My Asylum

Discussing Sri Lankan development on NewSriLanka.com

2009-06-21T22:23:00.000-07:00

www.newsrilanka.com is a forum that facilitates discussion on development of Sri Lanka.
There are already many interesting discussions taking place. It is also an open forum where all can contribute their articles and views.
IMO a great initiative promoting Sri Lankan ideas for development.

The Ruling Passion

2008-07-24T22:35:00.000-07:00

Singing about love and passion isn't very spectacular. It requires class and finesse. Ordinary musicians can hide behind spectacular music to deliver, but Asitha Tennekoon and Ramya De Livera are no ordinary musicians and chose the harder option - to sing about love. This requires heart, soul, subtlety, control and passion.

I'm no music critic, but I felt that I must write about this program of music which is a rare and welcome experience for us in Sri Lanka.

You come to expect nothing but the best from musicians of the caliber of Asitha and Ramya De Livera. Asitha has been one of the finest tenors Sri Lanks has ever produced and is probably "the" finest tenor of our times in this our land. His performance last night was one of sheer purity and brilliance.

The programme began with Schumanns Widmung, a lengthy piano introduction gave way to Asitha's voice. He sailed through his renditions of all the pieces he sang with minimal effort but with maximum effect. His spectacular control and the delivery of subtle dynamics in a manner that conveyed the required expression were key factors that enabled him to carry the program through. The use of dramatisation and facial expression was subtle and added quality and meaning to his renditions.

The first half consisted of arias from operas and other songs composed by classical composers. The two standout pieces were "Il Mio Tesoro Intanto" from Mozart's infamous Don Giovanni and "Una Furtiva Lagrima" by Gaetano Donizetti. The latter work in particular was a stunning piece and Asitha made it sink deep into the soul.

The variety on display even within the first half was epitomized by the fervent yet hillarious rendition of "When I think upon the Maidens".

Ramya De Livera was at her usual brilliant best at the piano and like Asitha delivered the passion required to drive the program with subtle changes in style, expression and feeling. The piano at the Russian Center isn't the best in town but she made it sound as good any instrument you could get your hands on.

Dominic Johnpillai on violin gave a solo performance which was of high caliber, signalling that he is a serious emerging talent and is worth following.

The second half gave way to music of a lighter vain. The deep full sound of Peshali Yapa sang "Bill" from the well known musical Showboat. It was indeed a wonderful effort where she not only made the audience feel the love, laughter and the pain. She continued in this vain with some additional dramatisation in "Someone is sending me flowers". She was soon joined by Asitha in a duet. They sang well together. Their voices together aren't the most dynamic and wonderful pairings you would find, but they still click and can make their performance work.

"A Bit of Earth" by Lucy Simon was sung beautifully by Asitha and was the showpiece of the second half. Asitha and Peshali were also brilliant on the song "Anything you can do". They complimented each other fabulously, giving a comic but vocally brilliant performance.

The instrumental ensemble was also very good and added to the class of the performance. Dominic Johnpillai tended to play a little too loud at times, drowning out the others as well as the vocals on occasion, but Johann Peiris and Prajapa De Silva were very precise and conscious of their dynamic levels.

This program didn't quite let Asitha put his full vocal range and power on display. It was more an exhibition of beautiful singing filled with passion.

It was a night to remember and we need to thank Asitha, Ramya, Peshali and others for making it so memorable. I hope Asitha continues to grow in stature as a musician and some day comes back to Sri Lanka to thrill audiences with his ever present voice.

If you missed it yesterday try and make it over tonight to the Russian Center and experience the Ruling Passion.

