Guess what, it gets EVEN BETTER.

I love you, Rocky Sunico.

These are not engagement rings or wedding rings.

But they do hold meaning in our commitment as partners.

Every day just keeps getting better.

I'm Better than I've Ever Been. Can you say the same?

Christmas has just zoomed passed us and in a few more days 2010 will be bidding us farewell.  Who would have thought time can move so quickly when you are having this much fun.  To be honest, I still find myself at times pinching myself to make sure I'm not caught in a dream or lost in some food-induced ecstatic vision.  The number of things that I had accomplished in this year alone are quite overwhelming, to be honest.  It was almost as if I had been stagnating for so long and had never really noticed it.

Merry Christmas from us!

But I guess life is really like that.  There are the ups and downs, the zig zags and the u-turns, the humps and the rapid roads that fast-track us through what we are meant to experience.  There are the scenic routes and the dumpy boring ones.  There are the long agonizing treks that move past galleries of regrets and frustrations.  And there are the wonderful stop overs that are there to remind you, "Hey you deserve this!" that quietly then hitch along for a ride as you go through your life.

Life is like Inception.
Confusing.

Let's face it:  Life can be challenging enough as it is.   From academic to economic expectations, dealing with the pressures of school and work are already a lot for some people.   Add to that the pressures from siblings, friends, and parents who all (well, at least the real ones) really just want was is best for you.    Then finally, add the delicate act of sharing and yet respecting boundaries that is necessary for a relationship to remain healthy and not dip into either obsession or abuse.  Life is pretty challenging enough as it is.

Add to that the discrimination from both others and one's peers for being gay.
And for being a geek.

Trust me, you guys have it easier :-P

And trust me, it can be a far greater challenge than most would expect.

But in many ways, this never-ending challenge of embracing one's true self, and celebrating it with the world, is what makes life worth living.  It is only when one is able to say, "Hey, look!  This is me and I love being me!" can one start to honestly consider finding that special someone else whom one can share one's life with.  Cause one has to be very careful out there.  There are a lot of predators, users, and abusers out there who would not really feel any moral obligation to care about how easily they manipulate your naïveté to their advantage.   A large part of knowing how to avoid such people is to learn to trust yourself first and to love yourself for who you are.   Once you do, the adage like-attracts-like easily comes into play and before you know it, you will find someone who "gets" you as much as you "get" him too.

Really.  No.  Don't go there.

So yes, 2011 is inching its way closer with barely a week left of time remaining.  Lots of people talk about having a "resolution" this new year.  Others mumble about trying to accomplish a list of goals.  Me?  I think what would be best is to review one's life and consider what one has done to be both oneself and at the same time an even better version of oneself.    Others might be content to judge the joy in the lives by the branded things they buy, or the free trips out-of-town they connive out of others... don't mislead yourself into thinking they have it "better".  After all, all they've done is measure the quality of their lives on financial means.  Celebrate being you and celebrating always becoming even a better you each and every single day!

Year of the Rabbit is coming up!

Here's to another year filled with real rainbows that color the sky!

*Thanks to my partner Rocky for some of the pictures!

---

George Washington
Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation. It is better be alone than in bad company.

Geekwood: Tom Strong

Once again, from the realm of comic books comes another entry for this blog's Geekwood.  Most of the time,  we find a guy who is smart, or strong, or handsome, or beautifully built.  If we're lucky, we get someone who captures two of the four qualities.  Maybe even three.  But rare is there a man who captures all four, and is socially skilled to boot.

Tom Strong is the creation of Alan Moore (Watchmen, V for Vendetta) and Chris Sprouse (Legionnaires).  Unlike most superheroes whose powers greatly define who they are, Tom Strong is a science hero in the vein of a modernized pulp hero.  He uses everything from his incredible intellect, super-science gadgets, total body control and clear undeniable logic to defeat his many enemies who tend to be nods towards various comic genres.

