Powerslave

These are the last words of Imhotep
half man half God but now on his death bed
it came for all of us and it came for him
Imhotep the half God but now he's dead

He bawled and he pleaded
his majestic eyes they bled
he screamed for their worship
as if, from it he could be saved

But his life had whittled
now his bone was brittle
and Imhotep
was on the way to death

The doorsteps
the face repelled
the eyes screwed shut
but nought helped

Imhotep
said nothing
in the end.

Instead his silent eyes
saw inside themselves
and he wept
as the tears fell down inside his head.

FrankenMarketing

Management. Man if there was ever a science that dealt with pure common sense it would be management. I mean you go for years of classes and slave through exams only to come up with what a five year old would say is the the most obviously logical solution to a problem and three years down the line you don't really feel like you've learned anything. You just feel like a coconut. Husk removed, oil extracted, and distributed across several locations ranging from five star hotels to slums to the Everest of garbage that is sitting in Maligawatte; the same coconut, but 'diversified'.

Ok that analogy looks and sounds a bit off doesnt it? No matter. The blunders that big firms make is what actually brought me to write this random one. The story of McDonalds entering India with a beefburgher is probably a folk tale by now to any person who sat through a marketing or management course at any point in their lives over the last fifteen years. I mean here you have a global firm, very experienced, entering a massive market famed for their reverence of cows and how do they go about making their entry? by making a big hullaballoo about how great their beefburgher is. im sick of it.

Im sick of hearing about this chicken entrepreneur who translated their slogan 'it takes a tough man to make a tender chicken' into spanish and ended up with 'it takes a virile man to make a chicken affectionate' or something along those lines. im sick of hearing of this airline who went into Hong Kong and decided to be all innovative and give out free flowers to first time passengers. Great idea right? Wrong. They chose carnations and guess what, Hong Kongese or however you may call them associate carnations with death; the big D word, the one that everyone tries to ignore. How would you feel if someone handed you a miniature coffin or a free voucher to a funeral parlour when you board a plane? Dumbasses.

So what management students and lecturers all over the world do is, they look at these chaps who made these blunders and they snigger at them in a superior manner. They laugh over them during drinks. They use them as examples to describe common everyday events, leaving those not in the loop contemplating dialing the sanatorium. it makes these chaps feel good to think that even global corporate giants can make stupid mistakes like these. it helps counter the constant sense of inferiority that drives them to take up jobs in the world of corporate bum slavery. for evey guy who climbs the corporate ladder, there is another one fumbling and falling down to the endless depths of no return, or simply retiring.

And then we have countries like China that are driving the rest of them up the wall. How can you beat a place where there is enough labor to fill several factories that costs you only about 2 dollars a month to maintain? and that is per-factory. Salaries all over the world are being cut because of the inexhaustible rate at which people seem to be crawling out to work out of the nooks and crannies of China. I think they've got some kinda people producing plant hidden in there somewhere. Either that or they've been planning this for centuries. And perfecting their own brand of top secret Kama Sutra, with modifications designed to focus on the end result and not the actual process of the thing. So if Bill Gates starts driving a Toyota and that hotshot fast rising executive at your Rotaract club pulls into the next meeting on a BMX, you know who to blame. Or thank.

And its all about money. Oh no, don't be fooled by the altruistic overtones. Even CSR is simply alturism furnished with a pair of binoculars (to modify a Helvetius quote). Its all about driving profit. I was initially disillusioned with the whole concept of marketing because i simply saw it as a way of bullshitting, tricking, manipulating and convincing some poor chap to forego six months of his mortgage payments to buy a pair of Pradas to finally feel like a man. Now i know that if that chap was stupid enough to actually gobble it up, he deserves the cardboard box he is living in and he deserved to be tricked and bullshitted and brainwashed. You're just dealing out justice. 'No worries mate, it's all good down under' says the eskimo who just bought the latest LG 'ice machine' three door 'super door cooling' Made in Australia freezer cum kitchenette, and who sold his father's only whaling boat to afford it; plunging his family into a doomed state of polar bear fodder.

It teaches you dog eat dog ness. It teaches you to kill or be killed. If the corporate world is the jungle, then management is the art of survival. Quick on your feet, running before you even leap out of bed, running in your sleep. Stalking your prey day and night. You call him a customer and claim he's always right. But when it comes to the most important things in life, he's only right if he agrees with you. You can hear the thunder before the storm but you can't hear the marketer as he stalks you while you innocently watch Prison Break, or foolishly read hit-ad while sitting on an empty wallet and a soon to be declined credit card.

Its sick, its disgusting, yet i am almost triple qualified in it. Im a disgrace. But im out to get your money, I won't warn you again. Or i will if you buy these Pradas, go on treat yourself, you're a man that needs them. Your family deserves them. Your career depends on them. Your daughter's marriage prospects depend on them. Buy them! You're feeling sleepy, when i snap my fingers you will wake up and pay me and go home and ignore the repossessors and love the cardboard box that you end up in because you're a loser and im the king and the world is a moneymaking jungle. I'm too classy for an evil laugh.

