Holiday homophobia, pregnant weightlifters, and pretty books

The holidays are just around the corner, and while that may mean a less stressful workload for most people, I'm not sure I can say the same for those of us in the office. Things haven't slowed down at all with regards to work, and we're not even sure if we're going to get Christmas off. I'm hoping for the best, though.

It's that same work week crunch that's prevented me from putting anything up on the blog until today. Throughout the past two weeks I've amassed quite a number of open tabs, some of which I've already had to discard because the news is stale already.

There is also the fact that nothing really exciting is going on with my life. I was supposed to go to a party yesterday, but my ride had to leave before I could leave the office. So there's that.

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As most of you guys know, reviewing books is part of what I do at my job. When I first started doing this, I was given instructions not to be so hard on local authors, especially when they were just starting out. Through the years, I've been given more freedom to write what I really think of a book, and I'm immensely thankful for that.

Being free to sat what I want does have its drawbacks: Saying a book sucks balls is bound to get a reaction from the author. Thankfully, I've only had one author go after me because of a bad review, and her points weren't very good ones at all.

Besides, the irate author I got is nothing compared to Candace Sams, who I believed is often referred to as "Crazy Lady". Her book, Electra Galaxy's Interstellar Fellar is given a one star review on Amazon and she goes nuts. I would recommend following Making Light's suggestion and "Remember to click on all the links that say Customers don’t think this post adds to the discussion. Show post anyway.'"

Trust me, it's an absolute trainwreck. The only thing I have to complain about is that Sams flounces away after page 19.

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"White Horse, Gold Dragon", written by "Lan Pam Thi"

The author name is in quotes because it turns out that "Lan Pam Thi" doesn't actually exist, or at the very least, didn't even write the book. This wouldn't normally be a problem, except the book won a prestigious literary prize in the Czech Republic.

Read the full story over here.

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Homophobe and notorius money-grubber Oral Roberts is finally dead.

He has this to say about gay sex: "The waste matter comes out of the body as poison, and he penetrates that part of the body in homosexuality. It's not to be put in the mouth of the man, or the mouth of the man or the woman…. It is the male organ, penetrating the vagina of the woman, the male and the female."

Here's a great response from one of the commenters on Gawker: "Isn't it fascinating how these folks like Mr. Anal Bob really seem to have the most vivid imaginations as far as what the sex lives of so called sinners are like?

A gay guy is like, 'yeah, I thought this guy was attractive, we went back to his place and had sex.'

Oral Dick here thinks like 'he drooled long spindles of saliva across his chest as he took the hard veined, throbbing penis across his moist lips, into the cavernous wet mouth, suckling the tip with his tongue, aching, throbbing, praying to the heathen gods for the seeds of sin to splatter his wide eyed eyes with hell fire. This is wrong. Insert penis in vagina. Ejaculate. Rinse. Repeat. Amen.' Ugh. Rest in a world without heaven or hell because neither exists, dumb fuck. Peace out!"

Also, what kind of evil parents would name their kid "Oral"? I mean, REALLY.

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In other gay news, you can now get gay married in the District of Carolina. New York may have been a disappointment, but at least there is still some progress being made.

Which is more than I can say for the Comelec, which rejected Ang Ladlad's appeal to be allowed to run for party list. Here's hoping that the Supreme Court comes up with a much more favorable ruling.

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A weightlifter in Chile gives birth during practice while a dad in England delivers a baby using Google.

Sometimes I love the world.

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PRETTY.

I am so happy that I haven't completed my collection of Nabokov novels, because that means I can still get to buy these beautiful editions. You can find the rest of the covers here.

Them crazy kids!

I envy this kid's room.

After all, how many 14-year-olds do you know of that have posters of Blue Velvet on their walls, much less even know what Blue Velvet is?

It's also admirable how he's managed to wrap his mind around his family life -- he's the son of a gay man and a straight woman -- and just seems to be enjoying being a teenager in New York City.

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This guy is certainly enjoying being a teenager as well.

He's a student from St. Peter's Secondary School in Canada, and he was photographed by the Toronto Metro making a splash at the Kinsmen Santa Claus parade. In such an unintentionally funny way.

Because you see, it's not just an ordinary picture of a student frolicking with his classmates under a spray of water. It's a picture of a student WITH HIS PENIS HANGING OUT, frolicking with his classmates under a spray of water.

And he's certainly not ashamed of what's on display, if the commenters on the Torontoist are to be believed.

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When you've got the words "forever-flaccid penis" and "group fisting" in a letter meant for your previous superiors, then you know it's going to be a great read.

The previous management at The Harvard Crimson appears to be composed of ginormous tools, if the group e-mail sent out by staffers is to be believed. Maybe some day, when I retire, I can be so ballsy as to write something like that.

