Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Pilobolus Dance Troupe at the Oscars
I have never ever seen anything like this before! These guys are outstanding. Visit their website for more info.
Monday, February 26, 2007
101 Amazing Earth Facts
Here's an article that presents 101 facts (deadliest earthquake, longest mountain chain etc)about Earth in a Q&A format. Very interesting stuff indeed.
Q101: Will Earth always be here?
Astronomers know that over the next few billion years, the Sun will swell so large as to envelop Earth. If we're still here, we'll probably fry and the planet will be vaporized. There's a chance, however, that the changing mass of the Sun will cause Earth to move into a more distant and pleasant orbit. One mathematical calculation shows it would be theoretically possible for humans to engineer such a move before it's too late
Q101: Will Earth always be here?
Astronomers know that over the next few billion years, the Sun will swell so large as to envelop Earth. If we're still here, we'll probably fry and the planet will be vaporized. There's a chance, however, that the changing mass of the Sun will cause Earth to move into a more distant and pleasant orbit. One mathematical calculation shows it would be theoretically possible for humans to engineer such a move before it's too late
Scorsese Scores - Finally!
Martin Scorsese is now an Oscar winner. After five nominations, the 64-year-old director won for his mob movie The Departed at the Academy Awards, February 25 2007. A few minutes later, the film was named Best Picture.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Aadare Kiya - Shihan Mihiranga
Lots of new songs from SSS Season 1 contestants (Amila, Malith, Shihan, Manjula and the Valentine song) this week. Shihan's song sounds a lot like a Kasun Kalhara number and I wasn't surprised to see that KK himself had composed the music for the song!
Extra-special Kitten
Notice anything unusual about the cute kitten? Hint: look closely at her paws.Appropriately named "Extra", this three month old kitten has 26 toes!
Link
Sanda Hangila - Amila Perera
Sanda Hangila is Amila Perera's new song. It was released this week and it is very good - the video doesn't seem appropriate for the lyrics though. But I am glad Amila finally released a song/video after his first single back in July last year - he is by far the best singer produced by SSS so far.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Seven Steps to Remarkable Customer Service
Joel Spolsky has some great advice to offer in his article " Seven steps to remarkable customer service". I particularly like what he has written for "No. 5 - Memorize awkward phrases" - even though the incident he talks about occurred in NY, it's something that happens every day in Sri Lanka too.
Things That Happen To Me When I'm on "Leave"
I took two days off work - Monday and Tuesday - so that I could have some (much needed) R&R. Man, was I naive for thinking that...
The minute my family found out I wasn't going to work on Friday, they were ecstatic - and I thought it was because they were glad I was taking some time to chill out and recover from working late nights at the office every single day for the past few month. Apparently not...the next thing I know I was being hauled out of my room and dragged off to events like kids' birthday parties (really), lunches, dinners and to meet relatives I didn't even know I had!!
The one visit I that I went along voluntarily was to my great-aunt who lives in Maharagama - that's not too far from Colombo but is a congested mess. My great-aunt is a very warm, happy soul and quite different from the other bitter old birds I am related to. She sent me on a few errands and one of them included going to to government post office. I expected this to be on High Level Road but it turns out the PO is conveniently situated off a lane off Dehiwela Road. It took me ages to find and when I did, I couldn't believe my eyes. It's actually right at the bottom of the lane (gravel road, quite steep) and is a house, not an office. No wonder she didn't like going there herself - I can't imagine how anyone over seventy walks down there and back! I asked my aunt about it later and she said the PO used to be on High Level Road but was shifted to the new location a few years ago and hasn't budged since.
I went to Asiri, Oasis and Durdans to visit a pal recovering from surgery, another who had a baby and for myself, to check my vision. More on that later. Driving around Colombo is a nightmare even in the afternoon. There are school vans that take over the roads after 1.30 and of course the buses are no better. I tend to miss these things on most days, and quite gladly too.
