Wedding plans...

There's only a little less than 7 weeks left until my wedding, and I still have so much to do. And most of it costs mucho dinero.

Need to order the rings (we picked them out already), need to get the dress made (by Fanny's sister in the States), need to prder the Tux, need to confirm the cocktail party details and book the venue, figure out who to invite and send invitations, book a photographer and hair and makeup consultants.

I need to arrange my schedule, book the honeymoon trip to Phuket, buy all the accessories.

This is so expensive and time consuming!

All I know that in December I'll be on the beach with my super sexy wife in her Wicked Weasel, and for a moment I'll be able to forget about the dread of my unavoidable return to work, and the bills, bills, bills.

Yesterday was a taste of things to come. We found the perfect dress for the cocktail party... SO sexy!!! White fully sequined, halter neck with a Chinese collar, full length tight-fitting gown with straight skirt slit all the way up to the hips... when Fanny tried it on I was in awe. I've never EVER been with another woman who could look that good in a dress.

Behind the wheel.

One of the things I managed to do before my trip to the States was replace my driver's license, which M had stolen/thrown away/defaced/coveted in order to piss me off, as a typical NPD is wont to do.

My traveler's insurance also covered personal damages and liability in case of an accident, so I was able to convince my ma to lend me the car.

I didn't tell her it had been 5 years since I had last sat behind the wheel.

I've got to be honest here. I miss it. Especially the feel of driving a manual transmission. Happily, I had no problem driving, and never had a moment of insecurity, except perhaps for the first 5 minutes. It's like riding a bicycle or making love... you never forget how. Though for the latter, I should say (or maybe not as the case may be) that I haven't had much chance to get out of practice -- my longest periods of celibacy since I first made love to a woman were probably about a year in 1995 and 3 months in 2001.

But back to the car... oh yeah, I was also reminded recently that I HAVE indeed made love in a moving automobile -- stretch limousine to be precise -- bringing my current tally up to four modes of transport (yes the airplane attempt was a success - read about it in my AFF blog).

But back to the car... It was fun driving again, reliving some of my past glories down Pacific Coast Highway through Laguna, the cool wind in my hair and some tunes on the radio, with the woman I love at my side. There are some things that definitely make life worth living.

Can't wait to make another trip to Vegas. I used to go about every six months or so, and I absolutely LOVE the drive up through the desert. I'm planning on going back to the States for two weeks at the same time next year, and a lost weekend in Vegas is definitely on the itinerary.

Anyway, I'm still missing the States a little. It's really the first time since 1997 that I've missed the States at all. I especially miss it now that I'm with someone I'd love to live there with. It's funny, but I didn't really feel that way about M... and I never really felt like I wanted to marry M, except perhaps in panic when everything went so horribly wrong... and when I was with J I was just a mess, so nothing I might have said at that time and shortly thereafter can really be taken seriously.

Yeah marry. I think I'm going to marry Fanny. And I'm 100% certain that it's going to last. We've actually been talking a lot about it lately.

That's the thing about relationships. It's really not enough just to be happy with someone, in the "here and now". You can never really be happy until you're with someone, and untiil you're totally secure in the feeling that it's going to last. And only when you have that feeling should you even contemplate marriage.

I hope everyone has the chance to feel that way about someone. To be honest, it's the second time for me. At the time, I did think things with Cathine were going to last, which is why, during the time when I was the most balanced in my life, I married her. But in hindsight, which is always 20/20, had I had more experience in love, I might not have made that decision under the same circumstances, as there were signs I should have noticed.

No signs this time. :)

Except this one:

Comic-con, Day 1

It's so nice being back in San Diego after two years. Gorgeous weather, gorgeous environment, beautiful accommodations, it's just too bad this visit is only a week.

Fanny loves it here too. It's got me to thinking... possibly... after Jeannie moves here when she finishes primary school... it might finally be time to leave Hong Kong...!!!????

Wouldn't be to bad, as long as I could find work. Fanny and I could get married and settle down... who knows?

Comic-con is pretty fun, though I'm nowhere near a comic book geek.

Plenty of cuties in costumes, and lots of things to look at and play with.

Although I'm not a comic book fan, I unfortunately ran into a few money-draining things...

First, I love the PowerPuff Girls. One of the artists who draws the PPG comics had a booth, and I bought one of his boards, and the comic that went with it. Then, out of sheer coincidence, I ran into the creator of the series! So the comic got signed by the artist and the creator, and I have the original artwork for one of the pages as well.

Second... I gasped aloud when I saw some Clive Barker Abarat prints for sale. This was my big splurge, and now I've got a gorgeous signed piece of artwork from one of my favorite people on the planet to put up on the middle of my living room wall. I'll post a photo when it's up.

