Latest family addition

Since we started our relationship, Steven and I have always talked about getting a dog. We  have been visiting the Animal Welfare League in Wingfield and adored many of the dogs there. Steven was keen on getting a kelpie since he grew up with them. I just wanted a small-ish dog so I won't be seen in public picking up a bowl-sized poop.

But we went slightly different in the adoption process. Steven decided on visiting foster families instead so we can learn more about the dogs. A Corgi x Husky x Kelpie was the first dog that we saw in this process and we immediately fell in love with her friendly and welcoming demeanor. We saw another dog but it seemed the latter was not really that interested in us.

It seemed Meeka also chose us so after a week of waiting as she had to be desexed first. It was a windy day when we picked her up from the vet. She was really groggy and behaved very differently from the first time we saw her.

But as the drugs wore off, she came back to her old self. We also had to wait for a 2-week trial period before we can pay the adoption fee and before we can call her officially ours.

More on Meeka in the next posts.

June 2013 Renovations

The house that we bought was really plain inside. It had blue walls and raw skirting boards. It did not reflect our personalities at all.

We have been spending the past few months staining and varnishing the skirting boards, painting the walls and buying some furniture. We wanted the interiors to be modern and neutral-coloured so we went for a warm grey paint and black furniture. We also added some red highlights on the furniture.

The feature wall in the lounge room is going to be taken down eventually because it sticks like a very sore thumb. Hence, it will still change. As far as our bedroom goes, this will be the permanent look of it.

Of course, there are more photos to come.

main bedroom

lounge

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.

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.

Letter I Sent Two Weeks Ago

Dear Uncle Tom,
 
I am sorry that it took a long time to respond to your email. I actually found both of them in my spam mail folder.
 
Thanks for the touching description of my father. He is a huge part of my life as well: I have always tried my best to be like him. He was selfless and compassionate. He sacrificed his own needs just to make sure that all three of us have a proper education—something that I know he wanted but could not have because he had to help raise a big family.
 
I know he loved me and my partner. My last memory of him is him showing off my partner Steven to all of his friends. My only regret is not taking him to Adelaide with us for a visit. He was supposed to catch blue swimmer crabs with us and do some line fishing. I was supposed to show him our home and my job (educating disadvantaged adults). I was supposed to show him that all of his sacrifices have paid off.
 
My Tatay was very fond of you. He called you his best friend. I am sorry that he is gone.
 
I am in grief but I know he is in a better place and I have to continue striving to be like him.
 
Regards,
 
Dexter
 

First House Stage Two

 

Christmas break is just around the corner so Steven and I have been frantic meeting suppliers for the construction of our house. Both of us have full time jobs so sometimes we rush from work to a meeting. We do not even have the same schedule so all of our meetings so far are done without the other.

We are lucky that we started this voyage looking for an already-constructed house so we were able to see designs and colour choices that we both love. After seeing dozens of houses, we settled for a fairly black & white color palette both indoors and outdoors. Thanks to mobile technology, we are able to take the photos to shops and use these are references.

We may not be together in meeting these suppliers but it is a breeze deciding what materials we want to have. So far, we have been fairly fast in approving plans.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that construction will begin really soon.

The photo above contains the black brick and roofing material that are going to be used. It does not look appealing right now but I know we will have the gayest house in our neighborhood.

First House Stage One

Since Steven and I have been together, we have been talking about a new house. We are not really happy living in a unit because we have to deal with neighbours who do not show respect to other tenants. Living in a unit also forces us to use a laundromat (so tedious) and be petless.

We have spent so many months looking for a house that we can afford and we can be happy with. We have had very long discussions on what we really wanted and we actually almost bought a house.

But then the South Australian government announced that they will reward grants to people who have chosen to build a house. So we gave up on the several houses that we have been eyeing and grabbed a house and land package.

After dozens of emails and hours of phone calls, we managed to buy land very close to where we are right now. It is not very big but it will be enough for two men, a dog and a few citrus plants.

Here is the panoramic photo of the property. In less than a year, you will see a black and white home built in this area. Just click on the thumbnail to view the entire photo.

