Gay Boy Thailand

Letter: Cranky Old Thai Hag Entitlement Syndrome

Anonymous wrote…
First it was Thai Boy Entitlement Syndrome, now it’s Cranky Old Thai Hag Entitlement Syndrome. I don’t know how you put up with it.

Chalerm may not be in a position to explain to her what is acceptable behaviour, but some one should - she needs to ask if she can come to visit, say how long she’s staying, make sure it’s not too long, don’t insult the farang, and make her own entertainment. And make it VERY clear that she appreciates her pension.

You’re not in the merit making business.

Silom Farang wrote:
According to Wester culture I agree with you. According to Thai culture… well… That Granny should ask before she comes to visit us? Oh no can do. She is The Elder. She is really entitled. It is her right to visit any of her family when she feels like it, and to stay as long as she wants. It is the duty of the family (Chalerm and me included) to take care of her.

To ask her how long she intends to stay would be an insult. She doesn’t know that anyway, she will arrive without any plan or time limit and she will make up her mind to leave one day.

The only reason I get to hear about her arrival before she walks in the door is that she calls ahead to get Chalerm to pick her up at the bus station.

She has never thanked me for her pension, or mentioned the pension at all. If anything we, the younger ones, should thank her. It is the duty of her (grand)children to provide for her in old age. As she sees it, Chalerm is only doing what he should do when he gives her money every month. Never mind that it is actually my money.

Since she is The Elder it doesn’t matter that it is my apartment. She must be number one in the house. She can criticise the younger ones but they can’t criticise her. She must be respected.

That’s Thai culture. It would be unwise of me to challenge granny directly, for example by telling her that her time is up and that she can go back to Anyburi now. Thais would see that as barbaric behaviour. If I have anything unresolved with her I must use indirect means, Thai style, and avoid confrontation. I could, for instance, tell Chalerm that since granny is here now I might as well keep the pension money safely in the bank untill she needs it…

Posted in Diary, Letters | 3 Comments »

Diary: Annoying farang

I spoke to Chalerm about his grandmother yesterday. He tried to smooth things over and said she liked me and only said nice things about me. Regarding what she had said about the farang, maybe that wasn’t about me but about some fat farang she had seen on TV.

Hmmm. I am not convinced. Anyway, I will let it pass.

No, I won’t hold back her pension. That was just my petty mind in the heat of the moment.

But the pattern repeats itself. She has stayed here up to two weeks at a time before, and things get a little tense. It is not easy for a Westerner to deal with a house guest who arrives unannounced, doesn’t say how long she will stay, doesn’t say anything at all actually, and who thinks this is the natural way of visiting people.

It is not just her, I get tired of any Thai guests if they stay for weeks.

Granny has her routines and her favourite TV programmes and she doesn’t like to be disturbed. Sunday evening Farang S and I invaded her bedroom in the evening as we were trying to fix Chalerm’s computer. We apologised for the intrusion (Farang S speaks excellent Thai) and explained what we were going to do. It got a little cramped in there as she was resting and didn’t leave. But she went to the kitchen when I turned on the air condition. Anything under 25 C is bitterly cold for her.

And then I watched DVD movies three days in a row in her TV time… yes, she must find me annoying.

Posted in Diary | 1 Comment »

Diary: Tension with granny

Chalerm’s grandmother is here again. She came back last week having spent a while with Chalerm’s father in Rangsit.

I have kind of gotten used to that she walks around here without speaking. She has her route from the bedroom to the kitchen and back. In the evening she watches TV.

Today when I came home unexpectedly Chalerm and granny were sitting in the living room and I felt bad vibes. I could sense granny was thinking “here comes that farang again!”. Chalerm was a bit tense too, but he left as he had to go to class.

Later today I was eating some potato chips (Lay Classic, 20B) and I heard granny say in Thai: “It is no wonder the farang is fat the way he is eating”. And then she started to complain that I was using the TV to see DVD movies so she could not watch her soap operas.

