I don't know what to make of this.

Are they straight or are they gay? They're horsing around and the girls in the background don't seem to notice at all or don't seem to care.

Lockerroom Fantasy

It's strangely very appealing.

More about The Gay Pimp, Jonny McGovern here and at the official site here. You can also download the video and others from there.

Don't Learn From This

Very amusing but obviously not to be taken seriously.

A Very Rude Surprise

Weekend Hunting

I was out hunting this weekend. Actually, Friday night to be precise.

I went to the spa straight after work and as luck would have it the US Navy (the USS TARAWA) was in town. It's very obvious who they were - well-built young guys with buzz cuts.

I had my way (or rather, it was mutual) with one of them. He was one of them strong, silent types. I was very tempted to ask about the "don't ask, don't tell" policy and how he's coping with it - obviously one way of coping is to visit places like this. I enjoyed the thought of imagining him in his uniform and me taking it off, bit by bit.

He didn't seem up for much conversation so I left it at that.

It's not always the sort of place to make a personal connection. It's usually a fleeting encounter - each guy gets what he's come (pun intended) for and then we go our separate ways, perhaps on to another encounter.

It was a good night's hunting all in all - I managed to get off 3 times and was quite exhausted afterwards.

I wasn't expecting to get any sort of personal connection out of the encounters and it's not the sort of place - there are exceptions though - I met J at a place like this and it was an encounter which changed my life.

It's becoming clearer to me as time goes on that I can't keep going to these sorts of places indefinitely and I will need to settle down with a guy. It's not that I don't - I truly do but I've not met the right one yet.

Perhaps that's not entirely true. I think I've met the right one but circumstances don't permit us to be together. Then there's JH from Manchester. We've only met once and I quite fancy him but I don't know how he feels about me. I might get to see him in February but that's a big maybe. Hopefully will get to talk to him more to find out. The last time we had a night out doing a bar crawl in Canal Street, he had to duck out early as he wasn't feeling well so I didn't get to be with him as long as I'd liked but I remember kissing him goodbye twice which was once more than the other guys who were leaving and perhaps he got the hint. I should take my own advice and ask him straight up - the worst that can happen is that he says no and I'm no worse off than I am now.

Why does love have to be so complicated?

If there's any smart, sorted guys out there who might be interested in a date, please get in touch. Love to hear from you.

Postscript - 17th December 2007
It turns out that my encounter on Friday may not have been with a sailor but with a Marine instead. Not that it makes an difference to the outcome.

Women Are Clueless

How often do women moan in lifestyle magazines about men being clueless about what makes them tick sexually? It seems like it's a topic which features in almost every issue.

However, do women stop to think about what makes men tick in bed? Probably not. Or else you wouldn't get women such as this stupid cow pontificating about 3-way sex (ie. 2 girls and 1 guy) and how pointless it all is.

She obviously hasn't a clue.

Hey bitch, it's not pointless once you get it into your head that it's all about giving him pleasure. She had the nerve to say that threesomes were pointless because the man couldn't pleasure both women at once.

First of all, I'm not so sure about that - think about it. Obviously she didn't.

However, that's not the point. As I said earlier, it's all about giving him pleasure. It's his fantasy after all. From a straight boy's point of view, what's better than 1 naked girl? Well, 2 naked girls, 3 naked girls and naked girls ad infinitum!

Us gay boys aren't really that much different - just substitute the naked girls with naked boys and we're good to go.

That said, I enjoy 1-on-1 encounters as much as I do orgies. It all depends on who I'm with. If it's a close friend such as J, there's nothing I love more than being alone with him but if I'm out hunting, the more cocks the better.

I was trawling through my collection of group pictures to use for this post and was very tempted to molest myself but I've managed to resist so far. I'm planning to go hunting this weekend and I'm saving my load for the hunt - it's skins night at the spa on Friday - all the guys wandering the corridors sans towels. Should be fun......

EUREKA!!!! I think.....

I stumbled across something interesting on MySpace earlier today. I don't know whether it's his "official" page or whether it's someone masquerading as him but I think I found Anderson Cooper's MySpace page!!!!!

See it here.

I'm still planning to do a feature on sexy older men and Anderson is definitely someone who will be in the line-up.

My Shampoo Doesn't Do This

Time to change my shampoo, I think....

A Thousand Words

I don't think this picture needs any commentary - it really speaks for itself. If only the resolution to the unrest in the Middle East could be achieved so easily.