Fanny joins me at the fair tomorrow, and Jeannie's not invitied. Her head would explode when she saw all the things she could play with, and we'd spend at least an hour per booth, as she'd have to study and play with every single item she saw.

Now of course, I'm not attending the convention for fun or for buying things... I'm supposed to get some business! That's going pretty well so far. Still got a lot of work to do, but I've got a good feeling we'll get some solid orders.

Until then, I'll enjoy the sun and the environment of the most beautiful city in America. We visit the world famous San Diego Zoo on Saturday and Sea World on Sunday, then we have two days in Disneyland before we fly back on Tuesday night.

Not taking any chances this time... LOL

The last time I flew to the States, two years ago, I left a girlfriend that I loved behind. when I came back I found my life was soon to be devastated by her cruelty. Recovering from that was the most difficult thing I've ever done in my life. I was nearly destroyed.

There was someone who helped me out for a while, but only for as long as she felt that she had something to gain from me. As soon as she felt threatened by the prospect of commitment, she ran away and hurt me as well. In order to justify her own cruelty to me, she blamed me for it, as if I were the one whose feelings and actions had changed in a hurtful, selfish way (I guess she might have thought it was selfish for me to love her -- how DARE I!).

Gradually, despite this second trauma, I picked myself up yet again. I refuse to hate women for what they have done to me. I am not so weak that I would become "jaded" by a woman who threw away three years of love because she found a new whim, or by another who one week claimed to love me more than anyone she had ever been with, only to turn around the next week and run away the minute my feelings for her were anything but detached.

Now, because of my strength, and my resilience, my life is better than ever, financially and romantically.

And I'm going back to relive that summer for a few days. Only this time I'm sharing this journey with my love.

It's not that Fanny would be selfish or cruel enough to behave as badly as those in my past; quite the contrary. She would miss me endlessly. We haven't sent a single night apart in the last year. The last night I spent away from her was my birthday night when Charmaine was there for me while Jackie twisted the knife she had in my back (she will never ever understand how cruel she was that night).

No, it's not that I'm afraid Fanny will forget about me or forsake me in that week I'd be in the States. It's just that this time I want to share my experience with the one who means the world to me, and I have the means to do so.

I would have liked to have such an experience with Jackie, as I did love her, and I would definitely have done so, had she stood by my side. But her fear of commitment meant that it would never happen.

I shared plenty of trips with Medeleine, but there was always the problem that she had to loan me the money for my ticket, and she resented me for that very very much.

That I'm buying Fanny's ticket makes this trip so much more special. I know my parents will love her as much as Jeannie does. My best friend Charmaine loves her and thinks she's perfect for me and Jeannie's mom seems to like her as well. It's impossible not to love someone so selfless and kind, yet so intelligent.

I can't wait to visit the Zoo, Disneyland in Anaheim, and share nice times with my family, and hopefully make it to the beautiful California beaches as well.

There are so many advantages to being in a strong, commited relationship with one person. Advantages that cannot even begin to be matched in singlehood.

I am blessed to have that chance once again. I wish everyone could realize how wonderful such a feeling is, and not be threatened by the worthwhile trade of a little freedom for a hell of a lot of security and mostly, love.

'Tis the Season

Hooray! :)

Swim season again.

Seasonal Hong Kong public swimming pools and beaches opened yesterday, after what seemed like the longest winter I've ever had. I couldn't wait to don my bun-huggers and hit the water. That is... until I felt how unbearably COLD it was!

Fanny (in a gorgeous green and black bikini by Diesel) and Jeannie and I hit the local pool at 9:45am on Sunday, and had a freezing splash... and I decided it was too cold to stay, so we left and had a nice breakfast at our usual Sunday hangout... "Nice".

Anyway, I'm pasty white, but not really much fatter than I was at most recent points in time, though definitely not as thin as I was in late 2005. Time to hit the solarium, cut my food intake and get ready for the beach!

Can't wait for the trip to Phuket that I keep putting off. LOL. By now, Fanny has a couple of Wicked Weasels (none of them white) that she's bold enough to wear in (limited) public. Wow!

A friend of mine who is an expert on Thailand has given me plenty of tips about where to stay and what beaches to visit, and I'm really looking forward to it all. Let's hope I can squeeze it out of my budget, as the full responsibility for the trip is falling on my shoulders! But I'm more than happy to pay for the enjoyable privelige to spend this kind of unforgettable time with someone so sweet and so sexy!

Now some of the readers here might remember I used to have a swimwear blog. It's still up, though it hasn't been updated. If this summer is good, I might start updating it again, with new photos and comments, so watch out for changes if you're lucky enough to have the address...