Bleu

From all the things you get to accomplish, you sound like a whirlwind of energy. I don't know how you do it!

Happy birthday, Ele! You might have to start acting like an adult now! *goes into hiding*

Hahahaha, I must admit that I read the article quickly yesterday (I might have spent more time on the pics than on the text ) and didn't detect the spoof. However, other articles such as "Pineapples and the dangers they pose to your christianity" or this one clearly reveal the nature of that site. I guess what strikes me most is that the arguments provided by bigoted extremist Christians (or their equivalent in other religions) are so unreasonable and outrageous that the frontier between their ideas and pure satire becomes entirely blurred. They have become their own caricature.

Welcome to the newbies and former lurkers Enjoy the stories!

Happy birthday Paya!

A surprise package in the mailbox is always such a pleasure I like Yorkshire puds, but I've never attempted to make them. I hope you got the recipe for the gravy as well

Never felt like going back, since, Vic? Honestly, I ate pretty much everything but I drew the line at bagoong. Yuck! That is a big no-no for me. Yeah, his family welcomed me with open arms. I had a nice time with them.

Thanks, R. I am confident in the future.

Thanks John Jian is indeed

Maria. Thank you for your faith, and take as much hope from us as you can. We're not greedy with it

Long time no blog... Most people missed my last blog post because it didn't appear in the list of recent posts. That was a side effect of the delayed publication setting... There went another failed attempt at humour. The highlight of the past two months is obviously my trip to the Philippines and my visit to John. The GA meetup in London was great too, but ... no offence to the nice peeps I saw or met there ... it could hardly compare. So let's rewind to early August. The stakes were high when I took off from London because we had both invested quite a bit of energy, time, money, and emotions in the preparation for this visit. Some irreversible decisions had been taken. It is not my story to tell so I'll only mention that three weeks before my arrival John came out to his family and that the news were not adversely received. The main goal of the trip was to finally meet John in real life and to spend some quality time together. I think we did all right on the main objective. At least, John did not run away screaming when he saw me. It was quite an emotional moment to finally be able to hold him in my arms, and gaze in his eyes. Contrary to some of the teasing I was subjected to in London we didn't spend all our time in a hotel room. We visited places that John knew well, and others that we discovered together. So many things were new to me. I am no stranger to travelling: I have been to the US several times, to Latin America twice, and to several European countries, but this was my first time in Asia. There was obviously some culture shock, especially because, thanks to John, I was immersed into the Filipino culture. My experience would have been vastly different if I had spent all the time in a resort, cut off from the local population. Being a gay couple did not prove to be a problem there. I didn't feel that we were looked at or treated differently. The fact that I so obviously look like a Westerner may have played a role, I don't know... The Philippines is a very striking country in that it appeasr both reassuringly familiar and utterly different. The language is no barrier: pretty much everyone speaks English. And even if I didn't understand Filipino, it includes many words of Spanish and English origin and uses the Latin alphabet, so there is always some degree of familiarity. The landscapes didn't look like anything I had seen before, though some parts reminded me of the tropical forest surrounding the Iguazu Falls. I regret not wandering into rice fields on foot, but I got my fill of white sandy beaches, coral reef, and banana and palm tree plantations on Bohol Island. Manila is a world in itself, with its rush of people, the insane traffic, the heat and humidity. John had warned me about the poverty that I would not fail to witness, and indeed it was ever present. It was the first time that I was confronted to it on such a scale, apart from that one time when I got lost in the slums on the hills outside Acapulco. Anyway... I can't pretend to understand all the ins and outs of the economic and social situation of the country, so I won't dwell on that. I think I adapted well to the local food, apart from a few items that were just way too strange. The culture is also a mix of Western and Asian influences so there is always an element that you can relate to. I think I need to visit another Asian country in order to get another point of reference for what life is in that part of the world. After this short time together, we face the future on our own once again, but we are now looking in the same direction. We are aware of family and job commitments, and of the administrative obstacles which might prevent us from making a life together in the near future. However, we are both patient men, and we're in this together. * * * * * * * * * * * This new-found happiness sometimes brings memories of more ancient happy and unhappy times. I wrote part of the above in my note-book, while sitting on the imposing staircase which lies outside my former workplace and reflecting on how much my life has changed over the last 6 years. I used to sit there and cry when grief overwhelmed me and I didn't want to show my tear-streaked face to my co-workers. Mourning is a long process, which never really ends. It becomes part of you and leaves a scar. Most of the time, I forget about the scar, but sometimes it hurts a little. A few minutes ago, the radio started playing Pink Floyd's Wish you were here, which was played at my wife's funeral. And I shed a few tears, something I had not done for several months. At times, I feel fleeting pangs of guilt for embarking upon a new relationship, for leaving her behind... but that guilt does not last for long. As I wrote at the end of Through dark and cold seasons, she gave her blessings to the person I would love one day. She encouraged me to find a new love, and I have found it in John.

You're giving us all a lesson in courage and fortitude, Mark. Be proud of yourself and of your achievements over the past six months. Just imagine where you will be in another six months from now. I know you won't forget where that new-found strength comes from. Treasure it

Good to see you back. I have missed your posts. Well... not silly at all, quite deep on the contrary. The simple, obvious truth is sometimes the hardest to see.

[Review from Jian Sierra] This is my first time reading any of your stories and I think you write really well. It's so easy to relate to Linus because he's a very average guy.

... with all this happening you still think you don't have a life?

[Review from Jian Sierra] I just love this story. It was like watching a real Hollywood movie. I'm so glad Brock was able to get his life back on track. And having a good looking guy by his side is not so bad either. I'd certainly remember this story for days to come. Thank you.

[Review from Jian Sierra] I really thought Sebastian was a vampire, maybe that's because I've heard about an incubus but don't really know much about them. Anyway, the flow of the story was really good although I was confused at first when it was 'Night 1' but the scene was in the morning. Don't worry it's not your fault. I get confused easily. Thanks for sharing this story with us.

Sorry to hear about your troubles at work. The only tales I get from people working in retail in the US are horror stories. There's not much point in me saying that things wouldn't happen this way over here. I feel for you, having made plans to meet your guy. Any hope of going back to teaching?

[Reply from Jian] Thanks for reading. Not sure if this is a masterpiece, but I did what I could to come up with a good enough story for this antho. Glad you seem to like it.

[Reply from Jian] It's too soon to say whether a happy ending is not possible, at least I'd like to think so (can you tell I'm hoping for a happy ending myself?). We'll see. Thanks for leaving a review.

[Reply from Jian] Well as always, it's all thanks to you for your cool ideas. I just hope you don't get tired of helping me because to be honest, I'd be a little lost without you.

[Reply from Jian] Awww I had a lot of trouble writing this so I can relate to what you're feeling. Let's hope for the best for these two.

[Reply from Jian] **hug** I'm glad my story moved you.

[Reply from Jian] I think this is the most cryptic review I had ever received. To think that a single sentence would make me reflect a lot, thank you. And thanks for reading my simple story too.

[Reply from Jian] First off, thanks for reading my story. What we are is the result of our parents' upbringing. Maybe due to our maturity (or lack thereof), we are blinded on just how much they are teaching us. I didn't mean for this story to honor all the good fathers out there, but somehow I did and somehow, it just felt right to do so.