Monday, April 08, 2013

Of Weddings and Random Pics

One of my friends from school got married over the weekend in Galle. His bride is Polish, so the whole thing was a western styled one. That was one of the reasons he wanted to have it in Galle.

It was a beautiful outdoor wedding at Jetwing Era in Unawatuna. The best thing about it was that there was only 80 invitees, so it made the whole thing a very intimate affair. The dress code was smart casual, but most people changed in to something more comfortable for the reception after church was over. They even provided rubber flip flops for the guests who wanted to take off their shoes and relax. The decorations were beautiful and had a simple elegance about it. The whole thing was handled by a wedding planner, so all went smoothly.

The next day was the bride's birthday, so at midnight, a birthday cake was but and a fireworks show was put on. I'm guessing she was one happy bride.

Because they had limited the number of guests, they were able to do something special. A very intimate event where everybody could enjoy and have a great time.

A great contrast to our weddings, where there are too many people and less enjoyment, especially for the couple. It's our "tradition" to invite every Tom, Dick and Harry and sometimes even their pets to the wedding, whether we can afford it or not. Most of the time, it's not even the couples decision. It's been hijacked by the parents. I would love to have a small wedding with something different, but I guess it's hard to break from tradition. You can do it, but you are going to break a few hearts along the way, and you have to weigh in everything.





























Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Simple Minds


Simple minds
rattle like half empty gourds
hollow echoes
testimony to the lack of knowledge
they despise the learned
out of fear of their own ignorance
fighting back the only way they can
ridicule and verbal abuse
their choice of weapons
to spread the hate
against those who are better than them
discouraging the progress of others
to mask their own failures
their world view so narrow
confined to the little that they know
unable and unwilling to learn or change
stagnating in their own ignorant worlds
useless to themselves
and useless to society
a waste of space on this earth

Thursday, March 07, 2013

Kids Should Run This World

I just figured how to solve most of the world's problems. Let kids be in charge of it. Think about it.

Kids have wild imagination and great ideas. They are not restrained by limitations created by adults.
Kids speak their mind. They haven't learned the concept of talking behind ones back.
Kids love animals and the environment.
Kids love unconditionally, and they love everybody.
Kids are blind to race, religion and other petty differences we adults make such a big deal about.
Kids compete with each other for fun. End of the day, they are all friends.
Kids make friends easily.
Most importantly, kids are not corrupted by greed for power and money, unlike most of us adults.

The following are some videos from TED to prove my point. There are some kids who are way smarter than most adults today.

Please watch and read them. Hopefully it will inspire you to make a change.

4 inspiring kids imagine the future of learnin
9 talks by impressive kids

The following are some of the videos.

Adora Svitak: What adults can learn from kids


A Pep Talk from Kid President to You

Thomas Suarez: A 12-year-old app developer

Another very interesting blog, SPARK Movement

Friday, March 01, 2013

Random Pics from Galle

Went down to Galle last poya day. My father's family is from Galle, and there were some relatives he wanted to visit. We rarely go visiting down that way.



The house is right by the railway track, so plenty of trains to see. They don't need an alarm clock, they just rely on the trains.


















This is a grave marker of my great-great-grandfather, in the cemetery behind the Galle Cathedral.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Whoa! How Time Flies :)

Man, its nearly the end of February of 2013. Where did the days go? No, seriously I'm asking you. Coz I have no clue :(

My mind is completely and utterly blank these days...

Found these on FB.



You can find more interesting quotes here: http://www.wisdomquotesandstories.com/

Friday, December 21, 2012

The Girl Who Fought Demons


In the furthest corner of the world
there is a land cloaked in darkness
where righteous men are oppressed
and the innocent have lost their voice
a land ruled by demons
with neither heart nor soul
their word is the law
and death follows in step
of those who oppose
amidst this misery
there was one little girl
strong and brave
enough is enough, she said
I want to be free
from the cruelty of the demons
her voice was strong
and was heard around the world
for once in their lives
the demons were afraid
voices of those who
suffered long in silence
were finally being heard
they tried their best
to silence the little girl
in the only way they knew
many were sent to kill her
but all have failed
angels came down from heaven
rallied around the little girl
and protected her
from the wrath of the demons

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Ada Ape Thaththa

Cool new song and video :)


Thursday, December 06, 2012

More Random Pics

Some pics taken at Thewatte church.










Ten Way's To Love

Found this on FB :)


Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Shakespeare Meets the Editor

A funny skit by two comedy greats. Rowan Atkinson and Hugh Laurie.



Hugh Laurie became mainstream thanks to "House", but he was already a comedy legend in Britain. One of his famous series was "Jeeves and Wooster", adapted form the P.G. Wodehouse books. Hugh Laurie was Wooster and Stephen Fry was Jeeves. They showed the series in the early days of ETV, when they used to re-broadcast Star World, or Star Plus.





This is a very old sketch from A Bit of Fry and Laurie


Friday, November 16, 2012

Human Beings Are Getting Dumber

Finally, it's been proven. I've been saying this all along, but nobody believed me :)

A Stanford University researcher named Gerald Crabtree has published a two part paper where he claims that modern technology is making us humans dumber.

Back in the day, at a time when humans were still hunter gatherers, life wasn't easy. It was tough to survive, and human had to used their ingenuity for survival. Brain power was used and the more you used it, the more developed it got. Because of this thinking power, humans developed various tools and technologies to make their lives easier. This also increased their chances of survival, and thus made a dent in the process of natural selection. The result was that a subset of humans who should have been taken out, survived.

I don't think that humans are getting dumb. If we were, we wouldn't be developing all these awesome technology we are using, or inventing new ways to make our lives easier and better. However I do think that  we are beginning to rely on technology a little too much. So much so that we are forgetting the basics. The question we should ask is that if the technology fails us, would we be able to survive. When that day comes we will see who the real survivalists are.

I love technology and learning about the new things that is out there and the emerging technologies, but I'm not an avid user. I still like doing things the old fashion way. However I don't think I'll survive as a hunter gatherer, or even a farmer. I need those damn supermarkets :P

Time article
ScienceDirect





Monday, November 05, 2012

MJ Jr.

This little guy is form an Indian reality show. Cool moves.


Geyu Gee - Voice Print

Awesome Sri Lankan talent. Watch and give them a like :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLkFiIDr2mQ


Monday, October 22, 2012

Random Quotes

Found this on FB, and thought I'd share...


Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Random Pics form the World Spice Food Festival - SL


Shot these pics at the World Spice Food Festival that was held over the last weekend at the Diyawanna Oya, Battaramulla. Stalls were put up by the different hotels and each showcased a different world cuisine. The food was yum, and the prices were average, for giving yourself a treat. Expensive if you want to eat like that everyday, all three meals :P.

I went on Sunday, so they were also showing the match on a big screen, and the place was packed with all the fans.  






Stalls

Stalls

Cocktails :)

Funky decoration at one of the stalls

Stalls

Watermelon Flower

Spices & Veggies

Spices

Sacks of spices

Cloves

Walkway

Crowd enjoy the match... the early stages :)

Friday, October 05, 2012

Native American 10 Commandments

Came across this on FB. I thought I'd share.