12.15.06 I have a friend in Bangkok. His name is Michael. But Thai's call him Michoon. Because they can't pronounce "L"s very well. Michoon is a very interesting guy. I met him through one of the websites that I used to promote as an affiliate. Its a Thai Ladyboy site. Anyway, said site has a forum. I thought I would show you a recent post made by my friend Michoon. It is ,without question, the coolest post ever made to any forum. Enjoy! Listening to: MFInc 9.20.06 So the coup finally begins here in Bangkok. Very interesting times. Hopefully this will finally spell the end for Thaksin Shinawatra (Thailands Prime Minister). Soldiers and Tanks patrolling Bangkok -- I think I might stay inside today? Listening to: NPR 8.5.06 Eh, I finally went ahead and made a Myspace account for myself. So go visit it. And leave lots of good comments about how wonderful I am, and add me as your friend. I only have 8 right now, and I'm feeling like a loser that has no friends. :D Hehehe. Click HERE to visit ACE at MySpace. Listening to: DJ Tiesto 7.28.06 Ah, nearly a year in between updates! Nice! Anyway, I thought I at least owed y'all a pic of my Vespa that I rambled about back in November of last year. Yep, the website is still doing great, but I ended up not having to buy the Vespa myself. A really good friend, (as well as a fellow webmaster) bought it for me to show appreciation for help/advice/sales that i have given him over the past few years. A fine man indeed! And who doesn't like free Vespas? Anyway, this one is REALLY nice. I remember when I went to go pick it up -- I looked at it, my jaw dropped, and I thought to myself "Wow, that motorbike is WAY too cool. I will be too shy to drive it because it looks SO GOOD." Anyway, it IS an attention getter -- I often get compliments on it, from both Thai people and farangs... And once again, I do plan on updating this more frequently. I want to convert it to Apples iWeb blogging tool... So we shall see how that goes. Listening to: Ida 11.06.05 Now that my new website has launched and looks like it will be making some money, I have been considering buying a new (used) motorbike here in Bangkok. I have a Honda now... but I am bored with it. I want a Vespa. So, that is what I am looking into. While searching on the internet I came across this cool Vespa in Thailand poster from 1960. That is about the year I want to get. Perfect timing really, as I will be making my last payment on my Honda this month. It's a fine scooter, but as I said... boring. I need a new helmet too. My current helmet is rather gay. My head is so big that any helmet that actually fits me is a giganto helmet that makes my head look even bigger. Listening to: Tom Waits 09.25.05 Happy Birthday Andrew! Meh. I broke my toe on my birthday (I won't mention how) and now I limp like and old man. 09.02.05 Ugh. All of this New Orleans news is very depressing. I have always fancied living there once day because I love the food and I love the beer and music. I really hate to think that New Orleans may not exist anymore as it once did. Very depressing. Listening to: Nightline (ABCnews podcast) 08.24.05 I just started reading STRAIGHT, an autobiography by Boy George. I ordered it from Amazon UK (as it isn't available in the US) and was surprised when it arrived to my Bangkok apartment only 3 days after ordering it. Not bad! Anyway, I'm sure many of you love/hate Boy George (seems to be the case with the rest of the world as well). Either way, I shall let you know how it is. So far it is pretty interesting. Little known fact about ACE: Culture Club "Colour by Numbers" was the first record I ever owned. For Christmas that year my mom and dad bought that album for me, and Michael Jackson's "Thriller" for my sister. I sure am thankful it didn't work out vice versa. Listening to: To the Point with Warren Olney (KCRW podcast) 08.16.05 Wow, such a long time in between updates. Anyway, I am still in Bangkok... Just got back about 2 months ago.. I was in the USA for a few months selling my MINI, and taking care of some business. I have a new apartment. It's really nice. Its huge. And beautiful. It even has "maids quarters" for a live-in maid (which I will never have). Heheh. Here are some pictures that my friend Tim took while he was helping me move in... The page also has some nice pictures of one of my saltwater aquariums and my pet lobster "Pinchy" who has passed away unfortunately. Anyway, I