...not sure why, but I'm just feeling a little bit flat. It's been a very strange week at work, with our main client management system up and down for most of Monday - Wednesday. In fact, apart from answering the phone and a couple of emails yesterday, the most productive thing I did yesterday was put up the christmas decorations at work! And now that the system is back up, we've got buckets of backlog to try and catch up on and I'm really not feeling like it at all.
So, in addition to the strange working week, I've started getting back into dating. Had a date on Tuesday night...this guy is looking for gay friends so I suppose I shouldn't call it a "date", as it was never going to lead to anything more than friendship. Lovely bloke, I think there's a good possibility we could be friends. Had a date last night as well...this one advertised his age as 42. OK, this is getting towards the upper end of my dating range (not that I'm ageist or anything, but I just prefer guys around my age +/- 5 yrs) but when I met him, well, it certainly looks like a "gaydar" age. He's probably 42 + 5 yrs. BUT a very personable guy and after a couple of beers, I had relaxed and was enjoying the date. He dropped me home and, me being 3 beers down, I invited him in. He agreed and so we walked into my apartment and immediately started snogging. I must say, he's a great kisser! But, he had actually arranged to meet friends for dinner and so he left after about 10 mins.
Now, I'm thinking I shouldn't have invited him back. Monty + alcohol = horny! And the more alcohol, the less discriminating. So I've gotta try and ring him and suggest "we just be friends" - in fact, I would like to get to know him better as he does seem like a nice genuine guy (well, apart from the fact that his definition of his age is somewhat elastic). But at this time of the year, I don't know if I could be bothered to put a lot of time into him. I've got myself plenty of friends and really don't have that much time for more.
Tonight, I have the night off. I have another date arranged for tomorrow night however. Yes, when I put my mind to it, I really throw myself into it. If you've been reading this blog for the past twelve months, you'll know what I mean! Granted, 3 dates in a week is not particularly excessive for Monty...my record still stands at 9 dates in one week, and I do NOT aspire to break that record any time soon! That was EXHAUSTING!
It would be so much simpler if Mr Right just turned up on my doorstep (figuratively speaking) with relatively little effort involved! Unfortunately, things like that just don't seem to happen to me! Oh well, luckily dating is quite good fun! :-)
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Monday, November 26, 2007
Three naked ladies...
My naked ladies...these girls hang above my bed. My parents first acquired them around 1980 - mum loved them however she didn't feel that they were appropriate for the more public areas of our house, and consequently they were banished to the hallway that lead to our bedrooms. I thought they were awesome, not for the nudity, but just for the sheet beauty of their poses, the free flowing hair that barely covered their modesty, the fact that they were more sketches than a painting, the fact that they were so completely different from any other artwork in our house.
And so afternoons would find me hard against the opposite wall, sketch book in hand, faithfully trying to copy it. I still have my sketch book with a couple of my versions of these girls. I was just enamoured of them. Looking back, I wonder if my gayness was showing even then...a teenage kid enthralled with 3 naked ladies for their artistry, rather than for their jubbly bits.
And so, when I decided to move to Sydney, my parents gifted them to me. And they've been above my bed ever since (I too share my mother's sensibilities in terms of where they're not the most appropriate to be hung) It's probably kinda strange for guys that I bring back to my place, to see three naked ladies perched above my bed, but they're part of my history, and I think they're just sensational!
Pic...
I don't know why, but this is probably my favourite picture of me taken on my holiday. We'd had a big day running around the markets in Cairo, I was tired, hot, sticky and a bit sweaty and we'd stopped in Fishawi's Coffeehouse for a magnificent Turkish coffee when EIB snapped this pic. Dunno why, but I like it.
The Weekend That Was...and other miscellaneous musings...
What a weekend it was! I don't think I've consumed that much alcohol in such a short space of time for quite a while (and that includes my big weekends overseas). Friday night found Monty very inebriated and just a little toey after the first of our work Xmas parties, and with a willing Rick waiting at the Flinders Hotel, there was no stopping me. Well, apart from the fact that I had to stumble and sway my way from Pitt St to Flinders St...that took a while (yes, for some reason, I was determined not to take a taxi...don't ask me why, I had decided to walk and nothing was going to stop me). But made it I did, and so we grabbed a cab back to Rick's place and I fell asleep in his arms.
I woke up surprisingly hangover-free and rather early! Rick had organized to meet his personal trainer at 9am so I was up and ready to leave at 8.45am and feeling rather perky too! Strange. Caught a taxi home, had a quick shower and toddled down to my local cafe and grabbed a Ham and Cheese Croissant and a coffee and the paper and spent the next couple of hours pleasantly engrossed.
In the arvo, I popped down to my local flower man and purchased masses of flowers - it was, after all, Evan's birthday and a very significant one at that, which meant it needed to be celebrated with one of Monty's special arrangements. As Evan is a very carbon conscious man, McDreamy suggested that Australian native flowers might go down well. And so, although I don't think I do my best work with them, I gave it a go and they seemed to go down a treat with Evan! McDreamy took pics of them, so hopefully he'll either email them to me, or post them himself.
We then motored in to Oxford St and rocked up to the Beauchamp Hotel nice and early and slammed a champers or two before the rest of the guests arrived. A highly pleasant evening was had. Apart from Sam, I had not met any of Evan's friends so I was intrigued to see the kind of people he hung out with...all very nice, what else could I expect from such a lovely guy! But it is interesting when talking with someone who's known him for 20+ years and the insights you get!!! Muzbot turned up later on, limping slightly from his war wounds, wearing his "Third Place" ribbon proudly on his chest, and unable to wipe the grin off his face!
Proceedings ground to a halt around midnight (I think), with Evan and McDreamy jumping in a cab back to Evan's. I, on the other hand, was in a party mood - despite my excesses the previous evening - and so wandered down Oxford St...firstly to the Midnight Shift - dull - and then back up to Stonewall. Started chatting to a rather friendly Bostonian who was here for the weekend but then Rick rang me. He was wondering if I was going to come over to his that night. I was a bit tired by this stage, and despite my overtures to the friendly Bostonian, I knew it was going to require a bit more work before I got anywhere with him. Not being up for the job, I grabbed a cab and headed to Rick's.
