Wake me up before you go pro

"You know how girl's can say - oh I really like her she's great, but if I were to say the same thing  I'd cop it big time mate !!" , "yeah mate, that f@rked yeah, and then". .. Argggghhhh do I have to wake up to this verbal vomit being spouted by the tradies who are working on the finishing touches to the houses next door?   I feel for my headphones on top of my "doona". (when in Australia....) and hit play.. ahhhhh thank the goddess for music. I scoot out of bed and look out my window at the two young tradies below who have no idea that the entire street can hear this heartfelt 'woe is me' bleat... Uh grow up please! I grumble to myself.  Such is life now that we've moved house, we had no idea that the development next door would take this long. Sometimes I wake up to the sounds of drilling (the drill guys the drill... tsk) or banging (again with a hammer...sheesh) and or someone has brought along a MEGA speaker, seriously the size of luggage, ok ok not the 25 kilo bags more like the 7kg carry on ones, but still.. and has ramped up the volume to the max with everything from mumble rap to Ozzie country songs. I shall not complain.. much.. because sometimes when I hear them all laughing together it makes me smile, how wonderful to have a great day filled with such good energy.

Tradie Matey

Every time I think of setting up to video my vlog, I wonder what conversations from the tradies will be picked up on my mic ! Can you imagine? ha ha ha, mind you it would add some spice and humour to the vlog!! Something I feel has been somewhat lacking in my life for a bit, last year was pretty dark, two of my closest friends passed away suddenly within months of each other, that hated phone call when all you hear is sobbing and sharp intakes of breath as the news is broken to you. I'm no stranger to death, we have a complicated relationship, it started when death took my husband away 20 years ago. Wait! What??! 20 YEARS??? I had to count back and do some swift calculations there!! WTH? has it been that long? WOW that was unexpected , and Oi none of those black widow jokes!

 

 However it brings to mind how much life has changed, I said to my buddy Johan, why do they not tell you these things about ageing for kerist's sake! The stiff muscles, creaky joints, the GREY of hair and not only on your head, OMG ...really?... yeah (hear that lad's next door, that's what you're going to be talking about soon enough, hah!) When I called up my mentor and ex boss to get some advice on podcasting, I had asked what he was up to these days, he said " D, I turned 70, I'm supposed to be retired but I can't sit around and do nothing! so I still do some consultancy and compose music apart from going for dialysis twice a week" .. umm .. So many of us have made huge changes in our life, either due to illness, (like me), a change of countries (again I raise my hand ) early retirement, ageing, or just to step away for a total change to help with work life balance. What made you make that change? How did you handle it, what goes through your minds, and how has it turned out? 

I'ma leaving on a jet plane

For me , as I was taking another one of my long walks and nodding to the people walking their dogs or fit mums jogging behind the prams and mumbling curses at the cyclists who zip by ringing their bells , UGH! I'm turning into THAT BAG LADY! I swear I can see myself standing at the corner of the street, muttering at everyone going past and casting them evil looks and showing them many different varieties of finger signs!! Anyway I digress I was thinking, so 6 years ago, the universe tapped me on the shoulder and said "Oi, you need to make some massive changes in your life or you and death are going to have a smackdown, here's cancer deal with them first". (cancer is a bitch who needs a kick in the butt) I thought so what did I learn, and how am I now? I can say, that the stress of the lifestyle I had was not worth it, that I should have learned to meditate earlier  and done more yoga! but I should have been truer to myself, and walked away from a load of situations that I had no control over. The first time I heard Eckhart Tolle the power of now I bawled my eyes out, but you have to be in that head space to want to discover, resolve and have inner peace. 

Eckhart Tolle

They say (and please don't ask me who they are) “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” It is the box in your mind that imprisons you, those false parameters that you set for yourself, and only you can break free from them . There are some vestiges of that mindset sometimes but all in all I feel freer, that huge event in my life made me do a 190 degree turn, and forced the change for the better I feel, and so I ask.. What next?

much love

Dx

Back to my roots

I could not imagine being this busy .... again.. after all this time! but yes, by no stretch of the imagination I've been running around like a busy bee for the last couple of months. The reason why? Well that's because I've been pulled in by Evy the owner of one of the premier Jazz Clubs in Asia to do her marketing and pr for the Club.

Initially it was establishing my presence there, letting people know I was the new kid on the block, introducing myself to the VIPs and the Cultural ambassadors from all the embassies as well as the media and the Hotels. A lot of Embassy parties to attend. Eventually I was also dealing with our suppliers who are also sponsors and helping Evy run the Club while she was away, once to Australia, where I played Tag team with her , leaving for OZ myself when she returned and then to the UK. We seem to be a good team and have been making headway in the music scene as well as an establishment for private parties... and believe me we've had a few!

