The Roopster

I recently came across this. And because of that, I can't get this out of my head. "Yeahhhh, here comes the roopster..."

Now, my favourite comedian of the moment is the "pathetic little fat man", the immortal and genius Ricky Gervais. Here he is being mocked by David Bowie:



Now, the scene has more poignance when you consider that Ricky Gervais was genuinely a new wave pop star back in the 80s, with a look reminiscent of both David Bowie and Nick Rhodes. His band was called Seona Dancing, and here's a clip of them performing "More To Lose". In standard 80s overkill nonsense, there is of course an extended edition that will make modern audio producers cringe.

I love how in standard new wave style, Ricky is wearing clothes seemingly home made from curtains and handkerchiefs. The weird part is that this song found a life of its own in the Philippines well into modern day, where it was erroneously broadcast as "Fade" by "Medium". (Some DJs lie about songs in order to prevent others from playing them.)

Here's Ricky and his fey friend from those days, looking very Bowie-esque indeed:



And here's the little fat funny man today:


In other news, I had my pre-moving out party this weekend. Here is a pic from the festivities:


Yes, that's a carrot, not a cigar. No, the porn-style moustache is not permanent (in fact it's coming off right now). And yes, those are in fact man boobs.

Pompeii and Circumstance

Image stolen from here.


Today marks the 1930th anniversary of the eruption of Mt Vesuvius and the destruction of the Roman town of Pompeii, a holocaust that lasted 48 hours. Today Pompeii is celebrated as a still-life museum. It's a weird and disturbing thought to consider how close-- biologically, culturally and even technologically-- those doomed people were to ourselves. Consider modern holocausts and how they may (or may not) be remembered in 2000 years.

Just sayin'.

In other news, NASA's Stardust spacecraft has provided proof of amino acids in the tail of a comet, giving credence to the panspermia, or exogenesis, theory of life, in that it arose extraterrestrially and was seeded on Earth.

What's also interesting is the existence of the Stardust mission itself. I remember in the 1970s reading about futurists' conception of such a mission, that it was decades away in the distant future, if possible at all. And here we are today, collecting comet dust from such a craft, and it barely makes the news.

In even other other news, D-Mack sends us this list of forgotten or underrated science fiction films. I don't like the list. Equiilibrium and Existenz sucked. City of Lost Children and Brazil were not strictly SF. Pitch Black was okay, but was essentially an action film. Same goes for Dark City, which was a great concept and spooky film, but without an inspiring SF ending. I'm sure you will disagree.

Lastly, check this out. It goes best with this music.

Weekly Twitter Tweets

Weekly Twitter tweets from deonandan, since:2009-08-03




What the hell am I doing at a nightclub at 42? Jesus, where's my oatmeal and tea? Aug 23, 2009 06:08 AM GMT

:Twitter haiku 174 - "Girl shops for tampons / New fangled brand not in stock / Have to pull some strings"2:07 PM Aug 22nd

Happiness is a freshly tuned bicycle2:22 PM Aug 21st

:Twitter haiku 173 - "Need a replacement / For my desktop calendar / Its days are numbered"10:15 AM Aug 21st

:Twitter haiku 172 - "Architect jailbreak / Failed to climb over the wall / Wasn't built to scale"1:47 PM Aug 20th

:Twitter haiku 171 - "At my new condo / Starting organic garden / Till it like it is"9:14 AM Aug 19th

:Twitter haiku 170 - "Viagra sponsored / Porn awards: 'Best Erection' / Stiff competition"8:10 AM Aug 18th

My apartment building is sandblasting the balconies today... So there's an inch of dust covering all my computers and drives! Auuughhh!!!3:31 PM Aug 17th

About to compliment McDonalds on finally giving me decent highway food service... When I noticed they screwed up my order :(7:35 AM Aug 17th

:Twitter haiku 169 -"Getting a mortgage / Forced to spend responsibly / Time to act my wage"9:52 PM Aug 16th

If you're at the North York Ikea and see a brown man napping in an idling Kia Rio, that would be me. Come buy me a coffee.11:53 AM Aug 15th

Just passed a truck with a sign on the back: "Mr Fantastic Crack Filler."1:50 PM Aug 14th

Oh God, I think the people who run the Tim Horton's on the 401 are mental deficients. Only explanation.12:21 PM Aug 14th

:Twitter haiku 168 - "I am quite proud of / My powers of deduction / (Finished my taxes)"11:16 PM Aug 13th

Thanks for all the birthday love... though I know you just want me for my body.12:05 AM Aug 13th

:Twitter haiku 167 - "Hey it's my birthday / But I don't deserve congrats / Word to my mother."2:03 AM Aug 12th

Twitter haiku 166 - "Once again today / Something's getting on my nerves / My sciatica"3:36 PM Aug 11th

