Blog
15 December 2005
Just ten days till Christmas and my 24th Birthday! It’s been a busy week at uni, but it’s all beginning to pack up now for the holidays. I got my first Christmas present from Davide, we been out Christmas shopping a lot, but on either occasion I never managed to buy anything. Watched Narnia during the week, it was a great film bringing back memories of childhood, the kids were good actors. March Of The Penguins was another movie I had wrongly anticipated to see. The only good bit is when the eggs hatch and the wee baby chicks come out to play. Been out every week so far but beginning to doubt the scene here in Edinburgh in comparison to lovely bars and clubs in Glasgow, maybe I’m just getting bored of the same places. Monday is going to be our last night out in Edinburgh before we all head home. We are going to one of our favourite club’s, Mood. I can’t wait! We’ve moved flat officially to Gardner’s Crescent in the West End, just a two minute walk away from our former flat. Everything is looking good. We have Freeview so I’m really chuffed about that, though David and I will probably end up fighting for the remote control.
9 December 2005
Winter. It’s cold and dark outside. It’s quiet in here. Myself. Hollow. Empty. Everyone is saying their goodbyes.
Today we get the keys to our new flat in Gardners Crescent.
26 November 2005
I've had a hard week at uni, this news really lifted my spirits. I am currently recovering from minor hangover and I think I might have caught the cold. Someone at work asked me if I had caught the bird flu, how rude?! Went to Bintal's Thanksgiving party. It was brilliant, massive turkey! Met loads of cool people from all corners of the planet, bless. Went to Ego last night... lets just say the name describes the croud. Had a great night, ill as a result.
Today is my gorgeous friend, Pauline's Birthday. Wish I could make it but I am really ill now. I think I will stay-in tonight.. but ya never know..!
Lastly, apologees for the lack of updates, blame it on the uni. Alan's still the man! He's currently visiting Nanjing with his group of friends. David's been in Glasgow all week so had the flat to myself. Well people, Christmas is here! Edinburgh is lighting up beautifully!! Hope you like the Christmas themed website. Stay warm.
1 November 2005
Halloween! Went to Davide's Halloween Party after many decisions about my costume. It took me two hours to make and I eventually turned up at Davide's flat as a Caveman after a pluck of courage. The photos are now up online. I was very tired as I was working earlier that day... at 6am! So a new month, maybe I should spend more time studying.
28 October 2005
Eviction Notice! Yesterday, we received a letter from our letting agency Braemore. They have informed us that the landlord intends to be taking back his flat, therefore, we'd have to move out of the flat in three months. There's only one thing on my mind, drink! Gonna go out and get plastered tonight! Not been a very good time for everybody. I'm really glad Mark was over, was good to catch up on things over a drink. Enjoyed doing the queer eye shopping for a queer guy. Halloween party to look forward to at Davide's. What I'm going to wear is another question.
27 October 2005
Just a quick message before I meet my friend Mark, who has come up from Manchester. Will be good to catch up, it feels as though I don't see any of my old friends anymore. I have a new job working at WHSmith, it's been fun and everyone is nice. Davide is hosting a Halloween Party and I've been told I must go... dressed up! With only four days to go and no idea what to wear, I might just go in a bin bag! Uni has been good, my group of friends have been very nice and I like seeing them everyday. I miss Alan more with each passing day, his answer message on my voicemail felt sad, kinda made me sad that night.
