A traveller’s tale (part 3)

Finally the third installment of my tale. Do you know this is my first official look at Australia from the perspective of a tourist? I thought I was not a fan of travelling but this trip has certainly put new ideas in my mind.

After a few days on the road, we were back in Melbourne city with this customary city shot. The weather was largely nice–people say that it is slightly worse than Sydney’s but I do not agree.

There are plenty of interesting architecture as well as sculptures littered everywhere in the city. Melbourne is so much better a place to live in compared to Sydney (safer, cleaner, less scary, richer in culture and people seemed warmer). That was a dog-pig-like mini statue by the street I was sitting on. Notice the Chanel store? Yingying queued for an hour to buy a $3000+ bag for a friend! I simply cannot fathom why do people need those things? We went for dinner first instead of waiting with her.

We did a lot of walking around in the city.
This is yet another one of our “posed” candid shots.
There's something sexy about the picture that I can't put on my finger on.

Dinner at Singapore Chom Chom before watching "Angels and Demons" (a.k.a a lousy movie). They had the entire Newton Hawker Centre menu in one single restaurant and it was mighty impressive! It was a real gem-of-an-eatery as I really miss Singapore food. The rest were not very impressed though because of the price (especially Yingying). Here in close-up was my yummy dry prawn noodle with pork ribs. The soup (or should I say coloured MSG solution) was bad though.

We watched the musical “Wicked” at the Regent Theatre. It had a contrived plot as it was the prequel to Wizard of Oz and much too kiddy for my taste. Yingying fell asleep many times during the show! The ticket price included a one-course meal at a nearby restaurant with waiters who had no concept of picture-taking and forgot orders!

One of our numerous self-taken pictures (we all suffer the fate of narcissism at times, some more often than others, hehe). This was one of us taking a picture of ourselves–yes, we had a lot of time.

A capture of what I saw during the ghost train-ride that we had to take to enter the Dracula’s dinner cabaret show–a unique experience.
I missed much of the joy of the ride as a result of being too pre-occupied with taking pictures, which is a very common mistake made by tourists.

$16 gone and in exchange was this picture with the cabaret cast and staff. Everyone was in character which made our time there very enjoyable.
The performance was unexpectedly good too, especially that of the guy with the mop-like hair.

At the Queen Victoria Markets–a very small one compared to Paddy’s Market in Sydney (think Bugis Village in Singapore but with plenty of space to breathe). However this place was more interesting because...

...that was where I bought this venus flytrap!
Its growth right now is very stunted because it is winter but I am still giving it a lot of attention as if it were an animal (my new pet).
I hope the plant grows to maturity in time for it to eat up the summer files!

At the beach in St. Kilda–Ision thinks that we look like Hong Kong movie stars in this picture! I wonder who he is referring to...

We visited the Crown Casino where photo-taking inside was prohibited.
As you can see, it was a very cold night but it was a very good one for BK, who won $225 and gave us a dessert treat of cakes and coffee!

The hardworking me–I completed a blog entry (the one before "A traveller's tale") during the spare time I had (while waiting for others to finish shopping at the factory outlet mall).
I must work hard for my faithful blog fans!

So this concludes my tale in which I spent much quality time with my closest friends. It is like yesterday when Yingying was KNN-ing away with Meilian and I busy taking pictures of ourselves. Ah... good memories. With this tale now nicely wrapped up, these memories will forever be stored tidily in my mind, ready to be refreshed whenever I visit this blog.

A traveller’s tale (part 2)

Not to be outdone in the face of Meilian's slew of uploaded pictures, here is the second part of my tale. I know there are not many but do know that I only put what I think is pure gold here.

We stayed at very good (and reasonably-priced) apartments and hotels while we were on the road and this one even had a jacuzzi.
I was the only one who soaked in it though (it took an hour to fill)!

Sunrise along the Great Ocean Road and we made it in time!
It was not easy when Yingying had to complete her face every morning!

The magnificent Twelve Apostles.
It was a quiet and nippy morning but the view was breathtaking.

