The happiest person on earth...

...will have nothing to change if given a chance to go back in time and change anything they wish in their lives.

The Bug that Follows Me

Not a real one though - if it were I could have easily used some bug sprayer and get rid of him already. This is a virtual bug, one of the more irritating breed. Doesn't make sense, I know, how can a problem involving computers follow you, you might ask. See the importance of punctuation by the way; those two yous would have looked a bit stupid otherwise. Anyway. Have you come across this Windows bug where folders always open in their own windows even when the folder option setting is specified so that they should open in same window? That is perhaps the most annoying but there ever is, don't you think so? So, as I was saying this bug seems to follow me - or rather it comes up in every computer I seems to touch at work. Funnily, and luckily I might add, it didn't come up in my home laptop though. Not yet at least.

Now, this occurred first some months ago while at work. I was using a PC back then, and this came up out of nowhere. I was going to reformat my computer anyway, and did, but the damn thing came up even after that. Several hours of net-searching later, I could fix it. Then a couple of months later I switched to a laptop. Sure enough, the bug came up after a while, and again got rid of it somehow. Funny thing is, one fix that you could use in one machine doesn't work in another. Anyway, then last week I again switched my laptop to another, which has been in use for several months without any trouble at all. I set my hand on it, not two days pass by, lo' and behold, THE DAMN BUG COMES UP AGAIN!

In case there are other souls who has the same problem, thought I might share what I did. Actually there are a few, and you might try each and every one of them until you get it fixed or your brain need fixing. Usually this occurs on Vista, though XP and even Windows 98 are known to have it. If you are using Vista, chances are that you're having IE 8 in your system. First try removing it and switch back to IE 7. This might fix it. Also keep in mind that if/when you download windows updates it will download IE 8 upgrade as well. So make sure you uncheck it before you installing updates - you never really use IE in the first place, do you?

For the other methods you need to tweak the registry a bit. You could try either of the two following, first of which solved it for me but the second one too is known to solve the issue sometimes.

Solution 1

1. Open up the registry and go to HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-xxxxxxxx-xxxxxxxx-xxxxxxxx-1005\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion.
   Here, xxx... refers to some numbers which differs from computer to computer. But it should always begin with HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21 and end with 1005. Sometimes this 1005 too can be changed to something like 1000 in your computer but worry not it's all the same.
   
   
2. Then, within it is an entry called "Explorer". You need to delete it, but just to be safe rename it to something like Explorer2 so if you mess up everything then you can always go back and change it back to what it was.
   
   
3. Reboot.
   

This should normally do it, though on some machines it doesn't work.


Solution 2

1. Go to registry entry HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\command
   
   
2. Change it's default value to %SystemRoot%\Explorer.exe /separate,/e,/idlist,%I,%L
   Again, backing up the original value would be a good idea in case you mess up everything.

If any of that doesn't work, you could look up on the Internet a bit more and you might come up with some other solution. Even if that doesn't work, you should probably find a good 2x2 pollak and smack a couple of blows to the computer and find a job that doesn't involve computers.

Happy debugging guys!

Nobody speaks for our human rights!

Saturday. At work. Tragic, I know. Shouldn't this be considered some kind of human rights violation, being made to work on Saturdays? That Amnesty International and all the other organizations so big on human rights and stuff need to do something about this. Surely they can't ignore such a cruel and inhuman act being carried out in public like this. Where are they when they are needed the most? Just imagine if they took the necessary steps and suddenly the cops break into our office and let us poor victims go freely! Dreaming, I know, but still that's a very pleasing thought. And just in case my boss or any other relevant party reading this, it was meant to be a joke. Of course I love to work, boss; there's nothing that can feel better than working hard for the betterment of my own as well as company's future. There, I covered my bases.

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Tomorrow there's going to be another cricket match - a semi final in the T20 league we're playing in and hope we'll get through. Then we can think of winning the titled and how we would be glorified and stuff. Oh, no, I shouldn't talk like that, it's not politically correct. This, rather, is how I'm supposed to talk you know. Anyway, wish us luck people - we might need it. Thanks in advance.

