Feeling Optimistic

With all the happening during the past few weeks, I haven’t been blogging much. Then again, a lot of the blogs have been saying what I’ve been feeling. It’s a feeling of optimism that good things are coming our way.

People have asked me in the past whether I have any plans to migrate to greener pastures, and truthfully there have been times when I’ve thought about it. But then again, I’ve always hoped for things in SL to change.

After all that has happened, it’s sad that some people still want to migrate. Notably, most of them are well off and living comfortable lives here. Then again, it’s their lives and their choices. One thing to remember though, not all pastures on the other side is green.

Adios amigos!

An Article Well Worth Reading

I'm not sure whether someone else has already posted this link, but I found it very interesting, and timely. It's an article written by D. B. S. Jeyraj, entitled: Tigers, Tamil Diaspora and the Tamil civilian plight

Found it originally through a link shared by a friend on FB.

Some excerpts:

---
The demonstrations were shown as being expressions of concern about the civilian plight. That this humanitarian concern was only a facade was exposed by four factors.

First, no such concern was shown when civilians in the Eastern province were in distress owing to the military campaign or even when civilians in the north-western regions of Wanni were affected. It was only when the LTTE-dominated north-eastern enclave was under threat that this cacophony for civilian concern increased in volume.

Secondly, these voices were stridently loud about the damage and destruction caused by artillery shelling and aerial bombardment by the armed forces but were conspicuously silent on the atrocities committed by the LTTE against its own people. There was no condemnation of the Tigers endangering civilian life, limb and property by locating their artillery and mortars in thickly populated places and engaging the enemy, thus bringing about inevitable retaliatory attacks.

Thirdly, there was no criticism of the LTTE for preventing sections of the people fleeing its territory for safety reasons. The LTTE has killed and injured several civilians for daring to escape its clutches and seek Army protection. Only the armed forces were blamed by these sections of the diaspora.

Fourthly, these sections wanted a permanent ceasefire. The United Nations has called for a temporary ceasefire to help facilitate the humanitarian exercise of evacuating entrapped civilians. But the pro-Tiger elements agitating for civilian protection are not responsive.

---

He ends the article with:

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This short-sighted conduct of the LTTE within the diaspora is just one more instance of the irreparable damage inflicted upon the Tamil people by the Tigers. After having brought Tamils to the precipice of disaster in Sri Lanka, the LTTE is now compelling the diaspora to embark upon a confrontational course with Western governments and law-enforcement authorities.

Unless saner elements among the Tamil diaspora are willing and able to protest against the monstrous activities of the LTTE in their midst, this trend is likely to continue. Apart from being totally counterproductive to their own interests, this conduct of the LTTE will in the long run stigmatise the Tamil diaspora as being supporters of terrorism.

This certainly is not in the best interests of the global Tamil diaspora in the long run.

---

Worth reading the comments as well. All 305 of them :)

I Fail to Understand These Double Standards

Latest in world news 

Red Cross: Dozens of Afghans Killed in US Airstrike

Al Jazeera

BBC

CNN

Earlier, Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, said in Washington that the Obama administration "deeply, deeply" regrets the loss of innocent life, calling such incidents as the reported killing of the 100 people "particularly painful".

But neither Obama nor Clinton specifically accepted US blame for the deaths.

Yes, how dare the world suggest that US planes did this? It must have been those bad Gremlins, stealing their fighters and dropping those bombs. Bad Gremlins.

Not surprisingly, all the countries that shout as champions of HR are silent. Of course, when their Big Brother does these things, it is acceptable. They don’t want to be on the bad side of the Big Brother do they?

Argh...This whole worlds is nuts.

Hot Summer Days

...are fun, but this is a bit too much. Is it me or is it just freakishly hot these day?. I'm sitting at home sweating buckets :(

I didn't notice the heat much during the weekdays since I'm stuck inside an AC office during the day, and I usually get to office early and leave late. So I try to have minimum contact with Mr. Sun.

Went out with some friends yesterday and even the car AC wasn't powerful enough to cool us up. And no, it's not broken :P. You leave the car for awhile and get back in again, it's like getting into a hot oven. yikes...

