rant

Hey Chavie =) sorry men, been busy with wedding stuff =( I DO read all of you guys' blog posts though =]

...TSC's new rant :
Absolutely flabbergasted at how naive and 19th century some people can be with regard to religious and racial issues...
How people can change at the blink of an eye, how they hide their real thoughts and it's only a mask you see ...
How can we talk about uniting the country.. of forgetting racial and religious differences, when you can't even get over it among your friends??? =[

There was a Dog show by the Kennel Asso. on Sunday - sadly, TSC missed it ... *snif, snif** ='(

.:.:. P.S. : Hey Surani & Harumi, can I have your comments on Chavie's comment and my post please? =D .:.:.:.

hah!!

=) =D ;D =P

PS : Check out Rehani's blog people ... She has a post on work here, kinda like I can relate to =) http://theniceblogs.blogspot.com/2009/07/at-work.html

Now that the war's over, I would love to STAY alive...

.... and enjoy life a bit more.

I do hope the higher-ups would awaken from their long slumbers and celebrations.. and take notice, now that university students seem to have added daggers to their study kits; now that the people of SL seem to have resorted to taking the law into their hands... everyday the newspapers bring us fresh news of stabbings, shootings and murders; where the others take the initiative (maybe in the absence of acceptable laws) and the suspect is killed...

What about all the university students turning to stabbing each other (or trying) with daggers and swords.. veritable fencing schools they have turned into... We should offer education at a prize (yes, I know it's a loooong standing argument) maybe then they will learn to use their time more profitably.

What about the suspect who was killed by villagers, coz he killed his wife and in-laws?

Heard about the prisoners turning against the government and starving themselves, just coz the army was asked to check them extra hard?

How about the Staff at Cancer hospital refusing to hand in transfer forms when the Minister threatened to transfer them coz they were on strike? What about the patients who may seriously have only a little more days to live??

How about our ministers arguing (it was on radio today morning) about what sort of sword it really was that disappeared (is it a sword, a dagger, a walking stick???) and not what they should do about finding it?
http://www.dailymirror.lk/DM_BLOG/Sections/frmNewsDetailView.aspx?ARTID=54322

http://www.island.lk/2009/07/22/news26.html

No offence, but I do think Lord Buddha, Jesus and all the others TOGETHER, would have a hard time putting our people right!!

Well, so we won the war... so now what? Do I have to peek around trees in Col. 07, hoping I won't be another poor victim of a university student clash??

And the roads are still closed almost every day, whatever the newspapers may deem to inform you....

On a better note, I caught a young traffic policeman petting and talking to two dogs near Police Park =) Some hope reins at least .... **sigh**

Through the looking glass - so to speak!

What a way to start my day :( Woke up to a text saying Michael
Jackson had passed away. The wording itself seems so unbelievable, I
felt as if I'd been hit by a truck!! I grew up with MJ, his music,
his voice, I loved the way he danced, the way he managed to emanate real emotion through his songs, his music seemed so uplifting at times
when I was down... I love nearly all his songs, which seem to actually
change according to my moods and moments... believing that the moon is
indeed made of green cheese is actually way more easy than the fact
that "The King of Pop" is no more...

He was just 50 =( It's kinda hard to think of MUSIC without him. Some
of the first music sheets I learnt to play were his early hits.

I'm guessing this will be the first post in most blogs today. I'm also
guessing that maybe this is actually a FAD that belongs to my
generation. Whatever he may have said and done in his life, you cannot
overide the beauty and sheer wonder of his music. The incredible
ability he had to let the music flow through his body and actually
manage to let the listeners feel it themselves. The extrodinay twists,
turns and zwinges executed in his brilliant dance acts, that never
failed to catch even my mom's attention although she pooh poohed him.
The admirable determination and self-assurance he must have had to get
to where he is (was) from small means...

We tend to take people for granted when they are alive and when they
pass away... it leaves me flabbergasted....

Rest in Peace MJ ...

**

I seem to love to make the same mistakes each time. (Come to think of
it, I remember chavie blogging on these lines, so maybe I'm not
alone...) I still have not managed to really figure out my career :(
Most jobs tend to bore me after a time, maybe the work is too NORMAL
(?), I don't learn enough new stuff, its just the same old story
everyday... I don't mind even typing letters every day if it is really
interesting to me, if only it would lead me to a new adventure... I
know I sound like a spoilt little rich kid (so shoot me, who cares? :P
) but I seriously need to get sorted out.
So, that's my resolution today ... the day "The King of Pop" ceased to exist...
I need an interesting job which involves writing, ideas, and creativity =D
Any ideas people??

**
Much like Alice through the Looking glass I guess... Speaking of
which, I'm definitely looking forward to the new movie version. I
loved the book, the magic, the story, the adventure... maybe I should
pop downa rabbit hole.. really to see Johnny Depp of course =]

**

This wedding stuff is making me neurotic. I don't seem to be getting
anything done, I keep putting it off for later, and in the end I've
spent a whole day doing nothing... maybe I should contemplate a
"moonlight rendevous" =)

**

My office browser seems to have blocked off blogger, facebook, yahoo
and a host of other sites.... I won't even TRY to START writing what I
think about this.... !! *%#$@@!!

**

Many billboards in SL tend to have weird spelling.. ha ha ... which
makes me ponder on what is really being promoted in the particular
shop. ie: Cha**'s Pasty control (Pest control), Lunch and Dina for
sale (maybe a dinasour OR a nice girl? >=] ) and the ever famous
... "Tak-away", Take-a-way", "Takaway", "Takawe".
Oh well, at least it keeps me in good spirits ....

