www.bryanboy.typepad.com: a critique

Here is Bryan Boy’s recipe for blogging success:

One homosexual.
LOTS OF MONEY (to buy the latest fashion).
A signature pose.
And an internet connection.

Put it all together and you’ve got a international fan base and an income funded by various companies provided you endorse their products on your website! Bryan Boy is a part of the growing phenomena of “online celebrities”. In an age of self-promotion and swift technological advancements, anybody can be an ‘international star’!

Bryan Boy hails from the Philippines… and he describes himself as “…planet Earth's favorite third world fag. I'm the gayest gay that ever gayed. I am SOOO gay that I even sweat glitter.” Clearly flamboyant and campy, Bryan Boy has become a “Technorati” celebrity… having been voted as one of the world’s most popular blogs by the number of online traffic received daily.

What amazes me most about BryanBoy is that most of his entries aren’t exactly thought provoking. He ISN’T changing the world or anything. Well, not for the better anyway. His blogs are consistently self-centred and shallow… he constantly talks about how expensive his possessions are in a tone that subtly degrades people who cannot afford the same things. Which is just about the great chunk of the human race! If he is not talking about his most recent material acquisitions he makes fun of his countrymen or how he looks up to INFAMOUS people such as Imelda Marcos for having amassed a reported 3,000 shoes.

I seriously have no respect for him in that regard. How can you look up to a woman, a former first lady, who robbed billions of dollars from the people she was suppose to SERVE? And really, what do you get out of having more than 100 designer bags? It’s sick.

I suppose when BryanBoy first began blogging it was “cute”. Here’s this Asian guy, who hails from the only predominantly Christian country in the region who is openly gay talking about his sexcapades and the latest Prada collection. It’s different. It’s fun. Whatever. But I personally you can only talk about yourself so much… ‘cause then it gets, well, predictable. And, annoying. I don’t know very many people who like listening about someone who talks about himself or herself all the time. Not cool.

But then, that’s just me. Fans from all around the world mail BryanBoy daily pictures of themselves doing BryanBoy’s signature pose and comment on his entries. He seems to be particularly popular with gay guys in Europe and South East Asian females.

I will probably will never know why he has got such a large fan base up to now. His life really isn’t THAT interesting. I’d rather read about someone who is helping find a cure for AIDS or making a positive impact on the world.

EVEN MORE UNPUBLISHED ENTRIES

I am a good student, I know. HAHAHAHA. Note the sarcasm. BUT I do have more than 12 blogs ok! Even before my freak out housekeeping publishing thingo!

And again, I meant to post this particular entry ages ago.

That is, last week! Hahaha.

***
I was told by friends in The States that tsome people are trying to ban foie gras in San Francisco. I was totally shocked since I just had some in Masa's a few days ago. I dont think a lot of people realize that OTHER people find true (however momentary) happiness in food (and sometimes that's all they have even though they dont have any REAL problems except themselves).

Anyway, I Googled it and found this:



(excerpt from an article in some animal rights site)

But then on September 29, just one day before the deadline, Schwarzenegger surprised the animal welfare community by signing the foie gras bill into law. California instantly became the first state to adopt such a law—even though the law will allow the Golden State nearly eight years to implement it.

Schwarzenegger’s surprisingly strong support of the law echoed the backing that the bill has received during its passage through California’s legislature.

WHAT

HOW CAN ANYONE APPROVE A BILL THAT BANS THIS?



I can already feel my mouth watering. perfectly seared hudson valley foie gras with figs and aged balsamic vinegar sauce... and some of that mad chateau y'quem sauterne to top it all off. Shit. I would force-feed a duck and kill it myself for that experience every single time, if I had to.

I cant understand why a country that places such a premium on the freedom and liberty granted by CHOICE would deprive everyone of some fantastic foie gras just because some people think that a bunch of fucking ANIMALS shouldnt be force-fed to have fattened up livers for human consumption.

