A Girl Named Sue (Extended after today)

Dunno what it is... but this woman makes me wanna sing for some reason. Its fun and funny. LOL.

She sends me a mail with a mildly apologetic tone after our conversation today when I was never mad or discouraged to begin with. A silly, sweet, and funny woman. Oh... and she's kinda my boss now!

I'm pretty sure she has to have a mean darkside... SOMEWHERE.

The Art of Lowering a Woman's Defences

Ah life in the sea, full of cargo ships happily chugging along with assets. Cargo ships come in all kinds of sizes, shapes, colours and various other characteristics. Some have bublous bows, long bodies or large rear engines that splash against the water in a noticeable fashion. Nice sails and well applied paintwork are also present on some. Ask any admirer of cargo ships and they will tell you which kind they like best.

These ships carry various kinds of attractive cargo across the sea and as you all well know cargo simply does not come for free.

A Pirate ship suddenly appears from nowhere, a sneak attack usually comes from the rear. A good Pirate always knows to fire his first shot at the engine crippling the cargo ship, leaving it stranded at sea.

Sometimes the cargo ship captain spots the Pirate in advance and fires up the engines in an attempt to escape, or the first shot misses the engine. It is at this point that a fast paced pursuit begins. The Pirate shouts words at the Cargo ship, designed to lower the morale of the crew, to try and slow them down.

Sometimes the Cargo ship escapes, but other times the Pirates successfully stop the cargo ship, either by megaphone or by a swift cannon shot to the engine. Soon the attacking ship encircles the stranded one, firing shots to probe the defences, gauging the make and nature of the ship. The Cargo ship sends distress calls to other Cargo ships for assistance. "Help? We're being fired upon! What can we do?"

Sometimes help arrives and the Pirates are forced to flee. Other times the pirates manage to get their anchors across and begin to board. Now it is at this point a distinction in pirates makes itself apparent. The more common pirate begins to pillage the ships precious cargo, taking what they want and see fit. Once they are done they de-anchor and leave. More benovelent pirates on the otherhand are quite happy to trade cargo and hang around for a bit. Sometimes they even give up a life of piracy and switch to protective Gunboat duty.

Gunboats are pretty plain ships with big cannons. Mainly protective in nature they are often less shiny in appearance and not as maneuverable. However they are highly reliable and come to aid cargo ships in distress. They signal their approach from far away and are very easy to spot. A Gunboat always performs Gunboat duty and captains only accept cargo that is given freely and with consent. They don't get too close to Cargo ships for Gunboats are hard to steer and sometimes clunky collisions occur.

Depending on the Cargo ship captain, sometimes the tact of a pirate is desired. Some want to be pillaged, while others want the pirate to eventaully turn in to a Gunboat. Often though as Cargo ships age, their hulls become resistant to superficial gunfire and burdens become heavier, causing captains tend to look for Gunboats for security and stability in the raging waters of the sea.

The clashing philosophies of Gunboats and Pirate ships often collide. A Gunboat can't really keep up with a Pirate ship, but that doesn't stop Gunboats from patrolling the sea. Sometimes clever pirates masquerade as Gunboats before getting up close. How can you spot these? Do their guns look like they've been fired a lot? Does the flag look like it was hastily put up? These could be signs but are no assurance.

But once Gunboats and Pirates dock at the harbour, all differences are forgotten. The crews mingle together and talk. Pirates tell tales of sucessful chases and pillaging urging Gunboaters to switch to piracy, that its a better and more satisfying way of life. Gunboaters argue that they don't want to, gunboating is all they know and all they want to know. Eventually though all pirates must one day hang up their hats.

Anger Anger

I barely slept at all last night. A simple fact. I'm deeply troubled at the state of my very good friend. A friend who helped me through an extremely tough time, a person unlike any other person I've ever met in my entire life.

This person is smart, funny, beautiful and much bloody more, so when I see her in trouble and pain it pisses me off to no end. I want to resort to violence, but there is no one really to hit, nothing to break. It's not that easy, it's not that simple.

I feel totally helpless because there's nothing I can do. I want to say more, explain everything but that would probably only end up hurting her if I reveal to much. I've realized so much in a space of a few hours. She really doesn't deserve this, but she is a victim of her circumstances that make her the wonderful person she is... and I feel she is forever destined to repeat her current situation. She is unable to break the predictable pattern. She is chained in a manner beyond physical bondage.