**

My dog seems to have developed a taste for "Mangosteens" !! err...
hope the rabbit doesn't follow suit!! =]

**

I'm fed up with FB anyway. It's so boooorrringggg... Just a spot for
people who want to publicize and boast about their personal lives,
achievement, photos and so forth!!
I'm gonna miss blogging!! big time... ='(

**

How on earth can you smoke 15 cigars a hour and still be alive???

**

Has it crossed anyone's mind that we are still a nation on the verge
of collapse ... that we need to seriously think about development
after the war??? Is it just me or has everyone forgotten this???

**

" I KNOW I'M STRANGE, BUT WHAT ARE YOU? " That's what the
gal-with-an-attitude-and-black-cat on my desktop wallpaper says...

**

I ♥ this post by dontwannabe
http://dontwannabecool.blogspot.com/2008/09/are-you-sri-lankan-or-are-you-christian_29.html

I'm quite a mix in religion and culture =] and have had to listen to
all sorts of stupid stuff from people who have never in their life
practised their own religion flawlessly!! I came to hate some
religions just coz the people I knew never practised it right... I
think everything depends on how you "practise what you preach"...
Everyone to his own beliefs and NO "Holyier than Thou" stuff!! =)
After all, we all need some sort of belief in our lives, and who cares
what it is, if it works!! ACTUALLY, I think I'm quite fedup of
arguing and counter - arguing and fighting for and about religious
beliefs.... =(

**

P.S. : This post came up late as a result of the 5th point mentioned in said post. However, I do manage to read all your blogs, so do keep posting guys... and help me out of my misery :)

jerk

YOU call people names
you scroll thorough someone elses pictures in their computer, when they are not in, AND show it to everyone... AND email it around
what ever happened to PERSONAL SPACE people?

you go to innumerable expenses to prove your point
you crave attention
you stoop to untold limits
you smoke endlessly
you annoy me to bits
you think you are bloody IT in office
you yell loudly into the phone - i can hardly hear my conversations
you interrupt my conversations (who do you think you are?)
you swear, you cackle, you cough
you sit there staring at me, from morn to dusk
you creeps, you bore the life out of me

yep, forgive your enemies, but remember their names... MOST CERTAINLY

what happened to gentlemanly behaviour, dude??

Tell me, is this the way you GUYS really behave or is this just another know-it-all ATTITUDE, yo?

???

Did you guys know this?

http://www.creativematch.co.uk/viewNews/?93933

??

I actually MANAGED to pity people who go in and out of relationships..every month or so... and try to entertain you with their gossip

I hate people who wash their hair and swing it about in the bus in the mornings, thereby making yours truly wet from head to toe....

I DO not understand people who think they are bloody IT, and deem to not talk politely to others... come on, even the cleaning lady deserves a good word once a day at least...
Which is better? Asking her nicely to move out the boxes (Of course, miss I'll do it at once.. and she DOES it and then proceeds to serve you the largest piece of cake at tea)
or
Order her to move the boxes (and she dissapears off the face of earth, only reappearing some time around 4.00pm to push the boxes about the office, thereby leaving a trail etched on the carpet which in turn makes your boss mad at you and leaving you more miffed with her) ???

An octopus grabbed me today...

yeeek.. the new manager has a handshake worthy of an octopus.. :P :P

Why is the owner of the cows at Wijerama not warned by the police? I feel sorry for all those stray cows and bulls and calfs on the roads...

Why do Sri Lankans have this in-born talent at disregarding law and order?

I really should try to learn more about economic stuff :(

According to a friend/CEO in the garment industry, it takes around 4 hours for them to arrive at a price quote for an inquiry, mainly because they have to source all the materials and accessories from around the world. A Chinese manufacturer on the other hand, will be able to quote a good price in 20 minutes, because all the necessary stuff is already inside his country... and we talk of GSP concessions and how to develop the country etc etc...

The best job is when you are seriously interested in what you are doing, when you can learn new stuff, face new challenges and when the job is truly difficult.. hmmm.....

Why do performing artists prefer the stage to television or film acting? Wouldn't live acting on stage be the hardest? Therefore, would it not give the best satisfaction?

Just random thoughts....

randoms

Figured out what to call the idiot next to me .... "a pathetic loser" =[
whoever gives these guys jobs??

why do people try to pretend they are God when they are not even worth a penny on Earth??

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
On a happier note, won a short story competition =D

A..nd, made pancakes last night and had them with loooooots of honeeyy!!
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Met a long lost school friend and chatted into the wee hours of morning =)
miss school :[ hah... not much though..... maybe I might miss it if it didn't include any of the exams and assignments and stuff...

And.... an office colleague walked into a wall. Yes, just WALKED into a wall.... and no one has any idea why, let alone him...ended up with this almighty red bump on his forehead and squawking he..he.. okay I'm sorry, I won't laugh.

Get's me thinking maybe I'm working with a bunch of lunatics :P

Easy way to loose weight...

Walked from glass-house to Colpetty ... in the sun ... drenched in sweat.....
One guy in office had to come in at 6.00 am...
One guy stayed over last night..

What CAN I say... =S

If I'm optimistic of course, it means I should have lost around 5 kilos today.
On the pessimistic side, I had to try really hard to gain those 5 kilos....

Totally agree with Dee's post.
The other thing is, since they are so into people coming in and watching these shows or whatever, wouldn't it really be easier to get more crowds down too, if the thing is held on a holiday??

Also guys, does anyone know where they have wedding saree's for hire? =]

So can you fly?