16 October 2005
"Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today." James Dean
What do you think of my new intro? It's part of my attempt to have a 360 degree photo of New York's Time Square. If you look closely, you'll spot my pal Davide who I was travelling to Canada and New York with back in March. I will try and have the full version up one day. This time last year, I was on my long bus journey with Dwayne travelling from Malaysia to Thailand. We would have just arrived in Phuket Town. But back to reality, this weekend has been quite a quiet one for me. I've been job hunting aswell as having my first interview. The interview itself went well. I also brought The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy DVD pack for only £16.99, bargain! I never managed to watch the final instalment so I thought I'd punish myself for the trillion hours. Me having memory of a fish meant I had to watch the movie from the begining and instantly I got hooked again. Tomorrow, I intend to watch 'The Return of the King', the one I had not seen. I brought three posters (in that shopping mood if you know what I mean), one of them was of James Dean, before he died in his Porsche Spider, living, really up to his well known quote: "Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today." Happy Birthday to Winnie and Mandy, bestwishes xx
13 October 2005
Why do I always get myself involved in long distance relationships? Why can't I be the one who gets the good night phonecalls? I feel cold now, knowing my other half is on the otherside of the world. David is watching telly 'Question Time', so thankfully I managed to grab his Apple laptop for abit. I can't seem to find how to get on to Messenger from this, it's been a while since I've spoken to anyone from Glasgow, miss me folks. Uni today was long, I did not feel good... mentally or emotionally. Just a rush of thoughts on my mind. So my plans this week is to get things sorted, gym, job and my course work. It's time to concentrate on the things that really matter.
11 October 2005
It's the start of new term. After a year's break, I return to Edinburgh. Entering my first class in this impressive uni I meet a guy called H, I later meet a lovely girl called Pauline. It's been a good start. I was affraid of knowing nobody. Three weeks into life in Edinburgh and everything, for now is running smoothly. We've been out clubbing and drinking. I even had the opportunity to drink at a plush VIP bar with Davide! David on the otherhand, has been bareable, only joking, it's all turned out pretty well. Settling in to Edinburgh has been perfect. I am currently looking for a job so fingers crossed. Napier University has been full of suprises. It seems to have upgraded itself in terms of quality campuses, facilities and even the talent. Makes student life fun again minus the overdraw. Spoke to Alan on the phone... tada! Also with regards to Danny and Junior, have a great time in Florida!
P.S. My travels now seem long faraway... sigh!
28 September 2005
It's been a busy fortnight, I don't know where to start! My trip up North was fantastic accompanied with my Canadian travel partner Dwayne. We rediscovered the hip of Glasgow, the medieval of Edinburgh aswell as the Highlands of Inverness topping it off with a visit to the vast waters of Loch Ness. We may have evidence of the monster, but you can judge the photos yourself. It was a great re-union with my mate Dwayne, he's a happy lad and has been really nice to me throughout. We had an amazing time from walking and shopping to drinking and clubbing. Dwayne was my listener and we shared alot of conversations. Thank you for being a wonderful friend, esspecially when things went wrong. Jen has been a star, a superstar. It seemed like all the attention was on her this week and no wonder, after nearly a year in the US, our Jen was back, louder than ever! Jen left on Monday to return back to Florida, we wish her all the best. It was Mei's birthday and she returned to gather with the group to celebrate the leaving dinner of our Jude. Jude, a very close friend of mine has decided to follow her boyfriend's route down south to start a new and professional life in Swindon, home of the Dyson (where Gordon works). I'm going to miss her loads, afterall, who else would go to the lengths of Ayr with me? Jude was always there for me when I needed her. A fantastic company and a life-long friend. No matter what, we'll always stay intouch. Why is everyone moving away? The list keeps growing- Mark, Mei, Stephen, Gordon, Jen... At this rate I'll have no pals and its begining to feel alot lonelier these days. Been on the phone with Alan currently teaching in Shanghai, China. He recently received a bill for 4 days in August which cost him £55 worth of international phone calls. God knows what the end of this month's will be.
I've also spent alot on my mobile, topped up £15 last week and already it's nearly out of credit. Anyway, Jude's leaving night was fun and emotional. Food was at Miso followed by bar at Living (now Fuse). It was a great gathering, very warm feeling amongst my fellow chums. In my end of the table, Mei started a converation about ghosts. This lead to me cancelling my last bus back to Edinburgh because I would be staying in my big, dark, scary flat myself that night. So it was a no, no, and I decided to catch the early bus the following day. That day also marked the end of another era as I've moved out of Winnie's flat. I left it all nice and tidied and minimal the way it should be. We've had great times in the flat, I will really miss the comfort of living with Winnie as she has made it very easy for me. I will miss those days when we're watching telly together... that feels like a lifetime away! Now I am back in Edinburgh, the next chapter of my rather interesting yet risk-taking life continues. I am quickly settling in the flat and uni but I miss my friends and family back home. It does feel lonely at times but I am glad I have met a few friends at uni and have re-united with some old faces. David and I are living good together, well for now, no arguements yet, but I'm sure we'll be fine for a pretty while longer. Napier University finally opened its eagerly awaited new Craiglockhart campus and boy is this campus amazing or what?! It's very state-of-the-art and feels like you're in an airport. It's like a city within the gorgeous grade B listed building together fully modernised with all the latest technology! There's a beautiful cafe, lounge, flat-screen computers aswell as TV screens pinned from the ceiling. This is Napier truly at its best... at the foriegn student's tuition fee's expense! Read all about my trip up North in my Travel page - click here...
