the stuff dreams are made of

The past few days have been fabulous! I was Ian's guest at the launch of SAFE at MOX last Saturday, which was my first real interaction with members of the GBLT community in Singapore, as well as their families and friends. Don't get me wrong, I have been around many gay people in the past 4 years, but it was the first time I was actually at a community gathering, with plenty of lesbians thrown in for good measure. They have a support structure and community of their own - their own websites, clubs, forums and such. It was an enlightening experience. It's refreshing to be at MOX in the evening instead of at 10 PM. I was never really aware of the relatively extensive range of groups and organisations catering to members of our community right here in Singapore, from counselling services to sports and activity clubs.

After dinner at Maxwell and much laughter I bid Ian adieu and took the train down to Habour Front. It was time for ZoukOut with the samazozi sistas!
Doesn't this picture remind you of J Lo's Waiting For Tonight video? I loved the lasers. The way they were layered with the smoke, and subsequently the multitude of colours that radiated from the stage in various patterns.

The crowd control this year was good, we didn't have to wait for long to get the bus to Sentosa and to enter the cordoned off area of the beach where the party was held. Like plants that grow towards sunlight, we eventually found ourselves in the gay section off the main stage, which was full of queens wearing very little, kissing each other, holding hands and prancing around. It was terribly amusing to watch some straight guys who had evidently taken a wrong turn and strayed into our territory. Talk about being a fish out of water. I also briefly saw David Foo and hence Michael there. To be perfectly honest, ZoukOut wasn't as fun as I thought it would be, mainly because I was exhausted! Almost fell asleep while dancing. If you can actually call my zombie-esque movements dancing. I did expect the music to be what it was - deep house, progressive trance etc(what I like to call vocal-less crap), so no disappointments there. I must say that there were plenty of CUTE guys, gay and straight, sprinkled liberally along the beach like casinos on the Strip. We left around 6(sorry guys!) and had breakfast at McDonald's, which is always nice to do if you're awake in the morning. I realised that Meng and Lena both have patches of hair in strange places, which is actually sort of freaky. Especially the mini-beard.

Sunday was a lazy day spent sleeping and eating. Had dinner at my aunt's place. Ho hum.

Woke up bright and early on Monday so I wouldn't be late in meeting Tong and Gerald at Vivocity. Ended up waiting for 45 minutes. I wasn't intending on doing any shopping and so ended up browsing boring merchandise half-heartedly. It has to be said that after returning from the promised land, the shopping here simply doesn't measure up. After a stint at Vivo, Gerald drove us to Marina and then on to Orchard. It's been a LONG TIME since Tong, Gerald and I have been at Orchard together. We had an interesting conversation about politics and where we are on the political spectrum. I would venture that Tong is centre-left, I'm unfortunately centre-right, and Gerald is to the right. Way to the right. The 'I don't care about the war in Iraq because I'm not the one dying. I just want to earn money' kind of right. We do agree that big multinationals help to weed out inefficient local companies. I mean, it's Economics 101 really. Resources should be allocated to where they are most efficient. If Econ minimart has to close down because it is unable to compete with the Cold Storage that has just opened next door, then so be it. Ended the day with delicious Shanghai dim sum at Crystal Jade in Scotts, which Gerald didn't partake in due to an apparent unwillingness to withdraw money from his ATM. At dinner, Tong and I had fun rating him on compassion. I gave a 2 to 3(out of 10) and Tong gave him -5. Outstanding! It's been a really long time since the AC gang actually rocked Orchard together and I enjoyed myself tremendously. There's something about being with the people you've known since like, forever. So many memories. I think the lead poisoning one really stands out, don't you?

Tuesday afternoon rolled around and I found myself back in Orchard with Ian. We were shopping at Far East where he bought this locally designed t-shirt. Also looked for a silver chain to give to his cousin in Brunei who allegedly had similar proportions to me. I completely bought the story and happily helpped try on various chains for size. Headed to Bugis, where he finally settled on a suitable chain and a pair of sunglasses for himself. I realise that not everyone rocks sunglasses as well as I do. I have my high nose bridge and nice face shape to thank for that. I also realise that humilty isn't exactly my strongest suit. Anyway, we eventually found ourselves cuddling on a bench on the roof of Bras Brasah Complex, surrounded on all sides by towering buildings, just the two of us out there under the cloudy sky that threatened to open and unleash a torrent of rain at any time but didn't. It was also there that I first discovered the wonderful properties of his nose. Hmm. Ok moving on. Headed to CityLink for dinner at Thai Express but stopped to take pictures along the way and that was when he told me that the silver chain was actually for me! I can be so naive sometimes. After dinner I rushed off to Cine to meet my sistas who were just about done with gym. The thing about Meng and Wei Ren is that they have a weakness for all manner of snacks and desert. After spending hours at the gym, they have ice cream and then go to Cheers to find something else to munch on. I should really take after them more, maybe then I won't be skinny as a rake. I really don't understand how I can spend 17 days in America and stuff myself almost everyday at various buffets and on big American portions and still only manage to put on 1kg. It's so irritating!

Wednesday morning was spent at le Mayfair, where Jenny was proud to give everyone a tour around her condo, including up to her apartment with the elevator that opens right into her own personal lobby, her children's rooms and her own love nest. After more than a year of working for her, I have to admit that she was a great boss. Probably the best boss I'll ever have. And I like her attitude in general. She'll tell you that without the army, she would be unable to find a job elsewhere, and will bring you into the very heart of her house, from her bedroom to her husband's study. Victor(this really rich Indo-Chinese guy that posted in just before I started to clear leave) was asking me how I found Vegas, and nonchalantly mentioned that he stayed at the Wynn the last time he was there. And I was like, didn't the Wynn just open at the beginning of the year? Turns out he was one of the first few guests. So jealous! After lunch and final(quick) goodbyes, I took the train to City Hall, and plonked myself down at Starbucks, reading, sipping my coffee, and waiting for Ian. It was fun! Like, 2 hours and a hotel room kind of fun, but let's not go into details here. You see, the night before, as he was leaving to catch his train, I let the L word slip. A simple 'love you.' I wasn't prepared to say it for another month, but somehow it just came out, almost organically, just like that. And since it was out, there was really no point in taking it back. Ooh. It's interesting to contrast how I feel now with how I did at the beginning of the year, during those 2 fiascos with Fung Hei and Jeremy, where everything moved too quickly and I got burnt out just as fast. I don't know where we'll be in a year, but I'm going to enjoy the here and now.

And so I found myself firmly back in Cali(gym) on Thursday, trying to work my way back up to pre-Cali(destination) weights, which is going to take a while. Dinner at Cine followed by a stint at Cheers where we spied Jennifer Hudson in the crowd of people outside.

So here I am on Friday at noon, trying to bring an end to this. It's been nearly a week since Saturday and things have been great! I've been around all the people who really matter in my life, that small inner circle, A-list group of friends(and Ian of course). I do wonder if I'm mature enough to handle a relationship this time round. While we're on that topic, this is a song that I really can relate to, not right now but I think all of us have had this feeling at one time or another. Enjoy!