Kayaking at the Bolgoda Lake

I’ve actually not tried Kayaking on a big lake (sort of) and turned out its really great! And I didn’t realize I travelled so far until I turned back. It was a calm day in December (out of all the bad rainy days) and managed to spend around an hour on Bolgoda Lake on a Kayak.

Traffic Lane Law in Colombo

Since last week the Police seem to be getting strict on implementing the Lane Law (or discipline) . Now this is extremely good news for me and the other (few) law-abiding drivers. Especially in the Parliament Road the motorists go crazy. Other than the usual culprits (i.e. three wheelers and motor bikes) you see an increasing number of Cars and SUVs violating traffic laws.

I fully support the Police enforcing some discipline and I’ve observed less traffic and a smother vehicle movement in the past few days. I hope this good culture continues for the betterment of the country.

Early conclusion for 2015 Formula 1 Season

With the ending of the US Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton won his 3rd World Championship title. There are few more races remaining in the year but mathematically their results won’t change the championship status. From the beginning of the season it was evident Hamilton dominated the season and it was well deserved at the end.

Ferrari meanwhile has improved significantly after mid season with their engine upgrades and could be threatening the Mercedes power units. It’s clear that Renault engines are no match at the straight lines for the front runners.

Pareto principle for Technology

Technology keeps moving forward at a rapid pace, what you buy for the money today has about half of its value in just 6 months time. Spending wise it’s a total waste!

Buying a top of the line Flagship Phone would cost over LKR 100K, on the other hand you can get 80% of its functionalities / performance achieved for just 20-30% of the price, and since you’ve spent so less the depreciation factor isn’t terrible as the most of the high end gadgets. Sure you won’t be able to tell your friends about the flashy new gadget you’ve got but whatever the flashy new gadget gets outdated in just 3-4 months time.

Diyawanna Jogging Track

Jogging Track behind the Parliament is something that was constructed a long time back. But just like the Urban Waterland Park at Nawala I could never visit until now.

Panoramic view from the Jogging Track

2015 Formula 1 Mid-Season Review

After the conclusion of the Hungarian Gran Prix it’s clear that Mercedes is still the fastest car, as long as they are at the front they remain unchallenged. Lewis Hamilton has scored most amounts of Poles but we saw how poor the launch was on both Mercedes Cars compared to Williams and Ferrari.

The moment Mercedes get passed by another car at the start line they have a miserable time. This was the same with RedBull in the previous winning seasons – as long as they got a clear start they were winning.

At the Hungarian Gran Prix it was like having Launch Control for Ferrari, the start was very quick. We have noticed Ferrari having much better starts in the previous seasons as well.

Mercedes needs to revisit on the race starts and the pit stops and rectify their selves, otherwise irrespective of having the fastest car (by a big margin) they’ll end up having to put a tough battle, which is totally unnecessary.

Meanwhile at the McLaren garage we see some big improvements for the results. Frankly the McLaren car wasn’t ready at the start of the season – that’s the bitter truth. Now they are playing in the catching up game. I don’t expect McLaren to score big finishes in this season but if they keep the current pace of improvements it’ll be valuable for the development of the next year’s car.

Yala - 2015

There are a few seasons a year Yala is exciting and even during the correct season you have to go at the correct time to spot the Leopards and Bears. Well 3pm wasn’t the best time to go on the safari at Yala.

Elephant Rock in the background of the Lake

A frog eaten alive

Crocodile

Urban Walterland Park

The Urban Waterland Park better known as the Weli Park at Nawala was opened some time ago but I have never been there until 23rd May 2015. It’s much smaller in size compared to Broad Walk but much different to that.

Jogging Track

I had no idea they have put an Armored Personal Carrier (BMP T-86) in the park. It is an old scary looking rusted machine but still the main frame is in good shape.