Roads around Colpetty, liberty roundabout etc., from Bambalapitiya are supposed to be closed from tonight until afternoon tomorrow. Trains are supposed to come only to Bambalapitiya......soooo..... then after that, what? Am I supposed to come in my helicopter to office, or is everyone going to go paada chaarika from thereon?? =S

help

My browser seems to have switched from google search to bing automatically!!
errr... any ideas how to sitch back??

aaaarrgh!! tagged again!!

Thanks Chavie =]

Ok the rules are;

~ You write five words to describe how you feel about recent events in Sri Lanka.
~ You tag five bloggers.
~ You sit back and relax.

TSC's thoughts are;

~ Hope
~ Optimistic
~ Relief
~ Happiness
~ Curious


Dee, Lady D, Sach, Harumi, and Scrumpulicious : You guys are tagged.... =]

Exposure....

With regard to Chavie's question =] ;

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/yWz6MjihatDyj6AT-s-7eg?authkey=Gv1sRgCNKLsYeRuMSTywE&feat=directlink

This is "Trumpie", named so on the joyous occasion of him triumphing over all his siblings and living....
You can see the obvious joy and happiness he has derived from chewing on my pencil, a part of which is plainly seen hanging out of his mouth.. this pic was taken two months ago, when the suspect was romping on my bed and as he was on the verge of inquiring (and doing his best impression of "I'm a cute little baby rabbit" face) if he would be put back into his cage as a result of chomping on my fav pencil and my pillow :(

Yes, he can jump onto the bed.
Yes, he really DOES look so innocent.
No, in reality he most certainly is NOT that innocent.
And Yes, he is a villainous cunning rascal in rabbit's clothing.

For more information and clarifications please refer : http://thesinglecouple.blogspot.com/2009/01/doggies-and-catties.html

The "happenings" continue...

The stupid kalawedda has been after my rabbit!!! :\ I shall turn him into a sausage if I get my hands on him!!

We had six rabbits but now it's just the one... This ONE was force fed by my mom when he was the size of an ant because HIS mom died. Anyways, now he's the king of our castle (house rather). So last night, mom had him in her room and he has spent the whole night trying to burrow into her stuff :D
Mom walked about like a zombie today morning.. he he..

Apparently rabbits mate for life, so once one of them dies, the other just starves to death and sorta walks about very lethargicly like, refusing to run or play or anything :[

PS : I would love to upload a pic of the rascal, only my stupid computer doesnt let on java popups :S

Visited the zoo, but returned feeling more down in the dumps... The animals all looked so sad and depressed.. There were several dumbos trying to give a cigar to the gibbons, so had to drag Darling off before he could punch them in the face :\
Really silly, bloody idiots seem to be loose in the country these days..

The old bear I remembered from teenage trips was still there, but looked rather forlorn and had this really sad look on his face. The tiger was lying on his back trying to look into the lions' cage through this tiny pipe hole in the wall. I think the linoess was pacing =D

I remember our family went once when I was around seven. There was this white deer in a cage in the ground, sorta lower than the usual ground height. I was enchanted with it, hanging over the bars, talking to it..... and the next minute he had gulped down half of my frilly skirt... and it was my fav too =)
And the lama snatched off my hat and my brother screamed thinking it was after my head (he was just four - which undoubtedly explains his affection towards me). And when we went to see the elephants and my bro said "Ammi... see... coconuts falling" :P yes..really!! and in very high pitched, small baby voice!

This time, the snakes were scary especially when I poked my head right into the glass to look for the python and it dropped down from the tree stump above O_O There was this gigantic tortoise and crocodile together, of which I managed to take a good pic, hanging over the railing with Darling hanging onto my waist in case he lost me, in these last stages of the wedding I guess.... hmmm... maybe he DOES love me }=>

There was an enooorrrmous crowd by evening though... But what I noticed was that most of the people think animals are dumb (when you could SEE the look of utter contempt the white deer gave you when they dropped a Popsicle in his cage!! - "Look what I have to go through, with these idiots") They seem to think its just FINE to point and jeer and poke things through the cages, although it says NOT to in large red letters just beside the cages !

The hippos' water trough was full of Popsicle wrappers, mango seeds, achcharu and unmentionable stuff.. And in the midst of all these, the two hippos were lying calmly in the water, with their foreheads leaning together... First, one rubbed his head on the other... then, the other leaned in... yep, i got a pic :D

The saddest part was watching the birds try to fly out and jam on the cages... The little squirrel monkeys run up and down and up and down and up the poles.... The sick wild boar snuffling in a corner.. The arapimas lamming into the catfish everytime they turn around....

And someone said "how easy a life they must have, getting food and water and just lying around...no need to go to office" ... Well.... I wonder which is easier....

Of happenings and sorts

Its funny how X knows Y and Y knows Z and A and B and C ......... and A knows Y and C and X knows B too =D small world .. hah??

Someone refreshed my view on life yesterday coz she really likes her job... just listening to her made my world seem nice :)

The blogosphere seems calm now too, maybe after praba's death =]

I think I blogged about this guy next to me who is an IDIOT.. well, he seems to think he is the salt of the earth and he smells and is really unhygenic and he orders people about even though he can't etc etc.. Another guy in office had got down a packet for his lunch and asked the cleaning lady to keep it in the cupboard. Seconds later the cleaning lady comes rushing in saying the a****** beside me has eaten the other guy's lunch without eating his... AFTER SHE HAD HIDDEN IT BEHIND A CUPBOARD !
(He had literally hunted it out and eaten it, even after she had kept his packet out for him??) Christ... PEOPLE are weird ={

Yesterday, an old lady was knocked over by an intercity bus in colpetty =( she had apparently said she was hungry after drawing her pension, walked into Perera and Sons, had some lunch, come out and tripped on the road........ and WHAM !!
Courtesy of cleaning lady : there had been blood and things (!) scattered all over the road...