While Tom Strong might not be as popular as Superman or Spider-man, his approach to defeating his villains is always an entertaining read.  The comics show him doing everything from talking down an otherworldly digital construct to trading another planet for the salvation of the Earth.   Each issue an interesting read by itself!  But even more fun are the cast of characters that join him in his exploits, from his wife Dhalua, to his daughter Tesla, his gorilla companion King Solomon, and his loyal servant Pneuman.

 Of course, I can't deny that Tom Strong has massive bonus points for being one of the rare comic characters who proudly cultivates a healthy growth of chest fuzz.  Most comic characters seem to prefer shaving themselves to a more pre-pubescent look.  Tom Strong, however, proudly shows the strength of his testosterone.

There was even an issue where the explore a future version of Tom Strong, and yes, age has done little to bring down this man's hotness.  Even if his hair had grown white, his body remains at the peak of delicious fitness and his fuzziness even more so.

And of course, what comic that embraces the pulp era would fail to have its own share of bondage moments?  There also are issues where our good yummy Tom finds himself fighting against tentacle-like horrors or struggling against bukake-esque monstrosities.. but I think I best leave that for you readers to find the issues and experience the visuals on your won.

But definitely, this married man is off limits save for us adoring his heroic exploits.  I mean, let's be frank here, he already has a daughter.  Superman only accomplished that when an openly gay director was given the rights to handle his development.  Yep, we gay guys are needed to remind them breeders to breed at times.

So with all that, Tom Strong wins a place in this blog's Geekwood entries.  Admitted, he might not be the chunky bulk most bears are, nor the much more hirsute forest grizzlies can get, his massive guns, and even larger intelligence easy shoo him into the world of comic hunks that deserve to be noticed.  

Check out Tom Strong when you can!  With 36 issues out there with each one absolutely worth reading, I highly recommend you head for your nearest bookstore or comic shop and treat yourself to a four-color experience that tickles both your brain and your... other bone.

Take home your own Tom Strong now!
Or sleep soundly with original Tom Strong artwork on your walls!

I thought you guys were braver than this

The Philippines recently had its annual Gay Pride March and much to my dismay, I was not able to take part in it this year.  My partner and I had been looking forward to taking part in it for months after experiencing the excitement and pride of being part of something meaningful last year.  Unfortunately, my parents decided that the same weekend was to be a good weekend to fly to Singapore to celebrate my sister's birthday.  So like a good recently outed gay son, I decided to do my share in being part of the family and joined them for the trip.

Last year with my other friends.

Being able to take part in an event that allows you to celebrate being yourself is something I honestly wish more people get a chance to experience.  While coming out is a personal journey in every gay person's life, stepping outside to join the Pride March is a call for courage and the willingness to make a statement.  A statement that says, "We are who we are and we are not ashamed."  And as ironic as it sounds, taking part of the march while wearing a mask since one might still be in the closet is quite welcome.   Just as much as any straight friend joining the march to support their gay friends.   The march, after all, isn't about just being gay.  It is about celebrating the fact as diverse as we all are, we are happy to be who we are.

I remember how excited I was last year to join the Pride March.  I wasn't out to my family.  While most of my co-workers and friends knew I wasn't walking the "straight" path, few neighbors or family friends were aware of my preferences.   But I admired the courage of those who had been part of the march year after year and realized in many ways it was more than just a chance to show off one's gayest costume (like some do).  In fact, those who showed off their gayest costumes were simply doing something I was, back then, afraid to do:  Just be myself and have fun.

My partner and me in our matching black Trek shirts

My partner and I decided to join the march wearing our black Star Trek shirts to celebrate our unity as a couple and as geeks.    And even if I was still in the closet family-wise, I threw away all fears of being discovered and walked with my face clearly visible for all to see.

And experienced very quickly all the hate and bigotry that certain members of society had for me.

They were at the corners, with their banners and placards condemning us for being who we were.  Calling us vile things.  Speaking into their loudspeakers cruel and wicked words.    They used the Lord's name in vain.  They used the Bible as a personal weapon.   And they said WE were the one's who had lost our way.

