Managed to tick off 116 countries so far and I have become a bit of a master on longhaul weekend trips. So why not start sharing some of those experiences.............I have a lot of opinions on airlines premium services and so far the winner is Singapore airlines tightly followed by Virgin atlantic and their upper class..........you can´t beat the bar onboard to kill time across the Atlantic.
I will also share some design inspiration from my trips and cool bars and restaurants.
2016
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Sometimes you have to face things head on and leave what has passed to the past. You can twist and turn and try to make sense of things that have happened but sometimes you just have to force a change and move on.
3 major things changed my life 2016.
The trial against the idiot that abused me for 2 years finally happened - he got 11 months, not enough but I got closure and moved on.
I woke up broke after 2 years of exessive spending and little work - realized a low budget lifestyle is not my thing - got my shit together and started building a base to make money again.
I threw myself in to the world of plastic surgery - yes my saggy face was so out of sync with my future. It was scary, I didn´t have unrealistic expectations and it was so not in my non existing budget but I did it. I found the most amazing surgeon, Dr Ben Talei. Not only is he a brilliant surgeon, he makes you feel amazing the second you walk in his office............and even more amazing after surgery......have a bit of a crush on him actually (sorry Ben). Can a facelift change your life ??? I don´t know yet has only been 7 weeks but my gut tells me ....... absofuckinglutely.............
With a new hat, a layer of mineralpowder and a bit of clever shading with a fags best friend the good old bronzing powder I'm ready for a vase size martini at the Abbey....... hold the olives, can't afford the calories
Finally day 7 and cast off the nose f.....ck it's swollen. Hump gone and breathing restored, the waiting game begins.
Day 4 .... I never was the nursing type but getting quite good with the q-tips, peroxide and antibacterial cream he he
Black and blue from the nose job - I don't think I'll be going on any hot dates tonight......,
On the other hand there are guys on grindr in to all sorts of stuff maybe I should change my profile.... "xl top racoon looking for fun tonight" but then I remembered my instructions - "no straining physical activity" bummer
Hotelroom surgery recovery sooooo boring.
I love LA you can go out all bruized, stiched and with a nose cast - nobody bats an eyelid.
Dying for a proper coffee and I found a place in Beverly Hills that roasts their iwn beans, so happy I could ditch starbucks.
Dr Talei, you are a genious - to accomplish so much with so little or actually no pain at all is awesome.
This picture is taken 16 hours after surgery - it looks quite raw but I can assure you it looks a lot worse than it feels ,no pain whatsoever just feels a bit tight and looks a bit pulled towards the sky because of the swelling.
Look I have a jaw line again it's amazing, I am totally extatic.
Now comes the waiting game - the absolute worst for an aires like myself
All done and bandaged up........ Poor Dr Talei 9,5 hrs - he basically had to rebuild my nose from scratch........amazing to think it´s my rib behind that cast.
Am I in pain ? No. Obviously I can feel my nose and how he has completely rearranged my neck and face and not just pulled my skin and cut off the slack (and believe me there was a lot of slack), but I think that´s quite cool I really feel like he has put my face and neck back to where it was 30 years ago, muscles and all..........This is going to be so cool.
All bandage except the nose cast will come off tomorrow, I can´t wait, i am sooooo excited.
So far I haven´t been nervous at all about what I am going to, but Dr Talei has only seen pictures.......... Now I´m nervous, what if he says I´m a lost case and he can´t help me???
Stepping in to his office in Beverly Hills I am now very nervous - it feels like I am going for a job intervju.
The absolutely lovely staff shows me in to a room and shortly after Dr Talei joins me. What a fantastic man, extremely proffessional without creating a barrier, very confident in his work super pleasant and funny with a super smile. He makes me feel at ease in 2 minutes and start explaining the proceedures, the face he says is pretty straight forward but the nose could be more complicated so to make sure he has enough material to work with we decide to use some rib cartledge.He takes the before pictures and I get a bunch of prescrpitions for antibiotics, antiswelling drugs, nasuea drugs, pain killers etc......... I feel confident I will not be in any pain whatsoever.
Leaving his office it feels like I have been on a very successful date and I am super positive and excited, I can´t wait to get on the operating table.
