Version 2.0

Yeah. I'm gonna try and pick up blogging again. I don't have time to read though, so apologies in advance (if any of the old bloggers are actually reading this...which they're probably not).

Also, new me, new blog colour. ish.

Let's see how this goes, shall we?

Um, yeah, hi.

Just checking this thing still works. Everything's changed and I'm not quite sure what I'm doing any more. But yeah.

I'm gonna go now, but I may be back.

Whoops

Listening to: My tummy

I just realised this blog turned 5 on the 29th of Jan...and it totally passed me by.

To all the haters...

Listening to: 'My Life Would Suck Without You' by Glee Cast [Glee: The Music, Volume 2]

...who think that blogging is a waste of time
...that twitter is for losers
...that you can't forge meaningful friendships online

You couldn't be more wrong.

P.S.- And to all the lovers...my life would suck without you too :-)

Happy birthday bestie!

Listening to: 'Why Don't You' by Gramophonedzie [Swingin With The Fishes]

Just a quickie 'cos I'm currently up to my eyeballs in an essay about teaching techniques...but today marks 4 years since I started blogging. So happy birthday, my darling blog. You are one of my bestest friends :-).

To celebrate, here's an absolutely awesome track currently playing on the radio. Swing house FTW!

Update

Listening to: 'Tell You Something' by Alicia Keys [As I Am]

I've been so utterly busy that I haven't had time to blog for 2 whole weeks! I should be getting ready for bed now but I was having blogger withdrawal so here I am with a quick update.

Those of you who watched the X Factor results show on Sunday would've seen Alicia Keys' performance. How amazing was she?!?! I'm in love. So in love am I that I haven't been able to listen to anything else for the past 3 days...and I JUST BOOKED A TICKET TO SEE HER LIVE AT THE O₂ NEXT MAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And it's the day before my birthday, how cool is that?! The only catch is that I don't know if I'll actually be in the UK in May...but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I missed the youtube concert yesterday 'cos I was being sociable, but I'll try and watch the highlights at some point. Her new single Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart is absolutely gorgeous...I can't wait for the album!

In other news, I'm going home next week!!! I'm swimming in a sea of unfinished experiments, horrible weather, a messy flat and a really bad cold, and at times it's difficult to get excited about going home 'cos there's so much to do. I'm also paranoid that SriLankan is gonna mess up my booking, which doesn't help. I am, however, getting excited about my friend's wedding. I'm supposed to be organising the hen party and giving a speech, neither of which I've done before...so it should be interesting. Hopefully I'll get time to actually write the speech! Sigh at this rate I'm gonna have a hell of a lot of things to do on the flight.

The Teaching Associate Programme I mentioned earlier is going really well...I've been observing lecturers and it's a real eye-opener! Wow I was such a horrible undergrad. The only thing I'm dreading is writing essays based on my findings. I don't 'do' essays. Blogging and thesis-writing are the closest I get to writing prose. Anyway we shall see.

Hmm there's nothing else to report, really. Work is going OK *touchwood*, I'm just trundling along until I go home. There's the usual mix of newish music I'm enjoying, like the Alicia Keys track I mentioned above, and the new Plan B track Stay Too Long. He might look like a chav, but the boy's got talent.

OK I'm properly yawning now so I guess it's time to hit the sack. This rather haphazard post marks 100 posts for this year!!! This is a lot more than I usually manage, so it's quite a big deal for me. I've also noticed that my comment count has gone up considerably, so thank you to everyone who reads this blog and takes the time to comment :-). As usual, I probably won't have much time to blog from SL, so this might be the last you hear from me for this year. I'll try and get a few updates in, but if I can't...here's wishing you a peaceful end to 2009 and a prosperous start to 2010!

Bullyproofing my 16 year old self

Listening to: Radio 1

I've been tagged by Scrumpy and Whacko in the latest blogging tag, and 1720GMT today is the big moment for BBC's anti-bullying campaign, bullyproof...so I've combined the two into one mega post...

-----

Hello chuti^[1] PR,

What?! Don't tell me I'm disrupting your precious O/L revision...we both know you were napping. Ammi^[2] doesn't know yet...but as usual, she will soon. No, I'm not the Ghost of Christmas Future...this is November, fool. And can you please stop trying to explain this in your usual painstakingly logical manner and shut up so I can impart you with a few pearls of wisdom? Not that you'd listen to me anyway, you stubborn little...ah, thank you.

OK...since you're supposedly studying, let's start with that. O/Ls will be fine (yes, even your 3 month crash course in Lit.). Ignore the self-righteous bigots who love to trash international schools, you'll survive. You'll love your A/L subjects...except Physics, which you'll just 'like'. A/Ls will seem easier than O/Ls. Yeah you're weird like that...accept it. Embrace it even! More on that later.