Chinese Wake-up Call

Recently the chinese held a massive naval arms display and called it 'harmonious oceans'. Maybe the chinese people are genetically immune to the concept of Irony or something. Or maybe they really think the irony is lost on the rest of us. That somewhow we'd believe that a military display of such massive proportions could actually be 'harmonious'.

The Chinese are strong. And they know how to capitalize. They shifted whole factories from Europe to the riverbanks of China during the boom of the steel industry. Their burgeouning demand for recyclable steel was so great that cities like New York and Manhattan found that manhole covers were disappearing, going off in Chinese trading vessels, stolen and sold for scrap metal to feed the growling bellies of Chinese steel plants.

They have entered almost every single industry in the world. And are doing well. Their only problem is that most of their companies arent yet as upto the global standard as may be liked. India has far surpassed them in this regard though.

But unlike the Indians. The Chinese are hungry, they have a want and a need to conquor. Napoleon said some thing along the lines of leaving China alone beause she was a sleeping giant that could cause a lot of havoc if woken up.

They have already made empiricist style inroads into a lot of countries. Forming political alliances, and power brokering to secure diplomatic support, as well as natural resources. As a matter of fact 'harmonious oceans' was built around the idea of securing their global supply chains. To protect the ships that bring their shipments of oil and other imports. And here i was like a dufus thinkin that pirates were only around in the Horn of Africa. Theres an international coalition of Navies working at controlling the situation there, im sure the Chinese dont really need nuclear submarines for that.

And on the note of irony, i got asked by a friend if i was interested in attending this chillies lecture that was about 'creativity during tough times' and i said hey yeah, that sounds interesting. and so i made some inquiries and it turned out it costed around 7.5k for a two hour session. Geez man. Now im trying to imagine what kind of a target audience THAT was aimed at. Probably people trying to find out how to sell more by spending less, creativity be damned. I declined cos i could think of much more creative ways of spending that money. Considering these were tough times and all that.

Put away those tranquilizers

What? is that a little too garish? i think so. Just hope it doesnt take away any sleep for your sake. Anyways iv been thinking how mad the world has been getting lately, iv always known that March was a month that heralded madness. The Cheshire cat led me a to a tea party when i was dating this chick Alice and that mad goat chap sorta told me about it, right before he stole my girlfriend and i woke up. Hell i was only five and i didnt even know what a girlfriend was, but in all truthfullness i did. i was one of those star struck kids, i remember asking a girl to marry me when i was four, of course she died a few years ago. i see no connection between these two totally unrelated incidents.

So yeah March, insane month isnt it? Nibras Bawa and Passionately Patient both entered the blogosphere in March, and together with a lot of input from the usually dormant and 'proper' individuals in the sphere, created mayhem and carnage and had to be forcibly taken down and put out for their own good and the collective good of the world as decided by the powers that be, and alomost every one else.

The war raged on and progressed further than ever before, killing a lot of people and blind fighting on both sides accompanied by protests from all corners brings us to the end of April slightly out of breath and finally easing up on the bombarding. That five kilometre piece of land probably looks like a tsunami hit it just about when it was getting over a 10.5 richter earthquake or something.

"if you keep your head while everyone else is losing theirs..." or something like that. Something to the affect that you shouldnt 'lose your head in troubled times' sort of like when you're a number 4 batsman watching the middle order crumble and seeing Murali walking in with about 70 or so more runs to get in as many balls. Actually by that time you'd probably have completely given up, unless of course you were Murali himself, whose belief that his closing eyes and blindly swinging 'improvised' cricketing shot actually will get him more than a couple of fluke sixes never ceases to amaze people on the occasions where it actually works.

Its nice to see the calibre of politicians havent changed. We seem to revel in the steriotypical fat , greasy mass appealing buggers with eloquent vocabulary with nothing substantial to show for it over and over again. Fucking cunts.

Theres swine flu going on people so watch out, as Dili, who tweeted someone else's tweet said, it cant be as bad as bird flu because 'pigs cant fly'. Lol right man, at the rate things are going prety soon pigs will fly. Nothing is known of this 'semi pandemic' except it seems to target 'young adults' more than anyone else. A vaccine is due in only about six months according to the docs at WHO so stay away from Mehico hombre.. of you know what is good for you.

We seem to think SL is safe from global shocks, which explains the downright ignorance people show for global news, Most of the arrack parties and blog discussions focus on local aspects. Is that only cos there is so much more going on here and people dont really have the time to look outside or is it cos the universe is always a flexible thing and will always contract to contain only the particular area of space that you want it to. Which will explain the amount of people walking around with dazed expressions looking at the stars circling their heads a foot away.