shall try to update this site more often now that I am settled in my new place. Listening to: Alena 03.26.05 Ok, so the other day in my aquarium a really funny thing happened. Basically, I have some Chinese Softshell Turtles which are super cool and I love them, and of course some sucker fish (plecostamus) as well as others. The funny thing: The sucker started sucking on the back of the shell of the turtle, so the turtle kept trying to bend its neck back to bite him, but it couldn't reach, so it just kept swimming around in circles trying to reach it... (Picture a dog trying to bite its tail) It was very funny... and as much as I hate to use this word--cute. Listening to: Club 8 02.24.05 I would like to wish Steve Jobs (a devout fan of deepgeek.net) a Happy 50th birthday today! Keep up the good work at Apple and Pixar, old chum! Listening to: 4 Strings 02.21.05 Ok, so last night I witnessed a stabbing about 3 seconds from the door to my apartment. I went to take out the trash (uh, ok, it was 2 empty beer bottles), and hear some screaming and crying. I assumed it was a guy hitting his girlfriend or something, so I looked up the stairs in the hallway, and there was a guy with a huge knife in his hand, blood everywhere, struggling with another guy, and a girl standing here screaming. I couldn't believe it. Literally 6 steps in front of me. I considered hitting the guy on the head with one of the beer bottles I was holding, but that knife was really big. So, instead I ran down the hallway to try to get someone to call the police. When I got back seconds later the guy with the knife was gone and the girl was carrying the guy to the elevator.. I ran to my apartment to get a towel, and put it around his head was bleeding quite a bit. I dunno... It really looked like he might have been dead already. So they leave... apparently taking a taxi to the hospital. And I wait around for the police to come. I waited two hours. No police. There are rumors they came to the parking lot and talked to a few people, but didn't find it necessary to come to the actual crime scene or anything. Incredible. So the buildings security gets there about 30 minutes after everything happened and starts cleaning the pools of blood up eventually... so I ended up taking pictures in case the police wanted to see them.. (which apparently they don't). I am really astounded how little the "law enforcement" cares about this -- an attempted MURDER. I just can't can't can't can't believe this! It is INSANE. I was going to post some pictures, but, once I looked at them, realized it wouldn't be anything that anyone would want to see--you're going to have to trust me on that. Ugh. 02.14.05 Happy Valentine's Day. I just read this great article at Wired about celebrities coming into the Apple Stores in Los Angeles. They tell you who are the good, bad and ugly as far as their attitudes toward Apple Reps are concerned. Awesome. A definite MUST READ. I wouldn't have thought Levar Burton was such a fucking prick. Ah well. At least Val Kilmer was "high and spaced out". Nice! Listening to: Bit Shifter 02.08.05 TV here in Thailand has taken a turn for the worse since I've come back... Before I went to the US this last time, Star World (basically the "America" channel) had Just Shoot Me, Angel, Ed, Smallville and more... when I get back they have all been replaced--by shit. Now we have FRIENDS (ack!). Well, ok, we do have American Idol which I have grown to like, as well as Enterprise and That 70's Show... I dunno, its just not the same... Ya just cant beat Angel and Just Shoot Me... Thankfully the show that I would simply die without, The Simpsons, has survived both seasons. Woo hoo! Listening to: Creation 01.26.05 Fuck. As much as I have always tried to resist it (simply by avoiding ever watching it), I have become what I have always despised: Someone who watches American Idol. It started with me and Aie being in a hotel in Pattaya with nothing to do, and the Bangkok premiere of American Idol was on so we watched it. We liked it. Then I HAD to watch the episode they did in Saint Louis of course. And now... well, I'm a regular viewer... (sigh) And as much as I truly hate to say this, I think Simon is great! Hehe. Ah, also, if you are looking for other blogs to read, you should check out FAC. She is from Saint Louis, is a fan of Apple, has great taste in music, and for some reason thinks I am great. It just doesn't get better than that folks. :) Also, thank you Kurty for being kind enough to order one of the new iPod shuffles for me (as they arent available in Thailand yet because of overwhelming demand.) Watching: American Idol (sorry.) 