Met some friends wanted to go to Leisure World and almost dragged me along with them but I got out of it at the last minute. That's not where you want to be when you want some peace and quiet. If on the other hand, you are a "water baby" that is the place for you. The last time I went there, I had lunch at a restaurant called "Ambalama". It was great - the food was good and absolute value for money.
I finally managed to get a few hours to myself yesterday. I had a great time chatting with friends both here in SL and abroad, took the dogs for a walk and read one book (The Book of Illusions by Paul Auster). I also watched Kill Bill I/II and Pulp Fiction - just to remind myself what a genius Tarentino is.
The next time I take two days off, I'm going to pretend that I'm going to work and crash at a friend's place.....
The minute my family found out I wasn't going to work on Friday, they were ecstatic - and I thought it was because they were glad I was taking some time to chill out and recover from working late nights at the office every single day for the past few month. Apparently not...the next thing I know I was being hauled out of my room and dragged off to events like kids' birthday parties (really), lunches, dinners and to meet relatives I didn't even know I had!!
The one visit I that I went along voluntarily was to my great-aunt who lives in Maharagama - that's not too far from Colombo but is a congested mess. My great-aunt is a very warm, happy soul and quite different from the other bitter old birds I am related to. She sent me on a few errands and one of them included going to to government post office. I expected this to be on High Level Road but it turns out the PO is conveniently situated off a lane off Dehiwela Road. It took me ages to find and when I did, I couldn't believe my eyes. It's actually right at the bottom of the lane (gravel road, quite steep) and is a house, not an office. No wonder she didn't like going there herself - I can't imagine how anyone over seventy walks down there and back! I asked my aunt about it later and she said the PO used to be on High Level Road but was shifted to the new location a few years ago and hasn't budged since.
I went to Asiri, Oasis and Durdans to visit a pal recovering from surgery, another who had a baby and for myself, to check my vision. More on that later. Driving around Colombo is a nightmare even in the afternoon. There are school vans that take over the roads after 1.30 and of course the buses are no better. I tend to miss these things on most days, and quite gladly too.
Met some friends wanted to go to Leisure World and almost dragged me along with them but I got out of it at the last minute. That's not where you want to be when you want some peace and quiet. If on the other hand, you are a "water baby" that is the place for you. The last time I went there, I had lunch at a restaurant called "Ambalama". It was great - the food was good and absolute value for money.
I finally managed to get a few hours to myself yesterday. I had a great time chatting with friends both here in SL and abroad, took the dogs for a walk and read one book (The Book of Illusions by Paul Auster). I also watched Kill Bill I/II and Pulp Fiction - just to remind myself what a genius Tarentino is.
The next time I take two days off, I'm going to pretend that I'm going to work and crash at a friend's place.....
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Jim Carrey Does David Caruso
Jim Carrey is unbelievable in this clip - his take on David Caruso's Horatio Caine is spot on!!
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Looks Like I'm Really Old...
I had no choice but to switch to "New Blogger" today and now my profile info is all wacky:
- Age: 250
- Astrological Sign: Sagittarius
- Zodiac Year: Rat
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Robotic Cat
This one is from Japan...obviously.
It will make a great gift for people who like cats but can't be bothered with the whole "feed and clean up" aspect of having a pet:
As awesome as this thing is, I still prefer my living, breathing critters any day.
It will make a great gift for people who like cats but can't be bothered with the whole "feed and clean up" aspect of having a pet:
As awesome as this thing is, I still prefer my living, breathing critters any day.
Crazy Optician
If I hadn't seen this on CNN's World News two days ago, I would not have believed it really happened. It was like a Monty Python skit:
Peter Silverman - a reporter - wanted to question the optician Adam Plimmer after several consumers complained to him that they had not yet received glasses which they had paid for.
Adam Plimmer assaulted the elderly reportedly by hitting, spitting and hurling snowballs. It was just unbelievable.
