Yettie One

There's been a huge amount of fuss here over the ticket allocation. Loads of corporate companies getting hundreds of tickets to use as give aways and stuff. Been a big cuffufle with the public complaining. And then there is the price for some of the tickets being hugely inflated in such tough times. Meh. Still for those that do have tickets it will be an awesome experience.

Intriguing read Iilansui. It's my first time to read a story based in the far east, so I'm interested to see where this one goes. Sounds like there is a lot at stake for this young man. Must be hard to live a life under the watchful eye of a keeper. I feel for him. Looking forward to the next chapter.

Nice going buddy. Great to see things are underway and love the finished product. This is such a great intro to what is going to be a lot of fun!

Funny thing, I was just writing about age and the perception of age in our society in my blog. But I've got to be honest I've experienced this kind of thing too buddy. I think to be fair that the younger folk to get hit on, stalked and hounded by a lot of older guys, that at times they just assume all older guys are going to be the same! It sometimes takes time to prove that assumption wrong, and yes there are very definitely time when the effort is not worth the hassle. I'm sorry you got kicked in the teeth by your friend. That is never nice to discover, and I feel that there are times when we do need to say something, but you need to weigh up the effects of saying anything with the trouble it might cause. Again is it worth the hassle or is it just easier to shut it and forget it? I'm not sure. Maybe you need to ask yourself how much value you place on the friendship. Sometimes we don't realise how many people do care till its too late. Sometimes we are looking to the wrong people to care. Sometimes times your right, everyone is too busy trying to survive to care. It's a crazy old world. Hugs Harcallard. Hope things get better and you find a reason to smile soon.

It was the same with the Sydney games Andy. Up at stupid o'clock to get anything good. World Cup Rugby in NZ was the same last year! Grrrrrrrr. Oh the men's gymnastics is going to be good, and then there is the swimming, and the cycling, and the track and field oh yeah and the........ oooooft. To many hot guys to drool over!

If I am honest I've never been a massive fan of beatboxing because of the nasal quality it produces, not fault of the artist, just a result of the process. I liked Mikes stuff despite that it is layered and produced in a studio as its taking the time to understand sound and use it to his strengths and take the creation of sound through his mouth to new heights. I had a good listen to Amon Tobin. I totally agree with you, he is completely unique and very eclectic. While I didn't enjoy all of his stuff on the album, I did find some older stuff on YouTube that I really enjoyed especially a track called At The End Of The Day. Not sure if he used the same method to produce this, but it was a good tune. Thanks for your input, I love this kind of stuff. Keeps me inspired.

Confusion is never a pleasant experience. The isolation you feel as a result of the uncertainty on its own makes dealing with the feelings of insecurity associated with the lack of clear direction difficult to bare. Aside from the complexities of being under constant strain from pondering endlessly what to do, there is also the effect on one’s confidence and sense of self worth that are affected by the experience. These were the internal mental struggles that faced a tired and bedraggled Jacob

We take pleasure in a vintage wine, in a well matured single malt, in a seasoned and well cured cigar or even a well aged cheese. These are all things that through nature improve with age. Its a well known formula. If its old and well established it has value. A painting by a famous painter, or a medal with a tangible provenance becomes valuable or a building with history becomes a protected/listed building. All these things are improved or enhanced with age, be it their value, the experience or even the concept of the item. But is this something that we can apply to everything? For example think of a phone, or a computer. Some things are perishable, and others have a sell by or use by date. In these cases it is the reverse, age does not improve the item at hand. Lets be honest when it comes to good music, how often do we appreciate the older stuff, even as each generation grows up, it is the stuff of the past that we enjoy more. Probably something to do with the memories that the music of our youth invokes. So age is a double edged sword. So what happens when we apply age to people? Do we accept that age matures a person just like a fine wine, adding to the value and experience of the person, or are we eternally fixated by the beauty of youth? This poses a difficult question for society, as it would seem that the predominant trend is to always be looking for the best looking, best features, best results as humans. We jump at cosmetic surgery to maintain our youth, strive to hide our age, lie about who we are and how old we are. Various industries are infamous with their ruthless craving for the young and the beautiful people. While there are exception to every rule, I'd say that for the majority of our society the beauty of youth is captivating, alluring and poses far too much sway on our system of values. You hear of men "trading" in their wives for a younger model, or a woman being a Cougar and having a younger toyboy. It makes me giggle sometimes when I think about it. We are never satisfied. But it does make me wonder at times. What is the real fixation with youth. We all grow up, we all get older, we all grow grey hair, get wrinkles and get fatter round the waist. It comes from a natural slow down in our body. Fact of life! Personally I don't get it. But then maybe that's just me. While its ok to be young and foolish, I do prefer the fact I'm a little wiser, a little more experienced, and a little more capable to survive. Don't get me wrong I still have my crazy moments where I may well seem like a stupid teenager, but overall, I'm glad to be slightly older, slightly more "lived". Experience has been good to me and I've had a chance to do a lot in life. I've travelled and seen places I can't describe well enough in words. I've made mistakes and lived to learn a lesson. I've loved and lost. These are things I'd not change. If I could go back, it'd probably be too my early 30's once more. Yes there are things I'd have done differently, but over all I enjoyed my youth, and lived it well. The only thing that sometimes frustrates me is that I never really got a chance to come out so to speak. But while I enjoy chatting to younger people, and love their passion for life, their enthusiasm and excitement for life, I'm glad I don't have so much of the uncertainty, doubt, and craziness of youth to live through anymore. That part of being young is unattractive to me. The indecisiveness, the fickle friendships, the raging arguments, the raging hormones. It makes life unpredictable and weird. There is one thing that is wonderful about it though, it makes for interesting stuff to write about. This is more of just a rambling blog today, based on something I was reading earlier about man kinds fixation on youth, and how it impacts on the choices people in our society make. It got me thinking about how I view youth. I think I've come to the conclusion that while I can agree that beauty does lie in the youth, inner beauty is far more important and means far more. Beauty goes, character lasts forever. Thought for today - "Love is the flower you've got to let grow." John Lennon Song for today - Starlight by Muse http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsoPsxKVhP4

