Men Men Men

The Local Cleo Magazine has just brought back its male sexy centrefold and last month, it was Daniel Macpherson and this month, it's AFL (Australian Footy League)Star Brodie Holland. Hope it's not just all brawn and no brains .

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I also discovered Lewis Payton, who does extraordinary photographs of relatively unknown men, and many of them have been for the Australian DNA Magazine. He has brought many models to the attention worldwide and I just wanted to share this photo of model Rusty Joiner with you. Like Leslie, they are an inspiration ...

A Worthy Cause

It's always so nice to see people doing charitable work, let alone celebrities. Celebrities have the power to make the media stand and focus on them, and even though some of them may not be A-list celebrities (not even on TV), they still have some drawing power, which has the added advantage of drawing attention to a charity and possibly assist in getting more sponsorships.

Ex-Neighbours star Stephen Hunt (dark haired) will attempt to swim the Strait of Gibraltar, from Spain to Morocco, to raise funds for the AIDS Trust of Australia in August. He has swam the English Channel in 2002 for charity and will be assisted by buddy Daniel Macpherson and some other Neighbours stars. FYI, the photos are taken off Bondi Beach on a cloudy Autumn day.

From my last trip back in Singapore, I realised that some of my firends have some misconceptions about AIDS, and the conception of HIV related illnesses. The Gay Council there is trying to educate the public but they are constantly with-held because they can't launch promotional campaigns like we have here in Australia because they do not fully acknowledge the gay local population and that education is one of the only ways we can prevent HIV from spreading. Like the Pope, they believe that abstinence is the best way. Sadly, it will not stop people from having sex ... and possibly unprotected sex, when it is still seen only as a "gay disease" in most Asian and other relatively conservative countries.

I think it is good for celebrities to speak and act for a good cause, because they will create an awareness and in most cases, a positive attitude, especially if they have a personal cause like this case. We may not have family members or friends who suffer from the disease but at least, we know of someone who does, and hopefully, it can encourage others to feel empathy.

I am currently doing work for an Australian non-profit organisation "Best Buddies" and it is about creating and facilitating friendships between people/students with intellectual disability and their mainstream peers. I started this program less than a year ago and I can fully understand the rigours of fundraising, so I urge for more kindness around this world. If you can't volunteer your time, then maybe you can donate some money. If not, maybe you can show a little kindness to the people around you and offer a smile to brighten up a stranger's day.

Never Say Die - The Comeback -

Many people may not like the music of Mariah Carey but I have been a fan of hers since one of my best friends, Leslie, told me to get her self titled debut album. Since then, I have been a fan, and I guess one of my traits is my loyalty, once a big fan, always a fan.

Now, like Akina, my ultimate favourite idol, Mariah has had her fair share of negative publicity and being written off as a "has-been" even though she has clocked many achievements, one of which is being the only singer to have a No. 1 single every year in a decade from 1990-2000. Since her much publicized breakdown, she has been in the slumps, until this new album revived her career.

Her first single, the party themed "It's Like That" paved the way for her into the hearts of her old and new fans, breaking into the Top 20 for the first time since 2001. It peaked at No. 16, and started its downfall, but is up again this week back to No. 27 from 35 last week.

Her newest single, which is my favourite song off her newest album "The Emancipation of Mimi", rockets from No. 61 last week to No. 30 this week, which means that Mariah has 2 Top 30 hits this week.

Topping that, is the debut at No. 1 this week at both the Billboard Top 200 Albums (her first since "Butterfly" in 1997) and R&B Top 100 Albums (her first since "Daydream". Her newest release also clocked the higest first week sales for her career at 404,000 copies sold in the US.

She has received her best reviews in years for this album and I personally feel it's her strongest since "Daydream" (since I didn't like Butterfly that much). It's a party themed album which has many potential hits packed in it.

Her comeback is complete and though she may not be everyone's favourite (John likes to refer to her as the woman who squeals), I admire the courage and the determination she has, and this is the difference between a wannabe and a true star.

Pearls On The Beach

Over the last weekend, 7 of us, including 3 couples went down to a restaurant up the Central Coast, approximately one and a half hours drive away, named "Pearls On The Beach". It was Felix and his partner, Joe's wonderful idea and we resided at a motel on a nearby suburb "Ettalong", which is also a beach resort (of sorts).

It is so nice to be able to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and just submerge in the relative peacefulness of suburbia. Below our quarters was a market where hawkers would set up their stalls during the weekend, and though the goods sold were mostly stuff from China and less fancy, some of our friends still found some goodies along the way.

