Sven M. posted an article on
Sven's guide to Oz
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Jan 30, 2012, 6:26 am
The other day I was talking to my personal trainer about being single, and he asked if there was anyone I was interested in. If I hadn’t been working out I might have said “there’s plenty of nice guys out there but I’m perfectly happy as I am for now,” but I couldn’t concentrate on two t... Comment - Like
Sven M. posted an article on
Sven's guide to Oz
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Nov 1, 2011, 8:21 am
I’m back in the UK for a couple of weeks, which brings with it the usual conflicting emotions: joy at seeing my family and friends again, nostaliga for the life I left behind, and eventually a wrenching sadness as I have to leave and go back to Australia. But there’s another feeling that is seld... Comment - Like
Sven M. posted an article on
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Sep 13, 2011, 9:50 am
For the past six years, almost to the day, I have been lucky enough to have a friend like James. We dated, lived together, moved to Australia, broke up, fought and cried and laughed and danced together and throughout it all – even the parts where we couldn’t bear to speak to one another – I ha... Comment - Like
Sven M. posted an article on
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Sep 2, 2011, 1:35 am
Dear Sydneysider,
One of the things about living in this fair city is that other people live here too, and there are only so many ways to get from A to B. We have to use the pavement, just like you. I know this is a massive imposition on you and your friends and I respect your collective right to w... Comment - Like
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Aug 24, 2011, 8:01 am
Over the past few days I have been having the same conversation with colleagues and friends about my job: how do I feel satisfied in my new role? Since I was promoted I’ve done less writing and publicising, and more editing and strategy. I really love what I do and I’m very good at it, but I had... Comment - Like
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Jun 26, 2011, 4:26 am
When I lamented that nothing ever happens in Australia in winter, I might have been lying. Since touching down on that crisp, clear winter’s morning in May, life has been non-stop. Sadly Nick and I did not see out the season – long distance relationship etc – but there is plenty of other news.... Comment - Like
Sven M. posted an article on
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Mar 21, 2011, 5:26 am
I don’t usually write about politics but following our Prime Minister’s ludicrous statements this morning I can’t help myself. You can watch the entire interview online, but the pertinent comments are reported in an article in the Australian Daily Telegraph.
I don’t envy Julia Gillard’s p... Comment - Like
Sven M. posted an article on
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Mar 19, 2011, 2:14 am
Let me start by saying that this was the best gig I have ever been to in my life. Whatever I write will not do justice to the extraordinary high I felt after we left the Enmore and trundled our way back in Newtown.
Sarah (henceforth to be known as Wife) booked our tickets for this eons ago and this... Comment - Like
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Sven's guide to Oz
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Mar 15, 2011, 1:37 am
It seems that I have a reputation for being sickly, on Twitter at least. I’d like to set the record straight: I am not that bad. I whinge about it on Twitter (who doesn’t) but as a general rule I only take a sick day when I am genuinely feeling too sick to come to work. The rest of the time I ju... Comment - Like
Sven M. posted an article on
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Mar 1, 2011, 5:20 am
It’s been a couple of months since I wrote anything here. As a responsible writer I should be posting here a lot more than I do, but lately things have changed. That essay-writing magic seems to have disappeared. What has brought this about?
My job? I write for a living now. It’s sad but true t... Comment - Like
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Jan 20, 2011, 7:10 am
One of my unofficial resolutions for 2011 is to get out of my suburb more. I live in Surry Hills, which is arguably the best suburb in the city. A stone’s throw from the city, more restaurants and bars than you can shake a stick at, and just a short walk from the fabulous Oxford Street, it’s got... Comment - Like
Sven M. posted an article on
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Jan 3, 2011, 2:17 pm
So, 2011 already? Where the hell did that decade go? 10 years ago I was still at university with a girlfriend and no idea of what I wanted to do with my life: today I live on the other side of the world with a career I love and a boyfriend in a different country. Funny how things change, isn’t it?... Comment - Like
Sven M. posted an article on
Sven's guide to Oz
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Dec 31, 2010, 2:38 pm
In the recent interview for my promotion at work (which I got, by the way), I described myself as, amongst other things, ambitious and determined. This holiday I have certainly demonstrated these qualities in my travel plans: not content with flying to one snowbound destination, I squeezed in a seco... Comment - Like
Sven M. posted an article on
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Dec 26, 2010, 3:38 am
Upon arrival in Tel Aviv, HQ had arranged for me to spend my 11-hour lay over in a hotel with free breakfast and wireless internet, and had paid for it as a Christmas gift. It goes without saying that this trip would have been an abject failure without my brilliant boyfriend and our fabulous friends... Comment - Like
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Dec 25, 2010, 3:37 am