So, so far, I've spent 3 nights at his and all we have done is sleep together (quite literally), apart from some very general play. I think Rick is a lovely man, and we get on quite well, however there's just not the zing with him. I don't feel anything deeper than friendship for him, and am very happy just snuggling/sleeping with him. He's more of a snuggle-buddy than anything else. He seems pretty content with that too, so I shall have a chat with him later this week to clarify things, and going forward, hopefully things will be good.
Sam was at the party on Saturday night, and as soon as he turned up, he came over and said hello to me and to the friend of Evan's that I was talking to at the time. And that was about it for the night, apart from a passing word or two spoken in a group setting. I must say, I was a little disappointed in that, but what could I do? I still had a great time at the party. But it was lovely that this morning, waiting for me when I logged on at work, was an email from Sam. In it, he apologised for not chatting to me and suggested meeting up for christmas drinks sometime this month. So all was forgiven! I don't know if there's anything more than him being friendly but at least we'll have a chance to have a proper chat, which we haven't done since I returned.
Yesterday, it was my friend Jacqui's birthday and so last night, James, her b/f and I took her for a couple of quiet drinks at our local, the Commodore Hotel. It was a lovely evening; pleasant weather, a couple of drinks, great company. Muzbot turned up for a quickie before he headed off to take some pics of the Australian Idol fireworks which look quite splendid! He's one talented man!
So it was an extremely social, extremely alcoholic weekend, but I feel very little effects from it, which is very unlike me. NOT that I'm complaining mind you. I had a marvellous time, particularly Saturday night!
I woke up surprisingly hangover-free and rather early! Rick had organized to meet his personal trainer at 9am so I was up and ready to leave at 8.45am and feeling rather perky too! Strange. Caught a taxi home, had a quick shower and toddled down to my local cafe and grabbed a Ham and Cheese Croissant and a coffee and the paper and spent the next couple of hours pleasantly engrossed.
In the arvo, I popped down to my local flower man and purchased masses of flowers - it was, after all, Evan's birthday and a very significant one at that, which meant it needed to be celebrated with one of Monty's special arrangements. As Evan is a very carbon conscious man, McDreamy suggested that Australian native flowers might go down well. And so, although I don't think I do my best work with them, I gave it a go and they seemed to go down a treat with Evan! McDreamy took pics of them, so hopefully he'll either email them to me, or post them himself.
We then motored in to Oxford St and rocked up to the Beauchamp Hotel nice and early and slammed a champers or two before the rest of the guests arrived. A highly pleasant evening was had. Apart from Sam, I had not met any of Evan's friends so I was intrigued to see the kind of people he hung out with...all very nice, what else could I expect from such a lovely guy! But it is interesting when talking with someone who's known him for 20+ years and the insights you get!!! Muzbot turned up later on, limping slightly from his war wounds, wearing his "Third Place" ribbon proudly on his chest, and unable to wipe the grin off his face!
Proceedings ground to a halt around midnight (I think), with Evan and McDreamy jumping in a cab back to Evan's. I, on the other hand, was in a party mood - despite my excesses the previous evening - and so wandered down Oxford St...firstly to the Midnight Shift - dull - and then back up to Stonewall. Started chatting to a rather friendly Bostonian who was here for the weekend but then Rick rang me. He was wondering if I was going to come over to his that night. I was a bit tired by this stage, and despite my overtures to the friendly Bostonian, I knew it was going to require a bit more work before I got anywhere with him. Not being up for the job, I grabbed a cab and headed to Rick's.
So, so far, I've spent 3 nights at his and all we have done is sleep together (quite literally), apart from some very general play. I think Rick is a lovely man, and we get on quite well, however there's just not the zing with him. I don't feel anything deeper than friendship for him, and am very happy just snuggling/sleeping with him. He's more of a snuggle-buddy than anything else. He seems pretty content with that too, so I shall have a chat with him later this week to clarify things, and going forward, hopefully things will be good.
Sam was at the party on Saturday night, and as soon as he turned up, he came over and said hello to me and to the friend of Evan's that I was talking to at the time. And that was about it for the night, apart from a passing word or two spoken in a group setting. I must say, I was a little disappointed in that, but what could I do? I still had a great time at the party. But it was lovely that this morning, waiting for me when I logged on at work, was an email from Sam. In it, he apologised for not chatting to me and suggested meeting up for christmas drinks sometime this month. So all was forgiven! I don't know if there's anything more than him being friendly but at least we'll have a chance to have a proper chat, which we haven't done since I returned.
Yesterday, it was my friend Jacqui's birthday and so last night, James, her b/f and I took her for a couple of quiet drinks at our local, the Commodore Hotel. It was a lovely evening; pleasant weather, a couple of drinks, great company. Muzbot turned up for a quickie before he headed off to take some pics of the Australian Idol fireworks which look quite splendid! He's one talented man!
So it was an extremely social, extremely alcoholic weekend, but I feel very little effects from it, which is very unlike me. NOT that I'm complaining mind you. I had a marvellous time, particularly Saturday night!
Friday, November 23, 2007
Dating...
Some of you have enquired about Sam, the guy I was seeing before I went overseas. If you recall, I met Sam at McDreamy's birthday celebration - he's one of Evan's oldest friends. Just before I went overseas, we (Sam and I) had a chat. At that stage, we'd been out 3 times (including our first meeting at McDreamy's b/day) and there seemed to be a reciprocated level of attraction. But, we'd only just met and I was going to be away for 6 weeks. So, we decided that it would be better if we made no commitments; I would be overseas and when I got back, we'd see what happened. No promises about the future, but if the zing was still there, then well and good.