There's nothing I can do.

This post is but a pinprick of everything that's running through my head right now, but I can't even talk about it. Even Worse.

The Truth About Love - Don't feel bad people

I've just had an epiphany thinking about the Dilemma of my own and of a friend. Please bear with me, this idea comes to me late in the night/ early in the morning, the time when most of my inspiration hits.

It is my belief that there are in fact 2 kinds of love. The real kind and the hyper kind.

The Hyper Kind:

This is the one we all commonly fall for. Super heated excitement. Heart Beating faster, we fumble around, tongues get tied and that person is on our minds all the time. We can think of nothing else. Its exciting, it involves dying for someone, loving someone so much that it hurts. Its dramatic.

I'm going to tell you now that this is not real love at all, but a madness, a temporary insanity driven by unbridled passion. Your entire being is swallowed up by this. You feel it is your entire life.

This kind of love is what I like to call 'the game'. Women love to chase that hard to obtain guy. Some guys are the same. It's exciting, its romantic, its dazzling. 'Ohh... how can I win him over? How can I get him to see me?' Its that chic flic kind of lets resolve everything in 2 hrs kind of thing. Its cheap self satisfaction, but it is so strong. But what happens once the guy/girl is caught? The excitement is over... and then the part where the real love should be comes in. The relationship can carry on due to established routine, can even get as far as marriage, but it will fall apart eventually, or carry on miserably, or in the most unusual scenario... the two people may unglamourously actually fall in love.

Real Love:

Is more of a choice. It's not glamorous, its not exciting. Its mundane, necessary and not really ever lasting. It involves going on your daily business over and over again.

Relationships are easy when there is a lot going on, people trying to stop you etc, but the hardest part of a relationship is when there is nothing going on, the perfectly mundane, the everyday. This is the part we never really see in our Hollywood movies which instead give us the thrilling on rails part. We never see the everyday part where our hero buys the bread and groceries for his wife or anything mundane? Why? Simply because its not exciting.

Real love is no where as intense as Hyper Love. Its a soft tender feeling for someone that you have. You don't want to die for that person or any shit like that, but you choose to stay with that person for no real reason exactly. It's not quantifiable. They are the ones in your life everyday. They are there for you in a quiet unexciting way. Most people fail to realize this. That's why you have the affair, when the Hyper Love comes knocking on your door, its exciting, trailblaizing and quite frankly far 'better'. Woah... my heart is beating so fast. Its like a drug.

But real love is where you stop yourself going over for such short sighted thrills. You decide the person you are with everyday is worth more than that cheap short thrill. Its not glamorous, its not exciting, but you do it because you truly love that person. Its not easy, it requires hard work. It involves sacrifice, and life changing long term compromise (but not cripplingly so). If your not willing to do this, then your not ready for something serious.

Its trivial, mundane, repititive and its beauty can only be seen when viewing the whole relationship. Any one day will never usually be that exciting. But sometimes we remind the other that we are together because we do love each other, whether its with a rose, a box of chocolates or some other small gesture that neither one is going to run and tell their friends "oh my god, oh my god.... he bought me another box of chocolates!!" or "I just bought my wife another rose... COOL"

This thought comes to me when a friend tells me her good friend settled with what I dubbed a 'nice safe man' which seemed to puzzle my friend. Its because that's the real lasting kind of love. Its a choice, one that you can stray from anytime...the one that requires all the commitment and hardwork. The one about paying the bills, sending the kids to school, doing the laundry, worrying about the mortgage. The one they'll never make a movie of, the one no one wants to hear about.
That's real love.

This post was inspired as a solution to a problem. But now suddenly at 3:00 in the morning this movie I saw a few years back comes to mind and makes greater sense. I see now that it is far more beautiful than I ever thought it was. Watch it and you'll understand what I mean.

Away from Her
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0491747/

To Boldly Go Where No Man Has Gone Before

Back in 1966 the World wasn't as tolerating as it was today. The Civil Rights movement was in full swing, the Cold War was raging on. Numerous military coups and oustings were taking place throughout the world and that was just the tip of the iceberg.

It was in this environment that Gene Roddenberry sought out to create his groundbreaking science fiction show. Having penned several shows in his early days all dealing with real life issues, it was with some tribulation that Star Trek was born.

The show itself received low ratings and was eventually cancelled. It later gained popularity during syndication (shown on numerous TV networks) and was brought back to life by a successful fan mail campaign.

