Hello? Can anybody hear me?

Thanks Andrew for asking me "When was the last time you blogged?"... it at least made me log back in to look around, and VOILA... here I am again. I doubt I will stay long, since I barely have time for mindless web surfing these days, let alone actual meaningful blogging... maybe I can just make this a stupid social commentary blog... just like all the others? Baah, who knows... if I put a label on it, it will get too complicated.

So where have I been?

Well, funnily enough, I have been in a relationship for the past 18 months. John is 27, works in banking (like me), and now lives with me.



In fact we are building a house together, which the loan was approved for only a couple of days ago... Yay us :o)

You might think after 18 months, it is probably a bit soon... but really... in this housing market, who can honestly afford a to buy a nice 3 bedroom house on your own... senior management and executives aside. Plus I am almost 37, so it was now, or rent for ever...

Anyways, so back to the house later.

We have been off and on since early 2007, and more "official" in September 2007. We separated for a month back in February 2008, I guess it was pretty complicated, and neither of us communicated very well... me cos I still wasn't sure I was doing the right thing after the last time (x2). Read back if you don't recall... or my previous blog (if you don't know that one, then you ain't close enough to know it!) and John, just cos he doesn't communicate much at all... God, he talks a lot, just doesn't "communicate".

So that also explains the weird ass entries back in February last year... you know how I enjoy my therapy in a bottle!

So after that I was single over Mardi Gras... which made it a pretty crazy experience. And again, if you aren't close enough, you won't know about that one either! :o)

We got back together just a few weeks later, and things have been really really great since then. I guess maybe we just needed something to give us a kick up the ass to get things really going.

So, since then, life has been going swimmingly. We started house searching, in December applied for a home loan, chose a house design, and TODAY, we are signing the building contract! It's full steam ahead!

Gym - I haven't been in almost a year... shocking I know. I was SO into gym, looking great, feeling great... and now... nuh. I just don't have the motivation. I didn't enjoy the gym I was going to . So many prancers and preeners... The only good part of the place was the change room... :o)
So the bod has gone to waste, the definition has gone, at least I haven't packed on the kilos... maybe I will get back into gym now. Hey, I'm blogging again, and I never thought that would happen, so why not gym too?

So heading out to do all house stuff today. I have bank cheques to get for deposits for the land and the builder, contracts to sign, and amongst that, drop a friend off at the airport. He is off to HK for a few weeks holiday.

Oh, I am off on holidays soon... I will tell you about it next time, but it's a month away trekking South East Asia...

Well, that's it. I'm back. Happy?

Best Mardi Gras Ever

Oh my God... I would have to say, this Mardi Gras was the best ever... It was fantastic! I loved the decoration, the costumes, the people, the music, the DJs, and of course... Cyndi was closing the party!



I basically went from getting off the plane on Thursday Feb 28 all the way through to Tuesday March 4th, obscene amounts of drugs and alcohol, and almost no food or sleep... a pretty dangerous combination, but honestly, I didn't care... I was letting loose. I was being irresponsible - just this once.

So Cyndi - the highlight of my Mardi Gras... It was 8am, and the party was over. Everyone had crammed into the RHI for the traditional closing show. Always expected to be spectacular, always makes the whole night end on the highest note.

I already knew Cyndi was the 8am show, so made my way as close to the front as I could, incredibly cute boy in arm... (you know who you are...)

The stage lights come on and...







It was the most spectacular show... she sang a song from her forthcoming album... called "Same Old Fucking Story" which was fucking hot... Then of course, she moved into Girls Just Wanna Have Fun... as expected!

The crowd went absolutely ballistic, and for a moment, I stood there watching and hearing the crowd, and I felt almost proud. My idol who I had been following for almost 25 years was standing up there, at the party that celebrates who I am...
I guess it's kind of hard for me to explain what I mean, as I am not really much of a writer, so I hope you get the idea... I think I was on the verge of tears throughout the whole show - and no it wasn't my e, or the coke, or anything else... well, it might have been part of it... :o)

It topped off the best night, and has made the 30th Anniversary Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras the best Mardi Gras for me - ever...

