The Next Drag Superstar

I spent my teen years adoring RuPaul's videos. At such a young age, I started thinking that drag queens are fun.

 

When I heard that she was launching a reality show of drag queens, I was hesitant to watch it--how can you have fun with a dozen of drag queens. I thought of endless lip-singing and catfighting.

 

But I was wrong--being in drag is an art. It is even more varied than the colours of the rainbow and I am sure it is more difficult to master than a Picasso or a Michelangelo.

 

The third season of RuPaul's drag race presents US drag queens that encompass a huge spectrum of not only the gay population but ethnic and cultural backgrounds. There were Caucasians, Puerto Ricans, South East Asians, rich, poor, famous, and infamous.

 

All the Caucasian queens were booted off in the middle of the competition and the arena was prepared for the battle of an African American, two South East Asians and three Puerto Ricans. For half of the season, the bi-lingual multi-racial queen is the norm.

 

Raja (Indonesian-Dutch) presented a fashionable and edgy side of drag while Manila Luzon (Filipino-American) presented a quirky Imelda side. I was really hoping for Manila to win but Raja really deserves the crown because she is (despite her age) fresh and FIERCE!!!

Fishy Easter

We are currently having a 5-day weekend here in Australia. Many Aussies have planned holidays interstate or overseas. Steven and I simply wanted to spend some time in Nuriootpa.

 

There were tons of people who wanted to make the most out of their holidays so they drove as fast as their machines could allow them with no consideration of other people on the road. And we did arrive in the Barossa safely. Unfortunately, we cannot say the same thing for the people who have died on the road in the past few days.

 

I tried so hard to be a good Filipino but I did not have much of a choice but eat red meat. Fish is insanely expensive in this part of the world.

 

We also tried our best to catch some fish. Unfortunately, my partner is short of patience especially after seeing a couple of Vietnamese catch carp every three or five minutes. And no, I am not exxagerating--those Vietnamese have fish magnets! Steven and I spent an hour without catching even a tadpole.

 

Anyway, I think I took a very nice photo of Steven when he was still patiently waiting for a nibble.

Teaching kids the gay lifestyle

We should start teaching our kids the gay lifestyle while they are young. We should let them cross dress for school plays and even teach them how to lip synch to Abba songs. Though it should not be done everyday, we should also teach them the difference between night makeup and day makeup.

 

And when they get older and have the ability to remember dates, then we should teach them about the Stonewall riots, the Sydney Mardi Gras and even the Philippines' Super Si Reyna. And with supervision, we can let them watch the life of Brandon Teena.

 

They do not have to be gay to enjoy gay culture as gay men do not have to try vaginas to enjoy straight culture. They simply have to be aware of the gay people that paved (and paving) the way towards a more tolerable society.

 

And I am sure teaching them while they are young will prevent gay bullying and gender-related suicides. Plus we will have more gay men and women who are realizing their full potentials rather than worrying about getting hurt by their classmates.

Karoonda Farm Fair 2011

The Karoonda Farm Fair is becoming a tradition of the Pope-Mejia family. It is the best time for Steven to catch up with people he grew up with. It is also a good time to enjoy the South Australian countryside.

This year, we went to the event with a Malaysian friend Dianne to dispel her notions of what country life is. Country folks do not ride on horses and have chiseled bodies. They are just as ordinary as the ones in the big cities.

This year, I was more confident talking to the exhibitors. I learned more about sheep and their differences. I also got to talk with Centrelink and Beyond Blue representatives. It seems depression is an important issue not only among the migrants and refugees I work but with farmers as well. It seems there are so many things out of your control if you are trying to grow something from the soil.

I took home with me lots of teaching materials and a sore butt.