My Island Spell

Benefits of drinking water

2012-02-07T21:49:00.000-08:00

I have found some nice and important information about water. We all know that drinking water benefits us from many ways, but many doesn't do it properly. In the beginning we all drank water, We never had cola's, red bull or Gatorade. During the stone age water was the main thirst quencher and we had no problems..... If someone asks how do you know?, best example is, look at us. Look at the human population, if we had problems like today during those days, human population would have never grown this big right?. I hope this will be useful to everybody.

1. Drinking water enhances fat loss

Water is an essential nutrient. All chemical reactions in the body depend upon it. If you’re trying to lose weight, this can’t be ignored. You won’t be able to lose weight without water to flush out the by-products of fat breakdown. When there isn’t enough water to dilute the body’s waste products, kidney stones may form. When the kidneys aren’t working to their full potential, the liver must step in and help. Once this happens the liver can’t optimally perform its other important functions. As a result, burning fat has to wait.

2. Combat ailments by drinking more water

In many cases, fatigue, headaches and back pain may be caused by dehydration. If you suffer from an afternoon nod off, try drinking more water at lunch. If you or your children complain of frequent headaches, the amount of water you’re drinking could be responsible. And, muscle spasms are also caused by not being adequately hydrated.

3. Drinking water can reduce hunger

Experts say that hunger pangs are often misinterpreted cravings for water. Try drinking water before your regular meals and see if it helps you cut down on the amount of food you eat. It really works as an effective appetite suppressant. Avoid counting tea, coffee, sodas and juices in your fluid intake. Coffee and tea contain caffeine which has a diuretic effect and makes you lose water. Sodas and juices are too sweet—because the body must dilute them, they cause more dehydration.

4. Look younger - drinking water hydrates your skin

When the skin is properly hydrated, it looks plump and more radiant. Water will keep the toxins flushed out and help you to cool off through perspiration. Muscles need to have enough water to make them look full too. Deprive yourself of water and you’ll see the difference in the mirror.

Are you dehydrated?

Just how do you know if you’re getting dehydrated? If you have a dry mouth, produce less urine, have very dark urine and/or feel dizzy or faint you probably need water, quick. Drink at least 8 glasses a day. Experts now recommend even more, up to 12 glasses a day. To be more precise, drink ½ ounce per pound of body weight. If you exercise or are very active increase the number to 2/3 ounce per pound. Try monitoring your water intake closely for the next month. When you drink enough, you’ll look and feel better.

Correct timing to drink water, will maximize its effectiveness on the Human body.

Two (02) glass of water - After waking up - Helps activate internal organs

One (01) glasses of water - 30 minutes before meal - Help digestion

One (01) glass of water - Before taking a bath - Helps lower blood pressure

One (01) glass of water - Before sleep - To avoid stroke or heart attack

"THE CAR" in real life....

2012-02-07T21:23:00.000-08:00

one day i was walking back from the supermarket after some shopping and i spotted this car, it's a strange looking vehicle because it's massive and definitely is a custom made.... It instantly remind me of the movie i seen when i was a kid.... the movie name "THE CAR", a black Cadillac that kills people after being possessed by the devil. I know this ain't no Cadillac but it reminds me of the movie. I looked closer to it and it seems to me that it is a old "Nissan Patrol" chassis and a body of a old car. Awesome stuff.... Here it goes to your viewing pleasure.

Shiatsu Self Massage Chart

2011-06-07T20:47:00.001-07:00

I have received this chart of self massage and it is called shiatsu self massage. This is type of therapeutic self massage that originated in japan and later it combined with traditional Chinese medicine and western techniques as well. These methods are scientifically proven to be beneficial and can be easily performed by ones self or with help of a partner. Here are some of the charts i got.

Ancient art of fighting and self defence in sri lanka (a.k.a Angampora)

2011-06-07T07:53:00.000-07:00

When someone says the "Art of fighting", anyone will definitely get a picture of Chinese fighting techniques such as "Kung Fu" or "Thai-chi". If you are a fan of martial arts movies, you will also think of techniques such as "Samurai", "Aikido" or karate. All these arts of fighting involves either hand to hand combat or using weapons and they were primarily invented for self defense. Even if you look at the western world there are many techniques. What i am going to tell you now is a technique that is less known to the world, and kept as a closely guarded secret form of martial arts among ancient sri lankan islanders. The technique might share some of the weapons that is used in indian fighting techniques but most of it is unique to Sri Lanka. This sri lankan technique of fighting is called "Angampora" in sinhala language. This ancient form of fighting not only consist of hand to hand and weapon fighting, it also has ways of using mystical magical powers and energies to put down their opponents. According to what i have come across, angampora fighting technique is not thought to everyone but only to a chosen person can be a apprentice, the ancient masters feared that this lethal fighting method will fall in to wrong hands, So the apprentices are chosen carefully by doing a mystical ceremony to ensure that he or she has a heart of pure good. Even to this day, very small number of people still practice and keep the ancient tradition alive. Here are some pictures of angampora which i received, so i thought i would share it on my blog.

These pictures will show you some demonstrations of the practice as well as before the apprentices start their daily routine of practice, they begin it with a Buddhism oriented ceremony.

If you are interested in "Angampora" you can search for this sri lankan drama named "Dadubasnamanaya" which was shown in early 90's in sri lankan television. It will give a complete idea of what it is plus a deep story about two families who knows this technique of fighting and mastered it.

Crossing few ghost towns towards the sea....