Armored Personal Carrier (BMP T-86) - Front View

Armored Personal Carrier (BMP T-86) - Back View

Armored Personal Carrier (BMP T-86) - Back Entrance

Vesak 2015

Compared to the previous year’s this time the Vesak decorations were much less almost everywhere. We visited the Gangarama Temple area and the crowd was significantly less. Maybe everyone expected the same decoration and avoided the trouble going there. And it was nothing more than the same decorations as previous years – if not lesser.

Fireworks at Beira Lake

Boats on Beira Lake

Vesak Thorana

PAYE Tax 2015

Sri Lanka Income Tax or the PAYE Tax has been revised from April 2015 onwards. Below is a link to calculate your PAYE tax.

http://jsfiddle.net/jqykhm9d/embedded/result/

Winners and Losers in 2015 Formula 1 Season

It might be too early to say who the real winners and losers are in Formula 1 this year, but by looking at the first 2 races you can say a few things. It’s clear that McLaren are far away from getting any good outcome, and Alonso is a big loser with the switch from Ferrari to McLaren. Ferrari on the other hand is looking well with Vettel. It might a Mercedes strategy error that cost them the victory but overall Ferrari is coming strong. RedBull is another loser in the game and so as Lotus.

Architect 2015

This is the first time I’m visiting an Architecture exhibition; however the one at BMICH wasn’t really what I was expecting. It was more towards interior, accessories, etc… The only building architecture plans and models were displayed by the students of the University of Moratuwa.

The only real highlight for me was the Aluminum Pantry Cupboards, the finishing and the quality was very impressive. The price also compared to wooden cupboards and especially considering the long term use I would think this is the way forward.

McLaren-Honda

We have seen how successful the McLaren-Honda partnership has been in the past in Formula 1. In 2015 they have again joined hands but this time it will be a tough challenge as Honda has not been an engine supplier for many years. I would like to think this as more of an early gamble for next year rather than expecting anything big for 2015.

Singapore Travel - 2014

Traveling in Singapore is easy; thanks to the Subway I was able to travel to areas like Clarke Quay, Chinatown and the famous Marina Bay without much hassle.

Marina Bay Sands

Elevated Garden Walkway in Chinatown

Batam - Indonesia

Batam Island is situated just south of Singapore. We traveled to Indonesia just for a couple of days via the Ferry. The Island is very different compared to the developed Singapore City. In Nagoya giant Hotels arises in the middle of slums – I have not seen such anywhere else in the world!!! I see much potential in tourism industry if they can clean up and organize the island.

A small entertainment pier near the Batam Center

Jet Ski Rider jumping on waves created by the Ferry

Arcade - Independence Square

Like the Race Course complex Colombo has a lot of old buildings that needs renovation. The government recently renovated the building complex near the Independence Square and its called Arcade. For a government project it is very impressive. The shops and restaurants target the high-end consumer but the place is for everyone to visit.

High-end shops

Water Fountain and Pond underneath

Corridors

The Lion Statues

Floating Market - Colombo

When you imagine Pettah what comes to your mind is a crowded stinky and not so nice place. Well things have been changing a little bit in the past few years. If you go to the Front Street in Pettah what is used to be some years ago and what its now is much different.

The Floating Market is a man made shopping complex on the edge of the dirty part of the Beira Lake. The water is still green and it smells a bit here and there. But compared to what things used to be at least now things looks nice.

Floating Market – View 1

Floating shops

Floating Market – View 2

Furious 7 - Official Trailer

Furious 7 - Official Trailer

A Tribute to Paul Walker

A Tribute to Paul Walker

Formula E

It's said to be the highest class of competition for one-make, single-seater and electrically powered racing cars. But I doubt the success of this series in the immediate future despite the marketing campaign. If you take a look at the driver's lineup you can see there are a lot of ex Formula 1 Drivers involved. Needless to say all of them failed to secure a driver seat in Formula 1 this year.

Now that Formula 1 is effectively a Hybrid Car race I would like see Formula 1 going fully green with Electric power one day. Everyone including myself will miss the engine noise but it'll be revolutionary.