Farewell 2006

Juicelog Sun 311206: There is an old Chinese saying that says:

”Man who waits for roast duck to fly into mouth must wait very, very long time.”

I’ve never seen a roast duck fly but if and when that time comes I’ll be sure to keep my big mouth wide open (and then immediately go and get myself tested for Asian bird flu). What I think this proverb is trying to say is if you sit back expecting all the wonderful things in life to come to you then it’s not going to happen at all. And it is on this premise I decided to take a different approach to how I wanted this year to pan out.

2006 is not what I would describe as a vintage year but undeniably it was an eventful and colourful one. The year started on a bit of a bum note when my job was re-graded (to a banding which was lower than I had expected), my PC died and my general mood was mildly low. Over the course of the next few months things began to pick up (and dip) with two enjoyable holidays, a mini operation, new friendships, Mickey Mouse, a variety of outings, one of my favourite bloggers ended his blog, dilly parties and fab weekends away.

Whilst I’ve strayed away from blogging about certain parts of my personal life, I have to let my immaturity come through with this one minor item. This year has been a flattering one with the amount of male attention I have received. In the grand scale of things this is a very insignificant and artificial thing to be talking about, but personally this has boosted my self esteem and given me a new found confidence which has helped me in other parts of my life.

One of the topics I’ve deliberately not mentioned is my love life. My reasons have got nothing to do with being coy but simply because I didn’t have any relationships this year. I can’t say for sure as to why I haven’t made an effort in this area, but I guess partly it has something to do with the unimpressionable characters I’ve encountered who have not offered me an incentive for me to engage with them on an emotional level. Part of the thing with being in my 30’s is that I have entered this new age bracket with a new set of expectations and a dismissive mindset. This is an area that I need some assistance and insight with.

As 2006 draws to a close I end it in good health and feeling fairly content. I am confident that next year will be a great one. I look forward to all that this great city has to offer. I look forward to having more memorable moments with my mates. I look forward to progressing in my career. I look forward to testing myself with how I deal with the unexpected. I look forward to doing that relationship thing again. I look forward to having the unconditional support and love of my nearest and dearest. And most of all I look forward to sharing more of me with you.

Let’s have a great 2007. Happy New Year everyone!

The Llama’s gathering

Juicelog Sat 161206: The Llama (AKA Claire) has to go into her winter hibernation at this time of the year. In order for her to have a long and peaceful sleep she needs to be doused with haddock incensed holy water by an allegiance of impudent lowbred drolls. An electronic summons directed us to The House of Flesh situated in a deep dark remote and concealed area that struggles with broadband internet and pizza deliveries (i.e. Upper Clapton).

With her trusted flatmates by her side (Joe and Leve) we centred ourselves for quiet drinks and lesbian cheesecake before proceeding with the official departing ceremony. A few doorbell rings later, plan L was binned as it was not able to cope with the many digressions and deviations thrown in:

Phil H’s Bidet

Juicelog Fri 151206: Wasn’t able to finish my Steak Catalan burger at Hache (in Camden) for Phil H’s 32^nd bidet. Not wanting to borrow any additional energy from the bank of chemicals I decided to opt for an early night and left the guys to damage themselves in the heart of Kings Cross.

Rudeboyz Finals

Juicelog Thurs 141206: My trip to Costa Coffee today was to coerce Londan into coming to the finals of the Rudeboyz competition tonight and to seek bespoke chavtorial advice (so that I could live up to the scally standards that have been nationally benchmarked by Tom & Bouncy Boy’s outfits).

Tonight, Philip Olivier didn’t look that hot in the flesh as I had hoped he would be. He made a brief appearance to judge the competition and to promote his £7 calendar. Tonight’s competition was well attended and we even got to see Tommy (one of the contestants) perform an impressive bend forward head to groin yoga technique. Even though he didn’t win it was definitely an award winning performance!

Boys Night Out 2

Juicelog Sat 091206: Ra-Ra served up canapés, cheesy music and mulled wine at his lovely South Chelsea residence tonight. Resolutely we ploughed on through the blustery cold and ended up in the 2 Brewers (gay bar on Clapham High Street that).

The last time I was here was about ten years ago when the place had blacked out windows and the entrance was through the back entrance in a dodgy little back street. How gloomy it was for me to see how this place has ditched its history and transformed itself into a Marbella-like modern bar.

Boys Night Out 1

Juicelog Fri 081206: Had a pre-Chrimbo dinner at Joy King Lau with Ruben, David M and Dan E tonight. Having not done the drinking thing for quite some time we circulated a few bars before heading down to The Cock. Just as I was getting into the electro sounds I got dragged outside to make up the numbers for some cable television show quiz.

Aunt D

Juicelog Sat 021206: Aunt Dorothy (the youngest of nine children) from my father’s side of the family popped into London for a couple of days. Wai and myself caught up with her for a quick drink this afternoon.

It was about 23 years that I last saw her and I was quite startled with her full head of grey hair at 45 years old. This appears to be one of the trademarks that comes with the hectic face paced lifestyle of folks in China. The reason that my aunt gave for working her butt off is to accumulate as much money as possible given that retirement kicks in sooner in Hong Kong.

When the workforce hits 50, many of them are deemed unemployable and only a few continue working after this age onwards. It’s depressing that people are forced into early retirement when they still have the ability and capacity to work. Maybe some of these premature retirees should think about investing their savings into hair dying salons.