So, I rang him last week, to see what the lay of the land was. It was a very general conversation - banal even - and in the end, I simply asked him, "Would you like to go out for dinner?". His response, "I'm really busy at the moment, work is stressing me...are you going to Evan's birthday?"...(Evan's birthday party is tomorrow - Saturday - night) I indicated that I was indeed going to Evan's birthday. "Well, we'll catch up at the party". Needless to say, I kinda got the impression that things had changed somewhat for him. I was disappointed, as I think he is a LOVELY guy! I could see myself falling very easily for him.
But, what's a boy to do? After a very good chat with Muzbot, I was feeling much better and so I decided to get out there and start dating again! (now that's a surprise...Monty dating...who'd have thought! LOL) And so, I organized a date on Friday night and one on Saturday night. Friday nights...well, the less said the better. He was English and all, but a disappointment. Saturday night's date, on the other hand, was an Australian guy and turned out to be a very pleasant dining companion. We ended up going back to his place and he turned out to be a very pleasant snuggler!!! I actually slept exceptionally well that night, which is quite unusual for me. When I'm with a new guy, I tend to doze, as I'm enjoying it too much to sleep properly. But with him (his name is Rick by the way), it was very comfortable.
But, not being one to put all my eggs in one basket, I had organized a date for Thursday of this week...as 26 yr old who'd started messaging me whilst I was overseas. Now, I'm not really into guys that young, but he was a persistant one, and from his picture, seemed quite cute. So, I thought 'what the hell'! Turns out, he's exceptionally cute and quite a lovely guy! We only had a couple of beers and, very unlike me, I showed great restraint and went home! I could so easily have shagged him on the spot though!!!
Tonight, we have the first of our work christmas parties. It promises to end up being very messy, as we started drinking at 3pm. I also know that when I get pissed, I get very horny, and so I've emailed Rick and warned him that I may be ringing him some time tonight and inviting myself over. He emailed me back and advised that it was more than OK! He does seem like a really nice guy - his one drawback is that he's 5'8" and so shorter than me. I generally go for taller guys. A small thing, agreed, and as I said, he's a fabulous snuggler so he certainly makes up for his lack of height.
Tomorrow night, my beautiful friend Evan celebrates his big Four-0... needless to say, it's going to be a fabulous evening and I can't wait for it. He's a very special friend and an all round nice guy and so it's great to be celebrating such a milestone with such a great person!
Sunday, I recover! :-) So, it's a bit of a big weekend! Should be fun! Should be messy! But I'm loving being in Sydney at the moment! Wish me luck!
So, I rang him last week, to see what the lay of the land was. It was a very general conversation - banal even - and in the end, I simply asked him, "Would you like to go out for dinner?". His response, "I'm really busy at the moment, work is stressing me...are you going to Evan's birthday?"...(Evan's birthday party is tomorrow - Saturday - night) I indicated that I was indeed going to Evan's birthday. "Well, we'll catch up at the party". Needless to say, I kinda got the impression that things had changed somewhat for him. I was disappointed, as I think he is a LOVELY guy! I could see myself falling very easily for him.
But, what's a boy to do? After a very good chat with Muzbot, I was feeling much better and so I decided to get out there and start dating again! (now that's a surprise...Monty dating...who'd have thought! LOL) And so, I organized a date on Friday night and one on Saturday night. Friday nights...well, the less said the better. He was English and all, but a disappointment. Saturday night's date, on the other hand, was an Australian guy and turned out to be a very pleasant dining companion. We ended up going back to his place and he turned out to be a very pleasant snuggler!!! I actually slept exceptionally well that night, which is quite unusual for me. When I'm with a new guy, I tend to doze, as I'm enjoying it too much to sleep properly. But with him (his name is Rick by the way), it was very comfortable.
But, not being one to put all my eggs in one basket, I had organized a date for Thursday of this week...as 26 yr old who'd started messaging me whilst I was overseas. Now, I'm not really into guys that young, but he was a persistant one, and from his picture, seemed quite cute. So, I thought 'what the hell'! Turns out, he's exceptionally cute and quite a lovely guy! We only had a couple of beers and, very unlike me, I showed great restraint and went home! I could so easily have shagged him on the spot though!!!
Tonight, we have the first of our work christmas parties. It promises to end up being very messy, as we started drinking at 3pm. I also know that when I get pissed, I get very horny, and so I've emailed Rick and warned him that I may be ringing him some time tonight and inviting myself over. He emailed me back and advised that it was more than OK! He does seem like a really nice guy - his one drawback is that he's 5'8" and so shorter than me. I generally go for taller guys. A small thing, agreed, and as I said, he's a fabulous snuggler so he certainly makes up for his lack of height.
Tomorrow night, my beautiful friend Evan celebrates his big Four-0... needless to say, it's going to be a fabulous evening and I can't wait for it. He's a very special friend and an all round nice guy and so it's great to be celebrating such a milestone with such a great person!
Sunday, I recover! :-) So, it's a bit of a big weekend! Should be fun! Should be messy! But I'm loving being in Sydney at the moment! Wish me luck!
Exercise...
The Bank arranged for doctors to come around to our workplaces and do Health Checks on us and this week, they rolled into my building and so I fronted up yesterday for my check up.
I must say, I was rather chuffed as I rocked through the test with flying colours - my blood pressure was very good, my blood glucose reading was very good, I've got no family history of heart attacks, my resting heart rate was good, I've only got very average stress levels (which I treat with good doses of retail therapy). My cholesterol is high, however McDreamy, when he tested me in July, confirmed that my GOOD cholesterol is equally high which counteracts the bad guys! The only thing that is BAD in my life is my lack of formal exercise. I don't go to the gym, don't jog to work, don't ride a bike on the weekends. I do walk about 10 mins to the bus each day, but that's considered incidental exercise.
So, I've now got to think about doing some formal exercise...probably some brisk walking for 30 mins or so a couple of days a week. I'd much rather just go home and have a chardonnay but if I must, then I probably should!