Ok im out. Nice insanity people. Lets see what May brings.

*ok that header's off. a little too much insanity there..

Please, Do not vote this 25th.

Do not vote this 25th.

If you absolutely have to, vote for an opposition party.

Why?

Well it’s because of a few simple reasons. The government is powerful enough as it is, some may say even too powerful. They have already swept away any credible opposition and clamped down on freedom of expression. This administration has not been overally better in terms of morality or fairness than any other administration that we have had in this country since the times of JR.

The government "is itching to declare success ahead of an important regional election on April 25th" - The Economist, and we know it is true. Concrete victory in the war before the elections would doubtless ensure them a landslide victory. And this is where we have to remember what happened the last time a government in Sri Lanka won an election like that;

JRs administration had so much power that they simply swept aside any opposition and the much derided 'Executive Presidency' was initiated. This measure has had a lot of opposition over time but could not be brought down because of the fact that it was written in the constitution by a government that the public voted in with an overwhelming majority. And every single president who came into power after him has always gained office through promises to abolish this scourge on the political system but have always avoided doing so, why? Simply because it favours those in power. It allows them to virtually do whatever they wish. Imagine a man unaccountable to the law itself? And is deemed so by nothing less that the law itself? if a person with no political awareness whatsoever heard about this he would say this man would turn out to be the biggest criminal in the whole nation. And reality has shown us that it is far from untrue. Crime becomes effectively written into law, for crimes conducted by one who cannot be held accountable for them are essentially allowed. This was nothing less than a desecration of justice.

JR also abolished the prevalent system of voting. that of smaller 'seat' based voting where citizens voted in candidates who they genuinely felt would serve them in some way and did not vote in candidates who they felt did not do anything worthwhile during their time period in office. Candidates catering to a smaller demographic were thus forced to include some measure of integrity into their activities and were to an extent answerable to the public of their individual seats if they were not.

This system was expanded and people were made to vote for candidates on a district level and on a provincial level. Creating disconnect between the candidates and contestants and leaving their voting decision susceptible to campaigning and promotions rather than their actual personal knowledge of the person being elected. This also pushed out smaller, less financially able candidates due to the vast resources required for a district wide campaign effectively ensuring that only the existing members of parliament through their amassed wealth, and rich individuals with political connections could enter into the fray with a hope of winning. It created barriers for smaller more idealistically motivated candidates to enter the political arena. So not only did they make it impossible for people to vote in individuals who they thought could do some genuine work, as in people they knew more closely, they also effectively made it impossible for such people to contest in the first place, ensuring a cycle of similar minded individuals continuously maintaining control of the political power of the country.

The impacts of JRs administration were vast and many, and not long after he came into power, the country was plunged into chaos and a quarter century of devastating violence befell us.

Now, i understand that people will be grateful to Mahida's government if he wins the war, regardless of the humanitarian atrocities that it enacted during its course. But the same gratefulness and overwhelming support that was extended to JR, if it is extended to Mahinda as well, would end up being abused and used for more consolidation of undemocratic power, more restrictions of the freedoms that we still enjoy.

If you are a blind eyed freak who thinks that the current government is the best thing since heaven, i would not be able to reason with you, because you are disillusioned, and hypnotized. But if you are a rational individual capable of looking at events objectively please, i beg of you think of the balance of power. Don’t let your emotions get the better of you. Make sure that even if you want the government to have a majority, do not let them have too much of a majority because power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts more than anything else.

IF you want them to take power let them, current public sentiment may well achieve that. But take no part of it yourself, or you will be blamed for God knows what comes our way afterwards. Voting is power, you are effectively handing it over, thinking of your own preference is not enough, and you need to understand the macro picture. So if you want to vote, vote, but vote for the opposition at least. And ensure that those who are in power do not get too drunk with it.

Racism, Social Divides and Broken English

Am i idling? Now that is a strange question, for what is idling? is it doing nothing? but if it is doing nothing then you're technically still doing something, so you not doing nothing. So I’m not idling. That’s good, cos if i was idling i'd have to start feeling a little guilty.

The question of racism in Sri Lanka is an interesting one. There are the utopians who believe that racial prejudice is dead, i was one of them not so long ago and there are those who firmly belive that nothing has changed since the 80s.

Mahinda Rajapakse was a supporter of the nationalist uprising of the 80s, he is also a Southerner and relied heavily during the past years on the hardcore southern vote (a term from which you will deduce what you will). The voting scandal where the Tamils in the North and East were prevented from voting didn’t help his 'equality credentials' much either. But any underground agreement with the LTTE would have obviously backfired on the latter considering the current onslaught they are at the receiving end of, unless its all a cover up.

I am not calling Mahinda a racist, but i have doubts as to the integrity of the current philosophy of nationalism that is spread around, chiefly because of its slightly condescending and patronizing tone towards the minorities. And the strong Sinhalese tradition strain apparent in government war propaganda.

