Oct
26
ummmm
October 26, 2008 | | Leave a Comment
Mar
30
Ostern
March 30, 2008 | | Leave a Comment
Germans like to burn things during Easter weekend.
Superman makes his second post:
Feb
14
O for Opera, Oprah, and Obama
February 14, 2008 | | Leave a Comment
well folks, it looks like we are on the verge of a monumental change
not only in America, but also in our relationship to the world.
Michael and i made a donation to Barrack Obama’s movement and we
encourage you all to do so as well. it’s very rare when a man can ignite a nation and
inspire millions. the time is now:
Change.
oh, and happy Valentine’s day, all you lovers out there!
Nov
19
Istanbul, Berlin, Ibiza
November 19, 2007 | | Leave a Comment
okay, just a quick entry about last month. the dynamic duo were
pretty busy with 
work and traveling. but of course we always took out
time for sight seeing and some good partying with the locals.
Istanbul reminded me a little bit of China, but not so big.
The people
of Turkey are deeply rooted in their religion and are a beautiful
race.
but they were a little bitchy when we visited.
probably because they
were fasting for the Ramadan holiday. i know i’d be if i didn’t have
my breakfast! The palaces and mosque (some former churches) are simply
breathtaking.
AND i looooove Turkish food. yum yum!!
Berlin is HOT! when we first got the
re, i was a little intimidated by
the metro and all of m
y expectations(a possible home in the future).
but i found the metro VERY
user friendly and the people as well. Berlin is definitely my favorite
city in Germany. it’s got that NYC feel, which i miss terribly! we
spent several hours emerged
in the history of Checkpoint Charlie. the longer i live here, the more
fascinated i am with German history. it’s one thing when your a 16
year
old in high school learning about world history. but to have a hands
on experience is incredible. that day was a big reminder of what
people did to fight for freedom, which we graciously have today. i
can’t wait to go back again and do more sight seeing! oh, and this is the
city with the best curry wurst!! echt lecker!!!
it fucking rained for like 3 days when we were in Ibiza. but i did
manage to hit up 
the beach a few times to work on my tan <wink>.
we decided to try going off seaso
n since we just wanted it to be a
quiet holiday. so all of the big parties, clubs, and bars were either
closed or slow. ironically, the island at this time is filled with
Germans. but we’re gonna try to go again before high season. oh yeah,
and we rented a beautiful villa overlooking the ocean towards the
island of Mallorca. it was relaxing! aaahhh Ibiza. on the island, everyone listens
to house music or chill out- it’s great!
Aug
23
Three Months Later…
August 23, 2007 | | 1 Comment
and we’re back! my last post was in May and so much has happened! the
month of April marked many events including a special day on april 12
as well as a trip to the beautiful city of Paris which is absolutely
blissfully romantic! perfect place to be if you’re with the one ya
love (or looking) or just wanting to travel. not only are there great
museums and galleries, but the 
history is incredible, and Paris by
night is just to die for. we also ran into a few friends of mine from
NYC while roaming the streets. i was surprised to see David and
Norbert who have their production office in Paris. it was nice to see
a blast from the past and catch up on old and new things. i just can’t
wait to
go back!
i managed to squeeze in work trips to Hong Kong as well as Oslo, Norway
before heading back to the US for six weeks. Michael and i spent a
little over a week in NYC in late June. i turned 30 this year, so that
was a real treat. i feel the same except that i really have to
exercise and watch what i put in my mouth! i’ve been eating more
veggies and fruits and trying to cut down on the hard alcohol. the
whole 
idea is to not go on a ‘diet’ but more like change your
lifestyle. i think that is the flaw in ‘dieting’, meaning that it’s a
temporary fix. but anyway, NYC was hot baby! Chris F. threw a mini
bday/welcome home party for us in his back yard in Asotira. my old
buddies showed up and we bbqed, American style- so that was lot’s of
fun. you know how i like me some grilled meat! hahaha.