So much hate from people claiming to love God.

It was the first time they have ever seen me, and they hated me down to the very core of my being.

Some of our friends retaliated.

They made their own posters.  They chanted their own slogans.  They yelled back.  Or sang.  Or threw jokes back.  Insults too.   But all they did was encourage the hate even more.  Fan the flames stronger.  Fed the evil that called itself good.

I felt it was a sad reminder of how people still believed we were best invisible.
Or non-existent.

And even worse was when I heard from people I consider my friends the similar themes of hate.

One facebook friend wrote about the Pride March not representing him since it merely showcased freaks.  Another proudly shared how he was invited to the March but felt it was all just politics.   Was that really how bad it get's here in the Philippines?  That the discrimination ran so deep, rather than take part to BE represented, we would rather insult and demean those who clearly showed a courage superior to our own?   That we would dismiss the march as merely something political, when in fact, it WAS political for the right reasons.  It was political because we deserve to be acknowledged.  We deserve to be recognized.  We deserve to be accepted.  We aren't even seen as mere equals.  It wasn't a call for special treatment.  It was a call to be identified as real.  Damn right it was political!

Yes, it felt so much like this.

How sad, therefore, that its urgency is so easily dismissed and thrown aside.

There I was, stick in Singapore, wishing I could be part of it, and here were friends of mine so content with their own personal concerns that the idea of being part of something bigger felt... unimportant.

It was insulting.  It was depressing.
It nearly drove me to disassociate myself with them.
Who needs friends who don't see the point in seeing you to the very least as equals.
More so when they themselves were gay.

Of course, when it comes to the "other" annual big gay event, the so-called White Party attendance shoots up and celebrations are explosively present.  When it comes to bathhouses and models strutting around in badly designed underwear, you have throes of gay men screaming their tonsils out.   Clearly sex sells.

2010 March Route.  How I wish I was here!

And yet, we are all aware of how much we DO need a political voice.  We read of updates where gay people are arrested in raids as prostitutes merely for having a condom in their possession.  Or of how one's sexuality is too quickly used to judge one's capacity to work, or be a functional member of a family.    The Catholic Bishops' Conference in the Philippines (or as it is more known as, the CBCP) proclaims condoms as a cause of cancer, and refers to 'active homosexuals" as having "victims" as if we were all sexual predators.  Not to mention the undocumented numerous cases of bullying.  Of beatings.  Of all these many forms of discrimination.

Things need to change.
And we need to do our part.

The March to the very least shows we are not afraid.

So I challenge you gay guys out there in Manila.    Stop being content with hiding.    Stop thinking you aren't part of something bigger.   Take that step.  Join the March.

Make a difference.
Be represented by being there to represent yourself.

We can fill the world with rainbows.
We can help make it a better place.

---
thanks to my partner Rocky for most of the pictures of last year's Pride March.
I promise, 2011, I will do all I can to be with you when we attend it.

On the topic of delectable dots and biological buttons

Your nipple is an island of pleasure.

A solitary haven

thrusting towards the sky from a sea

the color of silken coffee.  

There are tiny creases upon it;

like the fine lines upon one's lips

that whisper of secret things.

Unlike the bashful mimosa

it yearns for my touch

and hardens from the slightest contact.

Your nipple is an island

And my mouth, the coming tsunami.

Earthquakes.

Eruptions.

Then soothing silent calm.

(time to visit the other one)

----

by tobie

My Piss Story

A few days ago, I was forced to stay and work much later than usual.  Anticipating it was going to be horrible, I decided to fill a water bottle with some water and a dash of Extra Joss in order to have easy access to a caffeinated drink when I needed a good kick.   True enough, I was stuck in traffic for almost two hours before I finally got home and one could imagine how miserable I felt.

Extra Joss + water in a used water bottle

Things only got worse when I boarded the elevator and moved to one corner to wait in silence for the darned thing to finally reach my floor.  People started coming and and most were giving me strange looks as I held my water bottle and pondered on what was eating them.

