Happy Holiday Greetings 2006-2007

I got carried away with the outside decorations and lights this year...LOL

It was cold and windy on the day I decided to run to the post office to mail my holiday card and ship my big present to you. It was snowing like crazy in Los Angeles (you know how unpredictable our weather can get), and I slipped causing all my cards to be blown away and all my presents were trampled upon by several shoppers. I swear I'm not lying about the reason why your gift didn't arrive under your tree in time for X'mas.
So, here is my lame-ass attempt to send you the very best.

For those who sent cards/delectables/gifts/flat screen TVs, "Thank you very much!".
If I haven't thanked you, that means I haven't received your gift/s.
That's okay...I am very patient and can wait after all the craziness of the holiday season.
If you don't want to feel stressed and think about it,
please feel free to click HERE for my X'mas 2006 Wish List.

This is the first time my parents are spending the holidays with us in the U.S., so this is an extra special season for us.
Unfortunately, Bill's parents cannot be with us this year due to some health issues.

My Mom has jet-black hair, my Dad has Platinum Silver Grey hair...
Where did their son get his dirty blonde hair?...LOL

From my family to yours,

Merry Christmas and
a Happy New Year!
Maligayang Pasko at
Manigong Bagong Taon!
Feliz Navidad y
un Próspero Año Nuevo!
Joyeux Noël et
Une Bonne Année!
Have a Nelly little X'mas
and a Happy New Queer!...
Make the Yuletide Gay!
Happy Hanukkah!
Happy Kwanzaa!
Happy Boxing Day!
Advanced
Kung Hei Fat Choy!

Our Family Portrait X'mas 2006

The split-tails in our home

with my bitches, Birdie & Besi

My X'mas 2006 Wish List

Wish I could afford to get what everybody wants.
Please share your wish list, in case, I win the lottery before X'mas.

In case you are curious, all I want for X'mas is...
Peace on Earth and Goodwill to Men and...

Mac Book or iMac or Mac Mini
Canon PowerShot G7 digital camera
External Portable Harddrive 120GB
Skype certified Webcam -
for free Internet/video calls
to my family & friends abroad.
Digital photo frame
Nike Air Pegasus 
2006 - for my future marathon
A Scarf - black/grey/brown/earth colors
"1,000 Places to See Before You Die"
Rival Chrome Crock Pot 6-QT -
(Yes, I've become that domesticated...LOL)
chocolates, candles, ornaments, etc.

If any of these are over your budget
and you are running out of ideas,
FYI: my shoes size ranges from 7 1/2-8 1/2
(but I only wear Italian designer...LOL),
my waistline is 28" going on 30"(yikes!),
inseam 30".
That's all for now.
No pressure for you to rush out
and get it...LOL
I swear, I've been good...
very very good this year!

I'm dreaming of a "Blue" Christmas

I finally got my "blue" U.S. passport! I was so excited to open the package to see my Naturalization Certificate again. I had to surrender it, soon after I just got it during my oath- taking, so I could immediately apply for my passport. The only downer is that unlike my certificate which has my name spelled perfectly, my passport has my name spelled with an "H"! Grrrr...I wonder who could be that passport agent assigned to my application that was careless enough not to proof-read his/her work? Now I cannot just get up and leave the country if ever I wanted/needed to/could and will have to go through the process of having it corrected.
F+_)(*&^%$#@K!..."they" never make it easy for me.
Please click HERE for the New Travel Requirements involving Americans and/or travel in/out of the U.S.A..

