BACC

Every time we visit BKK, we love to pop in at the BACC (Bangkok Arts and Culture Center), there's always something interesting going on.

In this visit, we met KAN, a beginning artist, very verbal and good in English, with lots of international contacts. His style is evolving but already very interesting. First he worked on the streets, since nowhere else to start. Now he's already working in the BACC. All on his own force.

He works thematic, which makes him commercially interesting, apart of the artistic aspect.

We talked about forming a partnership, where I would publish some of his work into a book with his resume. Sounds a great idea for him. He'll let me know if we can proceed this way.

Will this story have a further chapter? Come and see next week!

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possession

when taking pictures, I don't possess the persons I photograph. Normally, I ask their permission, even if it's only with a small gesture, I can feel if they agree that I picture them.

What surprises me is that guys often hang to each other when I want to take a photo of them; sometimes just casual, like the petrol boys, sometimes in a possessive way, like the clown and his boyfriend: the boyfriend clearly indicates that I can take the picture, but I cannot take the clown: the clown is his property :-)

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flower food

Bangkok has an open-air-food-fair, and the most remarquable offer there is this "royal food": flowers.

Look at the plate: I don't recognise any flower on it at all! The cook will fry the flowers for you and then you can enjoy their crispyness and flavour.

No wonder one will stay slim with such a delicious food :-)

Beware though ... some of the flowers are "midly laxative" !!!! Which will contribute on staying slim, of course!

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bisexual

While walking along Sukhumvit Road, I noticed this statue, impersonating both male and female. Anyone has any idea what this statue is and what it represents?

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circumstantial evidence

we were walking in the red light district, and I saw this guy working on the platform. His pants was almost totally below his buttocks, and the world could enjoy the view of his green monkey underpants!

Is his pants dropping a result of the location (red light district) or was it simply circumstantial evidence that his pants were too loose?

I never asked him :-)

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spying eyes

You think this is a lotus flower, turned into a seed?

Of course you are correct. At the same time, this picture is a mirror of Asian Society.

When you look closely to the seed, you see many eyes, looking in all directions. This is exactly what I feel when I'm in Asia. So many eyes looking at you, checking you, controlling you. Not in your face, but when you think that you're not observed. Very interesting.

Asians normally don't eyeball. Unless they feel that they are levelled, they won't look you into the eye. That's a major challenge for me as a (would-be-)photographer, to catch the persons when they think I'm not looking at them. Otherwise they would shy away.

This lotus seed represents all the spying eyes that are constantly on the watch here. Very funny picture :-)
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the incredible force of patience

These boys are hired to pick up stones, put them in a basket, and use them elsewhere. They have to clear a whole hilltop from little stones. They just started their work, and they patiently keep on going till the whole hilltop is stone-free. It will take them a long long long time. They don't care, they just keep going on.

I will burn this picture into my brain, to remind me of these boys, next time I start a work that seems endless. If the boys can do it, so can I.
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night over Samui

Do you have that too? That you have an almost perfect day, yet the end is less pleasant? It's an unwelcome feeling.

We came specially to Koh Samui to meet khun L., since she wasn't present at Hua Hin. We came specially early because today was her day off. We had a great time together today, during her day off. She wanted to have us around, and that we did. We planned together to have a chat lateron, at our room with her, and she agreed. We asked her what she wanted to drink during that chat, and she told us what she liked. We bought that. We prepared everthing for a pleasant evening.

And when the time came, she was probably too tired and she didn't show up. No reasons given.

It left me with an unpleasent feeling. Why am I doing this, spending time and money and energy in friendships, just to see that it's a waste? I think I have to rethink a lot, and that only the most valuable friends will remain ... hoping that indeed they will be valuable. Meanwhile, the unpleasant feeling prevails. Very sorry.

I hope next postings will be more pleasant! Sorry for this glitch.