Peter Silverman - a reporter - wanted to question the optician Adam Plimmer after several consumers complained to him that they had not yet received glasses which they had paid for.
Adam Plimmer assaulted the elderly reportedly by hitting, spitting and hurling snowballs. It was just unbelievable.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
You Belong To Me - Jason Wade (Lifehouse)
"You Belong to Me" was originally sung by Sue Thompson way back in 1952 and later made famous by Jo Stafford.
It's also the song Sherman Pore dedicated to his dear departed lady love during the this year's American Idol auditions.
I like this version by Jason Wade:
It's also the song Sherman Pore dedicated to his dear departed lady love during the this year's American Idol auditions.
I like this version by Jason Wade:
And Out They Go...
President Mahinda Rajapakse dismissed former Foreign Minister and current Ports MinisterMangala Samaraweera, , National Heritage Minister Anura Bandaranaike and non-cabinet Ports Minister Sripathi Sooriarachchi on Friday (Feb 9).
While no replacements have been named so far, this paves the way for additional portfolios to be handed out as per BNN's brilliant post.
While no replacements have been named so far, this paves the way for additional portfolios to be handed out as per BNN's brilliant post.
I'm in a Catty Mood
As made obvious by my previous posts, I've been paying more attention to my cats these days. One is sick and the other is a abandoned pet/stray that came along with two kittens and just..stayed. My dogs are being surprisingly tolerant of the new comers at the moment. I hope the peace will last until the kittens grow up!
Speaking of sick pets, I had several tragic experiences with different veterinary practices in Colombo in the past. Now I stick with Petsvcare since I don't really trust any other "doctors" with my animals. You'd think that a person who spends years studying how to cure sick animals would have an ounce of compassion in them but hell no - all I found was anything and everything ranging from indifference to greed. Yet no genuine "caring". Nada. It's all about the money, as always!
Speaking of sick pets, I had several tragic experiences with different veterinary practices in Colombo in the past. Now I stick with Petsvcare since I don't really trust any other "doctors" with my animals. You'd think that a person who spends years studying how to cure sick animals would have an ounce of compassion in them but hell no - all I found was anything and everything ranging from indifference to greed. Yet no genuine "caring". Nada. It's all about the money, as always!
Monday, February 05, 2007
Friday, February 02, 2007
Create "A Scanner Darkly" Images
Remember A Scanner Darkly? It was released back in July/August 2006, hardly any hype - but a brilliant movie by all means.
In this tutorial, an animator from the movie provides step-by-step instructions on how to achieve a similar result using tools in Adobe llustrator.
In this tutorial, an animator from the movie provides step-by-step instructions on how to achieve a similar result using tools in Adobe llustrator.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Over the Rainbow - Eva Cassidy
This song is a favorite on American Idol and Mizz McPhee certainly did an excellent version of it last year. But this one - by Eva Cassidy -is my all time favorite:
So Many Holidays
The only time I look forward to a holiday on a week day is when it falls on a Friday or a Monday, for obvious reasons. I still don't get why Sri Lanka needs all these holidays - apart from Independence Day and the New Year (in April), everything else is limited to a particular race and religion. What if you don't care about either?!
Most of the time I end up being the only living being in my office; that's because I want my weekends free. The others are happy to stay at home for one day in the middle of the week and then spend the following day at work tearing their hair out whilst answering e-mails and voice mail messages. Of course I find it all very amusing because the reason a human takes a holiday is to relax and whatever "TLC" those poor souls are getting today is going to go up in smoke tomorrow! I can't wait to watch.....
Most of the time I end up being the only living being in my office; that's because I want my weekends free. The others are happy to stay at home for one day in the middle of the week and then spend the following day at work tearing their hair out whilst answering e-mails and voice mail messages. Of course I find it all very amusing because the reason a human takes a holiday is to relax and whatever "TLC" those poor souls are getting today is going to go up in smoke tomorrow! I can't wait to watch.....
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