New Year! Hello 2010!

Everyone was asking me , 'where are you goin to be celebrating NYE D?' I had initially promised James (e gads months ago actually!) and so when the invites came pouring in I kept wondering what I really wanted to do.

Well as we get older I guess we prefer to spend it with people that mean a lot to us, and I didn't want to be trapped with a bunch of strangers in any sort of party, be it at a house or club. I was also not really in the mood as it had been a pretty horrendous couple of months financially and emotionally draining, even though I was doing my best to press on. I mean, geezz even I was getting tired of all the gloom and doom of my mood and general life.

Feeling like a shrew, I just wanted to sit in my little "safety zone" and not have to bother about being nice to anyone.... one accidental slip of the tongue, and "ooo wazzup with D, she a total biatch these days" then again I was also getting fed up with my own company.

So on Christmas day, unlike most Christmases that I have with only family, I had my extended family who were ol school chums of mine from waaaaaaayyyyyy back when come over with their kids, can you imagine cooking for 17 people?!! Well I did, and it was brilliant, it was also going to by my last Christmas here. The table was groaning with turkeys (yes two, and both cooked differently!), stuffing, roasted spuds, baby potatoes, mixed green veg, Brussels sprouts, mushroom gravy sauce, cranberry sauce, mince pies, Christmas pudding and not forgetting the yummy Christmas log that my gal pal had brought along.. deeelishh oh and of course I made mulled wine (gluh wine) but of course only I drank it, people here aren't used to it.. so we carried on with some great Merlot.

Much later, much much later.. when everyone could heave their bodies around, we had a music flashback, "who knows this song!" "it's Prince!" "ok ok how about this one" ! "o my god, that's not rappers delight is it!!" yeahhhh. Heh Heh, its was the most tiring but one of the best Christmases I've had in a long time.

So when I went for my quiet round of drinks with James and his family for NYE, it was just right, I didn't feel I needed to be with tons of people, I enjoyed the convivial atmos of the restaurant and we most certainly did give the DJ heaps when he wasn't playing our music!!

And to top it all off, I went home early, fell asleep as I was waiting for the kettle to boil, woke up with a start at 6.30am , ran to the computer and flicked on my skype, and true to my word and hers, Ana and I celebrated her NYE countdown, it was the loveliest bottle of Prosecco I'd drunk in a long time! albeit the earliest ! he he he rock on!

I really feel this year is starting out so brilliantly, I've started my master cleanse detox diet that my lovely friend Chrissy gave to me. We went to school in Hong Kong together and she lives in Bali now, the invite is open to head over there , and I'm most certainly going to take it up! When she came over a couple of weeks ago to see me, (and I haven't seen her for 25 years!!) she looked bloody terrific! So I'm on my third day of the detox and I'm still hanging in there!



He He He... I'm thrilled with 2010 so far!
Dx

the weekend

hey D, did you just get up?" my brother Bob enquires down the phone.
"Well sort of, I'm just watching Friends in bed" I croak back. I love watching Friends, over and over and over again. It puts me in a "happy" place. Just like watching Black Adder when I need to go to sleep, I know it so well, that the moment Rowan Atkinson says "Baldric!" I'm in the land of nod.. don't ask me why but it works!

I'm quite amazed at the amount of invites that are pouring in for this weekend, a hen's party, drinks at trendy bar, dinner for two , bbq at my bro's house (which is why he called)... I guess being in hibernation for the past few weeks has made everyone wonder what I look like now! heh heh. Ah well, the hen's party it is, as my best buddies are goin with me and I promised them first a week ago. Last time we had a hen's night the male stripper/dancer (yeah whateverrrr) kept dancing near me and sitting on my lap.... errr ok... cute but please go hassle the Miss who's about to be a MRS ... Wonder what the entertainment will be tonight.. the theme is Arabian nights.... uh huh... my thoughts exactly.. (look take the thought of 40 odd nebulous women in scantly clad see through clothes posing on cushions being fanned by eunuchs in a large tent like room with scalloped curtains and tassels.. being served Turkish delights and sugared almonds.. Out of your mind.) it's in a restaurant in town...

I'm most certainly not going to be going in some type of floaty number that's for sure! Wonder what the girls will be wearing..
Dx

Finally!

Ok, so no one frog marched me to the exit and said "RAUS!" (which means OUT!). In fact we had a little giggle at the information counter when I went to get the documents. They need a certificate of good conduct.. yes that was my reaction too... I giggled so hard.. and then when I managed to take a breath I asked where and whom would give me said certificate, and I was told from the Police.. which made me grin even harder, the lady behind the counter cought on and was grinning back at me. She waived me good bye when I said thank you and I thought to myself , at least I made someone laugh today!

It turned out to be a good day anyway, and somehow it turned into a very Parisian like day, where lunch time was accompanied with a wine, and a visit to best friends shop was also accompanied with wine, and when I spotted the owners of an outlet I did some events work for, there was .. wait for it.. more wine.. ! Fasicaniting stuff eh..

Now all I have to do is get all the docs ready, and pool in heaps of cash..
Dx

Fuzzy

I've been meaning to go to the consulate for the last three weeks, somehow or the other I've managed to procrastinate or make excuses not to go. The question is why? It's not like going to the dentist is it? heh heh.. well my dentist is a sweetie so that's a bad analogy! OK OK so it's not like going to see (oh this is a good one) a government officer who is disbursing the funds from one's late husband's estate... hah!