2011-06-06T07:34:00.000-07:00

Few days back, my brother in law came up with an idea that he would want to buy a motorcycle for him self for his use so i told him that he should go for a second hand Japanese motorcycle. I have called few contacts that i know of and found out that there is a Suzuki GS125 motorcycle for sale in this south west coast town we called "Kaluthara". We decided to take a ride down to the town and have a look at it, in the end he ended up buying it because it was in fairly in good condition and fits his criteria. We were suppose to take the main road towards the "Kaluthara" but instead i thought we should take a rural road cutting across few main roads going through some villages (actually i like to call them ghost towns because of many folk tales coming from these semi-remote villages are about ghosts), and ending up in the main road that leads to the south of the island. So on the way we have stopped for some drinks and i thought it's a nice shady (Ghost town looking) place to take a picture in the mid-day. I thought id share it with the world. So here i am, armed with my trusty good ol' Honda XL250R.....

My Grand Father's Clock ( The Ol' Seth Thomas Clock )

2010-09-14T23:09:00.000-07:00

When i was a little boy who was in the kindergarten i still remember something that my grandfather always use to say every time he finishes weekly winding-up of the ol' seth thomas clock. "After me, you will inherit this and it will bring you good luck". That was about twenty years ago from the date of this blog post. He was a "Plantation clark" and a "Manager" of the company named "Whittall boustead" which was established in sri lanka during british colonization era. During the shifting of the company, this clock was given to my grandfather by the boss of the company who was a Englishmen as a gift and even at that time it was an antique. From then it was his possession. It was a "Seth Thomas made in USA, Grand Octagon wall clock". Clock worked perfectly fine with a one flaw which could not be repaired. Clock shows perfect time but hourly alarm automatically advances because of a broken wheel. My father says, my grand father tried to get it repaired but he failed because of unavailability of the parts. My grand father fell in to a coma on 2002 and that was the last of him which we knew. He never recovered to his original state of mine after that. It was a time of turmoil in my family and during this time this piece of antique was permanently lost among the sands of time. Grand father passed at the age of 74 on 2006 July from his ill state and coma.

I was looking for this clock all over the place but i could not find it. About four to five months back i was cleaning a whole heap of junk in my parents home and i came across a wooden box, rotted out with termite attack, rain water and all weather hazards. I quickly dragged it out of clatter because it resembled the housing of the clock. I was right, it is the clock, the octagon was broken, glasses are all destroyed. The housing is completely beyond repair. Minute and hour hands were missing, the brass drop is also missing. I quickly recovered the mechanical parts from the housing and on the time that i finished cleaning up the junk pile i have completely recovered all the metal parts of the clock including minute and hour hands, the drop and the engine etc. I was so happy but i was in a huge doubt of getting it restored because it is a piece of antique. I searched for a person who can do this job and i found a good clock-smith in nearby town who specialize in restoring antique clocks but at a very high price. I took the restoration of this clock as my duty because my grand father always use to say that i am the owner of it after him. So i took it to the repairmen and after three months of careful inspection, pain staking re-oiling process, and the hardest of all finding a perfect wheel for hourly alarm which where my grand father failed to do, i manage to restore the Ol' Seth Thomas back to it's original factory state. Today it hangs in my home wall displaying accurate time and hourly alarm with the charm of old world. Most important of all it keeps the Memory of my grand father alive and cherished among us. I am sure wherever he is, he will be happy, rested and may attain Nibbāna.

The picture displays the completely restored "Ol' Seth Thomas Octagon Wall clock".

Back from the dead

2010-09-14T22:42:00.000-07:00

After many months of total dead silence i thought i should start updating my blog again as use to do. If i kept any of you awaiting for new posts ( if there is any who follows my boring blog ) i am really really sorry. I was down with a financial crisis, i had to sell my motorcycle, now that i am slowly crawling back to life with my new found job i thought it is high time for me to start updating my blog. I have gone through many things for past few months starting from month of December 2009 to the date of this post. I will try to share those with you as many as i can depending on how important i feel about those events. But for now, Here i am again, Good ol' me, 90% percent recovered from my financial crisis and manage to move from Honda Xl25R to Honda XL250R which i am in the process of restoring to possible peak condition.

The most famous and beloved japanese motorcycle in sri lanka...

2009-12-09T22:18:00.000-08:00

I have done a rigorous search to find "Which is the most famous and beloved motorcycle and it's brand in this island?" and guess what i came across. Just like i predicted. There is no two words to it, all the Japanese motorcycle users love "HONDA" that's the brand of Sri Lankan motorcycle enthusiasts, commutes, lovers you name it.... it is the "HONDA" they all love and trust. Next biggest challenge was, was there a specific bike? Specific model?. Well friends, nearly 80% of Japanese motorcycles used in Sri Lanka is none other than the trusty classic "Honda Benly CD125T & Honda CD-TWIN 125". I see these sweet little bikes almost everywhere, from weeks village fish markets to city crowded shopping mall parks. So i decided to inquire few of the users to see what they say. People say amazing things about this bike and i thought i gather few of the stuff to post on my blog so the world knows.

Here is why Sri Lankan Islanders love "Honda Benly CD125T"

Japanese made "Honda" Reliability and extreme durability
Economical Fuel Consumption ( 40 - 48 KMPL )
125CC Inline Twin Engine capable of carrying a 1 person to several people
Economical maintenance
Availability of spare parts
Simple engine architecture that any grease monkey can fix in a jiffy
Strong structure & Frame that is capable of carrying weights that no other 125cc motorcycles can carry
Comfortable two wheeled vehicle for a daily commuting even for a family of three.

Above are just to name a few. So i decided to ride couple of them and it is true what they say.... it's a amazing little bike that can do big things and of course i must add that looks also counts.... it has the vintage motorcycle look which i love the most. If you ever come to Sri Lanka and you will see what i am talking about. I have come across benlys and cdtwins ranging from few months old to nearly forty years old and i can see they with stand very well in the test of time in this tropical island. Prices are also vary and reconditioned unregistered bikes will cost somewhere between 2000US$ and upwards while you can still find registered same models for around 1300US$ etc and older CD-TWIN non CDI models can be found around 350US$ and above.