My mother dearest had been rudely awoken last night and seen a loooong black tail hanging down the wall next to the kitchen door. Turns out it was a large kalawedda (wild cat), who "stared at me with HUUGGE eyes and slinked away after about 10 minutes" =D
Honestly ... my mother... * shakes head**

See ya...

To be or not to be

I have absolutely no idea what is going on in the blogosphere. I thought the main idea of blogging was to be able to vent your ideas?? That a blog is your private notepad, where you can let out steam??

Is this blogging or ego twisting of the advertising industry I wonder? The main point I have noticed so far is that many of the people who are snapping at each other seem to be or were advertising agency staff. Makes you wonder about even stepping into an agency or contacting them for some work hah?? (No hard feelings guys....please....)

It just seems to go on and on and on... Someone publishes a photo disclosing someone else, then someone else publishes details about someone else...and so on... Christ... I have never seen so much back biting and screeching as is happening in the SL Blogosphere these days.

People who want to blog anonymously should be allowed do that, while others can be public or whatever they want, right?? If you want to get high stats on your blog, fine... go right ahead... Just don't squash the others who are trying to let out a little steam in their day-to-day life. Sheesh!!! Get a life people!!!

If you want to publicly criticise each other and wash your dirty linen in public, why don't you guys invent a group or something and chat about it? What is the point in letting loose while hiding behind "anonymous"?
I started several blogs but could not really keep them going, due to my work and studies.... I started this blog with a firm commitment of carrying on, after DC left a comment one day. Thank you DC :)

The name was chosen mainly because I wanted to have something about my relationship and also because our names (my fiance and moi) were too long for a blog ID :D I have no problem in anyone knowing my real name as I'm sure some of you do. (thank you, all of you who have helped me in my queries)

I blog about things that catch my interest when ever possible, while checking out everyone else's blogs too. Many blogs have helped me get through daily issues, just knowing that everyone goes through the same thing... and many make me laugh out loud when I'm down in the dumps. Thanks guys!!

I truly hope that the people who have personal issues would sort it out amongst themselves.... I personally have no animosity with anyone of you. But it IS rather exasperating and also sad to see previously interesting blogs display personal feuds, which tend to pop up in my blog roll. (I am seriously considering deleting some of these, which would of course be a pity)

However, I guess ... you can take it or leave it .....

Good luck and take care

PS : I don't really care about my blog hits, just a couple of comments however, are appreciated. What I do love, is reading all your blogs; of course, without the hate and animosity..

Prada and the devil

Watched "The Devil Wears Prada" and loved it !!
Finally got an idea as to what fashion really means, together with an insight from the "Marie Clarie" .... Funny how everything seems to be part and parcel of each other....

Which movies do you guys think affected you in some way or made a change in your life??

Ban on private universities?

When you say " Powudgalika weidya widyala athhitawanu":

Does it mean your all for the posh rich buggers ONLY getting their degrees from overseas universities?

Or
Are you against the middle class earners being able to get some sort of education for their children?

Or
Is it because you think that only the very intelligent should be able to become doctors?

What others say :
http://ilovesrilanka.info/2009/02/suggestions/private-medical-colleges
http://indi.ca/2005/03/private-universities-are-sustainable/
http://lankabuzz.blogsome.com/2007/01/11/ban-these-mbas-in-sri-lanka/
http://greenhornetlk.wordpress.com/2007/09/06/paid-degrees/

..okkkk... so my stupid IE is not letting me post pics or get java popups.....
sheeeeshhh!!!!! &#!*%*%## :[ :~S :{ aaaaarrrgghh!!!

Alf

I loved Alf http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDW7-zgZ9Tc&feature=related

... Step by Step http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Step_by_Step_(TV_series)

.... Full House http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_House

....... Perfect Strangers http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfect_Strangers_(TV_series)

... and Small Wonder http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukSvjqwJixw

Why aren't there any shows like these anymore??

I watched them when I was table height and still remember the parts so vivdly *sigh* :[

Status quo

Listen up people, an "Engagement" is when you let everyone know that you and a certain someone are a couple. It means that whoever is against the relationship has the freedom to come up and say "Look here man, She's mine!! Let's wallop each other" or something on those lines...

There is no documentation, just exchanging of engagement rings maybe. An engagement can be broken off, as there is no official record; it's just an understanding between the couple ....

Here is what the wiki says http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiancee

A "Registration" is when you sign on the dotted line. It official, you both are married. According to Sri Lankan customs this is done at an official nekath time, on a seperate day or after the Poruwa ceremony on your wedding day. After this, the only way you can seperate is by an offiicial divorce....

Why oh why can't Sri Lankans understand this??
I'm so friggin fed up of seeing people on FB say that they are engaged to so and so, when they really have had their official wedding registration....

WELL..... I really am flabbergasted at the amount of activity the blogosphere seems to radiate these days... I'm back after a long long time and there seems to be so many threats and insults and malicious comments flying around, I have to duck at every click.
Some one's been robbed, someone's been sick, some have been on trips down south (hmph :P ) someone has got married and two have flown away...the list is endless...

While I'm really happy that my fellow srilankan bloggers are so full of zip, it WOULD be nice if this animosity would end here.. wouldn't it??