Les Joies de la Musique

2008-07-03T23:29:00.000-07:00

The Colombo Philharmonic Choir

Presents

Les Joies de la Musique

(The Joys of Music)

A selection of songs by Schubert, Schumann, Debussy, Mendelssohn and Brahms, choruses from the operas, Semiramide (Rossini), Norma (Bellini), Acis and Galatea (Handel), a cantata “O for the Wings of a Dove” (Mendelssohn) and “The Marvellous Work” (from Haydn’s Creation)

At The Russian Centre, Independence Avenue , Colombo 7

Saturday 12th July at 7.00 pm

Tickets: Rs. 400, available at the entrance (or at "The Autodrome", Union Place , opposite Pizza Hut)
Conductor: Manilal Weerakoon
Pianist: Radhika Abeynaike
Soloists: Minoli Goonewardene (Soprano), Sanjeev Niles (Bass)

Ample parking available at Maitland Place .
Please be there and pass the word around

The Five Greatest Voices of Our Times

2008-07-02T05:25:00.000-07:00

Just thought of dropping a list of the five greatest voices of our time. This list is very much my opinion and is as per my taste in music. Here goes…

1. Andrea Bocelli: Andrea Bocelli possesses one of the most stunning voices to have been heard on the face of this earth. He doesn’t boast the raw power of Pavarotti or Domingo, but has a supreme sense of control of his vocal chords which is unmatched by far. He can sing the highest of notes in the softest of voices and can open out beautifully when needed. He also possesses a stunning range which can start from a bottom E to a high C.

He made a good move by doing more popular music in the recent past, exhibiting the virtues of his voice to a wider audience. The beauty of his voice when singing the simplest of songs (e.g. Can’t help falling in love with you) brings out the purity, subtlety and power in his voice. It will be some time perhaps even eternity before a voice like his graces this earth.

2. Luciano Pavarotti: I needn’t say much about the great man. But he had a voice that could stop traffic or stop your heart. He had amazing power and control and was an easy choice for any conductor despite his inability to sight read. He left a huge mark on the music industry and will be remembered as a legend.

His rendition of pop music however was not so subtle. He made a regular ass of himself singing with cheap-stakes like the Spice Girls etc. However he managed to get closer to a huge audience around the world. This was something his contemporary greats Domingo and Carreras didn’t manage due to sticking to the music they loved.

3. Frank Sinatra: Many say that his is the greatest voice that the pop music industry has ever heard. I believe this is so up to the point that Andrea Bocelli walked in to the pop scene. Sinatra does have an endearing voice that has all the attributes of a great singer. He was a solid performer live and his music will remain legendary for years to come.

4. Bruce Dickinson: The Iron Maiden front man has a freakish voice with the ability of pitching extremely high notes without singing falsetto or screaming. Few metal vocalists will boast of this virtue. He also delivers quality every time he sings live. In addition to being an energetic powerhouse on stage he sings those timeless high melodies with startling finesse.

5. Warrell Dane: One of the most compellingly raw voices rock n roll has ever heard. Being the voice for the powerful music composed by Nevermore is not easy, but Dane delivers with mind boggling ease. He hardly ever has to growl or scream to portray power. Listening to him singing their heart stopping melodies is like experiencing a different world.

He is however too drunk or stoned to sing with any sense of accuracy on stage at most times. His greatness is limited very much to his delivery at the studio. However even this inhibiting factor doesn’t take away from the power of his voice.

The Ten

2008-06-16T21:24:00.000-07:00

Well the whole tagging scene reached me (who hasn’t blogged for centuries) as well.
Everyone else seems pretty much done with the tagging thing though.
Anyway thanks to angel_eyes here goes a list in no particular order of ten things that make me happy…

1. Being with the one I love
2. Spending time with close friends
3. Singing
4. Listening to music I love
5. Traveling
6. Watching solid movies
7. Eating fast food and sweets
8. Watching cricket (specially when Sri Lanka is doing well)
9. Day dreaming
10. “Attempting” to draw / sketch

That’s about it…

SLT IP TV – a real revolution in entertainment in Sri Lanka

2008-06-15T23:05:00.000-07:00

Went for the launch of SLT IP TV yesterday, and was certainly blown away by what they offer.

In addition to the standard Live TV they offer Time Shift TV where you can go back and watch programs that you missed, with options to rewind or fast forward at any point of time. Further the video on demand facility where you can pick a movie which you would like to watch is something new to pay TV in Sri Lanka.

The picture quality wasn’t that great, but I was told that this was due to the fact that it was still in the phase of testing.

Additional perks include the fact that you can watch TV even when it’s raining (a big draw back of satellite TV).