Engine Specifications

125CC Inline Twin Engine
Front and Rear Drum breaks ( easy maintenance )
Twin Exhausts
Fuel : Petrol
Strong Headlight Beam
Fuel Consumption 40 - 48 Kilometers per litre of petrol.

Goodbye my love.... Goodbye....

2009-12-09T20:35:00.000-08:00

Well as they say, we all do have to except that times are changing..... like ageing, dying from an inevitable disease, or maybe a simple economical disaster.... well i just thought id post about something that is a major change in course of my life. First of all i had to say goodbye to my bikes which was Virago 250, Honda CM125T Custom and Virago 400 i seriously was in need of money to clear up few debts which i owe and i sold both of them. Even though they are gone they helped me to relieve all of my problems and now that i feel like i am a freeman. Well the free word does not come that easy in my mind because like in some forum says "Four wheels move the body..... Two wheels move the soul......" i was desperate for a bike just after six hours of selling my bikes. Since i was left with very little money i had no choice, i went around in all possible places looking for a bike. Well this time i ain't going for another 400cc because fuel economy problem was way high over my head last time. I looked for a Honda rebel 125 - 250cc. There were many but the condition was not good enough for my taste, some of them were badly hacked, so i decided to go for a Indian made motorcycle straight from the showrooms. Money i had in my hand was not enough even to reach the lowest class 100cc in the showroom. I was left hopeless until next morning i woke up with a strange but yet bright idea. I start hunting around in the scrap yards where they dump unwanted stuff. Then i came across this warehouse which has so many unloved dumped stuff and guess what i found!, i found a "Honda XL125R" and it seems like from somewhere 1985. I quickly ran over to it and pulled it out from all the ruble and taken it to light. It didn't look very healthy, the tires were worn out to the canvas, engine was leaking oil all over, speedometers were dead, battery is full of fungus but luckily it was inside a warehouse so never got caught to rain and stuff so the rust wasn't there and nothing is corroded. I asked the warehouse owner about it and he said one fellow came and pawned it to him for some money along with it's registration documents and owner ship documents about five years back. It was lying there ever since and nobody took an interest. I gave him a price and he agreed to sell it to me, so i bought it on the same day... next problem was starting it up and taking it home. I bought a can of oil since engine was completely out of oil and pour it and after few kicks bike fired up like nothing and i was really happy about it. I manage to take it home and within in two days i restored the engines missing stuff, fixed all the leaks, new tires, services all the other parts including speedometers etc.

There she goes, runs like a newborn (bike), i am really happy i find it extremely easy and maneuverable in the good roads as well as bad condition roads. I thought to my self that Enduro/Off-road motorcycle is the ideal thing for the Sri Lankan road conditions. Even though i have ridden enduro's so often i never owned one. It's been four days now since i ride this bike from home to work, and almost everywhere. It's a great little bike which does extremely well on fuel. It's fast enough for a 125cc i am very happy with it. I am thinking of getting it completely restored to factory conditions, even a new paint.

And after all i found out one thing..... Even though i thought i was built and born to ride cruisers, i was kind of wrong about me..... I figured out that offroad / Enduro's are also another ideal bike for me. It's like they always say.... you are never too late to discover your self......

here's a picture of my Honda XL125R after doing all the services and fourth day on the road.

Most Common Motorcycles in Sri Lanka

2009-10-13T02:53:00.000-07:00

Sri lanka's motorcycle market was once dominated by Japanese giants such as Honda , Yamaha, Kawasaki etc has started to decline in the late 90's and now being completely conquered by Indian and Chinese motorcycle makers. Reason for this decline is mainly the prices of the Japanese motorcycles was increasing as well as rarity of certain spare parts, and also fuel consumption is somewhere in the middle. Indian motorcycle makers such as "Bajaj, TVS, Hero, Kinetic" has introduced their products at the late 90's and they picked up like a storm. The popularity of motorcycle brands as follows.

Bajaj - It was easy for bajaj because their three wheelers has been long here before the motorcycles and they won the hearts of many. So they easily became the number one in sri lanka.
Hero Honda - Carrying the brand name "Honda" as a part of their brad name drew the previous Japanese Honda riders easily towards their products.
TVS - Was rather a new name for Sri Lanka but easily picked up the third place by giving a super low end prices, and extremely economical fuel consumption on fairly faster motorcycles.
Kinetic - Also as far as i heard a mixture of indian motorcycles and chinese made parts picked up the fourth place here in sri lanka because it was bought and introduced to sri lanka by a company named "Singer Sri Lanka" which was quiet a famous for their many products such as "Sewing Machines, Tv's etc"
Suzuki - They became the fifth place because they were carrying their Japanese ancestors name with chinese production plants. They were very famous for their trust GN125.

Other than above mentioned brand names, there are many others such as Loncin, Ranomoto, Umazaki, Senaro which is assembled here in sri laka and mainly from chinese manufacturers. Here are some of the common and famous motorcycles of Sri Lanka which you can see hundreds of them when you go to the main road.

Bajaj Pulsar

Took on sri lankan market like a storm due it's looks and power. First pulsars which was introduced to sri lanka was running at power of 150cc engine, later upgraded to 180cc and 220cc. The looks have drastically changed from model to model as well as power. They always comes in several major colors such as, Red, Black, Blue etc. Bajaj Pulsar became very famous among sport/road motorcycle enthusiasts due to it's power, looks, and the amazing low fuel consumptions. For an example Bajaj Pulsar 180Dts-i 2007 model did 50KMPL.