Steven's fourth year anniversary gift

My partner knows that I really really want to have a Christmas tree but he had been postponing buying one until we moved in to a house. We also live in a small unit so it is sensible not to have something big and practically useless occupy a space in our home.

But we have been together for four years and he thought of thinking out of the box. So I came home and was greeted by a sparkling Christmas tree.

Got Married

There is no marriage equality in Australia yet. The present Prime Minister wants to retain the "traditional" definition of marriage--that is between a man and a woman.

Steven and I are hoping it will happen in our lifetime though and we would love to get married when that happens. I just want us to be treated and seen like any other loving couple in this country.

It seems one not-for-profit organisation went way ahead of our plans and government initiatives. They sent a letter addressed to a certain Dexter Pope. Should I help them just because of one flattering mistake?

6.3 Cholesterol Level

I have a very active lifestyle. I lift weights and do cardio four times a week. Sometimes, I go hiking and ride my bike.

But I have been very naughty with my diet since I moved to Australia. Red meat abounds here. Chips and wedges are the best. Having an entire pizza in one sitting is not uncommon.

Since my 34th birthday approaching, my doctor decided to check my blood. At first, he thought that I was going to be diabetic because it is in my family history but he was surprised that my blood cholesterol level hit the 6.3 mark.

So what does this mean?

I need to take medicines to lower my cholesterol. I need to lose weight by pushing harder in the gym. AND I need to be very careful with what I put in my mouth.

Thank goodness that I am not diabetic though.

More thoughts on Baguio

I had been wanting to visit Baguio City because tourists consider it as one of the best vacation spots in the country. I grew up in Manila, moved to Thailand and then to Australia and it was only a few weeks ago that I was able to visit this popular city.

My entire family packed their bags, hired a van, cooked a lot of food and endured the six-hour drive to the summer capital of the Philippines. Along the way, we saw waterfalls left and right. The green mountains were covered by clouds.

Upon seeing the city itself, I was deeply disappointed because it reminded me of the ugliness of Manila. It was crowded and polluted. The landscape was littered with houses and apartments. The traffic made my ears ring and my nose sneeze.

Fortunately, we were with someone who used to live there. She was also able to speak the local dialect and ask for directions. We went to a hot springs resort that only locals know about. The pool water was hot enough to cook an egg and looking up, we could see green mounntain peaks and the blue sky looking at us.

All of us loved the vacation. It provided us a ten-degree lower than in Manila relief. It also gave us a chance to have a great experience together and that is hard to do when Steven and I are living overseas. I really hope we will share another experience like this very soon.

inside the van

Lion's Head

taken from the rented house

keeps me warm

checking Adelaide news

pointing at the clouds

suffering before seeing the statue of Mary

taken at a souvenir shop

China Town

Lovely with her strawberry ice cream

my father with a butter fly

passengers at Burnham Park

rowing at Burnham Park

another passenger

Steven at Mine's View Park

the gang at Mine's View Park

Modern Family in Baguio

I have visited my family in Manila recently and to catch up on lost time, my sister arranged a trip to Baguio. We hired a vehicle, packed food to feed an army and took some pills to avoid motion sickness.

I will give you more details of the trip but I just want to show right now a portrait of a modern family. We have two same-sex couples, opposite-sex couples and a child that is bound to have a childhood with respect and acceptance.

I am really proud of my family.

Horrible Winter

This South Australian ad is really disgusting. I usually look away everytime this is on TV. There are other disgusting SA ads down there as the government is far from hesitant in offending its audience.

 

I do not have the flu but I have a really bad cold. It is bad news because I am still a casual worker and I have to directly deal with people everyday. 

I guess I just have to make sure that I wash my hands more often than before.

I think god made a mistake when he created winter because people are less productive, moody and my damn clothes take a long time to dry.

New Haircut

Yes, I got really irritated with my hair so I have decided to change it. Steven thinks I look gayer and I guess that is a compliment.

Unruly Locks

I have been trying to grow my curly hair again and I think I am losing my patience.  With some styling agent, it looks good but I am not sure my hair is thick enough for it to look dramatic. Without any styling agent, it just looks like an old grotty mop.

I think I am going to have a hair cut soon but I am not going to get rid of it all the way. I want to look more current and try a new hairstyle.