Took the bike around today, and coz of the wind, you don't feel the heat...only until you stop. I'm now also sporting a two tone color scheme, since I was wearing a short sleeved T.

Even though the sun is gone now, it's still hot. No wind at all, and the trees are like frozen.

Oh ye all powerful weather gods, deliver us from this misery. Let there be rain...

No? not even a measly drop? :(

Oh well, I think I'll poke my head inside the freezer for awhile.

Cheers!!!

May Day

...when workers around the world stick it to the man. Translated, it just means another day at home where you can sleep till the sun shines on your bum. If you get it on a Friday, it means a 3 day long weekend. The floodgates are open, adventure awaits you.

Unfortunately I’ll be home bound. No plans at all. Maybe a three day nap will be good. Hopefully lots of people will be going out of Colombo and Colombo will be empty.

The beginnings of May day dates back to 1886, when the Haymarket riots happened in Haymarket Square, Chicago, Illinois. This is the general strike which eventually gets workers in the US an eight hour workday. Thank heavens for those pioneers, for winning all those right we enjoy as workers.

On a more loving note, May 1st is also the Global Love day. The Love Foundation celebrates each May 1st as a symbolic day of unconditional love and invites all people and nations around the world to gather together in the wisdom of peace and love.

Apart from the historical Haymarket riots, and the love fest, other interesting things that happened on this day in the past include:

1328 – Wars of Scottish Independence ends with the Treaty of Edinburg-Northampton, whereby the kingdom of England recognises the Kingdom of Scotland as an independent state.

1707 – The Act of Union joins the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain.

1751 – The first cricket match is played in America.

1753 – Publication of the Species Plantarum by Linneaus

1776 – Establishment of the Illuminati, by Adam Weishaupt in Ingolstadt.

1786 – Opening night of Mozart’s opera The Marriage of Figaro

1834 – British colony’s abolish slavery

1930 – Dwarf planet Pluto is named

1931 – The Empire State building is dedicated in New York

1948 – The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is established with Kim Il-Sung as the president.

1950 – Guam becomes an United States commonwealth

1956 – Polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk is made available to the public.

1961 – Fidel Castro declares Cuba as a socialist nation and abolishes elections.

1978 – Japanese Naomi Uemura becomes the first person to reach the North pole alone by dog sled

2003 – GBW ignores reality and declares major combat operations over in Iraq

I heard that many of the political parties are not organizing any rallies or marches this time around. There’s no point since the elections are over anyway. Well atleast Colombo will be quiet tomorrow.

Yep, power to the people...

If you don’t have anything better to do, atleast go spread some Luuuuv...

Cheers y’all, enjoy the long weekend.

Giant Bunny’s Anyone?

I came across this news story while trawling through some odd news sites.

There is a breed of Rabbits known as the German Grey, which can weigh up to 10kg. A German breeder by the name of Karl Szmolinsky bred in 2006, a 23 pound, (10kg) Giant Grey Rabbit named Robert. According to reports, he had made a deal with the North Koreans to supply several breeding pairs of these Rabbits to help with the food crisis. Seemed like sensible solution, as we all know, bunny’s love to procreate... a lot. Unfortunately all news of the bunny’s halted when they entered North Korea and it’s is suspected that they ended up in some rich official’s dinner table.

There are around 50 different breeds of rabbits apparently, mostly created by various breeders from around the world, through selective breeding or natural selection. From what I can gather, the smallest would be the Dwarf Hotot, weighing around 3lb, and the largest the above mentioned German Grey. Another close contender for the biggest is the Flemish Giant, which can also reach around 10kg’s.



Sounds yummy don’t they?.... Yes...Yes... I know, I’m evil. Wot to do ne?

Giants Rabbits to NK 1

Giants Rabbits to NK 2

List of Bunny Breeds

Robert the Giant German Gery Rabbit

Dwarf Hotot

Flemish Giant

Pics off the Net...

Chilling

First of all, I hope that everyone had a good time this avurudu. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it will bring about a lot of positive changes to us, as a country and as individuals.

