Religion and Relationships: Golden Balls and Sexual Fantasies

I remember the moment it happened. We were drinking rum in a bar in Chaguanas. She talked about studying in Japan, her two dogs, how to choose a good tennis racket, and how the Soca mafia operates. I was trying to sound smart, telling her about my love for “The Killers”, and why “Spider-Man 2” was a work of art.
It was going great. She was laughing, I was laughing, and then she dropped it on me.
“So what religion are you?” she said, softening her tone of voice.

An Open Letter to Mayor Louis Lee Sing:

Dear Mr. Lee Sing,
I am writing you this letter to commend you on your efforts to, as you put it, "rid Port of Spain of the problem of vagrancy". Finally, someone has a solution to the vagrant problem.

Homophobic T&T: One Foot in the Closet

Last week I posted a YouTube video on my Facebook wall, made by an American comedian, addressing the recent spate of gay, teen suicides in the States. An FB friend, let's call him 'Bob', decided to comment on the video saying, "Gays could do what the f@ck they want. Once they don't come around me", followed up with the more insightful "They could all kill themselves, don't really care". Now it would be easy to dismiss Bob as an idiot, after all he sounds like one, but on closer inspection of Bob's Facebook page, you'll discover that listed in his favourite music are Britney Spears, Whitney Houston, and Aretha Franklin.

Growing up: Remembering my Firsts

My name is Darryn Dinesh Boodan, and I am an adult. What does being an adult mean? Well it depends on how you look at it. When I was 15, being adult meant you didn't have to go to school; you could drive, have your own money, watch porn anytime, and hook up with older women. Now, being an adult mostly means, forcing yourself to go to a job you hate every day, remembering to pay your car loan, not letting your friends find out you still borrow money from your mom, not admitting to still watching porn, and wanting to hook up with younger women.
As I look back on my life, I can clearly see those defining moments when a boy took his first steps towards manhood. These are some of those moments (not in chronological order).

Why is there so much Pressure on Indian Men to get Married?

If you're like me, an Indian boy from a middle-class family growing up in Chaguanas, you had certain expectations placed on you from early on. You had to pass Common Entrance and go to Presentation College; there you would excel, play a sport like cricket, date a girl from Holy Faith Convent, write five subjects at A-levels, win a scholarship and then go to medical school. If like me, you failed to do any of these things, then there was still one last thing you could do to redeem yourself from being the complete abject failure you are in the eyes of your mother - find a nice Indian girl and get married.