All you have to do is dream

I will admit, for the purpose of this post, I have done drag a total of 8 times in the early 90's. Some were for Halloween, and some were for the mere fun of it and/or providing entertainment during a "happy" party/workshop. During two occasions, I played one of the Dreams, utilizing only newspapers, curtains, and bed sheets for our costumes. At that time, several years ago, not a whole lot of people, including some of my gay friends, were familiar with this Broadway Musical.
This very same time last X'mas 1997, I lost my first job in the U.S. (The sweatshop that was sponsoring me for my work visa, got sued by a former employee, which brought them to the attention of the EDD. By coincidence, it was time for my final papers to be signed and submitted. My employer refused since she wanted to avoid any other dealings with the EDD, therefore jeopardizing my entire labor certification application. After almost 2 years of working for small change, enduring a 2-hour 3-bus ride per way commute, and paying thousands of dollars in immigration lawyer fees...now all of a sudden everything I sacrificed went down the drain.) I was devastated...
Bill decided to cheer me up and surprised me by getting tickets to the show, Dreamgirls. He was not familiar with the show and suddenly wondered why there were so many gay men at the lobby. I couldn't help but laugh and told him to wait after the show. As soon as the opening number started, he immediately understood why. I was cracking up and came out of there feeling better and knew that what happened earlier that day wasn't the end of my world. (Someone could have told me then that 9 years later, this struggle will only be a memory.)
Last year, my company had acquired the much coveted entertainment account of DreamWorks SKG. Just for this account alone, we had to get a bigger office and hire new agents. One of the projects that was in production was Dreamgirls, the movie. Alas, when Paramount finally bought DreamWorks, losing this major account was inevitable. So I guess I couldn't blame my former contacts for not mailing me my promised invitation to the premiere. So much for having connections in Hollywood...LOL.
If you can't wait till X'mas day or for the earlier release at selected theaters, here are two funny clips that may make you wonder if there is an even bigger talent than Beyonce, Jennifer Hudson, Jennifer Holiday, or Diana Ross.
Presenting WonderRobbie:

One Night Only

And I Am Telling You (I Am Not Going)

I'm gonna live forever!

As a young child, I always had the fear of the concept of death. Not of my own but of my parents, since I came to them at a rather late age in their lives. Well today, I realize that I should have not worried. We celebrated my Dad's 85th Birthday. (That's right...my father had his youngest when he was 64...LOL.) Well, technically and legally it is his 84th, since his birth records were lost during the WWII, thus his recorded birthday is off by a day and a year.
For his celebration, my family and I took him out for dinner and dancing at The Alpine Village. In spite of the fact that my dad still continues to smoke his Camel cigarettes and drink his Johnnie Walker Black Scotch whisky, he is still very spry and has outlived a lot of his peers. He is a medical anomaly. If ever you saw him "bust a move" on the dance floor, you wouldn't think he was an octogenarian. Both my paternal grandparents lived beyond 100. If ever I inherited my father's longevity genes, then I have to prepare to live a very long life and save up for my retirement and golden years. I feel very blessed to still have him in my life.
Happy Birthday Dad!

Happy Thanksgiving 2006! Our first Turkey

We usually have Thanksgiving dinner over at a dear friend's place, so we never had any reason to cook our own. Unfortunately, our friend was out of town this year, and we did not receive any other invitations. Or perhaps, we just were not invited and I have yet to realize that nobody cares...LOL.
So at the very very last minute, we decided to make a go at exploring unchartered territory. I thought it would be fun to make our very first turkey. I invited my sister & niece to be our guinea pigs. Since we were going to be only a party of four, Bill got a 12 lb. turkey. We were advised that we needed 15 minutes for every pound to cook it just right. By the time it was three hours prior to dinnertime, the set time to start putting the bird in the oven, we learned that it actually required 4-5 hours. We panicked and started arguing in the kitchen! Oh...oh, this might not have been such a good idea after all. It's a good thing I had not invited anyone else. This would have been so embarrassing! Fortunately, I had earlier defied the printed instructions and decided to thaw the frozen bird, even if it was specified not to. So in spite of the limited time, it eventually came out perfect, and we had a simple but wonderful Thanksgving dinner with all the traditional trimmings. In spite of the fact that I am a newly naturalized citizen of America, my newly naturalized tongue had yet to acquire the taste for the bland white meat of this said fowl. Now can somebody please pass the salt or fish sauce...LOL.
Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

It's official...soy un Americano!

Thanksgiving and Christmas

came early for me this year...

Finally, after 4241 days or
11 years, 7 months, and 9 days,
since I landed on U.S. soil,
with the intention of
permanently residing in the States,
I am now an American citizen!!!

