If I was MR ...

... I'd pull my best trick out of the hat. I'd forget about having Presidential Elections next year. After all, I wouldn't want the one reason that would've ensured that I was in power for another 6 years to be the reason that might also take away that possibility. In 2 years time, Sarath Fonseka's legacy might've been forgotten, and by then, the SB Dissanayakes of Sri Lankan politics would again be my opposition at any election. Coming back to reality, I feel that the opposition and its whole "common candidate" battle strategy (no pun intended) might've been one that has been prematurely ejaculated. In any case, I wouldn't vote for either of these jokers, one of whom will eventually be the one from millions that fertilizes the egg that is Presidency, only to bear yet another stillborn child.

Stereophonics - Dakota - Live Lounge

The Bay of Lights

The bay looked beautiful tonight. I was distracted. Distracted by its beauty, by the backdrop, by the lights and by my mind. Even the near ear-shattering decibel levels concocted by shiny cars which sped past too fast could not interrupt me from my mind's non-aimless wander. Today was expected. Yesterday I was expecting today, but never thought it would be today. So I was surprised. My mind, up until today, had been as calm as the bay, as well constructed as the backdrop. Today, it was a gunny bag of contradictions. Relief, cause it was inevitable. Sadness, cause it happened. Frustration, but only with myself. Happiness, but not for myself. The calm will follow the re-construction, which will follow self-realisation which is already in progress. And then, I will go out on a limb again, but not in the same employ. But I will. The bay will look better tomorrow, when the lights shine a little brighter.

Nostalgia

I saw some Indian guava today at the supermarket, and I had to get myself some. Back at home and sinking my teeth into the soft green fruit, the sweet taste transported me back in time, roughly 15 years ago, to Negambo, to my Aunt's garden out there where my brothers, cousins and I used to pick the pink pera from the trees and devour it with gusto. This would be both before and after a game of cricket in the afternoons, where my uncle used to repeatedly lift my bowling over square leg and between the coconut trees for six. Then my brother and I would go "double" cycling around the sleepy surroundings of Negambo town. I guess we forget alot of memories, only to be reminded of them later in life to only crave for those moments again.

Whatcha gonna do when they come for you!?

Is it just me, or has the blogging world gone mad? My beef is simple. If it's your blog, write what you wish and stand by it. The blogsphere can decide for themselves whether they want to read your crap or not. If they like it, keep going. If they don't like it, still keep going! But, it's just sad when it gets ugly. There are bigger fish to fry I would've thought.

A Month of Gigs - Part 2

So having gotten through the first half of my month of gigs feeling like a rockstar for having had such a wonderful time, even though I was broke as a beggar, It was time to face the music, literally, with Naturally 7, Coldplay and Oasis yet to go. Naturally 7 - 22 march - Esplanade Concert Hall So I must admit, I have never heard of this band ever before. But I got a couple of free tickets thanks to a TV promo, so I thought what the hell. Naturally 7 were in Singapore, as were Battles, as part of the Mosaic Music Festival, which also featured N.E.R.D (Pharrel Williams ring a bell? the Song Lapdance? :D) and a host of other new and upcoming, or on-the-way-out Artistes. I think Naturally 7 most definitely belonged to the former category. The only thing I did know about these guys before the gig was that they were an acapella group. So my expectations weren't high. Which is probably why I was astounded by the sheer brilliance I witnessed that night! What I did get to know is that Naturally 7 are a band that aren't acapella. Self proclaimed, they are of a "vocal play" genre. See acapella is when you use many voices and only voices to make melodies and harmonies using words, lyrics. Vocal play is when you use human voices to create life like instruments, such as a full drum kit, an electric guitar, piano, harmonica, trumpets, saxaphones, BASS GUITARS (yes, that low!), etc. My mouth was literally wide open right throughout their performance and all I could say at the end of each song was WOW. You need to see it to believe it, so check this out: Well, if you do get a chance to see em, don't hesitate. That's all I have to say. One of the most entertaining bands I've ever seen! Coldplay - 23 March - Singapore Indoor Stadium Wow. I'm sorry RD, but I have to say, to see these guys live was a dream come true. Coldplay played to a sold out arena of 12,000 people. For me, this has been the gig of the year so far. The energy that the band brought out was electrifying. To actually see hits that you have loved for so long to be played for you was magical. Watching the coldplay show was a little like watching a theatre performance. Set changes, back drops, props (such as massive yellow balloons falling on the crowd all over the stadium during "Yellow"), lights, arty video, and a lead actor in the form of Chris Martin: makes for thunderous applause each and every time. Coldplay played a total of 24 songs in 3 sets during the performance that lasted a little under 2 hours. Their second set was a beautiful acoustic set, which they managed to play while standing amongst the crowds in the balcony, which was a surprise! They even managed to get the crowd doing a mexican wave with their mobile phones which was great. This gig was definitely goosebump worthy, and I certainly had my fair share of em. And you know what RD? This gig was a lot of fun!!! Oasis - 5 April - Singapore Indoor Stadium Oasis were really an out and out rock gig. It was not fun, it was fucking awesome. It didn't involve any theatrics. It was pure in your face rock and roll, complete with the attitude and arrogance Liam and Noel Gallagher are known for. Having managed to get free-standing tickets, we went 2 hours early and joined the queues. When the doors opened we ran inside so we were about 10 metres from the legends themselves, squashed inbetween a bunch of kids who were probably not even around when Definitely Maybe came out in 1994. When Oasis came on, the crowd went wild and we went flying forward, pushed from behind. Now this was a rock band, featuring Chris Sharrock on drums (thanks for the heads up RD, he was super!) and a Gandolph look alike on the keyboards. What made it super was that they played all their old hits, including an acoustic version of don't look back in anger. It was great to join in with the crowd to drown out the band during some of their biggest hits. However, I was disappointed that they didn't play "don't go away", however, had they played that, I might've cried! 2 hours later, dripping with sweat, I had ticked off yet another band off my "To See" list. With much glee might I add. So now it's back to the old routine, but obviously with cheap lunches and dinners in order to save cash to pay off credit card bills for all these gigs. Oh, but maybe after Vertical Horizon on the 2nd of May :D

