when did it become okay for people to wear glasses without the lenses?

i find it very hard to understand why people think this is alright to do. i get that glasses can be incorporated into a person's style, but even if your glasses are non-prescrition, you at least have to PRETEND that they're real. every time i see someone wearing a pair like that, i want to poke them in the eyes because there's such easy access. i'm still trying to grasp why people would wear a pair of glasses if they really don't need to in the first place, so i really don't understand when these people think that others won't be distracted when they're trying to have a conversation with them. i guess some people like going for the whole "my-life-is-so-fabulous-and-busy-that-i-don't-even-have-time-to-visit-my-optician" look.

only wearing the frames of glasses is like wearing shoes without soles, or like bringing out a bag that doesn't have a bottom---it's f'n pointless.

the guy below in the photos is kind of my hero...

i stand on my balcony all the time, but i have never seen anyone up on that ledge like i did just now. and it's not the fact that this guy is actually up there, but that he found one of the best reading spots i've ever seen in my life.

i'd really like to give him a high-five---thanks, guy.

dignity.

lately, i've been thinking about this word a lot.

walking through the streets of bangkok and having the opportunity to take in the daily lives of some of its honest, hardworking, everyday people has taught me so much about the meaning of dignity, and what it takes to truly posess and bestow the word.

"put yourself out there" or "why don't you find someone online or through the many gay apps that exist?"

it's been awhile since i've even thought about dating because, well, i haven't found anyone that i'm remotely compatible with here in bangkok. friends here in thailand always try and suggest that i do this or do that to meet someone, but a lot of the approaches that they want me to explore just don't suit me.

let's talk about online dating and smartphone-app dating in particular. my biggest problem with these outlets are, PEOPLE ARE GOD DAMN LIARS. i understand that online dating and meeting people with smartphone-apps are all about marketing yourself to any prospects, but seriously---give me a break. how people choose to make their online profiles is basically how they want others to define themselves since there's no practical knowledge of their own to go by, and it just completely BOGGLES my mind that so many guys choose to define themselves in the manner that they do.

the pictures that some people post of themselves is what gets me the most because they're so transparently deceptive. i just don't understand when people post pictures that actually aren't accurate, everyday portrayals of themselves at all. these sorts of photos are sometimes easy to spot because they're usually taken from some unnatural angle, or the photo's been cropped in some distracting way, making you wonder why they went through all the trouble. i mean anyone with a camera is able to produce photos of themselves looking like this, but does it make sense to use them in order to get dates? what do you expect will happen when you meet the person in real life? i guarantee that the first thing going through their mind is, "you're a fucking liar," because that's what recently happened to me. it's like they've somehow magically captured this rare perspective on camera, and am opting to designate it as how they normally look---and if they can lie about this, then i feel like they're capable of misleading people about other stuff as well. it had been a very, very long time since i've met up with someone that i've met through a smartphone-app, but i did so last weekend at the movies. as soon as i saw him, all i thought was, "who the hell is this guy?" i'm not adamant on a set sort of looks because attraction to another person is all i need, but don't lie and mislead me to believe in something that doesn't exist. then we have all these dudes that only post torso or pics of their body, and seriously, what is that all about? okay, sure, you're looking for sex and that's fine, but for anyone who is looking for something with a bit more substance, i could give less than two fucks about how cut your body is. just because you have that body, it doesn't mean i'm going to like you. it doesn't mean you get to be an asshole. it doesn't mean we're going to get along. it doesn't mean that we're going to have engaging conversation. the physical stuff is just a part of what i want in a relationship, but for the people who have faceless muscle pics, they're showcasing what they believe to be are their best assets. and that's totally fine if that's what they want, but that's not my major concern because there are way more important things in life. and i hate to bring up age because i don't think it's that pertinent, but i would expect that when people get to a certain age, they want more than just casual sex, and that they're beyond posting pics of only their abs. then there's these profiles of people that are so boastful and full of bullshit that they think impresses others. they list all this stuff that to them, makes them come off as so much more smarter and appealing, but all that self-centered exaggeration is such a damn turn off. just because you've done this or that, that in no way makes you any more special than anyone else---why can't these stories be shared in privacy on a first date instead? humility and modesty is much better to highlight in your profile, rather than singing one's own praises. don't even get me started on people who list certain musicians and authors as their favorites, yet they can't seem to hold a decent conversation about any of them. then there's all these guys who list that they're in relationships or partnered, yet they have all this salacious stuff up on their profile. i think it's just so disrespectful to do that if you're in a relationship. you say you just want to make friends, but let's cut the bullshit. if you wanted to simply make new friends, get rid of the shirtless pics in your profile and go find a new hobby. what you're seeking is attention and i suggest you hide the fact that you're in a relationship because, well, why would anyone want to pursue anything with you if we're aware of the fact that you're doing this to your current boyfriend? the last thing about online and smartphone-app dating i want to discuss are the names that people choose for themselves. any grown-ass-man with a stupid-ass or immature profile name just makes me wonder about their judgement, and that we probably see the world very differently.