As mentioned, yours truly and three of the old gang went down south to celebrate avurudu, and had a blast of a time. Left home around 8am on Monday morning, and thanks to clear roads, made it to Unawatuna at around 10.30. Holidays like these are the best to travel since many people are out of the roads. We managed to find couple of rooms in a small place that we’ve stayed before, good comfy rooms for a reasonable price. Actually the place was built with people like us on mind, not your ideal family inn, I dare say. The place used to have good food, but not so much this time around. Either they have a new cook, or the regular guy has gone on leave for avurudu.

Times they are changing though. Earlier when we planned a trip, we had about 10 people in the gang, but now, it’s a tough job to find four people. Some have gone out of the country, and some are just plain busy, and the end result is less amigos for our adventures. Another thing I noticed is that our level of alcohol consumption has gone down markedly, when compared to what we used to do earlier. Is this a sign of growing old? O the horror.

It’s also a bit weird to be the only single guy in the lot and listen to the others talking about their wedding plans, something I never imagined that we’d be talking while getting wasted. :O It’s funny how the world turns isn’t it. How things evolve in a short time. I mean, around a year ago, wedding plans were the furthest from anyone’s mind. I think they now consider me a “Special Project” to get off the singles list. Yikes...Scary thought :O.

Getting wasted and soaking in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean, ah the good life. Great while it lasted, but now back to the daily grind. Half the people in my team is off for the remainder of the week, so these couple of days are going to a bit hectic.

Cheers y’all have a good week.

Some pics for your enjoyment :)

Through the looking glass

King Coconuts

Where buildings meets the sea

The sea, rocks and a Tree

Grounded

Put me to water please

The Beach

A tree top perch

Green and Blue

A Lot of Leaves

He Shoots, He Scores

Old Crock

Stoned Elephant

Antiques

Old Woman

Elephants

Antiques

Old Jewellery 

Wonder who ate from these?

A dressing table with some great woodwork

The antiques are from one of those antiques shops inside the Fort.

Oba Samata Suba Aluth Avurudak Wewa!

A new year filled with happiness, health and wealth...

With every bubbling pot of milk, may our little island be filled with blessings from all the gods and goddesses...

Enjoy a tasty piece of Kiribath with those close to you...

Forget about weight watchers and cholesterol, eat all the kevum, kokis, mung-kevum, Aluwa, etc, etc, that you can get your hands on...

Forget all those little grudges with your family members and neighbours, and enjoy the season...

My family background is not Buddhist, so they’ve never been much into observing nekath and all that, frankly I’m not a big believer in all those things. We just enjoy the fun side of it :)

I also want to wish all Christians a very happy Easter!

Three friends and I are planning to go down south on the 13th and 14th, for some fun in the sun and sand. There are two bottles of Absolut, just begging to go down our throats, so who are we to disappoint them? :P

Cheers y’all, have a good Avurudu, and may it bring you health, wealth and happiness.




Pic Source: http://byfiles.storage.live.com

Where have all the Kohas gone?

No, seriously where are they? Haven’t heard a peep out of them this season, except maybe one or two lone rangers. Oh sweet song bird, have you forsaken us also?

I asked the same thing two years back, but this time, I’ve heard them less than that time. Well I guess it’s no surprise. What can the concrete jungles of Colombo offer them? They too must have packed up their bags and gone in search of greener pastures, literally.

Who can blame them? Trees are becoming a rarity in Colombo now, with concrete pillars replacing them. The air saturated with dust and smog, the sweet smell of diesel and garbage wafting around. Even if the Koha’s do sing, how can they even compete with the constant tooting of horns? It’s enough to drive anyone nuts.

Unfortunately, Colombo is a necessary evil. It is the engine that runs the country. An engine which provides good returns to its minions who toil for her.

Call me old fashioned, but I yearn for a beautiful little place somewhere in the hills. My other favourite is somewhere down south with a beach front, but then again, I already live close to the beach and I’m not a big fan of the heat. The hills win by a considerable margin. It won’t happen in the near future, since I’m broke, but it will happen someday. I too will follow the Kohas to greener pastures.

I guess this Avurudu is going to be low key, with all this economic woes hanging over our heads.