Oh aye. Totally looking forward to the Olympics.

Hey Percy. Thanks. I can always rely on you to check the story out for me and let me know what you think. I appreciate it. Glad you enjoyed reading it, I enjoyed writing it. Its nice to hear that people got the story and the characters too. Big hugs

Hi NotNoNever. I guess it takes all kinds to make the world go around, and who can explain the intricacies of attraction? For whatever reason they worked so well up to this point, it worked for a reason, and they were able to mould, learn and grow up through the experience.Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment, I appreciate the feedback

Thanks so much for your encouragement W_L. It certainly was a challenge to write from this perspective and get a decent flow. I think I tend to agree with you, I'd possibly side with Toby too. Depends how cute J really is! hehe No it is a really interesting question to pose, and was a lot of fun to write about. I'm glad you connected with the characters, that mean's a lot to know. Thanks for reading.

Hey Mark Sorry it's taken me a while to respond, it's been one of those weeks where I've kind of shrunk back into the shadows and gotten on with what I've needed to do to survive, but left the big stuff to just pass me by. Seems easier to cope with days when my mind is a muddle by doing that. I think I've come to realise that one of the scariest parts of all this as an adult is realising that I suddenly don't have all the answers for my life, and you are so right, not knowing the answers is bloody scary. I've always kind of believed I was in control of my life, but now I don't know, and I stop to question everything. It's frustrating, and this doubt irritates me, wears me down and has smashed my self confidence. It's weird how quickly and quietly its happened too. I didn't even realise it till now I start having to face it. Does talking help? I don't know. I'm really struggling with talking to a stranger. There is just so much stuff there, stuff I really don't want to dredge up and talk about with a complete stranger. But then I'm not sure it'd be something I'd want to discuss with a friend either. I've always been the kind of person to just shut it all in and just get on with it, I really worry about what people think of me all of a sudden. I hate this feeling of weakness. You talking about a mirror has made me suddenly realise how much I go through the same thing. I hate my reflection, and stay away from them as much as possible. Funny how something as small as that can make such a massive impact. Sorry I'm not really answering any of your questions, probably more ranting myself about stuff you've touched on. I think I'm coming to realise that this is something that has no simple fix. I catch myself most days lost in a day dream, and when I come round, I can't even really remember what the hell I was dreaming about. I'm not convinced Meds are doing anything to help it either, although they are supposed to take a while to take effect. Time will tell I guess. I suppose for each of us the road to recovery, or the semblance of normality is different and personal. Life has a funny way of demanding that we get on with it, find some way of surviving and getting by. Right now, it's you lot that are my lifeline. This thread, these comments of support, love and encouragement. The idea I'm not totally alone, the realisation that life is not a picnic and we all go through tough shit helps me to realise that there is a reason to go on, a reason to fight against these feelings of worthlessness, and a reason to not put an end to it all. Small little glimpses of friendship that matter to me. Not a lot in all that to get any answers from, other than to say you are important to me. To a whole lot of us. Your compassion and friendship are special to a lot of people and we treasure your love and support. I can only hope that in return you feel it too. Hey Harcallard For what its worth, I really hope you have a good birthday. Even if your not so eager for it to come by, time won't stop, and the clock marches on. For what it's worth, sometimes that reminder that we are just getting older is hurtful to a lot of people, not that I am assuming it's for that reason your feeling down, but I guess I'm just saying I know how you feel. Are people allowed to have two mid life crisises? Ha is crisises even a word? LOL No, people are funny, and it's one of the reasons I'm so dead against talking to friends. They don't want to know you have problems. But then I ask myself are they really friends? Isn't friendship about giving as well as taking, being their to help in the hard times for each other? Unfortunately that is the way it is meant to be, but far too often not the way it really is when it comes to experience. I guess that's why this little forum is such a special place for so many of us. We can rant, rave, cry, whine, moan and still be normal, and hell, even find people who understand. Thanks everyone. I draw strength from you all each day, and even though you may not know it, or realise it, and I know we each have a different mountain to climb, but it helps. This place helps. You all help. Sending you all a massive Yettie Hug, I wish I could do it in person, but I don't want the medical bill for broken bones, so this little yellow fellow will have to do.