FFS don't worry about all those people trying to turn you into a mini Thaththi^[3] (you look like him, that's enough)! Do what appeals to you. Remember when you were 7, you told Ammi you'd study at Oxford? Screw that, you're going some place far better ;-)...don't let that horrendous mock interview faze you. At university, your grades will be marginally above average, which'll take some getting used to. But do your best, that's what counts. Oh and you know that desire to help others understand stuff? Keep that at the foremost of your mind...it'll be motivation for some serious shit you put yourself through. Your PhD (yes, you do a PhD) will be one heck of a rollercoaster ride...better toughen up your stomach!

Hmm what next? Ah yes. The PMS will improve...no more puking and fainting...oh except for this one time when you faint at freshers' fair and the ambulance crew have to escort you out of the hall with loads of people watching. But yeah, the worst is over. You'll lose about 5kg over the next decade. People will continue to give you dagger looks and say you're anorexic...meh. Don't bother with the high protein/high calorie diets, they won't work for you. And I admire your resolve but not eating chocolate won't reduce your pimples, so just get back to the good stuff, k? Oh and LOOK AFTER YOUR TEETH!!!

Now the personal stuff. The easy bits first: your love life will be pretty uneventful for the next 10 years...unless unrequited infatuations count as 'events' (please don't waste your time). You will make some amazing friends, but you'll still keep in touch with the gang. You'll be two continents away from SS but you'll still be as close as ever.

Lastly, the most important part. How can I put this gently...all the times people said nasty things about your accent, your skin colour, your country, your weight, your opinions, your preferred language, your hobbies, your social class (I know you remember every instance)...the bullying has affected you. I know you think it hasn't, and you (and a lot of other people) think I'm being a dramaqueen...but it has. Greater people have turned to alcohol, drugs, self-harming etc., but you've channelled all the negative energy into your studies and you're doing ok. You're doing the right thing, and I'm very proud of you! The bullying won't stop though. People will continue to judge you by your social class (albeit from a different perspective)...they'll also be hurtful about your career choices, your gender, your life choices, your body, your race...and more. We both know that these things don't really matter, and you're principled/stubborn enough not to change simply because you're in a minority of one. But it will hurt. A lot. You will cry. A lot. And when the studies get difficult, when you get stuck and realise you can't do everything on your own...your world will fall apart. The wall you built to protect yourself from the bullies will crumble, and every ugly insecurity you can imagine will surface. You'll hate your body, your mind, your work, your personality, your friends...you'll hate every aspect of your life.

Now dry your eyes for the good news - you turn things around. You start writing a public journal (that's this thing) and vent your thoughts. You find people you can confide in. You take the extremely brave step of opening up to your parents. Slowly, but surely, you make your way back. Clichés aside, it really is a voyage of discovery. But remember this...every part of you, the good, the bad and the ugly...they're all you. And you are perfect in your imperfections. You are a good person and you live your life by the Dhamma^[4]...with that, you can't go wrong. You'll be bruised and battered by people's harsh words, but you must nurse yourself back to health. Don't let anyone belittle you, your hopes or your fears. Love and accept yourself unconditionally. Please. If not you, then who?

OK I'm outta here. Know that I'm very proud of you, and you don't turn out so bad ;-).

With Blessings of the Noble Trip Gem, and the biggest, warmest hug ever,

Loku^[5] PR

-----

Sorry for the long and unfunny read; it's stuff I've been wanting to blog about for a while. One person's bullying is another person's banter and sometimes it's hard to tell them apart, but please try. A little sensitivity goes a long way.

Tagged: Sabby and Lady Divine

1 - little; 2 - Mother; 3 - Father; 4 - Buddhist teachings; 5 - big

Shameless plug

Listening to: Radio 1

So I know I haven't posted any songs recently...I just haven't had the time. I have an idea for one song and bits recorded for another song, so hopefully I'll get around to completing them soon.

In the meantime, it's business as usual over at the Darkside...Gehan's just done a beautiful rendition of Rob Thomas' Ever the Same, and in case you're one of the few ppl that follows my blog and not his (eh? what's wrong with you? :P ), this is to plug the fact that the backing vocals on the recording are by yours truly. So go check it out here!

Doing my bit

Listening to: 'Take Off Your Cool' by Outkast ft. Norah Jones [Speakerboxx/The Love Below]

I found out about Blog Action Day via this post by Whacko. It seemed like a cool idea, so I registered my blog on the website, thereby making a commitment to blog about Climate Change today. Now that I'm sitting in front of my computer, I can't think of what to say. Oh well, I'll just ramble as usual then.

