what a fortnight! i went round and round the country several times. then went again. one night i was seeing faint traces of rockets going off in the horizon, next enjoying the fireworks in the sky. one day in the dry zone in the southeast, next in the dry zone in the northwest. and it is not over yet. i may be at it for the rest of the month.
why? because that is what i do. i am what is called a businessman/mudalali/entrepreneur or any combination of those. i do lot of things (most of the ventures being comparatively small it is too early to concentrate on core competences) and many of them do not fall under what is called 'new' economy. though a few do fall under that category too. i flatter myself that i do some of the old things in totally different innovative ways. most of the time i don't need to run around but this time i had to, to get the best out of them. and i did and will.
as i said in january i enjoy such periods of intense activity and almost lose all desires and appetites during them. this time wasn't an exception though i had more leisure. mainly because my free time wasn't clogged up by internet or television as it normally is when i am in colombo. most of my recent blog posts were written offline and posted later. spending nights in hotel rooms and other people's houses, and being driven around the country also gave me an opportunity to do some sustained reading. though i have always enjoyed reading, normally i do it in a haphazard way. i never finish books at one go. i read/reread several books piecemeal at the same time. this time i reread a huge novel (more on that in a later post) from beginning to the end. hopefully i will get to read several more during the rest of the month.
as usual there is nothing like going out of town to realize how disconnected from reality sri lankan blogosphere is. though i must say it has started to change perceptibly. this wasn't the same blogosphere i encountered last year or even last april. most of the newer bloggers seem to be more firmly grounded in reality than the old (according to internet time) ones. as the internet use spreads, sri lanka on the net will inevitably reflect the country. good.
good because reality truly and clearly exposed without filters created by some people in their cocoons will be favorable to sri lanka and sri lankans. i for one have no hesitation in asserting that, in spite of the war, and in spite of the government and politicians, this is the place to be if you are willing to work hard and make something out of yourself as an individual. opportunities are endless whether one makes an effort to use them is one's decision.
-
ps
somebody (one of those who started visiting from north america after my posts on u.s. and canadian terrorist arrests. this blog got/gets lots of traffic because it was/is within the top 10-20 results in google and others, for several keywords connected to those arrests including some names) writing a comment challenged me to defend my 'views on the ltte within the libertarian framework'. i was also asked how i can maintain my 'libertarian integrity while supporting sri lankan nationalism'.
i will write a full reply/post later when i get the time. for now i will just say i am not a nationalist. i do consider myself a sri lankan (and not a sinhalese as my birth certificate probably says), but as a description not as an identity. i call myself a libertarian because i believe "individuals should be free to do whatever they wish with their person or property, as long as they do not infringe on the same liberty of others". i believe ltte infringes on my liberty as well as on others'. i also believe appeasement of terrorists do not work. as such my and other sri lankans' self interest requires that ltte should be defeated through a pragmatic and morally justifiable strategy in order that all sri lankans can exercise their rights and freedoms.
why? because that is what i do. i am what is called a businessman/mudalali/entrepreneur or any combination of those. i do lot of things (most of the ventures being comparatively small it is too early to concentrate on core competences) and many of them do not fall under what is called 'new' economy. though a few do fall under that category too. i flatter myself that i do some of the old things in totally different innovative ways. most of the time i don't need to run around but this time i had to, to get the best out of them. and i did and will.
as i said in january i enjoy such periods of intense activity and almost lose all desires and appetites during them. this time wasn't an exception though i had more leisure. mainly because my free time wasn't clogged up by internet or television as it normally is when i am in colombo. most of my recent blog posts were written offline and posted later. spending nights in hotel rooms and other people's houses, and being driven around the country also gave me an opportunity to do some sustained reading. though i have always enjoyed reading, normally i do it in a haphazard way. i never finish books at one go. i read/reread several books piecemeal at the same time. this time i reread a huge novel (more on that in a later post) from beginning to the end. hopefully i will get to read several more during the rest of the month.
as usual there is nothing like going out of town to realize how disconnected from reality sri lankan blogosphere is. though i must say it has started to change perceptibly. this wasn't the same blogosphere i encountered last year or even last april. most of the newer bloggers seem to be more firmly grounded in reality than the old (according to internet time) ones. as the internet use spreads, sri lanka on the net will inevitably reflect the country. good.
good because reality truly and clearly exposed without filters created by some people in their cocoons will be favorable to sri lanka and sri lankans. i for one have no hesitation in asserting that, in spite of the war, and in spite of the government and politicians, this is the place to be if you are willing to work hard and make something out of yourself as an individual. opportunities are endless whether one makes an effort to use them is one's decision.
-
ps
somebody (one of those who started visiting from north america after my posts on u.s. and canadian terrorist arrests. this blog got/gets lots of traffic because it was/is within the top 10-20 results in google and others, for several keywords connected to those arrests including some names) writing a comment challenged me to defend my 'views on the ltte within the libertarian framework'. i was also asked how i can maintain my 'libertarian integrity while supporting sri lankan nationalism'.
i will write a full reply/post later when i get the time. for now i will just say i am not a nationalist. i do consider myself a sri lankan (and not a sinhalese as my birth certificate probably says), but as a description not as an identity. i call myself a libertarian because i believe "individuals should be free to do whatever they wish with their person or property, as long as they do not infringe on the same liberty of others". i believe ltte infringes on my liberty as well as on others'. i also believe appeasement of terrorists do not work. as such my and other sri lankans' self interest requires that ltte should be defeated through a pragmatic and morally justifiable strategy in order that all sri lankans can exercise their rights and freedoms.
3 comments:
///this is the place to be if you are willing to work hard and make something out of yourself as an individual.\\\
So very true. So many sorry suckers try to make it big outside, when there is soo much that can be done, if you just make the effort. Most people want it easy, make a quick buck the easy way.
I dont have anything personal against these people, just dont like them painting a bad picture of this little island as "Shit Hole".
ok so thats what u have been doing. I miss u matey.
TC n come bakk soon!
Keshi.
entrepreneur eh... good onya. So do you use the tools of the new economy for improved productivity or are we too small for that?
I kind of figured it by your grasp of economics and commercial concepts. So what made you decide to head this way? Life long inheritance, ambition, restlesness or a bitter experiences?
Anyway keep it up. any plans to be the next HarryJ?
Post a Comment