Cyndi you are a STAR!!!!

What the...?

Ever look back on blog entries and wonder what the hell you were on about?
That's me today looking at last nights entry... I am sure it all made sense during my second bottle of white... :o)

shut up and drive........

where do you go... sometimes when you have shit going on all around you... where do you run away to? sometimes i feel that i am a wild animal... aching to getout of a zoo or some form of confinement...

stand under my umbrellas.... what the hell is that.... my umbrella has sadness and shit.... stand under shit. thats where we are......

apologies for the bad grammar. white wine an no consideration help with making good shit. make sense?

Fucking Madness....

OH MY GOD..... is this a dilemma... should i sell my ticket and use the money to pay for my whole Sydney trip??? This much for a Mardi Gras party ticket... who would have thought the day would come where this would happen...

Sorry...

Wednesday February 13, 2008. The Australian Government, led by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, formally apologises on behalf of the Australian people, present and past, for the Stolen Generation.

Today we honour the Indigenous peoples of this land, the oldest continuing cultures in human history.

We reflect on their past mistreatment.

We reflect in particular on the mistreatment of those who were stolen generations - this blemished chapter in our nation's history.

The time has now come for the nation to turn a new page in Australia's history by righting the wrongs of the past and so moving forward with confidence to the future.

We apologise for the laws and policies of successive Parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians.

We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country.

For the pain, suffering and hurt of these stolen generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry.

To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and the sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry.

And for the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture, we say sorry.

We the Parliament of Australia respectfully request that this apology be received in the spirit in which it is offered as part of the healing of the nation.

For the future we take heart; resolving that this new page in the history of our great continent can now be written.

We today take this first step by acknowledging the past and laying claim to a future that embraces all Australians.

A future where this Parliament resolves that the injustices of the past must never, never happen again.

A future where we harness the determination of all Australians, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, to close the gap that lies between us in life expectancy, educational achievement and economic opportunity.

A future where we embrace the possibility of new solutions to enduring problems where old approaches have failed.

A future based on mutual respect, mutual resolve and mutual responsibility.

A future where all Australians, whatever their origins, are truly equal partners, with equal opportunities and with an equal stake in shaping the next chapter in the history of this great country, Australia.

What kind of weird-ass cows are there where you come from?

Today I spent the day keeping busy. Feeling very down right now, I needed to make sure I had plenty of friends around to keep me cheerful. I dragged my sorry arse out of bed at half past 12 today, headed out to meet up with TC for lunch.

Which leads me to the question that has baffled human-kind for a millennium...

Do cows lay eggs?

Well, it hasn't really, but sometimes it makes you wonder.

So for lunch I ordered a beef burger (Beef, lettuce, tomato, grilled onions, egg, tomato relish) - hold the dairy. That means no butter, no cheese. My burger comes out - with the no egg.

When exactly did eggs become dairy? When was the last time you saw a cow squeeze an egg out of it's arse? It totally perplexed me. When I asked the staff about it... "but you said no dairy"... I let it go, cos it just wasn't worth arguing about.

Saturday afternoon, I caught up with Hxyxex, Sxaxy & Rxbxix and headed to ET's for a few hours of beers and 'boisterous shenanigans'... (makes me sound old doesn't it?) The guys are crazy - it's strange seeing people you work with in a whole different light. Not that it was bad at all - on the contrary, it's just great to see how crazy and silly people can be. After that I met up with Sxexlxe & Dxnx for a night of board games, party pies and red wine... One of the games they brought over was "Whack a Mole" - you remember that game we have all played at video arcades and the like, where the mole pops up from inside the table and you have to hit it on the head with a hammer? Well, its a mini version of that, and its fucking hilarious. Especially after a few glasses of red.

The girls headed home about 10.30, and even with an offer from Hxyxex to come back over and party more, I'm heading to bed.

Good times...

Welcome back?

Well here I am. After a 6 month sabbatical... back again.