Question is, what are we doing really, to prevent the series of events that culminated in the war from happening again? Are we as a nation really looking at the social, legal, economical, political and other macro and micro environmental factors that contributed to the ethnic conflict that blasted into a full scale war in the mid eighties? Is there a think tank for this? a think tank that is taken seriously by the government and the people in power?

Is racism a symptom of inequality where the deprived masses turn upon the minority community closest to them in hate to channel the anger at being deprived of basic needs and opportunities (as pseudorandom said)? In which case political manipulation should be blamed for turning the people against each other. That wouldn’t be too surprising since the political class of SL has always been consistent of elitist wealth accumulators. That would also explain the total lack of effort at taking the racism issue seriously and the molly-coddling of the people's emotions.

Also, English, one word which speaks volumes. English is encouraged on the surface but nothing has ever been done to promote it in a big way, like promoting English as the language for all educational purposes etc. English knowledge will help bring the masses onto a global platform and get them out of the narrowed frame of mind they seem to be in. It will help them interact with a globalized world more easily and in short they will be more knowledgeable, savvy and aware for it. A common tongue will unite people from different backgrounds a little bit more due to the breakdown of the lingo barrier. It will also improve our competitiveness economically in a global scale. So why is this not happening?

One explanation is that we are a backward population and like to cling to traditions for as long as possible. A squirrel living in a tree for as long as it can, even after its been cut down and the wood is rotting. Another explanation is control. A knowledgeable and empowered people will mean a savvier voter base, which means that a few things will change in the political arena of the future. So maybe the power structure itself is resisting change?

Branding came up as a possible solution. But how much can branding and marketing alone do to promote change in beliefs (i.e. racial differences and prejudices) without some tangible change happening? Actions speak louder than words and branding and media promotions are mere words without action to evidence their validity.

So what do we do? I’m pretty much convinced that if we do nothing and this war does finish, another 'ethnic conflict' will not be too far away, mainly because the root causes have not been addressed and there is still seething anger amongst the people. So while doing nothing may still be doing something, it doesn’t help anyone, and ultimately all of us, who have a responsibility to ensure we do what we can, will be guilty.

The conspiracy theory bit

Due to popular request, by one person, here is the conspiracy theory bit,

In back rooms and bars, in garden sessions in the evening and in Christmas day pre-lunch sessions. When friends meet up for beers in cars parked in front of supermarkets for easy refills, in discussions around lunch times with the people you call colleagues the conspiracy theories abound and prosper. They are the grapevine of society, a countering force to the mainstream media, who give out re-fabricated versions of truth, whose own social and political bias can only prevent it from giving out objective information, where appearances are everything and the truth is merely a clay object to sit and mould to create whatever you want of it.

There are various aspects to it.

1) Burning the haystack to destroy the needle

Gaza anyone? indiscriminate aerial bombings have left the tigers no option but to retreat. Guerilla warfare is all very well when you're sure the enemy is not going to come in and bomb the whole jungle. It's all good when the enemy is too careful about not harming civillians to come in and target you, who are hiding amongst them. The haystack was burned down and the needles were wheedled out. International dissent is countered by promises of economic incentives (access to natural resources, investment opportunities potential harmful to the local economy, support at the UN by 'selling' our votes etc).

2) The new deal

Theories about a 'deal' back in the last presidential elections with regard to the prevention of voting of certain segments of the population were abundantly broadcasted through the grapevine, the new deal is a deal between the government and the tigers, huge payoffs were involved, the tigers agreed to get lost, the government made a hoo-ha about fighting and clearing up the area while there were no tigers really there.

The Ugly bit

This is where things get a bit ugly, if such a deal existed then what about the dead? the numbers of the dead have nowhere been as close to the magnitude as you would expect from such a clean up. But there is no denying that there are the dead.

If the deal was made, it was made so that only the higher echelons of the powerful on both sides would know. You can't have soldiers going home and talking about deserted towns and no resistance at all offered by the LTTE, or vice versa. So fighting was staged, people were sacrificed, but not as many as would have been sacrificed if it was all absolutely real, but enough at least to convince those doing the fighting of its truth.

They're on the way to clearing up the whole country and yet, they haven’t found Prabhakaran. Haven't even found the usually heavily publicized underground hiding places, bunkers etc. Where are the rows of dead tigers on TV? Where are the rows of dead soldiers? Why is there such muted backlash from tigers and their supporters abroad?

The beautiful bit

Ah this is the beautiful bit. Why would the tigers retreat if they had nothing in it? surely just the money wouldn’t convince an idealist like Prabhakaran to back off and shut up?

The grapevine says that the Tigers still have powerful allies abroad, governmental allies. The deal was struck knowing this, the beauty of the deal is that after the North-east is cleared up, the leaders of the LTTE (the ones that have remained out of the spotlight, or ones that are puppets to the real ones staying being the curtains) will come back and proceed to participate 'democratically' in the governance of the North-east.

