facelift

 Thanks to the brilliant Queer Chef, my blog’s got a facelift for its anniversary. The timing and the new look couldn’t be any better. Thanks a bunch, Charles!And talking of facelifts, my face started peeling off because of the Obagi cream I started putting on. My facial skin isn’t perfect so I hope a little treatment will do it good. Also, I developed these rashes on my arms and my upper torso, which I suspect was from the vodka mixed drink I had the other night. There was just too much vodka in that drink. What’s worse, I had my first face-to-face with the toilet bowl (read: throw up), and I thought that only happens in the movies!That’s all for now. Have a great week ahead, y’all!

in transit’s a year old!

 “I am at a point in my life when I am ready to make a high dive, head-first, and risk limbs and heart for a future that may either break or make me, mark milestones and mishaps, and keep me moving forward to that GREAT bend ahead. So here’s to a brave new start. And to an eventful beyond.”Written exactly a year ago, and so after all that’s been said, done, undressed, revealed, and posted in this blog, I have made the dive and am still very much alive. And what a great year it has been!I would like to say my loudest thanks to all my fabulous blog friends who have become regular visitors, who have given their juiciest comments, who have ogled at my boys, who have appreciated my photos, and who continue to inspire me to keep doing this blog for as long as I can.I love you all and let me take you to more eventful beyonds!

all the birds and the b’s part deux

 

Bubble. Today I went to the University Hospital to undergo a tuberculosis examination, a required procedure for immigrants to Norway. The whole thing was a two-step procedure, which began with blowing a bubble of air from the syringe into just under my skin. It’s freaky! Seeing a bubble grow from your skin, not to mention the chilling millli-second pain it gave, is not so much fun. Then the usual x-ray thingie came next, and it would have been more fun undressing to a hot guy nurse. By the way, the hospital complex didn’t look like a hospital complex – you know, that place with sick people, contained diseases, and where the scent of antiseptic peppers the air. It’s like the Royal Grounds, grand buildings and ornate architecture galore. It’s gorgeous!

Birds. It’s not a cuckatoo I’m talking about. It’s a cock-a-too! At the gym. During some downtime at the sauna. Some guy, okay okay hot, started playing with his birdie when there was just the two of us inside that scorching Finnish invention. As you would have guessed, I didn’t do anything, since I’m a *ehem ehem* committed young man. Well, would you?Beef Brocolli. I cooked beef brocolli tonight. And that’s a feat considering I have never cooked more than pastas, fried eggs and sausages before in my life. It actually tasted good. Knut and I finished a bowl of it, with rice of course. I’m happy, I’m proud. Now, off to download some more recipes…Blimey! I am so amazed with the transportation system here in Oslo. The choices of getting from here to there abound, thanks to the tram, the buses, the subway and the taxis snaking around the city. Save the space in your pocket for small change since you can actually just pay using these prepaid cards – daily, weekly, monthly, flexi – on any of them. And what I have, the Flexikort, allows for free transfers on any city transportation within an hour after the time-stamp in your first embarkation. And what blows my mind is Trafikanten, a tourist information bureau with helpful information on public transportation throughout Oslo, which also has a website where you could check your travelling options from point A to point B – exact time, stops, and transfer points included.Boys. I haven’t made any new Man(ila)-O-Mission posts since I’m now clueless as to who’s who in Manila’s brood of blood-boiling men. While I am preparing a delicious post on hot guys off the streets of Oslo, here’s one of the guys back in Manila who never fails to take my breath away with his ripped body and highly visible big bulge every time he performs on screen, never fails – meet Carlos Agassi.Burp.

from oslo to trondheim to steinkjer

 Friday started early than usual since I had to wake up at around 9 am to catch the train for Trondheim, with a supposed transfer in Hamar. What happened was we had to transfer to a bus in Eidsvoll, which then took us to Hamar for the loooong journey to Trondheim.We made a quick stopover in Trondheim, Norway’s third largest city after Oslo and Bergen, where we saw the picturesque harbor of the city, with its docked boats and rows of storehouses, as well as Stiftsgarden or the Royal Residence and Torvet or the market square which is actually a large sundial with the column (of the city founder’s statue) casting its shadow on a cobblestone clock face.After a quick dash at McDonalds for lunch, we sprinted to the central station to catch the train that took us directly to the airport where we picked up the rented car for the weekend. But before that stop, we passed by an oddly named station, well for me at least. Welcome to Hell.With the car wheel on hand and Hallelujah singing in the background, we continued our journey along European Route E6, and snapped these photos along the way.It’s great to meet Knut’s family, who have all been wonderful hosts despite our difficulty in speaking a common language. It’s great to see a new view of Norway, known for its magnificent fjords and rich landscape. And it’s great to finally be home in Oslo again, only 45 minutes by plane from Trondheim, compared to the 10 hours we spent on the road going there.

sidetrip

 I’ll be gone for three days to go up to Knut’s hometown, Steinkjer, 640 kilometers from Oslo and a seven-hour train ride plus a two-hour drive from Trondheim airport where we are picking up the car we booked for the three-day weekend. We opted to go there by train for me to take in the sights of the countryside. It might not be much more than greens, plain fields, and little houses on the prairie, but I’m looking forward to it. And if things get a tad boring along the way, I have my iPod or my Powerbook and DVDs on hand to while the time away.