Closure.

Hello Followers of this Blog.

Kalusudda is no more. He never returned from the sea, at least not the way I and many others wanted him to.

As he always was, passed away helping his brother to live. His last words to his favorite brother was  “You got to go Man, you got kids!,” Written on a Message slate, but little he knew, he was a father too.

Now there is a little but exact replica of him running around. Just as naughty, creative and mostly, loving. Four years old and already breaking girls hearts. It is amazing how traits travel down the blood line. You would love to know, a couple of weeks ago, our son walked up to a girl, who was differently abled, looked at her for a while, smiled and gave her a huge hug. The girls mother cried aloud, because no one has ever been so kind to her. Strangers thanked him and he stood there, smiling, hands on his hips, as if saying, “Yea That is me!”. I cried, knowing, I have not lost a thing. So do not be too sad. 

His Mom could never recover from the loss and she joined him about one year after.  His favorite Grand Ma is with us in Japan now. She wants to spend rest of her life, near the little one. His Dad is still in California and so are his brothers. We are a family but it is hard for me to see the brothers. It is not hate, just they reflect his love for others. His Dad comes over all the time and we too travel back and forth. We are keeping the house that he so lovingly prepared for us.

I did not know about this blog and was sort of forced to find the information about the blog, Luckily he never forgot to leave all the information for me and for his Mom, including all his passwords for everything. I was asked to make this post, by one of the Sri Lankan friends of us. He wanted to let all the people who followed him have a closure. 

Before writing, I finished reading his posts, and he was much more than what he depicted. A human being, worth waiting, a life time for. Five years, and I still turn around and expect to see him standing with arms outstretched.

Say good bye to him in your own ways. 

Bye, Miss Fukuoka

Kalusudda Is One Year Old (The Blog)

Hello People, Thank you for keeping me interested for a year and more than 9000 visits. It is a great way to learn about SL and her people.

I should Thank RD and Cerno for noticing me and going on to even give me an award! For the best newcomer to SL Blogsphere. But there are too many that I visit and converse all the time and I will fill a few pages if I am to mention all. I certainly would but I need to share the connection with a few others and tasks like transmitting what we do! 🙂

I am usually a happy person and the SL Blogsphere has made it more so. Numerous visitors and commentators have made it a very nice experience. So much so that some misgivings some people who behaved badly, were easily forgotten. All in all this is a good experince.

All in all Kottu and Achcharu have provided me windows to look in to SL and her people. Thank you to keepers of Kottu and Achcharu too.

I am in high seas at the moment and last few days I did not get a chance to write. Enjoy 4th of July, if you do such things. I will be celebrating with my shipmates. 4Th Of July has a special meaning to me. We have big plans for the day, even though they are limited to two boat decks. It might extend beyond the decks, depending on how the alcohol reacts with ones brain cells.

This Flower is in My Grand Ma’s garden in Colombo. (I don’t like it because the sap from the tree burned my skin!) But I like the scent it gives, very serene. But this foto is from Mexico, they grow very well here too!

Familiar Flower, Photo From Cortez

Before The Sun

The sea is like a painting but the pain is in my heart. I am over the top for being here but I miss a bunch of people. I speak to my family and love at least once a day but sometime you want to hold hands.

Miss you guys too but I manage to browse all of you time to time. My server at home transmits a collective feed, something like a private Kottu. I like the positive notes I hear from SL direction. Be good

At Sunset, I Think Of You.

Man it is hot, but the sea breeze (We have not run into storms yet, only a few squalls which were fantastic.) makes you forget that the sun is actually turning you into a pinkish lobster. I have shed enough skin I think I am about a Kilo lighter. And at high noon your brain goes into a hibernate mode and wakes up only at sunset or after few dives into the cold sea. So I only think during the evenings!

It is great to take dips in the sea or Pacific Ocean based on where we are. We caught a humongous tuna for last dinner and that was the best fish I had in a long while. I got to clean the decks after they massacred the fish.

The lack of photographs is due to restrictions placed upon us by the company who sponsored the trip and even personal photographs taken on the boat need to be cleared before posting. The last photo was not a problem as it was taken on the land. But I am going to post a cropped sunset that we experienced when we left Cortez. Basically I will be doing the same whenever I can or until I get caught.

I surf when ever I can and read your posts.

Later

Missing …

I Have Covered 47% Of The World

That is countries not the surface of the Earth! Not bad for 25 years (I was travelling even when I was in Mom’s tummy).

Just to say that I am at the top of the world by being under water, below hammerhead sharks. I sure do remember how I used to cling to my brother when I was small,  same way, I ran to him (swam very very very fast, once I saw these wonderful creatures in the water).

One of the evenings, we were discussing about where in the world we have been, I am proud to say a lot, again thanks to my parents. Too bad I am not adding any on this trip. I have been to these countries before but the re is a chance that I might add one. The red is what I have visited and the white is yet to visit.