Band Aid

I think it's been more than a month now since I last put up a post, and trust me when I say it's not from lack of trying. It's just that the past month at work has been incredibly taxing, what with a co-worker going on maternity leave when our group is understaffed already, and I've had to do a lot of extra work.

It hasn't been all bad, though. Just yesterday I was covering Rock Ed Philippines' Rock The Riles, an annual event held in celebration of International Human Rights Day. There were about 120 bands scattered in eight stations of the Metro Rail Transit, and while it was tiring making my way from station to station, it certainly was exhilarating to listen to these bands play and have the opportunity to dance and sing and just make a fool of oneself on the train stations without having to worry about being cuffed by guards.

The week before that, I was coordinating with Rock Ed for a project our section was working on for our office, which involved me helping organize a concert featuring four bands. Definitely not the easiest thing in the world to accomplish -- I was running around wringing my hands up until the very last minute.

Where my gay boys at?

As I never forget to remind everybody who knows me every single day of the week, I am a gay virgin who can't drive. (Bonus points for those who can catch the movie reference in that!) There isn't really anything wrong with that -- I think I lead a very good life even without a little man on man action on the side.

And I certainly don't think the people who do engage in the buttsex should stop doing it just because I'm not partaking in any of it. Have all the buttsex that you want, I heartily approve of it. If all of this happens within the context of a loving, monogamous relationship, then definitely all the best to you.

I just find it frustrating that in light of recent douchey events, combined with the fact that every "straight tripper" and "bisexual" within 10 feet of me is engaging in the nasty, that there isn't much of a ruckus about the recent Comelec ruling. If you're enjoying some gay loving, I think it's only fair that you be expected to take part in some fighting for that gay loving you're enjoying.

Maybe I should have expected it -- they can't even call themselves gay when they are so obviously enjoying some hot and nasty gay sex. I just thought that there would be at least some faux!outrage online, and not from the usual outlets. This should mean something to you, no matter how you label yourself. What is happening here is your fellow HUMAN BEINGS are being deprived rights that everyone else now enjoys. If it can be done to them, if YOU let it be done to them, who's to stop them from doing the same to you? Even if you're totally "not gay" at all. As in not even one tiny bit.

Die in a fire, Comelec

Comelec rejects Ang Ladlad party list on grounds of immorality. This happened days ago, but I don't think there's a statute of limitations as to how long a blogger can heap abuse on a bunch of blowhards.

Because really, Comelec. REALLY.

"Older practicing homosexuals are a threat to the youth."

This is what we've come to now? Dredging up the gay = pedophile argument? Have you commissioners not been watching the tabloid news that you all seem to love to death? Most of the child molesters are straight male relatives. Fuck that, our favorite child-raping congressman is a flaming heterosexual. It is absolutely stupid to scream "pedophilia" when gays are involved and not do the same for the straights.

Goddamit, I'm too sleepy to discuss this more eloquently. Fuck you very much, Comelec.

Rise of the transgenders

I don't get to talk to a lot of foreigners with regards to the state of the LGBT community here in the Philippines, but from the few I've managed to discuss it with, it would seem that our country is quite the gay-friendly haven.

Looking at today's TV environment, it would really seem so. In fact, the primetime shows on the country's two biggest networks prominently feature transgenders in their cast, and nobody seems to be batting their eyelashes at any of the proceedings.

One could say that transgender have always figured prominently in the Philippine entertainment industry anyway -- Lino Brocka's "Ang Tatay kong Nanay" (My Father is my Mother) being one such example -- but for the most part they have played the parts of comedic relief, often the object of verbal and physical punchlines.

Rica of PBB Double Up and Justine of Survivor Philippines are far from being the object of comedic relief.

PBB's Rica

Rica has an impressive academic background, coming from one of the country's incredibly competitive science schools and a graduate from the Ateneo. She's well-liked in the house, and so far the only votes she's gotten are from two housemates who grew up in the provinces, which is to be expected.

Survivor's Justine

Justine is even more impressive. First to be voted off and sent to Survivor Philippines equivalent of "Exile Island", she has defeated all of the challengers she's been up against, and is now part of the top three and is actually rumored to win the whole thing.

That isn't to say that there isn't a lot of work still to be done. Even the Pinoy Big Brother website labels Rica as part of the non-existent "third sex", and we all know about the lady behind "Enchong Dee is a gay". But I hope that this current goodwill towards transgenders translates to better acceptance of the LGBT community among the public.

We're still pretty low key, after all. It's not like we're out there doing something as controversial as this.