3) The man on the Moon

Its all a sham. Its just to win an election and consolidate power. We'll be back to fighting the war in no time.

...

War is war, but what is it exactly? is it really only just fighting with guns and other weapons and driving back the enemy? Can we really take sides when we look at the greater picture? why are we embroiled in false notions of 'patriotism' and 'right' and 'wrong' when deep down we know that it is all about economic incentives? why are we divided into countries anyway? aren’t we all a part of the same race? The human race?

enough with the philosophy one-oh-one (as David Blacker would say) but the grapevine has told me a few thing and i just thought I’d share them with you. We have to open our eyes, and accept that things may not always be what they seem. If the conspiracies are true, then there are reasons for the farce. People themselves may never accept the tigers as democratic leaders so maybe a whole fiasco had to be done up to at least give them the psychological satisfaction of a win. But then, what about the base of eelam supporters in the world? don’t they need and wont they clamor for a win too? Or has their support base eroded so far that such a series of events is made possible.

Whatever said and done, the conflict seems to be coming to a close. Even the grapevine, usually very skeptical, seems to be convinced that the war as we know it has come to an end. But the way it was brought to an end, and how it ended, may have deeper political and economic implications than we can easily guess on our little island well into the future.

The odds and ends that pop in now and then

goinabeggin

Bah! The trouble you have to go through to find a decent place to beg these days. There is a freaking monopoly controlled by the one huge player in the market, an unofficial association of beggars. No, make that a syndicate. We’re talking mafia stylie here.

They’ve got all the good spots, places like MC are priority locations, only a given few can be present there at any given time. One can only assume that the little chap on the wheelchair with the disfigured arm, no legs and the pocket that is always full of money has a controlling stake in the whole enterprise or something. Otherwise you tell me how the same guy can hog the same damn lucrative location day in and day out? Especially if he is pint sized and can be pushed over (or rolled onto the street in front of a speeding bus) easily by any bigger beggar out there? And did I mention his pocket is always full of cash? There’s even someone standing by to empty it out now and then

There are also the celebrities, the ones you see on TV. Remember that blind couple who were splashed all over the TV some years ago. The ones who used to sing really well? Guess what? They were REAL! Yes that’s right. I couldn’t believe it the first time I saw them either. Saw em at the train station and then around Bambalapitiya, was a mere kid back then so it was like meeting a celebrity or something, walked upto em and dropped 2 rupees in their begging bowl with awestruck eyes never leaving their blind faces. Now I’m grown up though, and I want to be just like them, I am much more mature and don’t get star struck so easily.

I’m listening to this System of a Down song called ‘power struggle’ right now and thinking and that is what it is. A power struggle. Some of these beggars probably make more money than you or me. But most of them are probably really living in the gutter. It’s the 80-20 principle there as well. Everything is controlled, even beggars don’t get to beg when and where they want to. There is a market. And some markets are more lucrative than others; places like MC, Odel & House of Fashions are probably the bomb. And if they are the bomb, everyone who is a beggar worth his begging bones should come there right? Unless of course there is some sort of market force in action. Could be supply and demand, but it's more likely an organized force of thuggery and control.

Maybe they are even linked to the Mob. And I don’t mean The MoB.

Anyways, taking into consideration the unhealthy financial environment, I was just looking at my options. Oh well, I’ll just move on to the next one (investment banking). Begging isn’t as great as I thought it was. Crime essentially doesn’t pay either. If you doubt me read chapters 3&4 (if im not mistaken) of Freakonomics (500 bucks at VYB basement), begging is probably the same story. However if you are an aspiring burglar here are some tips to improve productivity.

Peace out.

Don't Shoot! I'm with the government!

What's been happening around the place? when bloggers like RD, Gehan & The Messiah start talking politics you know that there's some seriously disturbing shit going down.

Lasantha was shot down and killed. I am deeply disturbed by his death. He was a beacon of free speech for all of us on this little island. A hopeful light that here, there still remains a man capable of defying the stifling blankets of control imposed upon us. Here was someone not afraid to fight for the truth. He was a symbol of freedom. In that freedom is a right to express yourself no matter what the environment.

In a day and age where patriotism is mistaken for supporting the government in everything they do, we are all liable to be shot down. Are we still living in a democracy, or are we heading for a pseudo autocracy? Do we all support the war? if we do, should we necessarily brand those who don't support it 'traitors'? Or should we shout down the warnings that say 'everything is not quite right here' because if everything was fine and dandy, there wouldnt really be reporters dying like flies, and TV stations being burned down yes?

A nationalist uprising? or rather, my brown Sri Lankan bottom. But perhaps it is, my bottom has been known to be wrong on the past.

Terror, is it racial?

Okay you dopey morons. I’m gonna tell you about some insight that attacked my brilliant mind last Sunday while we were smoking up some good greens on the beach. where does terror originate?