The corner

When the ride got even further delayed by some guy who was yelling at us to hold the door, I decided to stay quiet and just seethe in silence.  After all, I easily imagined how everyone else was earlier stuck in traffic like me and were dying to just get home.  I know I was in a rush.  I still had to wake my partner for work and prep something for breakfast/dinner.  I was fidgeting in my corner and wasn't aware of how uncomfortable I probably looked.

Re-enactment:  Clearly I did not look this amused when it happened.

When the elevator stopped two floors away from me, I decided to take a swag to pass the time.  To my surprise, one kid suddenly gasped out and declared, "Mommy yucky!"  And I immediately slid my hand over my face, neck, and shirt to see if I had spilled on myself or had some bug or something on me.  The woman shook her head, told her son, "No..." but then had a double-take and looked at what I had in my hand again.

I guess I WAS holding it this way too.

And that's when it hit me.

They thought that I was stuck in traffic like them and for some reason did this:

Disclaimer:  Not me.  If it was, I'd need a bigger bottle with a wider mouth.

 And for some reason, decided to drink it back in.

Oh poor me.
I still can only wonder why they even thought I would go drink my own pee in the first place.

I mean, come on, 

do I really look like someone who enjoys watersports?

They make a rainbow... where did you think them NIPS came from?

Are you REALLY worth it?

An interesting question was raised to me earlier while I was at my favorite haunt regarding relationships.   I showed up to hang with my friends when out of the blue, someone who I have only begun to know as a friend threw me an interesting query:

How does one know when someone is worth it?

It seemed like a strange thing to ask, given we were at O bar enjoying our drinks while dancing to Kylie, Duffy and other wonderful singers.  The mood, though muddled a bit by a pair of horrendous monkeys who were practically dry humping on the stage, was far from serious and the drinks were still in their infancy.  I considered the fact that it may have been a question that had been nagging the said person's mind and he may have opted to ask me for my opinion given he knew me to be both old and much more introspective about things.

I repeated the question aloud and thought about it for a moment.  After all, the question had much more weight than one would expect.  Is a person's "worth", for example, something that another person has the right to determine?  Would factors such as occupation, personal wealth, good breeding, eloquence of speech and courage to come out be valid standards to forge the proper measure of a gay man?  Would judging another based on such color one as being materialistic?  Or a bigot?  Or even elitist?

We've all found ourselves at one point or another questioning our
own self-worth because of how another abused our trust and love.

Deciding it was best to get a better picture of why the question was asked, I prodded for more information and soon it became clear based on his answers why the question came to mind.  In brief, the guy had sacrificed numerous things for the other, thinking the other guy was a sure candidate for a long-term relationship, only to be rebuffed with a statement about not "wanting to be tied down" and then countered with accusations of flirting around with others and the like.   While I decided to tip-toe away from the dangerous quest of knowing whether the accusations or complaints were valid, I realized the specifics of why he asked the question were irrelevant to how I ultimately would answer the question.   And my answer was this:

The question of whether a person one likes is worth the effort or not is a question only the person involved can honestly answer.  

While other people may have opinions, informed or not, about the other, the person involved remains the sole holder of the right to decide if the other is worth his time.

Take for instance a couple where one is a wealthy, well-connected man of high profile status.  The man may be raking in thousands per week, driving the best car money can buy, and practically be a celebrity in his field of practice.  Some (and most of the time these would be parents or titos and titas) would say such a person is a great catch! That someone who is that successful is worth it, no matter how he is as a person.  For some, such a person can even be a habitual liar who sleeps around with total strangers, or a manipulative bastard who brainwashes his friends to like him by bribing them with gallant displays of generosity.  The idea that he's successful is worth those "tiny" problems.

On the other hand, imagine if one of the people in the couple happens to be a man who proclaims himself some kind of modern day hippie, despising work and relishing on spending his days doing practically nothing under the guise of searching for artistic perfection.  The lazy slob might automatically be deemed as worthless by others who think the fact he doesn't earn his keep makes him less of a man.  