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It's lucky that I was always a bit of an ambidextrous. Probably because my mom's a total leftie (not leftie leftie though) and father's a right-handed. Still the hand that I can use better among the two is my right hand, but I write with my left hand and I bat left-handed. And I can use my left had better than a normal right hander would for tasks such as using tools, holding something, ride left handed on a foot bike and pretty much everything else. Also, though I write and draw with my left hand, I can use the right for both the tasks a bit well - of course it's slow, but better than a normal person I'm pretty sure. However, it's lucky because right now here at work I'm using three monitors and two computers with two mouses. Going off topic for a moment, but which is the correct term when it comes to the computer mouse - two mouses or two mice? If you can say Windows is shutting down, surely you can say two mouses can't you? No? Whatever. Anyway, yeah, luckily I could use both the hands so using a mouse with the left hand's a no problem really.

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OK then fellas, I'm off. Enjoy your weekends while I'm stuck here with work. And I typed that whole sentence with my left hand.

13 Million Dollars to Kill a Man?

Today I came across this very interesting article which claims that in America the death penalty costs on average $10 million more per yer per state than life sentences. That is $500 million more per year if you consider the all 50 states. There have been 37 executions in USA last year, so that roughly accounts to 13.5 millions per execution per year.

WTF!!! was my first, second and third reaction. Way too much money to kill a few bastards, by any standard. Seriously, America needs to get its act together - indeed it's their money, but if you read that article you'll see that many people in USA itself think that it is ridiculous - because there are a lot of things you could do, lot of good things with that much of money.

Personally, I'm not either for or against the capital punishment as I see pretty strong arguments for both the cases. You could of course argue that no human, even a system, has the right to take the life of another human being irrespective of the crimes they might have committed. Also, if you see the brutality of all the methods that are employed in executing - electric chair, gas chamber or even the lethal injection is no better than stoning to death; killing is killing - that is all the more reason to oppose it. On the other hand, some of the crimes people have committed are entirely unimaginable - not to mention how barbaric - and deserve nothing short of death. If you are willing to kill another human being, if you are so desperate to rape a woman, then you so deserve to die as well. On a bit of a different note, those Amnesty International people who scream their lungs out against it amuses me at times - I often wonder how many of them eat meat. How is it OK to kill an innocent animal just so you could eat it, but not OK to get rid of a shameless bastard that has committed darkest of crimes imaginable? Beats me.

However, if the cost of the process of executing a criminal is that high, surely you have to think twice. You can imprison the criminal for good for far less money and put that money into good use. Besides, sometimes I think that imprisonment could be a far worse punishment than the death penalty, in the longer run, but it has to be proper. Someone who's sentence for life should not be able to come out in 20 years. A life sentence should be a life sentence, not a 20 year vacation. If it's made sure they spend the rest of their lives inside four confined walls with no one to talk, then that would perhaps be the meanest of tortures that there is. Living inside a dark and lone room everyday, knowing that there is no escape for the rest of you life is worse than dying, make no mistake. Serves them right. While that is being done, all that saved money can be used to make lives better for people, in turn eliminating the cause for many a crime - poverty. Educate a few children, hell you can educate a lot more than few children with five hundred million dollars. Give them better jobs, make their lives better and that'll serve better for reducing crime more than any punishment that there is.

That will be money well spent.

My Brain's Gone Crazy

When you have a particularly painful headache the first thought the brains throws at you is something like Dude, what the hell are you still doing at work? let's go hit the bed, but of course that's not an option. At least not when you have only two paid leaves left for the year and you happen to have plans for those two as well. Then the brain starts to get pissed off, probably because it thinks that it is superior than the body that it has chosen to reside in, but the problem is then it starts to throw really weird thoughts and ideas (though I'm not sure what's the difference between thoughts and ideas, it felt like two words instead of one there would fit better) at you just for the fun of it. It'll throw one at you, and just when you get over it, brain'll go like; Oh you liked that biatch, check this out then and will throw even crazier thought at you. It's endless. Perhaps it must be thinking you'd get fed up with all the weird thoughts and choose to go home early or something. Tough luck buddy, try next year when I have more leaves so that I can afford to take one.

However, now that my brain has decided to attack me with these thoughts right now, I've decided not to let it take control over me and let me take home, instead to fight them and stay here till six. And post those thoughts here so at a later stage when my brain decides to look at the blog it'll probably be embarrassed and will refrain from doing such things in the future. Hopefully.

