Pink Sauce

I have been living in this country for over four years now and it has been a real journey of discovery: during that time, I witnessed the strange things people do to food, the fact that they place traffic lights after a crossing or the completely illogical way in which supermarkets are (dis)organised (I remember seeing a sign attached to a display of Christmas puddings informing me that bleach had been moved to another aisle or being directed by a hesitant member of staff to find tissues in the pet food section!). Tonight for me turned into another anthropological study of this most myterious of things: the British Psyche. I went to my first ever pantomime Now, what is pantomime (or panto as they call it)? The answer is pretty simple if somewhat perplexing for the unsuspecting mind: Panto is a theater show taking place in the Christmas season, where a series of stock characters will perform the silliest antics. The performers mainly comprise men in drag and the lines are ridden with l...

It is that time of the year again. Christmas! It's cold outside, the shops are full and you have to write those bloody cards! As you might have guessed, I am not exactly a fan a crimbo... Although it is passed as the season of good will, I usually end up feeling lonely at that time of the year; I also fail to see why there should be a particular season for good will to blossom. Christmas has now turn into the commercial celebration of tackiness and “fakeness”, Christmas decorations are like a mask people use to hide the daily, mundane grime of their lives. They expect that a little (sometimes, they need a lot of it!) tinsel and light will transform everything and make the world and other people nice. Breaking news: IT WON'T!!! Another problem I have with Christmas is that it is a religious celebration. I am not religious: I was dipped in holy water when a kid and kept on wading there for quite a few years but I have finally seen the light (or stopped seeing it?!) and hav...

On wednesday afternoon, I somehow got releaved of my wallet. When I realised I did not have it with me I cast my mind back on the past day to try and see if I could figure out how this had happened. Either I had lost it, which seemed unlikely, or it had been stolen. After several minutes of anxious probing of my memory I seemed to remember an individual on the bus with a slightly out of the ordinary behaviour. I came to the conclusion that he had taken advantage of the fact that I was reading to pick my offered and willing pocket. I was with a friend at the time of discovery (we had just been for food and were about to pay). It was late-ish in the evening and I still had to check at work the next morning for the unlikely event that the wallet had fallen out of my pocket there. Past the first moments of shock and the attempt at divination as to what might have happened, we moved on to other subjects and, I have to say, I forgot about it! It only came back to my mind on the next morn...

For a long time, I wasn't sure I was going to go. I don't like finding myself in that sort of situation. But then I thought, as always in those cases, that I should give it a try, not be my usual self. Plus it would have been rude to have said no... So last night, after work, I got in a bus and made my way to a party. Well, drinks and nibbles. A room full of people I don't know whom I am expected to talk to! The friend who had invited me is a partner in a small design agency. The event was taking place at their studio. They were organising this for Christmas as an opportunity for networking. Both business contacts and friends were there. I have to say I think I did rather well this time. I talked with most people: usually I stick with one or two persons during the whole night. I stayed there a good three hours, so it can’t have been that bad: it never is really (apart from once in sunny Sidcup but that is a different blog!). It’s just that I am not good with people I do...

Got this from Stonewall this morning. Only have to find a hubby, now!!! easy stuff!!!! NOT... Time to celebrate!! The Civil Partnership Bill was passed by the House of Lords tonight!! It's wonderful news and we wanted you to be the first to know. It could be another year before the first civil partnerships can take place while registration systems are set up across the country. We'll be in touch soon to let you know how it is going to work. The Bill represents a historic step forward for lesbian and gay people in Britain. A huge thank you for all your support and encouragement over the past few months - we couldn't have got here without you. Ben Summerskill, Chief Executive

First I have to declare my interest in this: I am non-smoker and I don't like cigarette smoke. When I was about five (I am not sure of the exact age, but I was quite young), one of my slightly older neighbour friend offered me a cigarette (a Marlborough, I remember that much!) on which I drew one puff only to immediately cough my lungs out. I have never been tempted to go near a cigarette since. This incident is probably not the only reason why I have never smoked (I could cite the fact that no one smokes in my family, or simply my total disregard for dependence on anything other than books (!)) but I am sure it helped. It seems that after long debates on the subject in the media, the government has finally come up with something and is planning, within the next two to three years (!), to ban smoking in England (and Wales?) in public places serving prepared food (restaurant, cafes and some pubs) and in workplaces (see the BBC's website ). This raises the questions of w...

In an unprecedented (and let's face it, short lived) attempt at fairness and balance on this blog, and after posting a link where US people said sorry about the results of the election, here is the link put together by the Republicans to basically tell the world to fuck off, which what they seem to be doing best, really! www.werenotsorry.com

My fellow traveller has now read the entry to this blog relating our trip to Hastings. He was particularly interested it seems by the appearance in my blog of the two lads from the caf.. As I remember, he completely ingnored and dismissed them as soon as they showed up. They sat right behind him which meant he could not see them, while they were in my field of vision all the time. They were, I assume, in their late teens, reasonably goodlooking (although I would say "sexy", I think, to qualify them), wearing shellsuit bottoms and polo shirts in blue-ish/grey colours. Very much conforming to the stereotype of the "scally". So much of a stereotype in fact that they lost all individuality and depth for my friend. As I was watching them interact, being easily intimate and companionable, I suppose I started to project things on what I was seeing and what I imagined to be their story. I do agree that as individuals they are indeed probably quite average and insignificant ...