My journey began when my Vietnamese prostitute mother, who managed to escape from the clutches of her Eurasian pimp, decided to give me up , so that I could have the chance for a better life in America. As Saigon burned and fell, she hurriedly handed me to an American G.I. soldier and pleaded to take me on board his helicopter. It proved to be a shaky escape and the turbulent flight caused me to be propelled outside the chopper and I fell out on to the sea. After several hours, I was then rescued by a boat filled with other fleeing refugees. Sadly, our boat sank when she hit an iceberg. I narrowly escaped drowning when someone flung me on top of an over-inflated tire interior. I floated across the ocean, paddling away from Havana hoping to land in Miami...but I somehow ended up in Mexico. Giving up every dollar my father had saved from the sale of our carabaos to some local "coyotes", just so that I could be smuggled by them into the States. They had me crawl my way through a small tunnel underground crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. Along with my newfound Hispanic friends, we ran across the unforgiving desert and fortunately were missed by the U.S. border patrol. Eventually, I made it to East L.A., sold fruits by the freeway, and slowly worked my way to the "waspy" Westside.
Oops...okay...okay...my juiced-up overactive imagination got the best of me and I once again got carried away.

My story was not that dramatic, but nevertheless was almost just as challenging...
As a son of an airline man, I was able to travel for free and visit the U.S.A. from my homeland, the Philippines, practically any summer I wanted. That was what America was to me...just a place to visit relatives and perhaps visit Mickey. I never dreamed or imagined that I would one day want to live in the United States. Had my parents been able to foresee the future, then my Mom could have easily come here and have given birth to me on U.S. soil. My Dad had two opportunities to become a U.S. citizen even before I was born, but never saw any reason to pursue it. When President Clinton signed the bill to make WWII veterans automatic citizens, my Dad decided to go for it for my sake. But alas, I was already over the cut-off age. Had it happened before my 21st birthday, then I would have automatically become a U.S. citizen along with my father.

Unlike millions of altruistic people from other developing countries, who make the sacrifice of leaving their homeland and everything behind, in search of a better life for themselves and their families, the catalyst that drove me to leave the Philippines was pretty lame. At a quarter of a century old, I found myself with a new job and a new love. A little more than four months later, all within the same day, before the first full weekend of the New Year 1995, I found myself all of a sudden jobless and single. I was fired from my job since my performance suffered due to spending so much of my energy on traveling back and forth from Manila to Hong Kong to feed this relationship. I was young and naive and made the mistake of having a long distance affair with someone who apparently was not worthy of my love. I discovered that my relationship had betrayed me by having dangerous liaisons with two other so-called friends of mine. Call it triple jeopardy or my own private soap opera. I was devastated and depressed for the next three months. I then knew that I needed a change of environment to get out of this rut. So I decided to use my very last free international airline ticket to take me across the Pacific Ocean to the U.S.A.. Yes, I was not "fresh off the boat"... I flew, first class delivery, no less...LOL. I was filled with champagne wishes and caviar dreams with only a pocket full of change and a "Hollywood or Bust" kind of attitude. I was full of excitement, even if it meant looking forward to a life without my nanny and maids...LOL

Even as I landed in Hawaii, I never had a clue that the next few years would be the most humbling experience of my lifetime. It was a struggle, but I believe it built my character. I've already given too much information (again), so I will just skip the sordid details. My family and most of my closest friends know what I had to go through to reach this point. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my family and all my friends. I would like to especially thank some very special people who were an integral part of this journey: Paul T., who gave me an Aloha welcome during my stay in Hawaii; Carlos G. for taking care of me while I was in San Francisco and giving me the skills to survive in Amerika, such as how to cook rice and Filipino dishes; Jerz, for being like a "mother" away from home; Jesse Z. for showing me how hard work in Amerika pays off; Phillip G. for offering me a sofa to sleep on during my time in San Francisco; my twin cousin Robin and my relatives in Redwood City; Jojo S. for our joint venture in CiBa; my sweetie for giving me the key to my dreams; and last but not the least, my Bill, who saved me in more ways than he will ever know. Oh I guess, I should also thank my former employers at the sweatshops and the immigration lawyers, who gave me the opportunity to contribute to their children's college funds...LOL