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skinny dipping

one of the great things about waking up in the morning, is to jump out of the bed and into the pool ... no need to wear covers (swimwear), just be natural and enjoy the freedom!

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If It Doesn't Kill You, It Makes You Stronger

Thailand, Fisherman's Village. A huge pond with dirty water. It's a death trap, biologically speaking. The boys don't mind. If it doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger. Very true, the boys must have an incredible high level of resistance against diseases. And they jump of joy!
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protection against harm

When I was a young boy, my parents made me wear an amulet (a flat silver image of the Virgin Mary, on a silver chain around my neck. To protect me from harm (1).
That suddenly popped into my mind when I saw this young man sitting on a bench, wearing not 1, not 2 but not less then 3 amulets, to protect him from harm. It is a widespread custom here in Thailand, although I have the impression that the city-people don't show it so openly as this young man.
It's a moving thought, that wearing an amulet can indeed protect you, that the spiritual world is stronger then the material world. And it's a self-fulfilling prophecy: if indeed no harm comes to you, then you're convinced that the amulet keeps you on the good side; if however you suffer from a bad happening, you'll be convinced: 4 is better then 3!

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(1) that was long before AIDS was known, and when most people hadn't heard of condoms, although those "modern" form of protection existed already centuries ago: Casanova used condoms already, made from animal intestins! And if you find that idea ridiculous, ask yourself where the violins get their strings from :-)
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Djok (Djuk)

In olden days, the little boys in thailand were their head shaven, except for one small dot of hair that could grow as long as possible: the Djok. When the boys reached puberty, the djok was shaven too, and then the boys could have normal hair.

What a nice way to indicate that, at that moment, they are getting hair on more then one part of their body :-)

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a boy and a piano

In the lounge, there's a white piano. A woman and 2 kids (the royal ones: a boy and a girl) come in the lounge, and the boy is magnetically drawn towards the white piano. No no, his mother says, come sit with us. No use. The boy cannot resist. He has no choice: he must open the piano and play.

I think that little boys should always listen to their mother, except when it comes to pianos :-)

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brahma against voodoo !!!

the danger of working abroad ......

Two Indonesian Transsexual Sex Slaves Rescued In Russia
November 13, 2010

Two Indonesian transsexuals held against their will by a prostitution syndicate were rescued by authorities in Russia, an embassy official said on Friday. 

Aji Surya, a counselor at the Indonesian Embassy in Moscow, said the victims had sought work in Russia as prostitutes, but later found themselves tied up and gagged in an apartment where they were forced to perform sex acts without payment.

He said the embassy had received a tip from a female caller, identified by authorities only as S, at dawn on Monday.

A security guard at the embassy picked up the call and heard a woman whisper that Indonesians were being held.

“They have not been allowed to leave this apartment and have been forced to render services to customers without pay. Please help,” the caller reportedly said.

After being notified, Hamid Awaluddin, the Indonesian ambassador, ordered his staff to contact the police.

A team of counselors were also dispatched on Monday morning to meet with officials at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which ordered police in Moscow to conduct an investigation.

Aji said Russian police launched a sting operation on Monday evening, with undercover officers posing as clients. This led to a raid on the apartment, where the two Indonesians were found.

A third Indonesian transsexual reportedly trapped by the prostitution ring, however, remained missing, according to Aji.

a boy's voice by a grownup man .......

Long live internet! Today I heard for the first time a recording of the singing of a castrato :-) I even didn't know there was a recording!
Happy to share this link with you, if you're interested in the matter:
http://www.archive.org/details/AlessandroMoreschi

Enjoy the music! click on the 1.5Mb link :-)
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BB (Brussels Bicycle)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARwZ3scXQ7U&feature=player_embedded

I stumbled upon this vid by pure luck! A Belgian choir performing Queen, quite nice!

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The PB floor!

 

Thanks Argentina, for naming a floor after me, in the lift! or does PB mean something else here hehe?