It's entirely a matter of personal preference and it has nothing at all to do with my religious/racial preferences but purely because I find the combination of the haircut, smooth and un-inked appearance more attractive that I can't help but find the boy with the Davidian Star more fanciable.

The Tara KLamp

I was watching a documentary on the Discovery Channel today and discovered this device to my horror.

It is a circumcision device of sorts and was featured in the documentary for its use in mass circumcisions in Indonesia (Aceh) post-tsunami.

It looks like this:

And it even comes in a kit:

For more information about how it works and for pictures of how it fits - see here.

It looks like a sort of male chastity device, actually.

I was circumcised as a child and with hindsight, I think this was wrong. I don't think there was any good medical reason for it other than it being the prevailing medical practice at the time (ie. to circumcise infants) when I was born, as was the case in the US and Oz.

Dr Smith & Dr Jones

A psychiatrist and a proctologist opened an office in a small town and  put up a sign reading: "Dr. Smith and Dr. Jones: Hysterias and Posteriors".

The town council was not happy with the   sign, so the doctors  changed it to read: "Schizoids and Hemorrhoids".

The town did not like that sign, either, so in an effort to satisfy the council, they changed the sign to "Catatonics and High Colonics" but no go.

Next, they tried "Manic Depressives and Anal Retentives" Thumbs down again.

Then came "Minds and Behinds",  Still no good.

Another attempt resulted in "Lost Souls and Butt Holes".  Unacceptable again!

So they tried "Analysis and Anal Cysts"  Not a chance.

"Nuts and Butts?" No way.

"Freaks and Cheeks?" Still no go.

"Loons and Moons?" Forget it.

Almost at their wit's end, the doctors finally came up with: "Dr. Smith and Dr. Jones: Odds and Ends"

Everyone loved it. 

Dear Penis

Some time ago, I posted an entry about the Syncsta Boys.

I recently discovered another pair of jokers who do something similar and this time they were lip-synching to a song called "Dear Penis". It rather accurately describes the relationship between every boy and his "best friend".

A friend of mine from Facebook sent me the YouTube link. I first met him on MySpace and he's a great guy. Don't get any funny ideas though - Marcy is taken. He's very much in love with Liam, as far as I can tell.

Enough waffling, here it is:

Postcript: As of 5th December 2007, Marc and Liam have split up - Marc told me as much when I met him last week. I think Marc is already in love with someone else but I'm not allowed to say who for now.

Oh Crap

I mean that literally.

I was driving to work today and my windscreen was splattered. What was worse was that my car was in motion at the time.

It must have been flying crap.

I've since washed it off - not that I'm obsessive about keeping my car clean. I'm not the sort of guy who washes his car every weekend, much less every day. I can put up with a bit of mud and dust but I absolutely draw the line at crap on my car.

Incidentally, while looking for pictures to illustrate this post (the things I do to amuse my readers), I came across a rather interesting website. I'm not sure whether it's taking the piss but it seems amusing enough. Take a look a look and make up your own mind.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

If you haven't spotted it yet, show this picture to your friendly neighbourhood Imam and you'll get an answer straightaway. :)

Someone From My Past

Someone contacted me on Facebook today.

I didn't remember him at first - his picture was unfamiliar.

It turns out that the last time we'd seen each other, we were both 14.

He was my first.

The first boy who touched me sexually.

Why didn't I remember initially?

It was a pleasant, if awkward experience then - it wasn't something I'd want to forget.

He's not married either.

I wonder if he's gay?

I Don't Know The Word For This

Zoophilia and necrophilia I know but what's the equivalent word in relation to midgets?

Self-Exploration

Sorry I've not been posting entries for a while. My life has been a bit of a roller-coaster since I joined Shell. Mostly good but it's not left me much time for introspection.

I've been doing some reflection these last few weeks and have reached the following conclusions:

1. I initially saw blogging as self-indulgent but it's become a tool for self-discovery; and

2. I think I'm reading to start dating again.

Perhaps 2 follows from 1 but I'll explore these in later entries.

In the meantime, I hope to post a retrospective entry about the end of the Rugby World Cup sometime this weekend and also a few things (in a separate post) as to what's been going on in my head these last few weeks.

I've been sitting at home all weekend drafting contracts for a series of meetings starting on Monday and while drafting contracts, it's helped to focus my mind on some of the things in my life outside of work - strange but true.

Not quite a trompe l'oeil

But some visual trickery nevertheless. Have you noticed how the chair is redundant?