This is my favourite picture of the Twelve Apostles.
It is good enough to use as a desktop wallpaper.
I particularly like the foggy horizon.

Yet another view of the Twelve Apostles.
We did not manage to count all twelve of them.
Did we even try in the first place? If not, we should have!

Being straight for a second, even if it was only Yingying (hehe)!
During the trip she commented that I am the only guy who can touch her at will without BK batting an eyelid. What a privilege!

We even managed to catch a rainbow
which is something that always cheers me up.
I am sure it has nothing to do with being gay (how ironic).

One of the many great views along the road.
Many thanks to our tireless driver BK!
There was a long stretch where he had to drive in pitch darkness!

A classic Jetstar Star Jumper pose. I have entered the Jetstar photography competition with this picture. Hope I will win something!

Of course I could not resist a bare-chested photo op, even if the cold was a little much. One of us had to always stand guard by the road to warn the others of incoming traffic! It was fun!

Just exactly how cold it was.
(Yingying’s fantasies must have been running wild
when she was taking this picture…)

Our desperate attempt to be models...

...Only to break down into our usual fit.
Thanks for such an enjoyable and laughter-filled trip guys!

Watch out for the last installment, which will come very soon. In the meantime I will plan for my next holiday. Will it be domestic or international...?

A traveller’s tale (part 1)

At the beginning of Meilian’s trip to Australia, she gave me a pleasant surprise–the friend of hers who was coming with her on the trip was actually Yingying! She kept that a secret all those months and it was so worth it! We had a big hug in their hotel room–I do miss them very much! And then begins their adventure with me being the host in Sydney. After a week, we all toured Melbourne together and were joined by another surprise guest–Yingying’s boyfriend, BK. We had such a fun time together and the pictures below tell exactly of that!

Our first meal together in a Korean BBQ place in Sydney–it was my treat.
Yingying can shockingly eat a lot for her size!

Ision hard at work cooking for our guests over a hot stove–so cute!

The feast that had the girls raving for a while.
It consisted of a Japanese seaweed appetizer, Chinese herbal vegetable soup, baked chicken wings in special marinade, stir-fried pork in Korean miso and black garlic bread. The chicken wings were my favourite.

In the rain while waiting for the fireworks display
at Darling Harbour to start, we started horsing around…

…And the result of that is retri for my bibi!
My favourite picture of the lot!

Finally the sight we braved the rain for
(after much complaining by Ision about his hunger).
We later went to had Chinese food in Chinatown (where else?)

The start of our Melbourne trip, and I finally found my own shop.
Beware of the nasty shopkeeper (and the equally-nasty critic)!

At Panny’s Chocolate Factory on Philip Island.
We did not pay for the overpriced admission to see the chocolate statues.

We spent quite some time at an amusement park called Amaze ‘N’ Things.
Anyone wants to eat my head? Erm...

I never usually care to take such pictures
but it seemed like the perfect occasion for it.

We went to the Ashcombe Maze & Lavender Gardens
but only Yingying and BK went inside while Meilian and I sipped on our coffees while enjoying the cool weather at the outdoor cafe.

It was not the season to pick strawberries
but we still got to eat some
at the Sunny Ridge Strawberry Farm in Mornington.

Close-up of the juicy morsels.
This was but one of the MANY food close-ups we took throughout our trip
with Yingying taking the most.

A visit to the Koala Conservation Centre (that came with free rude ticketing staff). The koalas were all sleeping high up in the trees–what a rip off. But we chanced upon this huge koala–without my bibi on the road with me, I guess this bear will do.
We also went to the Penguin Parade and saw penguins swim to the shore as part of their nightly routine. What a way to earn money from people! No picture-taking was allowed (believe me, I tried but it was too dark) so there are none to show.

Watch out for more pictures in the next post!