But what were the merits of the show? What did Rodenberry achieve through his science fiction show about a ship exploring the uncharted areas of the universe?

1. Lt. Uhura

During the 60's, the civil rights movement was in full swing. Martin Luther King Jr, Malcom X, W. E. B. Du Bois and their followers were striving for equal rights for African Americans. So in this context it was rather groundbreaking that Rodenberry decided to have one of the chief officers on the Bridge of the Enterprise be African, portrayed by an African American.

But instead of stopping there, he went a step further. Not only was Lt. Uhura black, but she was also a woman. In a bold attempt to buck trends, Roddenberry had created something strangely iconic, a symbol for the rights of both African Americans and women alike.

She wasn't a demure character, but a sassy independent women who often expressed her opinion. In fact the character of Lt. Uhura went on to inspire Dr. Mae Jemison to become the first African American women to fly aboard a space shuttle. Whoopi Golderberg also famously became a fan with her often quoted statement "I just saw a black woman on television; and she ain't no maid!"

2. The First On Screen Interracial Kiss














A complete taboo at the time, Rodennberry forced this issue in to the homes of Americans throughout the country in a single episode where Alien beings had ceased to have physical form, existing purely in energy orbs, but with a desire to regain new bodies. The two alien lovers desperate to express their feelings one last time stole the bodies of Captain Kirk and Lt. Uhura and shocked audiences everywhere with an interracial kiss. The show was subsequently banned in many southern states, but it had made a point.

3. Lt. Pavel Checkov

















Roddenberry was often ridiculed by his peers for the introduction of his Russian weapons officer character. During this Cold War period he received numerous comments in the vein of "A Russian working alongside us? Give me a break" As absurd a concept it was at the time, a dreamers romantic notion, the idea is quite frankly commonplace today. In fact the absurdity lay with the statements made by those shortsighted individuals in opposition to the idea.


4. Ignorance and Culture















An episode entitled "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" involved a strange alien whose skin is half black and half white, split down in the middle being picked up from a war torn planet. Everything goes smoothly until another similar figure shows up, apparently of the same species. However it is soon revealed that there is great hatred between the two, both wishing the other nothing but death.

I remember thinking as a 10 year old boy, "Why would he hate the other guy? They look exactly alike." True, they did, but there was one subtle difference. The black and white skin tone on the two men were not infact the same, but were in actuality mirrored. I remember thinking then "that's the most stupid reason to hate someone" and I was incredulous, much like the regular characters of the show. But in reality this kind of thing is commonplace with India and Pakistan, Israel and Palestine and lets not forget our own conflict.

So what did Star Trek achieve in the 60's? To me it was always a ground breaking show that really tested and even broke the established mindset of people who lived in that time. By telling tales of far away planets, the show actually removed our ingrained biases and showed us our own world naked and exposed. True classic science fiction.

From Urban Backtrack at Art Walk 2009

Well, it was a great experience to be part of this whole ArtWalk thing.. Imagine two guys trying thier luck out in Stencils and Graffiti at a bloody fashion show?? Well it was quite an experience for me and DRG to be at the practices trying to explain a street art concept to a bunch of models and the organizers. Luckily we got Randu on board who was our link between the female models and dresses...:)

It was quite an exhelarating few weeks, going off to check out the rehersals, missing out on all the design sessions leaving DRG and Randu to work..and pulling off a hasty wardrobe malfunction in the night just a day before the show.. The times were tense but at the end of the day it all boiled downed to few minutes of absolute sensation (at least thats what i felt) on the ArtWalk ramps with four awesome young models....

Anyways apart from the After Party that no one could get in...everything went well..A big thank you goes out to everyone who helped including the organizers, the supportive models and even Foxhound and Sokka who were there with very encouraging comments about the whole thing just when they realized that the Rs1500 they spent was to see a bunch of empty bicycle tires and some worn out t-shirts...:D Wanna be Fashion they say! Bastards....lol

Also kudos to friends from the bloggersphere who tweeted and re-tweeted about how expensive the tickets were...!!

 At least Foxhound managed to grab some snaps...

 

 

Art Walk 2009 Hits the Streets!!!

Well guys Art Walk 2009 will be held this Friday at Park Street Mews. You might catch us from Mathawaada with our own little segment..:D. Will post some of the highlights if i get the time to capture some snaps......

