So you want to live in London...

London, probably the most cosmopolitan (English speaking) city in the world, a centre for fashion, culture, football and a variety of alcohols – however if one wants to live there it is pretty expensive by any standard. It may be difficult enough for people living elsewhere in the UK to relocate to London but for people outside the country it can be a daunting task and there are quite a few scam artists quite eager to take advantage of the naive or desperate. So with that in mind here is a helpful guide to finding a place to stay for a long stay (a year or more) and a few helpful suggestions and insights.

A word of caution – NEVER, EVER under any circumstances hand over money just to see or reserve a place, always see a property in person. Even if you know someone who can check things out for you, it is very strongly suggested that a first hand look at a place is a requirement. Using the internet to find places might be easy, but it is probably the worst way to find a decent place just on it’s own.

First and foremost that old adage location, location, location - figure out where you need/want to be and how much you will be willing to travel. Check the London tube system layout, and get familiar with the location of the stations as they are the best landmarks and orientation points. Also for school/work check the nearest station and see what line it is on, then you can look for places along that line. For example The London School of Economics is along the Picadilly line, so finding a place nearest a tube station on that line will make it an easy commute.

Another thing to keep in mind is the zones, if you want to be in zone 1... you are obviously very rich and do not need this guide. Zone 2 and 3 are still pretty pricy but with a bit of searching one can probably find something though it might stretch the budget a bit. Zone 4 and you are a bit out of London but the prices are more reasonable – you get the idea.

With that in mind first check your resources, not just how much money you can spend on rent but if you have any friends or relatives in London or the UK that could help you look for a place or might even have a spare room. It is worth putting some time into this as one could save a lot of time, effort and money with the right contact. Plus if you have someone willing to be your guarantor you can avoid a lot of hassle and upfront fees that foreign nationals have to pay in London (a bit more on that later).

If you don’t have any contacts in London, fret not, but be prepared to do some walking. Checking for places online is a good way to scout out some places but as stated before never put any money upfront without seeing the place in person.

If you are attending a school in London check out the Student housing services first they can give helpful information about where to look and have their own listings for shared accommodations. Most will also provide free telephone and internet use for registered students to help find a place.

Travelling to London:

If you don’t have a place ready for you or just confirmed via the internet plan to spend at least a couple of weeks in London itself to look for a place. You could find a place in a couple of days or within a week but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Hostels are good temporary accommodations and some have secure storage for heavy luggage (be sure to check), so plan a budget of about $50/day which is about 25 pounds just to be safe. There are Hostels that advertise at $20 per day but remember that doesn’t include food and is usually the lowest rate available during off-peak seasons. So just to look for a place have at least $700 set aside for cheap accommodation and cheap food (more on eating in London later)

Things to have ready beforehand:

So now it is the heart of the story, travelling to London to find a place. Assuming you can take care of your travel arrangements let’s look at what you should have with you to make finding a place in London a bit easier.

- A Bank account, for a lot of services, school and some landlords this is a must. You can set up an account with HSBC that would work in London before you leave but for a fee, otherwise one of the first things to do is setup an account with a bank that is close to your school or another central location. Schools also have deals with certain bank branches so check with student services.

- If you are going to school make sure to bring all enrolment and acceptance information (with copies and backups of course) as it will help to get accounts and student deals on services and housing.

- If you can arrange for someone you know in the UK to be a guarantor it will save you having to pay 6 months rent in advance for most landlords and certain fees for services.

- Comfortable shoes, you will be walking around quite a bit so dress appropriately, also an umbrella is a pretty good idea.

Once in London,

After settling in to your temporary space hit the pavement as soon as possible (not literally of course), and unless you really, really, really like walking an Oyster card is must. The cards can be obtained from virtually any tube station including the Airports. Ideally get a weekly pass for the zones you wish to travel, at the time of writing a weekly tube pass for zone 1-2 is roughly $60 which includes a deposit. Just ask the helpful staff at the nearest station and they will be able to explain the fees and system in detail. Or visit http://www.tfl.gov.uk

If you are going to school the first stop should be the student housing services as they will be able to give a lot of help and advice. Otherwise one of the first things you should consider getting is a phone, it will make life a lot easier getting in contact with landlords and services, and the payphones in London are extraordinarily ill tempered (one ate $6 worth of coins and still refused to dial out and requested more money).

There are quite a few options for phones T-Mobil, Virgin, the list goes on. Just stop by the first store and get a cheap phone and a pay as you go plan, you’ll also be introduced to the payment system which is used by the other utilities so a good learning opportunity there as well.

Letting agents.

Probably the fastest and safest way to find a place by yourself, letting agents are locally oriented offices that find renters for landlords. Each office focuses on a small radius around them so even if they belong to the same company if it’s in a different area they usually don’t have information on what’s available. So the best way to find places is to just get off at the tube stop you want to live near and look for the nearest letting agent walk down the main streets and there will be quite a few. The key is to check as many as possible to find a place that is convenient, safe, clean, and within your budget.