For the past few months I have been keeping a secret. Since I returned from my sister’s wedding I have been involved in clandestine operations to which few have been privy. Thanks to my fantastic, airline-employed boyfriend I have been able to surprise my parents, sister and brother-in-law with a ... Comment - Like
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Dec 8, 2010, 5:46 am
Apples are sexy. There, I’ve said it. You don’t have to agree with me, or even begin to understand what I am talking about, but take it from me: in my world, apples are hot. Some people think that a nice car, or a well cut shirt, or a style of grooming make a man sexy – James asserts that even... Comment - Like
Sven M. posted an article on
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Nov 27, 2010, 9:41 pm
I’m not feeling very inspired to write lately. I can’t really put my finger on it, but every time I sit down to do some serious creative stuff I find that I would rather be doing anything else, I have no clever ideas and anything I do come up with sucks. Everyone goes through this every now and ... Comment - Like
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Nov 25, 2010, 12:16 am
Summer is here which means lots of fun things happen all over the city and I’m doing my best to see as many of them as I can. A couple of weeks ago I was at the Sydney Opera House to witness the Kylie & Dannii Minogue-themed flashmob. I got burned to buggery in the sunshine, but it was totally wor... Comment - Like
Sven M. posted an article on
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Nov 17, 2010, 6:16 pm
The other day I received a friend request on Facebook from a friend of my ex-girlfriend. (Back before I was the fabulous, self-assured gay man you now read about I was a closeted wreck like everyone else. It’s old news.) It was a little out of the blue but I’m not holding any grudges so I accept... Comment - Like
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Sven's guide to Oz
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Nov 14, 2010, 5:05 pm
I suppose after the last post I should explain what I was doing in a solarium in the first place. I’m a level-headed kind of a guy most of the time and the prospect of skin cancer has, until now, been the main reason I haven’t ever been on a sunbed before. However, it seems there is something th... Comment - Like
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Nov 12, 2010, 11:23 pm
After growing up in Britain where there are only two seasons – wet and wetter – it’s strange living in a country where the weather seems to take itself seriously. Whenever anyone thinks of seasons in Australia it’s generally in the sense of hot and disgustingly hot. Not so: whilst winter is ... Comment - Like
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Oct 30, 2010, 6:55 pm
The main reason for my recent trip overseas was not so I could run around Bangkok with Nick, as fun as it was: it was to go to my sister’s wedding. After all that build up, the preparation and the crazy dreams, the big day came and went: my sister is officially a married woman and I have a new bro... Comment - Like
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Oct 27, 2010, 7:18 am
After the disaster that was Dr Lego, I’ve tried to be more cautious about how much of my love life I discuss in a public forum. That said, there does reach a point where someone becomes so big a part of your life that it seems mendacious not to at least acknowledge their presence. The usual concer... Comment - Like
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Oct 25, 2010, 5:43 am
A few days ago at work I was showing my friend Sarah all the photos I took at my sister’s wedding, the big party I had, and the couple of trips I managed to squeeze in. It was fun to put faces to names and stories; to explain who was married/dating/hating whom; and match up kids with parents. That... Comment - Like
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Oct 5, 2010, 5:00 pm
I wrote this a four years ago and when I saw Tyler Clementi and the #itgetsbetter project in the news lately (and on YouTube), it made me think of how I felt then, and how I don’t feel now. I thought a timely re-post would be appropriate. Despite the content below, I have a fantastic life and I am... Comment - Like
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Sep 27, 2010, 3:21 pm
One of the reasons for moving to Australia was to see more of the world. Since I have lived there though, I have had to spend my holiday returning to England, mainly for weddings, so my time to get some real travel in has been rather limited. Since there is no way in the world I would miss my sister... Comment - Like
Sven M. posted an article on
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Sep 22, 2010, 12:15 am
I work very hard to maintain the appearance of a cold, unfeeling misanthropist. I’m British: it’s what we do. Anyone who knows me can spot this is a total sham after about ten minutes – under the sheet rock exterior I’m just a big softie – but on the whole I can do sang froid quite well. M... Comment - Like
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Sep 16, 2010, 7:15 am
The absentee landlord returns. It’s been a long winter, packed with fun, flights and fuck-ups. Over the coming weeks I will do my best to fill you in on the past few months – the Scissor Sisters gig and my 31st birthday; the on-and-off boyfriends/not-boyfriends; the visitors, friends and former ... Comment - Like
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Jul 13, 2010, 8:02 am
Since I got back from the US, I have been rushed off my feet. Work has been mad thanks to the sudden departure of my boss and the merging of my team with the media team. This is a great opportunity for me, but it has meant I have been busier than ever. I’ve barely had time to catch my breath. Of c... Comment - Like
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Jun 14, 2010, 1:36 am
We cannot always do what our heart desires; but if we always do what our head tells us then what is the point in having a heart at all?