Teenage overlords, face shots, and a half-naked Australian

I swear, I'm not making blogging into just a monthly thing. It's just that real life has just been kicking my butt lately. composing my thoughts to make a coherent blog post just seems too much effort to expend after a really long and tiring day. Which is why I just spaz out on Twitter.

But here I am, back again. Hopefully the schedule clears up and I get to blog on a much more regular basis. But for now, I only have a few links for you.

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This is Daniel Brusilovsky. He is 16-years-old.

He also has 120,000 Twitter followers, is the CEO of his own company, TeensInTech.com, and is an adviser to two companies. He also goes to high school. You can all cry into your resumes now.

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This is Justin Chon. He has a tattoo.

And as anyone who knows me knows, I am always a sucker for a boy with tattoos. This photo is part of About Face, a coffee table book featuring face shots of normal people and celebrities using 55 Polaroid film and with natural light.

Ryan Kwanten and Ian Somerhalder are also featured in the book.

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Finally, the half-naked Australian is under the cut. His name is Paul Coaster. His hair is...different.

I have returned

Yes, I've been gone for almost a whole month now, and even then I won't be bringing much to the table in terms of this post. Just wanted to remind everyone who isn't following me on Twitter that yes, I am still alive and well.

Aside from work, I've had time to do a little reading as well. I finished reading Let The Right One In, although I haven't gotten around to writing about it yet partly because I don't have the time and mostly because I am lazy.

I also meandered around with the girls following around Sam Bradley, which was a lot of fun, if I say so myself. I even got myself a hug!

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Dublin says good-bye to Boyzone star Stephen Gately.

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James Franco owns a mask of his prosthetic penis. Which no one in the Philippines got to see because they cut up that scene in Milk.

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The Marge Simpson spread in Playboy.

When I first saw the cover, I thought I would be ok with it, but now that I've seen the pictures...it kinda feels weird to me.

Coming out. Sort of.

When we featured Danton Remoto in 60 Minutes, he talked about how there is no coming out process for the gay man here in the Philippines. Everything is always implied, and it is up to everybody else to read what's between the lines.

That has also been my experience. While there has never been a formal coming out process with my own parents, I have never hidden the fact that I openly appreciate cute guys being shown on TV. I tell them point blank that I am going to a gay bar or am walking with the Pride Parade. And while my parents have never been uncool about it, they've never talked about it with me either.

Which is why what happened yesterday really took me by surprise.

As most of the Filipinos on my flist already know, the latest season of Pinoy Big Brother begins today, and I have an unhealthy obsession with it. I commented that they should really include a gay housemate, and from out of the blue my mother hits me with this stunner: "Why don't you join?"

I guess I should have expected it, in a way, going on and on about cute guys and gay rights the way that I do. But the straightforwardness of it all still caught me by surprise. I think that may have been the first time my mother has out loud acknowledged me being gay

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However, the awkwardness of that particular situation can't be compared to what these guys must go through. I can quite honestly say that I would have no idea what it would feel like to come out to my parents at 12 years old. I don't think I would have the courage to do so.

But it does make sense that they're doing so at an earlier age. And I also understand why the first reaction of the parents is to ask "Are you sure?" I definitely knew I liked boys when I was 10, but I really only came to terms with it when I was in college. In between that I had this belief that i was really bisexual and bound to find the right girl any moment soon. That didn't exactly turn out the way I thought it would.

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This entertained me more than it really should have.


172 students. One shot

Looking to help

I haven't been doing a lot for the victims of Ondoy, I'm afraid. For the most part I have just been re-Tweeting information about the affected areas and hoping that someone in authority or better yet, someone with the resources to provide assistance, finds out about it and does something. I can't wait for the weekend to arrive so I can finally head off to whichever volunteer organization needs hands and at least try to do something more concrete than just clicking on computer keys. Anybody want to come with?

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Did you guys know that Mariah Carey, Madonna, Barbra Streisand, and Britney Spears are all releasing albums and/or singles today? As the post author quips: "Today is a day that will live in ginfamy. (That is gay infamy.)"

Le Deluge

Considering how everyone else is suffering right now, what me and my family went through the past two nights was nothing. The worst we had to endure was a lack of electricity and a few babies that had to be evacuated to the nearby hospital. Throughout Ondoy we were dry, while some of my friends, colleagues, and co-workers were either stranded in buses or had their homes flooded in.

Walking to work yesterday, however, was quite a trip. I felt like I was in a Mad Max movie: people were walking down the streets dazed at the extent of the damage. The Quiapo underpass was completely underwater, and children and adults were using it as an impromptu Olympic-size diving pool.

Where I live now is looking much better. The sounds of traffic is now lording it over everything, which is something one wants to hear when all you could hear last Saturday was the dreary monotone of Ondoy's downpour.