Dates for commercial launch haven’t been finalized yet apparently. They promise that the installation fee (set up box and router) will cost less than the satellite dish and set up box installation fee. Rentals also are to be lower than the satellite TV rates at present.

So they seem to be offering one heck of a deal and Dialog TV will have to conjure up something serious now to stay in business. This will be tough for DTV with the limitations of satellite broadcasting.

The launch is on at the BMICH for a couple more days I think. So if you’re in the vicinity just pop by and take a look.

Amazing jobsite - www.topjobs.lk

2007-05-09T00:06:00.000-07:00

I found this amazing jobsite www.topjobs.lk

It has loads of jobs in all sectors and some great companies as well.

It also seems up-to date which is great.

For anyone who wants to be informed about the opportunities available in Sri Lanka, this is an awesome site.

www.topjobs.lk

Mahela keeps Ponting waiting...He He

2007-04-27T21:38:00.000-07:00

Mahela has apparently kept Ponting waiting for an hour for a photo shoot... Good one... That should get Ricky all worked up...

Read the full article on:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/cricket/sri-lankan-skipper-stands-up-ponting/2007/04/27/1177459958952.html

Asantha De Mel’s got kerosene oil in his brain…

2007-04-19T22:03:00.000-07:00

Becoming the chairman of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation seems to have gone to Asantha De Mel’s head. He did the dumbest thing by contradicting Mahela and saying that Sri Lanka rested Vaas and Murali to hide them from the Australians for the final.

He sent out an unnecessary message to the world that Sri Lanka is taking the final for granted.

Seems like the Diesel price hike and the World Cup is too much for him to take…

Malinga Injured....Bad Scene

2007-04-10T04:33:00.000-07:00

This isn't good news for Sri Lanka, Murali also doesn't seem to be 100%. Lets hope for the best...

Read the article on - http://www.colombopage.com/archive_07/April1045911SL.html

South African commentators in poor taste

2007-04-08T20:27:00.000-07:00

It was disappointing to see Barry Richards and Daryll Cullinan – South Africa’s key commentators for this World Cup offering pitiful excuses for their defeat and demeaning Bangladesh’s victory.

Richards said that the South Africans were unhappy due to poor facilities being provided for practice which caused low morale and resulted in a defeat. Cullinan went on to say that the Bangladeshi’s won by luck which I thought was a pathetic statement.

India’s Sivaramakrishnan and Manjerekar were much more gracious in giving a verdict on India’s defeat to the Bangladeshi’s.

Richards who seemed to be an unbiased well rounded commentator suddenly has become like the Ian Botham of South Africa. These guys are after all the voice of their country in this World Cup.

Sri Lanka's top four...Cause for concern

2007-03-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

The Sri Lankans nearly pulled a rabbit out of the hat against the South Africans, with Malinga proving that he is a freak of a bowler who'll tear you apart when you least expect it. He and his fellow bowlers would have sunk the South Africans easily had our batsmen put something decent on the board.

Our batting woes have shifted from the middle order to the top order. In the last four games against a quality opposition, none of our top four batsmen have scored more than 50 runs apart from the 60 odd scored by Tharanga against India at Trinidad.

Putting a finger on the problem is difficult. Mahela is having a horrendous run and probably should consider dropping down the order. If he wasn't the captain his batting slot could actually have been taken by Atapattu. The rest of the middle order is doing too well to knock them out for Attapattu.

Our next game against the Windies will be a test and a must win in the context of the oppositions to come.

Our bowlers have done very well in the recent past, washing away many of our batsmens sins. The pitches to come don't promise to be as good for our kind of play as it was in Guyanna.

Well done Malinga, Murali and Vaas!!

Sana, Upul, Mahela and Sanga...you guys need to rise to the occassion put something on the board for our craftsmen and devil to bowl at.

What SL had in ’96 that they don’t have now…

2007-03-11T21:00:00.000-07:00

The upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 will be the spotlight in coming months and hearts of all Sri Lankans will be stuck on happenings in the Caribbean. All of us believe that Sri Lanka goes in as a strong contender for this tournament with an experienced and well rounded outfit. Our hopes cling to a repeat of 1996.