Bajaj Boxer

Bajaj boxer has been here since the introduction of bajaj motorcycles in sri lanka and took on like a storm on daily riders. People switched to this neat little 100cc motorcycle because of it's extremely low fuel consumption which is like 75 - 80 KMPL and it's toughness along with bullet proof kawasaki inspired engine. This has won the hearts of common man in sri lanka. Even though it is not in the main show case of bajaj right now, it is still one of the highest selling day to day commuters in Sri Lanka.

Bajaj CT100

Bajaj CT100 is also another 100cc motorcycle introduced to the market slightly later after the launch of bajaj motorcycles in sri lanka. It gain popularity again due to it's low fuel consumption, Low price and also for its's dashing looking new headlight design. It won over the Boxer mainly due to that newly installed headlight. There were some more models in the line along with CT100, suchas Bajaj Caliber 115cc etc. They were also equally famous among day to day riders.

Bajaj Discover

This was the baja's ultimate 125cc motorcycle. The picture you see is the latest upcoming model and there have been different models previously. This was very famous among people who wants a 125cc Motorcycle and the looks of the a pulser. Sometimes if the Pulsar was quiet too expensive, riders always went for this. There are some models in this line, and they were called XCD125 etc. Somehow later all of thes models were introduced with 135cc Engines and in different colors etc.

Hero Honda Hunk

Not the most famous from the huge line of Hero Honda has to offer but recently became the most famous from all of hero hondas in sri lanka. powered by a 150cc engine same as the Hero Honda CBZ, the looks are much different, and also has the Gas Shock Absorbers. Hunk is currently competing with the bajaj's pulsars market. They are somewhat head to head if you look at the colombo roads But i personally thinks pulsars head count is higher. Known to be a very reliable due to Honda developed engine. But price was slightly higher than others.

Hero Honda CBZ Extreme

This is the all time favorite from Hero Honda, and first it came as "CBZ" and later it turned in to "CBZ Extreme". It is known as one of the Cult motorcycles in India. It was not equally popular in sri lanka as in India but somewhat popular due to it's light weight, easier handling on the traffic and again bares the badge of "Honda". I had my self ridden for sometime few years back, and it was an amazing motorcycle for 150cc. had a mid range fuel consumption and extreme handling. Comfort wise it was slightly low compared to the Hero Honda Hunk.

TVS Apache

Apache became very famous for it's looks and price tag. It was in the market since the introduction of TVS to sri lanka. It has undergone through various types of upgrades since the introduction. Apache is packed with a 150cc engine and rival against Pulsar and CBZ in the market. After the initial launch, TVS has also released the 160cc Version of the Apache which is called "Apache RTR". Certain rumours say that TVS has a Apache 200 is on the horizon so all the TVS riders, grip tight for the future releases.

TVS Flame

TVS Flame is the 125cc flavour of their motorcycles. Powered with a 125cc Three Valve engine, Tvs flame quiet popular among the 125cc riders due to it's dashing looks and the mid range price tag. According to what i have found out, TVS Flame is being developed by a separate division in TVS under the authority of an professional German engineer. If someone wants a TVS and wants a good looking day to day commuter of 125cc. TVS Flame is the way to go.

TVS Star (sport & city)

TVS Star Sport & TVS Star City both were a great challenge for other 100cc motorcycles. This is the 100cc motorcycle from TVS and works great as a day to day commuter. TVS STAR series was very famous in sri lanka for it's extreme low fuel consumption and all the value added features such as Self starter, Alloy wheels, Beautiful design which other 100cc motorcycles did not had when it was launched. This motorcycle boast mind blowing 105KMPL ( on bench test at normal speed ). I have ridden one and it has a very good acceleration, and it did about 85KMPL in real life test. It's pretty amazing how they do these things.

Bajaj Kristal, TVS Scooty Pept, Hero Honda Pleasure

Hey, i didn't leave the ladies out? did i? Oh crap, stupid me. All the above manufacturers had scooters of their own brands released especially for the lady riders. yes i know, in European and many other countries ladies ride 1000cc and above, the smallest they ride is 250cc. Well it's different here and most parts of Asia i guess. The most famous from all the scooters was the TVS Scooty Pept due to it's advertising campaigns and looks. They all boasts a engine capacity of 100cc and comes with various easy to use features such as automatic head lights in the dark, self starter, economical fuel consumption etc. Even though it was intend for female riders, we see many male riders also take these scooters on the road. They are excellent motorcycles for day to day rides. Especially for the ladies and people who wants a automatic gear system on their motorcycles. One of above scooters are the way to go in Sri Lanka.

Suzuki GN125 & Clones

Suzuki GN125 is quiet famous among Sri Lankan Cruiser style motorcycle enthusiasts. When a person usually wants a bike that is comfortable for long distance riding, they usually go for the GN125. GN125 has been copied and cloned by many other makers such as Loncin, Senaro etc. They all are chinese motorcycle makers, and some of them are equally good as the original Suzuki GN125. It packs a single cylinder 125cc engine, comfy seat for two and the cruiser styling. Old skool riders also favorst he new GN-125 for it's looks.