A Month of Gigs

This is going to be a long one. Deservedly so methinks, albeit overdue. To be philosophical for a moment, so many people have told me that we should save for the future. Then some others have told me to live for the moment cause you might not live to see the future. I prefer the latter line of thought. So in that light, 5th March began a splurge like never before. For one month only, only for the sake of a good time like no other, without regret of course. 5th March - Jason Mraz - Singapore Indoor Stadium I saw Mraz for the 1st time at Singfest last year, where he was playing alongside the likes of the Pussycat Dolls, Alicia Keys, One Republic, Panic at the Disco, Travis, etc etc, and he really did bring down the proverbial house. He was energetic and infectious and oh so damn good. So when I saw he was returning to Singapore for the 2nd time in 6 months, I rushed to get tickets. Thankfully I got em, coz 10,000 tickets sold out within a day! There were 4 of us so after a quick rendezvous at Starbucks, we headed out for the gig. To be honest, I thought Mraz was better at Singfest, but don't get me wrong, he was still brilliant. Maybe it was coz at Singfest the crowd was already pumped by the music before him (One Republic). Maybe coz this time around I was tired, the gig being straight after work. Maybe coz the sound and lighting this time around were not fab. But it was a super gig anyway. He just knows how to work the crowd, and is superbly entertaining. And that is before he even sings. 12-14 March - Royal-Thomian - SSC, Colombo Royal were having their best cricket season in the history of the school (spanning 175 years!). Add to that the fact that the Thomians' were having a pretty mediocre season and cheap airline tickets, and I had absolutely no reason why not to head home to be a part of what was expected to be a massacre! When I landed in Colombo the eve of the match, it was pouring! I was upset, cause I didn't want this opportunity of witnessing a Royal victory for the first time with my own eyes since 1991 to be washed away by rain. So I was surprised when play resumed on schedule on the first day, and was never interrupted by Rain for the 3 days! We made it bright and early, after an early morning stop at Arpico for arrack, coke, ice, mugs and an ice box - all necessities for 3 days of heavy drinking. Royal batted first, and after scoring at quite a pace, we ended up on 300+ and declared at tea. At close of play the Thomians were at 54/4. The 2nd day started with the Thomians being bundled out by 11am for 99! Obviously I was elated, and quite high, so in a common state of inebriation all the Royal supporters started cheering for Thora! Why? well bloody hell we wanted the match to go on for 3 days. A royal victory in 2 days would've been great, but what's the point if we can't make merry on Saturday! Wow, how we regret that move now. When St Thomas came to bat for a 2nd time, the Royal team, although having picked up 2 quick wickets, relaxed, which resulted in the, now legendary, pair of Saleem and Nirushan batting for through the day, and saving face and, eventually, much more! That was no doubt one of the greatest recoveries by any team at a roy-tho to save a match, so credit is due to Thora. However, I feel there were two points that swung the match away from Royal's favour: 1. When both Saleem and Nirushan were dropped in their 30s; and 2. When the umpire refused to declare Saleem run out on 99, although he was well outside the crease. Oh well, win or lose we booze. You know, there's a saying "live in london once in your life". I'd say go for a Royal Thomian once in your life. It definitely is a unique experience. 18 March - Battles - Esplanade Concert Hall About a year ago, Jim, the drummer from my last band 10 Second Rule, introduced me to a New York band called Battles. The music they make is pretty intense, and not for the faint-hearted. Not to say that they are heavy, but they are an indie band with a different approach. There are no, or hardly any, vocals; and the guitarists use lots of effects such as loops and echoes and delays and keyboards and laptops and synthesizers and what not! So it makes an interesting listen, if not mindblowing! So when I heard they were coming to Singapore, I had to go see em. However, I couldn't find anyone else who had even heard of the band, let alone ppl who wanted to go. So grudgingly I went alone, and I didn't regret it for a second! If I thought they were good on the records, they are fucking brilliant live. Why are they called Battles? Well, it's cause their two main guitarists face each other, each uses a bunch of guitar effects and a keyboard and they battle out loops and mixes while the drummer and the other guitarist keep the beat going. It's definitely worth checking out. Oh, and for you drummers out there, notice how high the drummer's crash cymbal is! ok, part 2 will have Naturally 7, Coldplay and Oasis. :)

