You on my mind

I’ve been back in Phnom Penh for 17 days and frankly speaking, a huge portion of my mind is still in Manila. It’s not that I’m homesick. I think it has something to do with what happened to me in Manila that it is still on my mind up to now. Getting sick was bad. Having my family beside me during that time was good. To help me deal with this feeling (whatever this is), I work (my usual coping mechanism), decorate my room, entertain friends, and reminisce by looking at old photos.

Not really an old photo. Someone sent me a link to render my face into manga. Tried it and I’m not sure if the result resembles me. I think I only got the eyebrows right. There was no option for my rotund body. Are there no overweight characters in manga/anime?

This too isn’t an old photo, this was just taken the other Sunday. I had lunch at a friend’s house to celebrate the birthday of Tita Purit, one of my ‘classmates’ at church. Had a happy time, though I miss the cheerful lady who used to do the hosting in this ‘joyful’ home.

This was taken a few days before I went to Manila last July. These two ladies are my partners in doing the rounds of coffee shops here in Phnom Penh. We make it a point to see each other at least once a week to have coffee and gossip. Since coming back, one venue has been added to our itinerary: Qba in Hotel Cambodiana. What can I say? Every fag should have his own hag. I’m lucky to have two!

Speaking of fags, here is another group whom I regularly see for dinners and some fun night-outs. As an old friend once said, just because someone you meet is also gay doesn’t mean that you’re going to be friends. Very true. But I am glad they have become (and still are!) my friends.

When one attends seminars and conferences, one meets people and sometimes friendships are formed. But once said seminar or conference is over, it is very difficult to keep in touch and remain friends. I met these fabulous creatures in Hanoi, Vietnam in 2006. And I’m happy that we have kept in touch, even if we haven’t seen each other.

Another group of friends I met in Surabaya, Indonesia in 2006. We have also kept in touch, even managing to see each other in other locations like Chiang Mai, Thailand and Hyderabad, India.

Ted is the first Filipino (gay) friend I made in Cambodia back in 2004. Aleks, meanwhile, introduced me to my ‘inner diva’. Both of them are in the Philippines now. Their absence has lessened the gay quotient of Phnom Penh immensely.