Bajaj Avenger , Yamaha Enticer & Chinese Built Cruisers

Here comes my favorite motorcycles to talk about. That's the cruisers, Cruiser class motorcycles in sri lanka was first introduced by chinese motorcycle makers such as loncin, Daido etc. But never gain the popularity among the cruiser motorcycle fans and Harley wannabes due to it's inferior reliability and quick deterioration. Then the Bajaj and Yamaha of india introduced these two models which quickly gained the popularity among cruiser class motorcycle enthusiasts. To tan color is Yamaha Enticer 125cc & and black is the Bajaj Avenger 200cc & 180cc. According to indian market bajaj won over the Yamaha but in sri lanka it was winning over the Yamaha until sri lankan distributor discontinued bringing bajaj avenger due to low sales. Bajaj avenger is now only available in pre-orders. Yamaha Enticer is still doing well but honest truth is in sri lanka Cruiser motorcycles only gained popularity among small number of people who are harley & Cruiser enthusiasts just like my self. For past year of course cruisers has started to gain more and more popularity. Main reason for their decline is higher fuel consumption compared to other motorcycles and lack of motorcycle enthusiasts in sri lanka. We have lots of riders but very little enthusiasts. People just ride because they can't afford a car, Not that they want to ride instead of driving.

Mopeds & other 50cc Motorcycles

Hey i don't wanna leave these cute little bikes away, so here they are. Almost all the makers have a moped which is 50cc or below which requires no license and registrations, and riders are not required to wear a safety helmet according to sri lanka motor vehicle rules and regulation authority. In the picture what you see is a model named "Safari" by the indian motorcycle maker "Kinetic" which is a four stroke motorcycle runs at 50cc. These small moped motorcycles comes with neat features such as self starters, extremely low fuel consumption, some of them with paddling facilities etc. Earlier models were mostly 2 Stroke motorcycles and later on after banning the 2 Stroke motorcycles in sri lanka. Motorcycle makers came up with these neat little four stroke moped. If you are looking for something to take a ride around the city, and wants automatic gears, and lowest fuel consumption, and don't want to wear helmets and bother of license and number plates. This is the way to go, go grab a moped. Mopeds are popular among ladies, school students, and people who hates wearing helmets.

This is just a little post that will give you a rough idea of what are the most common motorcycles and brands in sri lanka. There are plenty others and not to forget the japanese motorcycles, they are in plenty, sometimes equalent to certain indian and chinese makes. What i mentioned was the common motorcycles only. This post may not include all the common motorcycles, because each of this manifacturers have a huge line of motorcycle models with various different flavors and colors and they keep changing everyday. I hope you enjoyed the post.

It's horror movie time... FEAST Spoilers

2009-10-13T00:59:00.000-07:00

Turn down the lights, make sure it is night, grab your pop corn and just push the play button. Time for some horror movie stuff, yeap, i love movies and my favorite genere is horror. Yes i love good horror movies, doesn't matter whether they are B-movies, Blockbusters, as long as i am pleased, i am happy with it. For past few years this was one of my most anticipated movies, yes i watched the part one that really kicked me off the couch. I am telling you fellas, this is not for the faint hearted to watch, it's a complete gore splatter fest with lots of laughter if you can handle the gory violence. I loved the first movie from the triology. It was pretty amazingly done for a low budger horror movie. Bunch of people getting trapped inside a bar and they are being attacked by a heard of blood thirsty monsters from no where, yeah i know, sounds like a pretty same old story but watch it and see, it's different this time. I was counting my days to watch the part two of the movie and it was a bit let down. It was no where near the part one but it did continued the story from where part one is left off. Survivors from the bar get along with some others and they hit the nearest town. Then the massacre starts, and it had some real jaw dropping violence. This is one of the very rare movies which they show a death of a child as a joke, and in the real way. Children usually don't die in a painful suffering death no matter how high the violence rating in a horror movie, but in this they do and watch out for those graphic scenes. I was screamed by my wife for showing her this movie because it contains such graphic scenes. Then the part three comes. Wow, it starts right exactly where the second one left off, even better it has almost same cast as the part two until one by one is being chopped off. Ending was pretty good, i'll leave you all to figure it out. and i think there will be a Feast 4 on the horizon somewhere. I think probably 2010 we will be able to see it or at least hear about it. If you re a fan of gore fest, and laughs at extremely funny and violent deaths, this is the movie for you. Creature horror fans like my self also should look in to this. Don't expect anything like "The Ring" or "Grudge" in this. Make sure you people watch the unrated versions of this... Enjoy

What i hate about this :

In all triology, most important survivors of the first episode never showed up, didn't even show what has happened to them.

What i like about this :

Lots of creature horror stuff
Plenty of laughter along with gory deaths
Part 1 : Trapped in a bar, and terrified by monsters from no where, i like that
Part 2 : All the biker ladies
Part 3 : The way it continued
Being a B-grade movie and straight to video it was really good
Simple story, lots of chaos

A bit of photography with a touch of love for nature...

2009-10-12T23:27:00.000-07:00

I thought i would post some of the interesting pictures that my wife takes, she is so fond of taking pictures. Ever since i knew my self, i thought i am good at taking photographs until i start seeing what my wife takes from the same camera i use. I am no where near her. Alright, Alright i know what you guys thinking.... but that's not what i meant, i am just comparing the photos i take and she takes, not what the world takes and what my wife takes... :) they were pretty amazing looking. She just used my old Sony Ericcson K750i Two Megapixel mobile phone camera to take all these pictures. They were taken in my home garden, mostly in the mornings. Just take a look at them and make a comment if you can so i know what others also thinking.

This is one of my favorites of all time, it's just a normal desia flower which my mom planted in the garden, well she has taken a photograph of it, so i think it is really nice, sometimes i put this as a wallpaper. believe me people, i tried doing this a million times before and i never came even close this good. i know plenty of you who are reading this post can do much better than this, but i am comparing my self, again not the world. :)

This is a kind of sad photograph for us, because the cat that is in the picture is not with us anymore. He has gone out in the rainy season of 2008 and never came back. Well, we found him on the road one day back in 2006 and he never grew much larger at all. My wife named him "Kaluwae" which means "Blackie" in english. She named him after a local drama hero character. Well i know it's kind of funny. This was taken on the wall of my garden next to some wild orchid growth. I thought it is pretty neat enough to post in my blog. All you animal lovers might like it.