Yes, presently we do have a strong side but in 1996 we had something that we do not have now – The Element of Surprise. In the Wills World Cup 1996 we came out of nowhere all guns blazing and took the world by storm. To play one day cricket in Super Attacking mode from the start was something we invented and it stunned the rest of the world. Jayasuriya who was almost unknown along with Kalu, the little master or Mad Max – Aravinda, the sedate guiding lights of Gura, Arjuna, Mahanama and Hashan were not expected to knock out the big guns. Even more underrated was the left arm metronome Vaas, the vicious spin of Murali, the gentle floating off breaks of Dharmasena, and the wiles of the part time spinning duo – Aravinda and Sanath. Facing these guys on a sub continent wicket was a challenge that was never taken seriously by the other contenders for the cup.

Back then the world didn’t see us coming. This time round it’s a different story. From Sanath’s blitzkriegs, to Mahela’s and Sanga’s sublime stroke play, to Murali and Vaas’ cunning – the world has seen it all. Plans have been set up. Traps have been laid. Every move and every stroke will be watched and schemed against by other oppositions.

It will be a tough battle out there and our lions will have to fight hard. Sanath will be a big factor, Mahela’s struggle to get into double figures isn’t very encouraging, Sanga will have to shoulder a lot of responsibility. The young guns – Tharanga and Chamara Silva will have to fire.

Our guys will always have to be thinking out there. Sticking to old plans and strategies may cause their downfall. They will have to innovate and look for new things to do as and when they’re challenged by other teams.

Focus should be on each stage, no opposition should be taken lightly – not Bangladesh, not even Bermuda. Complete focus is crucial at all times.

So here’s hoping our guys play great cricket in the Caribbean. Here’s hoping they deal with every opposition they are faced with, positively – in true Sri Lankan style. Our broken land will shed their differences for once and join hands as one to hold up our team. For the seven weeks ahead – health, strength, courage, good luck and God-speed.

Sri Lanka vs India - Head to Head

2007-03-04T19:50:00.000-08:00

The 23rd of March will mark Sri Lanka’s first major World Cup challenge as they take on India. It’ll be interesting to take a look at how the teams look head to head. Instead of their past won/lost ratio here’s a comparison of the players. Both teams batting order could change, but this gives a general view of how well the batsmen from both teams have performed. Pay particular attention to the averages away from home.

Batting Averages

It looks like India has the clear upper hand with the bat. Chamara Silva’s average overseas will be slightly blown out with his unbeaten century in India. The following is a head to head with the ball.

Bowling Averages

This is where Sri Lanka has some advantage. Though we are weaker with the bat we are a much better rounded side considering our batting and bowling strength as a whole. India’s weak link is their 5th bowler (this is probably something our batsmen need to make use of). Tendulkar has been names here as the 5th bowler, but it’ll probably include Virandar Sehwag and Yuvraj as well. Both these guys bowling average is nothing much to talk about, so Jayasuriya clearly is a much more advantageous bowler to have. We have to take into account the possibility that Irfan Pathan might play at the expense of one of the fast men or probably of Dinesh Karthik. The latter option will probably beef up India’s bowling.

Summing things up, One Day cricket is all about who performs better on the given day, in which case these statistics will get thrown out the window. The stats however give us a clear view of how strong the teams and individuals themselves are. If our top order fires, we’re in with a good chance. If not we could be in for serious trouble.

The last World Cup encounter between these two teams was in 1999 in Taunton. We received a thorough pasting in that game at the hands of the Indians. They scored 370 odd runs with Ganguly and Dravid making big hundreds.

Sri Lanka need to take things step by step, beating Bangladesh and Bermuda will assure them of a place in the Super 8. So they need to make sure they do that. Beating the Indians would however will add some more confidence and boost our guys to take on the big guns to come.

Source of Statistics - Cricinfo Statsguru - www.cricinfo.com/guru

Aussies No Longer the favorites for the World Cup

2007-02-16T06:01:00.000-08:00

Well, the mighty giant is now being conquered and it is with much gladness in my heart that I say that the Aussies are no longer the favorites for this World Cup in the Caribbean.