I guess I really didn't have much to say over the past 6 months.

That will all change... right... about... now...

Hot Gets a Little Cold

Heaven,
You say it could be heaven ...
But I don't really know ...
Lovers come and go ...
When hot gets a little cold.

Infatuation is just the great anticipation
Of starring in that picture show
Let's wait until the credits roll ...
When hot gets a little cold.

I could get carried away but not anymore ...
What was it I heard you say you love me 'cause I'm strong
I hope that you're not wrong.

Heaven, you say it could be heaven,
Well I don't really know ...
I'll try not to let it show
When hot gets a little cold ...

Eye Candy

Mmmm... buns...

42

Another two weeks without blogging... shame, shame... but the good thing is, most of my friends have pretty much neglected their blogs as well. So I don't feel so bad.. :o)

My reasons for not blogging? Two words... well, maybe one, depending on how you look at it... facebook.

Facebook has consumed my spare time. Stuffed if I know how it manages to do that, since there isn't a lot you can do there... strange how a half hour can turn into hours and hours... I have even started using it at work - like I really have time to add facebook to my daily work schedule...

Oh, in case you have facebook but haven't added me as your friend yet... Add me! :o)

So anyway, my buddy Adam came over Friday night. We don't get to catch up very often. Turned into a booze-fest (Well duh!) Many many beers, late night oven baked chicken & chips... and a load of music & talking and squealing and stuff, we crashed. Why can't I ever make it a whole night anymore... Good times anyway...







Saturday morning, woke up not feeling too hung over (surprisingly) and I forgot the aerial guy was coming. As you might know, we have been without commercial television since we moved in to this apartment... we plugged in an old telly in the first week while waiting for my stuff to arrive from Sydney, and we couldn't get any reception in the living room - but we cold in my room. So, obviously there is something wrong with the aerial connection in the living room right? WRONG...

The aerial guy arrives, Adam leaves... silly boy - with a hot tradesman in the house, who would just leave like that, huh? He was hot. Looked Italian / Spanish / something dark and exotic anyway, dark hair, short, tight bod, lunchy, nice...

Anyway, so he tests the two connections in the apartment and says "There's nothing wrong with either connection. They work fine..."

Huh? What the..?

"Sorry mate, it's all working... but since there is nothing wrong, I can't bill the real estate - you are gonna have to pay - $80"

Huh? What the..?

So I thought, since I have to pay him anyway... I best be putting him to good use.
Now in my own personal Bel Ami Land, this is where I would really put him to good use. But no. That's not how things happen in real life. (Of course, I wouldn't have hesitated if the opportunity presented itself...) I sat him down, played my Paris card and got him to completely tune my TV, analogue and digital, and DVD recorder - everything. The man's fingers worked very hard for the money, believe you me. He was a master - magical fingers, touching every button, making everything happen, if I smoked I may very well have lit a cigarette afterwards. He was amazing.

So afterwards, paid him his money and sent him packing. Really wasn't far off the real thing then was it...

Sunday I met Moto in the city. Moto is new to Melbourne like me. Well, I'm not really new any more, 8 months now. But still feel a bit green. Moto has been in Melbourne 4 months. So I took him to one of my favourite places in the city, Ca de Vin. Nice place in the laneway between GPO & Myer on Bourke St Mall. So we sat there polished off a few bottles of Pinot Noir and talked. And talked. And talked. Left there 5 hours later feeling rather uncoordinated. Being a Sunday evening, with work the next day, best option was to jump on a tram and head home, right? No. We wandered back to his place (he lives in CBD) via a bottle shop and grabbed another couple of bottles.

Staggered out into the street sometime around 9 (I think!) and jumped in a cab. I flirted uninhibitedly with my married cab driver. The shame of it all... but he was certainly very receptive, so I don't feel too bad about it!

Staggered inside, and Dom offers me... another wine... aiya...

I end up a pathetic mess. Pass out.

"Hi, my name is Brad, and I'm an alcoholic."

