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23 Saturday Jun 2012
Posted End of the Week, It's A Gay World
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23 Saturday Jun 2012
Posted Chiang Mai, Monk Shot!, Travel Photography
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It’s always cool to run across a monk or two when you are visiting a temple in Thailand. It’s even better stumbling upon a whole gaggle of them. If the wat is one of those that includes a school for novice monks you can increase you chances of hitting an orgy of monks by visiting at feeding time.
I hadn’t planned my visit to Wat Phra Singh in Chiang Mai that way, I’d been out wandering from wat to wat for the day and just happened upon this saffron colored feeding frenzy by luck. One of the more important and well-known temples in the city, it has a large school attached and is one of the best to hit if you want to find large numbers of monks at a wat. Lunch time, which due to the number of mouths being fed runs in shifts, is even better. It’s also one of the few times you can point your camera at a monk and not be noticed. Their entire state of consciousness is directed toward the food being ladled out of large pots.
I’d guess from the looks of the not-so-little guy in the foreground of this shot that grabbing seconds, or even thirds, is permitted.
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23 Saturday Jun 2012
Posted It's A Gay World
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Bling is almost important to bar boys as baht. Vain little creatures that they are, it doesn’t matter how cheap or tacky the bling is, if it gets them noticed that’s all that counts. Cheap bling is almost better than expensive bling, ‘cuz pricey bling usually means a gold chain supplied by last night’s customer and that little piece of affection will be sold off quicker than John Travolta going down on a male masseur.
Sure your boy du jour would love you more for buying him a new cell phone, but as status conscious as Thai bar boys are you’ll get just as an infectious smile for handing over the latest, newest bling for him to decorate his body with. And now, thanks to the folks at Pejazzle, his body is just what you can decorate. The company offers a line of stick on Swarovski crystals decals for below the belt embellishment.
Offered in a wide variety of designs such as hearts, foot prints, and dolphins, the Pejazzle is a new line from the folks who introduced the world to the Vajazzle, a version for women to use to attempt to make their private parts less disgusting looking. According to salon owners who said customers were avidly snatching up the body bling, 40% were men who wanted to crystallize their little friend. The company responded by introducing a line specifically aimed at mens’ crotches.
Mark Wright, a self-confessed Pejazzler hired to launch the new range of groin-embellishments says, “‘Men wear diamond watches and bling earrings – this is no different.”
He advises users shave the hair before applying the crystals, or for the ‘very hairy’, a judicious waxing or laser session might be necessary. “Think of it just like a crystal tattoo – and it’s less permanent than a real one,” he says.
Originally only offered in salons, the company now offers Pejazzles in a do-it-yourself home application kit available for purchase on-line from the finest internet retailers. Easily applied and easily removed with soapy water, the company is keeping mum about the potential problem of their product failing to grow with you if applied directly to your best buddy.
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22 Friday Jun 2012
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Noom, my bar boy friend and current love of my life, has an on-going love affair with pillows. He likes money. But he loves pillows. I don’t know what the deep part of his soul is that responds to pillows, but they are as necessary to his well-being as is the air we breathe. Pillows are to Noom as is candy to a child, a fresh needle to a junkie, a boy newly arrived from Issan to Pattaya’s sexpats. I’d be jealous if not for his frequent use of my body as a pillow. But since by then he’s already stole all the pillows on our bed for his use, my body is the only one left so it’s not like he has a choice.
Have I mentioned before what a greedy little pig Noom can be?
When we check into a hotel, after he strips down to his underwear, the first thing he does is to pile all of the pillows onto his side of the bed. His greediness is not a pretty sight. But knowing that his ass is, even while still draped in cotton, he knows he can get away with it. The first chance I get, usually when he hits the shower, I steal one back. But it’s only a temporary ownership because by the time I get done with my shower that pillow will be back where it started, cradled in Noom’s arms once again.
The first time he hogged all the pillows – because his happiness is always my overarching concern – I responded appropriately. “Bastard! Give me a damn pillow!”
“Falang not lie pillows,” he tried, almost keeping the grin off his face before dissolving into a fit of laughter. Noom loves cracking himself up almost as much as he likes pillows. If I had a pillow I would have whapped him upside the head with it.
