Hands Full of Glitter and Tofu : 2011 Day 127 (Saturday 7 May) - Par-Tay!! Birthday That Is....

What a fabulous day and night!

Day - chilled, read, slept and went nowhere. Utter freakin' bliss. The only downside was that my beautiful guy was sick but the day of sleeping it off, and relaxing really helped him so that was a major upside to stopping still, apart from having a day with no timetable at all. Save for, of course....

Night - Justin and Cam's birthday dinner @ Cicciliona in Newtown. We got there 1/2 hour late thanks to my last minute fashion crisis - ironed 2 shirts and a tshirt till I settled on the shirt above (honestly no idea why I get like that since it's all so silly) - but still got the antipasti and main meals we'd ordered ahead, Veal Mazalana, and had an absolutely brilliant night chatting to their friends who was to a person interesting, fun, and enjoyable to spend time with. We especially had a fantastic time talking to Stephen & his partner Ashley, and their friends, Michael, and Helen, with whom we got on so well that a catch up with just us is in the offing. We did toy with dancing at The Imperial for a while, but decided an early night was the better course of action so my gorgeous guy could truly get over his illness.

My guy and I

The other birthday boy, Cameron

One of the birthday boys, Justin, with his friend Conrad.

Stephen & I

Hands Full of Glitter and Tofu : 2011 Day 126 (Friday 6 May) - Dinner with Ian & Ingo

I was supposed to be at a work function tonight but due to recent issues at work I felt uncomfortable going, and so with my boss's permission, I instead caught up for dinner with my friends Ian (usually way out of town and so catch ups aren't as regular as I'd like), and Ingo, and my gorgeous guy for dinner at Thai Garn in Summer Hill. The food is good, and while the service was a bit stop...start... tonight, we had a brilliant time catching up with these guys and chilling out on a Friday night.


Great way to end what had been a busy crazy week...

Hands Full of Glitter and Tofu : 2011 Day 125 - Tamana!

The one person is the world I love seeing more than anyone, and spending time with is my beautiful man, Steve. He is often in Bathurst during the week, but this week worked Monday to Thursday there so was back tonight to have dinner with me. Even though I had eaten at Tamana's the night before with my dear friend, Jason, I could happily eat Indian food till the sacred cows come in (even the offensively irreligious ones I don't care...), and so it was that we ate more yummy Palak Paneer (cottage cheese in spinach sauce) and other delicious curries, gazed into each other's eyes, and caught up face to face after much too long apart.

When Food Comes Alive....

Hands Full of Glitter and Tofu : 2011 Day 124 - Walking Bodhi's Curries

Started the day off with my usual brisk walk through the back blocks of Newtown and Erskineville, and decided for god knows what reason, to photograph myself doing it. Even with my new whiz bang iPhone4 camera, it's not a pretty picture that early in the morning. That's why I walk in the dark, on back streets with my iPod firmly plugged in. Block out the world people, and have it ignore you too till absolutely, positively have to interact....

During the day, which was crazy busy and off the scale manic, I got the latest photo of my dalring nephew, Bodhi, from his mother, and the younger of my two sisters, Rachel. He is never anything but adorable, and cute, and has an unfailingly upbeat nature, smiling at the drop of a hat. I can't wait to see him in person in June!

Finished the day off with a catch up dinner with my wonderful friend Jason at Tamana's Indian Diner on King Street, which has the best Palak Paneer and Rosewater Lassi I have ever had anywhere, in an environment that while it isn't lush and classy, allows you to sit and talk with some modicum of privacy. Jason's life is CRAZY busy right now with almost minimal sleep, and crushing workloads, but he is still finding time to live his life where he can, and it was brilliant to talk things over with him. I love my friends and he's one of the best (no, I do not have them ranked, thanks!)