Speaking of budget be prepared to spend more than you expect, it is possible to find a place a bachelor apartment for $300 a week (yes PER week) in zone 2 but for $30 more you could find a more ideal location. Since most landlords expect at least a 6 month commitment make sure you want to live there for a while.

This ends the first part, if this is interesting I’ll post more sections that will cover:

-Getting internet,

-Utilities

-Bargaining with landlords

-Things to consider when looking at a place

-Food and grocery shopping

-General advice.

This is the biggest news story around right now and it isn't surprising to see why, the spin on the story is also fairly interesting. Surprisingly (for the most part) the news agencies have been fairly balanced in reporting though the spin is well under way. Whether the left-wing liberal media or the right-wing ... conservative media? each portion out information to skew opinions in favour of their own viewpoints.

[Though first off it has to be said that this is a tragedy and one cannot help but feel for the grieving relatives of those killed, this truly was a senseless, incredibly stupid and tragic loss of life.]

Now while I do find Bill O'Rielly a few cards short of a full deck he had a (as in only one) valid argument during his talking point regarding the news spin on events. Of course there are other opinions as well, regardless the facts are such:

- Thursday November 5th Maj. Malik Nadal Hasan opened fire and killed 13 people, injuring 30 at Fort Hood, Texas

Regardless of how it is reported any other information is a blind attempt to seek meaning into this act be trying to get a sense of how this could happen. Surprisingly the 'Muslim terrorist' angle has been downplayed from the beginning, the military even flat out stating that they do not believe this was an act of terrorism - not that I'm complaining but it does raise more questions in the back of my head that settle any misplaced sense of relief.

What really bothers me is that Maj. Hasan was a trained psychiatrist - who helped fellow soldiers deal with problems such as stress related to combat! This is an educated man who according to reports is a devout Muslim... how does a person such as this end up going on a shooting spree?

This of course is were the wonderful world of speculation comes in, there are reports about him being unhappy with the military, against his future deployment in Afghanistan, shouting religious 'slogans' during the shooting, being a loner, upset at the war in general as well as treatment of Muslims, even attending morning prayer at Mosque just before the incident.

If I had to guess I'd say he was pressured by the conflict he felt between his faith and his occupation while listening to who knows how many horror stories from fellow soldiers returning from deployment. If indeed he was an introverted loner then he was basically akin to a pressure cooker about to explode at some point. He must have lost sight of his sense of self, being unable to reconcile his conflicting loyalties and feelings.

In any event I'm sure the news agencies will deliver the 'pertinent' facts as they come and since he survived we may be treated to interviews and the like... bah.

Sigh, well the real fun is the blame game that will start now, everyone one and their dog pointing fingers or shifting blame from the obvious to the obscure ($10 says there is at least one government conspiracy theory out there already... who am I kidding there are already about 15 or so).

So in the end will anything change, does this sensational news event have any larger significance than allowing news agencies to increase ratings, pundits to weigh, politicians to spin things in their favour, or an excuse to drive another wedge into the rift between the average Muslim and John Q Public. Who knows?

To be honest it will be talked about a lot... a whole lot, by almost everyone trying to make some sort of point (myself included I suppose) but after a while some celebrity will do something stupid and life will go on without much noticeable change... though some people should be prepared for some 'extra security screening' in the near future.

I guess if there is anything to be learnt it is that anyone can break from pressure or stress or just being isolated, the solution is quite simple but much easier said than done - talk to people, share oneself with others on a daily basis and keep firm what ideals one holds as a part of ones self (I think I used 'one' a tad too much but heck, that's just the way I roll).

Take care everyone.

Politics? or mindless entertainment...

Well, in an effort to return to a bit more of an intelligent slant to this blog I thought I'd discuss the recent speech Obama made to congress regarding is health care reform plans.
Oddly enough the first thing I thought while watching this speech is - why on earth is Obama actually talking about this... it reminded me of a parent sitting a child down and trying to explain them why it is not a good idea to put forks in electrical sockets.
I've been vaguely aware of the ongoing 'debate' regarding health... well not the real debate more the funny people yelling about 'death panels' and protesting the destruction of American Freedom (Made in China).

The fact that Obama actually had to make a speech to congress regarding ridiculous claims is what I find the most incredulous... though watching the live feed of the speech changed my opinion.

I think I understand why Bush was able to get re-elected (aside from uncharismatic opponents) he had a real ability to connect to the LCD's or Lowest Common Denominators, as was once pointed out by Mr. Stewart of the Daily Show - Bush doesn't speak like an idiot, he talks as if he is speaking to an idiot.

In Obama's speech he took a similar approach though instead of talking to an idiot he was talking to an out of control child, trying to explain decisions while warning what will and will not be tolerated.