The talk starts with the ultimate blight of the depraved System. None of us want to be a part of it. Yet we all ride it. None of us actually want to go to work. yet we do,. we are all in it for the money. A few lucky ones prefer to self actualize and choose a path of life that is apart from the mainstream. A few brave ones. But is not very much fun doing it if you don't have the money to support a house in Colombo, great food, and hangouts in all the artsy places around town. So the apparently altruistic, at least the ones we could identify, were all rich kids with big inheritances ditching the system cos their spoilt enough to afford it. The rest are all 'struggling artists' Which doesn’t really count right?

We have all go a set of needs to fulfill. And rarely will you find a bugger self actualizing without a shit given to basic necessities like food, shelter, security etc. So most of us on a default basis basically 'ride the system'. Which of course is, the economy as we know it. The system fakes everything up and tells you that you are making an honest living. and, little knowing the greed that is driving imbalance and oppression across the world, you gladly work for it. Hell i do too.

The system is a network of capitalization. The powerful always stay on top. It is driven by power and money. Any external benefits that happen because of it are purely there to help it grow. because the system knows its a give and take ball game. but it is essentially exploitative. That’s why you don’t see most companies take steps against pollution unless there is enormous public pressure for it to do so. It knows if doesn't comply, it's gonna destroy its income. So then we have 'green' sucker uppers.

The System has been running the world for a long time. Ever wondered why the British empire was never criticized for its sudden and disgraceful loss of power (After WW2 it went from owning almost half the worlds land mass to owning practically nothing.) Yet they still command oodles of respect in the world’s hierarchy of powerbrokers. Ever looked closely at the regions that the Brits pulled out of? Ever noticed what a fucked up state they were left in? look at Africa. They were doing really well in the days of the Empire. Now their hitting the dust again and again. Look at India. They were united in power against the occupier. Muslims, Hindus alike, the Brits left and somehow massive racial violence breaks out and what was once India is now several nations. Their power broken down. There's no telling really, what they might have achieved as a country if they had stayed united and never waged all these destructive internal wars that tore them apart.

The Brits had a strategic withdrawal plan alright; They were in cahoots with the Americans when they were doing it. Consolidating their power even in retreat. One can almost say the Empire never died. Just closed in on itself.

Just look at SL. Even India. We were divided before being colonized, then we finally united against a common enemy, who somehow made sure we divided again after we finally won over them.

Fine. Now leave all that aside and look at us people again. We are working for a system that runs the world. That’s fine. we don’t think a lot beyond our own needs, and essentially we don’t need to. The system works on the basis that everyone has a need for it to survive. But how about the crushed? how about its vast inefficiencies and the destruction that is waged by the system? How about the web of lies we continue to believe in because it gives us comfort and allows to pretend that what we are doing is actually the best thing we could be doing. That we are not contributing to the dastardly effects the system has on the world.

How about those few who stand up against it? Are they the terrorists? Or are they just one form of terrorists?

What do yall think? If you've managed to follow my reasoning so far. If not, I'm gonna tell you anyways what I think.

My Ass (and other figments of my imagination)

Lies
the tie you tie
everyday is a leash
like a dog you work
for the beast.
they squeeze
dragging you every step of the way
don't scream
it only makes it worse.
work
for your living
work and just pretend
you're doing what you're doing
because it's self fulfilling.
because the pittance you get
is what you deserve.
like a dung beetle you struggle
rolling up a hill
only to retire happy
in the knowledge that you're it
on top of a pile of shit.

Where have all the terrorists gone?

Ok now here’s a question for all you people out there who think Prabahakaran’s a terrorist. Does he not wank at night before goes to sleep? If you prick him does he not bleed? If you stole his lunch and beat him up, would he not cry? Is he but a man like you and me? Or is he really a woman inside like Boy George or Mervin Silva? Or is he, like many believe him to be, the illegitimate, discarded son of the devil himself? Illegitimate because the devil in a drunken stupor landed in Jaffna thinking it was LA and did it with a bush lizard of some type thinking it was Celine Dion or Donald Trump? And even though you might say all the devil’s children, like George Bush, are illegitimate since after all the devil leads by example, discarded because a bush lizard is still a bush lizard and even the devil has his standards?

Yes, yes it is very brave of me to sit safe in my room in an undisclosed location in the greater Colombo area and smugly type away vicious insults to the grand old boy of Sri Lankan terrorism I know. But that’s okay, I am not asking for any medals, just doing my civic duty as a roadblock loving Sri Lankan citizen who would think nothing of sacrificing about 15 minutes of the first part of his crucial CIM exams so that some power loving money hungry white shirt wearing deranged komodo dragon of a politician can wait for his wife to leave (through a different route, eliciting the services of other patriots and honourable citizens such as I) so that he can get his servant to suck him off in the kitchen and still get his nice round ass to parliament for the next power hungry bastard with something to gain to kiss in 15 minutes flat. Oh yes, I am all for efficient governance.

