Long Live Hela Metal

Throbbing drums, screeching guitars, and screaming vocals, mixed together with the volume level set to stun, are the essential ingredients that makes for a very exciting heavy metal gig. It’s been some time since I went one of these and so decided to make a date last night (29th ) for the Siv Hela Renaissance, a showcase for the great bands of the Sri Lankan heavy metal scene. Four+ solid hours of pure SL metal and loved every freaking minute of it, and you know it was a good show if your ears are still ringing the next morning.

Although in true Hela fashion, it started one hour later than advertised. Oh well, some things never change. There wasn’t a big crowd at the beginning, so was kind of disappointing, but as the night went on, the place became somewhat packed. It was held at (formely) Clancy’s, so as you can imagine, it doesn’t take a lot to fill that place up. BTW since when did Clancy’s become Shine? Sri Lankan metal heads are a rare breed. Well, I wouldn’t call myself a typical metal head either, not the head banging type. I’m more of a sit in a corner and let the music make me numb kind, he he. I’m pretty sure that lot of those guys are having cramped necks this morning :)

The six bands featured were, Funeral in Heaven, Fallen Grace, Merlock, Karmic Sulphur, and Siblings of Hatred. There was also a guy who did some great unplugged set as well. All are great bands, but I especially loved the last two sets by Fallen Grace and Funeral In Heaven. I think that our guys are ready to kick some butt in the world Metal scene.

To all the bands, freaking awesome gig! Looking very much forward to another one.

Metal Rulez!

Long Live Hela Metal!

Home Sweet Home

It’s nearly a week since I’ve been back in the Paradise Isle, and slowly getting used to the heat. Even cut my hair to a close shave to accommodate the process.

The journey back was relatively ok, not great, but then again, thankfully no major incidents either, with all these plane crashes happening. Two in one day, minutes of each other and on the opposite sides of the world. Freaky. (One in the US and another in Japan, the FedEx plane, that happened today – for those who live in a well :) )The luggage was a bit overweight, but thankfully, the airline turned a blind eye. Unfortunately the first leg of the trip, Toronto to Dubai was not that great. My friend and I got stuck with the middle seats of the middle aisle. Oh what fun! To add to it, I got the pleasure of sitting next to a snoring fat guy. Believe me, thirteen hours of that is NOT fun. Luckily managed to catch some zzz’s halfway through.

Since we had an eight hour transit in Dubai, we got entry visas, so managed to take some sights in Dubai as well. It would have been much better if it had been day time, but then again, beggars can’t be choosers can they? However, was blown away by the sights though, can’t imagine what it’s like during light. In my opinion, Dubai is much more hip than Toronto. Also went to the Mall of the Emirates, and that is one amazing place. I haven’t seen anything like that in Toronto. One word to sum up Dubai imo is Luxurious.

After couple of hours of sight seeing it was back in a plane to little ole SL. That was much better since we got window seats. Landed at CMB at 8 and then it was straight home. Actually managed to stay up for a couple of hours before crashing on the bed, he he.

I’ve been catching up with the friends since I got back. Come to think of it, I’ve been out of the house for the most of it since getting back. But then again, I missed hanging out with the gang. Went to Jo Jo’s and got hammered on Saturday night :)

I’m back at the office and its back to the daily grind again. One thing I’m not looking forward to is the daily commute in busses.

Cheers y’all, and have a good week ahead.

Going Home to the Paradise Isle

After six, cold, yet exciting fun-filled months, my stint in Canada is coming to an end, and I’m going back to our little Paradise isle we call home. My sentiments in one word: Woohoo 

Man, can’t believe that 6 months have already gone by. It seems like yesterday that I landed in Canada, all wide eyed in wonder of all the exiting sites. It was a very busy time at work, so didn’t really notice the months go by. It truly has been a wonderful couple of months, albeit the freezing weather, but then again, that is what Winter is. I can at least say that I braved winter storms and played in the snow. Unfortunately the timing is such that I won’t be here to experience the hot and wild summer days. That’s when all the action happens. Winter on the other hand is pretty boring and depressing. Oh well, maybe next time eh? Met a lot of wonderful people, learnt new things, saw new things and places and managed to have some fun on the way as well. A great experience overall. Also managed to meet up with an uncle of mine, who I haven’t met in a long time, so that was good as well.

