Important: Lost Laptop

Because of my stupidity, my laptop was stolen. I am extremely upset right now. I am asking all of my friends to email me their information again like their postal address.

I am sorry for any inconvenience. My email is dexter.mejia@gmail.com

Dreaded Class Reunion

Many of my friends would think that it is masochistic of me to even consider attending my high school reunion. I was persecuted as a gay man in that Catholic school. It was the darkest years of my life. And yet I did attend it.

Nobody mentioned about the bullying fortunately. We mainly talked about our jobs and jobs of those who were absent. A few of the men look better. Some have not changed. And many are fatter and older. It is probably from the stress of married life. There is one thing that I am envious of and that is having children.

Maybe I am not really destined to have a child. Maybe I am too young to give up.

Anyway, last night's experience made me feel young again without being bullied.

Men Busted at the Shang Mall

Yes, I saw two gay men got busted at the Shang Mall last night. I was with Reggie (from LYC-Manila) and we were checking out the cruising grounds of Shangri-la Mall in Ortigas Center.

I watched one young man giving another young man a handjob. As I was enjoying the show, two security guards suddenly appeared and arrested the two men. The two men gave excuses but then they were caught in the act. I did not know what to do and say to them. Good luck? I am sorry that you might be spending your holidays in jail?

Seriously, it is sad that Shangri-la Mall is spending money and training men just to catch gay men having sex in their toilets. Instead of detecting bombs, they visit each and every toilet for gay men. I am really so glad that I do not live in the Philippines anymore.

Holidays in Manila part 5

I have been meeting some of my extended family and some of my friends. I eat everytime I see them. One time, I bought a bagful of fried pig intestines and I was hoping that DJ would share it with me. But he got grossed out so I had to finish everything. I swear I am not going to eat fried pig intestines anymore on this trip.

Aaaah, I badly need to go back to the gym! I am so fat right now. I hope I will be back in shape by the time I fly to Sydney for the Mardi Gras.

Look at the kids! They have my curls.

Holidays in Manila part 4

DJ is the next friend I met here in the Philippines who is not based here. It was great seeing him here as it was his first time.

I took a break from my family and took him to Ayala Museum and to the University of the Philippines. It is just too bad that he did not allot more time here but I am sure he is going to be back.

Write Me 2

Thanks Cheery for telling me that you still could not post comments (anonymously or without signing in) on my blog. I think it is working now. Please email me if you are still having problems on my blog dexter.mejia@gmail.com.

Holidays in Manila part 3

It was my third time to be at the SM Mall of Asia and it was my family's first. It was very entertaining to have them this time. But then I was also bothered by my DVD addiction and my DVD sales.

We had some very nice Filipino food at a restaurant facing Manila Bay. A Filipino band was playing in the background. And my father is playing with Danica, my niece.

Holidays in Manila part 2

I just cannot stop thinking that Filipino men are just so gorgeous! Fat, muscular and skinny--they are just so masculine. I forgot how attractive my fellow countrymen are.

Anyway, I met Phet yesterday. She works for the same company and it is just crazy that we spent the afternoon together in Megamall (Ortigas Center). She accompanied me while I sold DVDs I bought from Thailand.

After selling the DVDs, Phet and I went to the food court and we were so unpleasantly surprised that food here is so expensive. Some of them are 50% more expensive than in Bangkok. And yet salary wage in Manila is lower. It makes me sick to think how poor people can feed themselves here.

I will not live in the Philippines anymore. There is a huge problem with the system.

Golden Compass (movie)

(I am so thankful to have watched this movie without anyirritating subtitles here in Manila. I watched it at 11:20 PM and I am surprised that even theaters are now catering to American call center employees.)

I had not had any sleep for more than 24 hours when I went to the cinema. I should not have done so. I had 3 calorie-filled donuts but they did not help me that much.

I kept on dozing off so it is hard to make a comment on the storyline. I think it is unfair though that some critics are comparing this to Lord of the Rings or Chronicles of Narnia. It is very different. The parallelism between this story and reality is more palpable than those two adventure films.

Of course, Nicole Kidman is as stunning as ever. It is really hard to keep my eyes away from her. I missed seeing Daniel Craig's body. Perhaps, I will just wait for James Bond.

The special effects are passable but not that great. They are not really jaw-dropping but that is OK.

I think this franchise will just get better and better.

Holidays in Manila part 1

I am back to a place where men are men and not overpowdered peacocks. I almost forgot how macho Filipino men can be. They are clean and natural and not trying to look like someone from manga comics.