I can't say I was that bothered about Climate Change when I was growing up. What with exams, friends, boys etc., environmental responsibility was a non-issue. Then I came to the UK and my room in College had a recycling bin, the student body had an 'environmental officer', and we had a course on 'sustainability'. I was being more environmentally responsible, but not consciously...I was doing so simply because the infrastructure was in place.

Things are a bit different now. I carry a shopping bag with me at all times so I don't have to use polythene bags, I have a compost bin, I recycle paper, glass, cardboard, batteries, and plastics (at least whatever the Council has the facilities for), and I'm conscious about energy consumption. British Gas' 'Zero Carbon' option is pricey, but it ensures that my consumption is matched with renewable sources. And I really don't know what everyone's complaining about - the light from the energy-saving bulbs I'm using isn't harsh at all!

I'm not sure why I started doing all this. The infrastructure was available, yes...but it was by no means 'in place' like it was at College. I could've easily ignored the green wheelie bin and just dumped everything in the black bin. But something's switched inside. Environmental responsibility has kicked in.

The climate is changing. No matter what the cynics say, society's impact on the environment will someday blow up in our faces. We could lobby governments, criticise politicians for not making a genuine effort, blame everything on the oil companies...but at the end of the day, this is our planet, and we are responsible for our actions. I think the productive (and responsible) thing to do, would be to follow the 3R's in our own little way.

• Reduce consumption
• Re-use assets
• Recycle waste

I mean, why not?

Mummy (and Daddy) Cool

Listening to: 'Like You'll Never See Me Again' by Alicia Keys [As I Am]

I told my mother about this blog about a month ago. Blogging had been discussed before (I recall being asked what a blog was, and if I had one), but never in detail, and never in the context of the 'online community'. It was perhaps the community aspect of blogging that prompted me to tell her; I've always been very close to my parents, and the idea of excluding them from something that had become an important part of my life seemed somewhat unnatural. I haven't told her where it is, but then she hasn't asked either. I probably wouldn't tell her if she did ask, but that's a non-issue at present.

I must admit, I was a bit apprehensive. A part of me was anticipating the "but there are freaks on the internet!" response, and I was expecting some disapproval of the whole 'clandestine blogger rendezvous' thing. However, I was to be pleasantly surprised! My mother was happy that I was communicating with people outside the Cambridge bubble, completely trusting of my ability to judge character (go figure!) and perhaps most of all, thrilled that I was singing again. It's interesting to note that my parents give my 'online' friends the same attention that they give my 'offline' friends (especially considering that even I'm not sure how the whole 'online friend' thing works).

And boy, do they give my 'offline' friends a lot of attention. I'm pretty sure some of my friends chat more to my parents than they do to me. And I heard many stories about them from my friend's wedding last month...they seem to act more my age than I do! I've lost count of the times I've been told that my parents are 'cool', 'fun', 'easy to talk to', or something along those lines...naturally I'm the only one that's witnessed the 'strict disciplinarian' side :D

I was watching them today, waving at me on skype while being rather cutesy with each other. They were telling me about their escapades on the internet, and we were discussing the cricket, tennis and Whitney Houston's comeback. And it occurred to me, they really are 'cool' (albeit a tad embarrassing, at times), and I am really really lucky.

I'm not sure if it's just a bad case of homesickness, but I felt an urge to blog about them now. So there you have it.

OK I'm gonna go dry my eyes now.

Love is a tagfest

Listening to: 'Have a Nice Day' by Stereophonics [Just Enough Education to Perform]

I've been tagged by the Divine Lady herself. It took me a bit of soul-searching to come up with something, and in the process I discovered that I've turned into a cynical old fart. Oh well.

Anyway, on with the tag. Love is...

...an amazingly corny comic strip that's been going for almost 40 years!

If you want more, see GoComics

Sorry, I couldn't resist :D.

Jokes aside, I tried to think of a definition and all I could come up with was this...

...everything my parents share with each other and with me, and I with them.

Open tag, and I dare you to try and beat TheWhacksteR's definition ;-).

The Cover Session #6

Listening to: 'Ain't No Rest for the Wicked' by Cage the Elephant [Cage the Elephant]

Back in February, there was a comment on one of my posts; a proposal of sorts. I wasn't sure if it was meant seriously or not, but I decided to assume that it was. If it wasn't...oops, too late! :P.

