Graduation

I should have written this post two months ago. That's how behind I am in posting all the juicy details of my fabulous life. In this post: my graduation ceremonies and shenanigans with my friends and former roommates.

I returned to Halifax for the convocation ceremony, against my better judgment. My mother told me, in not so many words, that I owed it to her since I graduated from high school one semester early and skipped the end-of-year ceremonies altogether. To prevent any drama, I complied without much protest. Besides, going back meant seeing my friends again and I was definitely up for some fun times after spending a month in near isolation at my parents' house.

My plane landed in Halifax on Tuesday, 11pm. My parents arrived before I did and were already checked-in at the Lord Nelson. I rendezvoused with them, had a late-night dinner, and went to Jeff's condominium to spend the night. Jeff was working, but his boyfriend Andrew was there. So what did we do the very moment I got there? We played Mario Kart and ate a tray-load of nachos with ground beef and cheddar/mozzarella cheese toppings until 4am! This normally wouldn't be a big deal except that I had to wake up really early in the morning to pick up my cap and gown, have lunch with my family, and do some last-minute preparations before I had to be at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium at 1:30pm. Needless to say, I felt like the walking dead the next day.

After the ceremony, my mother and I went to the bank to withdraw my hidden riches and walked around downtown Halifax. She kept complaining about how cold it was. Oh dear. If she only knew how cold it could really get. We went to Starbucks and immediately, I saw two of the objects of my jack off fantasies, Patrick and Bryan. I think Bryan furtively checked out my butt as I walked past him. Anyway, I ordered what I usually get, a Raspberry Mocha latte and I got my mother a hot Passion tea. We hightailed it back to the hotel and bought two big gourmet bbq chicken pizza from Gatsby's. Oh man those were good.

Later that night, my mother and grandaunt helped me move my remaining things out of Jeff's place. To my surprise, James was there too, which made the place seem like a sinning haven of faggots. After a little chit chat, they left and immediately, I stripped down to my boxer briefs and got comfortable in the couch with my former roommates. Jeff amusedly remarked, "What is this? A strip club?" I told him about Patrick and Bryan at Starbucks and all the depraved sex acts I wanted to perform on and with them. James, in his usual maternal tone, said, "Oh welcome home."

The next day was uneventful. I met my family at the hotel, took them to the waterfront and then had lunch at Casino Nova Scotia. Since old people love to gamble, we spent an inordinate amount of time in there. My grandmother gave me ten dollars to gamble away on the slot machines and won ten dollars right off the bat. I didn't want to be greedy so instead of gambling somemore, I cashed out and basked on the glory of being a winner.

My mother and I had haircut appointments at Kara's Urban Day Spa that evening. A gay guy did her hair. I thought he looked familiar. Little did I know who he really was. Anyway, my mother thought the cut was exceptional. She hasn't been to a salon in seven years, so she really enjoyed the service. I only needed minor shaping and trim, but I was satisfied with what was done to me as well.

Later that night, I met Travis at his apartment. It was really good seeing him and I was happy that he and his boyfriend were still together. After several more minutes of grooming, we went to Reflections to see Five Minutes of Fame. I knew there wasn't going to be a number I haven't already seen before but I still went anyway for old times sake. Troy participated and I think he won that night which was expected considering one of his best friends was one of the judges. I left a little early because I was starting to get bored. Travis told me to get laid because I wasn't going to be in Halifax for long. I jokingly responded that I wasn't going to get anything. He said, "You're cute, twinky, and Asian. You'll get laid." What he said was undoubtedly true; however, I wasn't desperate enough to go home with anyone I didn't particularly like. The shocker of that night came when I was about ready to leave. Amanda Benzova, a popular drag queen, approached me and told me that she did my mother's hair. I have not met him as a man, so I was quite surprised.

My family left for Toronto on Friday. I didn't leave with them because I had some loose ends to tie up. I wanted to see Michael for reasons I can't exactly articulate. His crystalline blue eyes always got to me and I wanted to gaze into them one last time. Anyway, I realized I still haven't seen most of the people I wanted to see and I wasn't sure if he'd be up for it, so I opted not to. I spent the day hanging out with Jeff. When Andrew got home from work, we played a 50-turn game of Mario Party 8 and watched National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets. Good times!

Saturday was very hectic. Jonathan H. and I had coffee at Starbucks. Patrick and another hot twink were working that afternoon, so I had a hard time concentrating on talking to him. We talked about our plans: his summer stint in Montreal, my return to the San Francisco Bay Area, and the odd jobs he's been working. I felt sad after we parted ways. I'm going to miss him.

I went to a private party at Joseph's condominium to celebrate my last night in Halifax. I haven't really talked about what happens in these parties on my blog. Perhaps, the most polite way to describe these parties is that they involve a lot of booze, gossip, and sex. I haven't really participated in any sexual acts, but magical things allegedly happen behind closed doors and curtains. Boy did I get messed up at that party. I don't remember how many purple hazes and jagermeister shots I drank that night.

Scott came as well. I was surprised that he remembered me. He said we took a picture together and I told him he was hot and he thought, "Okay." I sniped back and said, "I was drunk. That's why I thought you looked attractive." I swear, I could've heard a pin drop after I said that. There's an insidious aspect to the gay scene. Showing some sort of weakness such as a lack of self-esteem and confidence will not get you dates, sex, and great-looking friends. You have to think that you're the shit and act like it too. True enough, by the end of the night, Scott started to act like he's my buddy and I think we bonded a bit.