Happy birthday W_L Hope you had a good one!

Oh England England England!!!!!! Did Wayne Rooney or Ashley Young actually complete any pass of consequence throughout that game? Always at penalties ey! As my mate said, lots of same old same old. So I'ma gunna cheer for Portugal in the next game. I'd love to see them dump Spain out, and Italy give Germany a headache. Hahaha, I can live in hope!

Its strange to me that a disease that still kills millions of people each year, still infects scores of our young people and is still so deadly is spoken about so little these days. We assume that slapping on a rubber will keep us safe, but in 2010, 18 people a day were diagnosed with AIDS in the UK alone. I know that in Harare, Zimbabwe it is estimated that over 400 people a day die of AIDS related illnesses, a scourge that kills hundreds of thousands of people across the continent each year. But what is even more scary in the African theatre of life is the risk that AIDS poses to innocent children when the apparent cure for AIDS lies in the hands of a Virgin Girl. According to the myth, the blood of a virgin can cure the effects of AIDS giving rise to a whole new crisis for African Children. Politicians like Regan are not the only one's failing mankind by their failure to address these issues quickly enough. It's still happening right now, just in different parts of the world. I work with an African charity that provides shelter to over 300 orphans of AIDS in South Africa. That is just a drop in the ocean when you read that there are 2.3 million orphans of AIDS in Zimbabwe, and an estimated 13 million orphans across Sub Saharan Africa. Wanna know what its like for a kid in Africa right now? AIDS has affected so many lives. I never really knew very much about what happened in the 80's on the US West Coast, and in some ways we owe a lot to the community that pulled together to support each other and struggle for acknowledgement and recognition of a dangerous disease. It was their efforts that focused attention, their story that fortified scientific commitment to finding a cure, and their lives that bear witness to a harrowing time in our history. For Africa that nightmare continues though, and this is something I have lived through, witnessed first hand and something I can share. It's not over yet.

It takes one rotten apple to spoil a whole barrel! It often pisses me off how the actions of a few tarnish the reputation of the entire gay population. And we fall into this trap over and over again. You'd think we'd learn as a community not to so willingly provide ammunition to bigots, fundamentalists and anti gay campaigners alike. I guess we have our own fundamentalist hard core who just can't help themselves, but its sad idiots like this that will get people bullied, harrased or even killed as people take out theirs or a peer frustration on any target that presents itself as a result of a culture of hate bread through daft reactions like this.

Greece went to sleep after the second goal! Felt sorry for them tho, the German one touch passing was classy! But it did seem a little like rubbing salt in an open wound!

Has to be one of my fav songs, and when I was a young man, John Rzeznik was a major crush! Love this song, stunning choice Cyhort!

If I were allowed to choose, instantly I'd say Tiger. Something about their quiet ability to survive inspires me. I did the quiz and it told me I was an Owl! Human Lie Detector apparently! Go Figure! Nah think I'll stay with the tiger thanks!

Hmmmmmmmm she could go into a side line of impersonation and make a bomb!

Suddenly feel lost without any footy on the box! Humph!

Totally into this story now. Next chapter in big demand! It's totally sucked me in now, and if it were a completed book, I'd be forced to not put it down. I love the way you so effortlessly build up the apprehension in the story. There is a need, a want nay a desire to know all! Very clever. Next chapter please sir!

Wow. Totally enthralled by this tale of intrigue. So many questions that it leaves you with no option but to carry on reading, and that is the key to any Chapter 1. I love the way our imagination is left to catch up on so much of the detail, the narrative is not bogged down by detail. I really enjoyed the focus on the characters too. Really enjoyed this chapter and can't wait to see where this goes.

That is toooooo funny Wildone