…

Damn.

Here’s my once a year post that seems to be the custom.

I’m thinking of setting up a new handle here on xanga to document a new venture I’d embarked on. At first I’d thought about posting it under the protected mode but then I’d realised I prefer it to be open so other strangers can stumble upon it and perhaps input their 2 cents. And of course, as always, I value you, my loyal remaining readers, your humble and not-so-humble opinions too.

So if you are interested in joining me on this new venture in my life, let me know via the comments and I will message you the new handle once it is set up.

In the meantime, I leave you a photo from one of my trips this year:

The news about a pending new addition to my family was somewhat tinged by tragedy. An indirect member of my family committed suicide a couple of days ago. I don’t know the circumstances as yet as one of my siblings had to rush off with the partner.

When this was mentioned to one of my friends, I was shocked by her reaction: she thought “it was brave to find the courage to end one’s life cos of the misery you feel”. My reaction? What. The. Fuck? How is it brave to take one’s own life? Granted, my friend is still recovering from her breakup of a long term relationship at the beginning of the year and might not be thinking rationally. I wasn’t prepared for her disclosure that suicide had entered her thoughts a few months ago. Fear of the pain and how messy it might be prevented her from committing the act. Her girlfriends dragged her to the doctor and enrolled her for counselling sessions. Unfortunately counselling is not covered by the private health insurance provided by her new company that she started employment with last month. 

I’m beginning to fear that morbid tendencies might be creeping back into her train of thought as a result. She’d commented suicide would be easier with a gun and that she has “respect for those that can go through with it.” In an effort to help her, I’d revealed something personal that only a couple of people know about and since it was a long time ago I no longer have any reservations about such a disclosure. I myself was suicidal when I was 18-19 years old. I was suffering from depression at the time. Thoughts about the methods of ending it all and where constantly plagued my mind.  

My friend is now being mildly dismissive, telling me she “is going through something that I probably never had before.”

She has always been a vivacious person, at least on the surface, and I hope she will emerge from her dark period soon.  

Where Have I Been?

Since my last travel blog was about the trip to Mexico and Miami in September 2010, and the sheer volume of photos accumulated since then, I have decided to just post one or a couple of pics of the destinations I have visited since that time. Those who are friends with me on Facebook have access to all those photos.  

 Thailand

Havana, Cuba

Havana, Cuba

Havana, Cuba

Havana, Cuba

Havana, Cuba

 Vinales, Cuba

 Cienfuegos, Cuba

 Trinidad, Cuba

 Trinidad, Cuba

 Trinidad, Cuba

 New York

  New York

Los Angeles

Brussels, Belgium

 Brussels, Belgium

  Bruges, Belgium

  Bruges, Belgium

 Paris

 Paris

 Venice

 Venice

 Verona, Italy

 Barcelona

Barcelona

Haunting

Lana del Rey has replaced A Fine Frenzy as my favourite artist with the melodic haunting voice

Happy Halloween!
 

Currently Tropa de Elite 2 [Blu-Ray] – NO ENGLISH By Wagner Moura, Irandhir Santos, Andre Ramiro see related

…until a new addition to the Family…

If I upload more than 200 photos for ONE blog entry, would that be too much? Would that be off-putting to readers?

For those who are friends with me on Facebook, you would have already seen photos from my travels during the past twelve months. For those who aren’t, I’m thinking of posting them on here. The 200+ photos are from one location from one trip.

If you want to add me as a friend on Facebook, please send me a private message.

And if and when I blog occasionally, a few posts will be protected. If you’re a subscriber and would like to be added to the protected list, please let me know.

Lots of cobwebs in here…

I’m back from my trip. I’d returned last week much darker than I’d wanted. Around 800 photographs were shot so it will be some time before I sift through them all. Next week I will be on jury service for the first time in addition to sorting out my photographs from Thailand taken last year too.

Anyway, I want to complete the posting of pictures from my trip in September last year. My previous entry contained photographs shot in Mexico. I’d headed straight to Miami afterwards so without further ado:

It was always my intention to visit Cuba one day, especially before Fidel and Raul Castro are gone and the country undergo dramatic change. The visit to Little Havana finally provided the push I’d needed. 

Ocean Drive littered with art deco buildings.

Al Pacino. Scarface. Chainsaw.

Gianni Versace House, Ocean Drive.

Vintage car parked on Ocean Drive.
 

 

Ocean Drive at dusk, Miami

 

 
A fantastic place for chocolate! Lincoln Road Mall.

 
A drag queen host at one of the bars on Ocean Drive.

One of the top bars on Ocean Drive.
 

Dancers at Mango’s Bar, Miami.
 

 
The Metromover – free train that loops Downtown Miami.

Reaching out for something in Downtown Miami.

Sunset at South Pointe Park, Miami Beach.

I’d been uploading photos from my travels first onto Facebook before posting them onto xanga. I think I should reprioritise and blog about my trips first and post the pictures here before uploading them onto the social network.