Somehow I feel more sorry for the doggy.

Don't you?

Love Poetry

I indicated in a previous entry I've been doing some thinking about what makes me tick and recently I came across a couple of blog entries by some guys on MySpace which made me think.

It's apparently no coincidence that I seem to fall for guys who write poetry, especially those who write me poetry.

I've been in a somewhat melancholic moody (but not depressed - just melancholic in an introspective sense) and these two poems really spoke to me.

The first is by Jose. I've tidied it up a bit and the original sentiment is still very much apparent

To The One
In this world
I have you to look forward to
The day you walk into my life
And bring joy to my life

When we take longs walks on the beach
Holding each other's hand
Walking with bare feet
Looking at the stars

When we watch a film
Holding each other's hand
Being close to each other
Our hearts connecting

When we walk down the street
Showing everybody who we are
How much we love each other
Showing the world we belong together

The fights we will have
The arguments that will come
The "I'm sorrys" and "I love yous"
The smiles, the laughs
The good times and the bad
Knowing in the end
We were meant to be together

This is what I'm looking forward to
This is where I want to meet
At the end of this path
I hope to find you there

The other one is by Elliot Phillips and it's called "Love Is Like An Open Silence":

Love is like an open silence.
Love is like a barren land.
Love is like a winters day,
So cold and empty.
Love is like a broken silence,
Ending in a ghoulish dream.
Snaking around my tree house,
Cutting my trunk right down.
Falling from the highest branches,
Down to the snowdrift land,
Emerging like a ripe red berry
Shimmering in the snow....

Love is like a broken virgin,
Weeping in the grass.
Sinking through the murky waters,
Never quite feeling clean.
Love is like a moonstruck lover,
Grieving for her chosen man.
'Ashes To Ashes' Darling,
Her baby cries tonight.

Silence consumes us all.
The heavens consume us all.
The earth consumes us all,
To search for our chosen one.
Love is like an open silence…

Admittedly the poems which were written for me were a lot more erotic. Actually they were overtly sexual but I thought these two were quite moving as well.

Monkey Business

This picture or a variation of it will no doubt be familiar to most of you. This is taken from the Toshogu Shrine in Nikko, Japan. Sometimes there is a featured a fourth monkey with his paws over his crotch symbolising "do no evil".

For the purpose of this post, the two monkeys featured in the tattoo below have obviously nothing to do with their 3 (or perhaps 4?) wise cousins at the Toshogu Shrine.

For an interesting explanation as to the origin of the meanings behind the 3 Wise Monkeys, have a look at this link from Wikipedia.

Christmas Wishes

Apart from the booze and fags, that's basically what I want Santa to bring me in a few weeks - attached to the guy of my dreams, preferably. :)

This little gem is courtesy of Roland. If you're on MySpace, add him - he's a great guy.

Be Honest

Is there any guy out there with access to the internet who hasn't done this?

I don't care if you're straight or gay - be honest with yourself. :)

The First Malaysian Astronaut

Here's one for J, who seems to have been feeling blue for a while.

I hope he likes it. Dr Sheikh Muzaphar Shukor made news recently as the first Malaysian in space.

He's smart (an orthopaedic surgeon) and handsome (a part-time model) - what there's not to like? He can touch my bone(s) any time he wants.

Frederic & Clement

These two are what most gay boys' wet dreams are made of.

If you don't know who they are, these are 2 French rugby players who play for Toulouse. The one who's inked is Frederic Michalak and his friend is Clement Poitrenaud.

Here's the a picture of them from Dieux du Stade a few years ago. It's been circulating on the internet for a while - and for good reason. It's a fantastic picture because even though it's so revealing, it nevertheless leaves so much to the imagination.

They're both straight, by the way.

Here's a more recent picture of Clement and Fred, taken after their loss to Argentina in the third place play-off in the recent Rugby World Cup. Poor Clement looks all teary and Fred is trying to comfort him.

What I wouldn't give to have been there to kiss it all better.

Not Exactly My Type

The EPL season is well underway at the moment and here's one of the stars of the EPL who plays for Manchester United.

I can see why Christiano Ronaldo would be attractive to many other gay boys but he's definitely not my type at all. I don't know why. I can't explain it. It might be something to do with the tabloid reports of him other footballers having an orgy with some prostitutes.

Now, that's something I don't understand. I have seen many reasonably cute straight boys whose girlfriends are plain, to say the least. If those boys were gay, I'd have no doubt that they boyfriends would be considerably better looking than their girlfriends. So what is it that makes straight boys settle for less than what they can get? Or is it that girls are too picky?

