4:17

Heh, I grew up in the midwest, and spent two winters in Northern Michigan, once upon a time, so I've been tempered by the cold. Having said that, the day after day of chilly wet weather in winter there in NorCal can get to you, after a while. It also took me a long time to get used to late spring/early fall days that could be in the 80s -- just like back home -- during the day yet still be 55 degrees at night (had the same problem in Northern Arizona). I've had the same thing happen. Open a bottle, and it's "meh." Try it again a day or three later, and it's much better. I would guess it has to do with the oxidation process. Maybe it just hasn't finished "aging" properly, and when you pull the cork and that oxidation process quickens, you find the sweet spot, so to speak, a day or two later. I'm just guessing, though, but then I've been told this is why you're supposed to let the bottle "breathe" for awhile after opening, prior to serving it, to give it that last little "je-ne-sais-quoi." On the other hand, more often than not, it seems if I open a bottle and it's not finished that night, even a day later it's deteriorated significantly. Even if I've used one of those fancy pumps to get the air out, or (even fancier) fill it full of an inert gas and recork it. It's a fragile thing, vino. ...

Alack, alas, alack the day, I just couldn't be arsed to drag my camera out of the loom. And my phone is rarely up to the task. While I'm home later in November in the States, I'm going to buy not only a new big-boy camera and lenses, but a new phone. The phone will be bought purely on the basis of its image sensor and its performance in low-light conditions (as well as lens and flash -- has to be Xenon; no more weak-ass LED flash) -- well, aside from the ability to make calls and texts, and play music, which has become an essential function for me. Ironically, this means buying another Nokia (either an older N8 or the new Pureview 808) with an outdated, if adequate, OS -- but the next time I see Nancy doing something like this, I will be prepared, in spite of being too lazy to cart more than one gizmo around at a time. Man the images people get with those two phones are amazing (given that they are phones), particularly in low light; blows the S3 and I4 away in poor lighting conditions (i.e. bars).

Welcome Solange, or is that Svetlanda? As BB says, PDogg will get you squared away when he's back in front of a keyboard, I'm sure. In the meantime, I'll add my welcome to BB's. Looks like I have another reason to visit Khao San Road now.

Forgot to mention this in my trip report, and forgot all about it -- not sure how I could forget this -- until I heard the song last night while out and about in Sai Gon. Rather than resurrect it, I'll just post here on the random thread. Before heading out to see my sponsored (by someone else) mystery girl on my last night in town, I stopped in to see Nok and my La Bamba girls. At one point Gangnam Style came on the music system. Now, dear friends, one may have seen the music video, yet one has not seen anyone do the horse dance from the video until one has seen Nancy -- yeah, "the" beautiful, one-and-only Nancy -- do it in the middle of Soi 13/1 clad in black lace lingerie and five-inch fuck-me heels. Yes friends, I witnessed this, in all its engorgement-inducing glory. She did pretty well; she even repeated her performance for me briefly in the bar. I almost -- almost -- forgot about my waiting mystery girl. ... And for those of you thinking WTF are you talking about? Wasn't Gagnam Style an Japanime cartoon from the late 80s? Again, for those of you living under rocks/in caves/on desert islands, here's Psy at the vanguard of the world K-pop invasion: [media=] [/media]

Mine must taste like dragon fruit, rambutans, pho, red curry and Sai Gon Red beer (with hints of Guinness, single malt, fish sauce and chilies) -- or so I imagine. I'll have to get someone from Guess or Cascades to report on this subject next week.

Allow me: Gathering of the Clan -- an acronym, as it were -- a meeting of like minded folk who share an enthusiasm for Thailand's third sex, i.e., forum members. I believe the next one is February, in Pattaya, naturally. Well, part of me wanted to concoct some believable bullshit story about being a publishing industry insider in real life, or at least intimate that I was connected with someone who is, and having been paid to put coherent sentences together for much of my adult life, I like to believe I could pull that off. But to be honest, I just saw a blurb about it on your website, and it sounded like an interesting book, to say the least. I shall drop you that email forthwith, with thanks in advance ...