The Moment

Strange thing, you don't expect Californication to be the type of medium that opens your eyes to certain life truths. But I've caught myself engrossed and feeling for this Hank Moody, in a "poor guy" kinda way, and not in a "I want him" way. But today, he said something that is just so haunting and yet true. He said "people have a way of blinking and missing the moment. the moment that could've changed everything". I hope I haven't missed mine.

Nearly there...

The Royal Thomian is not a big match. It is a fucking festival! With only days to go to Royal Thomian week, I'm already dreaming about the match in my sleep, having goose bumps when I'm awake and bloody excited cause I've got a ticket booked to head home for it! Royal is having their best season ever in its almost 175 year history. With 9 outright wins, a lot is gonna be expected from this team, and I know i'm not the only one flying home hoping to see them deliver a win!! I was just watching some videos of the coverage of the Joe-Pete big match on www.thepapare.com, and i was thinking, bloody hell, the Roy-Tho is a massive deal compared to this! If I'm not too sloshed, i promise i'll take pics to post up here for those of you who cant make it or havent experienced it, just so that you can get a glimpse of why this time of the year makes all Royalists and Thomians go absolutely nuts!

A thought to last beyond a lifetime

He may have exaggerated. But he had the balls to do what others won't. For that, I always admired him, and I always will. In his memory, and with hope for the future of SL, I quote his words : "Should we fail meaningfully to address the aspirations of the Tamil people that survive this holocaust, we can be sure as night follows day that history will repeat itself... and all the bloodshed and all the sacrifice made to bring the war to a conclusion will have been in vain,"

Oreddy Oso Can Lah!

The hectic days never seem to end. So the move was done. It all began with Air India Express, who, god willingly, brought me safely back down to earth not once but twice! (Yes, there was a small part of me that wondered whether I had made the right choice going budget!). The three hour stop over in Chennai, where small talk could not be avoided, was not travel-friendly. But it's done. Arrived home at 10:30pm on Sunday night, straight to work first thing Monday morn. And every evening has been a mad rush of buying things for the house to make it a home. So yesterday I had my first session of cricket in 4.5 months and i nearly died! But after cricket, we (the housemates and I) went to check out this couch, which turned out to be awesome, and which is now going to be a housemate of ours come Saturday. Strangely, i'm very excited about the couch! Still need to get bed linen (yes, i've been sleeping on a sarong for days now), which should get done today. Hopefully a relaxing weekend to come.

Glenn Terry in action

Managed to catch a bit of Glenn Terry's brilliance at Barefoot on Sunday afternoon. Refreshing no doubt :)

Look and drool. For soon I will too.

Reunion

It's great to be reunited with your uni housemate. It's better still when he brings a bottle of black label. Anyone want to share?

Extinguished fire

This turning into a recluse business is hard work. But, i've mastered the art of not stepping out of the house for 4-5 days at a time, preferring to live out my days (and nights!) in hadu tshirts and boxers alone. I probably get out maybe a couple of times a week. Once for the week's paper, the second maybe to meet a friend or two. And the rest of the time I'm cooped in front of my comp trying to pay attention to useless procedural laws. What a rubbish life! And it's not like all this staying at home is ensuring that I'm acing the exams. What bollocks! I come out of the papers thinking "what just happened?!?" and then I forget what just happened. Word of advice? Fuck the attorneys. Both the people and the exams. In other news, this Kings of Leon track "Sex on fire" is so hot! I've heard it before, but it's grown on me tenfold in the last twentyfour hours. It's a high energy track that makes me crave to gig again. Their album "Only by the night" sounds very nice, even though illegally acquired. Speaking of which, I was thinking about all this illegal music downloading that we do. If there was some other item of value that was available for sale, and illegally available for free (such as maybe a TV?), I'd probably go buy it legit rather than nick it. But I have no morals when concerning digital content. Should I be worried? Should you be worried? In any case, CD's just add to the clutter. I need to get out more.

