a glimpse of a weekend well spent

I see their knavery
this is to make an ass of me

*sigh* I'm still humming the tunes from "Were the world mine" ;0) nice pipes, indeed!

Dragon Boat Festival meant that my weekend was a long weekend. which in itself was amazing! my body really needed a time-out from school. so much so that i didn't even leave the apartment on Thursday! well, not untill 6pm at least. and then only to get some essential groceries before flying back to our comfortable couch ;0)

Peter was, unfortunately, not afforded a long weekend. poor fella had to work. the life of a rep...

we did, however, manage to spend some quality time together :0) wether it was playing World of Warcraft or trying out a different hot-pot restaurant - it was amazing to just relax and delight in each-other's company. watching him devour an entire school of shrimp filled me with an enormous sense of joy!

sharing pleasures and being privy to another's surrender to gastronomic delight... Life is good!

ps. we had ice cream too ;0)

Thousands march to mark Tiananmen crackdown

Around 5,000 rally through the streets of Hong Kong; Thursday's candlelit vigil expected to attract tens of thousands.

read the article at www.etaiwannews.com

Blink Presents : Sorry I'm Late

amazing stop-motion short!

were the world mine

one thing i absolutely adore about the Sundance Film Festival, is how it surprises you every time! i happened upon one of the 2008 features to shine at Sundance, quite by accident. to tell the truth, i'm not exactly sure how it came about... maybe the faeries had a hand in it ;0)

the film that has me glowing from within, today, is called: "were the world mine" and is directed by Tom Gustafson. i got a copy, thinking it was a basic retelling of Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream - albeit with a queer twist. we watch a lot of movies at home these days, and i was looking forward to watching something a little less shock-shock-horror-horror or skop-skiet & donder* for a change.

Literally "kick, shoot and thunder" in Afrikaans, this phrase is used by
many English speakers to describe action movies or any activity which is
lively and somewhat primitive. Clint Eastwood is always good for a skop,
skiet en donder flick.

Peter, however, wasn't interested in watching it at all. maybe he has opinions about Sundance that i don't know about... anyhoo - that's another post entirely.

suffice to say that i watched it by myself, this morning, while he was still sleeping off his late night session of Taiwanese talk-shows. (which, by the way, look like bucket-loads of fun - if you understand the language.)

but back to the film: it was awesome! i laughed, i cried, i held a pillow for comfort and i felt all sorts of warm and fuzzy. it might not be the best produced musical in the world - but it's way up there in my books!

in short, it tells the story of an openly gay teenager in an all-boys school, in a conservative town - who gets cast as Puck in the school's rendition of A Midsummer Night's Dream. add a touch of magic and mischief - and voila! you've got one heck of a premise.

oh, and let me not forget the singing! the singing and the dancing... *sigh* i think it's officially taken the place of Priscilla in my heart. sorry girls, but this time i identify. and i'm gettng the soundtrack!

*sings: o timothy... timothyyyyyyyy*

foreigners are funny

i had a good bucketful of chuckles while reading this post from Mel's blog:

enjoy!
----------

Subject: World Cup 2010... Questions from tourists

These questions about South Africa were posted on a South African Tourism Website and were answered by the website owner (great sense of humour!).

Q: Does it ever get windy in South Africa? I have never seen it rain on TV, so how do the plants grow? (UK)

A: We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around watching them die.

Q: Will I be able to see elephants in the street? (USA)

A: Depends how much you've been drinking.

Q: I want to walk from Durban to Cape Town - can I follow the railroad tracks? (Sweden)

A: Sure, it's only two thousand kilometres take lots of water...

Q: Is it safe to run around in the bushes in South Africa? (Sweden)

A: So it's true what they say about Swedes...

Q: Are there any ATMs (cash machines) in South Africa? Can you send me a list of them in JHB, Cape Town, Knysna and Jeffrey's Bay? (UK)

A: What did your last slave die of?

