I've always wondered about the science fiction that is Starbucks. I was standing at a Starbucks counter this morning with a friend, and when the clerk asked for her order, she flawlessly blurted out "One grande skinny latte no foam vanilla shot". I looked at her as if she was possessed and speaking in tongues. Are you seriously kidding me with this? Since when did ordering a simple cup of coffee get so complicated? First you have to choose the size of the damn thing, which by the way, isn't in English anymore - you get a small, venti, grande, and god knows what else. Then you have to make the mortifying decision if you want to have full cream milk or low-fat, followed by the excruciating decision if you want a foamy moustache when you drink or not. I'm sure countless wars have been waged over how much foam needs to go on top of your coffee.

Trust Starbucks to take the art of making coffee and turn it into a fucking science.

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I recently watched the film Dostana which had been getting a lot of media hooplah in India, as it was the first movie to apparently 'star' two mainstream Bollywood actors, who play gay roles. Now by gay roles I don't mean anything dramatic or even moving - Brokeback Mountain this certainly ain't. Instead, you'll be left wondering exactly what message Karan Johar was trying to send across. You only get three hours of stereotypical gay behavior, with flaky background actors trying to fill in the gaping plot holes (case in point, tres gay fashion magazine editor). Even the immigration officer who pays a house visit is a flaming queen - complete with lisp. John Abraham tries to make up for his baboon acting by exposing as much skin as possible - clearly the man has a phobia of shirt buttons. Abhishek Bachan is just as bad, and his 'flashback' scene in Venice where he frolics through a field (complete with hand waving and skipping) makes me want to hurl my afternoon biryani.

The movie is nothing but an embarrassment to the Indian gay community, and further paints us in a negative light. Karan may claim to have brought homosexuality to the front of the media, but this movie only sets gay rights back 10 years.

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A small note from me today - I checked my email this morning to find that my blog has won the Bronze Award on BestGayBlogs. I only recently saw that I've been running this blog for three years strong. Three years! Trust me, that's a colossal achievement in my books. A big thank you to BestGayBlogs for the award, and of course many thanks to all my loyal readers and those of you who regularly swing by and leave comments or link back to my posts. The blog means a great deal to me, and I'm hoping I can keep it running for many more years to come.

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I absolutely love Wanda Sykes. Her stand-up comedy is some of the funniest I've seen in a long time. And now I love her even more because she's just announced at a Prop8 rally that she's gay.

Read more here.

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Every once in a while, you're reminded that there are some pretty close-minded people in this world. In the news recently, Proposition 8 was passed in California, which effectively eliminates the right to same-sex marriage. On one of the Internet forums that I regularly visit, someone posted that they hope Prop8 passes and 'all the gayness ends'. If you're looking for someone who clearly lacks the powers of simple thought or even the ability to listen, then click here to visit the forum. I've been pissing myself laughing at the comments being posted, because it's a fantastic example of the bigotry that goes on in the world, and just how retarded some people's thinking can be - the topic sways around so much that eventually rape, incest, murder, and god knows what are dragged in. Grab some popcorn folks, because you can't read shit like this anywhere else!

I wonder what Slap Upside The Head would have to say about this? ;)

EDIT: Okay, the original thread was lost because the site went down, but here's another ridiculous stab at the topic!

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Change is here.

This is the mantra echoed by Barack Obama during his campaign, and one that is now shouted from the rooftops after his successful election. Obama has indeed risen from relative political obscurity to becoming a household name. "Obama-fever" is in the air, and millions of Americans, and indeed the rest of the world, are waiting to see what is in store for the future.

Not only is Obama the first African-American president of the United States, he is also the first preseident to have made a keen impact on the gay community. With Proposition 8 now seeking to ruin hundreds of loving gay marriages, there is indeed a lot that has to change. The question really to ask is whether or not Obama is up to the challenge - after all, he may have just seen the LGBT community as nothing but and untapped voting potential. Millions of gay people all across America will be keeping a watchful eye on Obama once he assumes the Presidency in January, and even though the race for the presidency has ended, the race for change hasn't even begun.

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With the impending release of the much over-hyped movie Dostana, it made me realize that there are quite a lot of queer films coming out with Indian leads. Upcoming films such as I Can't Think Straight and The World Unseen both feature prominent desi folk, which begs the question - is Bollywood finally ready for gay cinema? I mean movies with an actual plot - I think the only reason to see Dostana in the cinemas is to watch the men flutter shirtless across the screen. Reading an Indian magazine recently, there were a few Bollywood actors and actresses who were asked if they would play gay in a film. All of them said yes, "as long as the director knows what he wants from the scene and from the film". I remember the first Indian film I saw with any hint of gayness in it was the infamous Bombay Boys - though it can hardly be called a gay movie, it still caused plenty of mayhem and subsequent banning when it hit India.

When Fire was released, that too sent shockwaves through the Indian community. But many gay women said that Fire was a misconception - portraying the idea that if a woman feels neglect and abuse at the hands of her husband, she automatically begins to love women. Having said that, if Bollywood can handle the likes of cross-dressing men on screen, why can't we have a decent gay Indian film? Everyone from Amitabh Bachan to Govinda to Salman Khan have been seen swaying in a sari, so isn't it about time that Indian cinema truly came out of the closet?

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