Everyone else, though, needs help. This is a consolidated list of all the numbers and sites for those who want to help out the typhoon victims: http://ow.ly/rfjT.

I also took some pictures of the flooding Tropical Storm Ondoy caused in some areas of Manila, which you can view here: http://bit.ly/Fwip5

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Here's something that will hopefully bring a little smile to your faces.

Of virgins and anal economics

From the same woman who brought us Enchong Dee is a gay comes a delightful assessment of John Lloyd Cruz' character in the newest Star Cinema offering "In My Life", which is incidentally the "big gay movie" around these parts right now.

I quote (paraphrase is more like it, since I don't have a copy of the tabloid with me right now):

"Nagulat ako nung sinampal ni John Lloyd si Vilma. Pero bakla nga pala 'yung character niya, so hindi siya gentleman." (I was surprised when John Lloyd slapped Vilma. But then he plays a gay character, so he's not a gentleman.)

Yes. Really. Those words were indeed printed. On actual paper. For everyone to read. Im'ma take off my weave and cut this bitch.

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Now, that James Franco? He seems like a guy who knows how to deal with the gays. He was in Milk, after all. And he's taking up Queer Cinema at NYU.

How queer is Queer Cinema? Here's a sampling of the syllabus:

Week 1: “You Don’t Know Dick: The Courageous Hearts of Transsexual Men” (1997 documentary)

Week 2: “Mom’s Apple Pie: The Heart of the Lesbian Mothers’ Custody Movement” (2006 documentary)

Week 3: “Loads” (12 minute film from 1971)

Week 7: “Bottom Values: Anal Economics in History of Black Neighborhoods” and “When are Dirty Details and Scenes Compelling? Tucked in the Cuts of Interracial Anal Rape,” both readings pulled from Kathryn Stockton’s book, “Beautiful Bottoms, Beautiful Shame.

I am especially interested as to how Anal Economics and Interracial Anal Rape is going to work out.

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A radical discovery from the Values Voters Summit in Washington DC: All pornography is homosexual pornography.

To quote one of the Gawker commenters: "My 12-year-old self wishes that were true."

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Read the agenda, virgin!

A 56-year-old declares to everyone that she is still a virgin, as part of testimony for a hearing about sex education. Unfortunately, the hearing was held the day before.

I am loathe to admit it, but I feel like I am looking at what I will be like when I am 56.

The paradox of gays in Philippine media

I think anyone with half a mind is well aware that the local entertainment industry owes so much to the local gay community. People in showbiz are not only dependent on the gays when it comes to their styling needs, they depend on gay men to even make it in the business in the first place. Just try to imagine how many of today's matinee idols started out by catching the eye of some gay talent manager.

While not all of them are well made, I would like to think that the plethora of gay "indie" movies are providing more than enough help to our ailing film industry. Much of them may not add anything to our cultural heritage, but the sheer number of gay men who consistently patronize these films must stand for something. Otherwise they would have stopped making them a long time ago.

With showbusiness needing gay men in and out of the industry for it to survive, you would think that gay men would be treated a lot better, but then you'd be wrong.

Just this morning,this was the top story in the entertainment section of the tabloid Balita: "Bakla, tawag kay Enchong Dee sa set" (Gay is what they call Enchong Dee on set)

Now there's nothing wrong with this title per se, but the way that the writer -- who is a woman -- fleshes it out makes me bristle a bit. These lines in particular really rubbed me the wrong way:

"...bakit tinawag na bakla si Enchong, e lalaking-lalaki naman daw ito? (Why do they call Enchong gay when he's very manly?)

Ngayon na rin lang tuloy namin naisip na wala pala siyang ipinakilalang girlfriend simula nu'ng mag-showbiz siya, pero hindi namin siya pinag-iisipan ng hindi maganda tungkol sa pagkatao niya, huh! (I realized just now that he's never introduced a girlfriend ever since he entered showbiz, but I never thought there was anything wrong with him, huh!)"

I hated the first part because it just assumes that because one is they gay, then they are probably limp-wristed fairies who cross-dress and can not be trusted with "manly" things. It's a way of thinking that's not only very demeaning towards gays, but towards women as well -- the implication is that nothing is more embarrassing than a man acting like a woman.

It also makes it sound as if all gay men are disgusted of their penises and would like nothing more than to exchange it for a vagina, which of course is so far from the truth. I think it would be fair to say that gay men love their penis. And other men's penises as well.

The second line riled me up even more. In just one fell swoop, the writer condemned single people and gay men as having something wrong with their personalities. Because we apparently have not entered the new millennium just yet.