While retracting my rather tasteless comments about the devil and his dirty deeds above, for after all a lady is still a lady even though she may have been unfortunate enough to have a son like Prabhakaran, I am forced to ask, who is the real terrorist here?

One, gets people to die for him without even meeting them in the name of an ancient cause that frankly no one even knows anything about anymore. The other, revels in the war effort and uses it to consolidate his power by scaring the people making them bend over double and give him all their money. Probably half of which he uses to buy weapons netting a handy commission out of the whole deal. Some might call it a lost cause. But no one really knows anymore.

It’s like when Mr Perera snapped at Mrs Soyza’s dog and Mrs Soyza called Mrs Perera a drunken whorebag because Mr. Soyza who drinks every night, can’t resist looking over the wall to get a peek at Mrs. Perera’s extra large green cotton panties hanging on the washing line. And so begins a long drawn out battle between the Pererá’s and Soyza’s and including, among it’s many casualties, a cut down thambili tree for daring to drop its produce on the wrong side of the parapet wall, a surprised bas unnahey who chose the wrong side of the border to keep his foot on during some construction, a harangued local police officer sick and tired of dealing with petty complaints and who ultimately suffered a stroke, and even more harassed looking neighbours unable to sleep due to noisy arguments from both sides all through the night, and who went out and didn’t contribute positively to the workforce and spread the insomnia throughout their acquaintances and throughout over ever widening circles causing car accidents, bus accidents, moral degeneracy and a serious economic down turn preceded by a financial crisis in the US where the Perera’s stressed and vacation deprived son was working at Bear Sterns as an investment banker looking for a new high return, risk insurable investment opportunity.

Ultimately, the Soyza’s dog died from a heart attack and Mrs. Perera stopped wearing extra large green cotton panties due to having lost so much weight by fighting all day and through having developed an allergy to cotton that brought her out in itches and boils that her doctor said was due to stress and from not being able to stand the colour green anymore because it gave her traumatic nightmares about how it all started. And Mr. Soyza stopped drinking after a bout of extreme depression when Mrs Perera stopped wearing extra large green cotton panties and stayed sober in order to better focus on the fight at hand and trounce the opponent even though he hadn’t the faintest what it was all about, having been drinking at the time it all started. And Mrs Soyza wouldn’t stop fighting till Mr Perera stopped and Mr. Perera didn’t see why he should stop until Mrs. Soyza backed off and apologized despite the pleadings of the harangued police officer and his insistence that there was nothing left to fight over anymore.

And so they bred the same hate and ignorance within all their children who in turn proudly presented it to their children as a part of the great heritage of their respective families and the Perera’s and the Soyza’s continue to fight to this day and no one really remembers or cares that it all started over a long dead dog and a pair of extra large green cotton panties.

So who’s the real terrorist here I ask you again. If you were to ask me, I would say neither. There are no terrorists here at all, only angry people with weapons (and a possibly inherited fetish for alcohol and extra large green cotton panties), who have forgotten why they got angry in the first place.

And as for terrorism itself, well we are all unknowingly embroiled in it. It is an aura surrounding us that we can't shake off.



Disclaimer -The selection of these two esteemed Sri Lankan last names was purely random, and may have been triggered by the memory of two families in my former neighborhood that were constantly at loggerheads with each other. No offense meant to any individual bearing the names of Soyza or Perera, nor to anyone fond of green cotton undergarments of any size, and i sincerely hope no offense was taken!

The Cost

Quiet. Sshh!
Riot!
Liars and Robots
Flyers and pennants
Kill!
Power!
Blood!
Murder!

Quiet! Ssshhh!
The baby sleeps
A mother weeps
Revolution!
Havoc!
A father tries to feed
His mistake;
To breed.

Shout!!
Loud!
The world is too proud!
Bizarre!
Kill!
Beware!
Happiness is dark
Tinged with blood

Useless!!
The screams.
keep going!
hope!
Never fades
The race
Suffers.
Ideals lost
What we forgot
The cost?
Is too great

Apita Witharak Neethiya??

The pictures say it all. Displaying the utter chutzpah of anyone with a bit of power/authority over here.

But from a different angle; the corrupt coppers serve both sides of the table. How many of us have avoided a speeding fine or a drunk driving rap with a bribe of a few hundred bucks? I have. Several times. Read Indi's take on it here. and yet we curse them for ruining the land. Whos fault is it? the copper's? ours for our own form of encouragement? The culture and collective each-for-his-own mentality that exists? Or the freaking SYSTEM dude??!! (That is to say a generalization of what is wrong with the world in er, general).

Oh and btw, since publicizing it seems to be the trend, this is my 50th Post :)

Message in a Bottle

A green little bottle, the cork is screwed on tight. The genie inside might not or might, be waiting to tell you a story of light, a story of darkness, with thunder and flashes of white.