Chalerm was embarrassed and looked at me to see if I understood what she said. I didn’t say anything.

This weekend I was re-watching the three “Matrix” movies on DVD and this must have blocked granny’s TV time. Still, I don’t appreciate rude comments. I can show her who is boss, I thought. Just delay her pension a couple of days.

Hopefully I will not need such low tricks but I have the power and I won’t take any BS. I want to do this Thai style, which means that granny is welcome here and I will be polite to her as the head of the clan. But then the courtesy must be mutual.

Posted in Diary | 2 Comments »

Diary: How to be lazy, eat chocolate and still lose weight

Pete said…
Glad to hear that I didn’t know you are on idet

Silom Farang said…
You mean to say “I never noticed you needed to diet”? :p

Anonymous said…
congratulations. that’s a great accomplishment. how did you do it?

Silom Farang said…
Thanks. Actually I don’t diet in the sense that I don’t count calories and I don’t go hungry. I eat what I want and I don’t skip chocolate or ice cream or anything.

No, this started when I read in the New York Times science section about the connection between sleep and weight. If you don’t sleep enough it stresses the brain and you get hungrier and gain weight. In particular sleep deprivation will give you that craving for food in the afternoon, I read, a craving for chocolate or fatty foods or whatever.

When I read this I was spending a long time in bed every night already, and felt guilty and had to get up. The problem is that for health reasons I don’t sleep well at night. I wake up early and can’t get back to sleep. I have rheumatic pain in the joints and cold sweats in the early morning, often lasting several hours. This ruins the night and gives me dark rings around my eyes.

What I decided to try was to recover this lost sleep by adding more sleep and staying longer in bed. I get up after 4-5 hours of sleep when I wake up anyway, and use the Internet. After a couple of hours of Internet play I can get back to bed for another 4-5 hours. If need be I take a nap in the afternoon too.

My body has always told me it needs more sleep but I have ignored that, thinking that 8 hours SHOULD be enough. My protestant ethic says that to sleep any longer is bad. Doctors said the same; get up, struggle through the day and you will sleep better the next night, they said. But it didn’t work and I felt miserable.

Now I sleep and rest if I am tired. This cured the cravings. I used to get this desperate hunger for chocolate or ice cream in the afternoon, and after a regular meal I had sugar cravings, and in the evening I was hungry again. I don’t have that anymore. I still have a sweet tooth but instead of several chocolate bars a day one is enough and it is not like I MUST have it, running down to the 7-Eleven to buy three Mars bars like I used to do.

The effect is a small miracle. I eat what I want (Double Whoppers at Burger King included). I am not very hungry, I don’t excercise, and still I lose weight. It feels like the body is back in balance. I hope this will last.

I don’t know if this will work for others or not. But if your problem is sleep deprivation and stress you might give it a try. Calm down and sleep more. Good luck.

Posted in Diary | 1 Comment »

Diary: The diet is back on track

Time: seven months
Loss: 15 pounds
Number of people who have noticed: one

Posted in Diary | 2 Comments »

Letter: Self pics

Anonymous said…
How about shirtless photos of all the Anonymous replier/guests to the Blog?

THAT I’d like to see … juxtaposed with the most recent Asian shirtless grouping, which by the way, I must say has a quite pleasurable erotic air to it.
(There you are … I’ve made proper amends!).

Sawatdee Khap
Dave [Smiles]

That’s an excellent idea, Smiles. I’ll go first.

Sawatdee Khap
Silom Farang

Posted in Diary, Letters | No Comments »

Letter: Love and marriage

Anonymous said…
You hit two of the biggies in one under-the-covers conversation - marriage, and him in farangland. I’ve had to deal at least theoretically with both of these issues, just not at the same time !

My bf is keen on marriage of some sort. I’m ambivalent at best about gay marriage. It’s not possible yet where I come from anyway. I particularly don’t want to ape the breeders. I’ve told him that’s my major objection - but the politics of marriage is not something I suspect he’s given much thought to. There’s something to be said for the lack of a legal link too. As much as I dislike the notion of a pre-nuptial, I can see some sense in it if we did do the full marriage thing.

