WHOOSH!

Ok, so this has been a VERY jam packed week with little bits and bobs running aroud all over the place! I thought i'd give you just a quick run down of whats been happenning in and around!

So this weekend saw Mr Gay South Arica choose their two representatives from the Central Region. Congratulations to Jared Smit and Prince Mkhize. From what i could see it looked like a seriously well organised event, but then again, i would not expect anything less from the incredible team at Mr Gay South Africa. When it comes to events, they know how to host! This leaves only the South Regional finals and the Jozi Finals to be held before we all wizz off on the Cruize, a highlight in the competition (also as 50% of the guys total mark in the competition is judged on the ship). Then on the 26th November, its out with the old and in with the New as we elect a representative for the Gay Community of SA for 2010/2011. This very lucky man will have the privilege of attending the M Gay World Finals to be held in Manilla, Phillipines, in March 2011, and who knows, maybe we get to keep the title on African soil!

To keep rack of events as they unfold feel free to visit their facebook page as well as they webpage on http://www.mrgaysouthafrica.co.za/

catch you lata!
C

THE VERY LATE UPDATE!-PART DUEX

So anyway, i came back form Berlin, literally packed our backs and three days later we hopped in the car and off to Jozi (for those who don't know, Jozi is what we call Johannesburg) we went!

Patrick and i have been in Jozi for the better part of a month now. Initially i was a bit nervous. I remember our last night in Cape Town, what was supposed to be a quick drink and a goodbey became an entire night of goodbeys, as we went past every one of our favourite spots and naturally bumped into people we knew.

The next day, after saying goodbey to one of my best friends Mo, I had to contain myself (or burts out in tears). We were finally doing it, finally taking that step! I think both Patrick and I had thoughts of turning back, which we both held in until we were too far to turn back!

A month down the line, i must admit that i am enjoying Jhb! Thanks to friends and family that make it worth while being here, not to mention the new friends and family we have met and come to know over the past four weeks! Thank you to you all!

I think both of us have fallen into the Jhb groove and i personally look forward to what Jozi has to offer!

Oh, and if you were wondering what is what that i learnt during my trip to Berlin?

Imagine, walking down a street, and through a GATE that was once a check point that segregated people, in a City and Country that was once the epicentre of a World War, but now Hosts one of the worlds LARGEST Gay Pride events annually! It amazed me once again that not long ago there was NOTHING there. Not long ago, you were killed for being different. Today i can walk down that same street, pass through the same gate and be a tourist in that very city and feel FREE

FACE OF BABYLON 8th of August 2010

Hi all you beauty Kings and Queens

As most of you are aware of by now Babylon is hosting its first ever Pageant-The face Of Babylon.

As always Babylon promises to make it into a spectacular event not to be missed. As Monday being a public Holliday, Babylon will open its doors on Sunday the 8th of August to host this grand affair. We are looking for that unique individual that has a positive, fresh and funky style to them, whether it is looks or personality wise that would be an ambassador to the club!

Usually a club that hosts such a pageant chooses a Mr and a Miss Title holder to represent their club. We wanted to do it a bit different and decided to call it the FACE OF BABYLON.

So if you are interested in entering the Face of Babylon then please go to the Babylon Group page on Facebook and fill in the Entry form and send your photo’s to Graham. Or you could also fill in the Entry form at Babylon on Saturday night and drop of your Photo’s there. If you should require any more info regarding this pageant then please feel free to contact us on our Facebook group.

So time is running out, get those photo’s taken and send them to us ASAP.There are some great prizes in store for the lucky winner of this Competition, such as a fabulous boat cruise for two, a R5000 cash prize and also a variety of vouchers. So if you always wanted to be royalty and be in the spotlight, then I suggest you get your gay self moving and enter. Even if you have never done something like this before, take a chance and enter. You never know-you might just be Gay SA’s Face of Babylon!

To all our loyal patrons please come and support us on the 8th Of August as we will need your opinion in choosing the right person to represent YOU at Babylon. Hope to see you all there.

Remember Babylon-We will rock you.

http://www.babylontheclub.co.za/

NEWS FROM ZIMBABWE

HARARE – President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party will block any draft constitution that does not reflect the views and values of the party, a top official has said, signaling more problems ahead for Zimbabwe’s troubled constitutional reforms.