There is a Daily Hunk application on Facebook and most of the guys featured as the Daily Hunk would leave us gay boys salivating but the comments (mostly left by girls) are mostly anything but complimentary.

Love him or loathe him, it just seemed like a waste of a good picture of a fit boy not to post it - you decide.

Pictorial Context

Sorry to disappoint boys, this isn't a full-scale pictorial of John Smit, much as I'd like it to be - you know how it is - so many boys, so little time.....

There is actually a point to this post, other than to feature a handsome, beefy rugby player which is no bad thing in itself, I'd be the first to admit.

I deliberately wanted to juxtapose these two pictures of John to illustrate how a picture sometimes merely capture a moment but at other times, tells an entire story.

The first shows him all bloodied - it almost looks as if he's taken a bite out of someone and the ref is about to send him off.

That couldn't be further from the truth, as the second picture shows.

These pictures were quite a few years apart as the second picture features Taine Randell (a somewhat forgotten All-Blacks captain) whereas the first was taken only a few weeks ago.

John Smit is not the man-eater the first picture appears to portray him as. The blood is probably his own but it is the second picture which tells you all you need to know about the man.

I hope Mrs Smit knows what a lucky woman she is.

A Damp Squib

It's finally over.

At least for another 4 years.

If you've not already seen the final match or heard the result, England lost 15-6 to South Africa.

The result notwithstanding, it was certainly an improvement over the 36-0 loss in the pool stage and a good result given the almost no one apart from the players, management and the most deluded of supporters expected England to make it to the Final.

It wasn't an entertaining match by an means - a few tries would have been nice but the match was never about entertaining the public who no doubt paid at least several hundred Euros each, apart from those who had the benefit of corporate entertainment. No, this was all the about the result - how the winner went about it will have been entirely irrelevant - as previous World Cup Finals have all demonstrated. Never have I seen a team in tears while receiving their runner's up medals - even the Wallabies managed to hold it together in 2003 - most of them anyway.

It's been tough for all the playerss these last few weeks - physically, mentally and emotionally - especially for the Wallabies and the All-Blacks. Going forward, the Springboks get to call themselves World Champions again for another 4 years and rugby in Argentina has been given a shot in the arm but it will be quite a while before the game takes root in the otherwise football-mad country. England's come a long way since they played their first pool match in the tournament and there is at least some hope that England have turned their fortunes around and might have a fighting chance of winning the 2008 6 Nations tournament.

The Rugby World Cup Circus starts up again in just under 4 years and this time, in the rugby-obsessed nation of New Zealand. If the All-Blacks don't win on home soil, they will almost certainly get lynched by the Kiwi public.

A (Notional) Milestone

It's finally happened.

The number of friends which I now have on MySpace has crossed the 1000 mark.

It's a milestone but only a notional one in that I don't know all 1000+ of them, much less met them all. Some gay guys on MySpace have claimed to have shagged all their friends on MySpace and they have several thousand friends - a rather hyperbolic claim, I suspect.

The reality is that while I would like to get to know all 1000+ friends much better than I do now, there simply aren't enough hours in a day.

I'm hoping to at least send them birthday greetings, if not have some sort of email correspondence with some of them.

It will come as no surprise that all of them are boys - some straight, some gay, some bi and some undecided. It doesn't really matter though.

Perhaps I'm hoping for too much but among the 1000+ friends I have, there's a guy whom I really like but who's so far declined my friend invitation. This is him:

He's Greg Bradford and he's from Fayetteville, Arkansas. He's a few years older than I am and when I read his profile, I nearly fell off my chair. I couldn't believe how compatible we were in terms of our interests. Not only that, he's also handsome and smart - everything a gay boy could want.

According to his profile, he's single and I assume, available so if any of you out there who are looking, there's an amazing guy out there who's single and I'm sure would make anyone a fantastic boyfriend.

Poor Jonny

This is the very delicious Jonny Wilkinson training prior to the big match against South Africa this weekend. It doesn't look good - "No Contact"? How can we expect to win against South Africa?

Timmy Has A Drinking Problem

There's so much you can take away from this isn't there?

Another Dream

I'm not really sure how this latest one should be characterised.

I've been preoccupied with something recently (which I may post in another entry - will need to talk to someone about it first) but strangely enough, my mind has decided to go with something else in this latest dream.