But sometimes, such a strange mix can still work.  Sometimes, the unfaithful bastard in the first example might simply have psychological issues that the other understands and accepts.   Or sometimes, the sloth in the second example might truly be fantastically creative when the moment hits him and his partner embraces that probability and waits with him for that moment.

It takes two.  Two people who sleep around freely in a real open-relationship would work.
But one doing so, while the other has no idea or is kept from doing the same... that's doomed to fail.

Are these relationships doomed to fail?  Are they bound to work?

Maybe.  The only ones who can really answer that are those involved, if you ask me.  Yes, maybe they can be abusive.  Maybe they can be unfair.  But if the people involved ultimately are happy, then they deserve that happiness, as twisted and inappropriate as others might deem it.  Hey, come on, think about it.  We are gay.   We are in same-sex relationships.  A majority of the people of the world already deem us immorally inappropriate and biologically wrong.  

Does that make the relationship worth it, though?  Does that make it worth the pain?  The anguish?  The self-doubt?

Maybe.

Be honest.  

But while ideals are far from typical, I personally believe that one should always strive to at least reach for them.  And in a relationship, the ideals I uphold are those of Trust, Sensitivity, Patience and Responsibility.

In a relationship that is worth it, I believe both couples strive to maintain an ever present existence of trust with one another.  Trust after all, once broken, can take quite much more time than expected to heal.  And worse, many mistake a "bahala attitude" as trust.    Sensitivity, on the other hand, when present already reduces the presence of infidelity, selfishness and shallowness.  When one learns to hold one's partner's feelings in mind, one remains conscious of things that may strain the other's trust and patience.  A sensitive person would never hit on someone else, because that person knows such an act can be painful to the other.  A sensitive person would never claim to be okay with something, then complain about it once the other actually does it.  Patience is the glue that strengthens the three.  When one is patient in a relationship, one embraces the fact that no matter how close and wonderful two are together, one accepts the truth that they are still two different people.  And two different people may have differences in opinions, interests, or taste.   One learns to respect the needs of another, but, guided by sensitivity and empowered by trust, knows that such time will not be abused to the point it leaves the other feeling dejected or unwanted.   And lastly, Responsibility.  Knowing what resources exist in the relationship, from the material (cash) to the immaterial (time) and understanding that one has to treat such things with a much more mature perspective.  Many who simply "do what they want since no one is complaining" fail to realize how irresponsible they are.  Such people try to throw the blame on the other for not "telling them to stop" as if they were not given the brains to realize how abusive they are getting.

(I posted about this here too, for those who haven't read it.)

And with those said, we return to the question:

How does one know when someone is worth it?

I think ultimately we all can try to assume someone is for an unspecified period of time.  When we find someone we like, or feel we have a connection to, we decide, "Yes this person is worth it" for a period of time.  Ironically, this period of time tends to be the time we are merely getting to know someone more.  During this period, we cancel plans to make time for the other.  Or cancel purchases to treat the other out somewhere we like.  Many make the mistake of putting their best "show" forward, rather than being themselves, thinking it would be better to "win someone over" by showing them an "ideal" rather than to let someone get to know them as them and face the consequences.    But I personally don't think there's anything wrong with assuming someone is worth it this early.

In fact, I think ultimately, we never know for absolute certain if someone is worth it.  We can only assume.  Or rather, to be more accurate, we can believe the other is.

When we find someone we feel is worth it, we make a leap of faith.  We trust in something that doesn't exist.  We give that someone a chance to show us otherwise.  And sometimes it works.  Sometimes it doesn't.  Sometimes, we give more chances.  Sometimes, we give up.  Too soon.   Too late.

But we believe.

And that is a belief no one can tell us is wrong.  Because as individuals we have the right to make such decisions.   What we should never do, however, is blame the other for choosing to believe.    (We can always, however, curse them for lying if they do.)  And if we find someone who deserves us, it won't be hard to see how they too took that chance and believed in us.

And reached for the same ideals you had.