PB
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gardening

I love gardening. Sometimes, when I'm working in the office, and I don't see clear in a certain problem, I have a break and I do some gardening. It helps me to sort out my thinking, and after the gardening-break, I see things more clearly.

I often wondered why that is so, but I didn't have an answer.

Today, I read in "Men's Health", October 2010:

A new report, presented to the American Society of Microbiology, found contact with "mycobacteriusm vaccae", a common soil bacteria, helps reduce stress and increases levels of mood-regulating serotonin, which improves mental processes such as memory and problem solving. 

Well, at least now I know: thank you mister bacteria!

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Flex ...

I have to remember this picture for a next photoshoot .... curious if the model will be able to perform this :-)

can you?

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Chinatownology: Gay Rabbit Temple

In Taiwan, there is a chinese temple, specially dedicated for the god who protects gays:

 

Address to Gay Rabbit Temple Taipei Yonghe City Yongheroad section 1 37 alley number 12: http://www.chinatownology.com/gay_rabbit_god_temple.html

very interesting!

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bye bye bangkok !!!!!!!!

Dr Ajong Chumsai na Ayudhya, a Thai scientist who has worked with the US space agency Nasa in the past, said yesterday that the areas around the Gulf of Thailand would be hit by tsunamis and that Bangkok would be under water in less than seven years.

At a seminar yesterday about the impact of global warming on Chiang Mai residents, Ajong said humans were mainly to blame for such disasters because they were using up natural resources, chopping down forests and kept emitting greenhouse gases with no regard for the future.

The United States is the biggest contributor to carbon dioxide at 30.2 per cent, followed by China at 30 per cent and India at 23 per cent, he said. Thailand was at rank 22 or 23 out of the 200 biggest emitters of CO2 in the world. With the current CO2 emission rate standing at 395 parts per million (ppm) from the previous 300ppm, he warned that greenhouse gases would increase and bring about inevitable changes.

Ajong explained that over the past three decades the temperature has risen, with warmer seas killing coral reefs, glaciers melting, storms becoming stronger and earthquakes being of greater magnitude.

Warning that temperatures would rise by approximately 4 degrees Celsius, Ajong said polar bears would be extinct in less than 10 years and the seas would rise by six metres.

So far there have been two significant changes to the Earth.

Firstly, the planet's axis has shifted, changing weather patterns, and secondly, the Earth's crust has displaced, causing more frequent and more severe earthquakes and tsunami disasters.

Thailand, which is located on the Eurasian Plate, will be affected, Ajong warned, adding that the Gulf of Thailand would be hit by tsunamis and affect the South very badly.

Earthquakes within the 6-Richter scale and severe flooding would hit provinces in the North, such as Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phayao, Nan, Lampang and Uttaradit, he said.

The Central region, namely Bangkok, Samut Sakhon, Samut Songkhram, Samut Prakan, Nonthaburi and Ayutthaya, would be under seawater, he said, adding that the capital would be uninhabitable in seven years.

bye bye bangkok ?

Dr Ajong Chumsai na Ayudhya, a Thai scientist who has worked with the US space agency Nasa in the past, said yesterday that the areas around the Gulf of Thailand would be hit by tsunamis and that Bangkok would be under water in less than seven years.

At a seminar yesterday about the impact of global warming on Chiang Mai residents, Ajong said humans were mainly to blame for such disasters because they were using up natural resources, chopping down forests and kept emitting greenhouse gases with no regard for the future.

The United States is the biggest contributor to carbon dioxide at 30.2 per cent, followed by China at 30 per cent and India at 23 per cent, he said. Thailand was at rank 22 or 23 out of the 200 biggest emitters of CO2 in the world. With the current CO2 emission rate standing at 395 parts per million (ppm) from the previous 300ppm, he warned that greenhouse gases would increase and bring about inevitable changes.