OK. First one. What if we humans were a cold-blooded species, like many reptiles instead of being the warm-blooded creatures we are today. How different the world would be if it was the case? There would have been a lot more subways (not the restaurant chain though I wouldn't mind more Subways over MacDonald's), different sense of fashion altogether, no marathons or cricket - altogether a wholly different world. Add to that the possibility if we were cold-blooded that we might as well be egg-laying creatures. Now that's a thought. Imagine, after so many months of pregnancy the mother lays an egg (DO NOT LAUGH!) and then instead of the mother going to the clinic, the parents will probably bring the eggs. Imagine a long line of parents waiting outside the clinic with their newly-laid eggs. What a mess would it be if they happen to mix up their eggs? And either way, doctors will poke all kinds of medical stuff into those eggs, probably that scanning thing too and parents will be able to see the kid inside and even go like Ohh.... he's so cute!!!. And when the time comes, would we have opt to hatch them at home with all the relatives around, or would we still preferred hospitals? OK now I cannot keep a straight face anymore. That is a messed up world alright.

What if some crazy aliens decided that they should pay us a visit and just for the fun of it polluted our world with some kind of gas or something, so that the only way for us humans in that world to survive is to smoke cigarettes? Imagine that! All of a sudden all the drug preventing associations and such will run out of business, everyone who so opposed smoking will actually start it, even parents will encourage their children to smoke! Scary if not crazy, I know, but it's fun too eh?

Then my brain goes like, OK dude, how about stepping in a woman's shoes? though I seriously doubt I could fit my foot into a woman's shoe unless she's a particularly large creature, but you get the idea right. So, now I'm thinking of an utterly female-dominant society. While they go to work, earn money to feed the family and stuff, we stay at home, feed the kids, do the laundry and clean the house. Please you males out there, don't start to chase me brandishing whatever that's in your hand right now for a) I'm not really in a state to run right now, even for my life and b) It's not really me, my brain that's doing all this so pardon me. Anyway, then men will get all the roses, girls will start to dig men (not that they don't now) and we, men, will be the oppressed and discriminated bunch. Think of a world where men's rights associations rallying on the streets for their freedom, asking women to stop discriminating against men!

No. That's too much of a scary thought. Alright brain you win - I'm going home.

Who Wants To Be Famous?

Sometimes I wonder what is it like to be someone like Sachin Tendulkar, Angelina Jolie, Tiger Woods or Barak Obama. You have all the money in the world and a bit more, well perhaps Obama doesn't, but what the fuck, when practically you're the most powerful man on earth you don't really need money. And then they have the recognition, are loved by many - in Jolie's case it's a scary thought though - and simply put, famous and popular. They can pretty much get what they want.

Except freedom.

In a recent interview, Sachin said that he hadn't walked the streets of India for close to a decade. Poor guy. Imagine, you, not being able to walk the streets of Colombo, not being able to go to Pillawoos and have a Kottu without having to sign forty autographs. Though all of the above said four guys wouldn't mind that, I would, though there is no need for me to be so since nobody really give a shit about me going anywhere. And that's the first ever sentence I wrote with two "though"s in it. However, the point is, being all that comes with a cost and I will never want their lives, not at such a high cost anyway.

I'd like to be Brad Pitt for one night though.

Happy Friday

Fridays are happy day's aren't they? No, I'm not saying that Fridays are happy chaps or anything, just that we are so happy on Fridays, isn't it? Except perhaps if you have to work on Saturday. So here I am happily at work waiting for another four and a bit more hours to pass. As happy as I can be despite having absolutely no idea of how to fix a couple of bugs that I'm supposed to, but who cares anyway? Wish this bug fixing was as easy as that of Barn Buddy though - you just have to spray the bug spray and "blonng", the bug's gone, just like that.

Anyway, talking about bugs, I think this whole software business is a bit funny anyway. How many of you out there like your jobs? I must say I like mine, and judging by blog posts on Lankanosphere and status messages on FB, and the general feeling anyway, I'm pretty sure I'm in a rare breed regarding that. However, that's not to say that there aren't times that I feel like running up the wall, only I can't. Saying anything about you creative lot is a risky business as that old drummer fella once very correctly said, but still I'm going to take that risk being the brave soul I am and all that. You guys complain all the time about clients being assholes, not being ready to listen, and what not. But you can at least talk, hold meetings, explain, plead, cry, threaten or whatever else that you have to and perhaps at least get them to some kind of agreement. Try all that with a computer. If a code is wrong, it is wrong. No amount of explaining, pleading, crying or threats are going to change that. Even if you howl like a baby in front of them, they wouldn't even care. Threatening to smash the CPU and throw the monitor off the window doesn't even make them twitch. Tough bastards, these computers are. Or maybe they just know that we're bluffing - I'm pretty sure however much I am pissed, I'm not going to smash a goddamn PC here and pay for it from my wallet. But despite that, I like my job. The satisfaction you get when you come up with a decent algorithm, or a piece of code that work so seamlessly is immense.