Of course the most interesting parts of the speech were the timely cutaways showing crowd reactions from republicans and democrats... a fun drinking game is to try and guess by facial expression which represtative belongs to which party.

It seemed that the gathering of leaders of the United States of America had been reduced the same level of politics as a Schoolyard during recess, with Obama being the supervising teacher trying to maintain order. It would be hilarious if it wasn't a sad summation of the absurd divisivness and ingorance that plague modern politics, and the only people to blame are the voters who rely on mass media and irrelevant speculation to 'guess' who to vote for. The idea of an intelligent and informed electorate is probably the biggest weakness of democracy since niether ever seem to hold true, I'm not saying a dictatorship is any better but one has to wonder if the democracy of ours really represents the will of the people and if so... is the will of a majority that has no interest in keeping track of events in the Country or spending time learning how to make effective decsions worth listening to?

Meh, it's all a moot point anyway everyone knows that corporations and personal interest are the real deciders of policy in government, or maybe I'm just being too cynical.

The Smell of Jasmine and Shit...



In retrospect deciding to try the above title for this post was a little... idiotic, but nevertheless I had decided to make that the title and I'll have to work with it.
Unfortunately between the time I wrote the last post and my attempt to start blogging again a lot has happened. I am no longer in sunny and (overly) warm Sri Lanka, and now am residing in the overcast and almost frigid regions of Canada - though to be fair we did have a few days of warm weather a week ago...
In regards to the title of this post, I believe originally it had to do with an experience I had walking home from work one day in Sri Lanka... and those literally were the smells I encountered, which at the time I felt was a fitting metaphor to the ugliness and beauty that existed in an almost paradoxical balance there.
I think I was also going to point out the differences between Canada and Sri Lanka by pointing out that while Canada may be more stable and 'safe' it is rather boring, dull, sanitized... characterized by rather bland smells or of limited variation.

Well, in any event as I stated at the beginning the title was a little idiotic... so that about sums up what the original purpose of the title was. As for a better topic, meh, a bit too lazy to find an appropriate segue so the post will end here.

Farewell to Geocities



So I've recently heard the news that Yahoo! (yes the exclamation is part of the name) has decided to close down GeoCities. For those who don't know GeoCities was one of the first websites that allowed anyone to build a site and host if for free in subdirectory of their domain... basically you they gave you a site of your own to play with.

Back in the day when hotmail wasn't owned by Microsoft and thus only a quarter evil, yes GeoCities was a place for anyone who wanted their little section of the web to show to the world what little skill in web design they really had.

Yes I was once one of those who squatted some space on the web with my poorly designed and rarely updated site, though I actually wrote rants... ah those were the days. Angrily writing on a topic of which caught my attention, not caring if it made sense or right or wrong... just verbally spilling bile onto a forgotten corner of the interweb.

Surprisingly enough the site is still there, with nary a visitor in god knows how long. Still it was kind of nostalgic to read a few of my first ventures into writing things publicly available that no one would ever read... hehe... he.

Funnily enough the first Rant I posted was never finished, a point that doesn't go anywhere... perhaps a metaphor for my life in general... I really have to stop setting up these self directed jokes, even against myself I can't resist taking pot shots. Anyway it is kind of sad to see the old site go down, though now there are a lot more options for people to build sites, blogger (of course) wordpress, Myspace, and with Facebook why even bother building a personal website?

It is also neat to look at my style writing and notice a few subtle changes, my vocabulary has improved slightly and my tone is more even and considered instead of the angry ravings that constitute a 'rant'.

Though for old times sake I think I'll let the anger out a bit for my next entry and get back to a good ol'fashion written rage against the world. I even have a title picked out, "The smell of Jasmine and Shit... yes Shit"

A different way of looking at things....


They say news is a matter of opinion (I am beginning to think 'they say' is an overused term to gloss over the fact that there really isn't any concrete information), news is basically any event or action that has or will take place. What people consider news is very dependent on the person, for example some people may be interested in the latest sports score, others may want up to date financial news from the movers and shakers in the business world, and still others may only be interested in what their grandchildren have been doing.

In our modern society the importance of news is decided by a few factors:
1) to what extent will it impact the audience of the news
2) interest of the audience in certain news
3) standard or limitations to publishing news

Of course I'm oversimplifying it a tad but bear with me, now more often that not news in factor 1 is not of interest to people while factor 2 isn't really important to the lives of the audience beyond the superficial.
Now as well a lot of news in that is interpreted to make it as appealing to the audience as possible - or as it is more commonly known "sensationalising" news stories for popularity. It doesn't just fall into the realm of entertainment news, the major 'trusted' news networks are just as bad. The 'venerable' CNN in the USA has been considered the most 'fair and balanced' news channel by the general public. Unfortunately that is a poor standard, let's give a quick example, there recently was a story about North Korea, take a look at the headline from Reuters and compare it to the CNN headline for the same story (they link to the stories which I recommend reading).

