of a tummy from the extremely hectic eating, drinking and socialising.
But on the plus side of the goals I did achieve all but one of the business goals, but the one I did not meet is being met at the moment with the SAAS platform well and truly underway.
I talked about my dislike of new years resolutions last year and I still hold the same thoughts. It should be goals not resolutions.
I am keeping my goals to myself this year, but many of them revolve around the six month plan I came up with in October as a result f my business discussions in the USA.
Like every year great icons of the world passed away such as Bergman and Pavarotti, along with acquaintances and friends who also lost their own personal struggles this year.
I am still looking for my theme song for this upcoming year last year was I Just Wanna Fucking Dance. But this year I am having trouble deciding what I want.... Will it be sentimental, dance or something in between?
This year has been a year for making a lot of new friends and expanding our group, whilst at the same time getting back in touch with old friends who we have lost contact with. But there has also been the deterioration of a close friendship which has caused me much stress.
This year has also seen quite a few couple we know part company which is always sad when people break up, but in the main for the best.
The total annihilation of John Howard and the almost unprecedented throwing out of a government in a buoyant economy and the rise and rise of Kevin Rudd as the new Australian Prime Minister.
So far he has been doing what he promised he would do, but I think we must be vigilant and encourage Kevin and his Government to continue to fulfill all the promises made.
So what will 2008 bring?
I don't really know what 2008 will bring, I do know that it will be the end of the USA Bush era, but beyond that I do not know whether it will be a Clinton ticket, Obama ticket or someone else?
In Australian politics I don't see anything great happening until after July when the conservatives no longer have the majority in the upper house. Until then I think wankers like Bill Heffernan will continue to oppose any form of equality for same sex couples.
Anyway so 2008 will be here in a few hours and a whole new year of opportunity.
Labels: contemplation, wrapup
An Interesting find
You can click the image and be taken to the product page, and even better it's relatively cheap too at only $150 USD...
In my never ending search for all things fun and artistic, I came across a gay artist in the US who does some really very cool and fun sculpture!
His blog is
here and his gallery of work is
here.
Labels: art
I am familied out
Over the last week I have seen my parents not once not twice but four times and I am totally familied out.
Now don't get me wrong and certainly do not think I do not love my family. I do love them very much it's just that they are painfully annoying.
It might have something to do with the age difference (although my sister is only 3 years older than men, but it doesn't really count since she acts and thinks just like my almost 80 year old parents).
I cracked yesterday with them.
We were at a good Sydney restaurant overlooking the Harbour for lunch. A fantastic venue to kick back and relax eat drink and be merry.
But the service or lack thereof certainly meant hat the restaurant part was strained.
But my parents and sister were a nightmare. There was not one moment of respite for me, the whole time it was "Drew look at this", "Drew what do you think of this", Drew you should do this", "Drew why don't you like this", Drew Drew Drew fucking Drew!
Can they not just leave me alone for five minutes of peace and quiet and let me relax?
By the end of the three hours of lunch I was a nervous wreck.
I would liken it to having three four year olds, all competing for your attention. In the end when the one millionth irrelevant dig at me (and it was thinly veiled put downs) I snapped at my sister and told her to be quiet for two minutes.
But guess what she didn't even get that!
I am still stressed out from the lunch and their whole performance it was a fucking nightmare.
I have been through this scenario with them so many other times before and it drives me mad.
The problem lies in the totally disparate lives the boy live to my parents and sister. Their worldview is so much different than mine and looking back on my upbringing I could see the gap between our views on the world when I was an early teenager.
Interestingly in talking to my parents and sister there is no real understanding of world events (or in fact interest either). They focus on their immediate surroundings, people and environment and don't really bother with how the world works.
The only external topic of conversation yesterday was how an elephant killed a man, and even then it was bought back to my sister's fear of being squashed by an elephant (yes I am not kidding).
There was no understanding or knowledge of current events, even with the death of Bhutto yesterday. In fact I don't think my sister actually knew which country it happened in, and by her own words the Television didn't focus much on it anyway they were far more focused on the elephant story.
Yes I am probably being elitist and an intellectual snob, but my mother and father still believe they live in a world where people get promoted based on how long they have been at a company. My mother and sister constantly tell me that we both work too much and we should take 6 weeks off a year in holidays.
Part of the issue I have with my family is the lack of commonality between us now, and my sister is the worst. I can't tell my sister what goes on in our lives, about the friends or parties etc because she would go back and report everything back to my mother and father. So anything that does not fit in her world view would be scandalising and I would have my mother on the phone upset and in hysterics.