01.04.05 I hate to sound dramatic... But I think I almost died today. I was rearranging the stuff in my aquarium (which is small) and because both of my arms where inside aquarium the water level rose enough to touch the light. It started blinking so I took my arms out. Right after I did that, the light basically made a huge pop noise, and knocked out all the electricity in my apt. The light bulb also turned black. Eh, I dunno. Perhaps I am being paranoid. But boy have I been thinking of my own mortality far too often lately. Earthquake/Tsunami/Aquarium. (Sigh) Ya, New Years celebrations were cancelled here, and people were instructed to wear black because of the tsunami. Me and Aie didn't even feel like doing anything for NYE, but we forced ourselves to go out anyway. It was fairly miserable. The only highlight was when I convinced Aie it was American tradition to pound a beer at the stroke of midnight. While she did that, I pretended to. Right after she finished she vomited. (We were at a table in the middle of.. say.. 200 others). Hehe. As I said -- The only highlight of the evening. Listening to: Culture Club (Yes again.) 12.26.04 For anyone wondering, I am OK... I didn't even feel the earthquake that hit this morning. Although, apparently some other people did. And many people apparently died on beach towns due to tidal waves. Yikes. Most powerful earthquake in 40 years. Wow! Listening to: Culture Club 12.17.04 Here are some pictures taken during the Loy Krathong festival here in Thailand. It is a holiday in which Thai's give appreciation for water. The way I understand it is that they make these "krathongs" and then float them down the Chao Phraya river to apologize for polluting it. It was fun. The krathongs are made from just banana leaves, flowers, and the stalk of a banana tree for floatation. Me and Aie made the coolest one. Can you see my influence at all? :) Pretty cool! Oh, I just read in the Bangkok Post that the new campaign here in Thailand against drunk driving consists of this punishment: ''This year they will have to go out with the Por Tek Tueng Foundation to collect the bodies of people who die in road accidents, or rescue the injured.'' Man! Im going to add this to my "Only in Thailand" list. Wow! Oh, also, if you look at the first picture, and notice the pink spots on my hand, those are scars from when my friend Kurty fell on me (or pushed me--we can't remember) while we were very drunk during Oktoberfest in Hermann, Missouri this year (pictured right). That was also a very good time, but I could do without the scarring. Listening to: Hrsta 12.08.04 As promised, here is a picture of the Honda motorbike I bought. Pretty nice, eh? Yep, only $750 USD. Can't beat that. I'm starting to get used to driving it here... But its still a bit scarey. Haha. I will soon post some pictures from the World Trade Center... (eh, its a shopping mall here) It is close to where I live, so I spend a lot of time there bowling or seeing movies, or going to the beirgarten area. I was thinking about buying a bowling ball the other day because the alley balls here suck.. they are all made for smaller hands... But bowling balls seem to be a bit more expensive here than in the states. Damn. I guess shipping them here WOULD cost a bit, as most of them are made in America. Watching: A stupid movie on TV 12.03.04 Well, so, ya, I am back in Bangkok for probably 6 months... Who knows what will happen after that. I still have my eyes set on San Francisco, I just don't know if there will be more travelling before then. Either way, since I'm going to be in Bangkok for a bit, I bought a motorbike. In America we would call it a scooter... But its a brand new Honda Wave Z. (Picture will be posted soon). Either way, BRAND NEW these bikes are only 30,000 baht here in Thailand. Translated that is about 750 US Dollars. Not bad! I guess now the thing to do will be to NOT get hurt. Bangkok is a pretty crazy city (especially on the roads) and I will admit, driving it IS a bit scary. It is not as bad as it was when me and my friend Brian rented a motorbike in Viet Nam. There, Brian was driving (I was on back), and I was very scared. We almost wrecked once. Its was just