Who the fuck cares? They're just DUCKS! We stuff our pillows, duvets, and mattresses with their feathers, for god's sake. we're just going to cook them and eat them, ANYWAY. We might as well fatten up their livers and make good use of them.

(excerpt from the san francisco chronicle)
Aqua chef Laurent Manrique has been the victim of vandals who spray-painted his home and splashed his car with acid, and he has received threatening letters and videotapes.

So people think it's okay to trash the house and car of a perfectly respectable french chef just because he makes some of the best foie gras in san francisco? And it's okay to terrorize his family by videotaping his wife and children playing in their front yard to let manrique know that he is "being watched" and if he doesnt stop he will "be stopped"?

THIS IS SOCIAL TERRORISM.

I loathe these people as much as the PETArds who hang squirrel-like things outside of neiman. Why dont they just redirect their tree hugginess to helping homeless people, starving orphans, or ailing aids victims?

What I meant to post before New Years! Ugh.

I wrote this on my BRAND NEW LAPTOP (WOOT!) while in the family vacation home in the mountains before New Years. We dont' have an internet connection up there so I have a legit reason for not posting this entry earlier!

***


Life is full of decisions and every single decision made by you, initiates an action, reaction and consequence. As the year hands on the life clock slowly tick away, decisions get harder & more significant. And even with all the crap that has made itself my life in all my experiences, I still don't feel any wiser at this particular moment in time.

I'm told the bigger the hurdle, the harder the fall but the stronger the fight, the more rewarding the victory.

Here I am once again, sitting on an uncomfortable rock at the beginning of a crossroad which will lead to another, and then another, and still another. These forked roads with shining vegas lights shouting "pick me, I'm the easy way out" and "my arduous roads will reap more worthwhile benefits" are familiar, but now, the reality has finally kicked in.

2006 has been an amazing, but granted, long and difficult year. There has been so much going on, although on the inside - my heart has been pumping pain, my mind thinking in confusion and my soul walking blindly. While on the surface, many a thing is sane and stable, exciting and exhilarating; in those stolen silences I nurse a deep dark bruise of uncertainty and frustration. Don't read me wrong, my life is full of amazing grace and I have lived many a blessing. Life is truly great and I have lived it as full as the next person, with sincere enjoyment, but currents of anxiety have coarsed through yours truly through it all.

I live life in its throes and prefer to take things as they come, but still need the sketchy constructions of a solid future. I want. I need. I need. I want. There are people to talk to, things to say, plans to make - "I don't want to rush things, I just need to know it's real & worth it". "I don't know if it's possible, but tell me you'll help me". "Everything you do affects the people that love you and right now you're hurting them". "You keep saving, I can see you crumbling; who is there for you?". "I have tried and tried but my patience is wearing thin". And there's so much more.

This year is going to be difficult and the emotional backpack I'm wearing into the New Year isn't a sprinting start. But I'm excited for the prospects because I'm going to grow, and learn and live to the best of my abilities. On top of that I have an amazing few people I know I can count on, and they know who they are.

Here's to 2007 and the unexpected, the dreams that are made, the hopes that are truth, the mountains climbed, the forgiveness healed and the experiences that make us who we are!

Again, another post I forgot to publish!

Someone is obviously doing some last minute house keeping before getting graded for the blog! Hahaha!
I just realized that I have heaps of drafts saved but hadn't actually finished many of them... so they were just sitting around. And because the last few weeks have been uber hectic... I, um, SORT OF, forgot about them! Whoops? But hey! Atleast I'll have OVER 12 entries. Wurd.


I meant to publish this entry on Sunday morning... January 14, 2007:

I went to a party last night and tried "haguis" (I don't know how to spell it). It's the national dish of Scotland and it's made by stuffing a sheep's stomach with sheep's innards or something like that. Anyway, it tasted disapointingly like ordinart, household spam.

I also got extremely tipsy on Goldschlagger, fell asleep, and woke up with a bad hang-over.

Random.

*I drafted this entry AGES ago but forgot to post it... BAH.