I love shooting at the Christmas lights. I have to stop myself from smiling everytime I ride a jeepney or else Filipinos would think I am crazy or I am a foreigner.

I can understand almost everyone and I do not see them as background noise. I sometimes forget that I am in the Philippines though so I speak English most of the time. Fortunately, the people can understand me.

This is just the start.

Write me

At first, I thought why there are only a few people posting comments on my blog and yet I have a lot of you visiting. I checked my settings and noticed that only bloggers could interact with my blog.

Now everyone can post their comments as long as it is related to the topic. You can be supportive. You can be critical. You can be nice. You can be nasty. But you cannot be a spamer.

Come on, say something!

Fuck Yoga

I have not done yoga for more than a year now. I do not know why I cannot do the poses I used to do. Many things have changed in my body. I have grown bulkier. I have become older. I have become more lazy in doing yoga.

Last night, I felt like I dislocated my shoulders. If I had a hymen, I would have ruptured it as well. If I were calcium-deficient, I would have pulverized my sockets.

I wonder if muscle building and yoga mix. Can anyone answer me?

Japanese Story (DVD)

I swear the selection of this movie is purely coincidental. I saw this DVD in the rack and it was less than 100 Baht. Why shouldn't I buy it?

There is nothing special in the story. There is nothing new in the cinematography although it does show that the Australian desert is very beautiful. The performances were brilliant though. Toni Collette never fails to amaze me. Gotaro Tsunashima is very sexy. I would have taken him not only to the desert but to the end of this world.

This is a barebones DVD so there is nothing much to comment about. It makes very excited to visit Australia, especially the desert. I wonder if my friend Peter would say yes if I ask him if we could drive to Adelaide from Canberra. Hint hint!

Dean Spurrier, 41

I met Dean Spurrier in Manila when I was forming Long Yang Club-Manila. He was supportive and extremely helpful in making it successful. With his outgoing personality, he was able to recruit a lot of members and at the same time, he was able to introduce to me some new friends.

My friend passed away a few days ago and I am sad that he did. He has left a loving partner, Edwin, and his family in Texas.

Dean, thanks for being a part of my life and LYC-Manila. I am very proud to have known you.

Bi-polarism

Many of my friends know my childhood and how I was brought up. Many of you know where my insecurities stem from. I feel low right now after feeling great in the first half of this week.

It was splendid spending time with AM. It seems he is the man that I have been looking for but I only had a taste of what that relationship can be. Can I really have it?

God, I am already 29 years old and yet I have had only one relationship and that was long distance. Many people would not even count it as a serious relationship.

Sometimes, I feel that there are things/people that are too good for me to have. Am I being fair to myself? Am I putting myself down? Or am I just being realistic?

I cannot wait to have a distraction so my Manila trip is just perfect. I will be busy meeting friends and being with my family.

Thanks Andrew McLean

I know I have sworn not to have anymore anonymous encounters but Andy is just too hot to resist. He has a sweet face and an amazing body. Plus he has a very engaging personality. Yes it is true boys and girls--you can see those things on the dance floor.

I met him at DJ station last Sunday and it is just strange that many people I know in Bangkok have already met him. I guess my friends here are really interested in my personal life. My close friends are very eager to marry me off.

Unfortunately, he has already left the country but we are going to meet in Australia. Woohoo! Can't wait to see you again, Andy!

(Political) Picnic 2

It was the King's birthday. Many people came on time. Some cancelled very late. Some did not contact me. Nevertheless, the event was quiet and relaxing. And I had a chance to practice on a few clicks.

Dec 9/10, 2007 Adventure

Our branch had a horrible performance in our company Christmas party. But then I have to commend one of our staff because she sang beautifully. It was a lot of fun being with familiar people.

I won a vacuum cleaner. I do not know what I am going to do with it. Maybe, I will send it to Manila. I just hope sending it there won't be as expensive as the cost of the hoover.

But then that party was only the start of a great evening. My colleagues (teachers and support staff) and I went to DJ station. It was great dancing with the girls on stage. We had it for ourselves!

At the same time, I met a good-looking and very nice man. My colleagues and friends like him very much. He was actually comfortable talking with them and I only met him half an hour beforehand.

This is a night to remember.

Love of Siam (movie)

This movie is misleading. Some Thais expected a straight puppy love story. And with the title, I also expected a love story. I never expected that it would be a love story between two gay teenagers. I thought it only wanted to escape from the shadow of a previously released gay Thai movie (Bangkok Love Story).

But it is not really a gay love story. It is not even really a love story. It is about a family's struggle to adapt with the changes and challenges that life throws at them. It is a test of how they can hold on to each other as a family.