OK then, that's about all what I have to say, and even that wasn't really anything important was it? Maybe that's the best thing about blogging - you can say whatever you want to despite the very likelihood of nobody really listening (reading, to be more accurate) and still be really happy about it. Just like I did right now.

Happy Weekend Folks!

How To Deal With Keyboard Warriors

If you're a blogger, the chances are that you know one or two of them. If you have ever been on an internet forum for long enough, again you should have encountered a couple of them. If you're neither, still it is very likely that you're in FB, and that you know them. The thing with them is they're not trolls, but quite happy (if they could ever be happy that is) to bash everyone around them, have a bitch fit when someone has a different view to that of theirs and quite fond of using the words "fuck off" as an escape route. However, it is important that you know how to deal with them and even have fun with them. Here's how.

Maintain your cool at all times

The whole point of dealing with them is not to get pissed but to make them pissed. You getting angry is like pouring oil to the fire, and chances are that you might end up being one. So, be cool.

Do not get offended

It is very likely you get all kinds of insults thrown at you including racist and sexist remarks. Usually they may question your sexual orientation, or your ability to engage in any such acts, your mother's profession and/or character, the fact that whether the one that's married to your mother is indeed your father, your mental stability and any other such things. They usually question all those, and are quick to label you. But DO NOT get offended for they are just words, probably of someone belongs to one or more categories mentioned above.

Talk sense

They may talk all the nonsense in the world and some more, but you should not. If you do, what's the difference? Always reply with cohesive arguments. Usually these guys talk crap and when they are in trouble just throw insults everywhere and try to get out of the mess that they created. Don't let them.

Find a weak point

They always have one. Usually more, so don't let them slip. The standard prototype of these people are they try to portrait them as radical free-thinkers who can tolerate an argument. They are not, though. Their interpretation of being radical is questioning, no strike that off, bashing any standard or accepted practice/method/way of life just for the sake of it. Without any solid arguments too. They call them free thinkers, but the moment someone has got a different view they jump the gun and start to shower everyone around with all the abuses in the world. So, find a weak point or two in what they have to say and take maximum advantage of it. It's fun to make them pissed off.

Have fun

The more you contradict their views, the more they get pissed off. You should maintain you cool and then throw all kinds of funny/witty comments at them. But no cheap insults. No bashing. For instance, if you are being told that you're a son of a bitch, don't try to say otherwise. Just say yes, and reply with something like Perhaps she is, I wouldn't know, but at least she gave birth to a healthy and sane kid, unlike in your case. Trust me, that kinda line makes them go mad.

Finally, know when to stop

Because of two things. One, after a while neither of you will have anything to say and you'll end up repeating. Which is boring. Two, you don't have to have the last say, just have the best say and get out! Also, they maybe jobless, but are you?

Now that you know what to do, go have some fun guys!

A Picture Speaks a Thousand Words

The next time you complain, stop to think for a second; are things really as bad as you think they are?

I'm NOT at work. HOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

Having to not work on Mondays is bliss. I feel for you folks who are at work right now, still half asleep, grumpy and wishing Mondays should be made illegal or things along the lines. Hooooo! That's a Sinhala "Hooo" by the way, not an English one. OK, so here I am at home, and being so lazy to cook ordered a Pizza for lunch, so now stuffed and feeling drowsy.

On a different note, a note to self : you seriously need to learn to think twice before you speak. You seriously do. You sometimes don't realize how a simple word could hurt your loved ones so much... Stop being an idiot and grow up.