So I’m actually keener on the Thai temple unoffficial style gay wedding. But there are no plans.

My bf and I are already semi-officially engaged. That resulted from a “face thing” - he decided he had to have a ring on his finger so everyone would know that our relationship was serious (we had been “an item” for 4 years). Not really necessary from my point of view, but for 2000 baht it made him happy. There was no ceremony as such, unless you call visiting the gold shop at the Mall Bangkapi a ceremony.

I’ve told my bf he will visit my home country one day, where I still live. In the mean time we’re travelling in the region (Singapore, soon Laos and Vietnam). He gets exposure to other cultures and stamps in his passport. And he begins to realize that the rest of the world is different to Thailand, and being gay means something different there too.

Discussions of coming to farangland are a good time to bring up the issue of him learning about your culture - before any trip.

The dilemma for me when discussing these difficult issues is making sure he feels secure with me, while realising that some things just may not be possible.

I hope you sort out something mutually “dreamy”.

I bet Chalerm Farang rolls off the tongue a bit easier that Silom his_family_name.

—

Silom Farang wrote…
Regarding Him in Farangland… this is not something that is on the horison. I just want to keep all options open. When I moved to Thailand in 2002 I was sure I would spend the rest of my days here. I am not equally sure anymore. One day maybe I have had enough and want to leave, or maybe political changes in Thailand take the fun out of living here (as has happened to a degree already). And living in a long-term relationship is different from coming here single and on the hunt. It is far off, but I won’t rule out going back to Farangland one day.

Posted in Diary | 1 Comment »

Diary: Love and marriage

Chalerm has wedding plans. We spoke about this yesterday, in bed.

- I want to marry, said Chalerm, holding my hand.
- Who will you marry? I asked, teasing him.
- Not funny, said Chalerm.
- First you need to find someone to marry.
- Not kidding. Want to speak serious.
- OK. We can be serious. Why do you want to marry?
- Now we together four year. Is long time. I want marry you. Is good luck. Any Thai people want to marry one time in life. Want to have husband.
- Do you mean a ceremony in a temple?
- Yes.
- But we don’t get any papers if we do that.
- Is true. I want change name. I want family name you.
- Oh. Can you do that?
- In Thailand can not.
- You can in Farangland.
- I want go embassy marry you.
- I don’t think that is possible for gay marriage. We would have to go to Farangland.
- So we can go.
- It is not that easy.
- What is problem?
- Well, first you need a visa to Farangland and that is hard to get. I would have to guarantee for you. We would have to write a letter and give them pictures from our time together to prove that we are boyfriends. And then we need money for two air tickets.
- I want see Farangland.
- I am not sure if you will like it.
- Why?
- It is different. It is cold there. I would have to take you in summer.
- Never mind. I want see snow. And I want to see your mother.
- I think she would be happy to see you. She knows about you. She is glad I am not alone.
- I want to see Farangland. If you have to go home work I can go with you.
- Well, if I can’t stay in Thailand anymore it would be good that we were married so I could bring you home. That’s true.

Chalerm was happy and had a dreamy look on his face when we spoke about this. This is his dream – to get married and become my wife.

It is nice that I can be someone’s dream.

But I was reluctant when this subject came up. The cost and hassle to get him to Farangland for a ceremony, the culture shock he will get… I took a Thai boy to Farangland once before. That was my X, the rich kid. The import was such a disaster I don’t want to think about it.

Chalerm has never been outside of Thailand. He thinks Farangland is like Thailand, only with lots of farangs. I think he is too young to move, and too young even to be introduced to this other culture. I was thinking of taking him there when he turns 25. Chalerm thinks that our cross-generational cross-cultural relationship will go down as well in Farangland as it does here. In Thailand, most of his peers envy him that he found me. Many of them would steal me if they could. But in Farangland everything will be turned on its head.

