For the first time in my life, my passport is stamped with another country's immigration stamp, besides Singapore. I went to Thailand.

And it's not Bangkok. I went to Thailand's Maldivian paradise, Koh Lipe. It's indeed one of the most beautiful islands I've been to (within my travel experience that is).

After visiting Koh Lipe, I think I left my heart there. I couldn't help it but to be my own world these few days, remembering the beautiful blue and emerald hue Andaman Sea, as well as the fine, powdery sand, that's oh-so-cool beneath my feet. Not to mention the amazing sunsets that fired up the sky in blazing red and orange hues.

There are lots (and I mean lots) of cute dogs on the island, ranging from Siberian huskies (they've shaved off their fur due to the hot weather) to labaradors. All of them are so friendly and would love you to pet them (and feed them, haha)!

The Thai food is amazing, as expected. Fried fish in meam sauce, barbecued squid, and tom yam goong was some of the delights that I had on the island. The 7-Eleven doesn't disappoint too, offering lots of snacks, frozen or ready-to-eat, all sorts of beverages and more! They even sell their Thai branded smartphone there too. I really wish the 7-Elevens here in Malaysia can offer such service.

One of the most unique experiences I had was snorkelling in the dark. Why would you go to the middle of the sea and lower down yourself to the dark waters beneath you? There's only one answer; to swim with the hundreds of glowing plankton beneath the dark surface. Once you're in the water and wave your hands and shake your legs, these glowing creatures just appear, like how fairies wave their wands and a sparkling trail soon followed after. It's amazing to know there are such beautiful creatures on this Earth. And I'm very glad I had this experience! 

I'm so engrossed in relaxing and enjoying myself to the fullest that I did not take much photos, but I'll post some soon. If you haven't been to Thailand, I think Koh Lipe is a good way to start your journey to the Land of Smiles.

I think this 2015, there's another resolution; to visit another island besides Koh Lipe. I've been to Redang, Langkawi (twice until now), Penang (it's still an island), and Koh Lipe, so might as well round it up to the number five.

Islands to visit in my bucket list:
-Tioman
-Pangkor
-Mabul
-Sipadan
-Maldives
-Boracay
-Bali
-and much more to be discovered in the future...

One of the things that my DH needs me to do this year in my resolution list is :GET RID OF MY TUMMY.

He says it's for my own health, but of course I don't believe him. And you know what comes out of him in the end?

He says it's because he wants me to look good when placed near him, wants me to look good for sexy times, and also as a match to his expectations of his partner.

If I'm a woman, I'll definitely won't talk to him for a month. But I do realise that after all, all of us gay creatures are visually impaired. We only look for physical qualities and standards that we define as "handsome", "cute" or whatever terms that you may use to define attractiveness.

You may say that you're only looking at personality when finding a partner, but subconsciously we are all engineered and geared towards finding beauty. We're that blinded, or I say visually impaired when it comes to this.

That's why there's the Kelana Jaya pool, that's why there's TF, and all these cruisy spots. It exists and feeds into our subconscious into finding beauty, finding qualities that we like.

Is it something bad? To me, it's just eye candy. I don't mind if my man is flabby, and better still if he's bear-like. It's not an obsession, it's a passing fad.

But to my DH it's borderline obsession. Should I agree to his wishes? Should I do whatever I want? Should I agree to get toned? Not that I wouldn't look great in clothes, or naked for that matter.

Then we agree to terms that I am looking leaner than last year, and it takes time to actually match his expectations. I'll just put that matter to rest for now.

One thing still rings true: I still love him no matter what. To change for my man, well, if it benefit both ways why wouldn't I do it.

I think this is the closest, closest time that I had a fuck buddy. When I say "closest", I really mean "closest".

Dugged up from the closets within me, here's a story from my college days about this friend of mine.
 
"...I mentioned "tanned, funny, natural stand-up comedian". Well, we are friends and I did know that his sexual orientation is undetermined. He says he has not been in love before. But he hopes that his first partner will be a girl."