Weekend saw us losing one semi final, and getting through to another. As you might know, our cricket season is coming to an end, and there were couple of games, one Twenty20 and the other a forty overs a side. We scored a below par 115 in the 20 overs game, but some very accurate bowling and fielding saw us defending it to enter the semi finals. It was a great match, very intense and a nail-biting finish. The opponents had to score 11 in the last over with only one wicket in hand, but the bugger hit a boundary in the first ball of it. Next was a dot and 7 from 4 was the equation when perhaps our best player, call him D, got the last wicket.

Then headed to a place on a mountain close by, and it was some forty kilometers away! Driving up for that long on a winding road is, well, not really fun especially after running around all day, but the place was fun. We cooked, OK, the two girls who were there cooked a damn good chicken curry and potatoes which we named "A La Festa" because it was more like an Ala Paste. But it was good, had a couple of beers along with it before hitting the bed.

The next day was not so good though. Again we batted first, and again D batted brilliantly but nobody was there to hang around and support him, so we were bowled out for 163 inside the forty overs. Shame. Then, still we were well on our way to a victory, with them 7 down for a hundred odd runs but then they batted well, hell they batted us out of the game and the competition. Too bad that had we gotten through it would have been our first final. But hell, there's always another year.

The Good Side of Typhoons

What's the one good thing about typhoons? What's that? There aren't any? Trust me, there are. At least there is one - you get to stay at home instead of going to work, though that could only be for a few hours. There was this typhoon that hit Tokyo this morning, a fierce one too, so much so that when I got up this morning all I could hear was the sound of the wind. Whoooooooooooooooooosh! You know... After getting ready and stepping onto the road, I was practically concerned more about not getting blown away by the wind than walking. It was such a whirlwind, things flying everywhere including a couple of trains and an apartment complex. Somehow I managed to make it to the train station, but then got the good bad news that they have put on hold all train services because they were afraid they might run out of trains.

OK that's stretching it a bit too far, but seriously there was a typhoon this morning and that resulted in a hold up of train services. And, in Japan, that means no transportation and you have an excuse for being late for work. So I happily trotted back home with a sandwich and a coffee in hand and spent a few hours in the oh so cozy bed, until about 12 noon, instead of being at work. Now, tell me again, are typhoons that bad?

Yesterday, went to see an exhibition about printing stuff. This. You see, I work at a software company and we do a lot of printer related stuff. The exhibition was awesome, there were some really cool printing, cutting and such machines. These Japs are good at this kind of thing trust me. Oh and there were some machines, running software that I too was involved in making and it felt good to see them there. Operating in real world. By the way, while I was there some guy from a company wanted me to answer a questionnaire, in English, and you've got to make the most of any chance you get to use English in Japan. I answered a few questions, afterwards along with a shower of thanks the dude gave me a card full of stickers that you can stick to your computer, as a present. The only glitch was the goddamn thing was full of stickers of butterflies! I mean, WTF? These days I'm being accused of using a flowery pillow and a comforter, having pink lips and wearing flowery shirts and now this on top of all that! Of course the allegations are all false; when I was buying the pillow cover there were only flowery ones, the comforter was provided when I got the apartment, I DON'T use lipstick and the shirt is not really flowery. Certainly not pink. So, worry not fellas I'm not turning gay or anything, and I'm definitely NOT going to stick those goddamn stickers onto the computer!

How to Heal a Broken Heart

I'm a member of a very well known cricket forum in Sri Lanka, but we are not limited to talk just about cricket there. We have just about everything there, to be frank and a place to be. So, I was going through some old threads of it and came across this particular one where some guy had just experienced the pain of a broken heart and posted a thread asking for some advice on "how to heal a broken heart." Among many suggestions such as hanging our with friends, music, booze, quality porn and even Multi-Bond and duct tape, there was this piece which is simply gold, by someone (let's say B) and truly it was too good not to share. Perhaps it might even help a couple of you guys out there. Actually it's written for a guy, but it pretty much applies to a girl as well. So go ahead peeps, have a look and heal your broken hearts if you happen to be so.



Alright, I'll take this as it's your (ex)girlfriend that dumped you. Here's how you heal it;

If this is your first love, probably nothing was ever painful as this is. It's not just any girl, it's the first person that you fell in love with, you may have thought that you'd be together forever, the jokes you shared, wonderful memories, conversations are just hard to forget. Since now it's all gone, you think you will never be happy again, right?

First things to do,

1. CUT ALL COMMUNICATIONS WITH HER. This is the only way! I know I know, you will feel like losing your best friend and hurt a lot but trust me! It'll only get better.
   