The legendary flower of all flowers i guess, the Red Rose. The most known and considered as the most beautiful in the world of flowers by many. Sometimes compared to love, sometimes compared to woman, it is been compared to many by poets, writers, artists etc. This was taken by my wife, in a one fine morning and i think it is a beautiful picture to be put on as a wallpaper. Those who are in love with rosses will like this.

My mom grows flowers and foliage plants while my wife loves to grow plants with fruits and vegetables. Well since we all live in the same house they plant in the same garden, it's a nice variety. This is from my wife's tomato plantation in my garden. The tomatoes are randomly arranged on the terrazo garden chair and then the picture was taken. Pretty nice though.

Has any of you have seen this flower before? if do that's cool because i know haven't. This plant also falls in the "Orchids" family and commonly called as "Kandyan Dancer" in sri lanka. This flower resembles the look of an authentic "Kandyan Dancer" in sri lanka. I think this is an amazing flower. Yep! Kandyan dancer is a form of dancing and a dancer that belongs to the ancient city of "Kandy" in sri lanka. I have added a picture of a kandyan dancer too. Compare and see.

This is actually a fruit plant. We call it "GasLabu" in singhalese, and commonly known as "Papaya", "PawPaw" etc. This fruit mainly features two kinds. One is the dark red sweet malayasian and the other is yellowish kind. Both look a like until split in to two. It is great as a smoothie drink. If you have never tasted "Papaya" before, whenever you get a chance, do taste it. It's really good, and works as a great gentle laxative. They grow almost in all tropical countries.

Again some orchids, this time the original purple variety. They do have their dedicated botanical names etc. But i am no botanist, i am just a small time tour guide posting some photos taken by my wife. This is from my mom's orchid rack. They looked pretty healthy and works as a eye candy. It's really hard to imagine that most of the orchids are considered as parasites. Well parasites this pretty? lol, it's a cool thing.

This is another desia flower, taken in the evening time. It's the yellow variety which grows in the ground.

We use to call this "Nosferatu", Because for some reason this reminds us of the old movie charachter. Pretty kreepy, well this is "Kaluwae" in the evening time. Some with the shadow of the dying sun of evening, this photo had a rather dark scary look. I hope you all horror fans out there will enjoy this.

What you can see to left is also kind of interesting picture. This was taken at my home sometime ago, my parents did a small time business which is running a small time garment at home. All these were strings bought to do the stitching, i guess because of nice variety in colors she has taken this picture.

That concludes the little trip to the photography world of my wife. I will go through her entire collection of photographs and post more in the future. i hope you all like it, even if you don't like please do feel free to post a comment belfore.

I digged out an rare ""Honda CM125T custom chopper"" motorcycle....

2009-09-24T21:32:00.000-07:00

One day i was just riding through an rural short cut road just to avoid all the city traffic i came across something really interesting. In front of an old motorcycle shack i have seen some piles of junk put up for sale and i noticed that there is a Gem among them. It was an old ""Honda CM125T Custom"" motorcycle, I know you might be thinking what is so special and rare about ""Honda CM125T Custom"", they are everywhere!!!, But just wait I'll tell you what made it rare later. so stopped to take a look. The bike was really in a very bad shape, for a while i thought i would forget about the paint and outer look, the engine was a mess, with broken timing chains, completely worn out clutch plates, basically no compression on the engine at all but the shop owner fired it with major difficulty and it started. I rode it for few meters and thought it will be very unhealthy to ride it in this condition. So i asked the price and i bought it on the next day, with great difficulty i manage to ride it back to my home after a hours ride from the shop. Phew!! hard part is over, now it is time to get it properly re-done. I took it up to my motorcycle mechanic and got it's engine and electrical system completely restored as well as wheels and then add new shocks to rear and put a new set of forks and oil seals, oils etc.

Now it rides like a baby, smooth as ever, when i bought the bike it has shown amazing 365,000 odd Kilometers on the speedometer and according to the mechanic this was it's first engine restoration and he said the speedometer hasn't also worked for at least 100,000KM which means this bike has previously done whooping 450,000KM before engine restoration. I am no motorcycle mechanic so what i thought, Honda is an mechanical marvel. :), you can see a picture of the bike above, how it is after major restoration has been done, Photo is taken before i put new set of wheels of course and rims. i still have to work on the paint and outer look jobs. But now it runs really well.

Honda CM125T Custom (Chopper) Specifications

125cc Honda Twin Engine
2 inline cylinders
CDI
Speedometer and rev counter
Made in japan
Two Short Exhausts (original)

Well as i said rare above, try searching the net for model that i have found and you will see. well there are plenty of Honda CM125, CM180, CM200 etc especially made during the period of 1978 till somewhere mid 1980's until the look completely changed in to current Honda CM125T. What make this bike rare is because this has a CDI unit unlike the earlier models, it has original short exhausts makes sound really better than other models of the same look by honda, exhausts are originally from honda. The other CM models, especially the ones with same look did not come with a Rev-Counter, only the speedometer, this model has the Rev-counter facility. Basically this is a Honda CM180 Chopper body running on Honda Benley 125cc engine and coolest part is it is not modified by a user but originally came like this from honda somewhere mid 80's till early 90's.

