Skip to content

Categories:

A traveller at the sunset…


You look so alluring, with a golden hue..
a feast to the eyes, painting a heavenly view..
I hold my gaze, in these moments too few..
you appear grander than ever, at this hour of adieu..

For the warmth of your hugs, of rays so golden..
for the shine of your smile, that brightened my way..
I’m grateful, indebted; it’s true, I’m beholden..
I whisper to myself, amidst a dusk so grey..

I will move on, my lips let out a sigh..
This is not my stop, no, not what I had in mind..
You wouldn’t rise from the west, oh! is this good bye..
At a point of no return, a way forward, I must find

I summon my energy, my luggage weighing me down..
take it off my back, should I, but it’s all that is mine..
the memories so precious, of your smile and the frown..
all I held dear obscured, with the fading sunshine..

as shadows creep over, I’d need a blaze, just as bright..
a star down the road, a ray of hope at the onset..
to brighten up my world, and to leave me in a plight..
with a darkness veiling the shadows in a sunset..

Madushanka Soysa

Posted in Uncategorized. Tagged with .

By Madushanka
January 10, 2009

No comments

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

I got to watch a hindi movie after a looong while, and I believe this is the first one I watched in theatre. Well, I’m not a big fan of bollywood movies, but I did not think this movie was totally useless. ;-)

In a nutshell, the plot is about 2 ppl, getting into a relationship without love, and the guy faking a different personality to win the love of his wife. Well, it is not this simple, but I wouldn’t wanna ruin it for those who dint watch it yet.

As any hindi movie, this puts too much drama in every thing. The way the 2 ppl gets in to the relationship, the sudden ability of the guy to emulate a very different personality and few other aspects take this a bit further from being very realistic. Forexample, the extreme lack of intimacy in the original relationship, the inability of the wife to see through the very little disguise, the fight with the sumo player, the guy knowing exactly how to make the girl happy in his disguise and not even making the faintest sign in his original self are few of the points that make the plot a bit unrealistic.

Having said that, I still found the underlying messages somewhat interesting.
1. Dancing classes are great places to pick up women
2. Never let your wife go to a dance class alone. :D :D
yeh… i was just kidding..
1. One interesting idea is the tendency to look outside your relationships to get what you are missing, and overlooking some important things in your original relationship. This is not a very rare situation in any real relationship, and the conflict of choices between the exciting new relationship and the boring existing one seem to be well communicated, although I feel this plot is not the best way to present that theme.

2. The other theme I find interesting is the struggle of the guy including changing his personality to win the love of his wife. The conflict inside him between these personalities is also interesting, since he knows, although it wins the love of his wife, the new personality is not the real him. I believe, he not wanting to change himself to suit the relationship, and expecting his wife to appreciate his silent acts of love is very understandable. Because, changing one’s self to suit a relationship is not gonna be very effective in the long run, in my opinion.

The acting of Sharukh Khan, I thought, was really good, showing lot of emotion. And there were many funny moments, that do make u laugh. ;-)

But like many hindi movies, this wasn’t a very intelligent movie. The plot wasn’t the most realistic, and the movie was very one dimensional. In the main guy’s role, the only aspect shown is his relationship with his wife. His professional relationships, other personal relationships, or any other aspect wasn’t discussed much. This movie reminded me a bit of “Shall we dance”, and the conflicts the guy in that faced, with his family and the new interest. Shall we dance, in comparisan presented a lot wider perspective of the character. I don’t get why most of the hindi movies present relationships as the soul/main purpose of life, which is not a realtity for most people now.

I wouldn’t know exactly how this ranks against other hindi movies, but I think this is a good movie in bollywood standards. If you are looking for some light humour and romance, and not mind the unrealistic plot, I believe you would enjoy this one. Well at least I did.. :-)

Posted in Uncategorized. Tagged with .

By Madushanka
December 25, 2008

No comments

I’m an INTP

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is, I believe, the most widely used personality type categorization currently used. It identifies 16 types of personalities, according to factors like introversion-extroversion approach for decision making, etc.. It basically checks whether you are more of an introvert or extrovert, intuitive or sensing, perceiving or judging and feeling or thinking. I first took this test a few years back, and quite recently again. I found the results very interesting.. Here’s what I got..

INTP

Rodin’s Thinker is introverted. Here these thinkers ponder the apparent chaos of the world in order to extract from it the universal truths and principles that can be counted on. These principles, once extracted, will provide the logical structure on which to build strategies.

They have a finely nuanced ability to analyse situations, find root causes and foresee consequences. They distrust action taken too quickly without the necessary investigation. They are usually levelheaded, objective, impersonal yet intensely involved in problem solving. They are fiercely independent, seeking input and comments from a chosen few. When reporting to others, they need to establish credibility first: their own and that of the person they are reporting to. If the gap in knowledge and expertise is too great and their own proficiency dismissed, belittled or ignored, they will lose interest and motivation.

They are less interested in running the world as they are in understanding it. They are curious and capable of explaining complex political, economic or technological problems, taking great pleasure in explaining all the factors and intricacies. They are rigorous with their thoughts and analysis, choosing the exact words that convey precisely what is meant. They may spend a lot of time defining words, concepts and systems in order to define a problematic solution.