I must say, I was rather chuffed as I rocked through the test with flying colours - my blood pressure was very good, my blood glucose reading was very good, I've got no family history of heart attacks, my resting heart rate was good, I've only got very average stress levels (which I treat with good doses of retail therapy). My cholesterol is high, however McDreamy, when he tested me in July, confirmed that my GOOD cholesterol is equally high which counteracts the bad guys! The only thing that is BAD in my life is my lack of formal exercise. I don't go to the gym, don't jog to work, don't ride a bike on the weekends. I do walk about 10 mins to the bus each day, but that's considered incidental exercise.
So, I've now got to think about doing some formal exercise...probably some brisk walking for 30 mins or so a couple of days a week. I'd much rather just go home and have a chardonnay but if I must, then I probably should!
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Music...and men...
I wandered over to Westfield Bondi Junction on Saturday afternoon, following Single Guy's revelation that it's a happening place for cruising men! I thought it'd been interesting to see how it works in a shopping centre. Well, needless to say, I didn't see a lot of cruising happening...mind you, I did see some very fine looking gents, but couldn't see anyone even remotely practicing the art of cruising.
Anyway, in my wanderings around the shopping centre, I stopped off in a CD store...and bought myself two utterly fabulous CD's (yes, I'm one of those primitive sorts that still don't download music from i-Tunes to my i-Pod), which I've been playing ever since. The first one was (start cringing now) Spice Girls Greatest Hits - I love the Girls and have their first two albums...it's just meaningless pop but they do it so well! The second was Pet Shop Boys latest Dance 4. This is a truly awesome album - they've remixed some very diverse bands/artists including the Killers, RammStein, Yoko Ono, Madonna and of course, themselves. Some of the mixes are tub-thumpingly sensational, and the whole album is just one big dance party! I LOVE it!!!
That's the "music" part of this post...the other part..."men"!
I was walking from my place down to Nth Sydney this morning when around the corner jogs this shirtless, well built guy! As I continue walking towards him (with extra spring in my step), another shirtless, well built guy rounds the corner! It's then I realise, it's the Navy boys! You see, there's some kind of Navy base nearby - it's only a small one, for the Navy Seals or something - and every few weeks, they all go for a run around the area. The last time I saw them was before my holiday, and so it was still cool, and so they were all fully clothed. But today...most were shirtless and there's about 15 of them, all in good condition...all jogging towards me. Talk about eye-candy overload!!! YUMMMO! It was a MOST PLEASANT way to start the day!
Anyway, in my wanderings around the shopping centre, I stopped off in a CD store...and bought myself two utterly fabulous CD's (yes, I'm one of those primitive sorts that still don't download music from i-Tunes to my i-Pod), which I've been playing ever since. The first one was (start cringing now) Spice Girls Greatest Hits - I love the Girls and have their first two albums...it's just meaningless pop but they do it so well! The second was Pet Shop Boys latest Dance 4. This is a truly awesome album - they've remixed some very diverse bands/artists including the Killers, RammStein, Yoko Ono, Madonna and of course, themselves. Some of the mixes are tub-thumpingly sensational, and the whole album is just one big dance party! I LOVE it!!!
That's the "music" part of this post...the other part..."men"!
I was walking from my place down to Nth Sydney this morning when around the corner jogs this shirtless, well built guy! As I continue walking towards him (with extra spring in my step), another shirtless, well built guy rounds the corner! It's then I realise, it's the Navy boys! You see, there's some kind of Navy base nearby - it's only a small one, for the Navy Seals or something - and every few weeks, they all go for a run around the area. The last time I saw them was before my holiday, and so it was still cool, and so they were all fully clothed. But today...most were shirtless and there's about 15 of them, all in good condition...all jogging towards me. Talk about eye-candy overload!!! YUMMMO! It was a MOST PLEASANT way to start the day!
Monday, November 19, 2007
I did a Personality Quiz...
...on Facebook, and here's the results...
Temperament
Cosmopolitan
When you wake up in the morning, you set out to impress and to make a lasting impression on those who you encounter. You surround yourself with all the right people and right things - making you a real trendsetter. Others admire and want to be just like you. Second best will not do - it's the best (and only the best) for you. You are attentive to detail in yourself, your surroundings and your social circle.
An interesting comment...I don't think that I'm a real trendsetter...I am a details man I agree and I do like to make a good impression.
Interests
Thrill Seeker
You are interested in anything that is exciting and pleasurable. You're not afraid to indulge yourself - you live by your own set of rules and don't allow yourself to get hung on what others think. For the most part, you are independent and do whatever you please to do. Trying to stop you from doing something only makes you want it even more. At the end of the day - you live for life's most thrilling moments.
Not sure about this one...I am not a thrill seeker, but I do tend to indulge myself. Well, I am a single man, so who else am I going to spend my $$$ on?
Amusement
Adventurous
It's a good thing that you are filled with energy and ambitions (that others sometimes find exhausting) because you're continually looking for a new adventure and exciting experience. You struggle with a continual feeling of restlessness which constantly pushes you to the next level of excitement. Once you have accomplished one thing, you are eager to accomplish something more exciting, riskier and distinguishable.
Hmmmm, this doesn't sound like me at all...
Passion
Physical
You are a cuddle bug - from a warm hug shared with your best friend to steamy sex with your partner, you enjoy every bit of human contact that you can get. You demonstrate your love for others most fluidly through physical one-on-one contact and you feel the most loved when you are being touched. You feel disconnected when you are physically isolated from others. You're a people person and a lover of all things human.
This is soooooo me!
Temperament
Cosmopolitan
When you wake up in the morning, you set out to impress and to make a lasting impression on those who you encounter. You surround yourself with all the right people and right things - making you a real trendsetter. Others admire and want to be just like you. Second best will not do - it's the best (and only the best) for you. You are attentive to detail in yourself, your surroundings and your social circle.
An interesting comment...I don't think that I'm a real trendsetter...I am a details man I agree and I do like to make a good impression.