Canada is a great place, with a lot of diversity in people and culture, since it has been welcoming immigrants with open arms for a long time. A jumble of different ethnicities living together without any problems. There is a vast difference between SL and Canada, when it comes to the level of development, but I still believe that if our lot put their minds to it, we can also achieve great heights.

I’ve been counting the days for the past couple of weeks. 16th is D-Day, and after several hours stuck in a metal tube with wings, I will be touching some good ole SL soil on the 18th. Not looking forward to being stuck in a plane for 18 hours though. Got a transit in Dubai for about 8 hours, but luckily they gave a hotel room for a bit of rest.

Sources inform me that it’s like living inside an oven in SL these days. Just my luck, from freezing in an ice box, to roasting like a rotisserie chicken. Hopefully the heat can help me lose some weight gained during this time. Not a big fan of exercising, but will have to do something once back home.

The first thing I want to do is to take my bike out and let it rip. It is one thing I really missed. The wind blowing in your face, speeding along the open roads while the rest of the world zooms right past you. That is a wonderful feeling. The feeling of freedom and nothing can beat it.

Also my taste buds are yearning for some good old yummy home cooking. I’m getting a bit tired of this daily cooking business. You get tired of take-out after awhile, and the thought of cooking a meal after a busy day at the office is not also a thrilling thought. Makes you appreciate your mother dearest more and more. I don’t want anything fancy, some rice with some creamy polos curry, a Mukunuwenna mellum and a hot hot fish curry, my all time favorites. Ok, enough. I’m torturing myself with all this talk about food. Just a few more days boy, be strong. Just a few more days and I’ll be hanging out with the gang, polishing off a bottle of OR with hot plate of devilled prawns or Cuttle fish at Mount beach, watching the sun go down on the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. Aahhh, good times are ahead, yeah baby…

Truly there is no place like home, and my greatest wish is that we can move beyond out petty squabbles and develop SL what she should really be, hopefully during my lifetime. I have zero faith in politicians, only in the common man.

Adios Canada, it was truly a wonderful experience. Hopefully I will be able to visit your shores once again.

Cheers to all you peeps, I will be back once I get settled home.




The golden beaches. It’s a pic I took sometime back near Seenigama.

CEO’s who take home an annual salary of $1.00

In these times of recession, the last thing people want to hear is how the big bosses of the companies are getting million dollar salary packages and ungodly bonuses. So some CEO’s have taken this to heart and decided to cut their annual salaries down to $1.00. I think this is a good gesture. Sure they are already millionaires or have stock options, and still rake in millions, but the shares must have value for them to cash in on it. They’ll have to work hard to keep the shares up.

Source : www.canoe.ca

Larry Page and Sergey Brin – Google

Mitchell Sharp – Personal adviser to former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien (A politician taking a $1 pay check? Unheard of)

Glenn Murphy – GAP

Jeffrey Katzenberg – Dreamworks Animation

Jerry Yang – Yahoo! (Co-founder)

Steve Jobs – Apple

Rick Wagoner – GM

Robert Nardelli – Chrysler

Alan Mulally – Ford

(These three doesn’t count much because their decision was made after the crash of the three auto giants, and even then sometimes due to pressure, not voluntarily)

Edward Liddy – AIG (Again after their crash in late 2008)
===

On a separate note, (why there are two unrelated posts in one is beyond my comprehension too ;P) this is my last day working at the client site, since I’m heading back home soon. Next Monday to be exact. Four days more and exited as hell. He he heeee

On the other hand, a bit sad to leave the place. One kinda gets attached to the place and the people after working there for close to six months. A very busy six months, I might add. Time flew like it was on hyper-drive. Not a bad experience though, learned a lot of things and met a wonderful bunch of people as well. I am going to miss them. Had a little farewell drink last night at the pub next door as well.

Oh well, have to finish up packing. With all those shopping sprees, running out of room to pack things. Damn airlines and their weight regulations. Man, makes you wish that they had teleportation.



Pic courtesy www.wildhorse.co.za

Cheers!!!

Astronomical Near-miss

As Chief Vitalstatistix would say” the sky might have fallen on us while we lay sleeping”.