But the most horrible part of it all is that it's not just the straight writers doing this kind of reporting, but the gay ones as well. I remember most of the gay entertainment writers condemning BB Gandanghari for being "too gay". How in the world can one person be too gay? All I see a lot of self-loathing.

The whole situation is just so frustrating to me because the Philippine entertainment industry has such a powerful hold over the people, and with mostly gay men in charge you would think they would be smart enough to use it to their advantage and change the way people think about gays. Instead they just keep on perpetuating the same old cliches about themselves. Sheesh.

Thank you for your time. Here's a picture of me with Enchong Dee to thank you for making it through that rant.

Two guesses as to which one I am

Dan Brown, mutant snakes, and barely legal teens

So I was in line last night for the new Dan Brown book. Not by choice, mind you. I don't dislike the books, but a Dan Brown novel isn't exactly the kind of novel I would line up for in the middle of the night just to get a copy. I was there because I had to review the book and I honestly do not trust the people handling the marketing to give me a copy on time.

Over the past week I had a sort of crash course on Brown, reading the past two Langdon adventures. He writes at a fast pace which is a big plus, but he does tend to have a penchant for the melodramatic that just makes me smirk a little. Haven't started on "The Lost Symbol" yet, but let's see if the pattern still works for a third time.

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As most of my RL friends -- and even online friends -- know, I am all for equal opportunity. So if the straight guys had a clock counting down the days to Hayden Panettiere's 18th birthday, I certainly see no trouble with girls and gays counting down to Taylor Lautner's 18th.

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Snake with clawed foot and leg found in China. Interesting. To say the least.

This is like prom for me

The Manila International Book Fair is happening this week, and once again I have to crawl out of my hole, stare awkwardly at the sun, and hoard the books that I can so that I have enough supplies during the long hibernation I engage in while waiting for the next book fair to arrive.

I don't have a wish list of books this year -- I can quite honestly say that I am not experiencing a shortage of books at the moment -- but I will still be on the lookout for little treasures to be found in the Anvil Bargain Bin and the other assorted stalls that will no doubt deprive me of all my hard-earned money once again.

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I can not.

The perils of being a technological idiot

I spent the whole night trying to make a Facebook Fan Page for the section I write for, and what should have been a simple process ended up taking hours because I am an idiot who knows nothing about clicking simple buttons. I swear I am never doing that again.

Which probably means this will happen again next week.

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A couple of weeks ago a big fuss was being raised over track and field athlete Caster Semanya and the fact that she looks like a man and participates in the women's division.

Like most people, I was all "Just because she looks like a man doesn't mean she is, HDU!" But then tests come out saying that Caster Semanya is, well, something in between.

Now I don't know what to think.

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The British government officially apologized to gay mathematician Alan Turing. I don't think it really changes anything or how horrible he was treated, but I guess no one can deny that it is a classy gesture.

Boxer shorts full of meh

I just got back from the Bachelor Bash, and I have to say that if you're not a new gay or a teener, it's hard to find it as exciting as before. Now it just seems to fly by so fast and you just get a dissatisfied smirk on your face.

I do have to say that working in media certainly detracts a lot from enjoying the experience. The fact that I've already met most of the centerfolds this year -- and seen them shirtless at closer quarters -- just makes watching them from afar deeply unsatisfying.

The audience, however, is always fun. One thing that will stick to my mind from this year's Bachelor Bash is how the new gays around me scrambled and literally fell on top of each other to catch a wayward piece of underwear that one of the models threw into the crowd.

Back from the dead

I have been remiss about a lot of things lately -- Project Runway Philippines recaps, the general Twitter and Plurk craziness -- and I hope to remedy that starting today. Although I can't promise anything, because even as I type this I have to rush off to work and do a million other things.

For the moment, have a shirtless Rafa Nadal being kissed by a male fan.

I love how he's so cool about it.

Very, very much

I know it's old, just felt like sharing it again.

The episode of abominations

The designers wake up to the twin feelings of fear and foreboding, airing their grievances unto the steadily rising sun.

Santi, he of the Sarimanok faux!hawk, has been dealt an ego-crushin blow by his team's performance during the last challenge.

The Fisherwoman a.k.a. Jas has finally experienced -- perhaps for the first time in her life -- what it feels like to have people expect something good to come from you, and feels the pressure to live up to that expectation.

Ugly Tracy nee Betty feels the way she has always felt in the presence of the cool kids: unwanted and unloved. She knows that it was her ass that was supposed to be sent home last week.

The rest meander aimlessly around the Amorsolo Mansions like so many reanimated corpses, their undead hunger to be sated only by sucking out any smidgen of creativity or innovation from their surroundings.