So I don’t know. I keep putting it off. But I am touched that he wants to take my name. Chalerm Farang? That was sweet of him.

Posted in Diary | 1 Comment »

Tawan Bar expose on ITV

Here are some screenshots from a hidden camera expose ITV in Thailand did earlier this month. Their target was Tawan Bar off Suriwong road here in Bangkok. There are scenes from inside the bar (it doesn’t look like they show the naughty performance) and from what appears to be a conversation where the undercover journalist is told he can make 30 000 B a month if he is good.

Posted in News clips | 4 Comments »

Diary: Penang by night

In Chulia Street, the backpacker and restaurant area in Penang, I normally avoid the samlor drivers and their persistent offers. But a reader of this blog had told me that if I spoke to them maybe I could get info about the local gay life.

So I spoke to one of them. This was not one of the geriatric ones, but a middle aged Malay Muslim man who spoke good English. He started with unsolicited offers of massage and girls, and after a warm up of this I said:
- Any boys here?
- Oh sure, said the driver without missing a beat. – I find nice boy for you. No problem. We go look.
- How much for the trip?
- 30 ringit for one hour. (= 300 baht)

Off we went. It was close to midnight but because of the Chinese New Year holidays many people were still out in the streets, eating and drinking and chatting. The evening was mild, 22 C perhaps, and the air clear without the pollution that chokes Bangkok.
- I am heavy, I said. I felt sorry for the man who had to pedal me around.
- No problem, said the driver. – Sometimes I take two people.
- I am two people, I said.
- Yes, said the driver.
- Where are we going?
- I take you to beach. Have boys there who walking. Walking back and forth. Looking. Can find lovely boy for you. No problem.

I count as two Asians

The bicycle taxi went down to the old British fort and what I had read on Utopia was a cruisey area around a park. There were few people. 3-4 young men sat around a table near a parking lot. We arrived at the beach promenade and the driver said:
- You like him?
- Who?
- This one.
The gentleman on offer was a 30something who was helping someone to park a car outside a restaurant. He looked straight, unhealthy and rough. I would not be surprised to see him in a prison cell.
- Never mind, I said.
- No?
- I don’t think so.
- OK. I find nice boy for you. No problem. We go back to the park.

Back in the parking lot a chubby Chinese guy around 30 had parked his car and was crossing the road. The samlor driver rang his bell. The Chinese man didn’t seem to understand what the issue was and kept walking. The samlor driver went after him.
- Never mind, I said, worried that Mr. Chubby was just someone who was passing by.
- You not like him?
- Never mind, I said again.
- Ok, said the driver. – Not worry. You are here for holiday. I will make you happy. You are my customer. I will find someone you can have a good time with.
- That’s nice, I said.
The samlor driver pedalled back to the restaurant. He shouted something to another Malay man who was standing outside. A loud discussion in Malay followed. I was embarrassed. It was my sexual preferences they were shouting about across the road. So much for Islamic sensitivities.

The samlor made another turn on the road. The Malay man from the restaurant went inside and came out again with a skinny late 20ies Chinese guy who wore a white shirt. I apologise for the crude nickname I have for him, but the moment I saw him the name “Mr. Ratface” stuck in my mind.
- Him in white shirt, said the samlor driver. – You like him?
- Keep going, I said. I didn’t want to stop and have to talk to Mr. Ratface.
- He is 20 years old, said the driver.
- Really? He looks older.
- Yes. He works hard so he looks older.
It is more likely Ratface is on hard drugs, I thought to myself.
- You want him? asked the driver. – He is experienced.
- No thank you, I said.
This ended the beach promenade section. We went back to town.
- This pub is good, said the driver.
- Is it?
- Yes. Have boys there. Easy to get.