i spent july in So Cal helping my mom. she had knee surgery and she
needed help getting around, driving, etc. her operation was
successful! 
spending time with family can always be hit or miss, ya
know. for the most part things went well, but there were definitely
days when we would all just go at it. my bro and my sis both were
working but it was great spending time with them. i also got to spend
some quality time with my dad as well. this trip wasn’t a ’shot gun’
trip so i could make plans with everyone and not have to stress about
not seeing everyone. of 
course i saw Crawford and hung with her
fiancé
John who is just such a great guy. i’m excited for them both. all and
all, i had such an incredible time back in So Cal. i’m such a So Cal
boy when it comes down to it- the beach, in & out burger, saying
‘like’ after everything- it will always be me. i’m grateful to have
been able to afford to take time off to spend with my amazing parents
and siblings. i haven’t had such a opportunity since i graduated from
high school, so i feel really fortunate.
i must say, the highlight of my trip was doing a road trip with my twin
bro Damon, to the International San Diego Comic Con. wie geil,
oder??!! yes yes, it was a brother bonding trip down to San Diego,
which 
is only a about 3 hours from my mom’s house, heading towards
Mexico. oh that’s another thing i 
miss about the states- REAL good Mexican food. but anyway, it was Damon and i’s first time going to the
comic con, let alone road trip! we left at the obscene hour of 4am
because we wanted to make sure we could get good seats for the
discussion panels- specifically the Heroes panel which didn’t even
start until 12.30pm. San Diego is a snazzy little town and it was a
MADHOUSE all weekend. by the grace of God, Damon and i were able 
to
scalp cheap tickets off a legit guy and waalaaaa- we were in. it was
sooooooo much
fun! there were so many geeks and dorks and we fitted right
in! we sat in
on various discussion panels, looked at displays, hung
out at various booths; it was a great escape! i was trying to hook my
bro up with Zatana, but no luck. we stayed till Sunday late afternoon
and drove back that night. Damon and i have been collecting comics
since 1989 so it was a real treat to be surrounded by such hardcore
fans. we’re gonna try to go next year too!
so that was my summer. how was yours???
May
11
ROMA
May 11, 2007 | | Leave a Comment
"when in Rome, do as the Romans do…" so i did. well, i did more
like the tourist do- which was LOTS of walking around and site seeing.
Rome: beautiful, historic aka old, and fashionable. it’s a huge city
with so many beautiful buildings and people. the people. ha! all
fashionable. even the house maid at the house we stayed at was wearing
heels when she cleaned- kid ya not! but we had a great guide; one of
Michael’s friends- Gregorio. he’s such a cool guy and a great host.
he took some time off from his busy schedule to show us around. we
also worked a little bit, but i still was able to get out and see a
lot- me being a virgin and all. Mikey knows a little bit of Italian
and had done a bicycle tour in Rome when he was younger. i love
Italian food so i was excited to throw my diet out the door for a few
days and
indulge in delicious wine, pizza, and pasta. i’m a bit of a food snob
(that’s what happens when you’ve worked in many restaurants) and was
not surprised at all when Gregorio took us on long walks to his
favorite spots. i’m learning that ya really have to keep your eyes
and ears open when it comes to dining. there are lots of dodgie
eateries out there and it’s important to be selective where ya eat, ya
know. (i thought of
you many times, Angie). all and all, Rome is truly a splendid town. i
am, however, looking forward to seeing other parts of Italy…and
having another slice of hot Italian pizza.