Following three successive defeats against …. ENGLAND of all teams and now crushing defeat against the Kiwis they are looking rather ordinary now. Losing 3 matches in succession to a team such as England who had earned the status of being the worst one day outfit ahead of only Zimbabwe and Bangladesh will certainly be too much for Ponting and his men must be tearing their hair out.

After the exit of Warne and Gillespie their bowling attack looks very docile. It comes to a point that they at times actually consider Andrew Symonds and Michel Clark to be their top class spinners. So things are looking down for the Aussies right now and that is a good thing for cricket.

South Africa is looking like the team to beat at the moment. They possess probably the most lethal bowling attack combined with attacking batsmen. Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India and New Zealand are also looking good and getting into shape well in time for the World Cup. So this times Caribbean show down is going to be a competition to remember.

After the Mighty waves...Two years and counting...

2007-01-01T20:14:00.000-08:00

Warm greetings for an active, energetic and joyous 2007.

On the 26th of December 2006, disaster struck our land causing destruction as never seen before. The extent of the destruction and the pain caused was there for all to see.

The emotional wounds caused will be very difficult to heal for years to come. The sad thing however is that the physical wounds still remain and the people continue to suffer the ignominy of being homeless, hungry and desperate.

To say nothing has been done will be wrong. Many organisations both local and foreign, the government, all religious establishments and many others all did do something to help and many communities who were affected have been able to get back on their feet.

However what was done was far from substantial. It is clear that while certain areas thanks to the weight of some of the politicians involved in those areas, other areas have been left to rot...

A decent portion of the south are getting close to being back on track. However many areas in the east (Ampara in particular) are still as desolate as could be.

It is indeed disappointing to note how politicians have maneuvered funds to their strongholds and left other areas to scrounge for scraps from the table. Absolutely no justice has been done for the amount of funds received for relief and reconstruction. It is no secret that a good portion of this money has ended up in the pockets of our country's leaders. Due to the misappropriation of funds some of the pledged sums of money have not been received.

It is also interesting to note how our great leaders have all the money in the world to spend on a massive number of billboards exalting themselves all over the country which are of no benefit to the nation, but people displaced by the tsunami are still in refugee camps.

What was amazing immediately after the Tsunami in 2004 was how the entire nation rallied round to give their support to those who were affected. The enthusiasm with which everybody pitched in to help slowly faded away with time. The media and other commercial organisations who made a tremendous effort soon after the Tsunami slowly lost the drive which they used to spur up the country to help their citizens.

Now there exist very small groups of people who still help those whose lives were torn apart by the waves. They too are frustrated by the lack of financial and material assistance available for them to help.

It is indeed upto each one of us to look to do our part to bring normalcy back into the lives of our fellow citizens. If those in authority aren't interested in the people, we in our small way will have to help in whatever way we can.

For those who lost their loved ones, their homes and their livelihood after the 26th December 2004, days have turned to months, months to years and possibly years to a lifetime...

Murali, McCallum and Kiwi Sportsmanship...

2006-12-10T19:24:00.000-08:00

The bizzare run out incident involving Murali and Brendon McCallum seems to be the talking point among cricketing circles these days. Well what’s the deal?

It was indeed quite silly of Murali, but it is well known that while his brain works overtime while bowling, he somehow manages to leave his brain in the dressing room when he comes out to bat.

Nonetheless Mahela shouldn't be grumbling about Murali's runout causing heartache and may be the loss of the game. He should be more worried about the performance of his top order batsmen including himself. Leaving aside Sangakkara and perhaps Jayasuriya who was unlucky to be run out, the rest of the batting was as dismal as it could possibly get. Given the situation of the match Murali being there perhaps would have added around 20 runs more which wouldn't have been enough to win the game.

Meanwhile it would have been great for cricket if Stephen Fleming could have ignored the runout and let Sri Lanka bat on. He however preferred to work according to the letter of the law. The New Zealanders are self proclaimed pundits of the spirit of the game as they so vocifourously cried out against the famous underarm over bowled against them - a product of the Chappell brothers brains trust, who were by the way working according to the letter of the law.

Alas, everybody embraces the spirit of the game or the rules of the game only when it is convenient to them...