Ah, this post made me nostalgic for my years in NorCal; I used to live in Sonoma County, right next door to Napa. Out of all the places I've lived in my home country, this was by far my favorite -- although I missed the seasonal changes of my native Midwest -- and would be where I'd look to settle if I ever move back permanently. I remember going on long bike rides out onto the back roads, heading towards the coast, and it always struck me: back home, along the side of the road, you'd see any number of cheap-ass beer cans, along with the odd brown bottle. In NorCal, particularly in Sonoma and Napa counties, one typically sees wine bottles (and the odd empty box of vin ordinaire) on the side of the road, much more so than beer cans or bottles -- I shit you not. And Kahuna's right; skip the big-name wineries if you go out there and go wine tasting. One trick my local friends taught me was to ask the staff at a winery where they recommended for tasting; invariably you'd end up getting sent to a string of small wineries where they sold strictly to wholesale operations or local and regional restaurants, and find great wine, really cheap. Damn, I miss that place sometimes ... One tidbit I'll add to what Ken has said about wines in Viet Nam; I've had one or two Dalat wines that didn't taste like ass -- and I mean that in the *bad* sense of the expression, heh -- but it's a rare hit or miss. I've gotten the same brand/vintage one time, and it tasted good, whereas at another time, crap. Also, I haven't been able to find it here in Sai Gon, but up in Bien Hoa, a sleepy blue-collar town north of the city on the way to Vung Tau, the Big C used to carry this stuff that was French, but bottled in Dalat, so it was much cheaper than any of the imported bottles, and actually rather good: a cab/shiraz mix that was desert dry (I love a good spicy, astringent red; a wine that is absolutely dying of thirst). When I was in China I had some pretty good local reds (along with some rubbish) -- not much of a white drinker, unless maybe with certain kinds of seafood/fish -- but that was seven years ago, and I can't remember any names or such. All I recall is that they came from the north/west part of China, if I recall correctly (which I may not). As for (U.S.) domestic swill, back in my university days, the local grocery store in the small college town I lived in used to frequently sell bottles of Boone's Farm -- flavors like Strawberry Hill (my favorite) -- three bottles for five bucks. Word would spread around campus like wild fire when this sale happened; you had to get there early otherwise it would sell out. Good cheap drunk, that stuff was -- one step up from Ripple, Mad Dog, Thunderbird, Wild Irish Rose, etc. (maybe) -- but guaranteed a sore head and cotton-mouth the next day. Thanks for the tips on getting decent wine in Thailand; I'll have to follow up on that in the days and months ahead. I never really bothered to look, so this is good to know.

Ko Kor is indeed lovely, but come week after next, I think I'll be sticking with my lil' lucky Laos princess, Luk Tan, or ole reliable Gate. ... whichever one I see first.

As a former and still occasional member of the 4th Estate, just let me say ... "Squeeeeee! OMG! OMG!" I read No One Here Gets Out Alive in junior high, for crissakes! Did a book report on it, even. I will be sure to introduce myself, sir -- one of the few (actually kind of many), the proud, the sponsors of Team La Bamba. Seriously it will be great to meet you, and I hope you score a publisher for this book. BTW, is the Tales from the Steamy East project still in the works?

Anyone happen to know where the bodacious Bell ended up, or is she still home in Nong Khai? I've got her number, so I may try and track her down myself when I get there in a couple weeks, but any advance intel would be appreciated. Still kicking myself for not taking her when I had the chance.

You mean, "our" lovely winning ladies in their finery. Awesome shot, Ciobha. I asked Nok about getting a shot like this week before last when I was there, but the bikinis weren't ready yet. Took the liberty of touching it up a bit in Photoshop; hope you don't mind ... Too bad Patty wasn't there for this shot; she looks pretty stunning these days.

Nerd that I am, you know I'd be weighing in on this, right? I've found over the last three years that when it comes to leading edge electronics -- I can almost always get it cheaper in the States than anywhere in SE Asia (assuming that I can find said leading-edge tech in the first place). Even with the VAT refund in Thailand, things I want are still cheaper back home, or average out to about the same (my laptop fell into the latter category). Case in point: I was going to buy a Canon 5D-III here or Thailand; as expected, the real deal unused is cheaper in Thailand, but I can get it cheaper still in the U.S., even with a VAT refund. Hell, for the price of the Mark II in Thailand, I can buy the Mark III (with kit lens, even) in the U.S. Would have liked to have had that camera in time for the volleyball competition, but at that price difference, I have to wait. On the other hand, if you want serviceable cheap Chinese knockoffs, SE Asia is the place. I got one of those S3 knockoffs (the HDC Galaxy SIII, don't you know) in Tukcom last week, and it works really well. Granted, the image sensor can't compare with the genuine article (I tested it with a friend's S3; not even close), but still takes reasonably good images (for a phone) if you tinker with the settings. The rest of the phone works great; came unlocked and I rooted it with no problems. All for 5,500 baht. I ended up giving it to a friend, but that's another story. Incidentally, my Chinese knock-off Android tablet is still ticking along, six months later ...