In fact every time I've gone to the consulate, they've been nothing but helpful, kind and really pleasant ...so what's with the mental stumbling block I say? Could it be that I'm really quite disturbed (yeah yeah you all know I am mental) by the thought of finally getting that final document that is required to blow this pop stand? Is it?

Well today is the day, I'm going in, (says she who's still on the computer... sigh) I have half an hour to have my coffee, to get ready and put my war paint on (any more of those comments about it would take forever are SO uncalled for!) hop into the tank and roar off into town. Can I do it?

OF COURSE! I'll let you know later...
Dx

Movin on again!

I keep looking at my blogspot and keep thinking I really have to blog about all the news that's been going on, but I let myself get so distracted by e mails, facebook, twitter and friends and family that it's just a blur and finally I sit here and think,
I have got to just say a few things.

One , I have left No Black Tie, it was great while it lasted but we all could see that I would out grow it, and it thought me many things, especially about how I'm really not as superhuman as I think I am regarding energy and spent time! But what a ride!

I'm now working as a consultant for an Events/branding company called Brightbox Asia, and it suits me fine as I've got time to help host an art exhibition for my friend Mark Harris this weekend, and manage Dasha Logan with her singing career, and generally catch up with friends and family. I guess when you are in the creative field, everything is a possibility. I find my paths criss crossing again with so many things I enjoy doing and people who inspire me.

If you want to check out Mark's art it's : http://www.artbreak.com/markboyharris/works
our wonderful song bird
Dasha Logan :http://www.facebook.com/daphne.nasir?v=box_3&ref=name#/group.php?gid=115845607306&ref=ts
My actor buddy Craig Foong : www.craigfoong.com

and there will be more to come!
Dx

catch up Time

"what is wrong with your connection babe!" I shout into the phone
"Are you sure it's my connection? I've got full bars" answers Karl
"OK where were we, ah yes, you were saying you could not believe he asked for that amount for the drama show" I continue our conversation that was constantly being cut off (all this technology and still we have bad lines!)

So Karl fills me in on some information he had gleaned tonight at an open house party he was attending for one of the productions he had recently been working on. This specific one, which was a TV drama, had given him more publicity and fans!
We were both dying to see what the film that he recently acted in would look like once it was edited for show next year.

We share a quiet chuckle about the person in question that Karl is talking about and then Karl says "so whatcha up to? Did you get enough sleep?"
We had been out last night and ended up going home in the wee hours of the morning, luckily it's the weekend otherwise I'd be a basket case. I told him I'd had a good 5 hours sleep and that I was stuck into a book as I'd not have much time to next week.
"Anyway darling, get back to to schmoozing with your production mates and have a great time, we'll catch up next week as we've got to plan your birthday party OK" I say to Karl, who rings off with a promise to have lunch next week.

I pick up the book that I was reading,  but instead get lost in thoughts of my other outings!

On Thursday I had a girls night out at Aileen's house with my former work buddy Evil. Poor Pierce had to be kicked out of his own home so the girls could bitch and gossip with total abandon, however loving boyfriend to Aileen that he was, he made the baby mozzarella and tomato salad , plus the green salad and put a few bread rolls in the oven for us before he left, to accompany the steamed crab that was going to be delivered later on for dinner! Yum, and was it good!

4 bottles of wine later, and the girls had concocted some kind of TV program that involved wine which they wanted me to host , drowning out my vehement 'NO I WILL NOT DO IT" cries with, their incessant talk about how they'd come up with an award winning show..

Thankfully Pierce turned up at the end of the night, as the talk was escalating into a bullying match of blackmail and gentle goading. He put a stop to it by laughing his arse off and explained in a very patient *we've done this before* manner why it wouldn't work, which then led to the girls picking on him..
Well he was brave is all I can say, most men wait till the women have gone then stagger home!

Karl had taken me to the showing of a short film he was acting in that was held at the Actors Studios on  the Wednesday before the girls dinner.  Interesting stuff, not sure about the horror flick, but then again I am a complete coward when it comes to all that heavy breathing, wall a-sweating, doors slamming, heart thudding, finger nail biting ... well you know what I mean(you see I can't even write about it) I remember the very first horror flick I went to see was Exorcist, it scared me so bad, I kept crawling into my brothers room every night for almost a month to sleep with them, much to their horror and disgust ( I was always their personal horror flick). The nightly ritual of checking under my bed and sleeping with the lights on was certainly not worth it, so now if anyone wants to go see a horror, it's without me.

Anyway we ended up at a lovely Italian restaurant/bar in the heart of town for dinner and drinks and caught the Dj and live percussionist show on the roof top later on. Needless to day we bumped into some good friends of ours,and the night carried on till I had to be the responsible adult (who me?) and call it quits!

Tuesday I was at a launch of a new Food Guide Book and I had taken Aleco, not to impressed with the canapes for a Food Guide launch, however it was an eclectic bunch; and we managed to network with some very interesting people

I always think to myself how it is that in a town like this we manage to either see the same people over and over again or not see a friend for years and then bump into them consecutively for the next few days... coincidence or the laws of the universe?
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