Once they're ready -- pancake make-up plastered on, formaldehyde injected once again into their veins -- the designers are shepherded into their holding pens at the School of Fashion and the Arts, where they immediately notice the Aranaz bags on the accessory wall. This is of course the producers' completely subtle way of hinting that this week's challenge is going to be bridal wear.

BUT! It's not just going to be any bride that they'll be dressing up! This season's celebrity client is model Isabel Roces, who we all remember for her blanket made of chili peppers. At least almost all of us, because Randy a.k.a. Inday has no idea who Isabel Roces is. Expect his gay license to be revoked once the paperwork gets through.

The designers are given free rein with the fabric, just as long as it isn't the usual white. Russel apparently sees that as a license to resurrect his third grade crafts project, because his gown is NEON GREEN and has LEAVES on it. I hate it with the heat of a thousand fiery suns and wish to burn it and crap on its ashes.

The Fisherwoman, of course, is not resting on her laurels, and once again fishes something out from the murky depths of Manila Bay. Once again she stays true to her roots -- the gown looks like it died and sunk into the bottom of the bay centuries ago.

The producers are also quietly planting the seeds of future bitchiness. Hanz and Patrick apparently have a "friendly competition" going on. Hanz says something but I tune it out because he doesn't make any sense. Sarimanok Santi, on the other hand, doesn't like the way Inday Randy is looking at him. Meanne, who has as much personality as a dirty dishrag, bleats meekly about who she thinks is going to win.

All of these tensions will have to be resolved some other time, because runway day is upon the designers. The models walk, the gowns are paraded, Russel is inexplicably safe. But never mind that, because the judges are at their acerbic best in this episode.

A sampling:

""I want to find something nice to say...but it's tragic. It's a tacky, tragic, Tracy wedding dress." -Rajo

"She took the darkest years of the Madonna era." -Isabel Roces

"That thing was an abomination." -Rajo

Apples was especially bitchy this episode as well, but I couldn't type fast enough while I was watching it. Suffice it to say that she is a deadly, venom-spitting viper and I love her.

The Fisherwoman and Ugly Tracy nee Betty end up in the bottom, this despite The Fisherwoman's immunity from the last episode. All signs point to The Fisherwoman leaving...but she lives to fish another day! DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES!

Because I don't.

Who is Tyler Shields?

Shields' latest video featuring Alex Meraz

I think the first time I ever heard of the name Tyler Shields was when the video of Matt Dallas (Kyle XY) dripping wet, muddy, and moody came out. It was a short clip, and basically just had Matt Dallas wet, shirtless, and staring intensely at the camera.

I didn't give him any further thought until the "Zachary Quinto being showered by faux!cum" video came out. It was Tyler Shields behind it again, with the same short clip of an attractive man staring intensely at the camera. Shields once again vanished from pop culture consciousness after that.

And now the video above comes out, and I am now genuinely curious as to who he is. How does he get these stars to participate in what he does? It would seem like he is a pretty familiar photographer among the Hollywood crowd, as his videos on Youtube include names like Summer Glau, Brittany Snow, and Gary Busey.

I visited his blog to try to learn more about him, but I was put off by his complete inability to bend the English language to his will. Perhaps it isn't his first language? If anybody else musters the energy or inclination to find out who this guys is, send me the appropriate links or something.

Matt Dallas

Zachary Quinto

8-bit Trip

It took them 1500 hours to do this whole thing. That's dedication, folks.

What's it to you

People are apparently protesting against the Stanford Hotel in New York's meatpacking district because you can see naked people through the windows.

To quote: "Note to parents strolling the High Line: Don't let your kids look up.

The Meatpacking District's newly opened, much-touted urban park along an elevated, former railroad trestle has unwittingly turned into a peep show near The Standard hotel, as randy hotel guests perform sex acts in front of floor-to-ceiling hotel windows."

Neighbors are "outraged" to have seen people performing sexual acts through the hotel's windows, some of which include the shooting of porn films, masturbation, and plain old vanilla sex. The concerned citizens want the "obscenity" to stop.

But my thing is, you're not required to look. It's not like not paying attention to these exhibitionists would be detrimental to your life. And besides, it's a hotel room that I'm guessing they paid for, so what do you care what they do inside it?

Today's gratuitous manflesh

You guys all know who Zac Efron is.

"Love is a dangerous angel"

I honestly can't remember when I first heard of the Weetzie Bat books. It just seemed like they had always been there, in the back of my mind, waiting to be uncovered. But it would really take me quite some time before I actually went out there and got myself a copy.

I only got my hands on Dangerous Angels, a compilation of all the Weetzie Bat books, a few months ago, and it would take me a few weeks more before I would start reading it. Now I'm kicking myself for not doing it much earlier.