15 September 2005
Welcome home Jen! I finally met her yesterday in Bunker. She's looking her sexy self though alot darker than before. The Hawian looking babe is spending the next two weeks with her good mates (aka me) in Glasgow and her home town of Kilmarnock. Last night, I had my hair dyed accompanied with Jude. Cheers Jude for the help. However, what was supposed to be a dark brown turned out to be a pure black colour! The ending result is cool! I am really liking this black, very sleek. Today I started what seems to be an impossible challenge, I began tidying up the spare bedroom in time for Dwayne's arrival on Saturday and...oh...my...! Winnie's got enough clothes, bags and shoes to fill the entire charity shop (hint, hint). There is so much clutter! By tomorrow night, the flat will be transformed. In a way, I guess its a goodbye gesture from me to Winnie for housing me for the past seven months. Next week I will be moving up to Edinburgh for good, for a year. Met Mark for the last time last night before he moves to Manchester. Have a good one and I will be sure to visit you before Christmas. Don't forget our promise! Today, Alan phoned me again from China, I feel really terrible and I really need to get myself to Chinatown in order to get a phonecard. Why does'nt anywhere in the city sell them? I miss you Alan and we all do, even more as the days go by.
10 September 2005
Your Phili is a TV star! Atlast after one year being part of the background, though I am noticeable, I finally debut on Channel 4! The episode of 'Meet The Magoons' was aired on 9th September 2005. Though I was dissapointed with the show itself. Never-the-less, its my first time on telly!
It's been a busy week! I've moved and tidied my room at my new flat in Edinburgh, it looks amazing. The flat itself is lovely and grand. I invited my friend Mark to stay overnight and go out to check the scene in Edinburgh. The bars were funky and our nightclub Ego played really good R'n'B music throughout the night! Met up with Davide who seemed pretty tired that night (old folk). Well that's me finished working for my dad as I'll be heading back up to Edinburgh in a few weeks for uni. Next week, Canadian bacon Dwayne Dinn arrives here! I've been busy drawing up our itenary and it looks set to be a good one. Trip includes Loch Ness, Inverness, Edinburgh and ofcourse Glasgow. I cannae wait man! Jen returns on Monday, Glasgow will finally return to its original splendour, but only for two weeks! I can't wait, its been a very long time since we met, right before I even began travelling! So Phili really misses Jenny-la-hen! Oh...frosty days are back, I guess its a sign that winter is just around the corner. Autumn leaves begin piling on the roads. Last Sunday, we had one of the warmest days of the year beating countries from the likes of Italy and Spain! So its hard to predict what the weather is like. I just hope that the weather will be good when Dwayne arrives. This time last year I would have travelled from India to Thailand still accompanied with Suz! Because it's the anniversary, I've been looking back at my travels. It's just hard to believe its been a year. Lastly, and best kept last, Alan is having a great time in Shanghai, China. He recently had broadband installed which means he will be posting his photos up very soon. Alan misses British foods. He wants our Chips, Cheese and Gravy!