The place looked like nothing special, some tourists sat outside on the pavement and some locals sat inside an Irish-style pub, but I made a mental note to go back some time.
- These boys you talk about, are they Malay? I asked.
- Most of them are Chinese.
- They like the money?
- Yes. 30-40 ringit. They will come to you. No problem.
The driver went by Komtar, the shopping centre. There was nothing to see there either.
- Can you take me back now? I asked.
- OK, said the driver and we went downhill to Chulia Street.
- You want to eat or drink? asked the driver, hoping for a restaurant kickback.
- Never mind. I will go back to the hotel to sleep.
- Next time I find boy for you, ok? said the driver.

I was out of Malaysian ringit. The driver said I could give him Thai baht instead but he gave me 7 baht to the ringit. At the airport it was closer to 10. I felt somewhat ripped off, both for the exchange rate and the lack of the promised gay life. The three boys he had showed me were all straight and none of them would have survived in a Thai flesh market, not even in the darkest soi. But I didn’t regret the samlor trip. Now I had seen Penang by night.

Posted in Diary, Travel reports, Malaysia | 1 Comment »

Penang: Fatwa of the day

In the New Strait Times today an article says the country is expecting a ruling from the National Fatwa Council. In breathless suspense Malaysians have to wait until March to find out if Botox, the injection used to remove wrinkles from people’s faces, is allowed under Islamic law or not.

Posted in Diary, Travel reports, Malaysia | No Comments »

Penang day 2

1. I am in Malaysia but my mind is still in Bangkok. I woke up this morning and realised I had forgotten to buy plastic boxes for the fridge at home. Chalerm has some nasty smelling food. I put a bottle of eyedrops in there. When I needed it again the bottle smelled of the food. Then my fingers smelled from handling the bottle. This stink is like a living entity. Chalerm and the Queen of SSK test-smelled my fingers and agreed “menn!” (bad smell).

2. I saw a suprising number of ladyboys in Penang yesterday evening. Three of them spoke English to the food vendors and Thai among themselves. Hookers here are fond of the phrases “hello daaling” and “psst” when I walk past them on the street. Psst? Since when do people say psst for real? I thought that was cartoon language.

3. I notice the difference between the religions here. Most of the Muslim women have their head covered. They are Malay. The Buddhist Chinese girls, on the other hand, walk around in mini-minis that are skimpier than anything I see in Bangkok. It is as if the Chinese are saying “we are not Muslim so we don’t give a damn”.

4. I have confessed to Farang Dee that I may be over my head with this web design thing. I asked him if I could consult with or hire a programmer. - Do whatever it takes, said Farang Dee. Then he began talking about a booking database for realtime reservations on the net, and about secure credit card payment. OK, if he has the money I can make it happen. I will speak to my pal in Farangland, Mac the computer guru, about how to proceed.

5. I suffer from consumer angst. Canon, Pentax, Minolta, Nikon, Sony… the market for digital cameras is confusing. Brands go bust. Now Sony will start to make cameras which can take Minolta lenses. Maybe I should wait for that.

6. I had a taxi driver yesterday who gave off different vibes from the others. He had a black beard. He drove with gloves on his hands in 30 C heat. He had a gold watch on the steering wheel. When he turned the watch was upside down. He gave me penetrating stares in the mirror, several times. I felt uneasy. There was something territorial and dominating about this guy. This was unusual for an Indian, I thought. But then I saw his nose and wondered if maybe he wasn’t Indian. His mobile phone rang and he said “The VCD? Push the purple button”. When I arrived at my hotel he said “Sorry about that phone call”. “Never mind”, I said, thinking this was the first time any taxi driver in Asia had apologised for answering the phone. His name plate revealed that he was an Arab.

Posted in Travel reports, Malaysia | No Comments »

Shop-ping in Penang

I went into a camera shop here in Penang with my 1973 Canonet around my neck. The Chinese owner looked at me as if I was complete idot to use such a museum piece. He showed me a Nikon while saying as if to a child “This is a DIGITAL camera”. I was supposed to say “DIGITAL? Oh wow!”

The Canonet is a perfect travel camera. It is small and not worth much. If someone wants to steal it I can get another one for 30 $ on ebay.