"Ok, fine, but instead, something else happened. We have this some kind of bromance going on, where we talked a wee bit dirty and fooling around. When I say fooling around, it's not like we're having sex. But just getting a wee bit closer than friends normally do. There was this time we went a bit too far and almost kissed, but we pulled back. I think he knows  that if we're ever going to go any further, maintain being friends after that will be hard for both of us. I know it too. Prior to this, he knows perfectly well that I am gay."

"But that night at the villa, when I was sleeping, I felt a hand. That hand was going over my chest and also behind my neck. I thought I was dreaming at first, but heck, I'm awake. And I know who it is. It's him, the tanned comedian sleeping at my side, feeling me up."

"If not for my conscience, I think I would have taken off my clothes and have wild savage sex there and then. But the bed was not only occupied by me, it was also occupied by TWO OF OUR FRIENDS, each sleeping at the left and the right side. We're in the center."

"So I kept my eyes closed and pretend to play along, as if I was asleep."

"He then hugged me. I played along and hug him back. All this while, I know he's not asleep. He's pretending to. When he is asleep, he WILL snore. And I didn't hear any. We're in this close embrace and suddenly, I felt something wet and warm on my right upper arm.  He's licking my upper arm. OMFG."

"It's quite a sensitive part and that was the first time somebody did that to me. My, it felt good. If not for the other two occupants, something else would have happened. But I didn't flinch."

"And then he adjusted from the embrace and kind of slept in 'the star gazer' style. After that, I hear snores."

"I couldn't sleep well that night. I waited for him to be deep in slumber before I adjusted. My hand was growing numb. Then, I looked at my watch. It was almost 7 in the morning. I woke up, made tea and freshen up myself for the journey back."

"I tried to bring up this topic on the way home. I said I had a weird dream last night, hands going all over me, feeling very weird. There's no response from him."

"Thinking back, was I being sexually molested? That night at the villa, I had a few rounds of beer, feeling light-headed, but I'm not drunk. He knows that. And neither do I have a hangover the next morning."

"Or did I went too far with the bromance? Was he exploring his sexuality, taking advantage of me? Or, the 1 million dollar question, has he fallen in love with me?"

And the answer was a "no" in the end. Thank God he got away. And I heard he has a girlfriend now, but how will it last or what kind of effect it has on him remains to be seen...

Are we still friends? Well, we're more like acquaintances. Why am I sharing this? Just to get it out of my closet, that's all. I'm sweeping all the cobwebs and remaining dirt inside.

So one of my resolutions in 2015 is to actually be myself again. Doing things like dressing up more instead of letting me become a hobo, actually clean my room weekly, and try to maintain a balance of doing my chores instead of piling them up. Also, try exploring back things that I used to do, like writing this blog and take a look around and see what other bloggers are doing...

Seems like 2014 is really a bad year for some. I was like thinking, "Is 2014 jinxed?"

I myself have my own set of problems in 2014 when I started my new job. Location, salary and the trustworthiness of some people. Then there's my grandfather's condition.

So again, I sincerely pray to all of you who are having a bad 2014, let bygones be bygones, and may the new year bring you love and joy. Cut some limes, wash yourself with flower water, jump over a fire, and do just whatever you may need to cast away all these negativity.

Start fresh and start anew, it isn't too late to do so.

Right now I feel like I'm more than attached to my current boyfriend. After three years of being in this relationship, it feels like I'm being married, and he's elevated to the status of "Dear Husband".

We haven't had any sexy times for close to a year, and the amount of sexy times I had can be counted with my five fingers. I'm very very close to a born-again virgin.

I haven't stepped inside a gay club for like half a decade. Not that I miss going there, it feels like I'm more mellowed and preferring the quaint quietness of villages and beaches.

I haven't been watching Ru Paul's Drag Race, or QAF, or Glee. It suddenly feels like I do not need to. It is fun if I do, but there are more exciting things I have at hand, like writing this post.