I suppose being school teachers (my parents are long since retired) they are used to a very very different life style and in their day when they were involved in 'business' it was quite different.
I love them but please can't they not make me the centre of attention when they see us? Can they not learn that silence is a wonderful thing and a lunch a nice restaurant on the harbour should be a relaxing time not an interrogation!
end rant
Labels: family, stress
Imagine you are driving fast Oliver - By Julian Opie
How fucking sexy is that?
And for those not in the know (and I was not) a Lamda Print is a digital printing technique that does not require a negative to be created and uses a wet printing process like traditional photography. Cool eh!
Labels: art, obsession
Thinning yourself down
I wasn't too happy with my Julien Opie style
picture yesterday, on my facebook profile it looked like I was Fat!
So I have slimmed it down a tad and added in more background LOL
I am so vain!
Labels: art
Rip off
I decided since I can't buy a
Julian Opie that I would try my hand at creating one from a picture of me!
Labels: art
Twas the Day before Christmas
Twas the day before Christmas and not even a beagle is stirring! We had friends over for dinner last night and Danger Mouse is staying in the spare room, with Beagle happily snuggled up with him being miss protector.
Some time during last nights dinner with Danger Mouse,
Margeux &
Nick we stare making Gin Martinis. Surprisingly I do not feel all that bad considering the amount of alcohol I drank but I am sure that could change!
A dampener was put on the evening early on when my sister rang to say my father was taking my mother to hospital. Knowing my family and their complex medical history it could have been anything from heart, to asthma to god knows what.
Mum has been suffering from a form of cellulitis on her leg as a side product of both Warfrin and general old age. The area had become infected and the infection was steadily moving up her leg giving her a fever and a general feeling of un wellness.
I have not heard how she is yet this morning, I am just waiting on a call from my sister or father to update me.
I hope she is OK, and I do hope that she is well enough to come to Christmas lunch tomorrow.
It's sad when parents get to this age and the body just seems to be in an ever increasing state of disrepair. You treat one thing like the Heart with Warfrin, and then it causes all sorts of other hideous problems. Will they just hurry up and find a cure for aging already!
On other more happy topics the boy and I did settle on a Christmas present for myself. We have been driven mad by the need for some more colour in our apartment, one friend even went so far as to say our apartment was boring with white, white, white and cream (bitch).
As much as I would love to buy a
Julian Opie I can't afford one which is a real bummer, but since I already have a Pro Hart & a Chagall I don't think I am too badly off LOL.
In the end for the big long white wall we decided to buy a 'decorative artwork'. What does that mean you ask? Well a decorative artwork is a piece of art that has been mass produced painted. It still looks good but it's value is a decoration and not as a piece of art.
It's pretty in your face and makes a significant statement in the room, I.E. it screams LOOK AT ME!
In other Christmas news, we gave Danger Mouse a very 'child' present, after all he calls us his gay parents (still not sure whether I like that considering I am not that much older). There is some background to the present though, every time we end up at a recovery party danger Mouse's alter ego comes out to play, and more often than not that means Danger Mouse is up on a table dancing in his underwear.
Now I am all for cute boys dancing in their underwear, but, and it's a huge but!
He wears the ugliest underwear (I have told him this on numerous occasions) so we bought him some
Andrew Christian underwear, which I am sad to say he is not wearing right now.
Sigh you try and encourage these boys to wear nice underwear and look what happens LOL
Anyway Merry Christmas and all that I will probably
Labels: art, christmas, family, health
The Campaign fell apart!
Well the campaign to get London Preppy to give me his life sized picture has fallen apart.
He has decided that he wants to keep the picture :)
Oh well such a pity really but thanks everyone who helped out!
Maybe I can get him to give me the extremely high quality digital version and we can just blow it up ourselves and use it....
I was reminded...
I was reminded today that being gay is still not OK in everyone's minds and hearts. Whilst I strive for the full recognition of same sex relationships people are still struggling with the very basic right of acceptance and tolerance from their very only families.
A friend of a friend from the country who has been living in Sydney this last year was told in no uncertain terms that he is not welcome back home this Christmas.
I was really horrified when I heard this and felt so sorry for him. Knowing that this very gentle soul is being pushed away from his family all because he had the fortune of being born gay.
He will be fine, he has friends around and will most definitely not be alone for Christmas. But this reminded me of something far more fundamental about being gay and friends and family.
