40 ways to recharge your batteries

Try em out, just might save you from burnout one day.

Listen to classical music

Talk a walk on the beach

Watch a river run over pebbles

Play with a pet

Cuddle a baby

Smile at a child

Get lost in the great outdoors

Collect shells at the beach

Invite friends for dinner

Play games

Meditate

Take a power nap

Do yoga

Do any sport that helps you to relax

Read a good book

Go sailing

Go hiking

Listen to your iPod

Watch a funny movie

Watch a kids movie

Sleep

Do some good

Gaze into the landscape

Gaze into candlelight

Read by candlelight

Do some scrapbooking

Paint

Find a new hobby

Hibernate with a cup of herbal tea and a good book

Take a relaxing bath

Get a massage

Sing

Dance

Lie down in the grass and gaze up into the sky

Walk barefoot

Reflect on your life

Daydream

Take a long shower

Take a vacation

Go for a weekend getaway

Long live my motherland

Today is undoubtedly one of the happiest days of my life. The day when my motherland was rid of the scourge of terror. The light drizzle which fell on the sun scorched ground is analogous to the end of terror and start of a new era of prosperity.

Every where I turned, I could see the familiar lion flag. Even the lion in the flag seems quite majestic than usual. Maybe he too feels that the real freedom has finally been achieved. As I see it, today should be declared as the national freedom day. The day when our Sri Lankan heroes looked evil in the eye and never faltered. The day when we never looked back or cowered in fright. The day when we never lost the humanity even in the face of an enemy so ruthless.

When I wake up tomorrow. It is going to be to a country which oozes with new found freedom and direction. A country which we can be proud of to say is our motherland. Let the winds of true freedom sweep over the distant corners of my country, and let the waves crashing on our island nation speak of the tales of true heroism for years to come. Long live my motherland.

Tea parties feat Fox

What does a Tea party mean to me? Well in Sri lanka, tea is an energizing beverage to be shared with friends and family when you feel thirsty. But not so in USA it seems, their tea parties are marred by undercurrents of hatred and unrest. (No offense to Americans)

Of course it all started with the Boston Tea party where the Americans exhibited dissent with the English monarchy which oppressed them. Now the right is trying to use that same symbolism to induce hatred towards the current administration. As I was watching the coverage of the tea parties on Fox (Twas the only network giving prominent coverage) I couldnt keep myself from smiling at the low turnout (except for one or two places). It is funny how both Sri lankan politics and US politics coincide. In Sri lanka we have a popular president and most of the protests against him have low turnout. Mostly because the presidents supporters are grassroots level and the main opposition UNP consist of mostly well to do people who would rather look after their businesses than go out and picket. This is the reason why eventhough the UNP has substantial support, it doesnt show in the election rallies. Same is applicable for the republican party which has a support base which is not really grassroots. Or at least the grassroots people dont seem to turn up.

Ironically, I think the republican party should take a page out of the Sri lankan marxist organization, the JVP whose organizational skills are way off the charts. (Or at least the employment level of their supporters are way down the charts!)

Thank you President Obama

It is highly welcome that the ban on embryonic stem cell research was lifted. Thankfully you were brave enough to take this decision even when you knew that it would not be taken lightly by the far right evangelists. It is disturbing to see the progress of science being obstructed by the claims of false idealists. These same people would jump up and cheer when thousands of civilians are murdered for the sake of a few business people. Killing is okay to them as long as it is covered in the shroud of war and patriotism. But they would fervently argue the case for the undeveloped stem cells. This is not a case of sympathy or passion for humanity on their part, but a hollow attempt to ensure the survival of their political influence. I felt like the evangelists were in power for the last 8 years because the Bush administration acted as a puppet of the evangelicals, and did their ultra conservative bidding.
I sure hope you will continue on this path and get the space program on track too. Of course there will always be stiff opposition to such a decision (To the Rush Limbaughs of the world, the whole space program is “pork”!). But ultimately, it is a question of whether you are willing to give up a little of your present so that the future may be brighter. You have the mandate of young people who are willing to look beyond the current crises and see the world progressing. The question is, are you brave enough to take the tough decisions?

Musings from my hostel room

Looking out into the dark skies outside my hostel room, I wonder at the sheer beauty of the night sky. The world is so beautiful, so much so that I sometimes wonder why people dont spend more of their time outdoors. Maybe it is the safety that they feel indoors. Maybe they just dont have time to appreciate the beauty and the mystery of nature. However sad it is, I think that man should really look more closely at the nature if he is to survive another millenium. When scientists develop new technologies they get a lot of their inspirations from nature. That is because nature has outlived us all due to her endurance, and she has so many secrets hidden deep within her. We just have to be good friends to her so that she will yield them to us. Anyways, recently I went to Deenston forest reserve in Hunnasgiriya(In the heart of Sri lanka). Me and my friends camped out in the darkness of the night only broken by our campfire. The unpolluted sky gave us glimpses of the heavens like never before. I tell you there is nothing as beautiful as the night sky so full of stars. As i drifted off to sleep that day, my last thought was the famous line from Sir Arthur Clarke’s book 2001, (Was it Dave Bowman or Frank Poole? I can’t seem to remember) “My god, Its full of stars!”