Thanksin wants Thailand to be the shopping hub of Asia, if not the world, but the cameras are more expensive in Bangkok than here. After haggling I can save around 20%.

Posted in Travel reports, Malaysia | No Comments »

Visa run to Penang

I am on another visa run. I had to get up at an ungodly hour. Chalerm was sleeping and I didn’t wake him.

Downstairs the security guard was having his morning bath. He was dressed in a towel and used water from a bucket. I haven’t seen him like this before. He has a nice bod for a 40something.

Penang: I am writing this from the 2nd Internet cafe I have been to today. The first was full. That is, the lady behind the counter told me to sit down at a computer where nobody sat but a game was on the screen and a school bag was left on the floor. I hesitated, but the lady motioned for me to sit.
A schoolboy sitting next to me said: Hae? as I took his friend’s chair.
Another schoolboy, whose game it was, came and also said: Hae?
The lady turned off the game and Internet Explorer came up.
- No no, I am not taking his computer, I said, feeling ill at ease about how the kid was bumped off.
Then I left and went to another Internet cafe. This one was also full of kids but I didn’t have to expell anyone to check my email.

I should bring a gift to Chalerm when I return to Bangkok. I saw the airline had a stuffed toy airplane with logo. Chalerm is NOT too old for stuffed toys. He will love it.

Meanwhile I am enjoying the Islamic Republic of Malaysia. I expect that tonight the waitress of a restaurant I usually go to will have forgotten I was here before, and chat me up. She will linger until I make it clear I don’t want her services after closing hour. I also expect the Indian hookers to loudly offer their services from dark corners.

Is there no wholesome moneyboy business here? It isn’t visible, but I suspect that things go on out of view. I wonder what would happen if I told one of these pesky over the hill ladies what my taste is.

Posted in Travel reports, Malaysia | 2 Comments »

Letter: Thai Boy Entitlement Syndrome

Anonymous wrote…

“Thai Boy Entitlement Syndrome”

Yes, my bf suffers from that affliction too. He has graduated from university now and has a decent job that pays a small salary plus commission. But he still gets an allowance, smaller than when he was a full-time student. His gross “income” is still probably substantially less than the total you estimated that you were giving Chalerm though.

Your decision in relation to the job is a sound one. Thai boys cannot help but be influenced by associating with the money boy lifestyle. They see the income and gifts lavished on money boys and naturally think that if you love them then you should give them that too.

What they really need is to see those boys at age 30 with nothing to show for their lost youth - no love (for the gay ones), no education, and no money.

Has his association with Rainbow Sky shown him the bleaker side of life when things go wrong for gay Thai boys - HIV-infection, drug addiction and life on the street ?

Silom Farang wrote…

Chalerm’s allowance is 2000 B a week. That is what he gets in his hand. The expenses I cover for him are kind of “invisible” and need not last forever (granny’s pension, school fees, dental work).

I guess Chalerm must have spoken to someone who works at Restaurant X, someone who bragged about the good money they can make there. I see this as a temporary lapse of judgment on his part. Sometimes they get harebrained ideas. Chalerm used to have them more often – for example he once said he would go to Israel to pick oranges and needed 100 000 B to pay the agent (probably a scam).

Chalerm left the room in a huff and went sulking when I said no to his Restaurant X plan, but he had recovered the next day.

Boys at age 30? To Chalerm this is impossibly far into the future. He says that at 30 “he will be dead”. He means socially – that the fun gay life will be over then. On one level he knows he must prepare for the future, and that getting his university degree is good. But on another level he lives for the moment, Thai style. I have asked him what former moneyboys have to show for themselves when their short career is over. The problem is that some moneyboys exaggerate how great their work is to lure friends to join them, either for company or to get a recruiting fee. Or if they talk about the profits, they only talk about the peak of their career or about someone who were extraordinarily lucky for a while.