Excellent topic (and one near and dear to my heart, obviously). Some good points here, and I would just add to Randuino's that I would never willingly go with someone I thought was being coerced into it. As for circumstances, well better a gentleman like myself than some jerk, yeah? You know, I often joke in my trip reports about loving all my whores -- my courtesans and concubines -- and that they all have hearts of gold. The thing of it is, it's not really a joke. No, I'm not "in love" with them, per se, but then in reality I'm not sure I've ever actually been in love, in the sense that poets (the Shelley-esqe sonnet-writing kind) and Hallmark card writers mean it. But I suppose I love them -- more than a few, anyway -- in the same way that I love my friends. In fact a select few I would even consider good friends in every sense of the word (friends with benefits, heh). And most of them I have found to be warm, kind and all around good human beings. Not all of them, by any means, but a majority, yes -- in all frankness and seriousness. Think about Cindy of Cascades, for example. Or Sonya down in Linda Bar. Call one of them sleazy and I will demand satisfaction, sir. It will be pistols at dawn. One more thing I'll add for you to consider. I met a girl once, about, oh, almost a decade ago now, and it was the last time I was in an emotionally-charged, hot and heavy relationship (this was back home, btw -- non p4p). By this stage in my life, I already knew I wasn't the white-picket-fence type (but I could -- and do -- still fall in love at the drop of a hat), and was completely honest with her about it: I love you but I was born a rambling man, etc. Well turns out she hadn't been quite honest with me. Turns out she was engaged to be married well before our first date; I didn't find out until things got hot and heavy. She eventually confessed that while she loved me, she wanted the stability of marriage, children, etc. -- everything I didn't. So she was marrying a childhood friend, whom she liked well enough, but didn't love, under false pretenses. Now I don't fault her for that; lots of people marry for reasons other than love, after all. Hell, in some cultures it's considered silly to marry for love. My only problem with it was that she wasn't being honest with this dude, tool that he was (oi, was he ever -- I actually met him once -- but then I suppose I was a tad biased), and predicted that eventually she'd find herself in an unhappy situation (time has since proved me right, apparently). So who is more sleazy? The person -- man or woman -- who marries under false pretenses? Who goes out on a date for the meal or the sex all the while professing/feigning romantic interest? Or the prostitute and the john who are honest with each other? As for my kid -- well that's a moot point, heh. But as long as he or she was happy and enjoying their lifestyle and it wasn't (too) self destructive, well then it seems to me that they got the world by the ass on a down-hill pull. Hell I was a bartender -- a legalized drug dealer, essentially -- once upon a time. And I'd be lying if I said I never used that to my advantage in procuring a bed mate. Sleazy? Um, yeah. Fun? Not as much as people think, but yeah. Besides, if my kids were prostitutes they could hook me up with their hot coworkers.

Chemistry is everything, and I've been known to head home alone rather than force the issue, as the few times I have, it has all but invariably been a "meh" experience at best. I'd also add that I rarely experience the drama that seems to affect some punters. Having said that though, I agree with Randuino, et al: there's chemistry and then there's drunk and horny at 4 a.m. chemistry.

I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Joy last night while out and about with Rossco; she is seemingly a lovely lass, inside and out. All you folks that don't care for post-ops, she just might change your mind.

I shall endeavor to provide such next week (which it will be technically, if you're a Yank in Viet Nam, in approximately 37 minutes -- but I don't head over until Sunday night). Well then, DK, I'll be sure not to tug on it too hard.

Maybe the head shaving doesn't happen until the actual sentence gets handed down? *crosses fingers* And by the way, just curious, what happened to lil' Kip/Gift/what-have-you who had moved over from Nong Bar? She end up on the wrong person's s-list, or did she get snapped up for a long long-time? Again, with a stable of beauties such as those depicted above, it makes no never-mind to me, just wondering. In any event, I'll be there Wednesday night to sniff out what's up.