Many many many years ago (and I mean that seriously many years ago), my very first boyfriend's flatmate told me that he and Micheal (my then boyfriend) were 'family'. Not family in the sense of being related by blood, but they were family in the sense of looking out for one another, dropping everything if the other needed them and just being there.
It was very common back in the eighties for gay people to describe their friends as families in this way. For many back then they had been thrown out of home, shunned by blood relatives, lost jobs, lost friends & lovers to HIV / AIDS and in return they created tight families of friends.
Both the boy and I are really very lucky that our families love us very much and share our lives with us. On Christmas Day we will spend the day with our families all together during the day and then at night we will see our 'other family'.
So this Christmas think about who your 'family' is and enjoy your families on many levels.
Labels: general life
Nothing much to say
I don't really have all that much to say apart from tonight I am packing up the office tonight once everyone has left and the movers will come in at 7:30 am to move me.
You would not believe the price gouge that I have endured for this move just because it's the week before Christmas. I started calling removalists this morning and most were too busy this week to do the move.
The two that were interested both were difficult to pin down but in the end I got one to agree and agree to a price of $150 for the move. $100 for the hour and $50 call out fee, pretty steep nonetheless but not too bad.
But then this afternoon when the guy rang to confirm he then told me there was a two hour minimum call out. So a total cost of $250 for the move!
What a bloody rip off!
But the guy knew I had to move this week and I was between a rock and a hard place so I have to accept the cost.
Mind you it means the move will hopefully be done before anyone gets into the office tomorrow so I can be all out and moved without having to make up any false platitudes or lie to anyone as to why I am moving.
I am not an effective liar face to face which means that if one of the others in the office asked me why I was moving I would not be able to spin a story and I may have ended up being nasty and rude which is not called for.
Only one week to Christmas!
Can you believe it's now only a week to Christmas? I have not been feeling all that festive this year, call it the mountain of work,
the stress of moving and just a general apathy.
But today as I worked in the office for the last time I decided that yes indeed it was only a week till Christmas and I was going to bloody well think like it was Christmas!
So with a week to go and two weeks till new years I am finally excited!
Mind you I have not done Christmas cards this year which is something I have always done. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I will email and sms my close friends and family over the festive period myself. Maybe I just think it's more personal to call than doing the requisite thousands of cards!
Labels: christmas
Start to the week
Thanks to all my friends and followers who have hassled him so far, and a gentle prod that if you have not already done so, hurry up and bloody well do so!
I had a fun weekend which started with a dinner out with Danger Mouse and Nick and ended up on Saturday night at a house party with about 8 people. Needless to say that I was feeling very sad and sorry for myself on Sunday and I am still pretty much tired today. But it is self imposed so there I am certainly not looking for sympathy.
On Friday night before I went out for dinner I received an email from the ex mate I share my office with. T he email was basically a reminder for me to pay my rent (which I always pay at the end of the second week of the month just because it's setup that way in my accounts system) and a thinly veiled request to move out before the end of the year.
Not the least of which even though it means I will save on rent I need for my own sanity to have a stable work environment which includes having a proper office.
I worked from home for years and I almost went totally bonkers. Working from an office when it was mainly just me was also not good for me. So I am at a bit of a quandary what to do really.
I would like to share an office space with someone else preferably around the city still, and preferably within the same part of the city. I don't however want to go through the whole process of getting another commercial lease, not the least of which until I know how the next four months of the big six month plan turn out. Because I don't know how much actual space I will need in a few months.
The other big issue of course is the dog, part of the understanding of getting a beagle is the need for her to come to work with me every day. So I need somewhere where she can come to work still.
It's stressful just thinking about it, at least while it was 'in January sometime' there was till between 4 - 6 weeks to deal with it all and enough time when people were at work to hunt round for something suitable.
This way it will probably be about the end of January or early February before I end up finding space and moving in anyway.
Anyway such is life really!
Oh and the pics are from
Aquadaks a new swimwear company set up in Melbourne Australia.
Labels: eye candy, weekend, work
I Need Your Help I want this picture
Now I have decided that I want this picture, but I am far too much of a miser to actually pay for such a thing. I have offered that I will cover postage and handling and I will use said picture for some ridiculous promotional activity in Sydney Australia.
In addition I need you to give me some ideas of what and how I should use this picture to promote something, whether it be London Preppy's blog, my own blog or something ridiculous.
Just think of all the cool places I could take my picture with this picture like:
Sydney Opera House;
Sydney Harbor Bridge
Bondi Beach
Oxford Street
ARQ (kind of like a smaller crappier version of London's Heaven or Trade)
With a Koala Bear
With a Kangaroo
Labels: eye candy
I'm so excited, I threaten world peace!