They are armchair detectives, scientists and philosophers, spending most of their time in quiet reflection to ponder truth, and solve mysteries. They may tend to neglect social requirements and responsibilities, finding many relationships to be too superficial to be of much interest.”

Well, the description is not very far from the truth, i guess.

The important thing about these kinda tests is that they help our self discovery a lot. It’s not only about finding out who ywe are.. but also finding out where we’re good at.. and where we can improve. We can see the basic assumption or values that we build up on, and most importantly would help understanding the other personality types. I have a good friend of mine who is a complete opposite to me in the personality type (an ESFJ), but knowing that we have very different personality types helped a lot in improving our friendship..

You also can check your personality type by answering the questions here.
To find out about your personality type, thisis a good source.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tagged with .

By Madushanka
December 24, 2008

No comments

My sister’s keeper

New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult is widely acclaimed for her keen insights into the hearts and minds of real people. Now she tells the emotionally riveting story of a family torn apart by conflicting needs and a passionate love that triumphs over human weakness.

Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate — a life and a role that she has never challenged…until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister — and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable, a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves.

My Sister’s Keeper examines what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person. Is it morally correct to do whatever it takes to save a child’s life, even if that means infringing upon the rights of another? Is it worth trying to discover who you really are, if that quest makes you like yourself less? Should you follow your own heart, or let others lead you?”

My sister’s keeper is one of the most interesting books I’ve read.. eh, not literally though.. you see, I couldn’t find the book.. so i settled for the next best option.. the aduio book.. I found in demonoid.com..

The story goes is told in first person.. I normally like first person narratives.. here the the main characters takes turns in narrating the chapters.. giving full accounts of the story pressenting different perspectives..

The story is a good read on human relationships.. simply, how much hard work they requires.. the committment.. It was also interesting to see the subjectivity of viewpoints.. you know, how often we are having a misconception on something.. sometimes because we don’t know the story.. or lack of communication.. or someitimes, simply because we don’t want (or can’t afford) to see..

I found the story remarkable.. with the great twist at the end.. (only after a friend of mine told that I noticed, the prologue even isn’t what it first appears to be..)

I can’t say i liked how things end.. and it goes on to emphasise few other messages of the story..
the first would be…”people think that they know what they are getting.. but most of the times, they don’t..”

and the other “life isn’t fair”…

Posted in Uncategorized. Tagged with .

By Madushanka
July 10, 2008

No comments

Final year at uni…

I started my final year at uni..the first semester of the 4th year in my undergraduate degree.. 
It has being 6-7 months since the end of last semester, since we were out in the industry as full time interns meanwhile.. 

It is not quite fun coming back to the lecture-assignment-exam life again..
The only consolation is that I get to spend more time with my friends.. 
Still, I can’t believe that there is only one year left in my uni life as an undergraduate.. the time flies indeed.. the 3 years passed doesn’t even feel like few months..

The life after graduating is going to be lot more fun, I believe.. and I am excited to step out of this uni.. excited about the new opportunities and experiences it’s gonna lead me to.. 
But I still am gonna miss this.. the boring lectures.. hanging out with friends. etc etc..

I guess.. no matter how interesting the prospects are.. it is still kinda worrying to let go of the past.. change is scary.. 

Posted in Uncategorized. Tagged with , , .

By Madushanka
June 24, 2008

No comments

CIMA Exams

phew.. the exams are finally over.. I was studying for my CIMA exams for the past few weeks.. during my uni hols.. It is not quite fun to get stuck in an exam while most of your friends are partying and enjoying the hols..

Anywho.. the exams were tough… and I ran outta time in 2 outta 3 papers.. and I would be quite surprised if the marker find my handwriting legible..

The content in CIMA is quite interesting.. The stategy making process.. the organizational behaviour analysis.. investment decission analysis.. all these are beyond my scope as an engineering undergraduate and I simply love the additional ways of thinking and analysing that it offers me..

Still.. exams suck no matter how interesting the course contents are..:-)
The results won’t be out for few months..
and I just have to wait and see how things went..

Posted in Uncategorized. Tagged with .

By Madushanka
May 22, 2008

No comments

For you, a thousand times over..

I watch the Kite Runner movie few days back.. I did not expect it to be that good.. I’ve heard it’s about 2 childhood friends.. and one getting out the other friends son from afghanistan.. It sounded like a typical story..
But I was pleasantly surprised.. The plot was amazing.. (not surprising given the fact that it is based on a best-selling book).. the sound track was wonderful..

For me, the phrase “For you, a thousand times over.” relects the main theme of the story..
I see kite runner as a movie that shows an unvonditional love.. for so little in return.. first by Hassan, the friend of Amir.. who loved Amir irrespective of many of his imperfections..
And in the end, the love of Amir, for Hasan’s child, who he adaopts as his own.. who goes for many long miles, for a smile from the child..