The love story is only a subplot of the four stories in the film that are parallel to each other. One story is the son's pursuit to find himself. Second is the father's struggle to accept the loss of his daughter. Third is the daughter who try so hard to prove herself to her parents. Fourth is the mother who try to keep the family together as she fears the loss of her husband and her son.

The director and the editing suck. I fell asleep on one part of the movie because it was dragging. I felt like I was watching a soap opera on a big screen. There are scenes that can be tightened and be more concise with a sensible editor.

The actors are brilliant though. The two male young actors are convincingly amorous towards each other. I never thought that men that young can pull it off. Kudos to Mario Maurer and
Witwisit Hirunwongkul.

If you do not like the plot, I still suggest that you watch it because of the sweetest kiss on the big screen. This kiss is just so sweet and innocent. I wish I had fallen in love that early in my life.

Another Straight Disco

I did not plan on going to any disco tonight but then I saw a straight Italian friend by accident. We talked a bit and he lured me to a straight disco on Soi Patpong.

It was full of hookers of course but they immediately recognized that I was not trade so they paid me no heed. Of course, the straight Italian got some attention.

I was surprised to see a few gay men though and they were tourists. I guess I was not the only one who was lured there.

I like the fact that they played hiphop music but it was just too loud. I felt my head was going to explode so I said goodbye to my friend. I wonder if he got himself a hooker.

Million Dollar Baby (2-disc DVD)

This is one dramatic movie that is great to watch over and over again because of the richly layered plot and the amazing performances. It has a very sad ending but at the same time, it is uplifting. It teaches the audience that they have to grab that opportunity to realize their dreams.

The three main actors are so good in this movie that I cannot imagine any actor doing those roles. They are just perfect. They sustain an atmosphere of bitterness even if the main character is succeeding.

This 2-disc edition does not contain outtakes or anything like that but it is still very informative to watch the actors, producers and the director discuss the filmmaking background.

I could not help but cry during the ending of this movie. It was just so sad but at the same time, it was (in a strange way) optimistic.

Political Picnic

It started with just one small idea. Rotem, Jorge and I went to Lumpini Park last year to share some snacks, red wine and a lot of stories.

I decided to do it again on the King's birthday (this coming 5th of December). I have invited some friends and a few colleagues. Some have confirmed and some are not yet sure if they will be able to attend. I am OK with that.

And then earlier, a colleague confronted me "Dexter, why aren't you inviting me to your picnic?"

I could not make up any excuse. I only muttered "Sure you can join us!"

It is my picnic and I will invite anyone I want to.

I just hope nobody else will come up to me and ask the same question.

Expectations and Disappointments of a Friend-Pursuer

Apart from the sex, how different should a person handle a budding friendship vis-a-vis a budding romantic relationship? I am not sure if I am the only one who has experienced this but sometimes I would say "How I wish I could hang out with this peson more...he seems a nice friend to keep!" But then you find yourself being ignored everytime you ask this person out.

As a friend-pursuer, should you also look for signs? Do you also wait for him/her to call you? Would it be pathetic if you are the one who keeps on calling him/her?

As a friend-pursuer, should you just let it flow and not exert effort in building the friendship? Should you just wait for that time that both of you will be in the same bar or mall or train or whatever?

I am thankful though that I have met so many friends in Manila and in Bangkok. Most of the people whose friendships I have pursued are reciprocal. But then it still makes me wonder about the others who could have been nice people to hang out with.

Beowulf (movie)

I watched this movie because I studied the book when I was still in the university. I remember my old teacher reading the lines of the original text and translating it to us in modern English afterwards. Unfortunately, I have studied so many books in my life that I have forgotten most of them. "Beowulf" is one of them.

So why did Robert Zemeckis decide that everything should be CGI. I actually do not know. Most of the characters are still stone-faced even the most realistic one (Grendel's mother). The queen is so lifeless that she looks like someone who had an overdose of botox. I have to admit that Beowulf's war-scarred body is delectable. I cannot help but laugh at how hard Zemeckis tried to hide this hero's dick from the camera.

So many of the performances were lost because of this technique. Hair looks very fake. Angelina Jolie's flotation devices (boobs and lips) were scene stealers though. I am sure Zemeckis can make a movie out of those body parts. How I wish he just used the real actors for the human parts. For me, Gollum is still the most convincing CGI character on film.

The audio is also problematic. Many of the voices were drowned out because of background noise. The conversation between Grendel and his mother were unintelligible. I am sure they were speaking English but the artificial echo renders the scene practically useless.

Should people give it a miss? Yes. Very few people know about Beowulf's tale anyway.