Mar
29
AMSTERDAM
March 29, 2007 | | Leave a Comment
one of the many cool things about living in the Ruhrgebeit, is that i
can simply hop on a train and get to most major cities in Germany as
well as Europe. so last weekend, i decided to check out Amsterdam.
woohoo!! after years and years of curiosity, i finally made it! if you ever
have the opportunity to go, definitely check it out. it’s a HOT city
with LOTS of little shops and museums you just can’t get in the
states. now i’m sure you’re all wondering if i indulged in the corrupt
activity in coffee shops and the red light district. well- figure THAT
one out for yourself.
the city was packed with tourist from all over the world. it was cool
hearing the different languages float in my ear. the dutch language is similar to German, in that the derision is local. most Hollanders speak
English (very well) since the American import shows are only with dutch
subtitles, unlike how it is here in
Germany. that’s mostly because
it’s a smaller county, and well, Germans can be a bit prideful when it
comes to their language. but that’s another blog entry. anyway, it was really
great seeing my old Brooklyn roommate, Gerrit’s, niece Nelleke. i hadn’t seen
her in like 4 years and she looked great! she is also a filmmaker. work it out baby! clearly
good 
looks run in that family…hehehe! she showed me around and took
me to some cool hang outs. i liked the vibe there and i’d recommend it
to anyone.
i also recommend the Bodies Exhibit. Chris F. had been wanting me to
see it for the
longest time and was always in the wrong city or had
just missed it. i waited 2 hours in the frickin’ cold, but i had a
nice"coffee shop" buzz and my ipod to keep me company <big wide
grin>. the exhibit was marvelous and truly fascinating. i kept
getting flash backs of my childhood school projects and that funky
looking teacher who wore all that make up and had those long ass
nails. anyway, the experience was
educational and worth the wait. it
is just incredible how the body works together to create human life!
next stop…Roma!!!
Mar
6
über Update
March 6, 2007 | | Leave a Comment
okay okay, so i’m a bad blogger! gosh. honestly, i haven’t been
"inspired." Hey, i’m an artist!!! (what an excuse, right) it’s been
since September and i’m long over due for an entry. it’s about 6am
here in Essen, Germany, and i’ve cashed in on my average 6 hours of
sleep. you’d think after killing off a bottle of red and a few
melatonin, one would be sleeping like a baby! but nope- no dice man,
my internal clock is like, "get up Daxie," prepare the breakfast table
in the dark while the rest of the city sleeps. it’s not like i even
have early classes this week. what the hell! (so i’m gonna be lazy
and be more about pics then words in this entry).
SO (very
harsh, very German- replace the s with a z sound), ich bin wach und ich
gehapt viele riesen. we last left me at Oktoberfest, drinking and
eating way too much Bavarian food. Michael and i met with some friends
down south and had a good time, although i’m not sure if we’ll go back
since we both thought it was a little tacky and having to wait in
massive lines in a hot sweaty beer hall just for a beer, was not
exactly fun. but i now can say, "been there, done that- got the beer
gut to prove it!" um, yeah.
so to make the long story short…
-booked a commercial print agent in Düsseldorf-was up for a MAJOR print job but didn’t get it! :(
-visited Koh Samua, Thailand in October then
-back to Hong Kong for work
-also working as an English teacher for German businesses as well as privately
-Michael and i spent the holidays with my family in Cali then went up to no cal for new years
-once
again, back in the gym to get back in shape! it’s funny, i recall when
i was in NYC and my friends would tell me that my metabolism would slow
down when i got to 30, and i wouldn’t be able to party, drink
and eat,
like a young stud. well they were right. and so now i’m off to my
date with the tred mill. thank god for ipods! (and that ipone is tempting, right!!!)
-i’m tryin’ to get
back into a German class but i’m having scheduling conflicts for the
group classes i want to take, so i think i’m just gonna continue using
the Berlitz computer program Craig gave me.
the new year is
here and i often think about my life and where i was a year ago or
two. crazy. i was working as an actor, i found love, and was touring
Asia. never in my wildest dreams would i think i would be living in
Germany. as i often state, i am truly blessed. of course there is the
other part of me that totally misses NYC. but we’ll return
soon. Ibiza Global Radio kicks ass!