Monday morning. Oh - My - God... I was so ill. I was so ill I could hardly walk. I struggled to get dressed. I staggered out to my tram. I had to get off the tram twice on the way to the city, thinking I was gonna be sick. I wasn't. But it felt like it many times.

Made it to the city, changed trams to head up Bourke St - buggered if I was gonna walk it today... Half way up, I started to shake. Not a light shiver... but a near on fit kind of shake... my whole body shook, went all numb, like pins and needles. sweat. Oh - My - God...

Managed to make it to work. Crawled to my desk. I was green. I couldn't work. I couldn't even speak. It wasn't until lunch time that I was stable enough to actually do any work. Prior to that it was "Ring, ring.. - Can someone get that?" "No I can't help you right now, I can't even help myself right now. Come back later..."

Boys & Girls - The moral of the story? Don't drink so much on a Sunday night when you have to work the next day? No. Have the guts to call in sick when you do drink too much on a Sunday night.

Good times...

Oh, and in case you are wondering what the title means... well, I couldn't think of a title, and as was pointed out to me, 42 is the Answer to The Ultimate Question Of Life, the Universe and Everything. So 42 it is...

Xtina...

Friday night went to the Christina concert with Shellie & Joe! Yay! Lucky enough to not have tickets for Saturday or Monday...

Concert was great. It was fun, plenty to see, but was missing something. It was probably that she was sick and didn't really have the energy, who knows. Don't get me wrong, considering she had a fever, was coughing, and 4 months pregnant, I think she did a bloody awesome job...

Didn't really get many decent pics, but thought I would post what I had for those who didnt make it... (You had your chance mister! You know who you are...)

1 down...

It's been 12 months since I started Blogging. I never thought I could keep this up for so long, but here I am. Of course it isn't always interesting, it isn't always funny - well, rarely either... I guess it was meant to be. It is just a place for me to dump my thoughts, and let my friends know what I have been up to. The fact that I have managed to continue for a year is pretty good going.

The reason I started blogging in the first place was also 12 months ago on July 24.
So is this an opportunity to look back on the last year? I think not.

It's all looking forward from here on in.

Happy anniversary people...

:o)

Don't you know...

If you see me walking down the street
And I start to cry each time we meet
Walk on by, walk on by

Make believe
that you don't see the tears
Just let me grieve
in private 'cause each time I see you
I break down and cry
And walk on by....

I just can't get over losing you
And so if I seem broken and blue
Walk on by, walk on by

Foolish pride

Is all that I have left
So let me hide
The tears and the sadness you gave me
When you said goodbye
Walk on by
and walk on by
and walk by....

Walk on by, walk on by
Foolish pride
Is all that I have left
So let me hide
The tears and the sadness you gave me
When you said goodbye
Walk on by....
and walk on by....
and walk by....

Another jug of Stella thanks...

Mum, Russ, Ange & Vickie came in to visit me yesterday. We all went to ETs on High Street. Parma & Beer... mmmm... 5 of us, 4 were drinking... I lost count at the 7th jug of Stella Artois.

It was a shocking sight... loud, dirty, rough... typical family gathering. Thank god the fighting started AFTER they all left and were on their way home :o)

No more Paris

Best night in...

My biggest little sister Vickie was down this weekend. Friday night Vickie, Ange & I had a slumber party... we all bought cheap, highly flammable blue flannelette pyjamas from Coles (mine had mickey mouse on them, V's & A's had clouds...), junk food, wine & DVDs...


I don't know why the pic is sideways!!!

We dragged mattresses, doonas and pillows into the living room and spent the night playing boardgames, eating junk food, drinking wine, watching movies, talking, laughing, it was fucking hilarious. We realised that we had never actually hung out like that before - ever.

Definitely the best night in for a long time.

mac me all over....

I know Andy will be appalled... but I finally did the big switch. I bought an iMac. What can I say... it's fucking hot. 20", white, sexy... The mac, not me...