a complete mass of motorbikes all driving fast... Needless to say, while Bangkok is no picnic on the road, it certainly isn't as bad as Viet Nam. So far I almost hit a bus... but I didn't, so I suppose that doesn't count. :) By the way, I would like to point out that I have JUST STARTED watching and reading the news again. It was really weird. After the election of GW the second time, I was truly depressed and disgusted. You all know that I am a news junkie, but since Nov 2, I just couldn't watch the news without getting really depressed. So, I just thought I would point out that the "acceptance" has started, and life is getting back to normal as far as my news interest goes... Listening to: Air America (Al Franken Show) 11.02.04 Why are Americans so FUCKING stupid? How depressing? (sigh.) Listening to: NPR 10.02.04 Long Time, no update. Uh ya. Anyway, so, I am kicking it in Saint Louis (my hometown) for almost two months. I had to use my return ticket from Bangkok, or it would expire. So I figured I would come back here to celebrate my 30th birthday. Its... ok to be back... I miss Thailand already. But I have been having fun here for the most part, so I can't complain. I have already checked off most of the things on my "to-eat" list: Lion's Choice, Imo's Pizza, Steak N' Shake, St. Paul Sandwich, Crab Rangoon, Toasted Ravioli, Schlafly Beer... I still need to hit White Castles, Pasta House, and a few other places... Ah, Saint Louis food... Mmmm... Listening to: Air America 8.08.04 Ugh. Yesterday was a terrible day. During the afternoon I noticed that the sky had turned oddly dark. I looked out the window... My apartment building was covered with black smoke. Obviously nervous, I went to see what was up... The building right across the soi was on fire... Ugh. So quickly. I couldn't believe it.. Right away I knew that anyone who wasn't out of the building by now would not live... (it being a 9 story building and the fire starting on the 2nd floor, it didn't look good.) The smoke was so dense, it seemed that just breathing it for 5 seconds would make you pass out.. (and being a fair distance from the building, when the wind blew my direction, I really did get a bit dizzy... I can really understand, now, how people die way before fire reaches them... You simply cannot breathe that smoke for long.) Anyway, it was just a complete terrible feeling of helplessness. We all knew there was no way we could help anyone in there... Just terrible. The helplessness and the sadness. You see this shite happen all the time on TV, etc... It was wierd really.. Some people where crying.. (I was ATTEMPTING to hold it back...) and some people were laughing... While my instinct was to be pissed as hell at them, and wanting to scream at them saying that it was fucked up for them to be laughing at a time like this, I realized that it is simply some peoples way of coping with things such as this... Seriously. A bad day... btw... the song at entry 2.27.04 really captures the moment. :( Listening to: Motorcycle 7.04.04 I had the weirdest dream last night. I was going to the Apple event where they were going to premiere their new line, and everyone was very excited to see what they were going to announce. Well, it seems at this event they decided they were getting into the furniture market, and they announced a line of Apple couches, and tables, and all of it was in an old wooden Victorian style. Heh. I remember being very disappointed, and noticed that people were talking to Steve Jobs and telling him what a mistake this was. But Steve swore it was the next big thing. And then he came and asked me what I thought, and I was too scared to tell him that it was stupid. So I said, "Man, this is awesome. What a great idea!" Hehe.. Ahh.. Dreams are funny. I guess I had this dream because the Apple World Wide Developer Conference just passed. Luckily they announced some really cool things instead of furniture. (30" Cinema Display with a new aluminum enclosure) Mmm!! What videogame have I been playing lately? Glad you asked! Mini-Motors (AKA MicroMachines) on my Gameboy Advance. It pretty nice. I only wish I had someone here to play against. :( Listening to: Silver Scooter 6.27.04 Basically I have been searching for some sleeping pills here in Bangkok lately because I'm on a screwed up sleep schedule again... (Going to sleep at 5am or so)... I have found out that it is next to impossible to get sleeping