Anyways, have a nice day all you guys!!!! :) Thanks for the wishes Dee, hope you had fun too. Belated Avurudu wishes to all you others as well.

Here's what I've been humming these days ....

Thank you for loving me – Bon Jovi

It's hard for me to say the things
I want to say sometimes
There's no one here but you and me
And that broken old street light

Lock the doors
We'll leave the world outside
All I've got to give to you
Are these five words

Chorus:
Thank you for loving me
For being my eyes
When I couldn't see
For parting my lips
When I couldn't breathe
Thank you for loving me
Thank you for loving me

I never knew I had a dream
Until that dream was you
When I look into your eyes
The sky's a different blue
Cross my heartI wear no disguise
If I tried, you'd make believe
That you believed my lies

(Chorus)

You pick me up when I fall down
You ring the bell before they count me out
If I was drowning you would part the sea
And risk your own life to rescue me

Solo -
Lock the doors
We'll leave the world outside
All I've got to give to you
Are these five words

(Chorus)

Mows

Dee, you have.. HAVE.. HaVe.. to definitely, seriously, REALLY check this out ....

http://jaydyke.blogspot.com/

Comic relief

I've been surfing the net a bit these days and happened upon some marvellous comic art websites and blogs. These guys' creativity is awesome!!

http://www.thomasherpich.com/body/comics/pages/nickelodeon/unicorn.htm


This one's err.. weirdish?

http://jessemoynihan.com/

I love this one... cute artwork =)

You can find the full story here http://herpich.blogspot.com/2009/01/farewell-little-karla.html

And for the scaries http://tropicaltoxic.blogspot.com/2009/01/dirties-full-comics.html

and this... is sweeet.... http://beingfive.blogspot.com/

Of Oscars and India

With Slumdog millionare winning Oscars, many bloggers and friends on FB have commented on the fact that the director had no idea of where or what India is really about. They also point out the fact that the movie only serves to bring out the negative side of Indian society. The fact that an asian won the oscars for music seems to have escaped these peoples' minds.

The thing is, The Oscars' Academy has certain rules and regulations, based on which the nominees as well as winners of Oscars are decided. Presently as per rule 2 and 3 of the Academy, in order to qualify, a film must have been released in the preceding year, from midnight at the start of January 1 to midnight at the end of December 31, in Los Angeles (California). According to rule 2, a film must be "feature-length", defined as a minimum of 40 minutes. The only exception comprises of the movies chosen for short subject awards. At the same time, it must exist either on a 35 mm or 70 mm film print or in 24 frame/s or 48 frame/s progressive scan digital cinema format, with native resolution not less than 1280x720.

The members of the Academy, related to different branches of filmmaking, vote for the nominees in their respective fields. For nomination related to Best Picture Award, all the members of the Academy submit their vote. The winners are determined by a second round of voting, in which all members are allowed to vote in most categories, including Best Picture.

How many Indians have won an Oscar? Bhanu Athaiya won Best Costume Design (with John Mollo) for Gandhi in 1982. Sathyajit Rai received an honorary Academy Award in 1991. Russell Pookutty won Best Sound Mixing (with Ian Tapp and Richard Pryke) for Slumdog Millionaire (2008) and A.R. Rahman won Best Score and Best Original Song for Slumdog Millionaire (2008). Also Gulzar won Best Song for Slumdog Millionaire.

General overview on movies doing the circuit these days:

Slumdog Millionare

Slumdog Millionare is a 2008 British film directed by Danny Boyle, written by Simon Beaufoy, and co-directed in India by Loveleen Tandan. It is an adaptation of the Boeke Prize-winning and Commonwealth Writers' Prize-nominated novel Q & A (2005) by Indian author and diplomat Vikas Swarup.Slumdog Millionaire was nominated for ten Academy Awards in 2009 and won eight, the most for any film of 2008, including Best Picture and Best Director. It also won five Critics' Choice Awards, four Golden Globes, and seven BAFTA Awards, including Best Film. Despite the film's success, it is the subject of controversy concerning its portrayals of Indians and Hinduism as well as the welfare of its child actors. It was however, highly acclaimed and named in the top ten lists of various newspapers.

On 22 February 2009 the film won eight out of ten Academy Awards it was nominated for, including the Best Picture and Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Mixing, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, and Best Original Song (two songs were nominated from the film; "Jai Ho" won the award), losing only Best Sound Editing to The Dark Knight. It is only the eighth film ever to win eight Academy Awards. The film also won all four of the Golden Globe Awards it was nominated for, including Best Drama Film; five of the six Critics' Choice Awards for which it was nominated; and seven of the eleven BAFTA Awards for which it was nominated, including Best Film.

" The film has been a subject of discussion among a variety of people in India and the Indian diaspora. Indian film critics have "largely embraced the movie." Renuka Vyavahare of Indiatimes suggests that, "the film is indeed very Indian" and that it is "one of the best English films set in India and revolving around the country’s most popular metropolis Mumbai." Giridharadas also calls the film "a tribute to the irrepressible self." Film critic Gautaman Bhaskaran questioned the "euphoria in India" in a review for The Seoul Times after the film's release there, arguing that with a few exceptions, "there is nothing Indian about this film." Bollywood director and superstar Aamir Khan (whose film Taare Zameen Par was India's submission to the Academy Awards but was not chosen as a finalist for Best Foreign Film) stated in an interview with NDTV that he doesn't "see ‘Slumdog...’ as an Indian film." Director and filmmaker Priyadarshan criticized Slumdog Millionaire as a film which is a "mediocre version of those commercial films about estranged brothers and childhood sweethearts that Salim-Javed used to write so brilliantly in the 1970s." Similarly, filmmaker Aadesh Shrivastava expressed outrage at the stereotyping portrayals of Indians in the film. As a result the film, too, beggars belief." Authors and scholars have also responded more critically to the film. Shyamal Sengupta, a professor of film studies at the Whistling Woods International Institute for Films, Media, Animationa and Media Arts in Mumbai, criticized the film for its stereotypical portrayals of Indians by calling it a "white man's imagined India."