I have hecitated a long time now about publishing this, there is still a lot of predjudice and stigma around plastic surgery and especially on men
but wtf I actually don´t care about what other people think - I did it for myself not for anyone eles.
Yes I am vain and for 2 years now my saggy face has been annoying the hell out of me............Age graceflly they say, look at the picture - there is nothing graceful about that at all. Wrinkles don´t bother me at all but saggy, loose skin does, particullary at an age of only 52.
My biggest fear about having it done was the prospect of looking like a pulled 70 year old lady so I did my research very well...... In Sweden they didn´t want to do it, they were talking about fat transfers and visible scars e t c - after months of research and looking at 1000´s of before and after pictures (either they look stretched as hell or almost no difference at all) I took off for Beverly Hills and the worlds best facial surgeon for natural results that still show a differnece, Dr ben Talei.
My friends comments were "you are beautiful as you are" "why don´t you have it done somewhere cheap" "your face just shows you have lived" and so on, I love them for saying that but...........
Yes I still want to be me that´s why I choose Dr Talei to do it, no I don´t want a bargain basement facelift and end up on some freaky plastic surgery failure tv show, seriously I don´t buy my clothes at H&M why should I get a H&M facelift ??? and yes I have lived - even a bit too much actually but seriously I don´t want to walk around like an open book flaunting a life of late nights, too much alcohol and a 38 year addiction to Marlboro. I also decided to get rid of the hump on my nose which is a result of a fucked up nose job I had 30 years ago.
I had this done 4+ weeks ago but will publish my surgery diary day by day with a delay. So pretend I am flying out to LA today, I promise I will post lot´s of pictures
To be continued..............
It's funny how life plays little tricks with you. As an englishman would say, when it rains it poors.
I haven't been on the ball for a few years now and that's fine when you have money in the bank. When the account is emty it's a bitch. Who am I to complain ???? I spent half of my life in luxury and style, but I have been quite lazy last 4 years.......and guess what I ran out of money. I am "poor" , I have a trial coming up in may because some idiot kicked and beat me up for 2 years- and I let him ( different discussion)
But today british airways VISA told me that the 30.000 SEK someone had nicked from my card they would only cover 17.000..........
With an empty bank account ( most of it poored down british airways) it just became too much.....
I'll bounce back, actually working hard on it but what a piss off. I have been a super customer of BA visa and British Airways for ever......... and now they call me a person of extreme negligence ????
Come again ????
I pay my bill in full on time, I tell all my friends it's the bees neees, both the card and the airline...... I'll talk to them tomorrow but if they don't fix this I will make it my mission to make it hurt financially for them.......
They simply fucked with the wrong bitch.........don't think they have a manual for loyal, poor angry old queens
I am in New York and last night simon and i took a cab to have dinner with our dear friend Dennis. I paid the cab and took the reciept, got out and 1 min later realised I had left my phone on the seat. Tried running after the cab but he was ling gone. Called the number on the reciept - it was going to take 2 working days to find out who the driver was and get hus number ?????? In sweden we are so used to shit like that working beautifully........but in america no....they are a bit behind thectimes with technology, the still pay bills with checks ...
Anyway called my phone and a man answers and sais he has the phone , he picked it up in the cab , he said " if you leave it to the driver you will never get it back, not because they steal but there are no proper routines "
This man was off to a concert but took the trouble to drop the phone off att my hotel in the middle of the night
What a true fantastic human beeing - he compensates for the 4-5 times my phone has been stolen from my pocket in stockholm.
There are still honest nice people out there and I am going to live on this memory for a ling time, and it hapoened in one of the world's largest cities - amazing.
After last years hysterical travel schedule I was supposed to slow down this year........my plan went to hell already in january with a trip to Cape Town. Sydney was next in feb-march and now off to NY for a couple of days. In the end of april off again to Tokyo, call me crazy but panicking a bit that I have no trips planned may-june-july so need to look in to that shortlymy first planned trip after Tokyo is Provincetown in August .........