pills here because they are severely restricted because of people wanting to kill themselves with them... Personally I think it is part of Thailands crazy drug war. Hell, I asked Aie to get me some Nyquil, and she said the pharmacy looked at her suspiciously and accusitively, and stated: "We can't sell that anymore! The government banned it." C'mon! Nyquil! I live on that stuff! (OK, not really, but it is nice when you have a cold and can't sleep because you can't breathe through your nose)... Anyway, I go to the "Police Hospital" very close to my apartment the other day because my knee has been hurting... (a tendon problem it appears) I also ask the doctor for some sleeping pills. He obliges, as he can see that I am an upstanding citizen of the world. He gives me Amitriptyline. Fine. I decide to look it up on the internet. This is what I find: "Amitriptyline has been used in animals for separation anxiety, for inappropriate urination in cats, for feline lower urinary tract disease in cats, and for obsessive grooming behaviors in both dogs and cats." And its SIDE EFFECT is sedation. Does this sound weird to anyone else? I think I'm just going to have to go ahead and request Valium by name next time. Amitriptyline is also used as an anti-depessant. Either way, here is the great part. A doctor visit (in the emergency room at a hospital), 3 types of medicine for my knee, and the "sleeping pills": Guess how much this cost? Yep, the huge sum of 205 baht. (translated in to USD: $5.12) Yah! Sure they prescribed me stuff that is used for "inappropriate urination in cats" and happens to make me sleepy too... but that is one helluva deal! But it all evened out... I lost about 60 bucks that night playing cards with Aie and a fellow Falang (John, the guy who you can see me squirting in the face with water down the page on the 5.05.04 entry--Looks like he got even with me)... Its started off we were playing 2 baht per hand, and all the sudden somehow I was betting 1000 baht per hand. Eh, I guess that comes from the fact that 90% of my family has gambling problems... Haha... Ahhhh... Good times... Good TIMES. Listening to: Ebeling Hughes 6.15.04 Ok, so I printed out a picture of President George W. Bush and hung it on the wall of my apartment. Aie thinks I am crazy. Is it just me, or does anyone else "get it"? Heh. Everytime I look at it I just smile... And kind of giggle. Meh. I guess it's just me, but I think it is funny. I'm not quite sure why I put it up. I guess its many reasons: Here in Thailand EVERYWHERE you go and EVERYONE you know has a picture of their King hanging up--whether it is at their work, their home, whatever. I guess the picture of G.W. is my little American version of that. Heh. It also reminds me of home a bit I suppose. (Home being America -- No specific city.) And I hope I don't HAVE to say this (but I will so no one is mistaken), I absolutely don't plan on voting for G.W. Bush. Listening to: Isan 6.08.04 Ok, so click on the image to the left there, and you will be able to read the webpage I have been getting FAR TOO MUCH here in Thailand. Bad things are happening I tell you. What the fuck? If I WANNA visit a porn site, I should BE ABLE to visit a porn site! This is America! Oh, wait... No its not. It's Thailand. Meh. I still believe I should be able to visit a porn site if I want to. Anyway, from what I understand Thailand will soon be requiring that all Thai internet service providers block porn related internet sites. Meh. Listening to: My Favorite 5.28.04 Oh, Am I a retard? Perhaps. All that talk about the Gameboy and I didn't even mention the coolest musician ever, that uses the Gameboy in composing his music... firestARTer is his name, and he rocks. He is one of the main musicians in the documentary that me and Shen D O (double) G are doing on 8-Bit music. You really need to download his song Cute Invasion. It is... oh, how do they say it in English? Oh yes. RAD! (and fyi... I didn't mean to offend any mentally retarted people in the writing of this entry.) 