I’ve tried getting to the pillows first. It doesn’t work. It’s only a temporary stay. I’ve tried hiding a pillow for my use. He always finds it. And then not only has another pillow to cuddle, but a reason to smirk too. One night I tried the martyr route climbing out of bed and stretching out on the floor, muttering that if I was gonna sleep in a bed pillowless I might as well just sleep on the floor. He waited me out. Then reached down and draped a blanket over me before sweetly wishing me a good night.
Realizing I was never going to win the pillow battle in direct confrontation, the next time I booked my reservation at the hotel I made a special request for extra pillows. From the receptionist’s response you’d think ownership of pillows was a Thai national obsession. But it turned out that out of all the strange requests that had come over her phone line, having a guest request extra pillows to not only be supplied by hidden in the closet was unique. For a Thailand hotel that’s really saying something.
When we checked in Noom sensed something was up from my complete lack of interest in his hoard of pillows. When he hopped into bed for the night and I retrieved a pillow out off the closet he laughed. I smiled. Score 1 for the visiting team. He grabbed it before I could lay my head on it.
No problemo. I went and got another. That one didn’t even make it to the bed, he just held his hand out for it. I returned to the bed with the third spare pillow wrapped tightly in my arms and snarled. I would have made a lioness proud. Of course as soon as I fell asleep, Noom slipped the pillow out from under my head and added it to his growing collection. Now whenever we check into a hotel the first thing he does is to check out the closets to see if the pillow fairy has that hotel on it’s rounds.
I finally resorted to calling housekeeping and have them bring extra pillows up on every trip to Thailand I make. Even if I have to do it several times through the first day and night. You can imagine Noom’s reaction when he discovered you could have pillows delivered more easily than a pizza. The novelty of the idea was a delight. The resulting high pillow count pure heaven. Since then Noom has become quite adept at calling down for a fresh pillow supply. And I still have to fight him for the use of one.
I made the mistake of doing the same with towels once and now Noom arranges with housekeeping for us to have at least a dozen in the room at all times. I think he uses them to comfort his pillow collection. I dread passing a housekeeper in the hotel’s corridor because I know, no matter how many pillows and towels we already have in the room, Noom will stop and politely ask for more. I keep waiting for a pillow charge to appear on my bill at checkout, but it hasn’t happened. Yet.
Noom is almost as fond of the robes the hotel supplies, but hasn’t figured out how to wear more than one at a time. Yet. Not that it matters, those robes are built for an Asian and wouldn’t fit me anyway. At one hotel he liked the robe so much he packed it in his suitcase, but fortunately showed me his stash before we headed down to check-out. “It free!” He crowed with the delight that only something magically free can stir within a Thai’s heart. I explained that the robe was not only not free but that I’d be charged some astronomical price for his pilfering. Disappointed, he put it back. And I made a quick count of the pillows.
On my next trip, along with the other goodies I brought from home for him I picked up a nice fluffy black robe. He looked at it like it was some unidentified foreign object. Okay. I gave him a hint. “For you, for room.”
“My loom hot.”
I knew I should have gone with a pillow.
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22 Friday Jun 2012
Posted iPhone Fridays, It's A Gay World
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21 Thursday Jun 2012
Posted Bali, Travel Photography
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Being a native Californian, I’m well aware that you are what you drive. That may sound shallow to the rest of you, but then ya’ll don’t live in California so who really cares what you think? So just go hop in your Toyota and brag to all your friends about what great gas milage you get. You might think it’s the journey and not the destination that matters, but even though we might pay more to get there, we’re still gonna end up somewhere in California. And you’re not.
But because we are the coolest people on the planet, Californians do realize that elsewhere in the world your vehicle is transportation, not part of your identity. And are willing to cut others some slack. Motorcycles in SE Asia are a good example. For many they are not just transpo, but serve as a modern day beast of burden too.
The ingenuity in designing and installing modifications to motorcycle when used as a delivery vehicle is amazing. So is the balance required in puttering around on these futuristic water buffalo. Seeing entire families mounted on a scooter is old hat by now; running across the latest version of a two wheel delivery van still captures my attention.
The photograph above is from Kuta, Bali, and pretty well sums up life in the island’s party district cum slacker haven. The local beer always takes precedence over something as mundane as coke. Though most of that cola will probably be diluted with rum. I snapped the shot early one morning so I have to assume the delivery was to cover the breakfast crowd. Ya gotta love Aussies.
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21 Thursday Jun 2012
Posted Gay of the Week, It's A Gay World, XXX Games
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The on-going debate in the Boudia-Finchum bromance is who gets to be top. The on-going debate in the rest of the world is when will these two Olympic hotties say I am. And I do.
