I saw Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet

Today I went back to the Market Days festival to check out the happenings and the boys more. I pass by the north stage and heard "true" being sang. I just remembered that Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet was scheduled to perform so I stayed and watch him. Tony looks older and plumper than that Tony I remember from my old Spandau Ballet poster in college. Of course it is natural that his appearance changed since that was more than 20 years ago. His voice though was still strong, bold and full. It was such a pleasure to hear him sing those songs that I am familiar with growing up. He even sang some U2 and Duran Duran song. His final song was "Gold". The band that played with him was also just as talented and entertaining. Awesome show and even better that it was free. I was literally 15 feet away from the stage and that was the icing to an already tasty cake.

Things I do for Darren

Today, Tom and I went to the Market Days Festival in Halsted to check out Darren Criss performing. It started to drizzle so Tom bailed but I stayed and persevered. And my perseverance was paid off handsomely by a great show from Darren. He sang some familiar songs and some new songs from his album. He was playing the guitar while singing which really showcased his musical talents not just in singing but also in playing a musical instrument. He was very charming and charismatic which was very endearing indeed. He was even sometimes animated which just made the show more fun to watch. It was raining on and off in the beginning of his show but the rain stopped towards the end giving all his adoring fans a chance to dry up, myself included. I was glad I waited in the rain for over an hour just to see him. It was a good performance indeed and on top of that, I got to see hot guys at the street fest.

Poetry by J: Because of the rain...

The clouds advance,
towards me by the pond.
I see as I glance,
the sight I'm so fond.

Slowly it trickles,
to my naked neck.
Feels like a tickle,
making me a wreck.

Homeward I run.
Mother thinks I'm asleep.
Think so I can?
To bed I must creep.

I'm sure I'll be scolded,
for frolicking by the fields.
My character myst be molded,
to be a gentleman I must yield.

This because of the rain.
How it makes me so dreamy.
An excuse I can't retain.
Converting this side of me.


PS: Another High School Poetry.

Ergo, they are not for you!

People lie. Whether in real life or online. And which ever gay website I go that required a profile, people will either lie about their age. Or they might just show their body picture and hide their face pics. Or they might not reveal their ethnicity if not easily discernable (e.g. hidden pics, no face pics). I have heard many excuses for this practice. Many would say that if they put their real age, they hardly get any interest or response. But they add that if they put a younger age, they get more response and interest from people. Same reasoning many give for keeping their ethnicity mysterious. They say that way people will not dismiss them initially base on their ethnicity. They want people to get to know them as a person and not as a stereotype of a certain ethnic background. And for those who hide their face pic, it is either they are closeted or that their best feature are not their face but their body or dick.

My take on this is simple. It is stupid! If that person you are interested in will dismiss you base on your numerical age rather than on what you look like, then do you really want to attract those kind of ageist? If that person will discriminate you base on your ethnic background, do you still think a racist is the right guy for you? If that person is so far only interested in your body or dick, do you still think they will be interested with you if your face is not their type to begin with? So why bother hiding things initially cause if these hidden facts matters, it will matter now or later. It is just a futile practice.

West Side Story, the review

I saw the West Side Story at the Cadillac Palace last Saturday with my friend Millie and her bf Luis. Millie and Luis are Puerto Rican so they were really psyched to see this on stage. I have seen the movie since I was little so I know I like the story and the songs and the dancing. I was hoping I would have the same pleasant experience with the stage production.

And I did have a good experience watching it. The dance numbers were fantastic and I can really see the ballet/dance prowess of the cast. The fight scenes that were done as a dance was a little chessy but it comes with the territory. The singing of the cast was good enough. The guy who played Tony (Kyle Harris) did have a superb voice. So strong and pleasing to hear. On the otherhand, I did not care for the suprano/operatic voice of the girl who played Maria (Ali Ewoldt). And she did not look Puerto Rican to me too. My friend Millie commented that she looked Filipino which I agree with the assessment. Alicia Charles played a very relatable Anita and really reminded me of Rita Moreno who played Anita in the movie. I was very entertained watching the songs I have long loved like 'Tonight', 'America', 'I feel Pretty', 'Somewhere' and 'Gee Officer Krupke'. And another thing that I did like about the stage production was the fact that they incorporated more spanish in the dialogue and songs as oppose to the movie which was almost all english. I think it made the stage production more realistic when you hear Puerto Ricans speaking spanish. I know spanish so I have no problem following what they said. I wondered how the non spanish speaker felt about it. To boot the good show was the fact that we had good seats on our price range. Woohoo.