I would agree with Ken; I think it's difficult to generalize. One often hears that it's easier to pick up Asian languages because of the lack of tenses, but as a native English speaker I actually find this difficult, ostensibly because my native tongue has all those goofy tenses. In terms of grammar, yes, it is easier to learn, certainly, but in terms of using the language and fluency, I find it a challenge; my brain freezes up because it wants to use the present continuous, rather than relying on context, for example. Of course your mileage may vary. And it works both ways. The array of tenses can make English difficult to learn for someone who had no concept of these tenses before they began studying the language. On the other hand, I've met Asian people who are also advanced language students in English, who find the array of tenses quite elegant, in that it gives one "many different ways to express subtle nuances" --- I actually had a Japanese friend who was a masters student in English at the time say that. I've heard many people say many things about English, but "elegant," that was a first. She was quite adamant on this point, though, but then she was a bit of an Anglophile. Well, an Americanophile, if you will. Also agree with Ken on the tones. The difficulty that tonal languages present me far outweighs my stumbles with a lack of tenses. I often wonder if I had been living in a European country for the same amount of time I've spent in SE Asia, if I would have picked up more of the language. I think so; I took French throughout high school, and even now, if I'm around it for even a few days, much of it comes back and I can carry on a basic conversation with few problems.

Heh I didn't see a foot rail anywhere in that promo either, dammit.

I heard that it was actually Donny Key cumming in her mouth ... *ZING* As I've never actually met DK in person I hope he takes this with the humor and reverence with which it is intended; I certainly intend no disrespect to the legend that is the man. As for Lemon, I want to squeeze her until her juice runs down my leg. As for Mai, I've not added her to the list that I don't keep. Be there in a week, thank fuck. Thanks for the update Mr. Karl. Hope I get to make your acquaintance this time around, or at the end of October/beginning of November.

After two and a half years between Thailand and Vietnam (three years in consecutive time, broken up by six months back home in the States) I have nothing more than pidgin Thai and Vietnamese. I can give instructions to a cab driver, order food and drinks and things like that, ask how much, and the basics: hello, good bye -- seems most Vietnamese say "bye bye" anyway -- and a few odds and ends: bus, motorbike taxi, everyday things like that. I know the words for some of the fruits that I buy often at the markets. I have a hell of time remembering the words for numbers for some reason, but have no trouble remembering how to ask "how much?" This inevitably leads to amusing problems (I have the same problem in several Indo-European languages) at markets and stores. I've realized that without rigorous study, I'm not going to learn a language, even though I'm immersed in it. I suppose if I had no choice, as in no one spoke English ever, I would pick up more, but between others' pidgin English and the translation program on my phone, it's easy to get by without it. So next year I've resolved to literally get (language) schooled. I like academic environments anyway, so it should be fun. Excellent topic, by the way. Edit: I took a beginner Japanese course some years back, but since I haven't been back to Japan in a decade, I've forgotten most of what I learned. Same with Mandarin, unfortunately.

Shit, there's go my next career move.

What you talkin' 'bout Azza? Steve Jobs invented the rectangle with rounded corners. End of story. Sorry to hijack the thread, but I couldn't resist.

To each his own. Having a reputation as a nerd, sometimes casual acquaintances are shocked that I don't worship in the cult of Jobs. They just don't understand nerds. My phone and tablet does everything an iPhone and iPad can do -- in some cases better, in some cases worse. They also cost hundreds less. True, they aren't as pretty, both in terms of hardware and software design. But I can change or modify the operating systems and software on both -- not to mention the phone's sim card -- whenever I wish. The charger I use for my phone today is a generic one I bought years -- and three phones -- ago. The new iPhone features yet another, proprietary (naturally) connector, rendering previous iPhone chargers/cables and docks useless if you upgrade. The cable I use to connect my phone and my tablet to each other and/or to my laptop/PC are the same single cable: a standard micro USB cable, which I can buy at any electronics store in the world for a few bucks, should I lose it. The same for the charger for my tablet; it's a generic, industry-standard one. Of course sometimes I have to endure alternately incredulous and smug looks when I pull out my hardware in public. *shrugs* As for someone above who mentioned amusement at the fact that every hooker has an iPhone, well, it's because they don't spend their money on (other) hookers and drink.

Well then "bravo, bravo" to Fabulous FM103 for rescuing us from off-key caterwauling. And somehow, a radio station that bills itself as fabulous just seems ... apropos ...