5.28.04 Ok... As I am sitting here... having drank more Thai whiskey than I should have... I am (please visualize me "air-quoting") "surfing" the "web"... and I run into an advertisement for Suicide Girls. Its a FINE website that features super attractive women. You know... naked and stuff... Completely tasteful. Anyway, one of my photo sets are on there... Of a friend of mine... Trillian... Its the SPIRAL series.. :) heheh... We shot them on the spiral staircase in my (old) apartment in LA... When she came down to visit me from San Francisco... Ah, San Francisco... Don't get me started on that FINE city. I miss it dearly. I can't wait to be back. But... I am here in Bangkok for the time being... There really is something to be said about paying $175 for an apartment rather than $1500. Ah... Also, I bought a Gameboy Advance SP the other day. I saw the cartridge for Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, and just had to play it. Back in my pre-San Francisco days (living in Los Angeles the first time) my sex life was dictated by this game. Ya. Wierd, eh? Me and my girlfriend (at the time... uhhh, she refuses to talk to me now... Her videogame name is CAAXXX. Heh.) would play Super Puzzle Fighter, and whoever won would receive a point... Points were redeemable at any time for the sex act of your choice. Seriously. That went on for a long time. Its crazy when I think about it. I would say for atleast 6 months, MY SEX LIFE WAS DICTATED BY SUPER PUZZLE FIGHTER. Anyway.. So back to the Gameboy... It's cool... I was so pissed when I bought the regular Gameboy Advance only to realize it didnt even have a backlight, so it was essentially USELESS if you care about seeing colors, or the SCREEN for that matter. My friend Tedwin (a fine chap--his nickname is Orange Juice) sent me a link to a supercool Gameboy Advance (limited edition)... It is the NES edition. Pretty cool, eh? Yep. And here in Thailand you can buy pirated cartridges for the Gameboy with 100 games on them... For under 10 bucks... So I have been playing Excitebike and Mario Brothers quite a bit. Two complete classics. Man did I ramble tonight. That is what whiskey does my friends. Overused phrase of the month: Mother fuck 5.23.04 Mother fuck. I woke up this morning, turned my computer on, got an earful of "GRIND, GRIND, GRIND." Ugh. Yup. One of my hard drives crashed. It was the one I bought about 5 months ago, here in Bangkok. A Western Digital serial ATA 200 GB. I bought it to hold footage for the 8-Bit music documentary I am doing with Shen-Dog (of "Flight From Death" fame). So ya. Basically, I am unlucky, but lucky. While most of the 8-Bit footage I have is/was on that drive, and is "lost" now (atleast until I re-digitize it), I am very thankful that my SYSTEM drive didn't crash. If that would've crashed I would've lost all of the EDITING that I had done so far on both The Joystick Generation AND 8-Bit... It is still a HUGE hassle because I'm pretty sure that the tapes of most of the footage that was on that drive is in storage in Northridge, California. Which means it will be August until I am able to retrieve it (and re-digitize it). This really sucks. I had promised to edit a trailer of the 8-Bit project so someone could try to acquire funding for it... And now that is delayed... (yet again.) (Thinking outloud here: I do have about HALF of the 8-Bit tapes here.. Hopefully I can scrounge enough footage from them to cut a trailer...) (sigh.) And yes, you guessed it... I was playing Moon Patrol today. A fine game it is. Listening to: Technicolor 5.19.04 Looking back over my previous entries--Have I ever mentioned what a FIRM believer I am in parenthesis? Sure... Some people believe in "god" and stuff... Me: I believe in parenthesis. Listening to: Low "Lullaby" (Oh my god... Yes... I swear... The same song... Again.) 5.18.04 I think this is my favorite quote from the Palestinians during this whole "intifadah": "We will die and they will die, but we are Muslims and we go to heaven. They will go to the fires of hell". What a bunch of fuckin' geniuses. Ahhh... Such understanding. I think it is words like these that illustrate best that there is no easy answer. I'm not saying the Israelis don't have their faults... But c'mon. Listening to: Low "Lullaby" 5.17.04 Whew! Before you read the entry below, I would like to state that I do like Thailand quite a bit. There are things that frustrate me here, but obviously there are things that frustrate me in America too. So thats what it was... oh, ya, and all of the tequila I drank. :) heheheh... ahhh. Listening to: nothing 5.15.04 Thailand. Fucking Thailand. Sometimes it's the wierdest place. But I guess that is what makes it interesting to me. Everytime Aie passes a wat (buddhist temple), she "wais" (bending over while placing her two hands together in