Reuters - North Korea seeks talks with South but warns on sanction

CNN - North Korea: Sanctions a declaration of war

It gets worse if you do read the actual stories that were online, the CNN story makes no mention of the talks with South Korea but instead focuses on the threat North Korea and their missile program represent.

If you break down the story, only the first paragraph is actually news, the rest of the article is opinion and history provided to give a certain impression. All too often I see this type of reporting where the actual content can be summed up in a few lines while the rest is speculation and propoganda disguised as factual information.

It isn't really CNN's fault though... if you had a choice between the two headlines which would you click on?
News providers are tied to sponsorship and viewer count, they walk a fine line between journalistic integrity and meeting the bottom line. The sad truth is that no news source can really be trusted, if one wants a real picture of what is happening in the world you must take as many different perspectives as possible and the truth will fall somewhere in the middle of that.

Though how many people have the time for that anymore? Many don't even bother reading from one source of news, forget checking different and altering view points of news. It isn't necessarily a bad thing, until these same people decide the must have an opinion about the world or (heaven forbid) get actual power and decide to make policies based on incomplete and often faulty information.

What is even more frightening is people who have strong convictions based on absolutely no information at all... I won't say which group many of such people belong to, but I'm sure many can hazard a guess.

Though perhaps as with beauty, the value of news is just in the eye of the beholder... and how news will effect the way they think and act.

Hmm, perhaps it is all meaningless information that is consumed and passed out like ... ugh I can't finish that analogy.
I guess more important than having information is what one does with it, if someone has a perfect view of everthing going on in the world but just goes about their daily life... how is it different than someone who doesn't know anything about the world? So perhaps one has to take information with a view of how to change the world or at the very least share their view with others.

Not Normal



I've always had an aversion to normalacy... perhaps that is not the right phrase. I've always taken refuge in the label of being abnormal, different than the usual. Perhaps it is growing up considering myself (narcsisstically) unusual or not quite the same as people around me, in part that is true though one has to recognize that everyone is slightly different than the other.
I don't think of myself as unique or special just something that doesn't seem to productively fit in the mechanisms of the world that comprise what we call society.
I am able to understand or connect to different people and expereince... but never feel a part of them, or it does not quite resonate as what I see myself as - only parts. I keep having this feeling that I have all these functions but no direction, like an all purpose tool that may get many tasks done if used but is not really vital for any specific job.

I think what annoys me the most is that people like definitions or labels to identify what they are - in both positive and negative ways. Take religion for example (ah what a lovely can of worms), now I've come to a bit of an odd view that all religions are equally valid with both good and not-so good facets. They are all different ways of interpreting the world and they are all trying to get people to live in a moral and beneficial way to society or more specifically the ideals of the immediate community. Given the opportunity I enjoy learning more about religious beliefs, the only time I stop is when someone has the gall to say that there is only one path and all others are false.
Hmm, I'll stop before I dig too deep a hole for myself, anyway getting back to my original point is that people will often ask what my religion is and I have a hard time answering them. If I say I don't really belong to a religion they assume I'm an atheist - which isn't accurate. Conversely saying that I'm a student of any religion that promotes good qualities leads to puzzling looks and odd questions.
So to avoid the matter entirely I just say I was raised Roman Catholic and that seems to satisfy most people.
Still I dislike being forced into such a narrow viewpoint, not that I have anything against Catholicism of course.

Hmm, perhaps I'll call it a day as I have no idea how to finish this post without digging a deeper hole for myself :)

There really is something wrong when...

For the longest time I've been a fan of the Daily show, for those who don't know it is a comedy show that takes a funny take on politics and news in the US. Though up in Canada we've had Air Farce and This hour has 22 minutes were comedy gold well before Jon Stewart, but anyway...
I became a fan of the show mainly because it ... is darn funny, with excellent writing and comedy at it's finest... though at times also just plain silly as well.

However starting with this CNN crossfire interview I really started to question how people saw the show worldwide and in the USA in particular. In the interview Stewart himself said that there is something wrong when news networks look to a comedy show for journalistic integrity. Some pollsters have shown that more and more people are tuning into the Daily show for news than the news stations themselves or seem to trust the information they get from Stewart more than the 'respected' news anchors.