Q: Can you give me some information about Koala Bear racing in South Africa? (USA)

A: Aus-tra-lia is that big island in the middle of the pacific.

A-fri-ca is the big triangle shaped continent south of Europe which does not...oh forget it. Sure, the Koala Bear racing is every Tuesday night in Hillbrow. Come naked.

Q: Which direction is north in South Africa? (USA)

A: Face south and then turn 90 degrees. Contact us when you get here and we'll send the rest of the directions.

Q: Can I bring cutlery into South Africa? (UK)

A: Why? Just use your fingers like we do.

Q: Can you send me the Vienna Boys' Choir schedule? (USA)

A: Aus-tri-a is that quaint little country bordering Ger-man-y, which is... oh forget it. Sure, the Vienna Boys Choir plays every Tuesday night in Hillbrow, straight after the Koala Bear races. Come naked.

Q: Do you have perfume in South Africa? (France)

A: No, WE don’t stink.

Q: I have developed a new product that is the fountain of youth. Can you tell me where I can sell it in South Africa? (USA)

A: Anywhere where a significant number of Americans gather.

Q: Can you tell me the regions in South Africa where the female population is smaller than the male population? (Italy)

A: Yes, gay nightclubs.

Q: Do you celebrate Christmas in South Africa? (France)

A: Only at Christmas.

Q: Are there killer bees in South Africa? (Germany)

A: Not yet, but for you, we'll import them.

Q: Are there supermarkets in Cape Town and is milk available all year round?

A: No, we are a peaceful civilisation of vegan hunter-gatherers. Milk is illegal.

Q: Please send a list of all doctors in South Africa who can di spense rattlesnake serum. (USA)

A: Rattlesnakes live in A-meri-ca, which is where YOU come from. All South African snakes are perfectly harmless, can be safely handled and make good pets.

Q: I was in South Africa in 1969, and I want to contact the girl I dated while I was staying in Hillbrow. Can you help? (USA)

A: Yes, but you will probably still have to pay her by the hour.

Q: Will I be able to speek English most places I go? (USA)

A: Yes, but you'll have to learn it first.

to moblog or not

those of you who've been reading me for a while, have undoubtedly noticed a change in my routine. and I don't mean the move to Kaohsiung in itself, although it did influence this routine greatly. no, I'm talking about my blogging routine.

I used to (attempt to) have a weekly structure - but more importantly, I blogged at home, from my laptop. I think my posts had a more distinct flavor back then.
since then, I've taken to posting on the subway via my iPod.

here's the rub: convenient as it is, I'm wondering if this form of mobile blogging is working for you, my friends and readers.

please comment: which posts are more enjoyable?

always,
W

another day, another night

and I'm still here *LOL*

my birthday was awesome. not on the same scale as last year, when we took over the hotel-town of Matjiesfontein. this year, I celebrated the day with only one person ;0) and it was fantastic!

after sleeping in with me, Peter went out and got me brunch. we escaped the heat at home (viva A/C) - and slipped out for dinner at a cool restaurant. I don't think I've quite enjoyed a chicken & mushroom penne gratin like that in ages! (and yes, we had cutlery)

the major treat of the night, however, was ICE CREAM!! (dad would be proud) Peter got us (me, really, as he doesn't like sweets) two tubs of H D ;0)
I'm proud to report that there is still a lot left of both tubs *LOL*

have a happy Monday y'all!
and thanks for all the birthday wishes all over web2.0

a calling or a bluff?

as some of you may know (twitter), I received a mail from the Lesbian and Gay Equality Project in SA. they've undergone some major revamping - and my old position has been modified and opened up for applications...

could this be a second chance to do things right? or a second chance to kick myself in the teeth...

I believe very strongly that the Lord works in mysterious ways. in fact - that's how I came to Taiwan! is He calling me back to finish the job I ran away from 6 years ago?

or am I making too much of this?