Image Credit: www.imagelanka.com

Santa Clause Diaries – Case of the Missing Easter Bunny.

It was a balmy March afternoon in the Caribbean, where my little yacht “Bootylicious” was moored in a lovely little secluded cove, away from the prying eyes of the paparazzi. It is also a great little spot for some swimming too. The warm waters are so inviting. I was throwing a little party in honour of Ms. Tootsie, the newly crowned Bunny of the Year. She is a beauty, that girl. We were having a jolly good time, Tootsie and I, toasting her success.

Then suddenly out of nowhere, something comes flying out of the sky and plonks right into my punch bowl, splattering juice everywhere. Scared the shit out of everyone. They thought they were under attack from one of those terrorist buggers. These humans are paranoid as hell. After calming them down, I managed to fish out whatever it was from what remained of my punch. It turned out to be one of those darned Owls Mother Nature, or Minnie as I like to call her, uses to deliver messages. I mean, she really should keep up with the times. Sometime I feel like I’ve lost my right hand when I don’t have my Blackberry with me. I gave her one for last Christmas, but she just keeps it on her mantelpiece. Ah, some people never change. Anyway, she said it was urgent that I meet with her, so I had to cut short the party and go see her.

She was agitated as hell when i got there. It’s been like that ever since these global warming problems cropped up, but today, she was hyper. It seems that the Easter Bunny has gone missing, and she wants me to find the bugger. You know, that really get’s on my nerves. Just because I stalk little kids and maintain a naughty and nice list, why does everybody think that I can find their missing stuff? Death loses his scythe and it’s “ooh Santa can you find it?” The Sandman loses his sand pouch and it’s the same thing. Bah, what am I? Sam Spade. I was about to say no to her, which is not exactly an easy thing to do, when I remembered that Easter is just around the corner, and if the silly little Bunny isn’t found by then, somebody else has got to do his rounds, and the way Minnie’s brain works, that unlucky bastard would have be me. I am definitely not doing that silly little Bunny’s Easter rounds, so I thought I might as well investigate, before I’m forced to something that I’ll regret for the rest of my life.

Off I went to the scene of the crime, to check the Bunny’s lair. If you thought the bugger lives in a hole in the ground, then you’d be very wrong. The Bunny knows how to live life to the fullest. It’s an old manor house built to Victorian architecture, with hundreds of rooms. Unfortunately he got it onto his head to do some interior decorating and made it into an eyesore. So typical. The silly bugger just loves to live it large, but doesn’t have a creative bone in his body. Don’t ask me where he gets the money from, but supposedly he’s a genius when it comes to investing.

I thought I’d start out by questioning the house staff first. According to the butler, the Bunny went to bed that night, and by morning had completely vanished. In my opinion, the Bunny must have eloped with some chick and probably having a merry old time on some private beach somewhere, but, nobody seems to be interested in that theory. Checked out the master bedroom and couldn’t find anything suspicious. However there was a strong smell of Jasmine in the room. There was something familiar about the smell, but I couldn’t put my finger on it at the time. Checked with the butler, but he says that “sire never used jasmine scent”. It just adds weight to my theory that a chick was involved. The only other unusual incident was that everybody in the house had slept late in the morning.

After a bit more rummaging in the bedroom I came across the best clue of the day. A little bit of sand spread between the bed sheets. This was not your normal everyday sand, but the magical kind. So now I had a suspect. Only one person uses sand like that and that’s the Sandman. Makes sense too. What better way to guarantee stealth, than putting everyone to sleep. No wonder the staff had trouble getting up in the morning. This was going to be easier than I thought.

Next in line was a visit to the Sandman, and I could see immediately that he was a nervous cat, like someone trying to keeping a big secret. He’s not exactly the brightest of the bunch, so planning out a kidnapping is not his forte. I mean, he’s only awake four hours a day, and even then he’s not fully there. Then it hit me. Everything was falling into place and I kind of figured out who the mastermind was. The Sandman was a lackey of non other than the Tooth Fairy. It also explained the Jasmine Perfume, which is her favourite kind. I wanted to confirm my suspicions before I told Minnie, and I was in no mood to entangle with a hot tempered, tooth hurling nut case, so I thought I’d better interrogate the Sandman first, and get all the details from him. I knew he’d be easy to crack. Sleep deprivation, that’s the key. There’s nothing to it if the person tends to fall asleep every 5 minutes. I kept him awake for 1 hour straight, and he began to spill all the beans. These guys may know magic, and act tough, but when it comes to crime, and holding under pressure, they suck.