Best Top Gear line: "In certain parts of America, people have started to mate with vegetables."11:46 AM Aug 11th

Just tried "Top Gear Australia". Bah. They're trying too hard.8:00 AM Aug 11th

Best therapy for disc herniation: gin, salmon and more Top Gear.5:58 PM Aug 10th

Deonandan.com is back up. Email away.4:29 PM Aug 10th

It seems deonandan.com is down. If you need to email me, do it through Twitter or FB.3:38 PM Aug 10th

Anderson Silva is the baddest man on the planet.1:43 AM Aug 10th

On the floor with a herniated disc... And onto hour 6 of Top Gear marathon.9:22 PM Aug 9th

Finished watching Top Gear seasons 11 and 12... on to 13!4:46 PM Aug 9th

:Twitter haiku 165 - "Define ironic / Write haiku in same hotel / As haiku con'frence!"9:31 AM Aug 9th

Home now. Why is the ceiling spinning?1:24 AM Aug 9th

At a wedding, drunk off my ass wayyy before dinner is served. Is this wrong?7:23 PM Aug 8th

Morning wedding. Drunk at 2pm. Lying on the floor. Watching Top Gear. *Hic*2:14 PM Aug 8th

I ain't 'fraid of no ghost.10:24 AM Aug 7th

Up till 9:AM and *still* not done my taxes. Sheesh!12:15 PM Aug 6th

2007 corporate taxes done... Now on to 2008. Sigh.12:57 AM Aug 6th

80s fest continues. Tonight: "Big Trouble In Little China". Anything but do my taxes.9:05 PM Aug 5th

:Twitter haiku 164 - "Hat said to the shoes / As they both explored: 'Stay here.' / 'I'll go on a head.'"5:41 PM Aug 5th

Back in Ottawa. Guess what I had for lunch? A BURRITO!3:04 PM Aug 5th

Doing condo inspection now. Feeling... claustrophobic...11:52 AM Aug 5th

Woke up in NYC, slept on a train, now walking around Montreal. Hmm... Crepes? I.e. French burritos?8:08 PM Aug 4th

You know a train station is shitty when you prefer to use the toilets on the actual train.6:26 AM Aug 4th

Sitting on stinky floor of Penn Station waiting for train to Montreal. I thought my student days were behind me?5:39 AM Aug 4th

At snooty rooftop Manhattan bar. Nice view, though. I think I was drunk here before, 2 years ago. Weird.

Riding Pelham 123 just to see if I could take it.3:12 PM Aug 3rd

Enough with this "work" thing. I'm off to get a foot massage. Laters.1:11 PM Aug 3rd

Recent Facebook Profile Pics

India Independence Day

I am most definitely showing off when I announce to you that this year I received an invitation from the High Commissioner of India to attend the India Independence Day celebrations at the embassy in Ottawa. I could not attend, due to competing engagements in Toronto, but I was itching to bone up on my Hindi!

Yes, August 15th was the 62nd anniversary of India's (and Pakistan's) date of independence from British rule. It comes this year at an interesting time in history, when all the world sees India now as an economic juggernaut (ironically a Hindi word, co-opted into English) and possibly the next true global superpower.

It's important to remember, though, that India's power and wealth are in fact historic norms. In the history of the world, the globe's biggest economies have always been India and China, with the exception both of the past century and of the heydey of ancient Egypt.

It's also important to remember that India's power and wealth come at a great price: the extreme exploitation of the weak, poor and vulnerable. It's for this reason that I've been predicting for a while now a labour revolution in India, probably within the next 15 years.

These are some of the things I hope to talk about at this year's NetIP conference in Toronto. Plan to attend!



That's all for today. It's too hot and humid right now to be blogging. I leave you with the following photo I took in Toronto Friday night:



It's the "women's post".... for hitching your woman to while you get a coffee? Yes, yes, you know where to send your hate mail.

Hey, It's My Birthday

Drunk off my ass at a wedding this past weekend

Well, it's my birthday today. I will celebrate it by lying on the ground and nursing my herniated lumbar disc. Birthdays are weird things. I've never really celebrated them. And if others didn't remind me, I probably wouldn't even remember my own.

I always sort of wondered why we congratulate people on their birthdays. What did we do to deserve congratulations? Wake up that day? I think on our birthdays our mothers should be congratulated, because no one will remember that day as well she she will.

In this era of automation and digital connectedness, it's not surprising that my first congratulations came by way of Facebook. I love Facebook, I really do. Perhaps that makes me uncool; but I enjoy having all my friends' information at my fingertips, and the ability to create a fairly satisfying fake social life at 3:00 in the morning without ever having to put on clothes.

Oops, I said too much.

