Lost Dog-Lovers part 2

I never thought that there would be a sequel to this post. Jet visited us two years ago when we were still living in a unit. The owner was living on the next block back then.

I did not know that Jet's family moved to the same street recently so I was pleasantly surprised to see him (lost) again. I guess we will see him more often now.

Steven and I are just finishing the repairwork in the interior of our house until we begin the process of adding a canine to our small family. It is exciting to have a different dynamic in our relationship and I am sure it will make us closer.

But I am not sure if it will be a border collie.

Making a home

Steven and I have been very busy repairing our 1910 home. If we are not working, we are working on the house. And when it is time to go to bed, it does not take long for us to fall asleep.

The bare skirting boards, window frames, door frames and doors are now varnished. We were so excited to do this until I got sick of the scent. I would rather clean the toilet than apply varnish.

Most of our furniture have now been replaced by furniture that will fit more guests and suit our color palette well. Most of them are black and the accents (lamps and placemats) are grey.

We have successfully repaired the lawn as well. It is now all-green and ready to be mowed for the first time. Our backyard is now dog-ready.

The photo here shows what I miss the most in Thailand--a gadget to have a very clean asshole.

Thank goodness he is gay

My partner is so butch that girls hit on him. He feels very uncomfortable when that happens. And he only has to blame himself because he is charming with his deep voice and country accent.

His hairy arms are also riddled with notes that he has to remember. He does not wear fancy perfume or put hair and face products. He is just one rough guy.

I went to the shed earlier today and had a look at his childhood possessions. I was so glad to see that he has been gay all his life. When I was a teenager, Madonna CDs were the only clear indication that I was gay but Steven had Barbara Streisand and Melissa Etheridge.

Thank God I am not sleeping with a straight man!

House of our own

I have lived in three cities. In Manila, I grew up in a small block of land with relatives surrounding me. In Bangkok, I stayed in a tiny apartment in the middle of the red light district. In Adelaide, I spent my "formative" years in a two-bedroom unit with my partner.

And now, it is all different.

I do not have to endure the nights listening to people having sex, people using their toilets and other activities that I really do not want to know about. I do not have to share a clothesline with people who do not use their own pegs.

We own a house now and it is really pretty. It has three bedrooms, an office, a backyard, a car port and a garage that will satisfy Steven's love for cars. I can now walk around when I am tired of staring at the computer screen. It is not awkward anymore to say "Honey, I'm home!

Of course, there are so many things to change here as it seems to be stuck in the 80s with the bright blue walls. We also need to repair the walls and buy some furniture. But we will get there.

Amidst this excitement, I can only think of two people--my mother and my father who passed away recently. I am sure he would have been proud.

I still have him in my dreams. I will tell him that I am so thankful that he brought me up this way and because of his sacrifices, I am happy.

Chinese New Year 2013 in Adelaide

It was the Chinese New Year a few weeks ago so a Chinese friend invited us to the city and the enjoy the festivities. There were tons of people on the streets and food stalls. There were also long queues for food so it took us a long time to fill our bellies.

But the most interesting part for me is spending a Saturday night with friends who were babysitting some children. These friends are going to foster a child soon so hanging out with them a minor around will be a normal occurrence. I guess they were practicing that night.

My mouth is far from family-friendly whenever I am with my gay friends but it was really not that difficult adjusting. I guess there are other things that I can talk about aside from obscenities.

It makes me wonder also if I can ever be prepared to be a parent myself. I do not know the answer yet.

Kangaroo Island 2013 part 4

Kangaroo Island 2013 part 3

Kangaroo Island 2013 part 2

Duck Lagoon

Pennington Bay

Remarkable Rocks

Remarkable Rocks

Admiral's Arch

Kangaroo Island 2013 part 1

Myself and Steven on the Remarkable Rocks

Fresh from our trip in Manila, Steven and I ventured out to Kangaroo Island with Peter from Canberra and Michael from Pennsylvania. It was a huge relief for my partner and I because this one was a real vacation.

It was still the middle of summer so most of our days were comfortably warm. We were spared from rainshower and that was a blessing--driving around with an ordinary sedan would not have been possible with muddy dirt roads.

It is expensive to get there as Sealink is the only company that offers ferry service. It is also expensive to stay there because all the parks require their visitors to pay separate fees--that means if you visit three parks in a day, you need to open your wallet three times as well.

It is worth the expense because the island is really not that spoilt. Kangaroos, wallabies and koalas are in the bush or rotting on the roads. Numerous penguins and seals inhabit the island. The caves, rock formations and the beaches are quite beautiful and clean.

climbing Little Sahara

Steven on the tallest sand dune in Little Sahara

Peter and Michael on the Remarkable Rocks

Myself, Steven, Michael and Peter at American River

I went crazy taking shots so it will take some time to show the photos on this blog.

Missing my father

Here is a photo I took while my father was in my mind. It was taken at Changi Airport's butterfly exhibit. It brightened my mood and helped me escape from the dread of seeing the lifeless body of my father.

I am sure my mood will pick up eventually but right now, I hope it is normal to still feel the loss.

Confusing Christmas

Here is a video of my family in Pasig City. We went there to watch the puppet show sponsored by the government but we were told there wouldn't be any that night. In Tagalog, you would hear us discuss what we were going to do: do we cross the street or do we go to the carnival?

After spending weeks in the hospital and funeral chapel, the entire family was clueless of what is in store that Christmas. We did not know what time the church services were. We did not if there were any fireworks display.

We ended up going to church and waited for two hours before the Mass started. Oh well, it was better than walking aimlessly on the streets.