Three wishes my child do not ask for more. Your life can be changed for now and evermore. And for the rest of eternity you will reside, in peace and in riches, i do not lie.

Contemplating the wisdom of the attempt to be made, the mind is taken on a journey of hope, a thrillseeker, the thrills are here to take.

But there is always and will be a price to be paid.

It is the bite of the darkside, the deal is your soul. Live in the light my child all mighty and bold, at the end of your time, the secrets will be told.

And then the darkness will swallow you whole.

Throw the wretched bottle back into the sea, the temptation is there but it is not for me. Destroy it I must yet so should it be? but its too late, the bottle is already out of reach.

If you see it, destroy it.

That was a public service announcement :-)

The Prophecies of Ranjan

The nation’s Hero and everybody’s favorite film star Ranjan Ramanayaka is all ready to use his fame and name to finally do some good for the downtrodden and long suffering masses of Sri Lanka. Renowned for chasing away corrupt politicians and making them pee in their pants in his movies, it is hoped by everyone with a sense and craving for justice that Ranjan Aiyya will do the same with the real politicians in this country and bring about a new age of freedom and integrity.

Ranjan aiyya is unafraid, period. He is the type of man who will stare down a charging lion with nothing but scorn in his eyes. He is the type of leader that this country needs.

It is expected by many that the size of his biceps alone will have enough power to pass game changing legislation in the parliament. His political success will know no bounds because he is a Man of the People and what is more, now that Ranjan’s political prowess is unleashed and he can publicly wield his God given influence without modesty, he should rekindle his romance with Sri Lanka’s golden girl Anarkali and save her, yes, save that poor girl from the evil clutches of that uncultured demon, Duminda.

They will then romance each other in the light of public scrutiny and become the most sought after, imitated and paparazzied couple in the country. They will together revolutionize the culture of this island and noble Anarkali will become the guiding shadow on the pathway of Ranjan Aiyya’s journey to becoming the first permanent president of Sri Lanka.

What is more, Ranjan Aiyya will abolish the need for bodyguards for Sri Lankan politicians and cut down, massively, on government spending in this regard. Instead he will make them follow a vigorous exercise schedule and make them sculpt bodies of Spartanic proportions (although none of those lazy individuals will be able to match up to Ranjan Aiyya’s physique; which is of Greek Godly proportions). Our politicians will then proceed to be trained in the various arts of fighting and will float around dodging bullets and taking on gunfights bare fisted.

Ranjan Aiyya will then proceed to rid the country of the scourge of terrorism and will singlehandedly defeat Prabhakaran and 200,000 LTTE cadres armed to the teeth in an historic battle that will be the turning point in the history of this country.

He will then preach peace and equality for all and will be the father of a new nation and lead Sri Lanka to world economic dominance fuelled mainly by the power of the local film industry which he will nurture and cultivate to such an extent that we would be the sole suppliers of entertainment to every single person on the planet.

He will then proceed to win over and control all the rest of the world’s leaders with the sheer power of his charisma.

And such will be the rise of Sri Lanka from an insignificant island nation to the world’s first truly noble superpower.

All hail the dawning of the Ranjan Revolution! long live One Shot!

The simple relationship between Money, Power and Blood...and a love poem.

I had a funny thought in the bus today. It was about money, power and blood. I remember thinking on the relationship between those three elements of human existence. Seems like in the quest for money and power, it is almost impossible not to have any blood on your hands. Now it does not mean that you have to directly pull the trigger or own the hand that holds the knife. I mean even in an indirect sense. Say you work as a respectable economist for a government with a despotic edge to it. A government that ruthlessly eliminates any opposition and refuses to acknowledge the values of the constitution that it is bound to uphold while being immersed in corruption. Don’t the benefits you gain from that job come from the sacrifice of others? From the bloodshed and pain and injustice caused?

Or say you are an honest businessman out to make a healthy living. the environment you operate in is ruled by a government that abuses fiscal policy to benefit certain industries that have no bearing on the development of the country (e.g. FDI and monopolistic foriegn control) and you take advantage of this to make your own money by investing in these areas.

is it really pssible to make money, become rich and powerful without having at least a drop of blood smeared on your hands as a result of your actions affecting the life of some other living being somewhere on this planet?

and now for the love poem..

ahem..

Every single day,
Every single hour
I can see her face.
My never ending fantasy
My wish so long ago
Living in a pipe dream
Happiness it seems
Is so close by
Dancing to the beat
My days go by

But now I am further away
Looking at myself
What if I got what I want?
My mind turns critical
The reality of the dream
Is it just a dream in reality?
It’s an illusion of truth
And that is not always good


so what does love have in common with money and power you ask? well they all make me extremely sentimental.

they are also three things that are highly desirable to the average human being.

And where does the blood come in? well, i'll leave that for you to figure out.