There have been many controversies surrounding the film, complete with actors's issues, lawsuits etc. Most have however been on the issue of the movie not being upto standard compared to the book.

TSC's review : I do agree the movie does not do justice to the book. Having read the novel, TSC feels it leaves the viewer with a feeling of "not seeing enough", not enough depth etc. The music is undeniably good however, as with any of Rahman's work =)


Billu Barbar

It stars Irrfan Khan, Lara Dutta, and Shahrukh Khan, and features Om Puri, Rajpal Yadav and Asrani in supporting roles.

In Gudbudi village, there lives a poor Barber Billu(Irfan Khan) and his wife Bindiya(Lara Dutta) and their two children, Gunja(Mitali Mayakar) and Ronak(Pratik Dalvi). Everything goes well until the great bollywood star Sahir Khan(Shahrukh Khan) comes in the village to shoot for a film. Billu, then remembers that Sahir was his childhood friend. Everyone tell Billu to ask Sahir Khan to meet them. But as Sahukaar Daamchand(Om Puri)asks Billu to ask Sahir to visit him, Billu feels shy. After that Sahukaar destroys Billu's parlour. Then everyone ignores Billu saying of Sahir Khan as his childhood friend. There Sahir tells about Billu, how Billu helped him.

TSC's review : Still to watch this, but overall comments seem good. The film has been (supposedly) acclaimed for its comedy.

Gajhini

Ghajini (Tamil: கஜினி) is a Tamil feature film directed by A. R. Murugadoss. The film stars Surya Sivakumar, Asin Thottumkal, Nayantara, Pradeep Rawat and Riyaz Khan. The film's story revolves around a rich business entrepreneur falling in love with an ad film actress.

The film's story was initially influenced by the concept of Christopher Nolan's film Memento. The movie was inspired by the American movie Memento, directed by Christopher Nolan, adapted from his brother Jonathan Nolan's short story Memento Mori. It stars Guy Pearce as Leonard Shelby, a former insurance fraud investigator searching for the man he believes raped and killed his wife during a burglary. Leonard suffers from anterograde amnesia, which he contracted from severe head trauma during the attack on his wife. The concepts like writing notes behind instant Polaroid photographs, tattooing facts on body etc. are inspired from this movie. However, the director has added Indian elements to the story and changed the narrative to straight.

The tamil story centers on Sanjay Ramaswami (Surya Sivakumar), a rich businessman who owns a cell phone company named Air Voice and the events surrounding his relationship with Kalpana (Asin Thottumkal).Kalpana eventually falls in love with him without realizing he's Sanjay.Incidentally, Sanjay arrives at the scene and fights off the goons, but during the ensuing fight, Kalpana is murdered. The irony showcased is that Kalpana never finds out that he is Sanjay. Sanjay survives the blow, but suffers from a short-term amnesia.

Awards : 2006 Tamil Nadu State Film Awards • Won - Best Film and Best Actor — Surya Sivakumar
2006 Filmfare Awards South • Won - Best Actress — Asin Thottumkal and Best
Editing — Anthony, plus Filmfare Best Male
Playback Singer — Karthik

The movie had a very large opening. It managed to sustain the tremendous opening, and was hailed as Surya's biggest hit at the time. It collected 49 crores revenue to make it one of the third highest grossing Tamil-language films of 2005 preceded by Anniyan and Chandramukhi.

The Hindi version of Ghajini with pre-release movie rights becoming hot property Ghajini has earned an estimated Rs 90 crore by selling its distribution rights. It stars Aamir Khan and Asin Thottumkal in the lead roles while Jiah Khan, Pradeep Rawat and Riyaz Khan essay supporting roles. Aamir khan spent one year at the gym, continuously training with his personal trainer for the role.

The movie is an action-thriller, with strong romantic elements, that explores the life of a rich businessman who suffers from anterograde amnesia following a violent encounter in which his love interest, model Kalpana was killed. He tries to avenge the killing with the aid of Polaroid Instant camera photographs and permanent tattoos on his torso. The character of Aamir Khan will also feature in a 3-D game titled Ghajini the game, which is based on the movie.

The Tamil original was initially influenced by the concept of Christopher Nolan's film Memento. According to Khan: "Murgadoss had heard about a film called Memento and the concept had fascinated him. Without having seen the film he went ahead and wrote his own version of the script and screenplay. Having finished his script he then saw [Memento], found it very different from what he had written, and went ahead and made Ghajini."

TSC's review : Horrible, compared to the original Tamil version. It was like watching the same scenes on and on.. apparently revered for its techinicalities, TSC is yet to understand what these were. Note to self - watch Memento*

Chandni Chowk to China

Chandni Chowk to China (Hindi: चाँदनी चौक टू चाईना, Urdu: چاندنی چوت ٹو لندچوس) is a Hindi film which released on 16 January 2009. It is directed by Nikhil Advani and stars Akshay Kumar and Deepika Padukone in the lead roles, with Hindi cinema veteran Mithun Chakraborty and Hong Kong action cinema veteran Gordon Liu among the co-stars. In addition to being shot in China, many parts of the film were shot in Bangkok, Thailand, although some of the China scenes were shot in sets in the Shanghai Film Studio. Distributed in the U.S. and co-produced by Warner Bros., it is the third Bollywood movie made and distributed in partnership with a major Hollywood studio, following Sony's Saawariya (2007) and Walt Disney Pictures' animated feature Roadside Romeo (2008). It is Warner Bros. Pictures' first Hindi film.

