Daybreak

The stillness of the night
fades away,
slowly and steadily.
Songs of the birds
shatters the silence,
fighting away
the spell of the Sandman.
The golden disk of Ra
breaks the horizon
sending out rays of hope;
rejoice! a new day has begun.

The Little Green Frog

Ribik! Ribik! Ribik!
Sings the little green frog
Down in the Lily pond
By the old castle gates

Powerful Kings and lowly peasants
All pass through this royal passage
But none pays the slightest heed
To the sad song of the little green frog

It is written in the tales of yore
A princess will come to set him free
Patiently he waits for that elusive kiss
So that he too can become a man

Original image here: http://www.4to40.com/images/poems/frog_and_the_bird/little_green_frog.jpg

Sri Lanka in Hollywood

You know you’ve arrived when Hollywood starts to name drop. As much as I wish it’s my name, I’m talking about good old Sri Lanka as a country.

I recently came across two instances, where Sri Lanka was mentioned in Hollywood TV shows. Nothing major, just a mention as another country in the world, but still…

I know there were several films that were shot on location here, but the storyline is set in a different country altogether. The oldest movie reference that I know of is a film called “Elephant Walk” way back in 1954 starring Elizabeth Taylor. The storyline is set in a Tea plantation in times of British Ceylon.


A modern day reference was in an episode of Judging Amy, a long time back. The only reason it stuck was because it was the first time I’ve heard it mention in an American TV show.

More recently it was mentioned in an episode of Covert Affairs and a cartoon named Generator Rex.

OK, contrary to what is mentioned above, I DO NOT watch a lot of TV. It’s just I need to watch something while having meals at home. It’s merely a case of watching the right show at the right time.

Anyway, if anyone out there knows of any movies or TV shows that mentions Sri Lanka, please drop a comment.

සුභ අලුත් අවුරුදක් වෙවා

ඔබ සියලු දෙන හට ජයෙන් ජයම සපිරි කලක් උදා වෙවා කියා ප්‍රාර්තනා කරමි.

Spring Cleaning

I thought I'd spruce up the bloggie with a new look. The bugger deserves something at least once in a blue moon.

Cheers!

Nature and Man

Image from here: http://www.screensaverbase.com


There was this ad on Discovery or National Geographic (I can’t remember which) that asked why we humans were put on this earth. If I remember correctly, it goes through some animals and what benefits they give to the planet, and questions our role in it. The answer they give is that we are the only ones capable of protecting it.

In my opinion, the only thing that this planet needs protection from is us. The ad is a contradiction in itself. If there weren’t any humans, the planet would not need any saving, because most of the damage is done by us, specifically the artificial world that we have created.

Nature on the other hand can take care of itself. It doesn’t need protection from itself. It knows what is best for it and if there is a problem, it will take the necessary steps to rectify itself. There is equilibrium to everything.

Then along comes Man, who basically throws in a spanner to the cogs and shatters the balance with his artificial world. His advances in the field of medicine allow him to fight diseases and give him longevity in life. This ultimately leads to exponential increase in population, not sustainable by the planet. As the population increases, more resources are needed to up keep them. More forests are cut down to make room for agriculture, the mines are dug deeper and deeper for more minerals, waste material increases, and so the list goes on forever.

As Agent Smith memorably said, humans are a virus. We spread all over, sucking the life out of our host, mutating to overcome the defense mechanisms thrown out by the host.

Or, is it the other way round?

If the planet is anyway heading for a natural catastrophe, then humans are the only species capable of doing something about it. We are the architects of technology. This technology must be used to ensure that life will be able survive whatever disaster that is going to happen, and carry on for evermore. We humans are its guardians. For all we know, there is only one planet that has complex life forms in the whole vast universe.

It begs the question, is there an unknown master plan, which was aware of a future peril so great that it choose one animal out of millions to develop the intellectual capacity to one day ensure that the flame of life does not extinguish forever from the universe? If it is so, I only hope that we can live up to that expectation.

Untitled

I’m not a die-hard cricket fan, or of any sport for that matter. My interest is usually limited to knowing who won and who lost, and even that is only when SL is playing. Surprisingly I found myself taking an interest in this World Cup.

Unfortunately the final result was not in our favor. So now we have India as the world champions and we are the runners up. A worthwhile achievement nonetheless.
What stuck with me the most is the aftermath. It was good to see the team being warmly welcomed back to the country amidst cheers, still treated as champions even though they weren’t.

As a nation we should be proud of the fact that we stand behind our team whether they win or lose.

I wonder if the Indian players would have been treated the same if they had lost.

Best of luck to the SL cricket team in their future endeavors.