Anyway, six months and a few emails and mp3s later, here we are! Yes, PseudoRandom has actually recorded a duet with the mighty Darkside! It was his song choice, and considering how much of a Snow Patrol fan I am, I guess it's no surprise that I was more than willing. My contribution kinda took a back seat due to the PhD, moving house etc., but thankfully things settled down and I managed to find time. And I won't deny that I may have been a bit 'keen' to get this done before he becomes famous and all ;-).

I have to say I'm really proud of this; when I started this blog, I never imagined I'd be using it to showcase my own singing, let alone a duet with a blogger two continents away! As Shorty said,

Amazing thing no...technology??

Profound, I know. Anyway, enough chat. Here it is: 'Set the Fire to the Third Bar' - originally by Snow Patrol featuring Martha Wainwright, from their album Eyes Open. Piano and male vocals by Gehan, female vocals by moi (duh). Enjoy!

If you want to listen to it offline, you can download it here. And for those of you who live to see Gehan's headless videos *cough*Jerry*cough*, there's a video version up on his blog :-).

Tweet tag

Listening to: Radio 1

So there's been a request from St. Fallen for me to publish a Wordle of my most tweeted words. Here it is -

Wordle of my tweets via http://wordle.net

Not über exciting, as you can see. But then, that's hardly surprising.

Tagging WhacksteR and Chavie. Because.

Just your average Saturday

Listening to: Radio 1

The Scene: Somewhere on the London Underground

I'm bounding up the stairs, thinking "Shit shit shit, why didn't I leave sooner? Me and my time management, or lack thereof. Why are these buffoons walking so slowly?! Get out of my way, fool! It's ok I'll blame the Sri Lankan genes, she'll understand...I hope." As I reach street level, my phone buzzes with a voicemail. The message is along the lines of...

"I'm so sorry, I'm running a bit late...typical Sri Lankan timing! See you soon!"

Dammit, she stole my excuse.

So yes, some of you will know that I met Scrumpy over the weekend. We met up in the capital and she took me to a quaint little café with the most amazing cakes. We sat in the corner of the tiny underground room (yes, very clandestine blogger rendezvous-esque, I know) and ordered, um, milky coffees...right Scrumpy ;-) ? We chatted for about an hour about loads of things...blogging, bloggers, work, men...heck we even solved all the problems back home!

Lunchtime arrived, and we made a pact for her to visit the 'bridge soon, said our goodbyes and went our separate ways...she carried on with the rest of her day, and I met up with Shorty and went and checked out the Ferrari Store and Hamleys. I ♥ Regent Street.

After that, I made my long overdue pilgrimage to the Abercrombie & Fitch store...sigh, such hawtness *drool*. Was told (well, yelled at, rather)

"I like you. RED! Gorgeous!"

by a man dressed in a pirate suit outside Hamleys (yes I was the only one wearing red nearby, it was definitely for me :P ). Saw a man having a heart attack outside another shop (I saw him again later, he had regained consciousness, and the paramedics were looking after him). Then I met up with Bang Bang and spent lots of money at TopShop, and then sat with some post-rally pro-LTTErs on the tube (more on that later).

All in a day's work, really!

Lankan Tag-o-rama

Listening to: Gehan's latest track

Yeah I know it's been quiet over here for a bit...my 3rd year presentation is next week and I've been otherwise occupied with a lot of stuff. Oh and it was my birthday on Tuesday. So yeah, busy days. Shall post properly soon. I promise.

In the meantime, Sachintha has tagged me. I'm getting this post out before everyone I want to tag gets tagged elsewhere :P (knowing me, I'm probably too late already).

These are the rules, apparently:

1. You write five words to describe how you feel about recent events in Sri Lanka.
2. You tag five bloggers.
3. You sit back and relax.

My five words are...

1. Relief
2. Pride
3. Weariness
4. Concern
5. Hope

I have various reasons for choosing my five bloggers...either they've not been blogging recently and this is supposed to be a kick up the backside, or I just want an excuse to say hi to them on the blog...but mainly, I want to hear what they have to say :). Here they are...

1. Mak
2. Gehan
3. Scrumpy
4. Pani Bunis...sorry I mean Paparé
5. N

Slightly aside, can I suggest a change to the rules? Instead of sitting back and relaxing, can we do all we can to get the aid flowing? It's the least we can do.

There are no strangers here; only friends you haven't yet met.

Listening to: 'Dance Wiv Me' by Dizzee Rascal ft. Calvin Harris and Chrome [Dance Wiv Me]

At least according to someone famous. I've been witness to some proper blogger camaraderie recently. The cynic in me just sees the phrase 'ego-massaging', but the rest of me soon shoots her down. Ego-massaging doesn't result in people giving you virtual hugs when you're feeling down. It doesn't result in people giving you constructive advice on practical matters. It doesn't result in you feeling genuinely happy when another blogger has a good day. I've experienced all of these (and more) first hand in the past week.