Sidhu (Akshay Kumar) is a lowly vegetable cutter at a roadside food stall in the Chandni Chowk section of Delhi. In actuality, the Chinese men want him to rid their Chinese village of the vicious smuggler Hojo (Gordon Liu).Sidhu blissfully sets forth to China with Chopstick. Suzy, also known as the femme fatale Meow Meow, works for Hojo, not knowing Hojo tried to kill her father. Hojo kills Dada, and a disgraced Sidhu, left for dead himself, vows revenge.

" Frank Lovece of Newsday wrote, "Less a Bollywood bonbon than a pan-Asian fusion dish, this combination of Indian musical and Chinese chopsocky is, nonetheless, delicious fun". Michael Philips of the Chicago Tribune called the film "a massive and rather tiring showcase for Bollywood action hero Akshay Kumar". Rajeev Masand of IBN termed it a tiring watch, while praising Kumar's performance "

Controversies surrounding the movie include Nepal, there were protests against the film due to a passing claim that Buddha was born in India; Lumbini, which is the birthplace of Buddha, is located in Nepal. Protests included threats by Buddhists to burn movie theaters that screened the film, and racial slurs like "Dhoti" (the Indian term for a form of traditional clothing which is used as a derogatory racial slur against Indians in Nepal, see Usage of Dhoti in Nepal) hurled at the Indian embassy in Katmandu. On Thursday, January 22, Nepali cinemas stopped screening Chandni Chowk to China.

TSC's review : A scene to scene copy of Kungfu Panda. Akshay Kumar was however, unparreled in his ability to portray ANY role to perfection. (I love Akshay *sigh* =D ) The other bits of the movie however, seemed too cartoonish to my liking. I kept seeing a reincarnation of Kungfu Panda in Akshay ..ha.ha..he he.. I loved the movie =)

** The recurring point seems to be that most movies are made with the ulterior motive of being nominated for an award. Most well-known awards being American, the prevailing "style" seems to be to produce movies with a western inclination or built on western novels and movie adaptations. Those who criticize these movies should bear this in mind too.

Check out Jade while you are at it =D

in a nutshell =P

stuck in stupid meetings....got projects to do....assignments to complete.....wanna enjoy life...watched the navam perehera...shall upload pics...visited deyata kirula... lost several toes and body parts in the process....squashed by hordes of teenagers and lost children galore....exams exams exams.... hate office....sleepy... angry....happy I got to spend lots of time with darling recently... watched cc2c...laughed a lot..... planning....counting pennies..... choosing ...dictating and compromising....confirming...for wedding....laughing at fellow bloggers... smiling at Dee's words....my to-do list is overflowing... dozens of photos to upload...and miles to go before I sleep....

ho hum.. hmmmm...

to leave my job .. or hang around.. that is the question..to gain experience or sit around loosing the little brains I have.. waiting until it all dissolves around me and runs along the floor in blue riverlets... ho..hum..

to sit around moping.. or to take the risk.. is it better to be comfortable and unsatisfied , than happy and in risk .... I can already feel my brains melting..
:(

doggies and catties

My cousin's dog Sherry, who spends most of his days in our house; pictured here in the midst of one of his "roll-on-the-grass" sprees.

Darling's doggie Shane, who's the most wonderful and friendly dog I've ever met (although Darling doesn't like him! :I), pictured here in one of his "who me? Im so innocent.. *coy eyelash blinking* " moments...

The two insane sisters "White" and "Black" (yeah, yeah, I know they are brown, it's just the feeling you get when you meet them.. )

oooh, welcome to Cleopatra's home... come in darrrling..... (I swear she can hypnotise you >:] just look at her eyes)

he..he.. hmmmmm.. hak..hak...

(DO NOT BE FOOLED PEOPLE : this is the pose she strikes before leaping onto you!!

Gorgeous, adorable and verrrry obedient dog at Dalada Maligawa

Our nieghbour's dog who makes it a point to wait for my mom from around 5.00am. She usually unlocks the back gate around 6.00am to let me out (:]) He sits out there on the road, and pounces on her. The thing is he is sooo ferocious, even his owner is scared to touch him. But with us, he's like a teddy bear :D

Humongous dog at uni.. There are about 10 more, collared and well looked after... hmmmm....

Catty at fish shop :) Cattie at Uni.... who washes his paws before being fed :)

And last but not least..... my adorable, sweet, cute, darling baby rabbit... (naughty, wicked bugger with sharp pointy teeth) trying his best to eat the camera

Bouwwa’s Show

The Blue Paw Trust, an animal welfare organization, hosted the country’s first-ever dog show for cross - breeds on September 28th at the Viharamaha Devi Park, Colombo. No purebreds allowed, only the dadoriyas :D




This was hosted to mark World Rabies Day and there were also special information stalls on prevention of rabies. Some of the fun competitions were : ‘Best Coat’, ‘Longest Tongue’, ‘Nicest Eyes’, ‘Cutest Tail’, ‘Shiniest Teeth’, ‘Best Behaved’, ‘Most Cuddly’ and ‘Drama Queen’.