Well it nearly happened. It seems that earth was spared by a deadly cosmic catastrophe during the early hours of last Monday, according to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab. It was the one they called 2009 DD45, because we all know that NASA scientists are well known for coming up with the coolest names. Why can't the have a name like Jack, Sam or even Rathnapala? Ok, never mind. This asteroid was measured with a diameter between 69 – 154 feet, has zipped past us, a mere 48,800 miles away from Earth. This is about twice the distance to telecommunications satellites and about fifth the distance from the moon. Luckily it decided to skip us and go forth in looking for greener pastures. Very good news for us, but I'm sure an omnipotent asteroid throwing being somewhere in that vast universe is going, "Damn, missed again" right about now.

It makes you wonder what would have happened if it did hit us. Would we have just disappeared from the face of the earth like the dinosaurs? A sad end to a great species known as man? I wonder who’ll be the next intelligent species to rule Earth. Roaches perhaps? Yes, I can imagine many of your squirming at the thought. Whomever the next rulers of Earth may be, would they find our bones in their paleontological endeavors?

Or, would we have survived, to carry on life on a broken planet, sunlight blocked by volcanic ashes, no water and no food, and sweltering heat, and to suffer miserably.

Whatever may happen, we are just a speck, less than a speck actually, in an infinite universe our tiny little brains can’t even begin to comprehend, so it makes man's petty little squabbles with one another, pretty insignificant, don’t you think so?

I think the best analogy for this was seen in the movie “Men in Black I” where it ends with showing our galaxy is inside a marble in a big alien kid’s bag of marbles.

Well, don't worry your pretty little heads, because, according to the scientists, the next near miss won't happen till 2029. A 885-foot asteroid called 99942 Apophis, will come as close as 20,000 miles from us. If humans haven't destroyed the world by then, lets hope that this one will also decide to skip us.

If you want to know what else is lurking nearby, you can check out NASA's Near Earth Objects site. http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/

Cheers y'all, have a good weekend

Barbie of Smugglers Cove

Elsie, Maise and Tootsie
Resident witches of Smugglers Cove,
They spent their days in a ramshackle hut
brewing potions and spewing curses,
As luck would have it, they were not that good,
So the kind people of the village
Endured all with tolerant smile

Elsie and Maise were ugly as hell,
while Tootsie was a Viking goddess;
38-26-38
And long Golden hair,
'Adopted she is' the villagers would say
'poor lass, stuck with those two hags'
The truth of course is stranger than fiction
Their mum was a hottie,
Who had a fling, with Odin himself
As a result of this lovers tryst
Out popped Tootsie
Barbie of Smugglers Cove

Elsie and Maise, tried their best
to teach little Toots the witches way,
but alas, all in vain
her mind was stuck, on the pages of Vogue
she never wore the traditional garb
gone were the black frock, black shoes
and the pointy witches hat,
Prada, Gucci, and Christian Dior,
Those were her favorite pals,
While her sisters toiled over bubbling cauldrons
Tootsie mastered the art of eyeliners and blush

Then came the day, the Grey old man came
With a bevy angels hanging on each arm
‘Hi there Toots, how you doing
You’re an angel, stuck in hell’,
‘Come with me to the land of the free
Become a bunny and play with me.’
So they packed their bags and off they went,
To the glitz and glamour of the Hollywood Hills
Elsie, Maise and Tootsie

Tootsies star began to rise
The most famous bunny of them all
A permanent fixture on every red carpet
From dusk till dawn she partied hard
With all the stars and the A-list crowd,
The paparazzi followed her all day long
To get the shot that would make their day,
Move aside Paris and Nicole
Tootsie Bunny is here to stay
The Barbie of Smugglers Cove

Elise and Maise didn’t lie low
They used their skills to cook a few potions
To make a reality, the dreams of all stars
A literal fountain of eternal youth
And bags full of beauty tricks
They made a fortune in a few short days
Spent their days in luxurious bliss
Sipping Martinis in a Hollywood mansion





Bunny of the Year
(Original image from the movie “House Bunny”.
With all apologies to the very beautiful and very talented Anna Farris, probably one of the best comedy actresses of the times. )


All characters are figments of a twisted imagination of the author, who is under the influence of several hallucinogenic agents. Any resemblances to individuals living and dead are purely coincidental. Even if it does, the author does not give a shit :)