I hear words like "handsomness" and "incredibly chiseled features" and for me that's like a vanity that I don't buy into.

It turns out that flash photography is still my mortal enemy. Who is this guy?

I suppose that I have a relationship with picture taking that is akin to one of mutual distrust. I think it's sad really. I think I could have really been someone. My mom took me to one of those cutest baby things that you'll frequently see at the mall. Although apparently I was plenty cute for the world of professional baby modelling, I was too "inactive" in front of the camera. It's just wonderful to think about how much of a dumpy, sad sack of a baby I looked like when I was little.

There was the time in pre-school where I was clearly upset over something random. If you can imagine a non-curly haired, five year old version of myself pouting and fidgeting with his fingers in his lap, I think you have got a very good idea of how that particular photo turned out.

Then there was that awkward phase where I really didn't realize that my hair was becoming curly. This was around the second or third grade or so. My hair was suddenly puffy and was so stubborn as to not yield to the demands I exacted by force using hairbrush and plenty of water every morning. Pictures from this era were problematic because I tended to look greasy or intoxicated. This is indeed a very sad, sad fate.

Adolescence....there's no conceivable reason why we should even broach this topic.

Somewhere near the end of that period, I started getting my hair cut in a fade. That was worthless, because you should not get that kind of a haircut if you cannot end up looking like the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air or at least Play, from Kid n' Play. Luckily, I think that sort of ghastliness was adequately compensated by the removal of my braces and eyeglasses from my life. Contacts are definitely the way to go.

Minus the flash, I still look goofy (note the profile pic and here's an extra piece of evidence: REU-TASTIC!!?).

While we're on the topic, candid photography is not my bag either: I'm goofy.