Truthfully, I haven't stepped inside a sauna or a bath house or a somewhat cruisy spot. There was this one time I was very near to a sauna, but the circumstances at hand just doesn't allow me to do so.

I'm out of touch with my bara mangas, I hardly read any new ones these days. Not that I don't like it anymore. Just not downloading new ones, as of yet.

I have not been downloading porn too. Really, I don't find myself going to Queerclick everyday. Heck, it's out of my bookmarked list. I haven't been opening my Fridae account, and I have not even downloaded Grindr or Jack'd or Growlr.

See how non-existent my gay life is? Am I devoid of life then?

I'm far from devoid of life. I see much more and experience even more with my closest friends, reconnected with old ones, and having great connections with my family.

About my relationship, well, my DH (Dear Husband) have his own set of rules and reasons as to why he does not want to make sex the main point of our relationship. It may be hard for you reading this to understand, but it somehow still works for us. Not that we do not yearn to have that kind of intimacy, maybe it just takes a backseat for a moment while we focus on other aspects of our realtionship. Maybe we are trying to reconnect back to the passions that we had, trying to understand each other even more, and accepting the change in ourselves.

And I hope this new year will bring even more good into our lives. :)

I wanted to post this some time ago, but here it is. In this post, it's referring to bags. High-end designer bags.

If you know me long and well enough, you'd notice I'm one of those gays labeled as "fashionistas". Unfortunately, my life isn't that exciting and although I love fashion (and own some), I hardly chance upon the times where I could dress myself to the nines. It's more of a "all dressed up and nowhere to go" scenario. So you'll mostly find me in t-shirts and shorts, or even tanks, with messy hair.

But enough about me. The reason what motivated to write this is because I came across a post from a blogger about brand recognition and the value of a designer bag. Why a piece made from the part of a dead animal can cost so much that you can feed a malnourished family in Africa for a year (This is what my grandmum will say about my habit. I acknowledge it as my hobby)?

Let me try to educate you all with my certain level of knowledge about the fashion industry and the love of all things designer.

Let's try to dissect this by using a Louis Vuitton Neverfull in PM. It's the rhombus tote with two straps at the side that you can see almost everywhere (yes, everywhere). PM here refers to the smallest size available for this tote, which is around the size of a B4 paper (considering only the body, minus straps). This will set you back around USD1140, or RM4000, more or less, depending on where you are buying this tote.

(The Louis Vuitton Neverfull PM used to be USD 770, or around RM 2500, a few years back, but more on this later.)

The Neverfull is made from high quality canvas (not leather), with a lining in fuschia textile (colour of lining has its variations, depending on the size model) for the monogrammed version. It's trimmed with vachetta leather, which means untreated leather and is susceptible to water stains and dirt. Over time, the trimming will age into a honey brown colour. This is called a patina. The hardware is made of brass with a gold tone. It's not gold plated and will tarnish over time. Also, the bag is reversible, which means you can turn the bag inside out and use it.

Now, considering the materials of the bag, do you think it's worth it? If not, then what are you paying for exactly? Well, note that although each bag is not exactly hand stitched (some parts are, some parts aren't, depending on the complexity of the design), it is a handmade product. Fine skills are required and the people who do this are called artisans. So some part of your money goes to their salary.

Now what about advertisements? Louis Vuitton features an ad campaign for every collection that they produce so some part of the money goes to the advertisers and models who did the campaign. If you buy this in a boutique, part of your money goes to the sales assistants too. And so on.

But the most important thing that you did when you made your choice to buy the bag is that you are supporting the creative thoughts that are put into that bag. It's like supporting your favourite singer by buying their original albums.

Another important point is brand recognition. Almost everybody recognises the Louis Vuitton monogram and the value that it is associated with i.e. luxury. This increases the brand's value. Take note that Louis Vuitton has a price increase period every now and then to make their products seem more precious and unattainable (Therefore you can see why they jacked up their prices by 50% in a period of a few years).