I'm here listening to Cindy Lauper's latest album, "At Last", courtesy of Tiffany Hong, my long time partner in crime! t's a revival album, no original songs. But the woman sure can sing. Really.

She was already quite a singer during her "Girls Wanna Have Fun Days" but I think her skill was masked by the kinds of songs she was singing. This album proves it all. She's got real talent.

But lately, Led Zeppelin is what dominates my stereo. I didn't like them growing up, hated them even. Now I find they satisfy a certain craving I've been having, the sound of grating vocals and guitars. I've spent my entire senior year of college trying to fill this craving, which is weird because during junior year, I played nothing but Norah Jones.

When I'm not playing Led Zeppelin, I'm playing "The Darkness. Oh my god, these guys are unbelievable.

If you like to take yourself seriously at all times, and are concerned with maintaining a reputation of having good and refined musical taste, you will absolutely loathe The Darkness. It takes a good sense of humor, a penchant for spandex and shimmery eye-shadow, and a familiarity with the 80s to appreciate what these guys are trying to get at. You've probably heard their single "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" on the airwaves.


Lead singer Justin Hawkins's falsetto, combined with deliberately cheesy lyrics, and song titles; plus glam-era inspired guitarwork, all tied together with a killer band name (The Darkness! Ooooooooh). You just gotta love these guys.

As bassist Frankie Poullain says, "Everyone's too uptight these days. I hate the arrogance of bands who think their petty emotions are interesting. If you look at bands from 25 years ago, people had smiles on their faces. Wer'e bringing a little of that back."

That just about says it all.

My favorite cut from the album is "Get Your Hands Off My Woman" (love that title).

That is all.

Changes.

Hold your ground.

Even if 99 percent of the population is telling you to sell out, but your gut feeling says no. Hold your ground... then ask for the opinions from someone you trust. It's scary but its better than doing something you''ll regret in ur heart later on.

No one said this would be easy.


***

2007 is also going to be about habits for me. Break some bad ones, stick to the good ones, and make new ones.

It takes 21 days to form a habit. Starting now....

Budgeting Blues.

Meet Jarrod. He is my HUNK'A'BURNIN LOVE! (Um, no.) He and I have been together for almost two years now... and I've never been happier.




Harbour Cruise on my bday last year. I'm so dark! (His tie is hideous, I know!)











Jarrod is my compliment.


I'm emotional.
He's objective.

I'm spontaneous.
He's rigid.

I'm an "artsy fartsy" dresser.
He's a standard blue/black/grey/white t-shirt kind of guy.

I'm a city girl and global nomad through and through.
He's a country bumpkin who's only left the country twice.

I'm a devout Catholic.
He's agnostic "until further notice".

I'm short.
He's tall.

I'm cute.
He's not. I MEAN... um... hahaha

I hate Vegimite.
He loves the stuff.

I'm "black"... ok fine, I'm Asian.
He's white... (and needs a tan REAL BAD.)

I love pop and country music.
He loves rock and heavy metal.

I'm TERRIBLE at saving money.
He's FANTASTIC at putting it away for a rainy day.

I am an impulsive buyer.
He only buys what he needs.

I have ONE, shitty savings account with barely anything in it (for shopping, that is)...
He has three accounts that he has money saved in for a rainy day.

GRRR. Money. I hate money....

Or rather, I hate the LACK of money... haha...


I find that money is always a sensitive issue no matter what the context. BUT when you have never really had to worry about money (because Poppy is just a phone call away!), having a monetary-concious boyfriend makes money managing that much more of a sore topic of disccuion! So, needless to say, I am currently experiencing the BUDGETING BLUES.

A few weeks ago, Jarrod sat me down to discuss "money matters". We sat down together and broke down my monthly expenses... and about my/OUR(!!!) short and long term goals. I cried not long after we started talking about it all... BECAUSE I'M LAME. Haha... whatisthislife?!

Since I first met Jarrod, my mom has cut my allowance in half. TWICE. That's TWO TIMES in the last twenty-one months! I get 'just enough' money now from mis padres... which is "OK" and there are times, I have to admit, where I actually like the fact that they don't give me more money than I need (especially now that I have a job!)... but it's still SO crap having to budget and to save. This whole independce thing is overrated.