Few of the oversized monsters in sri lankan roads ( motorcycles beyond 250cc in sri lanka )

2009-09-20T23:39:00.000-07:00

Everybody who knows me knows that i am a motorcycle enthusiast, i enjoy riding as much as i enjoy every other good things in life. So this is my little blog in the internet and i thought i would put this entry in it's best possible way. Yes i know, if you are not living in sri lankan you would already be laughing at this entry because it says over-sized monsters, well it's not like in your country fellas, in sri lanka according to the current law maximum allowed engine capacity for a motorcycle is 250cc, you cannot go beyond that. Even if you manage to go beyond that you still cannot get it legally registered in the RMV (Deparment of Registering Motor Vehicles). Lets imagine by some sheer luck and hard work you manage to get your monster registered in RMV, if she looks really big like 750cc traffic police will keep on stopping ya and asking you questions about the bike. So fellas, don't talk about riding anything beyond 650cc on the sri lankan roads. I am one of those ambitious positive people who lives in Sri Lanka that always wishes RMV will change it's laws someday so people can free go ahead with 1000cc and above and cruise the sri lankan roads. All of ya guys might be wandering right now, why the heck 250cc? :O well this is what sri lankan traffic police, RMV and government says. They say, Traffic police have 450cc, 650cc, etc and above. So if someone use to have something equivalent or above, they can always commit a crime and getaway. that's the simple objections they put when it comes to importing bigger, higher capacity machines. Personally i think it is the dumbest things i ever heard. Engine capacity do decide the speed of the bike but that is not one of the main factors as far as i see... take this for an example, an properly tuned "Honda Baja XR 250cc" can take on any 450cc conventional traffic bike after doing a crime scene and it can even go off the road without any hassle. So i think it is time for sri lankan government to think again and re do the rules and regulations.

But HEY! being a motorcycle enthusiast, rules ain't gonna stop me from riding over capacity motorcycle, so i own a Yamaha XV535, i love to cruise all around, I've been all around the island and i didn't come across any problems from law.

Phew! Touch wood fellas, here is a picture of me and my bike. I have added two more pictures of the over capacity motorcycles which i came across on the road while i am riding. they all were registered but i have taken off the registration numbers before posting it on my blog to preserve the anonymity so that riders will never have a problem including me. White tank with a golden jaguar badge is a "Honda Steed 400cc modified", and the one with nikel tank is a indian made motorcycle called "Royal Enfield 350cc Bullet".

Another great crossing through the endless island

2009-09-02T00:15:00.000-07:00

It's time to ride across the good ol' island again, and this time it is not professional but more family oriented and leisure-fun purpose. Company staff i am currently employed decided to go on a fun trip to the ancient city called "Anuradhapure" on last weekend. Everything was well planned and all the people from all the branches were invited and so they all went. Me, my wife and some of my very good ol' friends also got together from our branch and decided to join the party. Me and my wife came to a conclusion that going in a car or something else would be boring so here we go, an job for good ol' me, so we hopped on to our trusty Yamaha virago 400 and started the journey.

It was three days long and covered nearly 450 Kilometers, we went through all the important places in "Anuradhapura", some of them are "Sri Mahabodhiya" "Ruwanwelisaya" and of course sri lankas most magnificent rock cut buddha statue ever "Avukana". We were well accommodated at "Palm Garden Hotel at Anuradhapura. You can see that in the picture starting from left, My self, my wife and my good old friend, we are starring at the grandeur of finest and tallest rock cut buddha statue in whole of island which dates back to 5th century during the reign of king "Dhathusena". This statue is completely carved out of solid granite rock. According to the legend the precision of this masterpiece is so accurate that if one lays a drop of water on the forehead of Buddha it should glide all the way down and falls in right exactly between the feet of the statue.

The statue is facing over the "Kala Weva" one of the largest man made reservoir in whole of island, also made during king "Dhathusena's" period. I think this photo is pretty good since we should not take any photographs facing back to any religious and sacred monument. We came across a small church in the hotel ground that we were accommodated, it was within the hotel garden and we thought it is because entire hotel was owned by a Italian who must have been a roman catholic. I thought i would post a snap or two of that little neat place.

I was starring at the nice painting and my friend manage to steal a snap of me. Well it was a good thing again that i was facing to the religious painting. The other photo to the right shows the main entrance of the church which looked really nice when lighten up with candles and small electrical lights. It had enough room for about fifteen to eighteen people to comfortably sit and do their religious prayers. In all my life of traveling through out the island i never come across a place like this before, that is why i thought i would post it on my blog. a small church within a fiver star hotel. really a great idea i think. Entire fun trip was finished within three days and many hours and kilometers on the road. Slightly exhausting but major fun. It was all great to follow up my friends vehicle and sometimes do overtakes and pass them and then later catch up with each other. Like i always say, there are no other better way to see this island than on a trusty motorcycle.

Do you believe in ghosts?

2009-08-26T23:28:00.000-07:00

I thought i would post this in my blog since i received it from a friend of mine. I am interested in all this paranormal stuff i guess that is the nature of most right brainers, Always in search for unknown and adventure. Some of the photos which i received clearly shown that they are work of some photo-shop people, some of them are really amateur looking to me so i decided to leave them out of the blog and post what was quiet convincing looking to me. So Take a look folks.

A snap like above will scare the hell out of you if it was in your family photo right?. Well creepy.

I hope you all enjoyed, next time when ya have your photos developed, make sure you double check them for anything peculiar. :)

I Love this doctor... This really does make sense

2009-08-26T22:20:00.000-07:00

Q: Doctor, I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain...Good!

Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?
A: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!! ..... Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy? HELLO Cocoa beans ! Another vegetable!!! It's the best feel-good food around!

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?
A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape!

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.

And remember:

'Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming 'WOO HOO, What a Ride'

AND....

For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.