It seems that the Bunny has been up to no good. He had started out this investment scheme and convinced both the Sandman and the Tooth fairy to invest in it, offering high interest rates. When will people learn that there is no such thing as easy money? He had taken the money and invested in an alleged Diamond mine, which turned out to be full of dirt. Stupid long eared rodent. He got scammed himself. They should have known better than to trust that Bunny. And then they are surprised when he lost the money? What more can you expect from a playboy who loves to paint Chocolate eggs all day long eh?

Now, if you screw the Sandman, nothing much to worry about, because he’s not really the type to come after you for revenge. But the Tooth Fairy? Oh boy, she’s a completely different story. She’ sexy as hell, but her temper is like an erupting volcano. Many a times that the Sandman had to use memory spells on little kids after she scared the shit out of them. Several years of anger management therapy, but I still don’t see any improvement. She’s someone that you do not want to mess with. You screw with her and she’ll rip open several new holes in your nether regions. According to the Sandman, she was really pissed with the Bunny for losing her money and had come up with the plan to teach the Bunny a lesson. They had sneaked into the mansion that night and the Sandman had used his sand to put the Bunny and the rest of the household to sleep, and the Tooth Fairy had whisked him away to her place, and put inside one of her dungeons to rot forever. I can tell you this, I was not the one going over to her place to rescue the bunny, and face her wrath. Let Mother Nature handle her, after all, she’s her daughter. I gave all the details to Minnie and told her where she could find the Bunny. If she wants him, she can bloody well go and get him.

Well another case is closed, and I’m back where I ought to be. On board my little yacht, cruising around the Caribbean. Come to think of it I’m getting quite good at this sleuthing business. Maybe I should think about starting a PI business. Hell, I keep doing it anyway so why shouldn’t I get paid for it. No more freebies. Last I heard, Minnie intervened and got the Bunny released from the clutches of the Tooth Fairy. However, it was under agreement that the Bunny will pay all the money he owes, even if he has to sell of everything he owns. Oh well, a happy ending I guess. The Bunny will do his Easter rounds and I’ll be partying with my other Bunnies, wink wink. Ho Ho Ho...




Image from www.iclipart.com/

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 :)

Some Whacky News to Lighten Up the Day

These stories courtesy of www.stunning-stuff.com.Not the latest news, but whacky.

Drag Queen Burglar

A student of the University of South Florida had a nice surprise when she returned home to see a burglar passed out in her laundry room wearing her own clothes. It seems he had helped himself to some beers and food while at it.

I guess he must have been a fan of Goldilocks. Hey, why stop at sleeping in the beds when you can also wear the clothes

Potty Thieves

A couple of thieves in Belarus decided to make off with a public toilet, while a man was already in it going about his business. He later managed to get out of it and alert the police.

My question is, WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO STEAL A TOILET??? I mean geez…is that town so deprived of valuable items that thieves have to resort to stealing loos? What’s the world coming to when a person can’t take a poo in peace?

'Wrong way' driver warns police about 'wrong way' drivers

A 86-year-old gramps from Bern, Switzerland, took a wrong turn while driving and ended up going the wrong way on a highway. Of course grandpa can never be wrong, So he complained to the police about all the other people who were going the wrong way. The police drove him home and are now contemplating whether to take his license away (you think?)

The nerve of these youngsters today, driving the wrong side of the road...hmph...

Thief with a heart of Gold

A thief in Brazil returned a car he stole after hearing the owners personal troubles. The owner called his own mobile phone which was left inside the car and made an emotional plea to the thief about his financial trouble, and the thief was so moved that he parked the car and told the owner where he could pick it up.