I am fully tanned (except certain areas) and shedding my skin like a snake already. I am loving it. I figured out to Twitter from my phone. So there might be more tweets than posts! (Twitter link at the bottom ot the site, one of those wordpress gadgets)

create your own visited country map

It Is Time

I just dropped my better half off at the airport, she is on her way to Fukuoka. So I am clearing up some last minute details before I leave. Like someone take care of my place, collect mail, and make sure my plants (like ones that produce nice flowers like below and are not supported with automatic drip irrigation)  get water in the hot summer months.

I am all wired up, so far even not feeling that I am going to miss a bunch of people closer to my heart. I am usually like that and will be wailing inside the next day.

It was also good to know that your bosses like you and not likely to fire you during these bad economic times.

All my gear is already gone ahead of me. I will be carrying a small bag when I fly off to Mexico, Cabo San Lucas to be exact. We will doing some diving in Sea of Cortez as a final training for uninitiated people like me and fun practice for the veterans like my brother.

Then we will set sail off to the southern waters. I will make another post from Cabo San Lucas before we sail.

Be good and keep your blogging to it’s best so I can enjoy my trip as well as keeping up with what is going on in SL!

Adios Amigos.

Cruel Story of Youth (Seishun Zankoku Monogatari)

After a long time I had a Chance to go for a movie, actually two. I could have gone with my nieces and nephews to see Pixars “UP” or “Cruel Story of Youth” at the Pacific film archive theater at the campus. Of course with a heavy heart I chose the latter! Because we have a Japanese friend visiting us and we for a while have not spent any quality time (not my words) together.

The movie was made in 1960s by Nagisa Oshima and tells the story of two teenagers who rebelled the post war Japanese establishments and got them selves involved in with nasty Japanese underworld characters. If you like movies like “Rebel without a cause” then you might like the movie. Even though it is sub titled, little bit of Japanese knowledge will help you to find and understand yesteyears Japanese.

I am off for a 16 weeks of sailing, chasing whales, swimming with dolphins, watch soaring vultures in the vulture valley in Argentinian bad lands and such boring stuff with one of my brothers and his crew. I have been training the whole spring and now I am a qualified sailor and I have renewed my diving license.

I know my mother (may be someone else too) praying that I would return without facing any major accidents. Usually accidents follow me like shadows follow normal people. But I will be alright and  I might not be able to blog. I will be reading your blogs though. We have multitude of communications gear but I have not mastered all of them either.

I will also do some work for my employer, big G while on the trip and will also carry some research gear for some other universities that I work with. All in all it will be a four months of continuous work and I will be back with some knowledge to fill all these voids in my mind and the brain that I have.

It will be intersting as this is the first time I will be travelling towards the tip of South America. I have reached the cape of good hope or Kaap de goede hoop as would my ancestors say, already. One thing I know is, sailing is in our family, except my Mom.

I have to drop this and join the conversation about religions that is going on now. Later. I will manage a few more posts before I leave.

But some where down, I feel and wonder if i am a cruel human being, for having fun.

Five That Came In A Tag

I have been tagged by RD, the Drummer. ( Five Words, Five Bloggers and Five Tags, )

The rules according to the one with sticks are;

You write five words to describe how you feel about recent events in Sri Lanka.

You tag five bloggers.

You sit back and relax.

1.Child’s pain

2.Mothers agony

3. Despair

4.Numbnes

5.Hope

Here By I tag;

1. Java, the Jones Variety

2. Sachintha, the turning Japanese kind,

3. Harumi the Animated,

4. Life In Taprobane, the loud one,

5. The End, The never ending kind.

Take That Miliband,

Miliband's Enemies.

I guess UN is no Commonwealth! Mr. Miliband.  You lost, again.

(Just type “miliband household expenses” to google or click this link)

I wonder why people elect morons,  to their governments and I really hope now some form of aid and relief will reach SL and those suffering people will have some relief.  These children have not forgotten how to smile. Hope they will continue to be so. These same numskulls, who argue, and say “we are humanitarians only if you do this or that”, could have started to send some aid, instead of running losing campaigns. These campaigns are a shame, they become instruments of politics rather than the real issue at hand. Some times I wonder if western countries did not want the SL war to end. If they were genuinely concerned they could have brought up the fact later, after taking care of the suffering.

I guess I learned about international politics during last week to last a life time. Conclusion, 90% of the politicians do not care about people but themselves.

Here is what happened at UN HRC.

11th special session of the Human Rights Council: Adopted resolution – unedited advance version

In favour: Angola, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, China, Cuba, Djibouti, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Madagascar, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa, Uruguay, Zambia;

Against: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland;

Abstaining: Argentina, Gabon, Japan, Mauritius, Republic of Korea, Ukraine].

In favour: Angola, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, China, Cuba, Djibouti, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Madagascar, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa, Uruguay, Zambia;

Against: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland;

Abstaining: Argentina, Gabon, Japan, Mauritius, Republic of Korea, Ukraine].

British Press

Sri Lanka forces West to retreat over ‘war crimes’ with victory at UN

UN supports Sri Lanka aid effort