Interests
Thrill Seeker
You are interested in anything that is exciting and pleasurable. You're not afraid to indulge yourself - you live by your own set of rules and don't allow yourself to get hung on what others think. For the most part, you are independent and do whatever you please to do. Trying to stop you from doing something only makes you want it even more. At the end of the day - you live for life's most thrilling moments.
Not sure about this one...I am not a thrill seeker, but I do tend to indulge myself. Well, I am a single man, so who else am I going to spend my $$$ on?
Amusement
Adventurous
It's a good thing that you are filled with energy and ambitions (that others sometimes find exhausting) because you're continually looking for a new adventure and exciting experience. You struggle with a continual feeling of restlessness which constantly pushes you to the next level of excitement. Once you have accomplished one thing, you are eager to accomplish something more exciting, riskier and distinguishable.
Hmmmm, this doesn't sound like me at all...
Passion
Physical
You are a cuddle bug - from a warm hug shared with your best friend to steamy sex with your partner, you enjoy every bit of human contact that you can get. You demonstrate your love for others most fluidly through physical one-on-one contact and you feel the most loved when you are being touched. You feel disconnected when you are physically isolated from others. You're a people person and a lover of all things human.
This is soooooo me!
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Holiday Pics...Cairo...
A view of the Nile...
View of Cairo from the Citadel...
The Mohammed Ali Mosque...
Monty...in the Coptic quarter...
St George's Chapel in the Coptic quarter...
Ya gotta love those minarets...
Monty...at the pyramids...
Monty...and the lovely EIB...at the pyramids...
Friday, November 16, 2007
One Non-Blonde...
Those of you who have seen me in the past couple of weeks have not seen me at my best...my hair was soooo long and unruly...it was driving me mad! I normally get a haircut every 4 to 5 weeks, however it's been over 7 weeks since my last cut and so I looked like the Wild Man of Borneo! Thankfully, before I went on holidays, I booked an appointment with my wonderful hairdresser Cindy.
So Tuesday came and I choofed off from work an hour early and drove across town to Coogee and presented myself at Cindy's salon. An hour later, a weight was lifted (quite literally) off my shoulders, with my new, funky, SHORT hair do! I know that this may come as a shock (NOT) to many of you, but I'm not a natural blonde - I've been getting blonde streaks for about 7 or 8 years. (let me say in my defence, I WAS a blonde as a kid...just gone darker as I've, errr, matured) On the plane flight home, as I was contemplating the joys of having my hair chopped off, I decided that now that I've hit, ummm, 30 (and some months), I should allow myself to age a bit more naturally and therefore, when I went to Cindy, I had her chop off the blonde and not replace it with new streaks.
And so, I'm now one non-blonde! It's very weird, everytime I look at the mirror, there's this strange, dark haired guy staring back! One downside...I can no longer use the "I'm having a blonde moment" excuse for my absent-mindedness! I'm going to have to come up with something new!
But I must say, on the upside, it seems to be agreeing with everyone around me. One of the party girls in my section rushed up to me when I walked into the printing room this morning and said, "[Monty], you are looking HOT!" (She knows I'm gay so she wasn't trying to hit on me or anything) So I'm a bit chuffed by that! Particularly, as I've got a date tonight, it's given me a little bit of a confidence boost!
So Tuesday came and I choofed off from work an hour early and drove across town to Coogee and presented myself at Cindy's salon. An hour later, a weight was lifted (quite literally) off my shoulders, with my new, funky, SHORT hair do! I know that this may come as a shock (NOT) to many of you, but I'm not a natural blonde - I've been getting blonde streaks for about 7 or 8 years. (let me say in my defence, I WAS a blonde as a kid...just gone darker as I've, errr, matured) On the plane flight home, as I was contemplating the joys of having my hair chopped off, I decided that now that I've hit, ummm, 30 (and some months), I should allow myself to age a bit more naturally and therefore, when I went to Cindy, I had her chop off the blonde and not replace it with new streaks.
And so, I'm now one non-blonde! It's very weird, everytime I look at the mirror, there's this strange, dark haired guy staring back! One downside...I can no longer use the "I'm having a blonde moment" excuse for my absent-mindedness! I'm going to have to come up with something new!
But I must say, on the upside, it seems to be agreeing with everyone around me. One of the party girls in my section rushed up to me when I walked into the printing room this morning and said, "[Monty], you are looking HOT!" (She knows I'm gay so she wasn't trying to hit on me or anything) So I'm a bit chuffed by that! Particularly, as I've got a date tonight, it's given me a little bit of a confidence boost!
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Back in business...
Yep folks, I'm back! I actually arrived back on Saturday morning but life's been such a whirlwind since then that I've not had time to put digit to QWERTY and blog! And the silly thing is, there's about 45 potential blog posts in my head at the moment!
I do have to say first off, that it's fabulous to be back in Sydney! Everyone last week was warning me that it was cold and rainy in Sydney which I was not looking forward to. BUT arrived in Sydney at 7am Saturday and my friend Jacqui collected me from the airport and it was a lovely sunny morning! She stayed for a chat and then left me and I did my usual unpacking frenzy, washing, cleaning my apartment, getting myself sorted out etc. Grabbed some KFC for lunch (please don't judge me...I LOVE KFC) and read my paper! But, it was such a gorgeous day outside and I was dying to experience it! So, jumped in my car and went for a drive to say "hello, I'm back" to the Emerald City! Sim, Mark's boyfriend, gave me a couple of CD's that I had been playing to death while in London (it's the Soundtracks from UK Queer as Folk) and I whacked one on in my car. It's terribly camp dance music but I have to say, driving down the road, the sun was shining, it was 25 degrees celcius, my windows were down (you can't put airconditioning on when it's such pleasant weather), I was wearing shorts and T-shirt, the music was thumping and I was feeling HIGH!!! I was seriously euphoric! I wish I could've bottled how I was feeling because it felt good!!! Doubtless to say, I crashed that evening like there was no tomorrow! I hadn't slept properly in about 48 hrs and so I hit my bed hard!