What a nice guy eh? I'm guessing that this guy is unlikely to have a long career in the thieving business.

Fish 'n Chips Burglar

A woman in Holland was woken up in the middle of the night by the smell of frying fish. When she went downstairs, she found a man frying fish in her kitchen. The man also admitted to taking a Beer and some drinks to compliment the Fish dinner.

Man whatever happened to good ole' steal your valuables kinda thieves?

Shopper fined for not carrying basket in Supermarket

It seems its a law at the Edah supermarkets in Netherlands, that shoppers must carry a basket when shopping, even if your buying one item. One guy refused and was arrested and fined $185.00. The reason for this law is to reduce shoplifting.
(Paranoid much?)

Junior Don Juan

A school in Branson Missouri suspended a 9-year-old under the schools sexual harassment policy for kissing another student, on the cheek.

That dirty little bastard. How dare he. Doesn't he know that only teachers are allowed to kiss at school.

Tattoo Ads

A woman has auctioned off her forehead space for $10,000 to place a tattoo for a gambling site. The site her $10,000 asking price and added another $5000 into the aggreement. She says it's a lot of money for her and a small price to pay for sending her son to a private school. In a wierd way, it's a tale of a mothers love.

Hmmm...Wonder how much I can get for arm space?


Cheers y'all, have a good week ahead :)

Yet another twisted nursery rhyme – Jack and Jill

I haven't done one of these in a long while, so here goes...:D
---

Jack and Jill went up the hill
To buy a bottle of grog,
They huffed and puffed
All the way up
To see the man
Who made the grog,
A rickety little hut
Stood at the top
With broken chimneys
Billowing puffy smoke,
Bang went the door
And out he came,
Rolly polly with a bouncy gait
A big bushy moustache
Under a knobby nose,
With a one-toothed grin
He welcomed them in
‘Hello lady and gent,
Welcome to my castle,
Come, share my grog
Tis the best
Wherever you go’,

‘Moldy grapes and, rotting Apples,
All in the barrel with festering peaches,
An eye of Newt,
A foot of Toad ,
And dried Batwings galore,
Round them all off
With a pinch of KCN,
That’s the secret to my grog
The best you’ll taste
In all the world',
He made an offer
They couldn’t refuse,
And six bottles full
They bought from him,
‘One for Pappy
One for Mammy
And four bottles full
For you and me',

Jack and Jill
Went down the hill,
Happy as bunnies
On a long summers day,
They opened a bottle,
Took a few sips,
And before they knew
The world was spinning,
‘Look at the pretty colors
All floating around’
They cried all the way
Tumbling down,
A very steep hill,
Broken bones and
Purple bruisers
They weren’t a pretty sight,
But worry not
The precious was safe,
Laid up in bed
They sipped the grog,
And spent their days
In an euphoric daze

Cars, cars and more cars…

The Toronto Autoshow 2009 is on from the 13th of February to the 22nd so made it a number one priority go see it. While the lovers were frolicking away on v-day, the rest of us decided to go see some other beautiful ladies ;) and boy, aren’t they awesome.

www.autoshow.ca

Updated with names (where i can remember them :) )

Ford Thunderbird from the 1950s’


2009 Rolls Royce Phantom


2007 Shelby Cobra GT500 (Yep, this is the new KITT)


2007 Shelby Cobra GT500

Ford Mustang


2009 Suzuki Swift

2009 Suzuki Swift

Subaru


Subaru G4E Concept

Subaru G4E Concept

Mazda MX 5

Mazda 6

Mazda 3

Porsche Cayenne

Porsche Carrera

Maserati

Maserati

Lotus

Lamborghini

Lamborghini

Lamborghini

2009 Jaguar XJ

2009 Jaguar XKR-S


2009 Jaguar XF

Honda Concept

Honda Concept

Honda Concept

Hummer H2

Ford Super Heavy Duty Truck

Ford Super Heavy Duty Truck

Ford Super Heavy Duty Truck

Ferrari Spider

Ferrari

Ferrari Spider

1977 Corvette Stingray

2000’s Corvette

1950’s Cadilac

1950’s Cadilac

2009 Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed

Aston Martin DBS