"Moral values" you say? Mmmm, maybe... What is it you call "moral values" anyway? http://www.365gay.com/newscon04/11/111104electPoll.htm

The language doesn't add much to the argument but this is an interesting point with some even more interesting statistics... http://www.fuckthesouth.com

Last Sunday I found myself in a friend's 2CV on the way to the south coast. We went down to Hastings, spend half the day there wandering around and buying second hand books (I just can't stop myself! and neither can he!) before moving to Beachy Head, a huge cliff overhanging the ocean, and finally to Brighton before heading back to the lights of civilisation. Photos available here . I have been living in London for about four and a half years now and have had few opportunities to leave the place during that time. Not that I am complaining, mind you. I was brought in a small village of 700 odd inhabitants. If I have decided to move to a big city like London there is a good reason; trust me! I am a true city boy these days. Driving through the woods and the fields (with the soundtrack of the Rocky Horror Picture Show competing, not always successfully, with the racket of the engine), I found myself in very well known territory. Even though my eyes had never set foot in those regi...

As every morning I was on my bus to work this morning, quitely reading a print out of the columns Salam Pax wrote for the Guardian; laughing and welling up at the same time. Very good stuff! I was on one of those new "bendy bus" number 12s; Fare thee well, good old Routemaster. At some point, I slowly became aware that the bus had stop for longer than usual. I kept on reading but with the thought still at the back of my mind. After a while I suddenly heard a voice saying that the bus was stopping here and what were we waiting for... It was the driver. He had already got out of his cabin and was putting his coat on, ready to leave. How on earth could we guess that the bus was terminating there if he did not tell us?! Ok the doors were wide open and the sign at the front of the bus probably did mention where the bus would stop, but who would notice this? I quickly got out, muttering. The driver did the same and walk away!!!! The doors still wide open, the engine still runn...

I know I said the picture in the previous post did not require any comment, but I am afraid I just can't shut up! Sorry. Ok the picture is a good summary of what seems to be going on at the White House at the moment: i.e. that W is letting his religious beliefs take over when it comes to governing the US. This is why most people who have voted for him did so, it seems. However I sort of object to the choice of Jesus to make that point. I think the pope or an American televangelist (which no one would have recognised outside the US. I take your point!) would probably have been more accurate a representation of W's religious beliefs, since this is what Jesus stands for here. I guess I should say first that I am not religious. Although I have been brought up as a catholic and have all my certificates, I have given up on religion and religions a while ago now. I find religions scary (simply look at all the bad things which have come out of them) and I certainly do not like re...

No comments required, I think:

Now that IS an interesting statistic... Of course there is always the possibilty that this is a hoaks http://chrisevans3d.com/files/iq.htm The aftermath of the election. Although exit polls suggest that one in five gay people voted for W (when even the Log Cabin (the gay republicans group) refused to endorse him), some of us are still lucid (they might find this helpful): http://www.365gay.com/newscon04/11/110404ImigCan.htm And finally: http://www.sorryeverybody.com/ More seriously, this map compares the results of the 2000 "election" with those of the one which just took place (although Alaska seems to have been left out for some reason. I seem to remember that W won that state this time round):

Last year, as part of the Tour of the British Isles, organised by the choir I am a member of, we went to London, Wavendon (near Milton Keynes), Dublin, Manchester, Brighton and Belfast. You can look at the pics here . Everybody had told me I would love Dublin and I was quite prepared to do so, but in the end I only found it very provincial and too cute and boring. Belfast was the surprised however. A place with such vibe, very much on the fence between its past and its future. A real sense of anticipation. I have been in the choir for nearly three years now and Belfast was probably the most special gig I had the luck to take part in. It wasn't the most glamourous venue or the biggest crowd by far but something special happened that night. We were there in support of the first Gay Pride for the city. Our audience had to pass a group of 20 odd bigots (Christians Against Sodomy I think they called themselves, which does say a lot about where their minds are), who had decided to demon...

Ok, here goes: see how bad that was: the draft I am referring to above: As the world learn the news that Senator Kerry is about to give up the fight and let Governor W have his way with our destinies for another four year, I am reading the book (the Baghdad Blog) made from a now very famous blog: Where is Raed. A truely inspiring example. A few days ago, although I vaguely new what a blog was, I had never really read one, let alone considered writing one and here I am, at work, trying to find something to say for my first post. Not a good start I would imagine. If I don't have anything to say, why bother? I am sure I will find something. Life, at the moment, seems to be sufficiently frustrating to provide plenty!

How do you start a weblog? What do you put in it? I am clearly not the right person to answer those questions. It all started last Wednesday, galvanised and inspired by my starting to read the book made from what is probably the most famous weblog in the world (even though its author would probably hate me for saying that). As the world was learning that W would be having his way with our destinies for another four years, I created my account. Let's make it clear now that, like many people around the world, I was not exactly impressed by the choice the Americans made. The only (very slight and bitter) compensation is that the people who know are predicting that the proverbial is going to hit the fan in the next four years (economically at least; something to do with the huge deficit they are building up thanks to all of Bush's tax cuts (and there are more to come apparently), and with China, Japan and a few others starting to cash in on all the dollars they are currently b...