Reality check #1

In this same month last year I have just landed on the fertile shores of Sydney, all ready to begin the next phase of my life. Although I was not a stranger to this city (having lived here for half a year during my university student exchange programme) it was an entirely new ride for me this time round–leaving my friends and family behind and the beginning of “married” life. The excitement and adrenaline coursing through my veins brought me to this point in time relatively unscathed. Now that the razzle-dazzle has faded, I finally have the chance to see my new home in the raw, sans the fluff and make-up.

As you all know, I auditioned for Australian Idol 2009 and what I got from that was a very good lesson. Of course I am not referring to fashion tips from the noisy bimbotic airheads that I see (and worse still hear) all around me nor any singing or performing know-how I have garnered. I got to experience first-hand how people the likes of me are being viewed and treated in this country. And for once, what I am saying has got nothing to do with homosexuality.

The day started early and the friends who agreed to meet me there were all predictably late so I joined the queue alone. As the groups of typical rowdy and obnoxious Aussie youths gathered, I suddenly felt like a relic not because of the age difference but how progressed my state of mind and phase of life is compared to them. I know what I want in life and am absolutely sure of myself as a person and the swarming mass of insecurity literally made me an alien from outer space. I knew there and then that I was at the wrong place chasing after a wrong dream. But you know me–I always like to tell myself that at least I have tried.

As every second passed, my boredom and sense of being totally out of place grew and the usual faking and forced-acting associated with reality television were not helping at all. After waiting for five hours, I was there behind the door just before the time when I was supposed to impress the pants off the lone male vocal coach (the judge of the first half of the first round). I was fully prepared and I knew I would sing well. But I also knew from previous competitions that singing was one of the less significant items on the producers’ agenda.

The contestant before me came out without the pink slip of acceptance and then it was my turn. The song I chose was Rick Price’s “Heaven Knows” as it accentuated my vocal range and technique in the way I wanted the assessor to hear. A few seconds after music came out of my mouth, I could see a change in his expression and that single expression was stuck on his face till my very last note. At first I did not quite know how to interpret that bit of facial contortion because it was a mixed one but after hearing what he has got to say, it became crystal clear.

He said that I was lovely but just did not meet the standards set out in the programme. Gosh, could it get any more PR than that? While that guy was spewing that load, his face was tattooed with that same look on his face–a wow-he-is-good-but-what-a-waste-he-is-not-what-we-are-looking-for expression. I left the room just like the others and walked out of the building briskly trying to let everything sink in. I must admit I was totally taken by surprise and did not expect the results to be like this at all. The weeks of anticipation and the five-hour wait culminated in a sudden concentration of disappointment and it was a little hard to swallow.

Fortunately I have a formulaic way to treat times like these–when plans go awry and results do not match expectations and I began this rationalisation process as soon as I started walking out of that room of judgement. I am 30 (the entry age cap) [CHECK]. I am not as cute as Kris Allen [CHECK]. I am not an Australian citizen [CHECK]. I am Asian [CHECK]. And the final tally of all those checks could not be more unsatisfactory. I can take the attack in the age and looks department because those are the essential ingredients in the realm of showbiz. It is the nationality and race issues that got me a little riled up. But what else could I expect? How many Asian contestants have you seen in Western Idol competitions? Am I a good reflection of an Australian (and the country’s say, glorious beer-drinking culture)? Why did an intelligent person not see this coming?

As the walk out of the audition venue continued, I got increasingly irate. Here I am in the most cosmopolitan city of the continent contributing to its economy and development as a resident worker with skills that it sorely needs. Why then am I not treated just like any other Australian? Why am I not biting the hand that feeds me after being slapped by that same hand? I felt like a used-then-dumped item which is expected to be in an immaculate condition the next minute ready to be used again.

You might think that I am over-internalising an innocuous event and erroneously mixing the two disparate concepts of engineering and showbiz into a melodramatic whinge-fest. To that I have nothing absolutely rational to throw back in defence for what I felt then was what I felt then and no one can take that feeling away or say that is not true. Of course I have settled down now but I was noticeably upset for the rest of that day and I believe I had good reasons to be (especially when I have sung well). But with pain there is always gain–I got to see true-blue Australia. And for days following the audition, the fact that I have always known how racist Australians could be dawned on me more and more. You see, I have always purported that I have not encountered any racist episodes here but now I know that is a false assertion made when I was still blinded by the bright colourful lights. As I started to see Australia under the lens of truth, I noticed an increasing number of examples of such offensive behaviour.