More recently there has been a big brouhaha over a piece DS did about CNBC and their seeming complicity in the current financial crisis. I'll admit it was interesting though as per usual it wasn't really anything I didn't know before... it was just packaged nicely and present in a way I could laugh at instead of banging my head against a wall.
However it really has struck a cord within the media itself and people are taking it more seriously than I thought possible... which I find really disturbing.
Now first one should really should Watch this , seriously. It was partially disturbing to see the show being about the full complacency of media with the economic crisis... but that Jon Stewart was actually doing a serious interview... I kept waiting for a punch line in the middle but it was a serious interview without the combative argumentative bullshit that passes for debate.
Why... why does one have to look to a comedy show for a serious look at what is happening in the world?
The answer is actually a damning statement against the current mainstream media. The responsibility of illuminating truth has turned into more of an exercise in earning advertising revenue and not upsetting the powers that be (who often happen to pay for 'adversing'). As other bloggers and commentors on the whole scenario have stated it does seem that these major news networks and sources who claim to have respectablility and access ... really don't use it effectively and are more afraid of giving offence than publishing what boils down to propoganda.

I wish I could write a bit more but time for work, and again to avoid the draft will just publish this entry as is. One last word about the media though... for all the stupity I see coming from major news and media outlets, it really is only a reflection of the regular person, people don't want the truth or justice... for the most part they just want to be entertained.

Adventures in shaving,

Well this might be an odd topic but felt it would be nice to try writing about. I'm sure most people can relate to shaving at least some part of their body for 'whatever' reason at one time or another, being a guy who could grow a full beard at the age of 14 it is something I've become quite used too.

Eventually I also started shaving my head as well, or to quote a colourful character "God shaved part of my head, I just decided to finish the job". In any event this means that whether I like it or not shaving is nearly a daily chore though keeping a beard allows me to slack off every other day or so (longer if I want a mean grunge look). What this all leads up to is the choice of shaving utensil, a razor, electric razor or some latest 5 blade power EXXXTREME razor than dispenses magical healing liquid and smells like mint - oh and also vibrates.

Anyway for the longest time I've settled on the Mach 3 razor which is quite comfortable though the cost of the replacement blades are a bit pricey. I've tried electric razors and they really are uncomfortable no matter how 'hi-tech' they become - plus they never seem to do quite the job that blades are able to. So while I use Mach 3 what I really want to use are good ol'fashion straight razors, of course would probably end up like Scarface but with a little practice it would be a nifty skill to pick up. Unfortunately finding these razors is not an easy task, plus one needs an assortment of equipment to maintain it: strop, brush, mug and a few other terms I forget.

Well since I was down to my last replacement Mach 3 blade decided to pick up a new razor and on impulse got the tried and true single blade razor with those iconic honest to goodness razor blades (the friends of emos since... whenever that fad become popular). I would have liked a straight razor but as I said it was on impulse and they don't seem to carry straight razors at the local stores.

The first time using the archetype of safety razors proved ... interesting. It was a little nerve racking to use an untested blade on ones throat but it was surprisingly clean to shave with. I actually completed most of my morning ritual with a couple of minor nicks (well within acceptable tolerances) until I reached the back of my head.
Now I am fairly used to head shaving so I don't use a mirror unless defining my beard (it is a sweet beard) so just went about as normal feeling for rough areas when a pass of the razor seemd to burn just a little.
I didn't think anything of it until I felt an a wet area on back of my head... yeah.
I actually managed to take a picture of my bleeding skull but fortunately for you it has been lost on my computer amoung countless pictures of random objects and various politicians (they're just so sexy).

Though now have got used to the blade and actually enjoy using it more than the Mach 3... I think there is something about the ritual of shaving that makes me appreciate the older shaving methods than the gosh darn fancy technological stuff. Maybe it is the concentration that is needed to safely use a very sharp blade or a Zen-like trance one goes into when shaving but while I wouldn't say shaving is an enjoyable experience it is one of those multitude of little rituals one has to do throughout the day that is actually not altogether unpleasant. Though I think being able to use a straight razor would be totally bad ass, it's almost like telling someone you use a gun to plant seeds... hmm, maybe not quite that stupid but I think you get the idea.

Fascination with Fail...


Well the above picture is more for the sake of humour than any meaningful representation about what I'm going to blog about today... at least I couldn't thing of a way to do it with extreme leaps of logic.
Anyway I guess a lot of things are happening in life again... it always seems that the universe conspires to lull one into a false sense of security and then hit you with the biggest sh... storm you ever had the imagination to think of, turn into a Hollywood script and have the resulting movie lead played by Helen Hunt (she was a famous actress... so I've been told).
Hmm, that might be a bit inaccurate, I think the way I see things in my life right now is like a large intersection... right now, it's pretty empty and quiet, maybe a few cars go by. In the distance it seems a couple of trains are coming, there also appears to be a few buses and trucks loaded with flammables heading down the road.
So I really should start planning how to switch the tracks for the trains and which bus to stop before they all collide together in a beautiful fubar fireball... or get a stick and some marshmallows and wait a bit.

Hmm, I guess what I'm trying to get at in a round about way is I have a lot of decisions to make, and no matter what I choose some people aren't going to be happy. Oh well, that's life I guess...