Seriously stay away from qatars 777 it's the old type of flat bed , slmost flat, you slide down towards the floor and my chair was broken so a ski slope. Their 787 had 1-2-1 configuration , 10 times better and lives up to the title 5 star airline
In other words had a rather crappy sleep
It's almost 30 years ago I sailed in to sydney for the first time. Obviously it was extra magical the first time but it still gives me goosbumps. Sydne harbour is ine of the worlds largest natural harbours and has mesmorized people for centuries. First came the prisoners and then came the immigrants and settlers from europe and in later years asia. All full of hope for a better future on a continent far away from home. Sydney and Austraila still today has a cerrain vibe and energy Of starting fresh and building a better future, it's a true melting pot where integration has suceeded .........
I know you are 28 I know you are tined I know you have a tight butt. You nocked my non alcoholic beer on your H&M outfit and got bitter .........
Bitter you get at 84 not 28
And pal I've got news for you yor ass will soon sag and your hair will be just a memory so drop the bitter attitude it makes you old and ugly
Puss
I have now seen the lifeguards in action. It got a bit windy today and the surf and waves were pretty fierce. Lifeguards shouted on their megaphones foe people to stay close to the flags - but do people listen ???
No - 5 stupid girls went swimming really close to the rocks ofcourse the current did it's thing and they were about to be smashed against the cliffs........
Quite dramatic with lots of screaming and crying from the girls - lifeguards were there on their boards in no time and rescued all of them. I'm glad I'm not a lifeguard I would have left them, I mean seriously if you are that stupid and cocky an ignore the warnings from proffessionals perhaps you don't deserve to be rescued ???
Anyway, the girls are alive for this time but unfortunately there is no rescue for ignorance and stupid
No no it's not a fetish thing you find in a darkroom in some gay leather bar, it's a manbag straight men of a certain age insist on using when they travel. Why it got the name gay sling is beyond me, no fag would be caught dead with one.
I spotted this when I was having breakfast this morning , I mean really ???
Besides the size and the amount of people there are a few things that stand out. The time money and effort put in to the parade and the floats are amazing. In stockholm it sometimes feels like all we can do is put a bunch of political and angry dykes on the back of a truck and call it a float.
There is also not a designated pride park - the whole city is a pride venue open to everyone, however the gay area around oxford street becomes a "pride park" without the fence.
There is of course the big end party, a huge venue with 60.000 people attending. It was hysterical and fun, but I gave up around 3 am - the party went on 'til 8 and then plenty of after parties. Gay sydney is extremely drug orientated and pills is the big thing, so for us drinkers it's a bit of a struggle to keep it up 24/7.
There are 10's of thousands of foreign queens in town to fill all the bars - but the big thing for the locals is sunday night after the parade - where there is a party for every taste and fetish. No fag works monday after marsi gras.
So is the parade political ???? Yes and no...... Polititians keep a very low key but the big thing was of course marriage equality.
The biggest + for me was the fact that the whole city participated and gays and straights partied together and weren't seperated like "them and us" like in stockholm.
The biggest - , I should have come more prepared and bought tickets for some of the themed parties - everything was sold out months ago.
It's definetely worth going but plan ahead.
And seriously all you need is a pair of shorts and flip flops for the whole time oh and a t-shirt if you are shy, they reeeeaaaaallllly don't dress up here at all ........
Some pictures from the parade and party - will write s full review after I get some coffe down my neck
I never was a big breakfast fan , to tell you the trouth I still have problems getting it down, but have yo because of training. I just found a new favourite
Tomatoes, avocado, olive oil and sour dough toast - simple, fresh and absolutely yummie so hello fresco cafe home at grev turegatan there is going to be a menu change
Early morning on pride parade day and jetlag is slightly making itself reminded.
Parade is not 'til 7 pm so plenty of time to get ready, I think a long afternoon nap is called for since the big party goes on 'til 8 am sunday .
Have talked to a lot of people here and the big thing for prep for the party is spending 4 hrs in the gym pumping ........ Yes Sydney is very body orientated, well in the gay world at least.
Town is completely packed with americans who are all very excited, almost like it is all very forbidden and naughty.
If there is a god I think he is with us today - 25 degrees, blue skies and a very nice breeze.
Whish you all were here
What a fab way to start the morning , 1 hr at the gym and now
Super fresh tomato and avocado toast by the sydney opera house, there is something so wonderful with fruit and vegetables that has ripened in the sun. Weather brilliant and I am totally over the chock of having to pay 800 sek duty for a carton of marlboro, you are only allowed to bring 50 cigarettes - well still a bargain a pack here costs over 150 sek.....