   
2. You probably only remember the good times. But recall the bad times, what you hated about her, things that you two never agreed upon.
   
   
3. Just because this is over doesn't mean it's all over. Ask your friends about how they dealt with these things.
   
   
4. Get some family, friends involved. Go out and have fun, movies, music, booze, work out. Whatever that makes your mind off this. Keep yourself occupied.
   
   
5. Be honest about how you feel, and it's OK to feel good too, you don't have to be sad all the time - remember there are others who still care about you.
   
   
6. Don't ask anyone about the girl, if someone refer to her as your girlfriend make sure they know that she's your exgirlfriend. Don't ask your friends about her, cut all communications like I said.
   
   
7. It's OK to cry, even for a guy, and you'll feel much better after you do, just don't do it out in the public.
   
   
8. Use this as an opportunity to be someone that you've always wanted to be, do something that you've always wanted to do.
   
   
9. Make some changes, rearrange your room, get some fresh air, get a hair cut. Don't just sit all day long, get out and do something. and give yourself enough time. Don't expect this to get better overnight.
   
   
10. YOU WILL NOT DIE! Although it feels like you are going to do die! you will NOT!
    

Now,

What could be in her mind? It takes two people to be in a relationship and one person to break it off. Although you feel the way you feel, may be it is meant to be this way. See from my personal experience I can tell you this is a very unfortunate situation to be in. It's ideal for two people to love each other so much and be in a relationship that would last forever. But know what son? Life ain't ideal.

If you really loved someone, then you'd know (at least after a while) that it's OK if they don't love you back, I heard. True love gives and expects nothing in return. I know, what I say might mean nothing to you (at least I was like that), it's hard to digest the pain of rejection, hearing someone say "move on things will be fine" is just bullshit eh? I hated whenever someone told me to "move on". You start to think about all that you've done for her, all the good times... all that. You know why you are still hurting from this? Because you haven't accepted it yet. Letting go means you accept that it's over. That you've lost, sometimes it's OK to accept that you've lost like in this situation you are in now. It will be for your good at the end. Just stop wondering what went wrong and all that shit. You think a text or a phone call won't do any harm but when they don't reply back, you feel shit.

If you keep worrying about this girl then you will give no chance for anyone else. And you could miss out on that special person who will love you back with the same intensity. Only when you stop chasing this girl, will you let that special person (could be your true love) into you.

Take it a day at a time, accept yourself for who you are, and most importantly forgive yourself for things you've done wrong (if you have). There will always be happiness around the corner bud. I think someone said, "you never stop loving someone, you just learn to live without them" (or something like that). That's exactly what you should do.

Please please please Don't do what I have done. DO NOT GET OBSESSED. It's not love, it's completely delusional. I wouldn't even want my worse enemy to be in this situation, yes PL, it's you. (This PL was the worst enemy of B on that particular forum)

Delete her phone number off your cell phone, throw away all her pictures and the pictures you both were in (well at least hide them so you can't see them anymore). Delete her from your messenger. Remove her from Facebook.

If you want to talk to someone and you can't seem to find anyone to talk to, go to yahoo answers and ask a question about break up and tell em how you feel. You will be surprised by the number of answers you get.

Listen to some music. Some say, it's not good to listen to sad songs in this situation, but I say bullshit. Even emo would do, listen to a band called Amber Pacific. If you are into just rock then listen to Matchbox 20 even that would do. Lets see, if you are into Alternative, Indie, Punk, Punk/Rock, Emo, Ska Punk, Skate Punk, Hardcore Punk, Garage Punk, Glam Punk, Celtic Punk, or any other punk genre I'll give you some cool bands to listen to. LOL.

Good luck!

Being Happy, Weekend and Cricket

If being happy is a crime, I'll probably be considered a serial killer these days. Perhaps a child molester or a rapist. And for you bastards out there who might use these words against me, no I'm neither one of those, it's just an analogy. But yes, I'm insanely happy these days, and when you feel like that, time flies like a, well, very fast. It is universally accepted that time passes double the normal speed during weekends which you should know only too well, but I think that this weekend was even double that. Saturday came and went before you know it, just managed to rearrange the room and cook some food. How many of you guys feel that rearranging your room is necessary? For me, I get tired of the same room arrangement if I am to stuck with one for more than two three months. Hence the necessity for some change. It's boring to just stick to one, isn't it? And I mean mundane stuff like this, not partners, mind you. Better stick to one when it comes to partners folks; it's got something to do with not getting AIDS or something like that. Try different styles with the same partner instead of the same style with different partners, they say. Who came up with that anyway? Some creative dude, I'm sure.