Another thing that has been weighing heavily on my mind is how seriously I take myself... quite often I make effort to downplay my abilities or appear foolish as a way of lowering expectations. Though I think people just begin to assume I'm a little nuts which works out just as well - since I really don't like getting involved too deeply in things, too troublesome.
I've started changing a bit, maybe it's just waking and thinking I guess I'll do what is necessary today, or maybe just thinking it would be nice to rage against the dying of the light.

Meh, whatever... either way as long as it stays interesting it's something to look forward too. I've also decided I really should make more of an effort to keep in contact with people. Someone passes away and you're left thinking 'I really wish I knew them' because honestly if you don't then it's hard to know how to feel. For all that I try to understand the world and how people act it is quite sobering to find out that one doesn't really know much about the people who should be closest.

So have a lot of stuff to work on inside and out so to speak... it's funny, I've stopped wishing for life to be simpler or easier... in fact, I think at this point I really do want something to rage against, to fight with all my strength even if failure is a foregone conclusion. What's that ol sports saying... "it's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game".

I've been thinking a lot recently... hmm, perhaps a better way to say is I've been thinking more than I usually do. Most of the time it isn't productive, just the usual mix of introspective and 'nature of the universe' stuff, but even that gets tiring so switched it up with some more analytical thought on things around me, people, environment, politics, censorship, accuracy of information etc.

Oddly enough I've never tried sharing about 95% of what I think mainly because I believe that I don't have enough information to make a conclusion, to do otherwise is just pure speculation.

However I've realized that most people really have no clue either... there really isn't any way to be completely sure about anything. Though it breaks down into two categories, the first knows their information is incomplete but makes decisions based on them leaving room for change if anything new is brought to light. The second takes what little information they get and then staunchly defend it without even considering that it could be wrong - to the point that they will fight against any contradicting information.

It surprises me how many people fall into the second category, or more accurately how many people fall into the second category only for certain subjects. This may be opening a can of worms but let's look at Religion and Politics. People may question a lot of things, but if it is put forward through a religious or political light then they will eagerly accept and defend it.

====================================================
I was going to continue with the previous thought but realized it would be more than I really want to get into. Actually it's just that it would take more time than I have to write the full scope of what I wanted so instead of saving as a draft (a mark of death for my blog posts) figured I'd shift gears with the smoothness of an elephant performing Swan Lake and talk about something completely different - organization!

Organization is a fancy way of saying... hmm, I'm not sure, where is my dictionary... damn, can't find it, I really should be more organized. Anyway it is something that is really really hard to do. That's it... oh and "I like turtles"

So that's what it is all about...







Every now and then one tends to get a little frayed at the edges, overwhelmed by the petty idiocies of the world in general (or specific agitators as well), but then something comes along that reminds one that sometimes that isn't really important.

If it is one thing about our world and the internet I would praise is that it allows the creation of videos like the one above.

So I could write pages... but sometimes less is more, watch the video and enjoy and feel a bit better.

Well I am going to try and write about what may be for once instead of just commenting on past ones. I have a long list of topics on which I had opinions but a lack of time… or more honestly laziness never saw the posts in a form worth publishing even on the Internet.

So today I am going to write about the near future, actually literally tomorrow. February Fourth is Independence day in Sri Lanka, the are parades planned and exhibits at the main hall called the BMICH (it stands for something but the words were really hard to pronounce let alone spell). In any event there is a great amount of relief and hope for this year’s celebrations, as for the first time in 25 years it looks like the menace of the LTTE is over. A civil war that has seen countless lives and the destruction of Sri Lanka’s economy and probably most importantly national pride.

It is always interesting how one can see the past where once Sri Lanka was considered the jewel of the Indian ocean, rich in natural resources and culture the Isle was the envy of many Nations. Unfortunately that also meant it was a target for powers eager to exploit what ever the country had to offer.

Wait wait… I’m supposed to be talking about the present and the future… so anyway, people are hopeful and are actually considering a future of peace on this Island. National pride is at a level that probably hasn’t been seen in decades, but that also is a cause for concern.

It the simplest terms one must always have pride in themselves and that amounts to saying ‘I am great, and can do anything’ though there comes a point when that pride goes beyond confidence in oneself but a way of looking down on others ‘I am better than you.’

For a long time people in Sri Lanka had little confidence in their Country and held no pride in being born on this Island, and unfortunately that was also displayed internationally. One of the few things that brought Sri Lankans together was Cricket, and winning the world cup was probably the only bright spot in the last decade.

So now with people daring to again take pride in their culture I would like to think that they could avoid mistakes of the past, and be able to feel confident in who they are without developing a superiority complex.

With that said tomorrow’s Independence Day celebrations should be interesting. Since it is going to be the focus of rebuilding some National pride it is a prime target of the LTTE terrorists.

I’ve already noticed the increased security over the past couple of days and hopefully it can prevent any attempts at destruction.