In case you're not aware of them, the Weetzie Bat books are made up of Weetzie Bat, Witch Baby, Cherokee and the Goat Guys, Missing Angel Juan, and Baby Be-Bop. All the books are told through the eyes if Weetzie and the members of her family, specifically her children Cherokee and Witch Baby, as well as her gay best friend Dirk McDonald.

We are first introduced to them in Weetzie Bat, where we follow Weetzie and Dirk as they look for the love of their lives in the city of Los Angeles. The other books revolve around this central theme of love, with variations that give each novel a flavor of its own.

Witch Baby, for instance, has the main character looking not for romantic love, but for love from her parents. Cherokee and the Goat Guys have the characters grappling with adolescent love and their self-esteem. Missing Angel Juan is about loving someone enough to let them be on their own, while Baby Be-Bop is about a young Dirk struggling to come to terms with his homosexuality.

After reading Weetzie Bat, I had initially thought that this series was merely overhyped and not really as good as everyone made it out to be. Despite being a charming work, I found Weetzie Bat to be a little too thin -- in plot and characterization -- for me to keep on going.

It's a good thing that I still kept on reading, though, because the series keeps on getting better and better with each book. Block has the ability to balance her whimsical prose and the heavy topics she often takes on, and the combination makes the books moving without being too overly heavy for younger readers.

And Block certainly isn't afraid to take on some pretty daunting topics. In Cherokee and the Goat Guys there is a harrowing scene filled with drugs, booze, and underage sex, while the latter chapters of Weetzie Bat talk about the AIDS crisis, if in a roundabout way.

My personal favorites are Missing Angel Juan and Baby Be-Bop. It is in these books that Block is at her very best, telling stories of heartbreak, loneliness, and homophobia in hopeful tones usually reserved for fairy tales.

I also love how Block tackles homosexuality in her novels. When Dirk tells Weetzie that he's gay, Weetzie's reply is a simple: "It doesn't matter one bit, honey-honey." Then the two decide to look for boys together. I can only imagine how empowering that is for a young closeted gay man reading these novels for the first time.

And it's not just gay men. All throughout the series there are lesbians, bisexuals, there's even a transgender couple with a baby. It's a delightful and idealized world that one can't help but wish for.

The fact that Block doesn't hesitate from showing the dark side of life either -- Dirk, for instance, is almost mauled to death by a homophobic gang of neo-Nazis -- just makes her idealized Los Angeles even more precious and beautiful.

Dangerous Angels is certainly something I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to anyone looking for a good read. Multilayered, poetic, and unafraid to tackle some pretty sensitive topics, it is a young adult book that is both challenging and entertaining.

This is sad

ARE YOU ME?

The episode where nothing happens

The crop of designers for this season of Project Runway doesn't look particularly promising. Of all of them -- Hanz, Randy, Russell, Santi, Pau, Jas, Meanne, Tracy, Cherry, Manny, Richie and Patrick -- it is only Hanz, Santi, Patrick, and Manny who show any sign of promise. Good thing that there is enough drama to keep the season mildly interesting.

And now in this second episode, they don't even have that drama -- fabricated or otherwise -- to move the show forward. Nothing of note happens in this episode. Nothing. Things are not looking good.

This week's challenge is to make a collection of three outfits inspired by a movie. The twelve are grouped into groups of three. Hanz, Manny, and Randy, who all look like transplanted promdis with nary a clue in the world, form the "Titanic" group; Cherry, Pau, and Tracy, aka "The Axis of Fugly", pick "Chicago" as their movie; Santi, Meanne, and Richie pick "Dreamgirls"; while Jas, Patrick, and Russel pick LOTR. Anyone who knows me knows where my bias lies.

As dictated by Project Runway tradition, the first quarter of the show is dedicated to the designers meandering around the fabric store of choice looking for the materials needed for their designs. This stuff is usually glossed over, because frankly, picking out a fabric is not that fun.

Rather than doing the same, we are treated to the designers signing the praises of this season's fabric store of choice. "I love so-and-so store because their fabrics are so great!" "The salespeople are really helpful!" and so on and so forth. This goes on for what seems like forever and I end up sleeping through it like hobbits at an ent moot.

When the designers finally make their way back to SoFA...nothing happens. Yeah, yeah, they start working on their outfits, but this is usually the time in the competition when the fabric starts to fly and the queens start snapping their fingers like so.

Instead what we get is Manny the Manly Straight Man crying over the phone to his pregnant wife and Ugly Tracy nee Betty having a breakdown because she's having a hard time finishing her dress. Nobody really cares because they're ugly and they're straight, and since when have ugly straight people been given airtime on Project Runway? Not counting the fatty episodes?