I love every moment of it, it's brought me back to what I know very well, and that's the music world, I have had a lot of warm "welcome backs" been thrown at me by artists I haven't seen in a while, though it took a lot of getting used to, the hours as well were a bit upside down, as I usually get up at 7am in the morning to send the kids to school, but, we've managed to work out some type of time schedule and everything is moving more smoothly.
We've got an amazing line up for the next couple of months, out doing the last few months, which were phenomenal. Though there were rumbles of economic downturn and our elections, we've pulled through and with flying colours.

I have not had the time to sort through the HYP programmes nor the MLM business I was involved in, two main factors were time and location. The MLM business I began, was based in another country and the shipment and exchange rates were not on my side. Plus with the exchange rate, the people here were not interested in purchasing the product when they could set aside that money for a "just in case " scenario. Until those two main factors change , there really isn't that much I can do. For now I have to concentrate on pulling in sponsorship deals for the club as we've got so many events laid out until the end of the year.

Much is in the works for the future, with two album launches and a possibility of bringing in one of Britain's got Talent winners, I'm very excited!
Dx

O X doo

Ahh the Bash on Friday.. welll ... sigh.. I think there was definitely very much of too muchness if you know what I mean! You don't? Ok well here goes...

I had three men with me, Carl, Ian my gay friend whom I asked first and his partner Rick (Rick is a very colonial Englishman.. who happens to know my dad.. imagine a very plummy voice, velvet dinner jacket and that's Rick).

The hosts really threw on a show for the party, they had dancers decked out in glittery outfits and feathers dancing on stage in the theme colour of the party which was.. uh.. PINK AND BLACK.., they had the Emcee's (whom were both former Miss Malaysia's .. ah.. well the recent ones...heh) get driven to the stage on two massive Harley's. They had men on stilts walking around and entertaining the guests, they had two stages on either side of the ballroom with bands playing and flanked on either sides of the walls were different food stations for the guests. So there was a vast variety of food. Champagne was in your face as well as some of the people.

Of course walking in with Carl, caused a stir, a good looking actor with cheek bones so sharp you could cut glass on them, a cheeky smile and roving eyes that got tongues a wagging, some old gossips came up to us and said, "is this your boyfriend?" I look to Carl with an amused smile (we were actually very good friends, and have been from the first time we met which was on a shoot I had booked him for, a few years back ) and say,
" Are you my boyfriend?" and Carl, who's eyes have stopped roving and were now locked and loaded on an exotic asian actress behind old trout face who posed the question, just says "yess.." (he goes into acting mode when not paying attention) and the gossips go all twittery and do the 'oh how wonderful' bit as I look at Carl and hiss
"why the hell did you say that..?"
He's Like "What? What?.. "I didn't hear you?"
I said,"yeah I know, cause you've just said you're my boyfriend and that's going spread faster than a bush fire in OZ mate...." geezzz.

The night carries on, I catch up with my old radio colleague , we're cackling away, watching in amusement as Carl flits about, comes back and forth, for a drink and a taste of the food. Singers, composers , you name it, all the industry people are there, I end up at the island bar in the ballroom with Ian, Carl and lan's girl pal Jacqs.

Carl and I are having a conversation about our future and where we're heading as he props himself at the bar and I lean on him , I'm telling him about my intention to go to NZ and he's asking me why, (geezz everyone does, it's always WHY NZ? why not OZ?) so I'm explaining,
when he says, "well D, I'm Australian, you can always marry me, the process takes a year and it will help you get into NZ without a hitch"
I'm looking at Carl.. "seriously mate....."
and he's like " no, I mean it, I can help... plus you're easy on the eye.. we'd have fun together." I roll my eyes, however, as we're having this discussion, Rick, who's been evesdripping, gets the wrong end of the stick because he hears the "Marry me" bit and all gaydom breaks loose..

Just imagine me standing in a black cocktail dress, glass of champers in hand, Carl sitting on a bar stool, talking to me and Rick leaning over to Carl and running his hands through Carl's hair and saying "ARE YOU SURE YOU"RE NOT GAY??? because I think you are, and I need to know these things if you're going to marry D, as I know D's dad very well.. you have no idea who he is... " Carl looks at me, I'm grinning and I think payback time!! Rick's all ready to speed dial Dad up, Ian at this point is muttering in my ear ... ( "says he the one night stand that never left!" ) I cover my mouth as I choke down the laughter!  I watch Carl act his way out of this little pickle!... he's good... very good... but that doesn't mean he's off the hook!

Ian has had enough and says "come on, come back to my place we can drink there and have a chat." So that is what we did, and after Carl and Jacqui left , I stayed on and chatted into the wee hours of the morning with Ian about matters of the heart, mind and soul. If only he was straight, I'd marry him in a heart beat... now how many times have you heard a straight woman say that about a gay man??? ... thought so...
... Dx

I do this for you my friend

To say that I have a small hangover would be quite an understatement... who needs to do damage with wine in France when one can do it here very easily...aspirins I love you, you are my bestest friends.. hic.. ooppss..
Well I knew my FORMER best friend Gina would bunk out on me last night. Since Louis is in Italy, one would think she'd be partying like before, but no..