Corinne Bailey Rae - Golden Touch

30076 Sujeewa, I wish you were dead

I just got a ticket and it wasn't my fault! Ok, i'm sure plenty of people have used that excuse, but hear me out! So there I was driving my grandma, happily waiting in the single file line on Dickman's road heading towards Galle road. The light turns green, and I calculate that I can safely be the last car through the green light. Just when i reach the front, a blue Honda comes from the right (ON A SINGLE FILE ROAD YOU ASSHOLE! [that was for the cop, not u]) and cuts into me, at which point I take evasive action to avoid getting hit and inadvertently cross the junction on the yellow (AS DID THE BLUE HONDA, YOU STUPID FUCK!). When I turn into Galle road with my horn blazing, I see a traffic cop and think "thank heavens, now stop that other car and charge him!". Instead the cunt stops me, says I ran the red light. At which point I just let him have it. Me: "Dakke nadda ara vaahane maawa kapapu hati?" (Did you see how that car cut into me?) 30076 Sujeewa (hereinafter "WHOREliceman") : "oya rathu light eka panna" (You went through the red light) Me: "eka panne ara vaahanen aynvenna. monawa dihaada oya balaang hitiye?" (I was trying to avoid the other car. what were you looking at?) WHOREliceman: "oya rathu light eka panna" (you went through a red light) Me: "AGH!. Dickman's paara one lane paarak neda?" (er. AGH!. Dickman's road is a one lane road, right?) WHORE (for short): "ow" (yes) Me: "ara vaahaney eliyen enakota, eya aave varadi paththe nemeida?" (when that other vehicle comes on the outside of me, is he not on the wrong side of the road?) WHORE: "oya rathu light eka panna" (you went through a red light) Me: "AGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH. Mama eka panne ara vaahanen ayn venna! eya maawa kapagena issarahata aava. eva oyata penne nadda?" (AGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH. I jumped the light to avoid the car! He cut into me and jumped infront. You conveniently didn't see that did you?) I just can't even remember much beyond that. I grabbed my ticket and walked the fuck away from him, got into my car and drove off. I met many other nincompoops on the roads today. Today must definitely be "motorists, leave ur brains at home" day.

Tony Blair on Jon Stewart

One of the funniest talk show hosts meets one of the few respectable politicians of our time. Watch it here - you won't be sorry.

Home

It was 6 months out in a place I had only ever been to once before, that when I was 3. Now that's done and dusted, and it feels great to be home and on my time where there are no work commitments, deadlines or clients. Less than 24 hours in and I'm already feeling the disorganized chaos that is Colombo, where my brother drives like a maniac, brother 2 is in bed with a cast, everything must stop for politicians and buses, and so on. I liked my stint out there. A lot of people warned me that i'd be bored after 2 weeks. But, as is the case anywhere, you gotta keep your self doing things, and you will love it. It helped that I found myself in the midst of a great bunch of people. My cousin (the one that RD knows in London) once was telling me that, to people living abroad, friends are their family. Now, although that may seem like stating the obvious, it definitely is true. So, for four months i'll be here, soaking up my homeland. Then to a not-so-new family. But first, tonight to Chaar-max's bachelor party!

Singfest - Day 1

This was never really part of the plan. But with a free ticket for the first day and Travis on the bill, who the hell would say no? Spent a very chilled day (and night!) lazing on the grass with a great view of the stage watching some great live music. To be honest, I was only familiar with Travis' music and a few songs by Simple Plan. But other big names included Lost Prophets and New Found Glory. So since Travis was to play last, I thought might as well check the other guns too! My biggest find of the day was Melee. They seemed an easy going bunch who play music that is very easy on the ears and pleasant. Before today, I had thought Melee was more of a Busted-type of rock band - i.e. cheesy rubbish. But I was wrong and, they reminded me a lot of The Fray. I'm definitely getting their album, and I think you should check em out too. Highlights? The Bassist of Dearest climbing up the stage scaffolding and playing from about 30 feet up, New Found Glory playing a cover of Aerosmith's Dont wanna miss a thing, Simple Plan playing a cover of the hip hop song "get low", Melee, Travis' set which was brilliant, and the chilled out atmosphere of the entire event. Tomorrow, Jason Mraz, Alicia Keys, Panic!at the Disco, One Republic, Jamie Scott, Pussycat Dolls.