1. The Japanese eat very little fat
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

3. The Chinese drink very little red wine
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

CONCLUSION

Eat and drink what you like.
Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

Once again i got caught in the island spell..... 12 days of touring

2009-08-20T01:08:00.000-07:00

I know this is a bit of too old news to publish as a new post in my blog but here goes, as I always say nothing really matters as long as you feel good about it. These are some snaps and thoughts of the tour I had all around sri lanka last February. Since I am a National tourist guide lecturer, I always get to tour around this island and explain about it to the tourists, but something that really amazes me is that I never got fed up of this island no matter how many times I have travel through it.

On this tour we have taken two motorcycles, one is a Yamaha XT 400cc which and the other is Honda XR Baja 250cc. They were pretty sturdy enough to get us through all twelve days of the tour. I went up as the tour guide and Jane was the tourist. She is from England and wants to tour all around sri lanka on a motorcycle specifically because she is a photographer and she says best way to see the island is on motorcycle. I sure do agree with her.

Above picture shows the two motorcycles we have used on our tour. Well pretty good for their old age since the owner of them have kept them in very good (engine) Condition lol.

Here is just a glimpse of knuckles mountain range over the my side mirror. It is one of the most scenic places here in this island. Every time i go there, the beauty of it really do capture my heart and soul.

Well that's me after few hours of riding up in the knuckles mountain range. It is fun really it is.

This is my self has stopped to rest for a while and jane also wanted to take few pictures of the surroundings.
This picture was taken on our way back to hotel from polonnaruwa. it is an ancient sri lankan city, it contains remnants from the kings times which they use to govern the country from this specific place. It's a very good place to ride around because not many mountains and hard turns to take, just straight road, endless straight road to all your destinations.

To the right you can see a photograph of my tent in the "Ella Adventure Park". That is one of the coolest places to stay when you are on a slightly adventure type tour. It was quiet late when we reached adventure park. We could not see a thing, with very little amount of light we had to walk about a kilometer in to the jungle where we also had to cross a hanging bridge to the camp site. It's an amazing place with barely no electricity. So later onwards my tourist had to go to a cabana which is near by the main office, restaurant etc in the camp site. then i was escorted to the most remotest place in the entire area, the furthest tent which was quiet fun. nothing but just kerosene lamp light, wind, sound of the river, bats and owls. after a cold water shower, i crawled in to my tent for a soothing quiet goodnight sleep. It was the off season so my self were the only person who were in the furthest campsite from the main office. Scary eh? Fun though.
I manage to take a picture in the morning of the bridge we crossed to come to camp site, well i am sure that is not a place to cross especially at night in pitch black. So if anyone of you who is happen to reading this entry in my blog, If you ever visit "Ella Adventure Park" of Sri Lanka, make sure you go there in a morning because otherwise it will be very difficult. Best way to go and enjoy "Ella adventure park" is go there in the morning, relax and get to know the surroundings. you could do some of their many great adventure activities, have your lunch and relax a bit at your camp site in the evening and make sure you hop in to the restaurant before it gets dark for dinner.
Well that was just a tiny fraction of the entire tour so i thought of sharing it with everyone. well last picture was taken at the "Galle" in "dalawella hotel", as the final farewell picture for the 12 day motorcycle adventure tour all around the island. Well goodbyes are always sad but for some reason when it comes to adventure, recreational touring it is not that sad because everyone takes a pinch of the memories that they have made out through out the entire tour. i hope you all liked this entry and please feel free leave comments about it.

Industrial Revolution and the Human Cradle

2009-08-19T23:20:00.000-07:00

Since the beginning, Our mother earth was perfectly equipped to serve all beings in their needs… she had such profound knowledge her self had the ability to evolve for the well beings of her children… as a perfect example from harsh winters to glowing sweet summer mornings, for many thousands of years her children which we today calls “life” lived in harmony with all their love for the cradle which they came from, and their love towards the mother. From all of her children she had one special child which is us the human kind she cared the most… but for the well being of our own kind we have started a revolution… a revolution which we call the “industrial revolution” in search for all possibilities beyond what earth and nature it self could provide for us, blindly causing mass destruction to our mother, our brothers and sisters. Humanity has crawled out from the web of life not knowing that they are just a mere strand of it… but thinking they are the supreme ruler of the entire web of life.

As the time goes on we felt that the destruction we blindly cause to our cradle has an adverse effect on our own kind… as retaliation of our own action we received worst starting from diseases to massive natural disasters.

It was too late to turn back and run in to the arms our mother… it was too late… humanity cannot go back to where it was because he does not remember the path that he came all the way. So humans understood the situation and they have tried a different approach which we today call as “Save the Environment”. It works… Return home journey seems still far for humanity but it is possible… the current industrial world is doing everything that is possible to minimize the damage caused by them to the nature. The journey to reunite with our mother has begun…

This is why we who are at “Sierra Ready-mix” do everything in a nature friendly way to minimize the environmental pollution to maximum possibility. We have built and planned our ready-mix factory in such a way that for the most it may not look like a factory at all. We have implement recycling technology to unlock the maximum potential of natural resources ensuring nothing goes to waste. We have also implemented the 5S method of organizing the entire factory and its workers so everything will co-operate with each other seamlessly. I am glad to be a part of “Sierra Team” because we who are at sierra has understood that we do not have two earths to live… we only have one… so save it… save its resources… the future of humanity depends on it.

Harsha A. Vithanage

nofacemonster@gmail.com
National Tourist Guide Lecturer
2009 August 20

Welcome to my island spell

2008-10-16T20:18:00.000-07:00

Greetings dear everyone, i warmly welcome you to my little blog which i named after one of my favorite poems of all time "Island Spell by Wendy Whatmore". I have learned this poem long time ago during my school days. Here you will hear and see lot about almost everything that i caught in my journey of life, so feel your self at home, grab a cool shady nap under a cabana then you will be served with a tall glass of pineapple juice, and even taller tales.

again welcome to my wordless island spell