Leaping ain't too hard if you know you're both doing it for each other.

There is no harm in loving.  No harm in caring.  No harm in believing.
But if that trust is shattered, that sensitivity is trampled on, that patience is broken, and that sense of responsibility is abused, I only hope that you realize these things and remember:  You deserve better.

And someone out there, deserves you too.

Again, Dear Zac,

Oh my.  You really are not making this any easier for me are you?  More promo pictures of your upcoming new movie have come out and all I see are pictures of a man who feels haunted and rough.  Gone are all traces of the whiny girlie boy who kept shaking his ass in front of that girl who had a sex pic scandal.  (On hindsight, where are YOUR sex scandal pictures anyway?   They should be out by now!)

The pictures.   I was talking about the pictures.

Not you.

But yes, you once again are making me struggle to hold strong to my former views of you.  Nice guns too.  As fantastic as your body was before, I really love the fact you're headed towards beefier rather than direction of being another one of them fat-phobic-muscle twinks.  All that's missing now is a lush growth of chest and navel hair, and we  know from your old pics that the fuzzy chest and rich treasure trail are already pumping in your genes.  Just please stay AWAY from the damned razor.  No waxing, please.

(very high resolution proof here)

I see you like packing stuff in the rear.

Seriously, Zac, let's leave the shaving for the rest of the world out there.   Same with the tattoos.  The LESS the better.   Frankly, I rather you stick to fake ones.  You look great without having to clip the fuzz and stain the skin.  Keep it that way.   Hell, you don't even have to swing our way.

Please be a fake tattoo.  Please be a fake tattoo.

Okay, fine.  If you really want to, I won't stop you.  But please, give Ang Lee an call and tell him it is time to make a new gay movie.  Perhaps you can persuade him to adapt the Carlo Vergara's One Night in Purgatory into a full length film.  Just be sure to remind Jake Gyllenhaal that he has to be in the movie too.   Tell him I can introduce you all to Carl too.  I'm sure he will like that.

This comic needs a movie adaptation.
And I mean a really good one.

Just don't do the mistakes Chris Evans (for Captain America) and Stephen Dorff (for the movie Somewhere, featured in the latest issue of V Man) have made.  Shaving is a thing of the past.  Today is a time when you can flaunt your fuzziness!

Sighs.

Dear Zac Efron

This may come as a shock to you, but while I actually was a fan of High School Musical (and only the first movie), I never really found you hot.  Your features and eyes seemed strange to me.  I thought you looked more like a "better built Michael Jackson" than Michael Jackson.   Your smile was awkward in the wrong way and while you did have a nice singing voice (which I learned later was dubbed with another person's voice) I just didn't get why so many other people were dying to sleep with you.

And yes, I will admit, for someone of your age and looks, you have a fantastically fit body.    I know of so many people who would die to touch your arms, caress your chest, and maybe even fondle your armpit hair if given the chance.

Strangely, I was not one of them.

To keep it simple, I just didn't think you were all that.
Well, not until I saw these pictures:

Now.

Let me say this, Zac.
And this is to be immortalized on my very blog.
You are HOTNESS.

Or at least you have become in my eyes.    

From some squeaky strange mannequin-like boy you have transformed yourself in these pictures into a well-defined shapely man who carries himself in a no-nonsense attitude.  You wear clothes that actually suit you and have framed your once elven features with just enough fuzz to actually look like a man.

Finally, in my eyes, I see you and I can believe you have a penis.

Okay, that was a lie.

I always knew you had one.

But at least now I am certain it is a manly one.

(I was tempted to get into more detailed adjectives but then realized too many readers might end up making a mess on their laptops, iphones and public libraries.  So I will just leave it at that.)

But yes, Zac Efron, you have done very well in this pictorial.
Thanks to these pictures, I am now able to say,
"Yes, Zac Efron is hot!"

A pity this won't be a look you'll be sporting forever.

I just hate how Hollywood prefers its men clean and hairless like a prepubescent boy's testicle.  Seriously.  Men have hair for a reason.  Hair is hawt!  