A man and his wife were driving their RV across Florida and were nearing a town called Kissimmee. They noted the strange spelling and tried to figure how to pronounce it — KISS-a-me; kis-A-me; kis-a-ME?

They grew more perplexed as they drove into the town. Since they were hungry, they pulled into a restaurant to get something to eat. At the counter, the man said to the waitress; “My wife and I can’t seem to be able to figure out how to pronounce this place. Will you tell me where we are and say it very slowly so that I can understand?”

The woman looked at him and said; “Buuurrrgerrr Kiiiinnnng.”

It has been a long while since I’d blogged about my trips. Three trips were made last year so I will blog about the second trip and combine the first and third holidays into one.

The last time I’d visited Miami was way back in 1987. That was part of an itinerary that included Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and the Florida Keys. I thought it was due time to visit Miami again. And combine it with a first time trip to Mexico. Chichen Itza was a place I’d always wanted to see and after some research, I’d decided to base myself in Playa del Carmen rather than the resort-infested Cancun. I’d thought about independent travel to Chichen Itza but chose a group tour as it included a visit to a cenote (underground water cave) and the city of Valladolid.

The tour bus pulled into its obligatory stop at a souvenir store before arriving at Chichen Itza.

Mayan rolling cigars packaged as “Cuban”… the majority of cigars on sale in Yucatan is marketed as “Cuban”. I’d rather buy the real thing in Cuba.

Mayan handcrafting masks out of stone.

Finally at Chichen Itza. People in the tour were separated into two groups: one English speaking and the other in the Spanish language. Although our Mayan guide was impressively knowledgeable, his tendency to blab on and on was really frustrating.

Mayan girl playing on the grounds of Chichen Itza.

Local Mayans relaxing on the grounds of Chichen Itza.

Ik Kil Cenote

Queuing to jump in to the cenote.

Grabbing a coffee in Valladolid.

Main Plaza in the Mayan city of Valladolid.

The centre of Valladolid was nothing special. We were left with two hours to kill which really was an hour too long which everyone agreed.

The Mayan ruins in Tulum

A beautiful beach sits besides the Mayan ruins

Pensive girl staring out to sea.

Sorry if this blog seems slightly rushed… I’m flying out tomorrow so lots to do!

Man: A Chemical Analysis

Element : Man
Symbol : Ah (short for Asshole)
Quantitative : Accepted at 7 inches, wavy brown hair, 6′ 0″ in length, though some isotopes can be as short as 4 inches.
Discoverer : Eve
Occurrence : Found following duel element Wo, often in high concentration near a perfect Wo specimen.

Physical properties

1. Obnoxious when mixed with C*H*-OH (any alcohol).
2. Tends to fall into very low energy state directly after reaction with Wo (Snore… zzzzz).
3. Gains considerable mass as specimen ages, loses reactive nature.
4. Rarely found in pure form after 14th year.
5. Often damaged as a direct result of unlucky reaction with polluted form of the Wo common ore.

Chemical properties

1. All forms desire reaction with Wo, even when no further reaction is possible.
2. May react with several Wo isotopes in short period under extremely favorable conditions.
3. Usually willing to react with what ever is available.
4. Reaction Rates range from aborted/non-existent to Pre-interaction effects (which tend to turn the specimen bright red.
5. Reaction styles vary from extremely slow, calm and wet to violent/bloody.

Storage
Best results apparently near 18 for high reaction rate, 25-35 for favorable reaction style.

Uses
Heavy boxes, top shelves, long walks late at night, free dinners for Wo…

Tests
Pure specimen will rarely reveal purity, while reacted specimens broadcast information on many wavelengths.

Caution
Tends to react extremely violently when other Man interferes with reaction to a particular Wo specimen. Otherwise very maleable under correct conditions.

Husband Daycare Center

After four years of avoiding attending any weddings, this year I will be attending three. One in New York and two in my hometown of Liverpool. I’m looking forward  to the one in the Big Apple as it has been three years since my last visit to my spiritual home and it will be fantastic to see my friends again. However, it will be the last wedding in the year that holds the most significance as someone close to me will be getting married. And it is that wedding that has reeled into sharp focus, in my own humble opinion, the immense absurdity of the wedding business.

Maybe it is the cynic in me talking… actually it is most definitely the cynic in me talking as I roll my eyes at it all. I was talking to a married friend who remarked about how some of her female friends transform into Bridezilla over the planning of their dream wedding. From an objective point of view, it looks like a competition between the women to see who can outdo each other in terms of grandness. And to hell with the cost. Even if it will mean years of financial austerity. Any sense of pragmatism goes out the window. Of course I am not referring to this person close to me as she is planning her wedding to within budget constraints.