But some other automated birthday wishers crept in, too. The World Sex Guide sent me an e-card. That was unexpected. (Methinks folks have been signing me up for things without my knowledge. Yes, that's my official story.) Astrocenter.com sent me one, too, along with a coupon for a discount on their dubious services.

Astrocenter also provides the following horoscope for today:

Today's Horoscope: August 12, 2009 Today, dear Leo, you're feeling especially loving, attractive, and romantic, and therefore romance is likely to be very much on your mind. Romantic novels and movies could seem especially appealing. If you're currently involved, you'll probably receive a lot of attention from your mate. If not, expect to receive a lot of admiring glances from those around you, including strangers! You could meet a potential date, but take care to get to know this person before getting too excited.

Sure. I'm going to get lots of glances today.... from the voyeurs across the street who see me limping about in my underwear when I forget to draw the blinds.

The beauty of being born August 12th is that the heavens --literally-- proclaimed my birth. In the Northern hemisphere, August 12th is the apex of the storied Perseid meteor showers.

Brother Bhash tells me that the fabled first marathon may have taken place on August 12th. Ironic since I will likely never run a marathon, given the state of my back.

Other birthdays today that I tend to acknowledge include those of my friend Rosa Aguiar, the late Jon Donald (whose very strange life I will one day write about), Terry "The Red Rooster" Taylor and actor George Hamilton. I missed sharing the day with Hulk Hogan by one day (whew!) But it's also an anniversary of the death of Basquiat.

So, how will I really celebrate today? I'll probably eat some carbs.

Ow!!

Arrrrgh! Almighty Zod really doesn't want me to walk. My L4/L5 lumbar disc has re-herniated and I am in agony.

But enough whining.

Two things come to mind today. Have you heard the recent news about Hilary Clinton? Video here:



Essentially, a Congolese university student asked her about what Bill Clinton's opinion on something would be, and Hilary snapped back annoyedly: "My husband is not secretary of state. I am... You want me to tell you what my husband thinks? If you want my opinion, I will tell you my opinion. I am not going to be channelling my husband."

There are several thoughts that arise from this event. First, the fact is that the student had actually asked about President Obama's opinion, not President Clinton's opinion. The translator had screwed up, apparently. One hopes that the student received an apology for undeservedly receiving Clinton's wrath.

Second, now we see why Obama could never have chosen Hilary as his VP. The spectre of Bill would have always been present. It would have been a three person administration, with Obama's being the smallest personality!

Third, yes, it was a sexist question... maybe. If it had been asked of any other woman, it would certainly have been a sexist question. But, Zod amighty, your husband is Bill Freaking Clinton! Everyone wants to know what he thinks about anything vaguely political! Hilary, your husband might not be Secretary of State, but I don't think anyone doubts he would be an excellent one. This has nothing to do with your abilities, or with your status as a woman, but more to do with Bill's enormous shadow and diplomatic greatness.

If Margaret Thatcher's husband had risen to the equivalent post in the UK, you'd better believe he'd be constantly hectored about what Margaret would have thought, as well!

Lastly, the Secretary of State is supposed to be the USA's top diplomat. A diplomat is supposed to be sensitive to the ways of thinking of othersrs. While visiting the Congo, Hilary was asked a question by a Congolese that is not an untoward question in that culture. Yes, she has a right to be offended, but surely she could have expressed her unhappiness a little more.... diplomatically?

If I were more clever, I'd work in a "ducking from sniper fire" comment somewhere. Instead, I give you leave to insert your own joke.

Item two today is the Chris Kattan miniseries vehicle Bollywood Hero. I haven't seen it, and maybe it's good. What I do know is that in New York last week, I saw the miniseries pushed heavily in the media. It was particularly heralded by Indians as further evidence of their "arrival" into the mainstream, that an SNL regular would choose to star in an overtly Indian vehicle.

The story, such as it is, concerns a failing American actor who chooses to restart his career by starring in a Bollywood production.

My problem is that this has nothing to do with the "arrival" of Indianness. It's more of the same Orientalism dressed up in miniseries clothing. The star is not Indian, but American. It's not even a real star, but a C-list Chris Kattan. The heart of the story is not the Indian production, but the journey of the white American. It's the Razor's Edge and City of Joy all over again, but without the depth and importance.

Okay, gotta go lie down again.

Blog? I Have A Blog?

Oh yeah, I have a blog! All this twittering and Facebookery have distracted me of late. What else? Oh yes, I just bought property! The horror and stress of adopting a mortgage has drained me of energy, such that the thought of creating cohesive blog-worthy sentences has been unappetizing.

But here I am. Where to begin? Oh yes, some random surfing brought me to this site:

Rochelle's Japanese Experience

It's relevant because Rochelle has used a photo of me in her post, clearly cobbed from this location. I don't mind, really. I just think it's funny.