Hands Full of Glitter and Tofu : 2011 Day 123 - Not a Normal Tuesday

True today wasn't a normal Tuesday, since the management meeting occurred a day earlier yesterday, but it was still busy, and I still got home feeling exhausted, and ready to crash. I briefly contemplated swimming, discarded it, and decided instead to download the Eurovision 2011 CD, so my friend, and Eurovision fanatic, Kerry, and I can listen to truly awful European pop music in 2 weeks time when we're preparing the apartment for the big Eurovision party on May 15.

Yeah, I know, I am one sick masochistic puppy.....

Hands Full of Glitter and Tofu : 2011 Day 122 - He's Dead But...

So the USA has gone all Old Testament on Osama Bin Laden's arse and killed a man so full of hate that he's murdered thousands of people in the name of religion? What has it really achieved? These two quotes posted by friends on Facebook helped me to clarify my general sense of unease that while killing a killer may seem like a good thing, and it certainly had Americans dancing in the streets, it really isn't in the long term...

I am glad that Osama bin Laden will no longer cause death and suffering. I am not glad that violence has been fought with violence. I am not glad that my country has killed. I fear that this will not advance peace and justice. I struggle to pray for my enemies (my friend Mark J)

This Martin Luther King quote going around is worth repeating in light of recent events: "I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy, returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." (my friend Anna V)

Hands Full of Glitter and Tofu : 2011 Day 121 (Sunday 1 May) - Wonderful Blast From the Past

Started the day off with brunch with my wonderful friend, Warren, in Newtown at Grub & Tucker, who do breakfasts! Funny how I don't think of restaurants doing breakfast but many of the general restaurants in Newtown do breakfast it seems so duly noted. We had a fantastic catch up chat, great food, and a spot of shopping afterwards. What's not to like?

Then, after a brief rest at home, I welcomed my friend Tim back into my present after not seeing him for 20 years (he's in Brisbane; I'm here and we just lost touch till Facebook reunited us early last year), and we had a BALL! I was very close friends with him back in church days in Brisbane, largely because he is questioning, irreverent, contemplative, articulate and fun, and we picked up the conversation like we had just stopped five minutes before. We spent the afternoon relaxing at the roof top bar at Coopers, in Newtown, eating great food, drinking wine, and largely catching up on each other's lives, and talking theology.

Yes theology! We talked a great deal about how Christianity is rethinking, at least in some circles, what the Bible actually says versus what dogma has built up (much of which is as Biblical as an episode of True Blood), a pertinent issue given that I am a gay man from a Christian background, who left the church because I couldn't reconcile the church's vehement hostility with who I was, and who I believe God made me. It was such an uplifting and encouraging chat, and reminded me that my faith does matter to me, just not the fossilised apparatus surrounding it.

A brilliantly great afternoon, made all the better by shopping with him for LPs for his son who's into sampling at Revolve Records in Erskineville, and having dinner with him and my beautiful man, Steve, at Stir Crazy Thai in Erskineville, where everything from computer databases to current affairs hit the conversation stream. Tim and Steve hit it off wonderfully well, and it capped off an awesome day.

Hands Full of Glitter and Tofu : 2011 Day 120 - WHO?!

He's back!

After being disappointed by the increasingly juvenile tone of the first seris of Matt Smith as Dr Who adventures, the ads for the new season looked enticing enought to give it another shot, and it seems to be returning to interesting, complex, and emotionally resonant storytelling which is a huge relief, as I really love the show.

A humourous take on the creepy The Silence aliens

So enticed were we that my gorgeous guy and I stayed in, along with my house mate, Aiden, stayed in on a Saturday night - yes really!! -  and fortified with curry (leftovers from last night plus a couple of new curries), left over cheeses and pate, and wine, we watched what was a very good episode.

Here's to Dr Who finding it's form again. I will gladly stay in every Saturday for the season if they capture that Dr Who magic again.

Hands Full of Glitter and Tofu : 2011 Day 119 (Friday 29 April) - Lace and a Man Called Will

Who doesn't adore a wedding? Well, all right some parts of some weddings where the bride's father gives a 1 hour plus speech (been there, done that) or the bride's father rambles on to the point where even the bride is confused (also travelled there and wished I hadn't) makes you wish you could just switch off the experience, and snuggle up with a good book.