My oath taking happened sooner than expected. It was held at the Fairplex in Pomona, California, which is like 50 miles away from home. USCIS, never seems to want to make it easy for me. My appointment was at 8AM. In spite of the fact that we left the house very early, we were late due to inaccurate mapquest directions and over-congested traffic.
I figured that there would be several Filipinos, and therefore could relax at the big possibility that I wasn't the only one running on "Filipino time"...LOL.
There were 3025 people who were going to be naturalized in my batch. The top five biggest ethnic groups who were going to become Americans that morning were from 1. Mexico, 2. Philippines, 3. El Salvador, 4. Iran, 5. Vietnam. Mexico has always beaten the Philippines in this game.
Two days later, Philippines would beat Mexico, only this time it would be in the super featherweight boxing match, where my countryman, Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao knocked-out Erik "El Terrible" Morales III on the third round.
Oh I digressed...anyway...back to me...LOL.
I didn't foresee that it was going to be such an emotional moment for me. When the judge started swearing us in and told all of us that she was keenly aware of how long most of us have waited for this day to come, and the hardships that most of us had to endure and overcome...I started to shed a tear and balanced it on my right cheek and dabbed it as it hit my right dimple...LOL.
Bill, my friend Jojo S., who was visiting from Manila, and his mother, Tita Mely, were there to share this joyous moment with me. I was very happy!
I found it funny when they announced, "You can choose to change your name legally, if it is too long, too hard to pronounce...", and I found it ironic when they continued by saying, "...or if you want it to sound more American." More American!..what is that supposed to mean?...You just told us we were now Americans...LOL.
The lady who handed my certificate was an African American, and she said, "Oh, how nice, you legally changed your Japanese name to that of Puff Daddy's!". I had to tell her, "No madame, I am not Japanese, and that is indeed my real name...I am the original Sean John, since I am older than P. Diddy by 73 days!".
Now that I am an American, I can be arrested for lewd conduct or indecent exposure, and no longer have the fear of being deported...LOL. (just kidding, mother!)
I continue to pray for several family & friends of mine, who are not yet fully settled or do not have their papers in order. Hang in there...your time will come soon...I know it will.
Coming to America made me appreciate and value my Philippine heritage, identity, history, culture, and food, etc., even more.
I will always be proud to be a Filipino and do miss my homeland, but at least, as a citizen of the U.S.A., I now can contribute to the future of the place I now have called home.

Among the sea of U.S. flag-waiving former second-class citizens,

now my fellow Americans

WANTED
Newbie U.S. CitizenWanted: for jury duty.
Wanted: by The Republican Party.
(They need your vote now more than ever.)
Wanted: to bear arms for the misguided war in Iraq.

What's in a name, What's in a title?

I'm experimenting with a new title to my blog, another word play using my name with the concept of TMI, "Too Much Inform-a-Sean". I think it is also apropos for my blog, since my friends have been teasing me for what they deem as a strong propensity for sharing too many details...LOL
For now, I am retiring my original title, "Memoirs of a Gay-Sean", which was a play on words from the novel/movie, "Memoirs of a Geisha". I believed then (and continue to believe) that it is an appropriate title for my blog, since this was about sharing stories of my life anyway. I assumed that everyone, in my circle, at least, would get the joke and see the humor in it. Unfortunately, not all did. The supposedly witty title was to showcase more of my sense of humor, instead of being miscontrued as an advertisement or propoganda of my sexuality. There is certianly more to me than my sexual orientation. I had to realize the hard way that the world is not yet ready for such openness. I had to acquiesce to the fact that I have a lot of people in my milieu, whom I love unconditionally, who have more conservative political and religious leanings. Sharing was for me a means to give joy and to get it back in return, not heartache... no, not heartache. In my younger days, I would automatically rebel, but now that I'm older (and hopefully more mature) , I am learning to conform for the greater good...or is it the lesser evil(?).

iPostcards from Cambodia-Vietnam-Singapore-Taiwan

Under Construction - Coming Soon!

***

We're back!
Had a fabulous time!
It was an eye-opening trip of a lifetime!
Will share postcards/travelogue/pictures soon.

CAMBODIA

VIETNAM

SINGAPORE

TAIWAN

Out on my vaca-SEAN/SABA-tical

I will be out of the country on my

vaca-SEAN/SABA-tical
in Singapore-Vietnam-Cambodia
from 14OCT-27OCT.
In case of emergency, please contact my manager/agent/publicist.

My U.S. Citizenship Exam/Interview

Thanks to short-term memory, I now know more of U.S. history and government than most native-born Americans, and/or those raised and educated in this country!
I passed my U.S. citizenship exam with flying colors of red, white, & blue and got a perfect score!

The immigration officer who conducted my exam/interview was a fellow Filipino, but unfortunately, instead of being nice, turned our to be a big jerk.
Blame it on "crab mentality", I guess.
He questioned me with a cloud of suspicion from the very get-go.
It's a good thing I was quite confident with my responses,
and my memory of my past answers and details served me well. I was nothing like the nervous wreck that I was during my greencard interview more than five years ago...LOL.