Sunday was another magnificent day and so I battled through the traffic to Bondi Beach and did the Sculptures By the Sea - it's a walk between Bondi and Tamarama Beach and it was seriously jammed with people but I loved it none-the-less! It was just wonderful to be out in the sun!
You don't realize how much you miss the wide open blue skies of Australia until you've spent 5 weeks in either cold (and often cloudy) Europe or very polluted Cairo.
And to cap off Sunday, I spent a couple of lovely hours at the Commodore Hotel downing beers and chewing the fat with my mate Muzbot, which was excellent! This is the best thing about coming home...catching up with my wonderful friends!
I do have to say first off, that it's fabulous to be back in Sydney! Everyone last week was warning me that it was cold and rainy in Sydney which I was not looking forward to. BUT arrived in Sydney at 7am Saturday and my friend Jacqui collected me from the airport and it was a lovely sunny morning! She stayed for a chat and then left me and I did my usual unpacking frenzy, washing, cleaning my apartment, getting myself sorted out etc. Grabbed some KFC for lunch (please don't judge me...I LOVE KFC) and read my paper! But, it was such a gorgeous day outside and I was dying to experience it! So, jumped in my car and went for a drive to say "hello, I'm back" to the Emerald City! Sim, Mark's boyfriend, gave me a couple of CD's that I had been playing to death while in London (it's the Soundtracks from UK Queer as Folk) and I whacked one on in my car. It's terribly camp dance music but I have to say, driving down the road, the sun was shining, it was 25 degrees celcius, my windows were down (you can't put airconditioning on when it's such pleasant weather), I was wearing shorts and T-shirt, the music was thumping and I was feeling HIGH!!! I was seriously euphoric! I wish I could've bottled how I was feeling because it felt good!!! Doubtless to say, I crashed that evening like there was no tomorrow! I hadn't slept properly in about 48 hrs and so I hit my bed hard!
Sunday was another magnificent day and so I battled through the traffic to Bondi Beach and did the Sculptures By the Sea - it's a walk between Bondi and Tamarama Beach and it was seriously jammed with people but I loved it none-the-less! It was just wonderful to be out in the sun!
You don't realize how much you miss the wide open blue skies of Australia until you've spent 5 weeks in either cold (and often cloudy) Europe or very polluted Cairo.
And to cap off Sunday, I spent a couple of lovely hours at the Commodore Hotel downing beers and chewing the fat with my mate Muzbot, which was excellent! This is the best thing about coming home...catching up with my wonderful friends!
Friday, November 09, 2007
The Last Post...
...of my travels anyway!
Well, I leave for the airport in about 15 mins so thought I'd do a quick post to summarise my holiday! Well, not exactly summarise, but just to mention some highlights!
I suppose the biggest highlight of the holiday was spending 10 days with my gorgeous friend EIB. You've already heard lots about him, so I won't say anymore. Suffice that I feel our friendship has been consolidated, solidified and I've got to know him much better.
Another huge highlight of the holiday was getting to meet all of the London Bloggers! To wit...Gay Banker, Darth Gateau, Guy In London, CuteCTGuy, Soul Seared Dreamer and Poobaba, plus a Kiwi blogger, Kev in NZ, as well as catching up with Dan and Stephen who I met in Sydney. Thanks guys - it was fantastic to meet you all - I had a great time with all of you and I do deeply appreciate your generosity in opening your lives to me! Hope I can reciprocate next time you are in Sydney!!!
It was also great to see Matt again, my old friend Marie, my hunky masseur Brad, as well as of course, my brother Mark and Sim, his b/f. I'm really happy that Sim and I have had an opportunity to get to know each other better. And I had a couple of lovely dates with some guys here in London which was rather pleasant indeed! ;-)
And then of course, it was awesome to experience Cairo and Paris...two very different cities, but each had their own adventures! I will post some pics once I get home! And I really feel like I've got to know London much better than before! I love this city!
But life calls me back...as well as a depleted bank balance and a full'ish credit card! It's been the BEST holiday ever, and as you can see from the above, it's mainly due to the people I spent time with! It seriously has been the most social holiday I've ever had and being the social butterfly that I am, of course, I LOVED every minute of it! Ciao 4 niao!
Monty! x
Well, I leave for the airport in about 15 mins so thought I'd do a quick post to summarise my holiday! Well, not exactly summarise, but just to mention some highlights!
I suppose the biggest highlight of the holiday was spending 10 days with my gorgeous friend EIB. You've already heard lots about him, so I won't say anymore. Suffice that I feel our friendship has been consolidated, solidified and I've got to know him much better.
Another huge highlight of the holiday was getting to meet all of the London Bloggers! To wit...Gay Banker, Darth Gateau, Guy In London, CuteCTGuy, Soul Seared Dreamer and Poobaba, plus a Kiwi blogger, Kev in NZ, as well as catching up with Dan and Stephen who I met in Sydney. Thanks guys - it was fantastic to meet you all - I had a great time with all of you and I do deeply appreciate your generosity in opening your lives to me! Hope I can reciprocate next time you are in Sydney!!!
It was also great to see Matt again, my old friend Marie, my hunky masseur Brad, as well as of course, my brother Mark and Sim, his b/f. I'm really happy that Sim and I have had an opportunity to get to know each other better. And I had a couple of lovely dates with some guys here in London which was rather pleasant indeed! ;-)
And then of course, it was awesome to experience Cairo and Paris...two very different cities, but each had their own adventures! I will post some pics once I get home! And I really feel like I've got to know London much better than before! I love this city!
But life calls me back...as well as a depleted bank balance and a full'ish credit card! It's been the BEST holiday ever, and as you can see from the above, it's mainly due to the people I spent time with! It seriously has been the most social holiday I've ever had and being the social butterfly that I am, of course, I LOVED every minute of it! Ciao 4 niao!
Monty! x
Thursday, November 08, 2007
It's my last evening in London...