In this one, I was on a cross-country roadtrip in Singapore with someone (I don't remember - it wasn't very clear in the dream but I might have been with a group of friends). This is highly improbable as you can drive the country from end to end in about an hour, depending on the traffic.

In any event, as we were driving past a particularly rural area, something happend to our car and we were forced to pull over to the side of the road. Fortunately there was a house nearby which was built close to the road - elevated and partly obscured by a hedge, out of which I heard an irascible male voice with a South-African accent and the man claimed to be "the rule of law" in that area. Thoughts of apartheid South Africa entered my mind.

We decided not to go to that house for help and tried to find a neighbour instead. We were quite fortunate and and managed to find one nearby who told us that the South African was a local judge who had set a road-trap for unwary visitors to the area. Apparently he had a hole made just off a side road where our car had broken down and put a small African boy in it as a sort of lookout. He had also installed sensors on the side of the road near where the car had first broken down to trigger the device which was intended to damage passing cars.

I remember feeling infuriated about this - so much for this boermens [apologies to my South African friends who mignt be reading this - I know it is racist but it's only a dream] claiming to be the "rule of law". I hate my private property rights being infringed and I don't care who you are, even if you are the Lord Chief Justice - we are going to fight it out in court - and I intend to win.

First thing my posse and I did was to go to the little fox-hole and drag the African boy out of it and force him to tell us about the sensors and where they were installed. When we managed to get that out of him, we went and smashed up the sensors which were strangely enough, some ball-bearings embedded in a wooden pole and a laser. Afterwards, we dragged the African boy and stormed into the South African's house. I had to decide how to play it whether to go in with verbal guns blazing or to try a more reasoned approach. My instincts were telling me to go with the latter - must be my inherent respect of members of the judiciary kicking in after so many years practising at the Admiralty Bar.

Strangely enough, the South African wasn't in the least surprised to see us and he was going about his business while we exchanged legal arguments about the rule of law, the enforcement thereof and our respective roles in the process. I remember explaining why I declined to address him as "My Lord" as Singapore was a republic and therefore I would adopt the mode of address as was appropriate in Singaporean proceedings. It was also me making the point that I was intending to have this debate on as near a footing as equals as our respective positions allowed us.

The South African seemed very willing to engage in debate - it was almost very congenial - like two learned friends having a discussion about a particularly tricky point of law - firm and intellectually uncompromising but with no hard feelings between the parties afterwards.

I don't remember how the matter was resolved as the dream sort of ended in a fade-out.

Misrepresentation

It will come as a relief to many of you that I don't intend to pontificate on the law as it relates to misrepresentations - innocent, fraudulent or otherwise.

Some of you will no doubt recognise this incredibly beautiful boy as "Danny" from Sean Cody but who in real life, assures me that he's Roger from Barnsley. I know very little about Barnsley and like many people who have lived in the south of England for most of their lives, anything north of Watford is quite mysterious - all I know about Barnsley is that it's got a football (soccer) club which is currently 6th in the Coca-Cola League but that's about it.

I was logged on to MySpace IM late yesterday evening wondering whether another friend of mine might be online and Roger IMd me. He said he was bored and horny.

I was a bit sceptical about his identity at first as I recognised his default picture as "Danny" from Sean Cody and there's lots of people on MySpace who "borrow" pictures of other people to use as their default picture. Sometimes it's obvious that they do but sometimes it's not and in this case, I couldn't be sure as the biographical information on Sean Cody was inconsistent with his profile on MySpace.

I tried to be subtle about raising the identity issue and I hope I didn't offend him but he seemed to try very hard to convince me that Danny was actually Roger. I didn't need much convincing and was happy to accept him for who he.

To some extent, most of us who have an online identity probably use an assumed name and in the world of adult modelling this is, I understand, all the more true. In this respect, I'm no different - not that I'm in the adult modelling business - but I use an assumed name when I'm online - you can never be too careful about these things.

I soon came to realise that the biographical information for "Danny" couldn't be further from the truth and Roger confirmed that it was all made up. I frankly don't understand why the writers of Sean Cody needed to make up a story about "Danny". Most, if not all the visitors to the site are probably gay and don't need to be fed a made-up straight boy models for a gay website to find the models insanely attractive. Speaking for myself, I'm just as attracted to a gay guy who is from Barnsley as I would be to a straight guy from the American midwest if he looked anything like Roger.

