My first one...

i think i better start by briefly introducing myself..im a 24 year old lad, originally from the phils., moved to london last september 2008.

there are a lot of firsts when i came to what i call now home, London. it was the first time ever that i stayed away from home. not to mention the distance!

my country is known for having strong family values that it comes to a point where in one roof, more than one family squeezed to live. technically its still a family coz after all, they are still blood related. duh! in formal terms, this form of living is described as extended. i woudnt say its the best but certainly it isnt boring. its quite fun actually.

my moving to another country didnt really hit me until a week before i was to depart. on my "despedida"* party, lot of emotions were shown...mostly sad. aside from the immediate family (especially mom and sis) that i will miss (and still does), there were my closest friends. twas hard for them as it was for me. it came to a point where i cried to sleep. but i thought, "i need to go. i had to do this. ". and so i went.

nevertheless, i was also looking forward to coming to UK..

i didnt realize that it was more struggle when i was finally here. its no longer the homesickness, this time it was more of a culture shock! my first home was in a very secluded area. it was so far away from the town centre. if i look out from my windows, all i could see were fields, horses, trees, very green...nothing more! back home, i have always lived in a city where everything is accessible. this was too much for me i said. probably not the best decision, but i got my family worried because i kept on calling them saying that i wanted to give up already. my employers even aggravated the pain that i was experiencing inside me. it wasnt the life that i had hoped for. this wasnt the London depicted in movies and TV. this was the very opposite.

came my good friend, Ara, who came here months before me, became my refuge. i was very weak. she helped me overcome it all. luckily i got a new job a month after and moved on. now, im settled and happy.

i also learned about independence here. back home, we had someone to do chores for us. but here, all you can rely on is yourself. from cooking, doing the dishes, laundry, everything! my mom will laugh at me, but im actually enjoying cooking now. more than ever!

before, i was never interested to other race. although there are some i found cute, but i didnt picture myself becoming intimate with them. they are just good with the eyes and thats it. but 2 months after i got here, i ate all my words, i went out with Western guys. id say they were interesting though mostly are just after the s_x, which wasnt what i wanted. it was also a first to me to get myself involved with a married guy. although it never really lasted; but could have been nurtured. but very glad i didnt.

just almost 2 months ago, i got a gaydar message from harrow123. he was very interesting and so different from the rest. there was something in him that i was really clinged. aside from his blue eyes.hehehe he was simply amazing! we exchanged few emails, chatted on msn, talked on the phone, and decided on the 30th of december to finally meet. odd thing was, i was supposed to meet the married guy on that day but i cancelled it for this new guy. talking about taking risks.

our first date: he grabbed me in Uxbridge Platform 1 and gave me a very warm hug. i thought it was romantic. it was a good indication. i was loving it! he was just great. we clicked so well, we were together until late at night. too bad i had to break it and go home.

our 2nd date was supposed to be that weekend but fate brought us together again on New Year's Eve. it was destined that we celebrate the coming in of 2009 together. A new start. a new beginning. For us, me and my Peter!

after a very sumptuous New Year's Dinner

*despedida-goodbye; farewell