LGBTI rights and equality are very dear to me - and I do want to help heal the world... but part of me is holding back.

been there, done that, got burnt to a crisp. reason dictates that I stay as far away as possible.

then again - I've grown and healed so much since then. is this not an extention of my purpose? to teach, nurture and protect?

I spoke to Peter about this last night. there is a lot to consider - and pray over.

any thoughts?

PS: this song played on my iPod right after i pressed "send" on ShoZu

IDAHO 2009: One Voice, One Message, Heard Around the World.

oh WOW!!! this came out sooooo cool! remember the IDAHO Challenge? well here's the final video :0) 

(I'm at 0:50 - and so happy to see the many SA submissions!)

PS. although my vid was shot in Taiwan, I'm glad they didn't add the Taiwanese flag. i fear that being a "foreigner" as the only voice from Taiwan could strengthen the island's homophobic notions that being gay is not Taiwanese.

birthday wishlist

it's my birthday in 12 days and people have started asking what I want. hence the list:
• good socks (white or black)
• nice underwear (online gift certificates)
• books (gift vouchers: e-mail my favorite bookstore if you want to spoil me)

on the more pricey side:
• new glasses
• iPhone 3G
• apple's Time Capsule (1TB)
• Webby HD video camera

and the "way out there" section:
• liposuction
• empty plot in Kaohsiung
• funds for designing and building my dream house
• fully sponsored AmEx black card

that'll do for 31, I think ;0)

a weekend at home

well good morning everyone! I trust you all had a pleasant weekend? I sure wish mine could've stretched for another day or so ;0)

Peter came home from his first week of training on Friday evening. BOY was it good to have him home! we spent the remainder of the evening nesting and catching up. Saturday saw us going to the Lotus Pond (more like a lake) for my IDAHO Challenge submission. I'd seen the Tiger Dragon Towers on so many postcards and thought it would work perfectly. turns out I was right *LOL* only problem was the sound capture on my camera (stills) - which turned out to be horrible... here's hoping the people at gays.com have a wizard on staff who takes pity on my submission!

on the way home we stopped for some roasted duck to take home for dinner. it was awesome! next time you're on Liouhe St in Kaohsiung, check my Twitter for the intersection's name. you won't be sorry!

Sunday we settled in for some quality WoW time before he headed back for week 2.

it's my stop.
Later!

Taiwan pride/drawing a blank

this week's taken it all out of me *LOL* I've got time to tap out a blog post on the MRT this morning - but try as I might, the words escape me! (so I'm just rattling on to see what happens, okay?)

I really need to finish my video for the IDAHO Challenge. had to settle for the video clip function on my camera, because the deadline is tomorrow! I did get some disturbing news though... apparently NO submissions from Taiwan yet!

for a people still "waiting" for equal rights and gay marriage - they seem awfully placid and reluctant to make themselves count. could it be that Taiwan LGBT Pride is just a masquerade?

Note: If we stay in our closets, there is nobody to be taken seriously.

you want to be accepted and free to live your own life? then open your mouth and live your truth!!

in waking life

last night I dreamt of my birthday - and for the first time ever, I remember a hint if dread... I'm edging away from 30 - which is not a frightening thought, really. 40 isn't so scary either. I dated a 40 year old in my 20s, no biggie. (besides the fact that he turned out to be a schizophrenic sociopath... but enough of that.)

so why the sense of dread?
perhaps it has more to do with the fact that my contract at TFC is comming to an end - and I haven't found a new job yet. or perhaps I'm worried about financing my trip to SA in August? possibly. most likely, though, I'm scared I won't be able to provide for my loved ones.

sheesh!! when did I grow up?

I'll be 3¹in three weeks.
I'll be unemployed in three months.

*breathe*
that's plenty of time for someone to respond to my applications.
I'm trying to control things again and putting the cart before the horse in the process.

hey! It's Wednesday - half way to the weekend ;0) let's all relax and have a good one, okay?

hugs,
W