When I was a boy I used to complain about doing things without any choice in them. Little did I know then that making choices means living with them. You can’t b... Comment - Like
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Jun 5, 2010, 10:34 pm
A few months ago I blogged about how I wasn’t paying for my power at home. We all knew it wasn’t going to last forever; inevitably the power company realised that I was lighting my home, washing my clothes and living my digital life with zero capital outlay; and sent me a bill. Thankfull... Comment - Like
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Jun 3, 2010, 5:36 am
In exactly two weeks I will be checking in at the airport for my flight to New York and a fabulous eleven days of American summeriness which should help (a) beat the winter blues and (b) top up the tan. Time seems to be flying and I haven’t even thought about packing yet, which is quite out of... Comment - Like
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Jun 1, 2010, 8:17 pm
Since the show itself is delayed in Australia, so are my thoughts. The time difference is not your friend when the event takes place on a Saturday night in Europe; and Facebook and Twitter are your mortal enemies when you’re trying to spend the day NOT finding out who won. I only had to open m... Comment - Like
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May 27, 2010, 11:17 pm
In my never-ending quest for random crazy shit to fill my time before I die, I have accrued a highly skilled team of like-minded weirdos who are always up for the same kind of antics as me. (By ‘random crazy shit’, I mean legal random crazy shit, of course: the kind where people say R... Comment - Like
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May 24, 2010, 10:10 pm
I think I’m going crazy. I mean: crazier. Ever since I locked myself out twice in as many weeks I have been on a slow decline into abject madness and it ain’t pretty. In my defence, the first time wasn’t my fault, but I let it happen again a fortnight later and I don’t have a... Comment - Like
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May 18, 2010, 4:26 am
Australia is an arid, parched land most of the year. Not that we city-dwellers would know it: I turn on the tap and water comes out, so I don’t ask any questions. I seldom think that only a few hours drive away there’s a giant desert the size of Europe where every drop of water is trappe... Comment - Like
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May 16, 2010, 5:47 am
I was sitting at home in my pyjamas the other night, minding my own business and planning an early night with a couple of episodes of Glee, when I got an international SOS from Clancy. A friend of his was in town and alone in a bar by the Opera House. Well, being the amiable, friendly chap that I ju... Comment - Like
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May 14, 2010, 5:10 am
Exciting news, US readers: I’m coming to New York in June. Yes, your fabulous nation is about become even more amazing for ten days as I grace your spangliest city with my presence. (I’m also trying to slip in a few days in Montréal if I can. Canadian readers, you can rejoice too!)
So ... Comment - Like
Sven M. posted an article on
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May 12, 2010, 4:59 am
I love baking. It’s a bit ironic since I’m actually not much a pudding fan – I would always pick a starter if I had to choose, and a cheese plate over an ice cream if I were really pushed. I think it might be the objectivity with baking that means I can admire my success without wa... Comment - Like
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May 10, 2010, 6:16 am
On Friday night, Genevieve and I took part in a brand new night out in Sydney: a mystery dining experience called Secret Foodies. Apparently it’s based on a similar idea in New York, where groups of strangers all meet up at a mystery location and have dinner together under the guise of reviewi... Comment - Like
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May 8, 2010, 5:47 am
Things don’t stop happening to me simply because I’m old enough to know better. I may be 30 years old, but I still know how to have a good time. Crazy shit just seems to hunt me down. If all this happened to you in one weekend, you’d be unhinged like me too.
Bitten by a dog
My fr... Comment - Like
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May 6, 2010, 5:26 am
The other day I was in the pub with a friend getting a drink before going to watch Micmacs. We were talking about some night out or another and as frequently happens with younger people (Mat is only 21) there was a dig about my age. I didn’t really see it coming – something about it bein... Comment - Like
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May 4, 2010, 5:56 am
Imagine a gay bar where everyone stood around the edge of the room, no one spoke, and everyone judged you as you entered by how much skin you were showing. Then they would read your CV and only after that would the think about saying hello. If gaydar.com were a bar, this is what it would be like.
L... Comment - Like
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May 1, 2010, 3:13 am
Oh, man, was I ever into him! “What happened?”, you may well ask. Well, he moved to China. There’s always something, isn’t there? After digging myself out of the iPhone debacle he went off and passed his exam, then decided to take a career break and travel around Asia for thr... Comment - Like
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Apr 29, 2010, 7:54 am
I’ve had a month or so off for one reason or another, but I thought it was about time I pulled my finger out and got back into the business of churning out my ill-formed thoughts for you all to digest with incredulity and horror. No need to thank me.
I’ve not been blogging or reading bl... Comment - Like
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