...and so I decided that I would cook Mark and Sim dinner! I'm making them Monty's Famous Beer-Up-The-Bum Chicken with roast veges. Yummo! And I made them up a big bunch of flowers as well. So I've spent today pretty much inside...writing blogs, catching up on emails, internet banking, Facebook, grocery shopping and cooking. Very lazy! I've done everything I needed to do in London so these last couple of days are just a chance to relax!
I do have to say, Mark and Sim have been FANTASTIC! They've been very generous in hosting me for the past few weeks, particularly with my somewhat hectic schedule, late nights etc while they've been working and attempting to live a normal life. And this is in addition to Mark's friend Carter who's also been staying here! Mark works very hard, and as his new office is about 2 hrs travel from home, he normally gets home quite late each night and is up at the crack of dawn each day as well. So, his early to bed routine is quite understandable.
It has been lovely to spend time with them however, and this trip I feel like I've got to know Sim much better! We actually stayed up on Sunday night watching Kylie DVD's (he's the biggest fan of hers, which makes him a damn fine addition to my family), drinking G&T's (copious quantities apparently) and talking. We discussed my family situation and the concerns that he and Mark have for me. It was a real bonding moment for us...one on one as adults but also as people who are now connected via Mark - he's my brother-in-law effectively. And you know, Sim is my favourite of all of Mark's previous boyfriends (not that he's had many, he's a serial monogamist)...I think we are very similar in personality and tastes and although he is 10 yrs younger than I, it doesn't seem like it. In gay years, he is soooooo my senior, and so I'm really happy that we've become friends.
So tonight, we're going to have a lovely dinner, I've bought a couple of bottles of wine (a Viognier and a Chardy) and some good music and pleasant conversation...a perfect last night in London!
I do have to say, Mark and Sim have been FANTASTIC! They've been very generous in hosting me for the past few weeks, particularly with my somewhat hectic schedule, late nights etc while they've been working and attempting to live a normal life. And this is in addition to Mark's friend Carter who's also been staying here! Mark works very hard, and as his new office is about 2 hrs travel from home, he normally gets home quite late each night and is up at the crack of dawn each day as well. So, his early to bed routine is quite understandable.
It has been lovely to spend time with them however, and this trip I feel like I've got to know Sim much better! We actually stayed up on Sunday night watching Kylie DVD's (he's the biggest fan of hers, which makes him a damn fine addition to my family), drinking G&T's (copious quantities apparently) and talking. We discussed my family situation and the concerns that he and Mark have for me. It was a real bonding moment for us...one on one as adults but also as people who are now connected via Mark - he's my brother-in-law effectively. And you know, Sim is my favourite of all of Mark's previous boyfriends (not that he's had many, he's a serial monogamist)...I think we are very similar in personality and tastes and although he is 10 yrs younger than I, it doesn't seem like it. In gay years, he is soooooo my senior, and so I'm really happy that we've become friends.
So tonight, we're going to have a lovely dinner, I've bought a couple of bottles of wine (a Viognier and a Chardy) and some good music and pleasant conversation...a perfect last night in London!
I came to London and I saw...
The Queen! Yes folks, that's right, I actually saw HM The Queen yesterday! How?
Well, I stayed the night at Matt's on Monday and we had planned on going to see the Salvador Dali exhibition on Tuesday at Southbank. So, after a bit of a sleep in, we eventually got ourselves up and ready and jumped on the tube into Westminster station - we were just going to walk across the Westminster Bridge to the Town Hall where the exhibition was. Well, we roll into Westminster station and there's signs advising that some of the exits are closed off due to Police Request. What was that about? We walked out and all the streets around Westminster (including the Bridge) were all closed off! Police lining the streets, guards on horseback etc etc. And then I remembered that the Queens Speech was happening that day and so put two and two together. There were crowds of people on the streets, waiting. And so being the tourist that I am, I had to get closer. So walked down into the thick of it and waited. Only had to wait for about 5 mins when there was activity coming from Westminster. All these horseguards paraded past, in their thigh high boots, and shiny breastplates, and drawn swords and then, I spy a carriage. And lo and behold, it's the Queen! Unfortunately, because she was in the carriage, she wasn't wearing the Imperial State Crown, but she was still wearing a very blingy tiara and she was actually looking quite good, for an old bird! I snapped off a few pics but unfortunately, as she was behind glass in the carriage, you can't actually see her in the pics. But I was very excited that I got to see her in person, with some serious bling on! Wholly unexpected but soooo cool. The ultimate London experience!
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Monty on Tour 6...
Sorry it's been so long between posts...Paris was so busy that I didn't have a chance to get to an internet cafe to update. And now, it's Wednesday and I've only got one more day left here in London before I leave the fair shores of Ol' Blighty and wing my way homeward!
Paris was splendid! Unfortunately, apart from the day I arrived (Wed) and the day I left (Sun), it was overcast and on Saturday, rainy. But that didn't stop me anyway. On Wednesday night, I was in a mood...in fact, I think I sent nearly everyone on my phone a text message which said "It's Halloween and here in Paris, Monty is on the prowl"...! And I was! Had dinner and then hit the bars of Le Marais - I was determined to pick me up a Frenchman! One disappointment...Frenchman don't seem as tall as Englishmen! There's not that many taller than I, and I'm not exactly a giant! And I LOVE a tall man! I do have to say, my Anglophilia is still as strong as ever, despite the good looking French guys I saw! There are a few friends of mine who are total Francophiles, but there's no doubting it now, Englishmen are my thing! Anywho...
Got to all the usual tourist spots of course, but also did Rodin's Museum which was fantastic! And reasonably quiet too which was a stark contrast to every other place we went! I must say that Versailles was a little bit disappointing...most of the outside was covered in scaffolding so it lost its grandeur from that perspective. And it was jam packed with tourists! I've not been more squashed in, which made me just a touch claustrophobic! But the Hall of Mirrors was everything I expected! Just amazing! When you look at the complex in its entirity, it blows me away that this was a palace for one man and his family!!!!! The extravagance of it is mind blowing!