As far as appearance is concerned, Roger definitely my type but he is so out of my league. I suspect that he is either taken or fancies someone else - Harry - who also happens to be a model on Sean Cody. I told Roger I thought he was cute which was a considerable understatement - I simply didn't want to come across as a big lech.

It was close topast midnight and I had to work today so we didn't get to chat much. He seemed nice enough though but I would have liked to have talked to him more - it was a fairly superficial conversation about interests (sex-related) and where the various cruisy places are around Bondi and Manly. I hope he's on IM again in the not too distant future - I'd like to get to him better.

In the meantime, he said that he's done a video with Billy off Sean Cody but that's not yet up on the website. I'll be looking forward to seeing it. Roger says that Billy is his type - I competely agree - Billy is also definitely my type.

Out of respect for Roger, I've not pasted any nakie pictures of him in this entry - if you want to see them, you'll need to either contact Roger on MySpace or check out "Danny" on Sean Cody.

A Deterrent To Unlawful Parking?

Yannick & Leon

Hey boys, get a room!

I'm speaking for myself when I say that the only reason why I might be wanting to take another boy's shirt off (or let him take mine off) is if we're going to get frisky.

But in front of a capacity crowd of what, 80, 000 people at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff? These two must really like in each other.

For My Next Birthday

I'm generally quite averse to birthday celebrations - after age 25, birthdays are just depressing. However, if I had a cake like the one below, I might just be able to get into the mood.......

Another Strange Dream

I've not had the all my teeth falling out nightmare for a while but my latest dream, or perhaps nightmare, depending on your perspective, suggests that I have some sub-conscious anxieties which I am repressing.

In my dream, I was supposed to be 1 of 2 organists at some imperial coronation being held at the completed Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. Immediately, this dream is improbably in the present because:

1. The Sagrada Familia is still under construction, and will be for quite a while yet
2. There is no imperial family in Spain and it is unlikely that there ever will be
3. Why would I have been asked to be an organist at this coronation seeing as I am now "retired"?

Yes, I came out of retirement for my cousin's wedding a few years ago but have since returned to a blissful retirement - what I used to do as an organist almost seems like another life now, particularly as it is something which reminds me of my ex and those are memories which I'm in no rush to relive.

In the dream, we were at rehearsals prior to the coronation and I was directing the choir while the other organist was accompanying. Rehearsals then stopped for a while for the other organist and I to have some sort of discussion about the music and then I went up to the organ loft to rehearse my composition which was to be premiered at the coronation. I was not planning to direct this and was going to perform my own compostion and let the other organist direct the choir and orchestra.

I remember going up to the organ loft, first passing the secondary console in the nave which seemed to be extraordinarily huge. The loft was directly above the high altar and it was a very scary ascent. The stairs were very narrow and steep and from the height of the loft, I felt a bit queasy looking down into the nave.

Strangely enough, the loft seemed quite cramped and apart from the main console there was a little "booth" where we could watch the rest of the proceedings. At that point, I started to panic. This was a very late arrangement and I had been asked to step in for some other organist (yes, it happened many times in the past - really) and at this point in the dream, apart from having to perform my own composition, I was completely unprepared - I had no cassock or surplice and certainly no hood and what if I needed to be in the procession? I suddenly felt wave upon wave of panic assault my senses and that was when I woke up in a cold sweat.

This dream is obviously a reflection on how I hate losing control over the events in my life but why this particular setting? It is not a recent memory of something - in fact it is something completely implausible.

Is my mind trying to tell me something? I wonder........

North v South: A Double Deja-Vu

What do these 2 pictures have in common? Here's a clue - the answer is not cute, beefy boys although it's true that the pictures do feature cute, beefy boys.

If you've been following the results of the Rugby World Cup matches this weekend, you'll know already.

If you've not, this weekend saw the biggest upsets in the tournament so far. On Saturday, England played Australia and New Zealand played France - a repeat at the quarter final stage of some key matches played in the last few rugby world cups. Again the results were the same - Australia and New Zealand lost, despite being form-book favourites and both losing by 2 points each.

Both England and France showed rather indifferent form in the pool matches with France losing the tournament-opener to Argentina and England losing to South Africa 36-0.

I think Australia were trying too hard to win the match - they gave away lots of penalties which fortunately for them, even though they scored the only try of the match, Jonny Wilkinson didn't manage to fully capitalise on. It seems like the strategy adopted by both sides was to play a kicking game although it does appear that England didn't give Australia much of a chance to play ball-in-hand attacking rugby.