Then, on Sunday we were scheduled to play a cricket match - if you are a regular reader here you should already know that I started playing some hard ball cricket, but if you're not one of that elite bunch, well now you do. And in case you're not one of them, you should try to be one - a candy bar will be sent to all the regulars at the end of the year. Don't ask me how you guys are supposed to divide it - I let you decide by yourselves. Anyway. We were scheduled to play a forty over match, but we being Sri Lankans and the opposition being Indians we duly got late in typical Asian manner and it was decided that we will play 32-overs-a-side match. How they decided it should exactly be 32 is beyond me, I'd have preferred a more round figure like 30. Still, luckily our stand in captain won the toss and we elected to bat first and I got to go in at two down for twenty something runs. And played a satisfactory knock, 32 runs to be exact. Almost everyone chipped in and we made 201 all out in the last over. And the Indians were routed for 97. Cool eh? Actually we had a new guy coming in our team, let's call him J, though vastly talented than most of us. A leftie, and he was so fierce when he steamed in all the Indians were practically more concerned on not getting hit rather than scoring runs. Luckily we don't have practice sessions - facing J in practices would be a nightmare. And after few overs, they had given up all hopes of winning the match and were playing so dull cricket we had to invent new ways of getting them out. Like bowling juicy full tosses and letting them hit. It worked in the end though.

And now here I am back at work on a Monday, feeling pretty terrible as it is customary on Mondays. They should ban Mondays or something. Seriously. After five alarms I barely managed to get myself up this morning and naturally got late thirty minutes or so. But looking at the hit counter this morning made me chuckle, as one dude (assuming it's a dude) had googled how to find porn on facebook links and another, this time probably a girl though again I'm not entirely sure, had googled something funny to say on facebook to get him interested and ended up here. Hope they found what they were looking for, though I'm pretty sure I haven't posted links to porn on this blog. Still, always happy to be of help, I am.

Happy week ahead fellas!

It's Been a Year Folks!

I was thinking of how to write this post for a week or so. Perhaps even more. After contemplating all the brilliant ideas my genius of a mind kept throwing at me, finally I've decided to actually not think but just write sparring you the would-have-been anniversary post of the year.

Yes folks, it's been a year already!

Exactly a year ago, I started with this lame and pretty much nothing post, and how cool is it that a year on and I'm still writing pretty much the same crap posts? It takes a special dude like me - the king of crap blogging - to do that. All hail me!

Seriously, when I started a year ago, I had absolutely NO idea what I was going to write about, or even that if I'll be able to keep writing for this long. Never did I think that I'd enjoy it so much or that I'd have this blog in my top-five-things-to-save-in-a-fire list though I don't think that a blog needs saving from a fire. You get the point though.

A big, huge, mega thank you of astronomical proportions to all you my fellow bloggers. You are awesomeness! If I stop being modest for a second, it feels so good to know that you guys - at least some of you - read what I write and even perhaps like it. That keeps me going. I made a lot of friends from the Lankanosphere that I haven't even met, but you have been simply great. Thanks a lot for everything guys, I owe you big time.

Also a big thanks to all the non-blogging friends who have been reading the crap I write. Most of them are my FB friends, people who know me in real life, and it's good to know that you guys drop by. Keep coming back fellas, you'll be able to say to your grandchildren I knew him, when I take over the blogging world one day and become THE blogger every one so envies. Well, not really, but still keep coming back guys - it's good to have you around.

And some special thanks to three special friends in my life. First, to Damith, who in a way got me into blogging (I doubt even the bugger himself knows it) and who introduced me to Kottu. Thanks dude, and I'm missing your not-as-good-as-mine but still good posts. Then, Loonie and Solomon. Thanks guys for your constant constructive criticism (that's kinda hard to pronounce is it not?) and encouragement. You kept me going, and if not for you perhaps I wouldn't have come this far. You rock!

Alright then, gotta run folks.
Cheers!