As if to join the ends of the circle, I realise that racism actually works in a vicious cycle. The more the majority race sees the minority race as the species invading yet refusing to assimilate, the more the former will act out to express their disdain and the more the latter will retreat into its shell (and huddle together with its like in the spirit of “united we stand”). This vicious cycle fuels greater ignorance of the majority and fans the flame of offensiveness against the minority. This is the lesson I have learnt from the Australian Idol audition. Valuable? Maybe. Essential? Definitely.

The floodgates are now sadly opened and as much as I hate it, I am uncovering more reasons why Australia might not be the mecca of freedom I have once thought it was (google the Australian Matthew Johns sex scandal and the irrationally-conservative media fallout for a taste). Perhaps all this is simply a long-overdue culture shock or yet another fact of life. Reality checks are always good and this one makes me want to cling on much tighter to the fact that Sydney is still better than Singapore.

Now that I am more enlightened, I wonder what new levels of cognizance are waiting for me to attain by the end of my second year here. While I wait for that to befall me with my dream of stardom officially six feet underground and no new dreams to keep me occupied, maybe it is time to stop planning and only greet life one day at a time.

A War Against Religious Extremism

The AWARE saga has finally been laid to rest but the hurt and upset feelings inside of me are still running on overdrive. I know we have won and it is a step in the right direction but it showed me how deeply I still feel about Singaporean gay (or rather anti-gay) issues despite my leaving the country for close to a year now.

When it comes to acceptance, there is no such thing as partial acceptance. It is one of those all-or-nothing words in the English language that we have to acknowledge no matter which side we are on. That is why I can never comprehend this oxymoronic phrase “love the sinner, hate the sin”. At the end of the day, it is just a euphemism to camouflage discrimination and hatred (for serious cases) and ignorance (for most other cases). Strictly speaking, the “sin” in context is anal sex but does it also apply to monogamous love? If so, does it mean that the Bible preaches love as something wrong?

Over the years, I have heard so many arguments against homosexuality from the fundamentalist Christians ranging from the supposedly more rational pro-family rhetoric to the if-you-decriminalise-homosexuality-then-it-will-lead-to-the-legalisation-of-bestiality nonsense. You would think that I should get quite numb and nonchalant about all of this after so many years right? The answer is a definite no. You see, I am not only gay but am also someone who has a strong affinity to logic. Baseless and senseless drivel aggravates me and it does not even need to be anti-gay. I am an engineer and apply the engineering way of thinking to all issues in my life and it has served me very well. That just makes me wonder–are logic and religious faith two mutually exclusive principles? When one believes in something wholesale without concrete proof (or let pseudo-evidence skew their inclinations in a vicious cycle), doesn’t it make this person less credible as a human being? Imagine a fundamentalist Christian professor in paleontology giving a university lecture detailing how the world was created in seven days and how dinosaurs roamed the planet alongside men.

But day in day out, we are faced with such illogical people. If a weak sense of logical reasoning is the only thing that they have been inflicted with, we can all simply sympathise with them and move on with our lives. But no, despite being the minority in the world (and definitely so in Singapore), they are loud, vocal and pushy (a la Josie and the Pushycats–brilliant!) and that is the least of it. When it concerns trampling on my basic human rights then it hits close to home and becomes personal. I am not even asking them to follow the love-based teachings of the faith that they are so fanatic about. I am simply expecting them not to make lives difficult for other people, especially people who do not buy in to their faith. Why can’t they simply live and let live? No they cannot, and that is solely because they steadfastly believe that their religion has 100% monopoly over this concept known as absolute truth.