the "praying" position). It's just weird to me... Thai's are nazi-like in their worship of Buddha. I'm sorry, but it is my personal opinion that they are sheep. (As are 90% of Americans who worship "christ") I don't think Thais even really know what Buddhism is. It is just this weird custom that has been passed down from generation to generation. Thais are so obsessed with "class" (meaning "caste") and money that I think Buddha would commit suicide if he lived here. The class-system is in full effect here. It seems so wrong. I'm not judging.. (really) It just makes me sad. Thailand truly is an amazing place. But sometimes it gets to me. They place too much emphasis on money. Money EQUALS respect here. Which (shudder) makes me sad. There are so many FUCKERS here that are complete losers, but for some reason, they have a lot of money (which to us Americans really would be mimimal), and they think they are better than the people on the street who fucking labor for a living. Honestly, it infuriates me. The criteria for "respect" here makes me very sad. FYI, my favorite game right now is Q-Bert. Listening to: Elliott Smith (Yes, again. He is THAT good.) 5.12.04 This is weird. I recently hung out with my ex-girlfriend Jan's, ex-boyfriend, Andrew. Confused? Ya. Basically I dated a girl named Jan. She dated a guy named Andrew (besides me.. so she really dated 2 Andrews). Her ex-boyfriend lives in Thailand. I live in Thailand. So Jan has 2 ex-boyfriends named Andrew, who both live in Thailand. Ya. Wierd. Anyway, so Andrew, Aie, and I (Andrew), went out to the (in)famous Sukhumvit, Soi 4 area, Nana Entertainment Plaza (uhh..Ya, its a go-go bar complex) to have some beers and bugs. Andrew (not me) ate a scorpion. Aie ate a water beetle. I ate a baby frog. For now, here is a picture of Andrew and the scorpion. Perhaps later, I will put up videoclips of us doing the eating. And just so you know, the baby frog was NOT SO BAD. Listening to: Elliott Smith 5.05.04 Here is a picture of me and a new friend, John, on Songkran (Thai New Year) a few weeks ago. It was a good time. Everyone sprays each other with water ("nam"... Whaddya know? Im learning Thai!). Some people also put powder of various colors on your face (as you can see in the pic). I have mixed feelings on the next thing: Some people like you grab your privates--Somehow it seemed the guys like to do that to me as much as the ladies. Im chalking that one up to cultural differences. :) Hehehe. Btw, John is from Minnesota, the state that one of my favorite bands, Low, lives in. He is swell... Except that I owe him 2600 baht because he and his girlfriend beat me and Aie bowling. (Damn, my competitive nature!) Listening to: Space Needle 4.25.04 Okay... Here we go. I am writing today in response to a friend (Tim Smith) who told me he started a blog. I guess what I would like to express is this: If you are going to put all that love and care into a computer, why don't you do it with a computer that is WORTH it (a Macintosh, of course). I didn't have to weld a drywall sander handle to the top of MY computer for ease of carrying. Hell, you can put 400 hours into making a PC look pretty, and will it ever compare to what a PowerMac G5 looks like out of the box? (Answer: No.) This is my G5 (unmodded). Just pure beauty. Now, I'm not trying to sound uppity, but look at it. It is perfection. Apple's industrial design is well... simply put... It's the "Bees Knees." Btw, Tim, don't get mad. I'm just being an ass. You remember... It's what I excel at! Hehehe. Listening to: Smile.DK 4.24.04 Alright... Now this is just wrong. Can any of my Saint Louis friends point out what is so funked up about this bottle of "Thai Beer"? (Ya, that's the brand name: Thai Beer") It's truly a vile beer (and you all know how RARELY I say that). No, it's not just imported Budweiser (how I wish it were, I would really enjoy one right now), but a terrible Thai beer, with a total ripoff of the Budweiser label. If they mess with Schlafly, I'm going to have to kick some ass. Listening to: Concrete Blonde 4.23.04 I would like to encourage you all to give Air America Radio a try. It is a new liberal talk radio station. It is only in a few of the top markets right now (NYC, LA, SF, etc) but you can listen to it streamed over the web (no Quicktime unfortunately... Just Realplayer) as I do from Bangkok. I especially recommend Al Franken's show, The O'Franken Factor. Very