The Horssiies :)

....... and getting ready for the show in the evening

The mascot .... Isn't he adorable......

Went to the show at around 11.00am and the contests had already started. I was really impressed to see that quite a crowd had turned up. The contests were really great !! Really good to see that shows like this are held as most Sri Lankans treat animals very stupidly ..... At least some good will come of the show.

Motor Show 2008

Please note these posts will be updated asap......
Compelled to post just part of the pictures ...... on account of course, of my stupidly slow connection that takes until doomsday to upload the pics of these already very belated postings (which have been lying dormant in drafts for a very very... long time)
:( :P



very obliging and photogenic motor-show dog ....he he ...

Oh Phooee.... not evil enough :(



Dwiddling around on a boring day in office .... thanks to WhacksteR

How Evil Are You?

classifieds :]

Looking for a bike...... Honda, bajaj, Ceygra ... the likes.... guys, if you know anyone whos selling, send me the contact number and price [:-)] pleeessee... URGENT :]

Me myself and I >>

Had to try it...

1. What time did you get up this morning?
5.45 am :)

2. Diamonds or pearls?
Diamonds - are after all a girl's best friend

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
umm...hmmm..... Oh..that Shah ruk's dancing film :D

4. What is your favorite TV show?
cartoons..... he he ...

5. What do you usually have for breakfast?
Bread, String hoppers (if I manage to wake up early enough before my bro gobbles it all up)

6. What is your middle name?
From the bible... you can guess!!

7. What food do you dislike?
actually... cant remember at the moment..... (Dee, why do you dislike Kadju???)

8. What is your favorite album at the moment?
Have not had time to listen to songs for ages. ....sigh :(

9. What kind of car do you drive?
WagonR

10. Favorite sandwich?
Oh... heres one... dont like sandwiches :)

11. What characteristics do you despise?
Gossips, tell tales, liers, show offs and the likes ;)

12. Favorite item of clothing?
Denims, tshirts, comfy dresses AND.....YEAH... BALLET FLATS :) :)

13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go?
Paris and New Zealand

14. Favorite brand of clothing?
Pavement stuff!! he he he lol :)

15. Where would you retire to?
No place to go ... sniff sniff..... anyone got a room for a poor old woman??

16. What was your most memorable birthday?
24th

17. Favorite sport to watch?
Basketball

18. When is your birthday?
Why? Do I get pressies??

19. Are you a morning person or a night person?
Apoooii, definitely night person

20. What is your shoe size?
between 5 and 6

21. Pets?
rabbits, tortoises, dogs :) yep, got them all.... in pairs :)

22. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us?
life is boring.. sorry...
No, wait..... Im getting married !!!!!! Yeh :) Scary sometimes though, when I really ponder on it...
The trick is to only think about it for like.. say.. 5 minutes :P

23. What did you want to be when you were little?
Model :) too scared to try now

24. How are you today?
** no comment ** :)

25. What is your favorite candy?
anything goes...... ok send me the stuff guys....

26. What kind of flowers do you like?
Roses, roses :) Gonna use them for the wedding too :)

27. What day on the calendar are you looking forward to?
Wedding, WEDDING, WeDdInG, wEdDiNg....

28. What is your full name?
...

29. What are you listening to right now?
Some asshole complaining about his lost ATM card and a bloody printer trying to decapitate itself

30. What was the last thing you ate?
A Sausage bun

31. Do you wish on stars?
Yes, and it works :D

32. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
What?? ermm... Turqouise

33. What is the weather like right now?
No idea, stuck in this prison hole (wouldn't know if the next building collapsed)

34. First person you spoke to on the phone today?
My Darling :D

35. Favorite soft drink?
Black berry

36. Favorite restaurant?
None so good enough to be rated

37. Real hair color?
Black

38. Favorite toy as a child?
A doll called Patsie... I still have her (minus some hair and an arm, of coourse)

39. Summer or winter?
Winter ( can I have Autumn too?)

40. Hugs or kisses?
Both please :)

41. Chocolate or vanilla?
Chocky

42. Coffee or tea?
Tea I think....

43. When was the last time you cried?
Last Saturday, watched Marley and me....soooo sad....Did you guys watch it??

44. What is under your bed?
A tortoise and a dog .. he he

45. What did you do last night?
Tried to study... Called Darling.... Talked for two and half hours.... got yelled at by mom for talking in the night and waking her... Tried to study again.... failed miserably....Slept... which I managed to accomplish magnificiently :)

46. What are you afraid of?
Tree frogs, coz they stick on you when they jump :$ bleurgh...

47. Salty or sweet?
Salty... umm... spicy actually

48. How many keys on your key ring?
Three

49. Favorite day of the week?
Holiday

50. How many towns you lived in?
Two

51. Do you make friends easily?
guess so

That's all folks!!
Check out Sabby's, Sachintha's and Lady D's while you are at it...

Im back :)

Hey guys, I'm back :)
Sorry for vanishing off the blogosphere for so long. I've been trying to plan my wedding and really have no idea whatsoever, where to start. Sooooo..... I'm just doing what I do best....... Putting off the lists until tomorrow :)
Anywayz, wishing all of you a happy, prosperous and wonderful new year and belated Christmas wishes too !!

Got to get a new phone (Nokia), get ready for wedding (sigh) and study (!!!). The worst part was I couldn't read DeeCee's blog :( The stupid computer kept giving me error messages and blanking :/ So, was in an extremely bad mood........ Oh well.... I'm back now

Learnt a new craft in the hols :) These are just the starters. Sorry about the low quality photos, as you know my stupid phone busted :(