I know I know, according to the Pope same sex marriage threatens world peace.
Recognising gay marriage is as bad as the potential for nuclear war, come on really what a load of bullshit.
The Pope is coming to Australia next year for world youth day, me thinks that it's about time that someone as racist as the Pope and obviously as discriminatory should be banned from Australia under Australia's own laws.
He incites violence and his organisation is akin to a terrorist group.
So I think we should call on the Federal Government using it's Not of Good Character legislation to ban him from entering Australia...
What do you think?
Labels: politics, religion
Move to 're-gayify' Oxford Street
NEW PLAN TO RE-GAY OUR GOLDEN MILE
The City of Sydney is planning to give Oxford St back to gays, artists and older people after endorsing a new cultural strategy for the strip this week.
New branding around Taylor Square to reinforce the gay and lesbian cultural heritage and ownership of the area was one recommendation of the report by Urban Cultures Ltd’s Dr John Montgomery.
He also called for GLBTQ organisations lost to the inner-west to be returned and co-located in a building in the precinct.
“As many of the area’s distinctive characteristics result from its association with the GLBTQ communities, the report supports reinforcing that connection,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.
The strategy covers not just the largely defunct Golden Mile but all the way to Centennial Park, and claims the name “Oxford Street” is too vague.
The area from Taylor Square to Victoria Barracks could be given a new name and also become home to a new cinema cluster or contemporary art gallery.
Sydney councillor Shayne Mallard welcomed the strategy, calling it long overdue.
“One of the failings of the Oxford St upgrade was it morphed away a sense of the unique strip. We need to do more than just putting up the rainbow flags on the banner poles,” he said.
Mallard had previously campaigned for a gay and lesbian art and media gallery and was pleased to see those ideas back in consideration.
But he said it was also important for community institutions like Twenty10, Pride and even ACON to have access to rent-controlled council property on Oxford St.
“Over time the council put everyone under commercial rates, which is a lot higher than the commercial rate in Newtown [where they moved to save money],” he said.
“These are culturally important organisations which we should be giving more subsidy to than just upping to full-on commercial rates.”
Twenty10 executive officer Meredith Turnbull said reduced rents would be attractive, but the service had built a positive relationship with Marrickville Council since its departure from Darlinghurst in the 1980s.
“To decide to move again may have big implications for our service users and our community standing,” she said.
The vision for a harmonious, thriving Oxford St by 2015 took aim at the precinct’s nightlife, saying 24-hour hotels and clubs playing loud music are damaging the strip’s reputation.
A key priority was to “develop an evening economy that appeals to older people and art lovers as opposed to 18- to 25-year-old club and pub goers”.
Echoing Moore’s frequent statements, the report called for a promenade where people might simply stroll about.
“This route should be well-lit in the evenings, and have good evening activity along its frontages: a café, bar or restaurant at least every 20 metres to generate natural surveillance,” it read.
If some of this sounds familiar, that’s because the City already has many outstanding plans for the area: Taylor Square South redesign, Taylor Square North adaptive re-use project, Oxford St Retail Strategy, Oxford St Safety Strategy, event programming for Mardi Gras, and supporting the Darlinghurst Business Partnership’s business strategy.
The City will now seek public comment on the implementation, to be budgeted for the next financial year.
Moore also achieved a win with the passing of new liquor laws through Parliament last week, which she claims will encourage smaller, safer bars.
source
Labels: news
Beagle behaving badly
Over the last two weeks the beagle has been allowed throughout the entire apartment at will. The baby gate at the top of the stairs was removed and she is now allowed into our bedroom without supervision.
Overall she has been pretty well behaved apart form eating the cats food and getting in the cat's litter tray.
The occasional romp on the bed and getting under the covers was ok, but today she did something she has never done before.
She peed on the carpet upstairs!
I am horrified I have no idea why she did it and I am hoping she doesn't do it again!
I had just come home and she ran upstairs to see the cat and then two minutes later I cam up to find a puddle in the spare bedroom.
Is she trying to mark her territory or is this a power play with the cat?
I am a bit worried because up until now she has been very well house trained and knows exactly where she is supposed to pee.
Sigh, what should I do I wonder!
Labels: beagle-lucy
New Obsession
Over the weekend I found a new love / obsession, Julian Opie the English artist who creates some of the most enigmatic and sexy portraits of people I have EVER seen.
The artwork I saw was truly amazing and it simply personified all that is sexy and alluring in a portrait of a boy.
