Five

I got pushed by Mosi into doing a casting for a TV show while hanging at the mall in Chicago. We were waiting for the Rusell Peters show to start ( funniest man around nowadays but more on him later ) when some guy dressed in fancy black uniform asked us if we were single...???
Hummm, "we don't really drive on that side of the road but thanks for asking anyway" ;) then Man in Black goes on saying that it's for a tv show called "dating on demand"

and the incentives are: $20 for participating, $300 if you get chosen by the show and it will take only 10 min, starting right now.
The conversation then went on like this:
Me: "can't do it, I am not single"
Man in black: "No problem, it's just for show and you get $20"
Me: "still can't do it, it says on the form: must be a US citizen."
MIB:" you are legal right ? (LOL) So no problem and you get $300 if you are selected"
Me:"So,$20....hummm, that should cover food for the evening :)..... Where do I sign ?"

Mosi politely declined saying that he was not going to get caught being a fool on TV. Making a fool out of myself never really stopped me though; plus, did I mention that there is money involved ?
So the interview went on for a full 20 min ( TV people are all such liars...) with a full range of questionning, bright lights in my face, cameras to stare at....yep, the whole 9 yards. Absolutely uncomfortable experience if you ask me, but hey, what the heck....once in a lifetime hey ?
The reason I mention this stuff is because the questions during the show reminded me that there is a tag by Amrita that I really wanted to write for a while but never got around to do. It is the "tagged by 5" post. Here it goes:

20 years ago:
1) 1st across-the-hemisphere trip from Antananarivo to Paris for vacation: I learned that you do not bargain the price of vegetables at the market in the western world....It seemed to me I was getting played for a fool.
2) Played my 1st tennis tournament and lost badly to Liva Rambeloson (buddy, if you are out there, D#$% you and your skills ! Ah, that felt good,.... waited 20 years to say that )
3) 1st slow dancing:....with my cousin...no further comment.
4) Reached level 11 at "Pacman". (Bowing down and waiving) "Thank you, thank you you are too kind. I would like to thank the academy ad my family for their support...."
5) Realized that this "girl dating" business was going to be very complicated.

10 years ago:
1) Landed in Washington, DC. Wondering what the hell happened. The only English words I knew back then were Hello, Michael Jordan and the F world.....
2) Fell in love hard with a Swiss hippie who was born on the same day as me. While I was whining about being homesick and not speaking English, she already lived in Thailand and Bolivia as a red cross volunteer.....made me realize in a hurry to quit being a wuss and "man up" :) .
3) Met Allen Iverson in the hallway and said these exact words: "huh, ah, xqsdf"
4) Got hooked on Basketball after that, one of my partner in crime at the gym was a Congolese student. He told me after a few months that his dad was Pascal Lissouba. You know, the former president ( I did not know either who Lissouba was at the time)
5) moved to New-Orleans shortly after.

5 days ago:

Caught BB King live. The old man still is the absolute master of Blues. And he is quite funny too.

5 minutes ago: (Ok 12 hours ago that but it feels like 5min ago)

It was the Russel Peters show live !!!! This Canadian comedian of Indian descent is going to be a Megastar very soon. Mark my words. An "Eddy Murphy in the 80's" comedian for the global world if you will. His routine centers on cultural differences and the humor in it. Now he is pushing it to another level, addressing politics and sex as well. Edgy but even funnier. I have not laughed that much in a long while.

A sample from the show:
US (trying to reason Iraqi):" We will attack you and invade your country"
Iraqi: (smiling and relax)
US (more forceful): "We will invade you and occupy you"
Iraqi: "OK then"
US: "We will KILL you"
Iraqi: " F(orget) you, I KILL myself "

(back to the tag...)
5 yummy food:
1) Mocha coffee, no whip cream.
2) Ile flottante.
3) Pad Gra-tiam.
4) Bulgogi
5) Varanga

5 addictions:
1) my family
2) sports news
3) my pets
4) Grey's anatomy (I know, I know)
5) big heads ;)

5 places to visit:

1) Norway.
2) My dad's birthplace: Alakamisy-Itenina.
3) Taj-mahal.
4) Taiwan
5) My dark side.

5 songs I know by heart:
1) "Ice ice baby" :) :)
2) "One"
3) " Mourir pour des idees" G. Brassens
4) "Cendrillon" Telephone
5) " Na dia lavitra" Rossy

Tags: dating on demand, tag by 5, Russel Peters chicago, BB King purdue