Ajong explained that over the past three decades the temperature has risen, with warmer seas killing coral reefs, glaciers melting, storms becoming stronger and earthquakes being of greater magnitude.

Warning that temperatures would rise by approximately 4 degrees Celsius, Ajong said polar bears would be extinct in less than 10 years and the seas would rise by six metres.

So far there have been two significant changes to the Earth.

Firstly, the planet's axis has shifted, changing weather patterns, and secondly, the Earth's crust has displaced, causing more frequent and more severe earthquakes and tsunami disasters.

Thailand, which is located on the Eurasian Plate, will be affected, Ajong warned, adding that the Gulf of Thailand would be hit by tsunamis and affect the South very badly.

Earthquakes within the 6-Richter scale and severe flooding would hit provinces in the North, such as Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phayao, Nan, Lampang and Uttaradit, he said.

The Central region, namely Bangkok, Samut Sakhon, Samut Songkhram, Samut Prakan, Nonthaburi and Ayutthaya, would be under seawater, he said, adding that the capital would be uninhabitable in seven years.

looking for a new job?

In case you get tired of your old job, check these out, maybe there's something you'd prefer better?

LOL

Indian Wrestlers

When we were in India, we passed by a school for wrestlers. Impressive how the guys concentrate on their body, with perseverance and admiration.

Hereby some pictures from the net ... unfortunately not my pictures hehe! Great bodies, lovely underwear :-)

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Asylum for the verbally insane

Asylum for the verbally insane
Author unknown

We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes,
But the plural of ox becomes oxen, not oxes.
One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,
Yet the plural of moose should never be meese.
You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice,
Yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.

If the plural of man is always called men,
Why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?
If I speak of my foot and show you my feet,
And I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?
If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
Why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?

Then one may be that, and three would be those,
Yet hat in the plural would never be hose,
And the plural of cat is cats, not cose.
We speak of a brother and also of brethren,
But though we say mother, we never say methren.
Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
But imagine the feminine: she, shis and shim!

-oOo-

Let's face it - English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England. We take English for granted, but if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend. If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, w hat do you call it?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? Sometimes I think all the folks who grew up speaking English should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane.

In what other language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? We ship by truck but send cargo by ship. We have noses that run and feet that smell. We park in a driveway and drive in a parkway. And how can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out, and in which an alarm goes off by going on.

And, in closing, if Father is Pop, how come Mother's not Mop? 
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Tattooed Tahitians tribesmen

these pictures (Gian Paolo Barbieri) remind me that nowadays, having a tattoo seems to be unavoidable. I still find it rather weird, although I have to admit that there are nice tattoos too. I don't wear any tattoo. Do you?

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masculinity

These pictures come from India! These acrobats prove their masculinity using .... a huge wooden pole hehe. They are quite amazing !!!

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Tunis in Paris

What a pleasant surprise! When we went for the second time for breakfast this morning in the hotel in Paris, we encountered Karim, who was working there. He's from Monastir, Tunisia, and lives now in Paris, with his wife and child. He's a typical example of the "white" tunisian: very actif and rather efficient. It was a delight to chat with him a bit in Tunisian language (which is a very special dialect of the general Arabic), it's been many years since I chatted with a tunisian! He was charming, as most tunisians are on a first meeting. Maybe I'll visit that country again, one day :-)

All this rambling to remind me how many young foreigners are working in Paris ... some places (like the Hard Rock Café) have more foreigners working there then locals! Olala, indeed :-)

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juicy !!!

Gay Condom Launched in India

A new condom called Spice Up will be tailored to gay men in India who have complained about lack of lubrication in condoms designed for vaginal sex.

According to GayNZ.com, “Hindustan Latex Family Planning Promotion Trust and the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) say a study found that many gay and bisexual men were not using condoms because those designed for vaginal sex caused discomfort.”

Spice Up will contain extra lubrication to address the complaints, according to GayNZ.com, which also reported that NACO consulted a peer advisory committee to reach gay men.

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