                                     http://www.zimonline.co.za/Article.aspx?ArticleId=6203

UNAIDS Salutes Country Leadership To Eliminate HIV-related Restrictions On Entry, Stay And Residence

UNAIDS Salutes Country Leadership To Eliminate HIV-related Restrictions On Entry, Stay And Residence

LIFE AFTER THE SCENE

So today i posed a question to you all out there. It something that has been on my mind for some time now and i think at one point or another we ALL end up thinking about it.

What happens to the elderly gay community once they 'fall off the gaydar' and they have reached their proverbial expiery date?

This is obviously not just pertaining to men, but also to women and the rest of the LGBTI community. In what a friend of mine would like to call the 'GAY STOCK EXCHANGE' it seems that at some point we all face our individual 'retirement-plan' and unless you are loaded with cash or have the good body or wear the right clothes etc, you are pretty much going to end up being one of those guys (or girls) who either sits alone at home, or a room, without any real friends (maybe) or on the corner of a bar looking at all the young ones passing by and thinking to yourself, 'wow....those were the days....' only to go home again, alone.

What if there was a place that granted you the peace of mind to know that you were surrounded by your peers, not necesarily a partner, but just good riends around you. What if you were in a place where you knew you were being looked after in you old age, by professional people. What if you knew you were still important to the community, the village that you helped build.

So this weeks poll is pretty simple;

DO YOU THINK THERE IS A NEED FOR A RETIREMENT VILAGE/CENTRE OR EVEN JUST A SPACE WHERE THE OLDER FOLK CAN STILL FEEL LIKE A PART OF THE 'GAY VILLAGE'?

Go check out the poll and feel free to vote and have your friends vote too. After all, who knows, YOU might be the one that ends up feling left out and forgotten.

ciao
Charl

CBC News - World - Argentina Senate approves same-sex marriage

CBC News - World - Argentina Senate approves same-sex marriage

THE VERY LATE UPDATE!

Heya!

Ok, so first order of the day is to apologise for my VERY late posting. its been quite a while, but lemme explain!

About three weeks ago i boarded the plane for another trip to a foreign country. This time i set my course for Berlin, where i was to attend the Christopher Street Parade. Now for those of you who don't know, Christopher Street is in the West village, New York City. this used to be the hub of gay life in the 70's. It is also the street on which you would find Stonewall Inn. its patrons started a series of riots in 1969 and this is seen to be the initiation of the gay libration movement. In short, today, we have have these guys, and Christopher street to thank for our Gay Pride, and Berlin hosts one of the Biggest Christopher Street Parades in the world.

So anyway. it just seemed right that i go. Now this was not a social call. It was the first time i got to sit down with Eric and Tore, Directors of Mr Gay World, after the competition. I arrived on the Thursday morning and was accomomdated at the lovely Kempinski Hotel Adlon, thanks for that Bruce, it was truly such a great experience. On the Friday evening, once everybody had arrived from their respective countries, MR GAY EUROPE, Sergio Lara also being there, we attended a VIP Evening hosted by AIR FRANCE/KLM at the lovely Kempinski Adlon. here we got to meet with Celebrities and the like from Germany and it was an honour to be there as Mr Gay World representing the Greater Gay community.

The next morning we had just enough time for an early breakfast before Sergio, Eric and I headed off to Patrick Hellmann or our fitting. From the fitting it was straight back to the hotel to drop off our gear, then head off to the start of the parade where Sergio and i hopped onto the first Float and so began the four hour procession to the endline and the Brandenburger Gate, where a big concert would be held that evening with internatioal Dj's and artists, but our duties were not done yet, we still had a photoshoot! Back at the Hotel Sergio and I got out of our pride gear and into the suits for the Kempinski Shoot, in the Presidential Suite. Now to give you an idea, this suite is the very suite that the Late King, MJ, dangled his baby rom the window. so ther was a certain sence of awe about it. :)

Long story short, Saturday came and went and and I finally got into bed at about 3pm having sat in meetings for most of the night.

Sunday morning, was my last day in Berlin, so i managed to get some sight seeing done and get my hands on a few gifts for the folks back home. i made it back to the hotel just in time to pack, take a few more pics and head on down to the concierge where my ride was waiting. with my total trip coming to 4 days, i had a lovely long flight back home to think about what the weekend was all about. What did i learn? What will the fruit be from this trip?

Well, my dear friends, check out Part Two of this piece and find out....

(i have to do this otherwise it gets waaayyyy to long) the rest will follow soon!

Love always

Charl