I am for Dick Gordon

In a few weeks, millions of Filipinos will be in the polls to vote for their president. Unfortunately, I will not be part of it as I am not a registered voter at the Philippine Embassy yet. It does not stop me from campaigning for who I think will be the best person to run the country.

Richard "Dick" Gordon became popular when he became the chair person of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority. The US Army had just left the base and the whole country doubted that Olongapo City would survive as they were dependent on the money being spent by the US soldiers.

The whole city did not only survive but also prospered. Because of Gordon's determination and charisma, thousands volunteered and cleaned up the whole city. It became a major tourist destination and was able to open the local airport to local and international flights.

I am quite sure that Gordon can infect many Filipinos with his optimism. We can rise from this very difficult situation.

RAW in the Barossa

It was the ANZAC holiday and it was the long weekend. Apart from working on Steven's family's backyard, I had time working on my photography.

I have not shot in RAW for about a year and this season's landscape begged for it.

Victor Harbor Rumbles

Steven and I have noticed that we have more free time now than last year so we have been visiting more and more interesting places. This past weekend, we bought a new GPS and headed for Victor Harbor.

After a couple of hours, we were greeted by a place that has the ambiance of any small city here in South Australia. Victoria Harbor has pubs, hotels, lawn balls and McDonald's.

We spent most of the afternoon trekking Granite Island. It is a tiny island surrounded with very smooth stones carved by wind and colourful moss. Strong waves also helped create the beautiful coast and one can feel the rumbling under the earth.

We will definitely visit Victor Harbor again in the winter and hopefully, I will be able to take photos of penguins and whales.

Gay, Fun and Sober (re-launch)

Two years ago, I was heart-broken and directed that energy on something productive. I put up the blog Gay, Fun and Sober (http://gayfunandsober.blogspot.com/) to show to gay people, especially the young ones, that they can have a full and fun life without the aid of any substances.

I am sad that so many young gay guys are resorting to drugs and alcohol so that they can have a memorable night with friends. Some also take these substances because they think it is going to improve their sex lives.

Once you go down that path, it will be hard to get out of it. And you will lose some of the best guys/girls in the world in that process.

If you agree on everything that I have said here then please talk to me (dexter.mejia@gmail.com). You can write about your favorite gay hot spots, send photos of you and your friends or even share your love story.

This life is so good!

Vote for Ang Ladlad

I posted before that the Philippines' Commission on Election has removed the gay group Ang Ladlad from the Congressional election campaign. Recently, the Supreme Court intervened and Ang Ladlad now occupies number 89 of the ballot.

Here is an excerpt from a newspaper article:

It stressed that Ang Ladlad has satisfied all legal requirements to qualify as a party-list organization under Republic Act 7941 (Party-list System Act), including “proofs of past subordination or discrimination suffered by the group, immutable or distinguishing characteristic, attribute or experience that define them as a discrete group, and present political or economic powerlessness.”

I urge all of my Filipino friends to vote for this party. It does not matter if you are gay or straight. If you love me then please shade number 89 on the ballot. And yes, I am using emotional blackmail.

Priests Are Glorified Paid Pedophiles

Roseanne Barr wrote recently that children should not be allowed to go to church because they are at risk of being molested by priests. In fact, parents should lose custody of their children if they do so.

It sounds extreme but I believe she has a very strong point. Churches do not have any structure that protects children from molestation. Priests are always entrusted with children and people are not allowed to question their authority. To do so is considered criticizing god himself.

Priests who are accused of molesting children are simply assigned to a different location. Just imagine the embarassment and the shame that the victim's family have to experience for the rest of their lives. Imagine also how broken these children will be because they have been taught by the church that the horrible experiences are their fault.

If you are a parent then please do not take your children to church. If you are a parent then please do not enroll your children to a Christian-based school. Please spare them.

Lady Gaga and Dexter on Chat Roulette

I have been hearing about Chat Roulette for months. I ignored this website at first because I thought I had to install a program on my computer. But I saw this video of a guy impersonating Lady Gaga so Steven and I tried it out. Eventually, I realized that I am the only one who is hooked.

You only have to visit the website and the site will ask you to enable your webcam. Click on a button and voila! You do not need to sign up or set up a profile. You do not have to wait for any applet to load. You do not even have to pay for it.

With Chat Roulette, you get to see different people from all over the world. You have to click on a button if you want to see another person but of course, people can do the same thing and it may take some time for you to find someone who wants to talk to you. These people may be people jerking off, hooking up or simply interested in chatting with someone who is on the other side of the world. It is really up to the user how this fun website will serve him/her.

I wonder how I can pry myself from this website.

Great News

I am really blessed. After being granted the partner visa, I received great news on the job front.

In a few weeks, I will start teaching in a government school. It took some time for me to realize that I will be a government worker and I am really proud of that.

My students will be mostly new migrants to Australia. Some will be refugees from war-torn countries. These are people who want to learn English so that they can have independent and productive lives in their new country--my new country as well.