The France v New Zealand match was altogether quite different - far mor entertaining than England v Australia as the try-count will attest to. French got their tactics right and prevented the All-Blacks from playing the ball-in-hand running rugby that has become their trademark in recent years. The best part this encounter was the post-match interview - sour-faced (have you noticed that he always looks as if he's been sucking on a lemon?) Graham Henry was sick as a dog!!!! The Kiwi press will no doubt be baying for his blood, if not already. They same might be said for John Connolly.

Now England will meet France in the one of the semi-finals and who knows what the result will be? There is a possibility England can score another upset in the semi-final against France but being the realist that I am, I don't think that will be likely.

Today, South Africa take on Fiji and Argentina play Scotland. Pool match form suggests that the other semi-final will be South Africa v Argentina but that remains to be seen we've already seen 2 upsets on the trot on Saturday and there is no reason why it can't happen again today.

There is a possibility that France could meet Argentina in the final which would mean that the tournament would end the way it started but perhaps, the result might be different this time.

I think I'm getting a bit ahead of myself now. The South Africa v Fiji match is currently underway as I type this and South Africa are currently leading Fiji 8-3.

The Wonders Of Digital Photography

Why didn't I discover this earlier? It would have been so fun to post it and then watch her get eliminated!

Dear Alcohol

First and foremost, let me tell you that I'm a huge fan of yours. My friend, you always seem to be there when needed. The perfect post-work cocktail, a beer at the game, and you're even around in the holidays hidden inside chocolates as you warm us when we're stuck in the midst of endless family gatherings.

However, lately I've been wondering about your intentions. While I want to believe that you have my best interests at heart, I feel that your influence has led to some unwise onsequences, briefed below for your review.

1. Phone calls: While I agree with you that communication is important, I question the suggestion that any conversation of substance or necessity takes place after 2 a.m. Why would you make me call my ex-boyfriends when I know for a fact they do not want to hear from me during the day, let alone all hours of the night? Furthermore. . . this is not a good time to figure out exactly who these mystery names are in my contact list.

2. Eating: Now, you know I love a good meal, but why do you suggest that I eat a bowl of cereal with a scoop of ice cream, along with the left over Pakistani/Indian and Chinese and those stale ass chips that I dont even know who bought and wash it all down with a protein shake? I know Im an eclectic eater, but I think you went too far this time.

3. Clumsiness: Unless you're subtly trying to tell me that I need to do more yoga to improve my balance, I see NO need to hammer the issue home by causing me to fall down. It's completely unnecessary, and the black & blue marks that appear on my body mysteriously the next day is beyond me. Similarly, it should never take me more than 5 minutes to give a cabbie my address or get the key into the lock on my door.

4. Pictures: This can be a blessing in disguise, as it can often clarify the last point below, but the following costumes are banned from ever being placed on my head in public again: Mullet wigs, sombreros, bows, wrapping of any kind for that matter, ties, boxes, upside-down cups, inflatable balloon animals, traffic cones, or underwear. Also, what is with you making me take pictures with people I clearly don't like when I'm sober? Yet they suddenly become my best friends when a camera is presented?

5. Beer Goggles: If I think I may know him from somewhere, I most likely do not. Please do not request that I go over and see if in fact, I do actually know that person.

Also, the phrase "Let's Fuck" is banned from now on.

6. While I may be thinking this, please reinstate the brain-to-mouth-block that would stop this thought from becoming a statement, especially in public. Please stop me from talking to the guy with the crooked teeth, bad breath, squeeky voice, etc. Why are they appealing to me while I'm with you and why are they so disgusting to me the next morning after you have worn off??

7. Furthermore: These bizarre hangovers have GOT to stop. This is getting ridiculous. I know a little punishment for our previous evening's debauchery may be in order, but the surprise 3pm hangover immobility is completely unacceptable. My entire day is shot. I ask that, if the proper precautions are taken (water, vitamin B, bread products, aspirin) prior to going to bed/passing out facedown on the kitchen floor with that nasty bag of chips, the hangover should be minimal & in no way interfere with my daily Saturday or Sunday (or any day for that matter) activities. Its just not fair to let me wake up feeling like a million bucks and give me the sneak attack later that day.

Alcohol, I have enjoyed our friendship for some years now and would like to ensure that we remain on good terms. You've been the invoker of great stories, the provocation for much laughter, and the needed companion when I just don't know what to do with the extra money in my pockets. In order to continue this friendship, I ask that you carefully review my grievances above & address them immediately. I will look for an answer no later than Thursday 3pm (pre-happy hour) on your possible solutions & hopefully we can continue this fruitful relationship.