Bahai Garden

The Bahai Garden is this garden/park on the side of the mountain in Haifa facing the Mediterranean Sea. It was very cool and pretty up there. On a clear day you could even see Lebanon. Other than a nice look out, there was nothing spectacular about it.

Ugly side of computer/internet.

All these things we now do online definitely makes global communication easier. Anybody who has a computer/internet can post comments to articles/blogs and it does not matter where they are. Anybody can make a profile and join a social networking site and chat with other members across the continent/world. One can say it is a good thing. It is a sign of progress thru the use of technology. On the other hand, this global communication thru the internet/computer has a definite ugly side. For starters, there is no accountability one assumes when he says something in person. It is because anybody can make an account and post nasty comments on an article/blog. They do not have to be ashamed of what they say cause nobody knows who they are. They can remain anonymous. And another thing, those who join chat sites can get away without posting their true face pictures. They can just have their torso, butt or dick as their picture. Or they can post another person's picture. Or they can post their picture from 20 years ago. These people can easily deceived another during a chat into thinking he is one thing when in person he is not. If these interactions were in person, everybody has to show their true likeness in order to engage another. Have you every chatted in person to another person who has his head covered by a paper bag? I don't think so.

It is just very sad how people out there can use computer/internet into something unbecoming. It ruins it for the rest of us.

Idiotic Craigslist post during bad weather.

It was a very stormy night the other night. I braved it out but I should have stayed home. The wind was gusting really hard and there was thunder and lightning all over. The streets were halfway flooded. Definitely a night to stay at home. It reminded me of the big snow storm we had in Chicago this past January. Cars were buried in several feet of snow. Most street were impassable. Those several days most of us were stranded at home. And it is during these stay in kind of weather that I sometimes check out the Romance M4M section of Chicago Craigslist. I have noticed that it is during bad weather times when most people stay in that the M4M section would be flooded by guys looking to hook up. Obviously they are bored indoors and wants some entertainment. And most of these craigslist posting will be looking to stay in for the hook up. Meaning they want the other guy to come to their place. So if they can't step out because of the weather, why would they think somebody can come to their place??? Why even bother posting for a hook up during bad weather? It is rather unrealistic and superbly moronic to even have these post then. I often wonder how many of these post that are looking for "stay in hook up" during bad weather actually get to have a hook up. I venture to say NONE.

Good deed for the needy feels good.

I am not the type who would normally give money to a street peddler or beggar. Specially if they look able bodied. Even if they are children, I won't give money cause I am always afraid those kids have a ring leader that actually collects the money and they just use the kids to beg for it. If anything else, I might give food to a beggar so that I know it will be eaten rather than used to buy drugs or alcohol.

Today at the Filipino Grocery, there was a elderly beggar asking for food. He looked sickly and hungry so I gave him the free meal I got for spending more than $75 of grocery. It was rice and beef afritada dish. I figured the food I gave him would at least fill his stomach and not used for alcohol. And also, I did not really have an excuse to be selfish. I got the meal for free so it did not even cost me anything. It was the perfect moment to be generous to the needy. I am not always altruistic but I must admit doing a good deed does feels good.

workout but not doing all the work?

Why do we go to the gym? Some say they want to be healthy and have a good cardiopulmonary health. Many want to be more muscular. Most want to lose some fat/weight. And how do we achieved all these? Of course by doing exercise either in the form of cardio and weight lifting to burn more calorie and to work the muscle for hypertrophy. Therefore I do not understand why some people would not bother to do the extra work in their workout by returning the equipment or weights to their proper places? Would you not think that by returning the weight to the proper rack constitute more calories burned and more work for the muscle to hypertrophy? Instead they choose to be slovenly and just leave the equipment or weights behind when they finish using it. Obviously if they are lazy and untidy in the gym, they are also like that in their day to day living. They would take the elevator instead of the stairs. They would not clean/tidy up the house as often as it needs to. This will probably explain why they are flabby or fat to begin with. So my point is this. When at the gym, tidy up after yourself cause that extra work adds up to make you burn more calorie and develop more muscle.