"God, I would like to stop growing up now. Kthanksbye."

Though I think budgeting is shithouse, I'm really glad Jarrod cares for me enough to discuss such important matters. It helps make growing up easier when there is someone there to support you through times of change... MUSH!

So what's the moral of the story? (Not that there really is a story... but...)
MARRY A RICH MIDDLE EASTERN SHEIK.

Just kidding.

I was talking to Pam yesterday about “school clothes” and “going out clothes”. Pam recently bought a pair of Bettina Liano jeans which she had altered and had planned to pick it up at Bondi yesterday afternoon… upon asking her whether she’d wear it to class anytime soon I was taken aback when she answered me with a sharp “no”, followed by “it’s just school”. This got me thinking about how I live my life. Now I want to make it clear that I’m not judging Pam, I love the girl to bits, but I suppose after my dad’s near death experience a few months ago… the way I live life has drastically changed.

My parents never really bought me a lot of clothes or gave me a lot of money to buy my own clothes until a few years ago. Growing up, they spent more money on our extensive travels and educating us kids in some of the best schools than buying us an excess amount of cute outfits. I can’t speak for my siblings but whenever my parents would take me out shopping for new threads I’d always end up wearing the new clothes right away… I’d always be so eager to strut my stuff! Up to this day I still wear my new shoes to bed and “display” all my new clothes around my room for hours before putting them away. Now, I have to point out that out of my twelve years of primary and secondary schooling, I only had two years of which I WASN’T required to wear a school uniform (GO DRAGONS!)… so that’s another reason why my parents never really had to worry about buying us the hippest clothing. As this was so, I never really had clothes that I labeled as “going out clothes” and “school clothes”. My wardrobe was just so limited that I didn’t have that much of a choice!

Even now that that I have amassed SIX closets-full of clothes AND a suitcase of winter coats and sweaters in Sydney ALONE… (omg I am so going to hell for being so materialistic!) I still haven’t really categorized my clothes. I wear what I want when I feel like it. And why shouldn’t I?

After my dad’s near-death-experience earlier this year… I decided that I’d make the most of each and everyday. SO since I have returned to Sydney, I have been waking up earlier… going to church more… meeting up with friends more… staying in touch with lost friends more… STUDYING MORE (ha!, this has yet to be executed “correctly”)… telling my boyfriend and my family that I love them more… essentially, I’m TRYING to be a nicer person. (And let me tell you, this whole “My Name Is Earl” thing is a lot harder than you think!). So with this life makeover, I have decided to take care of myself more. This includes working out more, eating better and caring more about my appearance in a non-superficial way. Non-superficial you ask? Well, non-superficial in that I want to treat everyday as a celebration of life… I mean, just think… WHAT IF you kept some of your best clothes aside “for a special occasion” but died before you got to wear them out? It’d just be a waste!

So I say if you’ve labeled your clothes as “going out clothes” and “school clothes” or wear what you want, when you want... or whatever else… I say, “the true ornament of any person is virtue, not clothes or jewels." (Anonymous)

Drink Apple Juice.

I was a few months shy of my tenth birthday when the whole O.J. Simpson trial was going on so I didn't know very much about it until it came up a few years later, during a class discussion sometime in high school. Because of this, I find it difficult to make my mind up on whether I think O.J. is guilty or not... even despite having read up on it on numerous occassions! Had I been more aware of his case at the time of the trial, I would have probably been more inclined to pick a side... but trying to make the a decision as to how I feel about the whole "trash novel come to life" almost fourteen years after it happened is, surprisingly, extremely difficult. You'd think with all the bajillion articles written on it... the hundreds of case studies... all the books and countless interviews I'd be able to come to some sort of conclusion... but I honestly can't! I suppose it's difficult for me to decide because in my head I'm thinking, "it's over, what I think really doesn't account for much". I mean, the jury got together.. they decieded (consequently dividing a nation)... but hey, they did what they were tasked to do and that's it! Let Nicole and Ron (Goldman) rest in peace.