Behind Every Failed Exam, There's a Girl

Lately I have been at an all time low when it comes to interesting things happening to me. Usually all the unwanted, stupid and embarrassing things seems to follow me wherever I go and strike me the moment they get an opportunity. They just continually deliver these blows, killer ones at times mind you, and more often than not I am left to be the laughing stock of whomever that is present at that time. But of late, things haven't been the same and I might even say I miss them at times. So, well, perhaps I should relive the past.

This was like good ten years back, when I was still in my A/L class. Day before the first term test in my A/L class, to be precise, and if I'm not mistaken it was the Physics paper that was scheduled for the next day. First term test means just about three months into the A/L class, the warmth of being the big guys of school is still there, and studying all important Physics, Chemistry and stuff is still in your head, and by all means you already are an engineer at that time. Reminds me of something this teacher told us back then. He was the A/L mathematics teacher, and once he said that right after being admitted to the Maths class, everyone in the class is an engineer, a year or so into the race and half the class would have given up and by the time A/L exams come up, you can hardly find a student in the class, let alone an engineer. So very true, we realized when the A/Ls were so close.

Anyway, since the want to do well was still there, me and two other guys, lets call them D and S, decided to spend the night at D's place and prepare for the exam. It'll be a whole nighter, and that we'd somehow finish the whole syllabus before going to bed, or rather exam as we had no intention of going to bed, and would be able to write the exam eyes closed, was the plan. A brilliant one, I'm sure you'd agree, but even the best of them succumb to the above mentioned fate of me, you'll see in a min. Thus we gathered at his place at about 4 in the evening and started studying like three obedient students. Everything was going according to the plan when around six in the evening D's mother asked us to go get some bread for dinner. The Kadey was quite close by, not more than five or six minutes walk, so we were supposed to walk there. In those days D's mother did not allow little kid like D to handle a car by himself - it was a necessity for a parent to be present at all times. But when D asked for the keys, perhaps because we were there, she didn't refuse and we were happily trotting off with the keys in hand a moment later.

We got in the car and headed towards the Kadey when this idiotic idea hit D. Those days, I had a crush on a chick, let's call her M, but neither D nor S had seen her. So he said "machan, let's go see her"! She happened to live about a couple of kilometers from where we were and it was the perfect opportunity. Going to see the girl you dig, on a car, with some friends could be put in the 'cool' category those days, and I had no objection. Not sure if it still is the case, though. Anyway, bread was forgotten and we headed towards her home hoping to return soon.

But then the disaster struck.

Right when we were taking a bend, there were some twigs with leaves still on them were lying around to the side of the road, but D didn't mind and ran the car over them.

THUD!!!

The car stopped immediately and we just literally jumped out of it to see what it was. It was around six in the evening, and was quite dark so unfortunately we hadn't seen the tree trunk lying beneath all the twigs. The buffer of the car was shattered and we were, in every sense of the word, doomed. You've got to realize the implications there. First, we were not supposed to have the car. Two, a car accident, even when nobody's hurt was a big deal those days and you will probably be never given the car for the rest of your life. Or until you buy one for yourself. And D's mom letting mine and S's parents know this wasn't really out of the question either. Besides, usually however small the accident was a car repair costs a lot and that too was a big concern. We were panicking, and had no idea and had nowhere to go, really, when this brilliant mind of mine threw me an idea.

There was this vehicle repairing garage close to my house (I should have mentioned that mine and D's houses were very close by) and the dude there was quite friendly with me. So we decided to first park the car at D's house without telling his mom anything. We had our dinner and went about studying until his mom went to sleep, and then we got to work. Sneaked out of the house at about midnight, pushed the car for some distance without starting it, and then went to find the garage dude to his home which also was close by. We woke him up in the middle of the night and told him the story and literally begged to get it fixed. He was quite a nice guy and agreed to do it (*relief*) and off we went to his garage. The whole night was spent fixing the car and finally at about four in the morning it was done. And he did a fine job with it too that all the cracks were perfectly covered and you couldn't really notice it unless you knew it. And he refused to take any money either, he knew our parents and all that, and promised to keep the whole business quiet as well. We returned to D's home, parked the car where it was and went to get some sleep. Physics was considered a lost cause and there's always a next term test anyway.

Obviously, marks for the next day's exam were forgettable, but when we finally did tell D's mom that this happened, she thought we were kidding and told us off for making up adventure stories. How cool is that?