To say I was spellbound was an understatement. The work I saw was not a painting instead it's vinyl cutout and there is just something in the way he does his portraits that speaks to my soul.
Now all I have to do is save up and buy one, but I may be waiting a while!
Very famous for his Blur album cover a few years back he is especially adept at the art of using computers and all sorts of new media for his artwork.
Labels: art
David Beckham almost naked for Armani
This man knows how to look smoulderingly hot, no wonder Posh sleeps naked with him!
Labels: celebreties, eye candy
Monday's Mondays bloody Mondays!
After having such a fun and busy weekend, Monday is a real drag in more ways than one.
At least the puppy dog was immensely happy to see me last night with her whole little body wagging and moving.
And I justgot word literally right this second that an old drinking buddy of mine has given birth to a little baby boy named Nathan.
It's daown right scary to think that someone who manages to kill catcai is now a mother! But that's just what happens when you get older your friends start having children and you keep partying, disgraceful I know!
Labels: weekend
more more more partying
Today is the boy's 3oth Birthday and unfortunately we are on other sides of the world. He is in San Francisco today and will be heading to San Jose tomorrow.
I on the other hand went down to Melbourne for the very sweet Rob's Birthday party which he stage managed to the nth degree from the moment we arrived till the moment our car arrived to whisk us back to the airport.
I decided I wanted to send he boy a very special birthday greeting, so the picture is the yummy Campbell proudly displaying in red lipstick Happy Birthday to lee!
So I am feeling decidedly seedy and very very tired. But just anted to senf my boy his Birthday Wishes of love and joy from his drewby....
The middle of the week
I have said very little since last week apart from uploading large amounts of eye candy with links to porn sites LOL!
It's not that I have not been up to much, quite the contrary I have been working virtually non stop after finally getting my head back together after the weekend that started on Friday night and ended on Sunday night.
I am stressed to the gunnels as usual beating down every tree and offering my business clients discounts if they pay before Christmas just because I get paranoid that all the accounts departments will close until February and I will not be able to cover the business accounts till then.
The weekend was quite amazing as it was the boy's 30th Birthday party celebration and it went from our place to a friends place, back to our place, out and then back to a friends place.
The worst part is I am off to Melbourne this weekend to celebrate another Friend's birthday party and all I know is that a bus (yes a bus) arrives at a specific time and will drop us back the next day!
OMG what am I getting myself into LOL
I need sleep this week and need to prepare myself for a huge weekend!
Christmas is coming and a coming
You can see more of this hot stud over at
Active Duty! MMMMM now that's what I call a sticking filler!
Labels: eye candy, porn
Is this the start of the promises being kept by Rudd?
Kirby's call answered on judges' same-sex pension
Chris Merritt, Legal affairs editor December 05, 2007
THE new federal Government is working on a plan aimed at ending the unequal pension treatment of homosexual judges.
The Government's plan is a victory for High Court judge Michael Kirby, who had urged the Howard government to end pension discrimination against homosexual federal judges.
Justice Kirby had urged the former government to make the change out of concern for the financial welfare of his partner, Johan van Vloten.
The Rudd Government's plan came to light yesterday after homosexual law reform in Victoria threatened to leave the commonwealth as the only jurisdiction that gives unequal pension treatment to gay judges.
Federal Attorney-General Robert McClelland said Labor was committed to removing day-to-day discrimination under commonwealth law experienced by same-sex couples, "including judges". "We are taking advice as to the appropriate means to achieve that outcome," he said.
Mr McClelland's statement came soon after Victorian Attorney-General Rob Hulls introduced legislation extending equal pension rights to the partners of Victoria's homosexual judges. "It is time the de-facto and same-sex partners of judicial officers received the same recognition and support that married partners receive," Mr Hulls said.
more
So let's see if this is the start of the equalisation of those 57 pieces of legislation for same sex relationship equality that we were promised by the new Rudd Government during the election campaign!
Labels: politics
More eye Candy!
I am being a bit lazy right now, mainly because I want to write all about the three days of celebration for the boy's 30th Birthday Party but I don't have the energy to catch up on the moutain of work and do this as well!
So intead I give you
Tristan from Bukbuddies, definitely not like the normal twinks I like but my god this boy is smokingly hot!
Labels: eye candy
Monday Morning eye candy
Labels: eye candy
I am a thirty something married gay boy living in Sydney, almost on top of the gay scene but not in it!
Why Sometimes blue?, because I love blue, but also I am sometimes blue :)
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