Pau channels the thoughts of the audience as he performs eye roll after eye roll at Tracy. Passive-aggressive verbal barbs are also thrown around, and Pau has apparently gotten it into his head that he is going to be the next Wendy Pepper. Poor gay Pau.

Runway day finally arrives, saving us from slipping into catatonia because of that epic borefest. The judging panel has more intrigue that this year's designers. What happened to Apples' second surname? Why is Teresa Herrera always so beautiful? Why is the mic for the guest judge always turned off?

ANYWAY. The designs go down the runway. The "Titanic" team is safe. The judges say their piece. The "Lord of the Rings" team wins the challenge, and Pau is sent home. That's how exciting it was.

The only notable part was how Teresa bid farewell to Pau: "Pau, you have the lowest score. Get the fuck out and sit the fuck down, bitch." Ok, so she didn't really say that, but she should have. And she should have told that to this episode as well.

Being gay among the locals

As I've never really spent enough time in other countries to find out how it's really like to acclimatize my gayness to a different culture, I have no idea how I would act should I be confronted with the question: "Are you gay?" I think it was thrown my way during my trip to Germany, but the people I were with didn't really wait around for an answer.

This article does seem like a pretty good way to go about it. Don't bring it up when nobody's asking, but don't be afraid to say yes when the question is posed to you. Unless of course you know that answering yes is going to result in a world of pain.

* * * * *
This is Jammy Reyes, and he's about to have to learn how to acclimatize to being gay in our culture here in the Philippine Islands.

He's been in Canada for the past 13 years, and faces deportation because he never applied to become a naturalized Canadian citizen.

There's more to the story, though, than him just beign an illegal immigrant. He's been in jail for theft and prostitution, has been in rehab for six months because of drug addiction, and is just coming out of two years of probation.

If his case against his deportation fails, will he have a supportive family to come home to here? And considering how we aren't exactly the best country when it comes to drug enforcement, how long will his sobriety last in this country where shabu dens are just about everywhere?

Read his full story over here at xtra.ca. You can view his xtube profile here. The second link is obviously NSFW.

Today's gratuitous manflesh

This is Dave Salmoni.

He is a zoologist.

He spends a lot of his time in the African bush living with big cats.



He also takes baths with them.

Of gays and geeks

A programmer is asking the British government to apologize for prosecuting mathematician Alan Turing for homosexuality, and while I feel that that gesture is about as useful as performing CPR after the person has already drowned, I do understand the symbolic power of such a gesture. Better late than never, I suppose.

But what I was more interested in was the point that the writer raised about geeks and gays, seeing as I'm part of both groups. Has society really changed in the way it views both groups? Or are they still pretty much the same outcasts that they were before?

I can't claim to be an expert on the matter, but it is striking how a lot of Filipinos are really only comfortable with gays if they performed their "assigned" tasks: Entertainment reporter, hairdresser, call center agent. Try to meander out of these clearly defined roles and you find yourself having a harder time than the heterosexuals you share your field with.

I've been insulated from any discrimination so far, seeing as I work in a gay-friendly industry and am pretty much in a bubble, but I am extremely curious as to how it is like to work for an industry that isn't "gay". Do any of you guys have any experiences -- good or bad -- that you'd like to share?

The art of the misleading headline

Author William Golding tried to rape teenager, private papers show

That certainly does grab one's attention, doesn't it? In the readers' heads they already have a vision of an aged Golding -- a Nobel Prize winner but also heavily dependent on drink -- forcing himself on a helpless youngster.

Of course, as you read further into the story you find out that he was also a teenager at the time, and that the girl eventually did have consensual sex with him a few years later. While it certainly doesn't excuse the fact that Golding tried to force himself onto the girl, it did make the story sound much more lewd than it actually is.

This isn't my first time at the rodeo

This isn't actually the first blog that I've ever maintained. Years ago, when I was still in high school, I tried starting one out at GreatestJournal, but that one didn't last for very long. I was young and immensely stupid back then, and thought that I was the wittiest thing since Oscar Wilde. I was obviously crushed when no one ended up reading my posts or commenting on them, and that blog was quickly disposed of.

I only started blogging again when I was almost out of college, thanks to some friends of mine who were also getting into it. This next one was on LiveJournal, and that one has been much more successful. I've been maintaining it for almost six years now, and it has quite a lot of my life on it.

I've talked about places I've been to, books I've read, movies I've seen, and some jobs that I wish I really didn't take in the first place. I've moaned and groaned and bitched through almost six years of my life on my LiveJournal blog.

So why am I starting another one here? I honestly have no idea. Maybe me and you, dear reader, will both find out along the way?