Well one test match is gone, lost through a bad decision at the toss, bad batting and on the button bowling by the Kiwis. You cannot however ignore Sangakkara's innings which was a masterpiece. He has been a pillar of consistency for the SL side and his batting has been streets ahead of the rest in aelian conditions. He has batted well in all parts of the world - South Africa, Australia, England, West Indies, Pakistan. His technique and temperamant set him apart as the best Sri Lankan batsman in the current side. He could possibly be described as the best Sri Lankan batsman since Aravinda De Silva. Unfotunately some of his great innings have been when SL have been on the losing side. His maiden ODI century made against Australia, his gallant 138 not out against India, a fantastic 98 against South Africa at the Centurion are some of his monumental innings which have gone unrewarded.

Also to our boys credit, they bowled and fielded like demons. To have the Kiwi batsmen in tangles in their home conditions is no easy task, and our bowlers powered by the two experienced war horses Murali and Vaas, rose to the occassion. Murali was denied an easy chance of getting five consecutive ten fors by our batsmen. He proved that he is easily the best bowler the world has ever seen, by picking up 7 wickets without a fuss on a grassy Crist Church pitch.

Well Mahela has made a tough call by signalling intentions of vengeance for the Murali runout by beating the Kiwis in the second test. If he is to walk the talk, his batsmen will need bat like international test batsmen. Lets hope our boys play their hearts out in the next game. We all would love to have roasted Kiwi for dinner at the end of the next test...

Do the People matter?

2006-11-27T19:53:00.000-08:00

Do you honestly know what it feels like to be treated like a terrorist? Well if you don't, look no further... the opportunity is not far away. Make your way to Galle Road in Colpity between the Colpity junction and Galle face, where ladies, gentlemen, fruits, flowers, the young, the old, cats and dogs are all alike treated like terrorists.

In order for your experience to be a truly complete one, come during the morning rush hour (around 9 - 10) or during the evening rush hour (around 5.30 - 6.30). You will experience the whole works which include verbal and physical abuse and much more...

I'm one of the unfortunate ones who's work place happens to be located between these said landmarks and thus suffer the torture everyday.

When his Excellency decides to make his way from his residence in Fort to his office at the Temple Trees, a bustling section of Colombo is brought to a complete hault. Traffic is stopped from both ends. No vehicles. No pedestrians. People and traffic have to stand still, on some occassions for even more than an hour... and when I stay stand still..I mean very still... If your behind a barricade, you cannot walk from one end of the barricade to the other. If you do you run the risk of receiving a tirade of insults or possibly even bullets from the nearest armed guard.

Those closer to Galle Face are the worst affected. Everyone is pushed inside the Galle Face Court, barricades thrown across all openings and an armed army officer will stand right in front of you. There have been occassions when people are all placed against the wall as well.
A girl working in an office adjoining ours had been walking through the Galle Face Court, when suddenly, His excellency had been passing by. The girl was physically handled by an army officer and pushed against the wall, much to her dismay. The girl ended up in tears and certainly took awhile to overcome the shock.

If His excellency's arrival is sudden, then all passing cars are hauled to a side, which is followed by police and army officers yanking open the vehicle doors and pulling out the occupents while offering a healthy dose of insults and foul language.

It is nauseating to see one man's pomp become such a curse to a people.

Will it end? I think not...

Craters In Colombo

2006-11-23T03:53:00.000-08:00

Streets in Colombo are falling apart, and more high profile damage could be on the way. This is a mamoth hole at Layards Road, Colombo 05 where the road has simply caved in.

Residents in the area say that this road started caving in early October. The ever so efficient CMC have done sweet nothing to date...and are sitting on their corrupt rear ends, watching this hole grow to massive proportions.

There have been a couple of other caving in of roads reported in Colombo and suburbs, but this by far is the worst.

I wonder what the CMC's plan is.... maybe their looking to put this hole to use later... perhaps as an army bunker, a fish pond, swimming pool or may be even a mass grave...

Welcome all...

2006-11-21T04:20:00.000-08:00

This is something I've been wanting to do for awhile.... and I've finally got down to it.

I've created my own blog!!!

You will soon be treated to or tormented by my petty eccentricities.

Your participation is most welcome and appreciated at all times.

Your views, thoughts, wishes, insults and curses will be this asylum's daily bread....