good stuff. Listening to: Air America 4.22.04 A'ight folks... I am in my new apartment in Bangkok... (living alone) I felt it was best to get a place here by myself so that I could really experience Bangkok. When you live with someone (especially a girlfriend) who does everything for you, you really dont EXPERIENCE... If I wanted something, she would get it... That does me no good... Thats teaching me nothing. So, living by myself will allow me to experience the awkwardness of living in a city that is the opposite of my own, and grow. Thats what its all about.. right folks? So.. Here are the new and improved "Views From My Apartment". Aren't they so... "Bladerunner during the day"? Ok.. well, not that cool. But we can at least say they are "neat" right? Listening to: Add N to (X) 4.14.04 Sawasdee bee mai! (Happy Thai New Year!) The Thai New Year (Songkran) celebration is really great. Basically for 3 days in Bangkok (2 weeks in other areas) no matter where you go, people with throw water on you... You cannot leave your house without getting soaking wet. People also come up to you and rub white powder (mixed with water) on your face. It is really really fun! I bought the largest water gun (I will be sure to get a picture up of it) that I could find... Fun fun fun! It is all done in a nice happy spirit... I can only imagine people getting pissed off in America in this situation... But here, you shoot someone in the face with a water gun and they come up to you and hug you. It really is one of the cooler events that I have seen. Did I say fun? It is. Fun. Listening to: Funeral in Berlin 4.09.04 Ok, so I am eating Kosheri and tomato soup at this really great Egyptian restaurant here in Bangkok (Nefertiti)... And I notice that all of the Arabs around me are intently watching something on the big screen... Oh, whats that? Its our wonderful (ack) National Security Advisor, Condi Rice giving her public testimony... Boy did I feel weird as the only American in the room. But.. It was interesting to say the least. Listening to: Steve Jobs going off on Microsoft 4.08.04 I came across a really nice description of Bangkok (that is pretty damn accurate) whilst searching for a new apartment today: "Bangkok means City of Angels, but a less angelic city may be difficult to find. A collage of urban squalor, gleaming affluence, abject poverty, exotic consumerism and astounding pollution, it's a city that assaults the senses." Yes. I am back in Bangkok. Will be here 3-6 months. Then I will be moving back to the wonderful SAN FRANCISCO! Woo hoo! Listening to: Nothing 2.28.04 I came across the funniest porn site today. Saddams Porno Jihad. Hehehe. It made me laugh. Listening to: Thai Music 2.27.04 I just sent an email to a friend that I met in Mexico during the Day of the Dead... She is Brasilian, and rather interesting... I remember talking with her, whilst drunkenly walking the streets of Patzcuaro, about her days living in Thailand (just weeks before I moved to Thailand). She reminisced about eating RAT with the natives... Hahah... Ahh... Either way, super cool girl. The reason I bring this up is that I uploaded a Thai song to share with her... and since it is on the server, I shall share it will you all too. Keep in mind that it is an extremely sad song, and you will not be able to listen to it without crying. MACINTOSH (Option-Click) / PC (Gag me with a Spoon!) Listening to: Autechre 1.19.04 Fuckin SHITE. Let me just say that I HATE fucking mosquitos. Listening to: Ned's Atomic Dustbin 1.16.04 Another cool thing about Thailand. You can buy tuna (in the can) already mixed with mayonnaise! It sounds sketchy, but its pretty damn good, let me tell you! Listening to: Bryan Ferry 1.12.04 Ok, so, I have been travelling for essentially the last 3 weeks. My old friend from back in Saint Louis during the Velocity days, Brian Scotti, and I went to Viet Nam and Cambodia for 2 weeks. He also hung out with me in Bangkok for a week as well. We had a good time, and I will post pictures of that soon! After that I went to Phuket, a resort island here in Thailand with Aie. It was very nice too. Like I said, more information/photos on both trips to come. Here is a picture of me HARD AT WORK on my documentary, The Joystick Generation. As you can see I got quite a tan during my travels--Just compare this picture with the one below it. Yikes. Listening to: Maquiladora Entries from January 2001 - December 2003