I loved the fct that characters were very human..
Especially Amir’s.. He wasn’t a good kid / friend or a person.. he could not stand for what he believes.. or for what he holds dear..
He knew his imperfections.. and he wanted to forget them.. he wanted to distance his friend whose presence was a remider of his weakness.. the childhood.. In the end.. he learns to fight for himself.. by taking the challenge of going back to the past he has tried hard to forget.. 
Amir finally finds the courage to stand up for himself.. probably by clearing his conscience and by gaining the self respect from his own self…

“Now there is a way to be good again..” This was the message that leads Amir to his vaoyage to correct his mistakes.. I personally don’t believe the bads and goods balance out.. and that by doing good later, that you can forget the bad things..
In the movie, I dont think Amir is trying to do good to overcome his guilt.. he rather digs deeper into his bad.. to feel the regrets.. that drives him into good..
At least that’s how I see it.. 

Posted in Uncategorized. Tagged with , .

By Madushanka
May 21, 2008

No comments

New year in April..

In Sri Lanka, we celebrate the new year in April.. to be more precise, the Sinhalese and Tamil people in Sri lanka celebrate the new year in April..

These celebrations have way many traditions..
We have specific things to do.. and auspicious times to do those things..
e.g A time to light the hearth for the first time in the new year.. time yo eat, study.. do a monetary transaction..

I am not a big fan of these traditions.. I believe to do something, there should be a better reason than traditions.. You don’t wanna do something coz you did so last year.. or coz most other people are doing it..

But yeah.. traditions serve a bigger purpose than just telling how/what/when things are to be done.. it collects people.. u know.. give them a reason to gather around.. and sometimes.. give them a reason to be happy..

the times are hard here in SL.. high inflation rates.. bomb threats.. life is getting tough for many people.. I personally cant imagine how some people survive the day, let alone celebrate something as new year..
But surprisingly.. most of the did.. and did so in a quite cheerfully..
How could a person who finds it hard to afford to buy the necessities of a regular day, be happy in the new year which demands even more..
I dunno for sure.. but I believe most of the low income people spend their savings on these celebrations.. or take loans or something.. if you think about it, it is a bit irrational.. spending too much on a day when u r not sure about having a meal tomorrow..
how can you be happy today.. knowing that tomorrow is just a sack of problems and worries..

I believe that’s what these traditions do.. they make people happy in that special day..
and you cant blame em too.. the problems are gonna be there anyway.. so, y not have one great day with celebrations..

Anywho.. I am still amazed at the human ability to be happy..

Posted in Uncategorized. Tagged with , .

By Madushanka
May 2, 2008

No comments

Trip to hill country..

I belong to a family of four.. Dad, Mom, Sis and Me.. My parents decided to go on a family trip.. just the four of us, for 4 days..
We hadn’t done this in a long while.. going on a few days trip just by the four of us.. I believe the last time we did sucha thing was way back in 2001.. Then my sister had her A/Ls.. 2002, then me in 2004.. then uni exams for sis and me.. mom and dad working.. etc etc. and we never managed to find a 3-4 days free for the whole family..
To tell you the truth, I was not too psyched about the trip.. I love my family .. but when it comes to trips.. friends are considerably more fun..
We headed for Kandy.. then to Peradeniya, Gampola, Dumbara, Mathale.. which pretty much covers a significant area in the hill country…
This was actually a nice 4 days.. I believe we had some quality family time.. and I have to admit, it was more fun than I had hoped for..
You can find the photos here..
http://picasaweb.google.com/mdsoysa/AtKandyWithFamily
http://picasaweb.google.com/mdsoysa/TripToRiversten
I dunno when we’ll be doing this again.. My sis will probably be leaving the country for postgrads towardsthe end of this year.. and dunno where I’ll end up after my graduation..
my sis will probably get married in couple of years time.. and I dunno.. things are not gonna be the same.. this myt be the last trip by just the 5 of us..

it wudnt be the same.. but hey.. it doesn’t meant it is gonna be bad, ryt.. change cud be great..

Posted in Uncategorized. Tagged with , , .

By Madushanka
March 27, 2008

No comments

Training is over..

My industrial training period came to an end last week.. I spent more than 5 months working as an intern on network security area, with in the affable environment of KBSL.

The last few months have being quite educating.. and fun..
This was my first involvement in fulltime work and it indeed was a huge learning experience..
It is not only in the technical area that I workied in.. but I got so much insight on organizational behaviours.. the relationships of organizational structure, culture and performances..

But as they say.. all good things come to an end.. so, did my training experience.. we had lunch outs.. dinners and several treats as good byes.. They were quite fun indeed..

It is sad that I am not going to meet many of the people I worked with again.. It is not likely that I will join the sasme company again.. and might not be in the same area of work..

It was kind of an interesting fact that many of the folks did not want to mention this fact.. everyone was saying, “ah.. we are going to meet again..” when exchanging the goodbyes..

Yeah, life is a long while.. there is the chance of our paths crossing again.. but to be more realistic, I am not gonna meet 80% of the people… and I dunno why we kept ignoring the realistic situation..

I gues we humans are not that good with goodbyes.. and it’s loads easier and more pleasant to believe that it is not a goodbye..

and hey.. who knows.. it myt as well not be.. :-)

Posted in Uncategorized. Tagged with , .

By Madushanka
March 19, 2008

No comments