Noom’s birthday is quickly approaching – his Thai birthday, not the day he was actually born on – so I get to make my annual joke about it being time he picked a new nickname. Noom means young man, he’s pushing that definition these days. That joke barely qualified as funny the first time I used it, but that’s the nice thing about the Thai sense of humor, how funny the joke is doesn’t matter as much as how familiar it is. For Thais, nick names comes and go. I did not realize that their full name is subject to whim and fancy too however.

I’ve always been fond of handing out bitch slaps, I just didn’t realize I could make money out of it. Huh. If you are willing to drop $350 for the pleasure of having your face slapped . . . I guess all is right with the universe. (Someone should have told Mitt Romney about this, his campaign could have saved millions and the result would have been the same.)

We all find our own path on the road to self-discovery, for a young gay man coming to terms with his sexuality that path can be a difficult one. You’d think having your first gay sexual experience in Bangkok would be like a kid over-indulging in a candy store. Evidently not if you do not like Asians, are bothered by the conduct of those around you, and think everyone else in a gay sauna is diseased. My Not So Straight Adventures is an interesting blog entry from a young guy from London who writes about his first visit to Bangkok and Babylon Sauna. I hope he ditched all the self-hate and made a second stab at it . . .

Places in Thailand That Jabba Never Heard Of looks to be a recurring link for my End of The Week posts.

Damir Sagolj is an award winning photojournalist who has spent extensive time in SE Asia documenting life, death, and the political scene. His work is captivating. And quickly points out the difference between a professional and hobbyist photographer.

Oprah has 6 toes on one foot. And you thought her big secret was being a lesbian. No problemo. Fame and glory can be yours even if you are less than perfect: 31 Celebrity’s Imperfections

Getting bored with your boy du jour? Time to move on but still care enough that you want his family’s dead buffalo needs taken care of well into the future? Maybe you’ll feel better by helping him find someone new to love. The Top 20 Cities in The US for finding a Sugar Daddy

Sex Touri of the world take note: In Sweden there are more young men selling their bodies than there are women. Shame so many of them are blonde . . .

Since I haven’t mentioned the Olympics in at least a week: Not out silver medallist Louis Smith recently stripped down for his very own 2013 calendar. But he didn’t go full monty. “I don’t want to be someone who’s stripping off like some reality TV star,” he said. Currently Louis is taking his turn on British TV, as a reality TV star. When he was just an Olympic gymnast, he did a full nude shoot (though little Louie was not visible). And while gay rumors continue to swirl around the dancing Olympian, in a recent interview he put those suggestions to rest stating that he found girls to be draining, has only had one girlfriend, and “would rather take a girl back and spoon than sleep with her.’ Yup, sounds like your typical 23-year-old straight dude to me.

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