JD is down from Sydney this weekend. Went out Friday night to the Xchange. Had a great time, moderately trashed, but still containable. JDs friend Andrew was hilarious - he was so giggly and drunk... what was funny though, was when I found out he had only drunk about a third of 1 Black Smirnoff to get in that condition... talk about 1 pot screamer. Ha ha ha.

Saturday was spent out searching for a bedroom suite. I decided a long time ago that I needed to get a new bedroom suite - since the one I have now is ugly as sin. Well it's not THAT bad, but now I have my mac, I needed to upgrade it's surroundings.
So found a really hot one (of course) and getting delivered tomorrow. Oh, that reminds me... RDO tomorrow! Yay! Never had those before this job... so it's weird getting odd days off without having to feign a flu and ring in sick. :o)

Driving back from shopping, we stopped at the lights on Toorak Rd - just inside a driveway next to us were two little kids, about 10yrs old, selling lemonade. They had the table and a little sign and their mum had an apron on and was bringing the cups and things out...

It was just too cute. You never see that these days. Why...

It's good to be back...

This past week was end of financial year. It's when we work frantically to sort problems and queries with our clients to ensure the financial reporting for the past year is complete and accurate etc etc. Traditionally the toughest week on our calendar. Strangely, it was one of the easiest in recent memory. Not quite sure why it was, but buggered if I am gonna complain!

Friday about 4, we cracked open our usual slab of Carton Draught and sat at our desks gas-bagging about the week. Everyone was heading out to a farewell drinks at Blue Diamond, but I had a busy night ahead of me. So I took off at 5pm sharp.

Met up with my my brother Jack & his fiance Amy, and my adorable niece Ava Grace.

Just a quick coffee and a chat. They had the trip back to Geelong to get through, and Ava was tired and cranky and grizzly :o).
I had a 'date' at 7pm anyway... The past 2 months since living in Prahran, I have seen this guy around that I recognised from somewhere - the day I was going to the footy, he was on my tram, and when I got home that night, I looked through my Fridae list and found him. Now I know who he is!

So we have been messaging the past few weeks, determined to actually meet up and say hi instead of walking past each other with that "I know you, but where the hell from" look....

So we caught up at Bogarts at Jam Factory, had a couple of glasses of wine and chatted for an hour or so. He was nice, but he spent a lot of the time we were chatting glancing up at the TV, or messaging friends. To me, that's pretty rude, even though it wasn't officially a date, just a catch up, it's still nice to actually have the attention of your conversation partner. Anyways, we went and saw Transformers (yes 2nd time for me). After the movie, he had to go home as he was working at 8am. Said our byes and that was that. So was walking home in the freezing cold, again probably about 4 or 5 degrees. Called Dom, he was at Kitten Klub in Little Collins ST. Grabbed a cab and headed there. Dom was already very drunk - it doesn't take him my to get to that point anyway. :o)

After Kitten Klub, we went to The Peel on Wellington St, Collingwood. Best night out I have had in months. Met a few people, danced, drank a bit, didn't even get trashed (suprising, right?). Just had a really great night out. Spent most of the night hanging out with a guy (we shall call M)... Crawled home at 1pm Saturday...

It's good to be back...

Yet another backdated roundup... (Part 2)

Ange cam in Saturday (30/06) to hang out. We went and saw Transformers. Wow! Easily my new best and favourite movie of all time! Well, at least until the next best and favourite comes along, but for now, this is it! Awesome movie... Funny, CG robots are almost alive, they are amazing.

Home, had dinner and just hung out, Ange crashed early... all part and parcel for being... pregnant. Yes...

Ange is due early January - and the father is her much abhorred ex boyfriend, Craig. Suffice to say, we are all in shock. Not just because she is pregnant (that of course is part of it but certainly not all of it), but because who the father is. As my mum said "Anyone, just some one other than him..."

Good thing is, she has us all down here , so support network is good - and plus I get to be a doting uncle again, and spoil the baby rotten. I haven't had a chance to do that with Ava Grace, since they live in Geelong and its just the rare visit when they come in to see mum, or something like that. At least Ange's baby will be just 20 minutes away. :o)