Meanwhile, almighty Zod's quest to prevent me from walking continues unabated. First, he dislodged a lumbar disc on my right side. Then he did so on my left side. Then he sent thugs to push me over in a cafe, bruising my knee and giving me a lip for several days. And now he got me drunk so I passed out on my floor in an awkward position, waking up with my disc herniated yet again. AUUUUGHHHH!

In yet more random news, my MicroSoft column will now be carried by MSN.ca. Yayyy, more readers!

Meanwhile, Cousin Ajay sends us news of Bebe Gloton, the breast-feeding doll. No comment.



And in other news, Chamika sends us the Best Che Guevara T-Shirt Ever:



Lastly, the Other Ray sends us... um... Christian porn.

That is all.

Weekly Twitter Tweets

Weekly Twitter tweets from deonandan, since:2009-07-27



Watching Buckaroo Banzai (again) and can't believe the great Peter Weller is now 62 years old.
Aug 3, 2009 04:04 PM GMT

Still in Queens. Leftover Chinese for breakfast. Going for a run. Then (sigh) doing some work :(
Aug 3, 2009 01:43 PM GMT

celebrated my hangover with a mimosa breakfast and hour long shiatsu massage. Mmmmm.
Aug 2, 2009 10:36 PM GMT

Stupidly hung over. Yes, I had a late night burrito.
Aug 2, 2009 05:40 PM GMT

Mixing it up tonight: burritos and sake!
Aug 1, 2009 11:22 PM GMT

In astoria there's actually a public park called "Charybdis". Yes there's a whirpool here.
Aug 1, 2009 07:06 PM GMT

Morning in Astoria. Day One of ongoing NY burrito quest begins....
Aug 1, 2009 02:56 PM GMT

Hell's Kitchen (UK) rocks very hard indeed. Yes, I'm still on a train.
Aug 1, 2009 01:05 AM GMT

Finished watching season 3 of The Tudors, and now on season 1 of Hell's Kitchen (UK). Yes, I drank all the gin.
Aug 1, 2009 12:11 AM GMT

Hanging out with the cool smokers on the train platform in Albany, NY
Jul 31, 2009 10:29 PM GMT

On 10hr Amtrak trip. Got laptop, blanket, coffee and smuggled booze. So will I get any work done?
Jul 31, 2009 01:43 PM GMT

Random babes on the train are twice as hot as random babes on the plane. Don't even mention the bus.
Jul 31, 2009 12:27 PM GMT

Am about to smuggle gin and home-made burritos onto my 10-hour train ride to New York.
Jul 31, 2009 09:37 AM GMT

Since when did getting a replacement credit card activated become such a telemarketing hard-sell nightmare? Zod almighty, I do NOT want ...
Jul 31, 2009 04:27 AM GMT

I am now officially free of all outstanding student debt... And officially poor :(
Jul 30, 2009 08:06 PM GMT

Morning after buying a condo: massive headache and a missing driver's licence. Omens?
Jul 30, 2009 02:21 PM GMT

To calm down, I'm re-watching one of favourite movies of all time: Ocean's Twelve!
Jul 30, 2009 03:52 AM GMT

Current state: euphoria. Soon to transition into: panic.
Jul 30, 2009 02:29 AM GMT

I am now the proud owner of a spanking new condo in one of the most desired neighbourhoods in Ottawa.
Jul 30, 2009 01:59 AM GMT

Tension from condo bidding mounts. I deal with it by watching Hell's Kitchen and eating Stag chilli.
Jul 30, 2009 01:17 AM GMT

Just put an offer on a condo! Auuuughhh!!!!!
Jul 29, 2009 07:16 PM GMT

Overdosing on chocolate covered almonds.... Again.
Jul 29, 2009 05:43 PM GMT

I found the solution to the Via Rail booking delays.... book using Expedia.ca!
Jul 29, 2009 04:07 PM GMT

Been trying to get onto the Via Rail website for 48 hours now. AUUUGHHH!!
Jul 29, 2009 02:47 PM GMT

Watching Audrey Hepburn classic, "How To Steal A Million"
Jul 29, 2009 03:23 AM GMT

oh my Zod... hotspot shield and hulu finally work on my machine!
Jul 29, 2009 02:17 AM GMT

Given the crazy prices of flights this weekend, I'm contemplating taking a BUS to NYC. Am I nuts?
Jul 28, 2009 07:18 PM GMT

:Twitter haiku 163 - "Hmm, lost a filling / Guess I'm off to the dentist / Yep, I know the drill"
Jul 28, 2009 01:41 PM GMT

Now watching "Troy" (2004), the worst film depiction of the Trojan War EVER.
Jul 28, 2009 07:40 AM GMT

Watching "Helen of Troy" (2003), the best film depiction of the Trojan War EVER.
Jul 28, 2009 04:09 AM GMT