I’m not a big fan of Chinese weddings. I’d attended so many over the years that unless I am close or good friends to one of the couple getting hitched I just won’t go. Why? In my eyes, Chinese weddings seem too focused on money. Some Chinese people plan their wedding and guest list purely to profit from it. A long time ago, I’d attended a Chinese wedding in Liverpool where the bride and groom spread their banquet over two days to maximize the amount of guest attendance. More guests equates to more red packets being received as gifts. It is a Chinese custom to give money inside a red packet as a wedding gift. I was present on the second day and towards the end of the banquet the groom was bragging about how much money he’d made from the red packets. That attitude just disgusted me.

A few years ago at a friend’s Chinese wedding banquet in London, after all the courses had been served and consumed, the bride’s mother decided it was the perfect time to plant empty red packets on each table. There were a few perplexed and disgusted faces on my table. Why? Because we had bought gifts detailed on their wedding list. As I was regaling this to a Vietnamese friend the other day, she commented her disgust at one Chinese wedding where the people at the reception opened each red packet that was handed in and proceeded to write down the amount and the name of the contributor!

When I was engaged a few years ago, my fiancee (who isn’t Chinese) and I were planning our wedding, I quickly decided there will be no Chinese customs adopted for the ceremony or banquet. No red packets will be expected. And only family and close friends will be invited. There have been many Chinese weddings where the bride and groom greet relatives and their parents’ friends whom they do not know and were only invited at their parents’ behest. Although I understand the bride and groom wanting to please their parents, at the end of the day who’s wedding is it? Another friend constantly complained about her husband’s parents interfering when they were planning their wedding.

I’d joked to my married friends that if I ever get engaged again and my partner turned out to be a Bridezilla then I will swiftly dump her. Although I was joking, it did focused my mind that a more pragmatic woman would be a more compatible fit for me. If and when I do get married, I think I will elope.

First Look

The first official photo released by Sony of Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man in their reboot of the franchise. The costume is slightly different from the classic Spidey design and I’m not sure if I like it.

Director Marc Webb is an unusual choice after only making one feature film: (500) Days Of Summer which I’d liked very much. He has assembled a cracking cast though: Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy, Denis Leary as her father, Martin Sheen as Uncle Ben, Sally Field as Aunt May, and Rhys Ifans as the Lizard.

Wedding Traditions

A little boy, at a wedding looks at his mom and says, “Mommy, why does the girl wear white?”

His mom replies, “The bride is in white because she’s happy and this is the happiest day of her life.”

The boy thinks about this, and then says, “Well then, why is the boy wearing black?”

He Loves Her Really

And so another blog entry from yours truly. I can’t promise this will continue on a regular basis but let’s see how it goes.

I was having lunch the other day with a female friend and the topic of long distance relationships cropped up. It transpired both of us have had experience in this field. My last one floundered due to my lack of commitment in time and effort to sustain it. My friend ended hers when she asked her boyfriend outright if he was as committed to the relationship as she was. She was willing to give up everything in London to move to the US for him but considering he didn’t even answer… Well, that was proof enough. At the time I’d vowed never to have another LDR in preference to dating someone in my own city. My wish was granted but I’d ended up breaking up with her. 

But now, in the beginning of this new decade, both my friend and I wouldn’t rule out another LDR if we meet the right person in the right location. By right location, I mean ease of access of transportation and communication. I don’t think the relationship will offer much sustainability if you have to fly to a country followed by hours on a bus journey with poor internet and telecommunication coverage to see your beau. Speaking for myself, I would have to be completely bowled over by her for me to commit to a LDR.

I’d met someone on one of my trips last year. She’d seemed to be bowled over by me (don’t know why ). But sadly, it wasn’t a reciprocal emotion on my part. Don’t get me wrong, she is an amazing person: warm, open, easy-going, smart, kind and didn’t mind my teasing her status. She wanted a LDR but I was honest to her about the difficulties of making it work. To cut a long story short, she has met someone else and I hope she is happy with this new guy. My point is that if I had felt the same as she did me then I would happily make the effort and time to make it work.

Top Ten Films Of 2010

The Producers Guild released their top ten films of the last year which offers an insight into what the Oscar contenders will be. I have seen all the films in their top ten except 127 Hours, The King’s Speech, and True Grit.

My Top Ten films of the previous year that I have seen in no particular order:

Inception
Winter’s Bone
The Secret In Their Eyes
The Social Network
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
The Kids Are All Right
Four Lions
Toy Story 3
Kick-Ass
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World

What is your top ten?

A Beard

A married man was visiting his “girlfriend” when she requested that he shave his beard. “Oh James, I like your beard, but I would really love to see your handsome face.”

James replied, “My wife loves this beard, I couldn’t possibly do it, she would kill me!!”

“Oh please?” the girlfriend asked again, in a sexy little voice…

“Oh really, I can’t,” he replies…”My wife loves this beard!!”

The girlfriend asked once more, and he sighs and finally gives in. That night James crawls into bed with his wife while she was sleeping.

The wife is awakened somewhat, feels his face and replies, “Oh Michael, you shouldn’t be here, my husband will be home soon!”

Dinner!