Matthew Mitcham is getting all of the pre-Olympics gay diver hype; he’s the best known gay athlete scheduled to compete at the London Games as well as being the defending gold medal champion on the 10m board. Meanwhile Britain’s entry in the gay diver sweepstakes, Tom Daley, is no slouch in the hype department himself thanks to his boyish good looks, his diving skills, and his boyish good looks. And with a dearth of gay Olympic divers already on the scoreboards making the Pink Team the overall winner, every Olympian who walks out on the diving board and strikes a pose causes eye brows to raise and his sexuality to be questioned.
At this summer’s Olympics you can expect history to repeat itself, and those eyebrows to change to a knowing waggle when Thomas Finchum and David Boudia appear on the world’s stage. It happened at the Beijing Games, it will happen at the London Games too. Because the world wants to know: What in the hell is happening between those two boys? And how does Nick McCrory fit into that relationship?
U.S. Olympic divers David Boudia and Thomas Finchum were partners in the synchronized 10m platform event at the Beijing Games and seemed inseparable both on and off the diving board. The pair’s beautifully choreographed aerial ballet, two powerful near-naked bodies exemplifying masculine strength in perfect precision twisting and turning in a versatile coupling, the muscular powerhouse Boudia and Finchum’s graceful long limbed artistry excited viewers but failed to earn them a medal. Their coupling did, however, earn them a place in the hearts and minds of gay men all over the world who were willing to claim the duo as their own. Gaydar across the planet started pinging and even straight viewers wondered aloud if either or both were gay. For most, an interview Finchum gave on NBC settled the matter. Even those not willing to attach the gay label, begrudgingly admitted the boy is a bit effeminate. But then Boudia has plenty of gay backers himself.
Boudia has gone on to become the 2011 Worlds silver medalist in the 10m platform and is the best U.S. hope for an individual Olympic diving medal – male or female, straight or gay. He and Finchum were the silver medalists at the 2009 Worlds, but soon thereafter Boudia teamed with Nick McCrory in the 10m synchronized event finishing fourth at the Test Event held in January in London, which earned the duo a berth at the XXX Games, a follow up to their just out of medal contention fifth place finish at the 2011 Worlds in Shanghai. The pair have become America’s best 10m synchro team and are expected to easily garner spots on the U.S. Diving Team whose trials are currently being held at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center near Seattle and will conclude this Sunday.
All three divers are battling for a berth on the 2012 U.S. Olympic team. Only two will make it. Boudia is the favorite; it seems both on and off the board McCrory and Finchum are vying for the #2 spot. The spot by Boudia’s side. And like three-ways often are, it’s been a messy few years as Boudia has teamed with Finchum, then with McCrory, while McCrory and Finchum tried each other on for fit along the way. All three haven taken turns being the top. Now Finchum wants to wear that title and win the opportunity to be off to London to visit the queens.
And he’s planning on doing so by going it alone. Currently teamed with Drew Livingston in a bit of ‘I can do it too’ payback, Finchum and his pseudo partner did not enter the Trials. Instead, Finchum decided to add the 3m individual event to his repetoir. Anything to cut McCrory out of the picture, cuz’ when Boudia and Finchum get to London together . . . well, they’ll always have Beijing.
Finchum, who first made a splash as a tiny 15-year-old at the 2005 world championships, is trying to make his second Olympic team after going through what he calls four “very difficult” years. “It would mean a lot more to me because of what I’ve had to persevere through,” he says.
For six or seven years until 2009, Finchum competed exclusively with Boudia, they even shared a home pool. When McCrory emerged on the scene, the three rotated partners for about a year – Boudia/Finchum, then Boudia/McCrory, then McCrory/Finchum – until the Boudia/McCrory pairing prevailed. “We were kind of trying out all the possibilities,” says McCrory.
The transition was a potentially uncomfortable situation, but everyone handled it as well as could be expected. “There was no emotion,” Boudia says ignoring what a drama queen Finchum can be.
While McCrory assumed Finchum’s synchronized spot with his longtime teammate, the Olympian was rehabbing from shoulder surgery and had time for song writing while out of the pool. Thomas now has a four-man country cross-over band, Northern Nights, and a popular video on YouTube of him singing John Mayer’s blues ballad, Gravity. “Oh, twice as much ain’t twice as good, And can’t sustain like one half could, Its wanting more that’s gonna set me to my knees,” he fittingly wails in a slight falsetto.