We were the Gayest Superhero duo!

My partner and I decided to dress up this year as the gayest super couple in comics:  Midnight and Apollo of The Authority.  I wrote up much more about it in my other blog.  I definitely had a great time this year and I am happy to know my partner really enjoyed getting dressed for this holiday too.

After rocking with the geeks at Hard Rock cafe, we dressed down and headed to Malate for the Blackparty event.  Thankfully, we were able to avoid most of the lines thanks to our loyalties to O Bar.  

It was a fun Halloween.  Nothing over the top but definitely not a waste of the weekend either.   We posted the rest of the pictures at facebook.  Makes one wonder what we will come up with in the coming years.  

Happy Halloween Everyone!

[so easy] Home-made Ice Cream

It doesn't help that he's pretty hawt for a cook.
Bonus points for posing with a cute piglet!

As some of you readers know, I've only recently learned to cook.  After years of watching Jamie Oliver's The Naked Chef and Nigella Lawson's Nigella Bites and other similar shows, I've always wanted to one day find myself being able to cook for the man I love.  Being a geek, I had my fears that cooking would be one of those skills totally out of my reach.  I mean, hey, I have no dreams of becoming some kind of a kitchen deity, but I do want to be able to surprise my partner with a home-cooked meal one day.  Who knew that by this time, this year, I'd be not only able to cook meals for my partner, Rocky, but also create things which I myself never thought possible.

And one such "impossible" thing that I would want to share with you readers is this:  

Home-made Super Easy to do Ice Cream.

This is our home-made ice cream topped with some Dark Chocolate topping!

Ingredient: 

Bananas
Seriously, that's it.  Bananas are all you need.

Optional:  

Anything else you might want to add to it after such as peanut butter, chocolate syrup, milo, etc.

Equipment:

Knife

Freezer

Blender

Step 1:  Allow the bananas to get nicely ripe.  In fact, a little bit more over-ripe is better.  Once the bananas as starting to feel softer than firm... the brown ones are BEST!
Step 2: Cut up the bananas into slices.
Step 3: Freeze.
Step 4: Assuming it has been a few hours, or even a few days, and the craving for ice cream finally hits, take frozen banana slices from freezer, and toss into blender.
Step 5: Blend nicely, but not too much.  Too much and you may end up with something more like puree.  Just blend it enough to get the nice creamy texture of ice cream.  You'd be surprised how the non-blended bananas mix nicely with the blended parts to form tremendously delicious ice cream!

This is an example of blending TOO MUCH.
More a Banana Smoothie than Ice Cream.
So to make up for it, just tossed in a Flat Top and some chocolate sauce.

Step 6: Eat! Or add the stuff you want, then eat!

So yes, it is THAT simple.

Rocky found this recipe online and while we were very skeptical at first, it seemed easier than the other ice cream recipes that we found (some required looking for liquid hydrogen.  Another used ice cube trays to create the ice cream.  And all needed so many ingredients... milk, creams, etc.)  This recipe was surprisingly simple yet very delicious and fulfilling to eat!

I highly recommend you try it to surprise the man you love!

Reading Between the Updates

The foundations of a relationship can sometimes be gleaned by simply keeping a keen eye on what either of the two seem to celebrate the most.    While a great connection and a rich sex life are both vital to a relationship, one can discern quite easily by glancing at the details what one or the other celebrates the most in their relationship.  It is in such introspections that social media such as Mark Zuckerberg's blue logo monstrosity, Facebook.com, or one's blog can be much more revealing than one expects.

Who needs to worry about losing one's privacy to Facebook
when we're all too willing to already over-share information?

I know of a pair who when I first heard of them was talked about as the perfect sweetest couple EVER.   In many ways, their relationship was deemed to be a prime example of a perfect gay long term relationship.  But then in the scant number of months leading to their break-up, it was quiet evident that all their posts were about themselves and their own INDIVIDUAL celebrations of life.    Updates tended to focus on how one, rather than both, or even at least one talking about the other, enjoyed their day.