After breakfast a stroll back to potts point through the botanical garden - a cpuple of hours on the beach, nap, yoga and dinner followed by a night about town.
Love this lifestyle
Quatar airways ......
It really is fantastic, the cabin, the food, the seats ....all perfect. The crew is very well trained and deliver.... But not intuitive at all . They do what they are trained to do , nothing more nothing less. Hey no complaints at all but where is the personality ???
Sometimes 5 star is rated only on the "hardware" and the software is forgotten which I think is bad.
Yes I am very happy I am on quatar for this 14 hour flight , I just had an amazing dinner, will watch a movie and then sleep in a bed thats probably more comfy than my own. The sarcastic fun loving twinkle in the eye from a 60 year old BA trolley dolley just isn't there and I miss it
Oh and they have no sambuca so I have to suffer through baileys
Oh and the predominantly thai crew onboard hates me....
Some parents thaught it was very funny to have their 2,5 year old son run up & down the isle for 20 minutes screaming of joy .......yeah really very cute ???? I finally put my foot down and now parents and child loving thai crew hates me .....
For fucks sake get a nanny and put her and the child in coach
I suspect it's airline crew on staff tickets ..... Well everyone except me thaught it was very cute ??????
Had to suffer through security again and they really don't have control over who's premium or cattle. Lounge is wonderful f....ing huge. Today though out of champagne
Well a premium scotch works just as well - I do miss my gold card with access to the first lounge but working on it. BA changed the rules so have to work a lot harder to get to gold......when am I going to have time to work
So far impressed with quatar
Finally onboard and so far lives up to my expectations. Very nice single seat by the window , very spacious and exeptionally wide seats for a modern business class.
The champagne today is billecart-salmon, which I have not encoyntered before but brilliantly dry and light, well suited for a morning flight.
I always said vacation starts with the flight - and boy what a brilliant start.
For lunch I think I will choose the celebrity chef dish - chicken tikka masala
Have a nice day you all
Five star airline but undortunately third party lounge , pretty much 2 star. Don't get me wrong it was perfectly nice but the selection is as close to a cheap b&b as it gets ...... Only stayed 5 mins which was more than enough
This time I cannot be acused of travelling with to much luggage. I am however panicung a bit
I mean 6 pairs of shoes ??? 7 days and 7 nights .......usually requires 14 pairs
As usual I run out of time and my travel date has moved closer with the speed of light Just finished a client meeting and now home to pack, and I am seriously going to try to pack light this time. 27 degrees in Sydney and it is a very casual place, but the concept of packing a pair of shorts a couple of t-shirts and flip flops never worked for me, believe me I have tried. It is after all Mardi gras/pride, but thank god I am not a drag queen who needs to pack 12 pairs of heals and a ton of feathers as well. I am however not going to pack 12 pairs of shoes, 6 blazers and a full collection of sunglasses for every occasion (that´s my aim anyway)
I have already bleached my hair, smered myself in self tanning cream, plocked my eybrows and printed out boarding cards. Need to get half a bottle of red wine to prepare the stomach for changing of timezones and pack my handluggage full of mousturizing cream to avoid showing up looking more like a prune than I already do.
Later tonight I will take a yoga class to stretch the old limbs and and inject some zen tranquility in to my body.
I don´t know if it´s a gay thing or not but I always dress up for flying. I guess it´s an old habit from the old days when I travelled coach and desperately was hoping for an upgrade. These days even people in business and first class dress for comfort and it seriously offends me. I know it´s not comfortable to sleep in a suit and not all airlines provide pyjamas unless you are in first but seriously pack your comfort wear and change after dinner. It is rather off putting to sit and drink your champagne and eat a nice lunch or dinner when your fellow passengers are dressed like it´s "fredagsmys" (swedish ritual meaning eating potato chips in your comfort wear in front of the tv on a fridays) The attitude seems to be "I paid for it so I can dress however I want" Frankly the whole idea of comfort wear is alien to me.
Most people in a premium cabin travel for business purposes, and they have drsscodes in the office, why shouldn´t that apply when you travel as well ???