Now healed, at least physically, Finchum is back at the pool. “It hasn’t been as easy. I’ve had to fight my way back up to the top,” he says. He shared his tale of overcoming adversity with journalists at the U.S. Olympic Summit in Dallas last month. “I left Beijing empty-handed and that’s not what I want to do this time. I have big dreams, but I think they’re possible,” Finchum said.
Finchum was first, or second to Boudia, at every national meet from the 2004 trials to 2009. In 2010 surgery set Finchum back, but recent results reflect a new and improved version of the former wunderkind. He was narrowly second to Boudia at December’s winter national championships, and in their last meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Finchum placed second to China’s Zhou Luxin, the 2008 Olympic silver medalist, beating his former partner. Finchum “just dominated, right to the last dive,” said his coach, John Wingfield.
The Beijing Olympian is now 22 years old and stands 6’1″, which is tall for a diver. Finchum said he concentrates on making dives technically perfect because any flaw is magnified more than it would be for a shorter athlete. Off the platform, Finchum says he is peaking at the right time for the trials and Olympics. Yet he acknowledged that it is hard to envision another four years like the past four. “But I finally feel I’m at a point that I’m stronger than I ever have been in my diving, physically and mentally,” he says.
For the first time since 2000, the U.S. Olympic Diving Trials feature no Olympic medalists. That’s a startling statistic for a country with more than twice as many Olympic diving medals than any other nation, despite China’s recent dominance. All three boys have plans to see that doesn’t happen again. Which two, whether diving together or not, is still up for grabs. Finchum, who regularly logs on to the gay entertainment site After Elton, hopes it will be himself and his longtime, if not current companion. “I don’t want it to be anyone else on that team with me but David,” he said. “I want to beat him, but I want to support him, too.”
The U.S. Olympic Trials represent a milestone for the Indianapolis diver, who has been competing at a national level for decade. He, Boudia, and McCrory are all considered to be genuine medal contenders at the London Olympics. By Sunday the trio will know which two of them will be competing at the Games and who will win a romantic holiday getaway to London.
As of the semi-finals on the 10m board Tuesday night, Boudia is in the lead, followed closely by McCrory with Finchum bringing up a disappointing third. Unlike in the Olympics, their previous points carry over to the finals, which will be held on Saturday. Watching the trio battle it out with all three performing the same dive for their final effort of the night, I was struck by four things.
First, and of the utmost importance, McCrory has the best bulge. By far. Canadian Despartie’s title of best Olympic bulge will be in jeopardy in London. Second, Boudia walks a bit gay, but spits like a breeder. Third, McCrory, with a light dusting of chest hair, has the hairiest arm pits I’ve ever seen. I’m generally not in favor of manscaping under arm hair, but the boy might consider a little trimming. Fourth, Finchum really needs to open his closet door, everything about the boy screams gay.
But in that he’s not alone. Last night Finchum competed in the 3m semi-finals, an event he normally passes on. His dives were beautifully performed but as they were of a less degree of difficulty than the other top divers he finished the night in fourth place. Kristian Ipsen, a tall 19-year-old blonde, started and finished the night off in first place. He too has a nice bulge, a great ass, and is U.S. Diving’s fastest rising gay, but still not out diver.
– – – – – – – – – – – UPDATE – – – — – – – – – –
Finchum dove his little heart out at the Olympic trials this week but was unable to pull off high enough scores to secure his spot on the 2012 Olympic team. The 22-year-old has said that he will retire from diving now that his Olympic dream has been broken. Not sure what he plans on doing about that tat.
Boudia & McCrory’s hairy armpits, however will be off to London together.
Troy Dumais and Kristian Ipsen also made the team, with Kristian picking up Finchum’s rainbow tiara from the closet floor. Ipsen lists Finchum’s band as one of his favorites under the music category on his Facebook page, a nice tip of the hat to his fellow closeted diver I thought.
So no wedding bells in London, and no coupled gay divers to add to the media frenzy. But then there have always been rumors about Dumais, and Ipsen is so obvious . . . stay tuned.
[‘The XXX Games’ are a series of posts about hot Olympians, gay competitors – both present and past – and general articles about the 2012 London Olympics of interest to gay men. So, yeah, lots of hot male eye candy. Click the XXX Games graphic above for additional news, stories, and pictures.]
21 Thursday Jun 2012
Posted Absolutely Thursdays, It's A Gay World
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