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

So the New Year is almost upon us and it is a good enough time as any to reflect on the changes 2008 has wrought and what the future could hold for the coming year. I’m not sure why but I’m noticed for that the people around me and even myself 2008 was a year of adjustment and some oddly trying times, and I get the feeling that for better or worse the New Year will give a few answers but ultimately throw some more ‘interesting’ challenges in our path.

I could write about my thoughts on the current economic crisis, Religion, US elections, war, peace, celebrities or the hundreds of other events that punctuated the previous 365 days throughout the stretches of routine that we call our daily lives… but I won’t. In part because I’m lazy though as well because it doesn’t really matter (or fit the purpose of this post), taking a look and seeing how much has changed for better or worse depends on each individual and their own opinions, some people were probably horrified that Obama was elected President, others ecstatic… a judgment of the year that was is in the eye of the beholder.

So if you do get the chance to ponder the year to be and reflect on the one that was, see how far we have come, how much farther we have to go, and the many mistakes made on the way. Then grab a stiff drink and toast the health of all humanity and beings great and small.

If one were to ask of me the thoughts I harbor about the year past, I think I would just ignore them because I really don’t like explaining my brain to other people and in all honesty I doubt it would be easy to put my feelings into words… though perhaps five would do: “It was an interesting year”

Uhm, yeah and in case you were wondering, yes that is a Guinea Pirate - the most feared of all creatures.

Terrorists, bombs and spies Oh my…



Well somehow in between the hectic schedule of work and running around like a… something that runs around a lot, was able to watch a couple of spy action movies. Now I’m sure you’ve all heard of the first one “Quantum of Solace” the latest in the Bond series known for nifty gadgets and witty dialogue… though there wasn’t too much of that in the new movie, meh, whatever.
Quantum delivered what I suppose the movie going audience expects these days, lots of action one liners and explosions. To be honest, I did enjoy the film as a regular action movie but for me Bond represented a sophisticated spy, a well-blended mix of brain and brawn. The franchise owners must have taken a look at Bourne and thought they needed to spice up the action a bit, so that is pretty much all this new Bond does throughout the film, shoot at things and kill people, no subtle manoeuvring that is really the essence of being a spy, which means he’s just a Rambo type mercenary that wears a suit. Still for all it is a good movie and I think it is interesting how they are building the evil organization in the background. However I saw another movie that make me think the Bond franchise needs a rework or should really be put to rest.

The other movie is “Traitor”, a somewhat more realistic movie that explores the world of terrorism and the Islamic faith. This was not a movie I looked for or indeed wanted to watch, but was instantly drawn into the feel of the film as it started playing. ‘Traitor’ showed the more unglamorous side of spy work, where moral ground becomes tricky and the strength of character (not skill with weapons) needed to carry through a mission.
Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda, Crash) gives a believable performance of a man devout in his Islamic faith. The movie challenges some perceptions but in a subtle way, considering the events leading up to the US election (especially in the McCain rallies) this movie is probably something most Americans would benefit from watching – though I doubt that would happen. This movie doesn’t seem to have gotten a lot of mainstream coverage as compared to the aforementioned Quantum of Solace. To illustrate this point, the wikipedia pages on these two films is a bit different, “Traitor” has one screen of information while “Quantum” has about five times that.

All said and done both movies were entertaining in their own way but, at least with “Traitor” one can feel like they are not just wasting time watching mindless entertainment, by no means is watching a movie equivalent to understanding – but if it can get a couple of people to challenge their preconceived perceptions that it’s value is far greater than “Quantum of Solace” even if it doesn’t bring in the big box office cash.

While I am happy...





By now I believe everyone in the world has heard the news, the junior Senator from Illinois Barack Obama has become the President-elect of the United States of America. To say that this is an historic event is a bit of an understatement, if not already a cliche. As I see the amount of joy and excitement created around the world by Obama coming to power... I can't seem to shake a few doubts that seem to surface whenever I want to join in on the festivity.

Don't misunderstand, I'm still happy that Obama won... it just seems that people may be placing a bit of an unrealistic expectation on this man to change a system that is ingrained in policy and economics. One also has to question how he gained the funds for his campaign, to have an impressive record breaking bankroll is quite a feat, yet I can't help but wonder who he would be indebted to. The more I ponder the subject in general the more I realize that aside from the color of his skin, Obama really is like most other politicians.

There is a message of hope and change that was used to bolster his campaign, but in all honesty if you take a look at the policies and stances on issues there really isn't anything different that what another candidate might bring. So I have to go further and ask myself, if Obama ran the same platform with the same message of change and hope but was white... would he win? Actually in all probability I think so, at least to me Obama doesn't represent the first black candidate but just a more intelligent and savvy leader especially in comparison to the previous one, the message he brought was what people needed. In a way Bush paved the way for Obama's election to the Presidency, would an America in an economic boom happy with the status quo also elect Obama... a point to ponder.

Still I can't shake this feeling that something isn't quite right, perhaps it's the blind devotion that his supporters seem to have. I've always had issues with people giving support for superficial reasons without looking into the root causes of problems or even trying to learn different aspects of an issue. As well seriously, as much as the American people might complain about how they suffered under the reign of Bush for 8 years... they were the ones that voted the guy in.

Perhaps I also have this fear that one day we'll all wake up to find that Obama was actually some 'Manchurian' candidate that was groomed by corporations to mesmerize people into blindly step in line and repeat more of the same policies keeping the rich richer and the middle class in debt.

Meh, what do I know anyway, so congratulations to Obama and the United States of America, I truly wish the best for the newest President. How much change he can bring is something only time will tell, and even for all my cynicism - I am hopeful.

Thoughts of Guinea pigs…

For an odd reason the funny furry creatures known as Guinea pigs has been on my mind quite a bit lately, I seem to take some comfort in pondering the existence of the odd little mammals. To those who have not had the good fortune to have one as a pet they are probably the most useless animal in creation. They are about the size of a grapefruit, loot a bit like a rodent though with a more vacant expression. There are several different types that come in a variety of colours, I’m not going to take the time to describe them all so an excerpt from the dictionary will have to suffice, Guinea pig: a big fat harmless rat.
Quite appropriate I think, having had three Guinea pigs as pets it is without any reservation that I can remark; they are perhaps the dumbest mammals in existence (four legged ones at least).
However, all said and done I find them to be quite fascinating and there is indeed something comforting about the creatures. Aside from the obvious aesthetic features of being incredibly cute, and that they purr when petted (not quite like a cat but similar), they seem to have some quality that it quite endearing.
Perhaps it is because even though they are basically a food source for natural predators lacking any defences or special abilities except for running… err…waddling away, they retain an innate sense of curiosity. It is amusing to watch them investigate new environments, waddling, bleeping and nibbling around everything in their path.
In a way I admire the little things, which some may find odd... actually to relate a funny story; I had decided to take lessons in Kung-Fu and after the first month they had a group interview to determine if I was mature enough to learn more techniques. One of the questions asked was;

“What is your favourite animal?”

I replied, “Guinea pig.”

There was a moment of silence and the sensei said, “Pick another animal.”

Looking back (with humour) I regret not taking the opportunity to explain my choice. Guinea pigs are creatures that neither have the intelligence nor abilities to do anything other than fearfully run from anything bigger than they, yet are not paralysed by fear. They always retain that inquisitiveness that may cause them to be the midday meal of another animal, but could also lead to the discovery of something new and interesting.
I guess, it is a kind of fearlessness that I admire in them… though it might be the stupidity… oh well, either way they at least look cute. (I’m so tempted to add analogies to the last statement, but I’ve been trying to behave myself lately).