Why they are doing so? People will still buy them due to the value of the brand. Another brand that's notorious for their price increase is Chanel. You can check out online resellers for Chanel bags that the pricing for a used one is similar to a brand new one. They hold their value, and if you're lucky enough, your used Chanel bag may even be worth more than the amount you first bought it.

But as a conclusion, after all has been said, the reason why people (and me, of course) like to buy designer goods is because of the quality. I can assure you that a Louis Vuitton Neverfull or a Chanel 2.55 will definitely last and gives you value when you calculate it by cost-per-use. I bought enough bags from high-street brands to realise that my high-street bag will only last a year or two, but my designer item will last me long enough until I feel like selling it away.

Oh, and about fake designer goods? I do know that what they are producing are very, very close to the original items, but the way that the item is made is not up to ethical standards. Child labour, unsanitary working conditions, associations with gangs and such surrounds the production of fake designer goods.

If you are ever, ever tempted to do so, please do not buy a fake designer item. There are a lot more contemporary designers that can fit your budget e.g. Coach and Longchamp, providing quality and easing your wallet.

I'm not trying to promote brands, or having a say in what bag you are using, but different people have different tastes and different ways of using their money. Some people like my father spends a tonne on his fish pond and cars, and I'm saving part of my hard-earned money into buying what I love.

Whichever thing that rocks your boat, folks.

I used to think I hate change. I do not like to accept whatever changes that are going in my life. But it is the only constant. The only thing that will be here forever unchanging is change itself.

There are things that I used to like, or used to do, and I'm now not doing it or liking it. Maybe this part of me is taking a little rest, a little something that is still me, just that it's not the time to manifest itself.

Am I still swearing a lot like I used to? Well, no. I do it for the fun value these days, but nah, I have not been swearing regularly. Am I being more "domestic"? If I do have a house of my own, I actually will. Doing chores, go grocery shopping, that old regular stuff that we all morph ourselves into after college.

But in between these changes, I've discovered something else. I've discovered that I actually like the simple life. I actually love to have a very laidback lifestyle in the 'kampung', with orchards and a clean as well as beautifully decorated stilt-house. Put in a hammock, and internet, oh my, I don't want to leave. Ever. And if I ever have a house of my own, I want to decorate it into my very own oasis and rent out a room on AirBnb.

I have always love travelling and that love will never die inside of me. Going to hotels, booking pretty little guesthouses, browsing hotels on booking.com, and planning trips, it's all quite fun to me.

And I still love to eat. Going on a roadtrip just to eat stuff. Finding buffets to eat stuff. Baking my first cheesecake and gobble it all up. Trust me, if you haven't bake a cheesecake before, you should try it. It's the loveliest thing ever, beating all other cheesecakes out there. Food Foundry cheesecakes suck big time, and I swear my amateur ones taste much better and more original than theirs.

I'm still as enthusiastic as ever, even though I realise I am now a fully-grown man. I can gush over the latest movie, rant how good is this product that I use, and making a big fuss out of stuff that some people just don't matter.

I am now actually INTERESTED to watch Star Wars (I just don't get it before this but right now I really want to try) after Gravity, Lucy, and some other sci-fi movies that I've watched. Not a certified geek, but still is a nerd at heart.

And I discovered I love my friends very much. They are no longer my room mates, my college mates, they are just friends. Some of them I know will follow me through this journey we call life. Some I've known for like 6 years. It's going to be 7 years soon.

I also discovered that I still am placing family as the first priority in my life. When compared to my career, my career is going to take a backseat first. Is this good? Well, considering the fact that when there are three air disasters happening in and around my country, together with the great wall of flood we had this year, family is still first. I love all of them a lot, maybe more than they realise I would.

Another that remains a constant is that I find myself always love to lend a helping hand to anyone who needs it. No matter a stranger or a friend, we all need some help in our lives. We all need some good in it, among all these things that have happened.

Although it's already the third day of this 2015 when I completed this post, I wish all of you a Happy Blessed New Year. May this year bring much joy and happiness to all of you need it, and enough sorrows to keep you thinking how fortunate and lucky you are.