And here comes the root of all evil. Absolute truth? What constitutes to absolute truth? A book written so long ago over so many years by different people in a language so different from your own? I always thought that apathy is what I can fall back on when it comes to Singaporeans in instances of intense idealistic differences but these fundamentalists work on a different plane–they demand to be heard by brandishing their version of the absolute truth without having to earn any merit to begin with. Absolute truth? What about Muslims (there are many other religions but let’s make it simple here)? If you think that homosexuality is wrong just because a few verses of your “Christianity 101” guidebook said so (verses that have been quoted ad nauseam), what about a completely different faith and belief system altogether? You don’t see Christians fighting Muslims in peaceful Singapore with the same fervour as they do against homosexuality right? Because in a civil society directed by laws, even the slowest of people know that is forbidden. And laws are meant to protect the minority, not used against them. But the members of the good old Singapore government like the phrase “conservative majority” way too much to offer the minority any protection (they like it so much that they are willing to tattoo it on their foreheads and store the words right at the tip of their tongues ready to spit them out at any possible chance). What makes it a sadder picture is that the majority of the more influential members of the government are Christians despite Christianity being one of the minority religions. This surely gives the term “tyranny of the majority” a whole new ironic spin, doesn’t it? Every single day, homosexuals in Singapore are fighting against such odds in an uphill battle and I saw enough of this vilely unfair situation to decide to leave it behind.

Yet I am here on an autumn night at home beside my loving partner, one day after celebrating our second anniversary in one of the gayest part of the gayest city in Australia furiously typing my thoughts away hoping that somehow the words that show up on the screen can take away some of the hate that I have encountered all my life and not let events that happened 6,300 kilometres away affect me. One of my friends sent a link on Facebook asking for support for the suspension of AWARE’s Comprehensive Sexuality Education Programme (which paints homosexuality as something normal as well as teaches many other very factually-sound and useful things). She is a Christian mother. How can I as a mere friend compete with her religion and child? When you disagree with “homosexuality” being a neutral word, surely you must also not be able to accept your homosexual friends just the way they are right? And why should I still be bothered staying friends with these people? I made my objections known to her by leaving some comments on the Facebook link that she posted for I could not sit back and do nothing anymore (by the way MOE predictably caved in to the fundamentalists and suspended the Programme).

Despite all my attempts to purge negative feelings out of me, nothing could be done to help cool the boiling fluids inside my body and the hurt continues to gnaw at my insides. I should be able to get past such things by now. I am mature and strong and I have the support of my partner but still...

Perhaps the Pink Dot event (originally meant to be a mini pride parade) on 16th May (a day before the International Day Against Homophobia or IDAHO) at Hong Lim Park in Singapore could start the ball rolling in erasing the hate coming at homosexuals. I urge everyone who is gay or has gay friends, gay relatives or gay siblings to attend the event dressed to the occasion (please watch the attached Pink Dot promotional videos). The people residing on the red dot need to see this pink dot and hopefully allow their minds to open up as a result. It is very hard to walk a mile in the shoes of the discriminated when you have the rights of the majority. If only you can experience a fraction of what we have to go through every day–I know that will certainly turn your bigoted views (be it out of ignorance or dogma) around. There is no reason to discriminate and spread hate, not even a bad one but there is always time for love, which needs no reason. I know it sounds cliché but all we really need is love. We have no wish to fight a war against religious extremism at all.

I would like to use this opportunity to dedicate my song featured in an earlier post entitled “Out” to the Pink Dot event as well as to the brave and tireless organisers and every single event participant. If I were there, I would strip down to my pink undies and paint my whole body pink! Alas, I can only wish all of you the very best from Sydney. I truly am proud of you guys.

2 years and counting!

Happy 2nd anniversary my love. May we have many many more!

Much ado about nothing

It is a rainy day and I am sick and recuperating at home. What better time to revisit the blogosphere than now. The super strength cold and flu drug that I am currently taking really makes me feel ill before it makes me feel better so I might be a little incoherent and disorganised in this post. All my OCDs need a well-deserved rest and I must say letting them go for a while really does make me feel better.