-gosh i almost forgot to mention that we saw George Michael in concert! he was simply marvelous! he is my #1 inspiration and his voice is just incredible. seeing him live was a childhood dream come true. THAT VOICE- it was MAGIC!!! work it out George!
Sep
28
Helsinki, Finland
September 28, 2006 | | 1 Comment
well, another month, another…country. this time my "partner in
crime," and i hit up Helsinki, Finland. the last time i was in
Scandinavia, i was fortunate to have a little angel on my shoulder
(Tor- Oslo) who allowed me to enjoy the north since i had just been
fired from the ship! Michael and i had a little bit of work and a
little bit of play time in this popular, yet small, town of Finland.
it was actually a very relaxing weekend filled with a little site
seeing and a quick business meeting. now that i’m
assisting Michael in the business, i’m able to continue my travels as
well as learn a little bit more about the European fashion industry.
gosh,
there isn’t that much to say about Helsinki. it totally reminded me of
Oslo- with it’s beautiful architecture and Euro streets and colored
buildings. we took a little cruise around the island on a tour boat
that explained the basic history of the island. i guess i’m a little
spoiled since i found the tour rather dull compared to sight seeing
i’ve done on the cruise ship. never the less, it was informative. if
one does ever venture 
to this fashionable city, do take a nice jacket,
expect to NOT be waited on and bring a decent amount of cash, seeing
that it’s rather expensive to dine out-HAHA!! Michael and i did,
however, end up at a Fetish party Saturday night. men and woman were
dressed up in crazy outfits and dared to be Gothic and kinky! it was
fantastic. although we so happened to run into the party (from a
recommendation), we were totally under dressed. it wasn’t really our
scene and decided to leave after the man/woman in leather with his/her
slave in a tan body suit with detachable fetus stomach, decided to
stick a needle in his/her arm for the curious spectators! Michael and
i both looked at each other and decided it was time to go. at another
bar, we were the "out of towners," once again since we both kinda stand
out in a crowd. one woman was so drunk, she literally went off on me
because she thought i was touching her but she was actually holding on
to me so she could stand up. she then wanted to lecture me on my skin
color and i literally had to push her away. it was kinda trippy. but
i’m kinda use to being the only man of color in the room, especially
while abroad.
i’ve got a big audition coming up next week. i
have so many mixed feelings about theatre here. this is probably the
most challenging audition seeing that i have 3 small scenes to read
and a song- ALL in German of course. thank God Michael is around to
help with the pronunciation of these difficult words. when reading the
script, i feel like a little kid trying to read a grown up newspaper-
guessing the words and trying to make it "sound" German. but i guess
practice makes perfect. i have to keep reminding myself to switch my
‘e’ and ‘i’ ’s since they are reverse sounding in Deutsch.
i’m
also getting more work as an English teacher for German businesses. i
have to say that it helps to be able to pull topics and conversation
outta your ass! i have books to teach from, but most of my classes are
more conversational. i try to use articles from the New York Times
Online, or other sources that relate to the ideas and vocabulary of
business, since that is what most of them want to learn- business
English. as an artist, i think i am useful in ways of creating a
casual yet entertaining class environment. ha- as long as i see them
laugh and smile, i’m happy!!!
Sep
22
FALL 2006- Benchmark
September 22, 2006 | | Leave a Comment
…sometimes i feel like a complete stranger on a different planet. "My God, i’m in Germany," Ich habe gesagt. a complete foreigner. but as the natural process of evolution, i too, have somehow evolved and adapted to the culture. i’ve met new people, gone out on my own; created my own identity here. whether it be an English teacher for Corporate Deutschland, to being an American actor learning to act and sing in German- i’ve somehow figured out how to LOVE, live life, and SURVIVE. granted, i’m
in a VERY "comfortable," situation in regard to my lifestyle- but i
compare it to what i once knew and am grateful. The Lord has blessed
me with some really wonderful things and often times, despite my
obvious frustration, feel completely blessed. thank you Michael.