We also witnessed a very young couple getting married at the motel, which all of us thought was a little tragic, considering that the motel was not new, and certainly not anyone's idea for the set of a wonderful wedding, but I guess we all make do with what we have, and sometimes, it's the love that counts ...

We arrived at the restaurant at around 8 pm, after making our way through some woods and very winding roads, which was quite scary and would be if the driver was drunk. We stepped into a white cottage which was very warmly lit and were greeted by some very friendly staff who quickly and politely ushered us to our immaculately dressed table. There was no music surrounding, only the "sound of life", as one of us put it, but the noise level was comfortable, and it added to the homely feel of a special festive dinner at home.

The menu was very interesting, and we had quite a tough time deciding on the food we should have. After deciding on the food, we went on to celebrate with champagne that John and I had bought for our 3rd Anniversary celebration and there was more to celebrate when it was revealed that our friend was pregnant with twins. It was a very joyous evening accentuated with good wine, food and company.

I had the King Prawns with tandoori sauce for entree, the eye fillet as the main, and the luscious dark chocolate, macadamia & raspberry torte with raspberry ice cream for dessert. Every dish was beautifully crafted and the taste was exquisite, except that some of the dishes were a little colder than we would have liked. Everyone enjoyed themselves and the overall experience was quite reasonably affordable as well. Even though it was night and we couldn't see the beach very well from where we were sitting, we all took turns to take small walks to Pearl Beach, where the restaurant was located, to absorb the starry night. It was certainly a romantic time to remember, even though there were 7 of us.

Sometimes, it is not so much the food or the ambience but the company that counts, but for this case, we had the best of all worlds. Getaways are so nice and it is always reassuring to know that we can rely on our closest friends to give us the best times, the most wonderful moments to remember of ...

My Virgin Feature

Walked past the Newsagency yesterday on my way home and had a look at the newest April issue of DNA Magazine. As I browsed through the pages, I was astonished to see a picture of myself on the first page of their Mardi Gras 2005 feature story. "What a surprise", I thought to myself, "What a pleasant one ... considering it was a good photo." It's the first time I have ever appeared on a magazine, so it was a very special feeling for me, one of happiness and delight, not unlike the night itself ...

A Dream

After watching my friends' exhilaration at having watched one of their idols perform on stage and my partner, John, saying that it still rates second to his No. 1 idol Barbra Streisand, it made me ponder on how much I really want to watch my No. 1 idol Akina Nakamori, and the answer is a resounding Yes!

Akina will be holding a Akina Nakamori Special Live ~ EMPRESS at CLUB eX this year. It will be a round stage at Shinagawa CLUB eX in Tokyo with 450 seats from 7-17 July, 2005. Tickets are sold at 12,000 Yen (Including tax) for all seats. It is an attempt for Akina to get closer to her true fans because sales are reportedly restricted to her fanclub and it will undergo a "lucky draw" to decide who are the lucky fans. From the name of the concert, it is likely that she will be covering many songs from her Utahime series, which is a 3 part series of an album concept that she covers other singers' hits. I have always been a fan of Akina singing other singer's songs because only a good singer will dare to attempt other singer's songs and will have the confidence to put it on record, let alone a concert.

Akina has held a previous Utahime concert at the Parco Theatre in 1994, so this is seemingly a part 2. She received rave reviews for that concert performance and I am excited about what new songs she might cover in this concert. Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend this concert, but I wish Tien and Eugin luck so that they can tell me all about it when they get back, if they do get the tickets.




I have been a fan of Akina since Jan 1984, when I first watched her performance in the 1983 Kohaku Utagassen (Red and White Song Festival), and it is my 21st year anniversary and I have never watched her sing live. I have videos of her concerts but I know that she is usually very self-conscious and thus anxious, and so the taped performances don't truly reflect her true poweress. From what I have heard from Tien and Eugin, who attended her concert last year, she is truly magical. I wrote a little history about how I "fell in love" with Akina and also did a small section on her single discography. It was all done in 2000 when I first started my website and I have not updated since, so please read the other fan websites if you want to know more about her happenings since 2000.

So, I have made a vow that I will make an effort to go to Tokyo next year with John, not only to visit Japan but also to attend my first Akina concert (which I hope that she will have one next year). This is not only a hope but a true desire, a dream that will come true ...