We can not always blame the airlines for taking the glamour out of premium travel, as a passenger you have to make an effort as well...............How much fun can it be for a cabin attndant to perform caviar service to people in sneakers and sweat pants ???
I urge al airlines to implement a dress code in premium cabins, not only for travelling crew but for all passengers.
I men seriously do I really think that a push of 2 hours a day in the gym for a week will transform me in to an adonis ????? I' m in fairly good shape for a 52 year old but just slipping in to those aussie bum speedos is not going to make that final push, I mean seriously why do we think if we buy those speedos or underwear the body comes with it !!!!!
Looks like the big swimtrunks will accompany me on this trip as well
Slightly bluish purple like the golden girls but that usually wears off in a couple of days and the rest I have to leave to the australian sun
First chemical attack on my hair to become a "natural blond" thank good easter is around the corner
SwedishTV3´s new interior design show "Kan vi hjälpa till" is an insult to everyone in my profession. To call a song writer who has a collected design experience of moving house 3-4 times an interior design expert is real insult. I am sure the entertainment value will be great she is after all an entertainer but what other values will she bring ? In the hunt to make as cheap television as possible anyone can do anything and call them selves an expert. Shame on you TV3 for being so cheap you couldn´t call in a real professional.
Tonight is mello competition 3 4 5 .......whatever. Yes beeing gay I am supposed to love it, and I do - 1.30 am at naglo a mello gay bar in stockholm when I am totally sauced on BIB wine and in a dance mood.
Sweden is one of the greatest music producing countries in the world and ......then there is melodifestivalen like my ex Simon expresses it "a display of complete mediocracy"
Are we sure we can't do better ???
Chilling at home with ny fury friends
It's funny how a holiday including beach and the gayest city in the world can put a dampener on your life. Gym every day, no alcohol, pigging out on boiled eggs, tuna, avocado and high protein chow, yes you become a complete party pooper and bore and you know that you still wont have that perfect beach body you know is hiding there behind the pinot grigio fluff
Had a planned date tonight with someone I have been "working" on for months ....... Didn't show up, am I surprised ? No , this is the new gay etiquette - no fuckin manors. Tomorrow having lunch with one of my ff's - he'd found a boyfriend so I'm out of the game.......whish him all the luck, but he can pick up the tab
Inspite beeing gay and it's schlager night I'm not invited anywhere..... Maybe my comments on the mediocracy of the whole thing don't make me a dinner candidate he he
Have a good sat night
Puss o kram
Tomas
Anyone who knows me know I have been a big fan of British Airways for 20 years and have travelled over 500.000 miles in premium cabins with them through the years. No no I am not abandoning them but this time to Sydney I am trying Quatar Airways. My expectations are super high, everyone is ranting and raving about them as beeing the best of the best. My main reason for having an "affair" with another airline is tha BA has drastically changed their loyalty program and my friends, not to the better.................. and they still have a fuel surcharge of 3-4000 on SEK on reward flights on longhaul inspite the oil beeing the cheapest it´s ever been, it´s robbery and a very nasty way of making money off your loyal customers, so maybe it´s time to start looking for a new airline to spend my cash with. I will give a full review her as my trip progresses. Yes I am abit obsessed with premium travel and it´s a big part of my life so hold on BA you might just have lost a very loyal customer.
Today I´m having one of those days where everything and everone irritates me. Grown men and 60+ women on the bus with huge back packs they insist on banging in my face, pensioners in the supermarket at lunchtime (they have all day doing nothing, and have to buy cat food lunchtie ?????) taking for ever to pay with their loose change, people in the 7/11 que that can´t make up their mind on a small or large latte, groups of women walking 5 in with on the side walk, mums with strollers on the bus fighting over space so the driver has to shout "maximum 3 strollers on board", garbage truck going at full throttle 5.25 in the morning, beggers shaking their cup right under my nose and to top it off a Eu invandrare playing the f......ing accordian on the subway..................
Wahat is it with straight men
Leaving the house in town with sweatpants ?????? Sjowing up at 7/11
With pee stains ..... There is a time and place for everything and sweatpants belong in the burbs
Gettin busy now sydney in 10 days new york april 1st, tokyo april 27.......