But of course, the highlight of the trip was spending more quality time with my lovely (and now 40 yr old) friend EIB. We would go out for dinner and sit in the cafe, eating, drinking and watching the eye candy walk by (or in some cases, strut by)...and of course, chatting! I can't quite believe that we've only known each other for just over a year now - it seems like we've gone through a lot together...well, we've certainly talked enough for a lifetime of friendship! My flight back to London was at 2pm Sunday and so I left him at the Metro station at around noon. Sitting on the train to the airport, a feeling of sadness just washed over me! I don't know when I will see him again. I would love to come back to Europe next year, but I really should be a bit more fiscally responsible and save my $$$. I've had two long overseas holidays in consecutive years and so should be a bit more low key next year...but when close friends like EIB are over here, and I'm in Australia, the longing to travel is very intense! I must say, we have been much more relaxed with each other this time which has been lovely,..no doubt due to the fact that last year, we had only just met and I was obviously infactuated with him. And now that he's gone and got himself a boyfriend, he does seem more at ease as well. I look forward to many more long conversations with him on a Sunday night...he's very good at bringing a dose of reality to me, providing a more objective perspective of whatever is happening in my life which is good! Despite his recent fall from grace (which I blogged about a couple of months ago), he does still provide me with a high moral ground and a good laugh too! Love him to bits! Thanks EIB...these two mini holidays we've had have been the highlight of this holiday!!!
But another highlight of Paris was catching up with Oscar, the Frenchman that I met in Berlin last year! He's about to celebrate his first anniversary with his boyfriend which is very exciting - they got together shortly after he returned from his Berlin holiday! So it was lovely to see him again, see what's happened over the past 12 months in our respective lives.
But now I've got to finish off all my postcards and post them...of course, I'll turn up in Australia before they do but still, I am determined to send them! Other than that, there's not much else I've got to do here in London. I've said my goodbyes to all my friends (new and old), and have seen just about everything in London that I've ever wanted to see. I am now feeling very comfortable about getting around London on the tubes and buses, and am now getting a bit of a sense of direction now which is great! I love London and could so easily live here...the only thing that would worry me is missing the sun! And that's one thing I am hanging out for when I get back...to feel the warm warm warm sun on my skin! Lying on the beach! Going down to the park with my paper and reading in the sun! Wearing shorts and t-shirts!
Anyway, this post has gone waaaayyy too long so I shall sign off and get busy with the postcards! :-)
Paris was splendid! Unfortunately, apart from the day I arrived (Wed) and the day I left (Sun), it was overcast and on Saturday, rainy. But that didn't stop me anyway. On Wednesday night, I was in a mood...in fact, I think I sent nearly everyone on my phone a text message which said "It's Halloween and here in Paris, Monty is on the prowl"...! And I was! Had dinner and then hit the bars of Le Marais - I was determined to pick me up a Frenchman! One disappointment...Frenchman don't seem as tall as Englishmen! There's not that many taller than I, and I'm not exactly a giant! And I LOVE a tall man! I do have to say, my Anglophilia is still as strong as ever, despite the good looking French guys I saw! There are a few friends of mine who are total Francophiles, but there's no doubting it now, Englishmen are my thing! Anywho...
Got to all the usual tourist spots of course, but also did Rodin's Museum which was fantastic! And reasonably quiet too which was a stark contrast to every other place we went! I must say that Versailles was a little bit disappointing...most of the outside was covered in scaffolding so it lost its grandeur from that perspective. And it was jam packed with tourists! I've not been more squashed in, which made me just a touch claustrophobic! But the Hall of Mirrors was everything I expected! Just amazing! When you look at the complex in its entirity, it blows me away that this was a palace for one man and his family!!!!! The extravagance of it is mind blowing!
But of course, the highlight of the trip was spending more quality time with my lovely (and now 40 yr old) friend EIB. We would go out for dinner and sit in the cafe, eating, drinking and watching the eye candy walk by (or in some cases, strut by)...and of course, chatting! I can't quite believe that we've only known each other for just over a year now - it seems like we've gone through a lot together...well, we've certainly talked enough for a lifetime of friendship! My flight back to London was at 2pm Sunday and so I left him at the Metro station at around noon. Sitting on the train to the airport, a feeling of sadness just washed over me! I don't know when I will see him again. I would love to come back to Europe next year, but I really should be a bit more fiscally responsible and save my $$$. I've had two long overseas holidays in consecutive years and so should be a bit more low key next year...but when close friends like EIB are over here, and I'm in Australia, the longing to travel is very intense! I must say, we have been much more relaxed with each other this time which has been lovely,..no doubt due to the fact that last year, we had only just met and I was obviously infactuated with him. And now that he's gone and got himself a boyfriend, he does seem more at ease as well. I look forward to many more long conversations with him on a Sunday night...he's very good at bringing a dose of reality to me, providing a more objective perspective of whatever is happening in my life which is good! Despite his recent fall from grace (which I blogged about a couple of months ago), he does still provide me with a high moral ground and a good laugh too! Love him to bits! Thanks EIB...these two mini holidays we've had have been the highlight of this holiday!!!
But another highlight of Paris was catching up with Oscar, the Frenchman that I met in Berlin last year! He's about to celebrate his first anniversary with his boyfriend which is very exciting - they got together shortly after he returned from his Berlin holiday! So it was lovely to see him again, see what's happened over the past 12 months in our respective lives.
But now I've got to finish off all my postcards and post them...of course, I'll turn up in Australia before they do but still, I am determined to send them! Other than that, there's not much else I've got to do here in London. I've said my goodbyes to all my friends (new and old), and have seen just about everything in London that I've ever wanted to see. I am now feeling very comfortable about getting around London on the tubes and buses, and am now getting a bit of a sense of direction now which is great! I love London and could so easily live here...the only thing that would worry me is missing the sun! And that's one thing I am hanging out for when I get back...to feel the warm warm warm sun on my skin! Lying on the beach! Going down to the park with my paper and reading in the sun! Wearing shorts and t-shirts!
Anyway, this post has gone waaaayyy too long so I shall sign off and get busy with the postcards! :-)
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