For more info click here
And and oh if you can try to make it to the after party...;)

Obama Hotel in Gampola

Well, what more can i say? Tucked away in a far distant town in the Hill Country....It was a pity the place was closed when we were there. Would have been great to check out the menu..? lol

For all ye lucky bastards that made it into governemnt funded universities this year

Its dead, its gone.... its buried!

Its official! ROmance is dead! That would be the gist what i hope is not going to sound like a blog post written by a frustrated post menopausal woman on anti-depressants.

My story beings thus, since Skull and DRG already explained the Psycho Chick phenomenon it would suffice to say that the Psycho Chick whom i lusted after is no longer an object of my fascination. Why? She just isnt romantic enough. I know this sounds kinds strange because usually its the fairer sex that complains about men, not being romantically inclined.

But as I sit here in my bright green Arugam Bays, wearing a pink shirt.. i have finally realized what men all over the world are beginning to realize. The tables have been turned, the female gender has become the hunters and has relegated ( i don't mean to be sexist but after centuries of being the dominant gender,it is a bit of let down) to being the gatherers.

Women call the shots now, women fare better at school, are more adept at the workplace and though it isnt a genralisation..sometimes out earn their partners.

So with this dramatic shift of gender roles, what has it done to us men? Back to my Psycho Chick.. ( excuse the long drawn out tangent :p) During one of our many long conversations she told me that I should get a move on with my love life.. and that all the good 'chicks' are fast being snapped up...she proceeded to give me some advice concentrate on one girl until u get her... being the hopeless romantic I am, this did alarm be a bit, and i even thought it bordered upon being stalkerish.

What about love? What about Romance? When I meet the right girl things will just happen, there will be fireworks... was my response.. trying to in a round about kinda way to implicate her as the object of my desires. Her response: A loud laugh... that stuff's dead dude! Women don't look for emotional poets anymore. they look a decent guy who doesn't make an ass of himself ( by this time my ex-gf's parting words were ringing in my ear- i love u but ur just too messed up)... honestly is this true?

I mean don't women want love anymore? Has wild romanticism been replaced by compatibility... Whatever happened to riding off into the sunset? Has that been replaced by coffee dates at Barista's... Whatever happened to the days of romeo and juliet? Whatever happened to those French poets and romantics? Are company executives somehow more sexy than wildly adventurous investigative journalists or George Clooney look-alike surgeons working in war and famine stricken Africa?

Whatever happened to women who would swoon after romantic poets and artists and actors, do they now swoon after over-weight executives, bankers and human resource managers?

Does Romance mean nothing to u girls?

Nadja and Hope

It was a surreal experience to enter a calm and quite University premises, to meet many of my school buddies and to catch upon the past over a cup of tea. It gave me some space to escape from the mundane rat race of life, to tread about our school days and to enjoy the dry evening breeze swapping across the cricket ground reminding of old school days and evening rugger practices.

But what actually brought me to the NAT at Colombo University was none of the above. It was a dedicatedly put up Theatrical Experience that I had been longing for some time. Ever since DRG sent me the draft script of his debut drama Nadja, I looked forward to the day that it would become a reality. Unfolding through three short plays, Nadja, which in German means “Hope” takes us back to the final days of World War II and tries to explore the humanity and compassion set within each individual even through dire times. Spanning through a Nazi Death Camp to the final moments in Hitler’s bunker the drama tries to deliver its message by capturing the audience through familiar historical occurrences.

It was great to see the actors, all of whom are from the Management Faculty of Colombo University, putting up a great performance, regardless of the fact that they are not professional actors. I guess this was a great learning curve executed perfectly by everyone who contributed to the drama. The audio visuals and the music were perfectly executed however; some of the interludes seemed a bit too much lagged and left the audience in pitched dark for quite some time. But overall the drama was quite an experience, kudos to DRG, the writer and director of Nadja for a brilliantly executed production!

I came off the theater hall, with a sense of reality striking back, reminding me of the life we would have to get back into, the strains that we would have to fight every day to survive, the boring and dull routines that would have to be fulfilled.

But suddenly I was reminded of Nadja, the girl from the drama, held captive by two Nazi soldiers turned towards the audience…

“My name is Nadja…it means Hope...
Some survived these forsaken times with it…
Some ended their lives without it…
Some even fought for it…
And some made a mockery out of it….
...But I only want to ask you one thing...
Do you have that Hope..?”