And provincetown first week in august
So a big gap in between but I'm sure I'll think of something
Was watching a swedish tv show last night called "Parneviks" , basically it´s Jesper Parnevik anfd his family living in florida recieving swedish celebrity guests.
This is TV3 - our network for 8,5 years and 130 shows..................
Every one that´s ever been on TV3 pops up there. Am I bitter they haven´t asked us ??? Yes you bet I am, it hurts knowing that you are completely forgotten by the network you were faithful to for 8,5 years, and you don´t even get asked to be on such a downmarket cheap production.
Simon and I would most likely have turned it down anyway - Just the thaught of being cramed on norwegian in an economy class seat across the atlantic, being put up at the holiday inn (if you are lucky) and one free day ................. and not getting paid!!!!!!! yes that´s how these production companies make cheap television
"It will be so good for your career"
However it would have been nice to be asked................
Love from
Tv hasbeen
Since I am travelling alone backpacking is a great way to meet people. No no no, at 51 and a very spoiled traveller that´s not really an option so I have modified the backpacking koncept a bit.
Sydney is a long way to fly so flying economy class is not an option, but besides that I am going to be roughing it a bit, I am not staying at the four seasons, I am not having a car service pick me up at the airport and I am not going to wine and dine in expensive five star restaurants.
In fact I am staying like a local in an apartment in Potts Point, I am getting a bus pass and I am going to take my meals at local hanfg outs. I´ve done the sights in Sydney so this time I´m going to hang at the beach - who knows I might take up surfing......... I am not even going to bring 12 pairs of shoes this time - I know a scary concept but hopefully quite liberating.
2 weeks 'til my trip to Sydney and I am traveling alone this time, not that I didn't try to get some friends to join me for mardi gras but aparently no one has any money or can't take time off.
I am actually quite excited about going down under on my own, used to travel a lot on my own when I was younger and one of those trips resulted in a 19 year relationship. Not expecting that this time, but I'm sure I'll make lots of new friends.
I am however panicing a bit , Sydney is so body orientated - so no more food and double the gym time
This picture pretty much sums up what gay berlin is all about. The whole gay scene at first glance seems very exciting but after a while it becomes a bit owerwhelming. Everything is geared towards sex, sex and than again sex........................ The second you check in to the hotel you are sized up by the staff and other hotel guests and the hotel staff volunteer information on the best dark rooms and party/sex clubs.
Obviously I was curious and checked out some bars and hey I am no prude but the whole experience became a bit seedy so after peeping for a few minutes I had had enough................ It all seemed a bit to easy and for me it kind of took away the excitment. The exciting flirty tension in the air just wasn´t there - bang on seemed to be the koncept and to tell you the truth for me it was quite a turn off actually so I got out of there quite quickly.
I am sure that if I had had more time in Berlin I could have found different more suttle venues more suitable for an old fart like me - or maybe not, maybe Berlin is the IRL version of Grindr and that´s the whole attraction.
The excitment I think lies in the "forbidden" and when everything is allowed and available 24/7 the excitment wears off very quickly...............
How do you know it's s gay testaurant ???
Look at the plates, the top hamburger bun is always left , hello..........the french fries had more tha enough carbs for a queenn to manage
Check the necks gay men never have a sun tan on the neck , we spend hours on the beach with our heads sticking up - always on the look out
All gay restaurants have the best wifi in town....we eat with the left hand and check grindr with the iphone in our right hand
I do love early morning powerwalks in big cities. Most cities are beautiful in morning sunlight and the slow awakening when deliveries of wegetables from the country are beeing unpacket in the street stands an lical markets. When masses of people are walking to work ........
Table mountain in the background the see and harbour in the foreground, early morning sunlight, the slowly awakening energy of a large city.....
I love it
After partying last night I had a chill day todaybreakfast, gym, beach and then a nap ........ Thinking of going out the most popular gay bar, cafe manhattan is just across the street and bustling though it's monday.
Decided not to, instead early yoga session in the morning, power walk and a loooooong breakfast.
Really love Cape Town - the only negative downside I found is the water temperature.......it's not even close to swimmable ........
Going with friends for winetasting and lunch tomorrow so want to be on my toes
Enclosing a view puc of the beach
Puss o kram
Wtf I thaught it was only women 55+ that had back packs ?????
Apparently gay men annoy us all with them as wel