He then asked me if I was interested in changing my name legally. Hmmm...Sean Gates or Sean Buffett doesn't sound bad for an Ameican name, I thought for a very brief moment...
Nah...my family would never forgive me. Besides, never say never, there is still that chance that I may be able to sire a son one day who will carry on my family name.

For the English speaking/writing test, I was flabbergasted to be asked to write the very simple sentence, "I enjoy going shopping everyday." Gosh...and here I was ready to recite the Gettysburg Address to him.
I was also as ready as any bad American Idol hopeful, to belt out The Star-Spangled Banner. Apparently, it wasn't a requirement...LOL.

After passing all the requirements, I was then informed that my oath taking will be scheduled for 25OCT. Shucks! I told him I couldn't make it, since I am due to be back from my vaca-sean in Indochina on 27OCT. I requested if I could be rescheduled on the next one.
He taunted me by asking, "Why don't you cancel your trip?, What is more important, being a U.S. citizen or your vacation?!...Okay, I will indicate here that you don't want to take the oath!"
No, it's not that I don't, but rather I can't, sir!, I politely but firmly responded.
"Well, this can create a problem for your application and it might take another six months to a year before you get a notice.", he further teased. It seemed like this man was in the mood to try to push my buttons, so I played it cool.
Oh well, I'll just have to wait for the next scheduled oath taking.
Hopefully it happens before the general elections on 07NOV.

It is so ironic...one of the reasons I wanted so badly to become a U.S. citizen a.s.a.p., aside from having the right to vote, was so that I could travel with a blue U.S. passport, to avoid visa requirements to most world travel destin-a-SEANs.
And here I am going to travel using my newly renewed Philippine passport to go visit Vietnam & Cambodia, both of which do not require a visa for citizens of the Philippines and other ASEAN na-seans. Bill and my other American friends/travel companions, on the other hand, are required to have one for each.
So it worked out perfectly in the end.

The American-iza-SEAN of moi is near!

From Lady Bug to Lady Liberty

Alas, sadly the time has come to return "Brooke", my Blue Lagoon Metallic 2003 VW New Beetle GLS Turbo, after a three-year-long love affair, and get a brand new car...

I grew up learning how to drive with a "Bug". My parents got me a White 1970 model, a Herbie look-a-like, shortly after I was born. As soon as my high school buddies and I had learned how to drive, they would frequently tease me, "Here comes Sean again, driving "The Egg"!".

Six years ago, when I finally got tired of spending four hours a day taking the bus to/from work in spread-out Los Angeles, I decided to get my first car in the U.S.A..
Wanting to stick with tradition, I got and drove, for the next three years, a fully loaded New Volkswagen Beetle,
"Coby", my Cool Cobalt Blue 2001 VW New Beetle GLX Turbo.

Now, after having three "Pods" in a row, and with the latest models not having the turbo engine anymore, I felt it was time to go with something higher (No, not all Asians like their cars lowered...LOL), has side protection (since I drive to work via a shortcut through the "ghetto" filled with uninsured motorists), and a pop-up back window (so that my dogs could ride with me). I wanted something affordable and easy, small but cute, rugged on the outside but sophisticated in the inside, high maintenance but reliable, has a sexy body in spite of high fuel consumption...Oh darn, I'm talking about myself again! Well, they say, "You are what you drive!"...LOL. I wanted a small SUV that was fully loaded with all the bells & whistles, and high-end exterior/interior add-ons, which came only in the limited edition. Even if I am not from San Francisco, I still like my leather, so my car seats had to be in leather. After several weeks of researching, test driving, pitting dealers against each other...with my surprisingly impressive credit score, my publicist/agent/manager was able to negotiate the best deal, and I finally got my new baby...

Presenting my
2006 Jeep Liberty Limited,

"Robin", my Little Red Riding Hood!...

FrontBack
safe in her new home

out with the old, in with the new

Yup, I broke the VW and the "blue" cycle. I am really not a "red" kind of guy, but I really liked this Inferno Red Crystal Pearl coat. She's gorgeous! I was going to name her "Rosie", since she's pretty like the flower, but she then might be seen as a certain abrasive butch lesbian celebrity. So, I named her "Robin" 'cuz I wanted a name that is androgynous: Colorful like the bird, feminine and strong like a red-lipstick lesbian, but masculine and athletic like the Boy Wonder...LOL.