Anyway, Chalerm is out of the main danger zone when it comes to moneyboyism and go-go bars. He was approached with suggestions about this before I met him, when he was a teenager in the village and broke. But he was always too proud to do it and the family didn’t force him. Chalerm has pride and temperament. It would be hard for him to sell himself or to please someone for money.

I believe Rainbow Sky has helped educate Chalerm about many things. The leaders there are sensible, grown people. It isn’t a moneyboy environment either, it is more of a student crowd and many are middle class.

Posted in Diary, Letters | 3 Comments »

Diary: Computers and money

I spent Saturday evening trying to fix Chalerm’s computer. When he got it he promised he would not bother me with maintaining it but…

I reinstalled Windows, trying to get the Internet to work again. It has a connection but something inside the computer stops him from going online. I get a strange SCSI BIOS missing error when the computer starts.

Oh well. I spent three hours on it (and we did two trips to buy software). The old box still doesn’t work but at least Chalerm was suitably cuddly while we worked on the PC.

—

In other news, Chalerm wanted to get an evening job at Restaurant X in Silom road. I said no. I didn’t even try to convince him as I would have earlier, I am getting used to the Thai way and flatly refused. There were two things wrong with that idea. One was that he would work late and get too tired to get up for school. He thinks he can do both but he can’t (we have tried this before). Second was that that restaurant has waiters who are semi-moneyboys and I don’t want him near the place.

Chalerm said he wanted more money. I asked him if he didn’t get enough from me? He said yes he didn’t NEED more money but he WANTED it. I explained to him that his allowance now is because he is a student. If he stops being a student and gets a job the allowance will stop to. Chalerm was unhappy about that, he thought his allowance was a God-given right and that he could top it with extra income. This misunderstanding keeps popping up. I call it the Thai Boy Entitlement Syndrome.

—

I billed a friend for the web design I have done. At least I billed him for what I have made work, which isn’t much. This CGI SQL thing drives me crazy. No cure no pay so I will try again to get it running.

—

A Thai friend says he has still captures from that great show on local television, the naughty performance in a Bangkok bar caught by hidden camera. I will post it to Sawatdsee Forum if I get hold of it.

Posted in Diary | 6 Comments »

Diary: 24 hours

This post is dedicated to Jason. Here is a report about my life with Chalerm the last 24 hours.

Executive summary: nothing happened

1. Chalerm took home a boy about his own age. The boy slept over. I have seen him before. He is one of the newbies at Rainbow Sky, the gay group Chalerm is a member of. Group members take care of the new ones; show them around and often given them a place to sleep too.

2. I went to the Malaysia Hotel to eat. That place never changes. The usual farang suspects were loitering in the lobby, and the usual Thai suspects were loitering outside. The Thai food at the Malaysia is good and affordable.

3. At home again, Chalerm was in a playful mood and hid behind a large curtain. I spotted him.

4. I worked on the business website. The owner was happy as a page for a new product led to sales within hours of getting published.

5. I wondered what to spend the fee for the web work on. I have looked at a Minolta digital camera. But just as I had decided on that comes the news that Konica-Minolta is leaving the camera business. Now I don’t know what to do.

6. I stayed up later than I had planned, reading on the web about the Minolta story and alternative brands.

7. The Queen of Si Saket and a ladyboy with big boobs came by. The ladyboy was wearing a push-up bra, said Chalerm.

8. I saw a new gay boy in the soi, a student. I thought he was gay from his body language and how he stood when he spoke to a food vendor. Coming closer I saw details of his clothes and accessories (accessories!) and I was sure he was gay. Strangely, he turned and looked at me. He had an open and friendly face. How did he know I was looking at him? I swear they have an extra pair of eyes in the back.

9. I watched Thai television, where country-owner Thaksin was in Isaan doling out money to the poor. That was the news. Then there was entertainment. The daughter of the CP family, owners of True Telecom, CP Tower, CP agro and the 7-Eleven franchise, had a talk show.

10. Chalerm wanted a backrub. I was tired so he only got a symbolic one.

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