So I rock into the Hilton hotel and the valet tells me the doo is on the 6th floor in the ballroom .. I'm double checking OK, as I'm on my own, don't want to walk into someones wedding and have to sit with some strange folk eating some exotic 6 course meal just to be polite!
Anyway I head up and get stuck in the lift with not one .. oh no.. that would have been too kind, but about 8 very very and very (did I say very?) smelly sweaty people, even my perfume couldn't overpower the reek of b.o.(what is it with the no showering after walking around in the heat and sweating like a horse deal?) They're  asking me "omm were is der pardy?" "we would like to come as well" .. I'm doing a Mr bean impersonation in the lift and looking at the numbers on the panel holding my breath, trying not to look like I understand engrrisshh!

Phew! I think as the lift doors open, I step out and flee!  I try to saunter in to the function room gracefully, I'm wearing a bright fuchsia dress with soft pink flowers on it and beading, it's cut pretty ... well.. low.. so I've got to stand straight.. in case .. you know what( overexposed cleavage .. not a pretty sight) .. anyway..So I'm sauntering in and girls at the reception table are looking at me with those polite glazed over looks
"and you are?" asks the petite door girl
Deep breath, very low voice " I'm D x "..
"oh".. quick scurrying.. and I get tagged.. with a paper band around my wrist that says VIP.. what? what? viper in progress? very iggy pop??

So I head to the entrance and the photographer is clicking away at a couple and I'm told to wait.  You know when you do that one two step to try to move forward and you have to step back coz of on coming traffic?? That was me and I wasn't line dancing!  So anyway photographer finishes and I'm about to step in and she 's looking at me with this question mark on her face. I put her out of her misery "it's OK, no need for pics, I'm on my own, I'll just go straight in .." jeez... ya think being single is akin to being a leper nowdays!

I slowly walk through looking for my old class mate who was the co organiser of this event. What a former hot shot Lawyer who was also titled , is doing in Events now is totally beyond me, but I'm sure I'll get an explanation eventually.
There is no one I recognise, I keep on walking till I get to the bar at the end of the room and at the last island table is Wanda, an editor of a new and upcoming magazine, she's standing there with her girlfriend and giving me a cheesy grin. "Hey!" "Where HAVE you been?" Wanda was one of the regulars at Bar Blond when I used to go there for drinks with the girls or for the Blond Idol nights. I air kiss her cheeks and say " I've given up going out for lent" She introduces me to her girlfriend, I notice they're both wearing the same necklaces.. how cute..

I turn to get a drink off the waiter's tray and Stephan rolls up to me with his usual cheeky smile. Stephan is a journalist as well, whom I've known since my radio days, he used to write articles about us when we were in the biz.. "D, since you're in the line of work and all that, do you have any MTV post party passes?"
"Pardon?" I say
"post party passes? " he says again. (Try saying post party passes really fast 10 times..)
........
I look at Steven and say "why would you think I'd have any and , who'd want to go?"
"I would" Stephan says..
Sigh, he's still so Billboard's Hot 10 Hits. Anyway, it's the usual move and schmooze, and I'm standing at the table thinking,if it wasn't for my ol school chum, I'd be at home, online to Ana, having a cackle. I'm supposed to have given up smoking but I really need a fag now and I'm talking the smoking kind.. .  Wanda goes off with her girl friend and says she'll be back, and for me to not go inside the main ball room without her.   OooK. I'm the rock that everyone clings too today...
Stephan says he'll be back in a sec, he's decided to hang around me tonight as I'm on my own... repeat line.. I'm the rock they everyone is clinging to today...

The moment they step away, a load of Singaporeans come up to the table I'm standing at, I mean out of the dozens of tables around the foyer of the ballroom, WHY my table?? And have you noticed how utterly utterly DISGUSTINGLY HORRIBLE the Singaporean accent is? (I have nothing against them.. realllyyyyy  *innocent look*)   AND boy are they LOUD!! after talking over me and around me one of them says, "sorry ah, if we're a bit loud" Well , not one to mince with my words, I say " Yes , a BIT loud" sarcastically.   I think he gets miffed at the "ice out" from me and steps away. . I text Stephan and say "get your butt back here, I will not deal with dickheads alone"

He's back in 2 mins and says "c'mon lets schmooze around," it's amazing the things one sees when one is out. Who's going out with whom, who's having an affair with whom, who's got TERRIBLE taste in clothes, who wears TOO little.( why do we waste so much time doing all this?? aAgood DVD at home would have been so much more pleasant  or throwing peanuts at the tv whilst watching the Kardashians!) I'm grinning away and doing the "hello dahhhlinkk, how are youuuu," bit and finally spot my ol school chum, she's got a walkie talkie in one hand, a pda in the other and a frown on her forehead.
"HEY! " "WOMAN"! I shout at her, her eyes open wide and she grins at me and mouths "I'll be with you in a sec!"