Work has gotten very busy recently. I always believe that the more capable a person is, the more responsibilities he or she would be given. You can also look at it from a I-will-take-advantage-of-your-talents-and-squeeze-you-dry perspective. Either way, I do believe that I am a fast and efficient worker and hence my boss decided to dump all those projects onto me that were too much for another guy to handle 2 minutes before the project kick-off meeting (I almost fainted then but still had to appear nonchalant yet strong). As overworking (and my first working overtime experience in Sydney–my absolute last resort) seeped into my life, my body’s immune system naturally took a back seat. The fact that I do not take multi-vitamins regularly (much to Ision’s disapproval) plus the season quickly changing from autumn to autumn-winter compounded with nasal allergies all led me to where I am right now. A sick person at home on a rainy Sunday vegging away.

I have not taken a sick day since I started working in Sydney and everyone is telling me to take one tomorrow. I went to see a doctor yesterday and got a 3-day medical certificate. My friend told me one of the biggest reasons why people visit doctors here is to get that piece of paper that exempts them from work and I guess that is not too strange a practice. I think I should seize this chance to take a day off work and let my OCDs continue to slumber. However the longer I rest the harder it would be for me to get back to work, which is the same logic I use to rationalise why I continue to work so hard in life be it in school, in the gym or in my job. Why do I not trust that my strong discipline will achieve a balance with the innate human potential to be lazy? That is one of the many questions that will haunt me forever.

Determination is a virtue and I have been imbued with this valuable lesson through my years of growing-up. In my opinion (after gaining maturity) that is only a very basic lesson. We also need to know why we are determined and why we are working so hard. A simple way is to set up goals and make sure every ounce of effort you put in goes towards achieving that goal otherwise it will just be wasted energy. This might sound too simplistic to be practically-true but if one genuinely makes the right focus in life and never lets go, success is almost always guaranteed. As for me, I am not exactly sure why I am working so hard at the moment. Is it for money? Is it so I that I have something to do? Is it for personal satisfaction? It appears that I do not have any solid goals in my life right now and to be honest, that is freaking me out a little.

We work so that we can rest so that we can work more. Does life have to go through this mundane cycle? And is it so wrong to not have an ideal or even a purpose in life? What is next when one has achieved what one has set out to achieve? Do we need to keep a dream unfulfilled so that we will always have something to work towards? Looks like I have opened up more cans of worms and do you know what I see? Yes you have guessed it. Worms. This is why escapists believe that ignorance is bliss and many others believe less is more. I have never ever pictured myself as an escapist but when push comes to shove at that very tight corner, what else can one do other than to stay put, stay strong and hope that everything will settle into perfect harmony soon?

Maybe it is the drugs talking but I am not upset with my life right now although something is definitely missing from it. I have been raised with the teaching that hard work and perseverance are the only sure-fire tools to success but I have not been taught how to take time to enjoy that success. Sadly, I am but a by-product of the agenda of the post-independence Singapore government. Am I so blind to not realise that I am still running a rat race despite being already out of the tracks? But what else can I do? Is it so bad to have not-giving-up as a character trait? More questions with no answers.

Before I get too caught up, I think I should give it a rest and continue from here another time. Despite everything in this world trying to complicate things and lives, I do know that more often than not, time will answer a lot of questions. Things fall off the list and new things come on board to distract you all the time and before long, everyone will be back to square one asking the same questions again. That is life I am afraid. Nothing fancy and nothing dramatic, just life.

By the way, I am going for my Australian Idol audition on 16th May and this is my last chance to reach for the stars (my next goal in life maybe?) before I get dumped in the “expired” bin. If I do get ahead in this competition, I will need all the support I can get especially the gay votes (yes, I have decided to commit the cardinal sin of showbiz–to be forthcoming with my sexuality). In the meantime, I better go dust off my show costumes and song sheets, warm up my voice and oil my gears and parts. But before that, it is time for my next dose. Yum.

My first nude photo shoot

No words. Just me. Enjoy.