Bette Midler Concert

Spending over $200 for a concert is the highest amount I have ever paid to see an artiste, and considering that I'm not her biggest fan, it could have turned out to be a heart-aching experience, but thankfully, it was a night to remember ...

Bette Midler returned to Sydney after 26 years with her "Kiss My Brass" tour, complete with cabaret, stand up comedy, Broadway covers and just plain touching performances of her hits, like my personal faves, "From A Distance", "Wind Beneath My Wings" (which she claimed everyone came to listen and can still bring a tear to my eye) and "The Rose" (which was the 2nd last song she performed, and which the audience sang an acapella version of the first few verses of the song because she claimed she was tired and needed help).

She did a comedic cabaret routine rousing huge laughter from the audience with her crude and dirty jokes, many which were customised for the Australian audience, making references to our PM John Howard, which she clearly disliked. She also made fun of US President George Bush and then quickly added that she shouldn't make fun of him because he's going to have a major operation next week - to remove John Howard from his ass.

The entire performance was slick, professional and it is amazing to see Bette in such good shape and top form, dancing and singing with her three wonderful backup dancers, showing the rest of the world how to put on a good show. She also joked that none of the newer singers like Christina or Britney ever came up to thank her for setting a "good example" for dressing like a hoe, which is the definition for the new breed of singers, and was amazed that considering everything about Anna Nicole Smith is fake, that she doesn't have a recording contract. She was sharp, crude and fabulous, and the audience was lapping it all up.

It was also wonderful to see the audience responding to the numerous jokes, especially those seated in the front section, which she belittled by saying "All those of you who lied, cheated, and slept your way through with people that you dislike ... in other words, my kind of people") and how they paid a high price to listen to low jokes. She also acknowledged the gay audience, from Oxford St - she says, which is so gay, it deserves 5 A's - G-A-A-A-A-AY, and lastly the crowd from Blacktown, which she teased "Show us your mullets". She showed that she has done her homework, sprinkling her routine with Aussie references like Kath and Kim, and ending her performance with the late Aussie Peter Allen's autobiographical song "Tenterfield Saddler" to a standing ovation from the entire front section and some of us in the upper sections.

Overall, it was a superlative performance that is not only entertaining like the theme of her show, which is like an amusement park with all the scary and thrilling rides, but also something for every single member of the audience (all fans after the show) to bring home with ... a piece of fantasy wonderland that Bette has transported us to ...

Fragile

Just learned this morning about a friend's mother's death which highlighted the fragility of life. I have spoken and written volumes about the significance of appreciation of one's loved ones before we or they leave, and this unfortunate event has only magnified my belief.

I was lucky enough to discover the book "3rd Serving of Chicken Soup for the Soul" and it was a coincidence that my beloved grandma was ill at that time as well. Reading about other people's experiences and their courage to say "I love you" gave me the inspiration to return her appreciation via a "love letter". It was difficult, but I am ever grateful that I did it because it has made a huge impact on my life and the way I live it.

We always hugged during our goodbyes, but from that moment on, we always remembered to tell each other "I love you". She is no longer with us now, and the best thing is that I have no regrets because I know she knows, and she knows I know, and that is all that matters.

The Days I Spent With You

Days of play and idle
Days of fun and laughter
Days of cries and whispers
Days of my love for you

Simple events but significant moments, every smile, frown, nod, cry or laughter, I thank you for the chance to get to know you better. As you grow older and since I live on another land, I can only be with you for a short period of time. However, this allows me to cherish every moment we share and makes them all extra special.

The selfish part of me doesn't want you to grow up so fast so that everytime I see you, we can move on from where we left, but I know this is not possible. I never believed when my parents told me when I was young that disciplining me was painful for them, but when I heard your cries, I understood them immediately. This unfamiliar pain ... maybe this is what they call parental love ...

Thank you for not crying and making me reacquaint with you everytime this trip. I will never forget the audible gasp in the wee hours of the first morning when you woke up in your cot to find me (instead of Grandpa) sleeping in the bed next to you. The shy look on your face as you turned away after I opened my eyes. The delight on your face as you patiently waited till Mom and I built the children's tent house where you could call your home. The silence with the glance you held while I told you that I was leaving for Australia the next day. I'd never thought you'd understand, but I'm glad you do.

Thank you for allowing me the chance to experience parental love to a child. Another unconditional form that up till now I truly understood and would like to explore that more with you and Joshua. The simple days of just being with the two of you ...