"Hit the gym.  Feeling good.  I love today."

"Decided to catch the latest Bond movie.  Should be fun."

"Got a haircut.  Love my new look."

Me.  I.  All about the person and not about them.  All about enjoying life alone.
I couldn't help but wonder when I read them, "Where they not ever together?!?!?"  At one point, the two ate at some Italian restaurant.  Their updates then followed.

"Had delicious pasta today.  Love the food here!"

Came one update.  Okay, so he was enjoying his night... even if it sounded alone.

The other, around the same time, sent this update:

"Bored.   Anxious to go home.  Good food at least."

And again, barely any hint of being together. 

Maybe it was a case of being in the closet.  Or maybe it was a hint that the other wasn't too keen on where they decided to go that night.  But one would have thought the updates would have at least hinted that they were hanging out at the same place.


When things fell south, many were devastated.  To many, it was unthinkable.  How could they have ended such a "perfect" relationship?  I didn't even bat an eyelash.  I could see it a mile away.  They were too happy with their own lives they did not really enjoy sharing it with one another.

Yep, the POKE icon is actually a hidden taunt at what you are.

Another pair I heard of is a stranger mix.  While I don't know them personally, the mutual friends who we share often tell me of what they read in their newsfeed.  Supposedly, the updates that flow have a clear theme.  Travel.  Expensive things.  Costly food.  Outlandish indulgences.  While living a money-landen life is not bad in any way, celebrating them alone does make one wonder:  what is the other doing other than financing all this?    Even worse, all these celebratory posts are to cheer about "they are mine" rather than "we now own this!"  In some ways, I've tried to be more open-minded about such relationships, but deep down I fear the day when the shit hits the fan.  Somehow I already can tell if things go south, "How do we survive this" will come only after the question, "What do I keep?"


Then, there is this pair I know of which loves to play the switcharoo game in their social network updates.  The two are greatly in love and passionately care for one another, but due to personal reasons are openly exploring having sex with other partners.   My feelings on open relationships aside, I am happy that they do at least keep an honest and open flow of communication between them - honestly sharing if they found someone interesting and discussing whether or not it is alright to have fun with the said person or not.  None of the "I'll claim to be single/your ex" manipulations in play.  So their social network updates are tailored to hit the said "market".  I applaud them for their courage in choosing to wade in what I feel is potentially dangerous waters.  The risk of tearing apart trust can be tremendously detrimental to a long term partnership.


I do however pity the poor soul who becomes the victim of their united front.    I can only hope that the poor sod at least is given a clear understanding of what the situation is, and isn't lead on to think he's in a relationship with a single man.

To quote, Sharleen Spiteri and Johnny McElhone,
"You can say what you want, but it won't change my mind, I'll feel the same about you."

And of course there are those who keep their private lives to themselves.  A friend of mine is married and between the two of them, only she had a facebook account.  Her updates are often hilarious, giving an insider glimpse of the industry she works in and she rarely posts actual updates about her husband.   However, on the times that she does, one can easily see the honesty and affection they contain.  No pomp and overly dressed statements that try to make the relationship sound more fantastic than it really is.  Just an honest statement of how well things are between them.

There will always be them liars out there.
Or worse.

Ultimately, people who embrace the idea of having a virtual presence in a social network tend to seek an outlet to share openly things they appreciate and celebrate.  And what these things are can give another a good glimpse of what to expect of the person who wrote those updates.   While it ain't a precise science, I think it wouldn't take a special degree in anything to discern what kind of a guy one would have to be to post affectionate messages aimed anonymously to someone as status messages, when the guy's said partner is clearly someone who supposedly doesn't go online.  Or what to expect from a date with someone whose profile picture still shows him wearing the favorite shirt his ex gave him.   

Sometimes, deny what one wilt, the updates reveal the details indeed.
So if you have a facebook account, well, maybe you ought to take a step back and look at how your updates normally sound.  That may give you a better idea on why some people know you better than you think!