Yours truly,

[Insert Your Name Here]

This cri de coeur is courtesy of Jason from MySpace.

The Shape Of Things To Come

This is the EMMA MAERSK and she is one m!@#$%-f^&*!@# big container ship.

She is currently the largest container ship in the world and her specs are as folllows:

Dimensions:

length overall (LOA) = 1302' 6" (397 m)

beam = 183' 8" (56 m)

hull depth = 98' 4" (30 m) (deck edge to keel)

draft = 50' 10" (15.5 m)

Tonnage
gross = 170,974 gt
net = 55,396 nt
deadweight (DWT) = 156,907 DWT

For more information, have a look at the Wikipaedia entry here.

A Welcome Distraction

As seen on my morning commute to work several months ago. Cute isn't he?

Shame about the girl in the foreground reading her book - she does so spoil the picture.

A Gem From Lloyds

Actually, this was contributed by Locktons, a Lloyds broker who was previously known as Alexander Forbes.

Click the graphic to read the story.

I Don't Understand

This is quite inexplicable.

It's quite common for rugby players to exchange shirts at the end of a match but to exchange shorts as well? That's a first, I think.

There might at least be an explanation if the shorts were different but this picture was taken at the end of the recent World Cup pool match between Japan and Canada and both teams were wearing black shorts.

Granted that the shirts are unique to the player but the shorts are quite generic so why are Luke Thompson and his Canadian counterpart exchanging shorts as well?

I'm gay and I enjoy undressing myself together with another beefy guy undressing himself as much as the next gay boy but this rather defies explanation. Rugby is undeniably a homoerotic sport to begin with but perhaps exchanging shorts is taking things perhaps to the extreme?

On a completely different matter, I wonder what's in there?

David & Goliath

This picture says a lot about John Isner - he's the guy standing next to Andy Roddick.

Andy is 6'2" but is dwarfed by John Isner who is reported as being about 6'10".

Something's not quite right. Either Andy's height has been exaggerated or John's height has been under-reported. It looks like that there more than just a 8" height difference between them.

I'm guessing that John Isner is probably around 12" taller than Andy - now that's a big lad!

I wonder whether what he's packing inside his trousers matches his height?

Something Freudian

If you don't recognise him, this is Ethan, one of the Ginch Gonch boys. Here he is, putting a phallic-shaped object in his mouth. I'm sure he's had lots of practice with his boyfriend, Ben.

My Mistake

With hindsight, perhaps buying the Lexus IS250 was a mistake. Up until now I've never thought of myself as a sports car driving person but now I don't think I can get enough. I watched a documentary tonight about the making of a Ferrari 599 Fiorano and I can't see myself driving any other car which does not have multiple exhausts and pedal shifts.

My ideal car as always been an Aston Martin and that's nothing to do with the association with Commander Bond. I had always thought of an Aston Martin as the car I would ultimately aspire to because of the craftsmanship that goes into the making of each car. Here's a selection of 4 different Aston Martins - I'm no car expert and they all seem to look very much alike to me.

One of my colleagues at Shell comes from a family who owns an Aston Martin dealership and I said, rather jokingly, that any idiot with money can go out and buy a Ferrari but it takes a person with taste to buy an Aston Martin. I was of course, referring to myself.

However, after watching the documentary this evening on the making of the 599 Fiorano, I was impressed by how Ferrari regards the making of each car as very much a work of art, as it is a piece of very advanced technology. I had no idea that Shell had such a close relationship with Ferrari either - there were Pectens all over the uniforms. I was previously under the impression that Shell's association was solely restricted to Ferrari's F1 division but it's obvious that our corporate links go much further than that.

While I would have previously never even considered the possibility of buying a Ferrari (not that I could now - I simply don't have that much cash - perhaps when I become one of the General Counsel in Shell I might). It's still not my top choice.

Following closely behind the Aston Martin is the Jaguar XK - this is another beauty.

Apart from its exterior aesthetics, it's got an innovative interior as well:

Perhaps this is the shape of gear knobs of the future. I know that Volvo is also planning something similar for its XC60 concept car.

As it is, Volvo as already introduced a "slim-line" central instrument panel which is already in use on the C70 and S40:

Hopefully by the time the new S60 is launched in 2009, it will incorporate this same central instrument panel with something similar to the XC60/Jaguar knob technology.

Now that's a car I will definitely want.