I, Joseph, Scott and company went bar hopping. I'm really comfortable about being short but it's a pain sometimes when you're walking with tall guys. Anyway, we walked to Menz Bar. The place recently reopened after being out of business for two months. I've heard great reviews about the place from the people who went to the grand opening. However, I found the place tacky and cramped. Amanda Benzova's male alter-ego caught me checking myself out on the mirror and said something nice, I forgot what exactly.

At this point, I was starting to get a little tipsy. A friend wanted to go to Reflections, but I needed to swing by another bar to see Nathan. Since the place was in a dangerous area, Scott and company accompanied me to the Blue Moon. Alas, Nathan wasn't there so we left and took the cab to Reflections. The place was a dud that night. Nothing eventful happened so I went home early. I ran into a very drunk Shaw on my way out. He wondered what I was doing there since my flight to San Francisco was scheduled four hours later. Before I returned to Jeff's place, I made a pit stop to McDonald's to buy six cheeseburgers for the trip.

Nearly tearful, I woke up Jeff and Andrew to wish them well and say my final goodbyes before I left. I also talked to Kyle online to get some much needed emotional support although the conversation revolved around my drunken debauchery and the cheeseburgers I bought. Minutes after, I took the cab to the Lord Nelson and took the shuttle to the airport. I don't know when or if I'll ever be back, but I certainly left with a smile and three years of fond memories.

Project Runway Season 5

Project Runway Season 5 is here! Over the course of the show, every season has had its own super faggot. Who could forget Season 1 grocery challenge winner and ultra flamboyant Austin Scarlett, and Season 4 winner and fiercest dresser extraordinaire, Christian Sirriano? This season, we have Blayne Walsh already positioning himself to be the next Austin and Christian. Guess what girlfriend, "girlicious" would never catch on. It doesn't roll off your tongue as easily as "fierce" and "hot mess." Sorry Blayne, you just don't have what it takes!

Kyle

I haven't written anything substantial in a while. A lot has happened these past few months; however, this entry will solely be about my hitherto undocumented dates with a special someone. In this post: Kyle.

I've been dating Kyle for almost a month now. Originally from Idaho, he moved to the city to take Photography and New Genres at San Francisco Art Institute. In between his active participation in gay community events planning and a gay chorus, he works at a high-end chocolatier near the San Francisco Shopping Center.

Kyle and I talked for several weeks before we actually met. Our first date was a blast. I met him at his workplace and helped him finish the rest of his shift. I guess help is an overstatement because I didn't really do anything but watch. Afterwards, he took me to Café Claude. I had coq au vin and he had paleron sauce poivre vert.

After our meal, we walked around and entered some shops. Eventually, we wound up at Macy's where we tried and bought some MAC products. Kyle tried on some concealer and eye make-up. To our delight, the make-up artist who attended us was a lesbian. I overheard her ask if Kyle and I were a couple, which made me a tad embarrassed.

We were originally going to walk to his place, but I did not want to brave the steep inclines characteristic of the streets in the city. Following our collective good judgment, we took the bus and relaxed at his place. Although I didn't plan on doing anything remotely sexual with Kyle, I found him so nice and endearing that I had no objections doing what we did that night.

Later, we went to Badlands in the Castro district to dance and have a drink. That's right people, we had one drink! Since it was my first time out clubbing after I got back from Halifax, it felt a little weird being in a bar with big plasma televisions and seeing such a diverse group of people. After some mental adjustment, I managed to have fun and let loose with Kyle sans being grossly intoxicated. Before taking a cab home, we bought a hot dog and a hamburger from a mom and pop stand and ate them in bed. Ain't life good?

The next day was super fun. Kyle bought me cannoli in North Beach, which was super yummy. The darn thing probably had a thousand calories, but it was worth it. We kept walking in the direction of Union Square and browsed the wares of the tiny shops in Chinatown. I let Kyle do most of the talking. He told me that he wanted to adopt kids and how it would be so fulfilling raising them. I told him that at the moment, I didn't I want one because by the time I'm financially ready for one, having a kid would just divert my attention from a supposedly fluorishing career.

We spent the whole afternoon hopping from one store to the next. Eventually, we got tired and had sexual relations back at his place. He needed to go to a sleep over and I needed to go home so I hightailed it back to the South Bay. That about sums my first date with Kyle. Since then, we've gone out on a few more dates, but that's a topic for another time.

I'm not really sure what will happen to us or where we are headed. All I know is that I like his company a lot and I don't want to lose him by pushing our relationship into a direction neither of us are sure we want to go in. For now, I should focus on my more immediate concerns, rather than worry about matters I have no control over.

MAC Cosmetics

Many of you know that I'm a huge MAC Cosmetics fan. My monthly visits to their stores have always been fun. They involve talking to their sales people about new stuff and the pros and cons of a particular product for my skin. When I first started wearing make-up, I had horrible application skills. To make matters worse, I had no idea which shades worked for me. In time, I did a decent enough job that my faggot friends stopped asking me if I spent way too much time in the tanning beds again.

For those who are curious about what's in my make-up kit, here's a complete list.

Mineralize SPF 15 Foundation/Loose Medium Plus
Studio Tech Foundation NW 30/35
Studio Finish SPF 35 Concealer NW 30/35
Lipstick Amorous
Slimshine Lipstick Prudeaux
Eye Shadow Samoa Silk/Hush
129 Powder/Blush Brush
194 Concealer Brush
316 Lip Brush/Covered Brush
275 Medium Angled Shading Brush

A few days ago, I found a make-up artist on Youtube who posts MAC product reviews and other helpful guides. Below is his five-minute make-up challenge video to help you look fabulous for that last-minute trip to the grocery store.