But tonight, like apparently 2 billion other people the world over (who counted these people I wonder?), my gorgeous guy and I, joined by very good friends Justin and Cameron settled in for Will and Kate's (or as I termed them, KILLS) wedding, a small affair costing a mere $80 million. Why they really are just like everyone else..... who a filthy rich gazillionaire! We had a yummy antipasto entree - pates, cheeses, olives, and salmon, cream cheese & capers on bikkies - followed by the national dish of England, Curry (thanks to the local Indian takeaway place), and finished off with a mudcake baked by Cameron, which was moist and delicious.

The wedding was a delight - the bride and her sister looked beautiful, the bride's brother looked very handsome (and gay), the music melodic, perfect and divine, the avenue of trees stunning, and the balcony kisses so sweet and full of love. It was a joy to watch and I honestly hope this royal wedding will go the distance, and provide them both much happiness.

Holding the bonbonierres Steve made up of the rather unorthodox ingredients I sourced - Jaffas, Peanut M & Ms, chocolate almonds, and Clinkers - YUM!!

Hands Full of Glitter and Tofu : 2011 Day 118 - Au Revoir My Cherie iPhone 3

I finally did it! I couldn't beart waiting for the will they/won't they release of the iPhone 5 which could take place any time between July and early next year (maybe....maybe not), and the hideous performance of my ageing Iphone 3 2G phone, which regularly lost calls, never received them, crashed out, gave me high-pitched electronic squeals (less than lovingly dubbed Poltergeist in the Washing Machine by me), and generally acted like the Anti-Phone.

So on Thursday I signed up for another 2 years in Optus Contract Land, fired up my iPhone 4 and by some miracle, managed to reasonably seamlessly back up the old phone to iTunes, and download most of the data to the new phone (it took another sync the next morning to get calendar items and all the apps over, and that was only after I downloaded the latest iTunes...why must they update so often?! Arghh!) without wanting to kill someone. All in all, freakishly simple, and the new phone works divinely. I love it...... and no, I am not a brainwashed Apple devotee.

It just works and works simply and intuitively and for a non tech head like myself, that is a joy...

Hands Full of Glitter and Tofu : 2011 Day 117 - What a Prize is Archibald!

Off to the Art Gallery of NSW tonight with my gorgeous guy and our good friend, Ingo, to see the Archibald Prize, which was as diverse, colourful and creative as always. I surreptitiously photographed the shot above because Ken Done had painted himself looking a little too much like Hitler, which amused me no end - I mean who would do that?! - and snapped the pic below (hence it's blurriness) which I found whimsical, fun, and visually crisp and distinct.

My big favourite was a quirky painting, and the one I voted for in the Peoples Choice section, called The Heart of Things (a protrait of Cassandra Golds), by Sonia Kretschmar, which showed Cassandra, an author, with her torso as a bird inside a cage, a motif used in one of her novels. It was gorgeously yellow, quirky, fun and made my night.

We had planned a light dinner somewhere but by the time we left the Gallery at 8.30 or so, everything was shut for the most part, so we ended up grabbing some very yummy Asian food on a stick in a lane near Town Hall station and eating it on the go, which was fun.

Hands Full of Glitter and Tofu : 2011 Day 116 (Tuesday 26 April 2011) - I Thor I Saw a Norse God!

Two mainstream Hollywood movies in 2 days but man was this one good! Great even!

Great plot, well developed characters (well as much as they can be in an action blockbuster), stunning graphics, and emotional core - it had the lot, and we had a blast watching it!

It led later on, as we waited for the train home to all manner of terrible puns from my beloved man along the lines of 'You're Thor? I can barely sit down.' Groan. But I laughed because he's just adorable when he cracks those jokes.

Yeah you can tell I am totally in love can't you? LOL