The main doors open for the show, you got your usual gyrating girls in little wee shorts and boob tubes with lit torches and what not.  Yeah, yeah I'm thinking, whoopdee doo, and start heading to the island table closest to the bar with Stephan and Wanda, who've found me along the way, and park myself there for the rest of the night, well for the next hour and half anyway.

While the show is going on, I'm getting texts from Sam who is Gina's golfing buddy
" Oi D, get your fat ass down here, we've got drinks at the bar" He's at Zee bar one floor down with James who's also a golfing buddy but also Gina's and my lawyer.
I text back " Is Gina there?"
Sam replies " Louis calling her house phone to check on her eh"
which means NO! he he he, ah women... what can I say.

People are coming up to greet me, I think I must have used most of my tube of lip gloss from all the cheeks I kissed, some man of unknown origins walks past me and says "you must go and thank your parents for your features... " HUH? what was that all about? My butt gets patted and I turn around and it's Jingles, a musician friend of mine from London, his lovely black hair in tiny plats,
"oi oi", I say,
"D, corr you look gorgeous luv, where's Gina? "
I say "At home in bed man, she's getting lazy about going out"
He says "yeah, did she tell you I bumped into her and her man"
we both roll our eyes and he dashes off to play the next set on stage.

My old school chum comes over eventually, as she was the only reason I came to this do, and introduced me to her husband, and family members and then dragged over some other old school chums and there was much hugging and squeals of delight and catching up going on ( I was in an all girls school prior to leaving my country)

I realised it was time to go when one of the ministers with his very 'horrible head rug' was standing very close by.   I was eventually introduced to him " Yes yes he says, "we've met many times, but I'm afraid to come and say hello with all your boyfriends around" and holds his hands up and pretends to tremble. " Oh ha ha ha" I laugh politely, and pinch my girlfriend for introducing him, yes I've met him twice before, under official circumstances, in his office, and NOT at social gatherings..
I turn to Stephan to tell him I'm going, and he says "relax D, stay just a little longer please, the music is getting good" Stephen has, for most of the night, been trying to find some girl I introduced him to, whom he has endearingly referred to as "the big kajongas girl" I can't remember who she is. and in between his search he's been bopping around me! Sigh, "OK" just a bit, as I have to go downstairs to meet some friends"

More of my girlfriends are standing around me, and as I look around to catch a waiter when I lock eyes with this very cute Chinese guy, who grins at me, umm.. I smile back... OK.. I always get confused when Chinese guys do this to me as I always think I must be the last person in the world they'd be attracted to, as my features are the polar opposite of theirs. I get my drink, more introductions, clinking of glasses and as I look up,  cute oriental guy is looking at me from his table, he's got a lovely Armani suit on, open crisp cotton white shirt and obviously weight lifts.  He still smiling at me, I'm intrigued, then he , get this, he crooks his finger at me to beckon me over! I turn around grab my bag, say goodbye to all at the table, tell them to say goodbye to Stephan as he's off again, and zoom out of the ballroom quick to Zee bar.
HE HE HE escape! I mean, hello, crook your finger at ME???? uh huh.my mother taught my brothers more manners than that thank goodness..

I head in to Zee bar looking for the culprits who sent me such rude texts,  and find Sam and James at the usual corner of the bar we stand at,  they are with two really cute bubbly girls.  James asks me what I want to drink, and I say water, he looks at me and says "D, I said a DRINK!!"
Ok ok, I tell him red wine, I get both, water and red wine, I drink the water down as I've got to drive home and don't want to be tiddled driving.

Sam's got some friends at the bar as well, one of them has got Sam's shirt sleeve stuffed in his mouth as he's staring at me, James looks at him, rolls his eyes and says to me, "here D, let me introduce you to Ben" I laugh and say hello, and then James introduced me to the rest of them, they turn out to be the devil incarnate, as I'm trying to sober up they're trying to get me more drinks! We're all giggling about Gina and her self imposed exile from the club. The guys are dancing with their girlies on the dance floor, then they're swinging me around on the dance floor, and after the second glass of wine that has been pressed into my hand, James says 'c'mon lets go", as it's getting late and some guys are paying me unwanted attention. I get home in one piece, James calls to check if I've made in back OK, and I crash out thinking I always have a much better time with my mates just having a few and a laugh, now I know why I don't want to go out to rara doos anymore.. IT"S TIRING!!! Dx