It is a bit weird being a part of a newspaper though, one almost hopes for catastrophe so that there is more news to print and comment on. Though personally I think it is highly likely that the LTTE will be able to pull off something, simply because they are incredibly desperate and have been driven to a point where recovery is next to impossible.

It is of such concern that I’m even just a little worried about travelling to my cousin’s place for his birthday (being born on Independence is a mixed blessing I guess). Not for a possibility of being exploded but the resulting traffic jam that would mean being stuck hours in traffic while the sun rained down deadly waves of heat.

Actually that brings up something I’ve been considering, I now believe that the LTTE lost this conflict long before the current military campaign started against them two years ago.

I think that once the fear of suicide bombers stopped keeping people from going about their daily lives – the terrorists lost. Terrorism itself depends on fear, a bankrupt tactic that doesn’t exactly have a history of working out too well. The attitude of most people is a simple resignation to the dangers society presents at the moment whether it be from the LTTE or the Government.

Well, what I really want to express is that I see the possibility for greatness right now, there is so much potential for Sri Lanka and all the peoples regardless of caste or creed.

As a personal aside I’ve had to counter a lot of misinformation about the discrimination accusations fielded against Sri Lanka, mainly encouraged as a method of justifying the LTTE’s existence. Personally Sri Lanka seems much more tolerant than other countries, for example I know Canadians believe that they have the most tolerant society… but would you ever see a school in Canada that has a praying area with a miniaturized Mosque, Kovil, Pagoda and Church side by side? There is a lot more tolerance and acceptance in Sri Lanka than I have seen elsewhere, though I will admit Canadians are definitely more polite. This is not saying Sri Lanka is perfect – far from it! No country can claim moral high ground when it comes to similar issues.

I’m getting a bit vague and the aside is quickly turning into another post, so I’ll just say that no one is perfect, but with a little effort and confidence truly amazing things are possible. The sad part the road to disaster is much easier.

Well last post I mentioned that I had emailed the Keith's brewery about getting some decent beer, and quite to my surprise they actually responded! I am so amazed that I actually decided to post ASAP rather than wait the usual couple of days/weeks/months... hehe small joke... uhm.
Anyway for your reading pleasure below is a transcript of the mail, though the news wasn't what I had hoped.

My passionate plea:

Greetings,

My name is Srian Fernando, I've lived in Canada all my life, though recently moved to Sri Lanka for a few months. While the weather is decidedly warmer, I find one thing lacking and it is a growing concern. There isn't a single decent beer here, when one is accustomed to Canadian beer (most notably Keiths of course) the local stuff I have to reluctantly force down (t'is a crime to waste beer after all).

Anyway I was hoping I could find out if there is someplace I would be able to get a bottle of Keiths in Sri Lanka or if not is there some way to get some? I would also like to introduce my new friends to some 'real beer'.

Thank you,

Srian

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"No one writes jokes in base 13 [...] I may be a pretty sad person but I don't write jokes in base 13"
-Douglas Adams

The prompt yet disappointing response:

Thank you for your e-mail Srian. We appreciate that you took the time to leave us your comments. Unfortunately Alexander Keith's cannot be purchased in Sri Lanka at this time. In reality Alexander Keith's is growing so fast in Canada that we are straining to meet demand. Today it would be difficult to consider any export markets, however please stay tuned, as we are always thinking about the future. Thank you for your interest in Keith's.

Best regards,

Tania

Keith's Customer Service

So that is that, I'll have to settle for drinking the local beer when I have the chance... oh well. I suppose I can try the Coconut Arrack, it burns so badly you forget all about the taste... and anything else for that matter. So to all of legal age, raise a glass and enjoy what you have while it lasts, for as that ol'song says "Ya don't know what you've got till it's gone", there was also something about a taxi but it never made much sense to me. Take care.

It ain't got Guinea pigs, but...

So I was planning to write my great opus of local conflicts and give a compelling argument of my take on the whole sordid mess… then my brain exploded from the depth of complexity I was trying to fit into a single blog post.
After recovering by watching some inane and pointless media I was ready to reattempt another entry but it was turning into what would be an epic novel by the standards of the Internet.
I will still attempt to write my viewpoint but I have a lot of editing to do, speaking of editing I must say that one quote has been springing to mind quite a lot recently:

“Write drunk, edit sober.”

To those who have had the experience of being inebriated I’m sure you can relate well to those words. Unfortunately for me, the prospect of endeavouring to write while intoxicated – while certainly appealing, is impractical in my case as I need to write quite a bit in relation to work and my relations in the area do not approve of alcohol consumption. In addition the prospect of drinking the ungodly stuff that passes for beer in my present local is quite disturbing… I miss McEwan’s, or a good ice cold Keiths. I’ve even taken the liberty of emailing the Keith’s brewery to see if there is someplace I can acquire the godly nectar… and no I am not an alcoholic.