We have a weird relationship, don't we? You sit at your computer thousands of miles away (or maybe just a few) and you know how crap my day was, how insecure I am, and that I saw an incredibly hot guy on the street...and yet you don't know what my laugh sounds like, or how I dance. If we were to pass each other on the street, we'd be strangers...oblivious of each other (unless you're hot, in which case you might get a second glance ;-) )...oblivious of how much we actually know about each other.

I suppose if someone asked me what my various friendship groups were, 'bloggers' would be one. Can I really say that? Can I really say that I have a bunch of friends whose real names I may or may not know, whose faces I may or may not recognise...but I know how they feel about everything under the sun, possibly more so than the friends I meet in person? I don't know. Is this 'virtual friendship' healthy? I don't know. The pundits will probably say it's not, and that face to face contact is essential for any wholesome relationship. While virtual friendships may not be wholesome in the traditional sense, they do serve a purpose...so maybe they're a good thing? I don't know that either.

Shell shocked

Listening to: Radio 1

You'd think that after spending half of my life in a country where nonsensical terrorist attacks are the norm, I'd be used to this. But I'm not. The bubble protecting the nation's sweethearts has burst...and I am in shock.

We used to have fond memories of Lahore. No more.

May those who died rest in peace, and may the others recover from their physical and psychological trauma.

My 200th post wasn't supposed to be like this. Sigh.

Tweet tweet

Listening to: 'Rockin' Robin' by The Jackson 5 [-]

No prizes for guessing what this is about. So I was messing about with my photos on Flickr and realised that I have uploaded over 270 photos! Which I thought was pretty cool. In fact, I thought it was so cool that I wanted to tell someone about it. And then it stopped being cool. I got a vision of me emailing a friend with my amazing news and them replying with "That's nice". It's not nice!?! It's frikkin' awesome man, that's what it is!

Erm sorry, yes, back to the topic at hand. I'm now on Twitter. I'm not sure if that makes me a twitterer or a twit (har har), but who cares! I can now voice all those one-line opinions that aren't worthy of blog posts without having to worry about inundating my friends with pointless emails. And I have one more hobby, potentially. Which ain't such a bad thing, methinks.

And since it's the first thing that popped into my head when I heard the word 'tweet', here's a video of the Jackson 5 singing Rockin' Robin. Enjoy!

T minus 7hrs for the journey home

Listening to: Radio 1

So much for my "I'm a student and therefore too broke to buy presents"...

Mother: Can you get a gift for Aunty A? She always cooks for you when you come
Me: Ah yeah no prob
...
Mother: Aney darling better get something for Aunty B also no?
Me: Hmm ok
...
Mother: Ah one more thing, can you get something for Akki X as well? She likes those [blah blah blah] things
Me: Erm...I'll see if there's something small
...
Mother: Oh and another thing, so-and-so was saying [insert random ailment]...you remember those things at Boots? Aney bring some please
Me: Mother! I only have 20kg allowance...these things add up
Mother: Ah then ok...don't worry about it...I was just saying because she was finding it really difficult...but never mind
Me: *Sigh* Ok ok I'll try and bring it
Mother: No no don't worry if it's a hassle, you just come will you
Me: [pregnant pause] No I'll bring it
Mother: Aney thank you baba. I can't wait to see you!
Me: I can't wait to see you too, Ammi

Ugh my bag is so heavy. I should say here that the above dialogue wasn't an exercise in emotional blackmail by my mother. It's just me being unable to say no to her.

But enough of the grumbling. I'm so bloody excited (yes I think I've already mentioned that quite a bit). It's a bit weird 'cos while I'm really looking forward to seeing family and friends, the weather and the food...there's also stuff I'm gonna miss from here. Like the music - I have no clue what they play on Sri Lankan radio any more! I've become so addicted to Britpop and Brit Indie that I think I might die without them. And how am I supposed to live for a month without Chris Moyles, Sara Cox and Scott Mills?! Sigh.

And another thing. I don't know if I'll have time to blog from home. My parents are social butterflies and yours truly will probably be fluttering around with them most of the time. So here's wishing the entire blogosphere a very merry Christmas and festive season in general, and all the best for the coming year. See you in 2009!!!

New template

Listening to: nothing

Figured I'd try a three-column layout to minimise the scrolling down required. Might change it back at some point, might not. We'll see how it goes.

What do you think?