SO when I heard that O.J. was publishing a book on how he would've done it- that is, how he WOULD HAVE killed his ex-wife and friend- IF he had done it, I felt compelled to write about how much I DON'T like O.J.... NOT because I think he did it; but rather, because I think he is a disrespectful, inconsiderate, has-been PIG. What kind of sick asshole writes a book on how he would have killed his former partner? And I mean this guy isn't just your average Joe Schmo who was on trial for some murder... this is a former NFL start who was on trial for one of the most infamous murder cases EVER. HELLO!?! And come on man, regardless of whether he did it or not.. Nicole and Ron were MURDERED. They are DEAD. Isn't that enough? How about their loved ones- the people who they left behind because 'somebody' bruttally stabbed to death? Let them rest in peace for crying out loud! I don't care if O.J. did it or not... he WILL be judged sometime by The Man Upstairs. I just think publishing a book was a VERY bad move and it's release will only fuel debates and animosity towards him.

So what's the moral of this entry you ask?

Get the shirt HERE.

I'm so over this bloody film class.


So. Not. My. Thing.

Opps, she did it again.

Here are some of today's top stories for BBC's Americas section:

FEATURES, VIEWS, ANALYSIS
Beyond RumsfeldWhat are the Iraq options for the new US defence secretary?
In picturesA look back at Britney Spears's often turbulent life
Second chanceAfter 16 years, Nicaraguans pin their hopes on Ortega again

What. The. Hell.

Of all the things going on in the world that's what the BBC thought was more important than the politically sensitive U.S. trade deficit and its effect with U.S.-China relations. Um. Ok.

I detest hearing about celebrities on mediums such as CNN, BBC, and Sky becuase I sincerely feel that it causes people to be desenitized from issues that MATTER. So few of my peers know of the decades-old divide between the Turkish-Cypriots and the Greek-Cypriots... or of the escalating factional violence in Somalia that has triggered and influx of refugees in neighbouring Kenya where a child living in a camp along the border has been diagnose with polio... and yet they knew the name of TomKat's new bub minutes after the press release and of Chanel's hottest new shade for Winter 2006 before it even came out. Really, what does Keith Urban's drinking problem have to do with us?

I hate celebrity gossip. It's pointless! If I begin to tell you how much I hate tabloids I wouldn't know where to start... and even if I did start, I wouldn't know where to end. I don't buy tabloids because A.) I think it's a waste valuable time and money and B.) because I know I'll find out the lastest gossip while watching the 6 o'clock news anyway. I just think people should start focusing on helping eradicate the world from poverty instead of their chipped nails.

Back to the article though... you have to admit it's a bit odd to have such a credible, quasi-autonomous news broadcasting corporation such as BBC layout the latest world news in this fashion- Spears' article is sandwiched between two others on political figures whose decisions have some proufound influence on our everyday lives! I believe in the inherent goodness of man... but seriously, what has Britney done for us than provide good laughs? And ok fine, a picture of abs that we all want to shoot for?

Empty Churches

Empty church pews are depressing.

I went to church on my birthday earlier this week and seeing all the empty space made me even more homesick... given it was a weekday, I wasn't expecting too many people to attend mass... but the number of people at this particular city church still saddened me. And yeah fine, it was a city church... so you wouldn't expect many famalies but even on Sundays there still are still so many blank spaces... and then you've got to think about WHO is attending and it's mostly old folks...

Back home, most people attend mass during their lunch break or after work at 6PM... whenever I'm back in Manila my parents wake me up at 6AM for the 6:30 or 7AM mass... and although that does sound cheesy and boring- and all the annoying straight edge adjectives you could possibly think of- I truly believe that it's one of the best things in the world!

So seeing that people are missing out with the "family time" tied into going to mass really gets to me. I know this sounds incredibly preachy... and you're probably rolling your eyes but whatever. This is me.

I wish I was home.