Anyway I digress (actually I have no idea what that means… meh), so it finally comes around to the point where I have to decide what the heck I am going to write about. We’ll this time it will be something quite inane but can make me smile even when I’m not feeling too good (one can be surprised how often these things are needed).
So after my brain meltdown I decided to peruse some old internet sites and browsed around newgrounds, a user built site consisting the scum of the internet who make amateur flash movies and games, though some are better than mainstream.
There I came across a excessively cute but fun clip called “There She Is!” I had seen way back when, basically the story of a Rabbit and a Cat falling in love… okay I know it sounds corny but believe me it is fun, innocent and something that makes a nice change of pace from thinking about corruption, nationalism, suicide bombers, exploitation and the general ills of the world.
Though I was surprised to see that there were four more episodes or 'steps' to the clip that the author produced, and while it was a bit darker and had more depth managed to make me smile more. Give a watch for yourself and see if you can’t smile at the end.

So here we go, (UNFINISHED)

The first few weeks of this New Year have passed; a brief moment in the span of lives but significant nonetheless. There is a lot I would like to write about, the storm of recent events that have passed and the worrisome thoughts they provoke. As always I am hesitant to go into a topic, not because of importance or the worry of offense (actually there is a perverse fun in being offensive), rather I always look to find the deepest root of things events and rely not on second hand knowledge but what I can observe... I guess a better way to put it is that I only trust what truth I can see with my own eyes - anything else is merely a possibility awaiting confirmation. It is a good idea in theory however it often leads one to spend altogether too much time in observation without action or as in the case of the heroic Dane of Shakespeare, the balance skewed too far into reason without passion (I'm not actually that well read, had to study the play in High School).
Anyway perhaps it is time to put a few thoughts out as incomplete as they be...

Currently living in Sri Lanka the New Year has started off with a bit of a bang... literally. There is currently a military campaign waged against the LTTE (Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam) by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces (SLAF), this year has seen the Government forces recapture areas of the Island that was controlled by the LTTE for the past 23 years. There is a lot of history behind this conflict and while it is against my better judgment I'll give a bit of an assessment based on my study the past few months here.

Firstly Sri Lanka has several different ethnic and religious groups, the main players being Sinhalese, Tamils divided further into Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and Christians. If you want a further details the CIA Factbook on Sri Lanka breaks it down as follows: Sinhalese 73.8%, Sri Lankan Moors 7.2%, Indian Tamil 4.6%, Sri Lankan Tamil 3.9%, other 0.5%, unspecified 10% (based on 2001 census). So historically there has been a bit of a conflict between the Sinhalese and Tamils, now it should be noted that while Tamils are a minority in Sri Lanka they are part of a greater Tamil Diaspora that was once the great Chola Dynasty including Southern India and parts of Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Indonesia... damn, this is turning a bit too technical and that is something I really wanted to avoid.

Unfortunately trying to explain this situation properly requires a lot of background information to get a real picture - to try and sum it up in a couple of incidents is self-serving mockery.

Then how should this be tackled, facts are in most cases irrelevant anyway... people will always find 'facts' to support their position and then it becomes a game of random figures and information.
Alright let's go with a bit more of intangible feeling of this whole mess, without giving all the details here is how it played out. Although on reflection that isn't altogether appropriate either... often times I think people tend to read articles or watch a couple of news clips and form quick opinions on complex issues without bothering to question deeper. For the most part this isn't really wrong as how can one have the time to research everything amidst the activities of daily life, though it does get a bit scary when people who really have no clue start touting their opinions as 'truth' and will with surprising energy vehemently defend the ignorance they champion.

So let me give my view and make of it what you will, though if you are curious and want to speak on the issue please do some real research, I'm tired of having read opinions of people whose only claim to intelligent thought is use of the 'copy' and 'paste' function on their computers.
Sri Lanka is now at a turning point; the military has almost crushed a terrorist group that has occupied the northern part of the Island for over 25 years. There is a bit of an ethnic schism and truthfully neither side is completely blameless, foreign factions have also contributed but that is another matter. At the root of it there is just a lot of distrust, and in some hatred. What is surprising is that the average person the common man if you will is the most open, just wanting to get on with their lives not caring about, politics or religion. Unfortunately people with a desire for power will use (or create) prevalent issues to control people, Prabakaran (leader of the LTTE) is one such and many of the politicians in Sri Lankan are the same.
Whatever said and done the LTTE have to be destroyed, terrorism isn't the way of solving problems and they have done more to hurt the legitimate causes of those they supposedly protect than the agencies they claim to defend against.

After that... is the bigger question, on top of ethnic distrust there is poverty, corruption, government policies, environmental concerns and a host of other problems to deal with that have either stemmed from or made worse by this conflict.

///Crap late for work, I wanted to finish this before I posted but will just have to leave if here and update when I get a chance, otherwise who knows how long it will take to post :P