2 September 2005
This time last year I would be wandering around the town of New Delhi, India. I can't believe it's been a year now since I started my travels in South-East Asia. It's the most important adventure in my life and looking back at the photos makes me proud of what I've done. This day last month, Alan was saying goodbye to all his friends in Glasgow. I miss Alan alot! He's my wee angel. He's finally moved into his new flat and has started teaching at his local school. Goodluck! Last night, I met up with Mark who is leaving in the next few weeks to start a new life down Manchester. Who could blame him? We went out for dinner at Bloc which was nice and buzzin'. It was a good evening. We later went for coffee at my favourite coffee shop Beanscene, it's the late night, warm, candle-lit atmosphere and music that gives this place a real chill-out factor. We talked all night, having to put up with Mark's conversation about all his past ex's. My advice for Mark is to move on. The advice I seem to be giving alot these days. Ex's should stay ex's! And until you find that right person, enjoy life as it is! Later, we went to Polo Lounge, a grand bar and nightclub. This is where Mark started singing re-assuring me that he would make it through to the second round of Pop Idol. 'Ofcourse Mark!' And the sad thing was that he was'nt even drunk! We were contemplating whether to give Bennetts a go, Glasgow's oldest gay nightclub. We heard rumours that is was abit sleazy. However, being later given discounted entry tickets meant it was an opportunity not to be missed, and I had Mark to look after me... let me re-phrase that, I'd be looking after Mark. We walked in, scared like wee kids, only to be given a warm welcome by the lovely bar staff. This was like Destiny's for the gays. Music was dance, although they did play Whitney Houston's Greatest Hits DVD all night. The majority of the crouds can only be described as 'chavs'. We felt we were constantly being stared at, afterall, it's something we have grown very used to. The place got busy and we left early. It was enough for us to write a review for Nightlife. I'm going to miss Mark, he's been a really good company and a great mate. How else would I have met Alan? Have a good time in Manchester and I will be sure to visit you in the near future. Why is everyone leaving Glasgow? I'll be leaving in three weeks to continue my studies in Edinburgh. It's what I call the next chapter of my life. But before that, there is going to be alot of partying in the next few weeks. There's the return of Jen-le-hen, my long-lost friend who's ditched us for the American life. Jen is the nicest person you could ever meet and I can't wait to see her and give her a big hug. We are all counting down to her return on the 13th September. Also, my Canadian bacon, travel partner Dwayne is coming over to visit me and discover what makes Scotland the coolest (and I mean literally) country in the world. I've been planning an itenary to cover both central and the Highland's of Scotland. With pure luck, we hope to eventually find Nessie. Next week, I will be returning to Edinburgh to unpack my bags and make my bedroom into my bedroom! There is also going to be a nightout re-uniting with my good old Italian stallion mate, Davide, who I last went to New York with. I will be taking photos of my new flat to make you all jealous, though saying that, David's room makes me jealous... Until next time, don't forget to sign my Guestbook.
13 July 2005
This morning I woke up to find a nice wee text from Alan. The night before, I was in such a state. This is for my group of friends which I hope explains why I needed sometime to myself. I left you all in the park without telling yous - sorry. I was'nt in the mood and I didn't want to dampen the spirits so I just got up for a walk. Walked around the loch and had a good time to myself. There have been a number of things on my mind over the pass few weeks - dad, work, uni, flat (normal) and some I feel uncomfortable about to say online. I can't share my problems with yous. If I could I would have. It's just the type of different people we are. Yesterday, after a walk through the park, I sat down on a bench. After a couple of minutes of thinking, I decided to give my wee step brother a phonecall, someone who I've not seen since I ignored my dad which has been a month ago. I decided to take him out, I thought I could really do with his company and in a brothery kind of way. He's pretty young to understand me, but I guess he'd keep me happy that day. I took him around the city and finished by going to the cinema. I took him back to his mother. Keeping long story short without saying too much, his mother and my dad are seperated and dad hates her with a vengence.. She took us out for a midnight meal in Zen. It made my day kind off, until my dad, his girlfriend and work colleague, walked through the doors. He said a quick cold 'hi' to me in a grudgingly kind of way. I felt shit. I had planned to talk to him again but not in such an awkward situation. Basically, I was sitting on the opposite table. Sitting with the one person my dad hates so much. Is fate always trying to put some action in my life? The night ended shit. I think I was in such a state in the restaurant, and for my wee step-brother to see me like that. Well that explains that day.
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