i could rant on and on about this, but i will restrain from going any further.

the thing is, in whatever venue or outlet, i do try to sincerely meet people. but there's just so much bullshit that has to be put up with while doing so, and it's just frustrating. people's behavior just alarms me sometimes, and when i see someone acting a certain way, all i can think is how i don't want to be involved with anyone like that.

and don't get me wrong because i'm the first to admit that I'M NO SPECIAL CATCH and I KNOW i'm not these guys' cups-of-tea either hahah. i don't feel that i'm better or worse than these guys. we're all searching for our own versions of happiness, but evidently we're using completely different dictionaries. i mean i've dated people that i've met online and on smartphone-apps before, but i now know that i mostly shouldn't and usually try not to go looking for people this way anymore, because it just doesn't suit me. sometimes all of it just makes me think, where are all the guys who have viewpoints that are similar to mine? where's all the sincerity and meaning that should be a part of the dating process?

but then again, i'm in no rush to meet anyone. i mean sure it would be nice, but it's not vital or a priority in my life.

as for now, i'll leave you with my version of a flattering picture i just took of myself. like i said, anyone can produce one. and while this is me and i do look like this, i would never use this as a dating photo because i know it's not an accurate portrayal of how i look on a daily basis. plus, in it, i'm also in desperate need of some visine.

i need to channel my irritation into more positive outlets...

thank god for phone calls with friends in NYC to put things into perspective.

my front yard.

"i thought about you.
i think about you.
you and me."

dexter from the movie one day.

i like the quote's simplicity.

when cooking shows no longer tell you the measurements of ingredients, does it mean its intention is purely entertainment?

"---nice and glittery and gorgeous.."

sandra lee on "food network holiday's holiday party episode."

this was free on itunes this week.

sometimes, when i'm walking alone at night through the streets of bangkok, all i can think is "what the fuck am i doing with my life??"

i'm heading to cambodia again in a few hours to acquire a new visa.

i'll be going to the same thai/cambodian border-town that i went to last time (link HERE and HERE), poipet, and will be spending a few days there while i wait for all the paperwork to go through at the thai embassy, which is a few hours away.

poipet is a major border checkpoint for people traveling through southeast asia. even when i went to visit all the temples in angkor-wat, cambodia, my friends and i passed through poipet to get to our destination (link HERE). i've been told that it's also where large quantities of drugs and whatnot are also smuggled into thailand. in addition, this is where new york times journalist, nicholas kristof, once deliberately purchased an underaged cambodian prostitute for about $200 in order free her from the brothel where she was forcibly working as a sex slave.

anyway, having to go here alone isn't the most exciting thing because there's not much to see or do, and there's pretty much no internet service anywhere. on my last visa run there, my hotel had one communal computer with internet, and it was an inconvenience for the workers to set it up for me. even when i did manage to sign on, i swear it was like going online in 1998.

but alas, i need me my visa and will make the best of my 3-day excursion by staying in my hotel room and hopefully getting some work done. plus, i'll have access to a tv, which is a rarity for me so i'm sorta excited (it's the little things in life that count!).

have a great rest-of-the-week.

all i need is a goddamn chance.

the weather here is heavenly during its winter. there's no humidity, rain is non-existent, and the skies sometimes goes for days without seeing a single cloud.

i have the nice breeze coming through my open balcony-door and window in addition to the sun and sound of traffic on petchaburi---it's making it impossible to not enjoy the day.

happy monday.

gratitude.

this bar will always be very special to me here in bangkok.

"I really think Asian guys who speak english with American accents are hot."

this is what a guy from australia said to me at a club before he attempted to ram his tongue down my throat. how am i supposed to respond to something like that?

one thing's for sure, it sure didn't make me want to make out with him.

i've got to stop drunk dialing.

i'd rather have thai amphibians over nyc cockroaches ANYDAY.

here's a mini dogs-of-bangkok update with a special guest appearance from mr. frog.