Continuing
Tuesday, 28 August 2018
Career Limbo
And unfortunately I have become one of those unusual creatures now who wants work or something to be engaged with rather than let their mind let loose like wild goose ( I do this alot anyways, so no need of doing it more). So it is pretty damn difficult to be like this, specially after doing the work of 10 odd people for over a year all by myself. It seems as if I have fallen off of a cliff, and a steep one at that.
So yes im getting lethargic, incredibly lazy and is wondering what to do next. I am hoping this is going to be temporary but to be even temporary this is definitely a bad time! I thought of learning a language just to occupy my weekends so that it doesn't suffer the same fate as my weekdays. But career wise due to my own decisions im stuck between a rock and a wall. This is because my prospect of landing a new job this soon is pretty damn thin. My mistake I know completed my academics in due time, got selected to local uni, did my professional qualifications engaged in community and voluntary work and blah blah but still here i'm unable to land anything substantial.
And it doesn't help your moral when your friends talk about their work life and how occupied they are, what their salary is (and mine is on average one fourth of my friends salary, its hard to even hang around now). Life is getting complicated, well its actually simple, there's absolutely nothing! But thats what makes it complicating as well.
So be wise, dont get stuck in career limbo!
Tuesday, 10 January 2017
Barack Obama - Yes We Can and Yes We Did !
YES WE CAN!!!!! YES WE CAN!!!!!
It was 2008 and I was just 16 and was preparing to sit for my O/L exams. But my head was glued to the TV at most times watching the news on U.S. Presidential election. I am always interested about U.S. political system. But this time was like no other time. This time they elected a man who wasn't pale skinned, who wasn't an old run down legislator from the Capitol Hill. This time they elected the first African American President of the United States of America. This time they elected Barack Obama.
By the time Obama came into power US was in its worst recession after the Great Depression and was bleeding around 800,000 jobs per month. US industries were heavily suffering financially including banks, auto industry, steel industry among many. Swift action had to be taken and they were appropriately taken. First a stimulus plan was introduced to revive the economy in order to both save and create jobs. Then steps were taken to bail out both the financial and automobile industry. Thereby selected set of financial institutions who were major players in the financial system were bailed out along with General Motors and Chrysler who were in much need of financial assistance.
It can be noted here that although these steps to recover the economy were taken it was sometime before the economy felt the effects of them. This was truly evident in the US jobs market where jobs continue to bleed until the mid of 2010. As of as a result of the actions taken by the Obama administration the economy is growing nearly at 2% per year, unemployment has dropped below 5% to around 4.7% which is almost full employment, stock market is in record territories, US housing market has also recovered and is improving which was the cause of the financial crisis on the first hand all of these positive economic data is backed by the fact that Fed has seen enough reason to raise the nations interest rate to 0.75% during 2016.
Yet there are certain actual criticisms of the recovery such as income inequality, under employment and specially the slow pace of the recovery. Still the recovery is an ongoing process and the effort taken by the Obama administration has ensured that economy will grow in the future rather than being entrenched in the recession that they faced back in 2008.
Before Obama, the focus of previous administrations regarding foreign relations was heavily on European countries and Israel. But under Obama this foreign policy of US underwent some changes. Here although Obama maintained positive and close relationships with all of its European allies and their leaders he had a very estranged relationship with the Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This was because he believed that Netanyahu's action regarding settlements was a clear obstacle for a two State solution with Palestine and the fact that Israeli government continuously undermined President Obama's Peace efforts.
But what should be noted here is that the shift of his foreign relations to more Asian Pacific Countries. This is evident by the support he gave towards the democratic process in Myanmar, building up further positive relations with Japan by taking actions such visiting Hiroshima Memorial, the first US president to do so. His initiative to launch the Trans Pacific Partnership should also be noted, which had it been implemented would have allowed for greater economic ties with the Asia Pacific countries, which is now in jeopardy because of the anti free trade stance of the incoming president.
It may be how he was bought up or what he believed in as a human being but Barack Obama loved this world. This was evident by the efforts taken by him regarding climate change. In a country where a major party doesn't believe in climate change, Obama took his support to save the environment to a greater level than the stand of fellow Democrats.
His support here was seen by his reluctance to expand on fossil fuels within USA and his vision to improve the country's energy sources by concentrating on renewable energy sources. The climax of his stance on climate protection came when he fully supported and backed the KOP 21 summit to curb industrial emissions and to prevent global warming. Thereby he made executive actions to make sure that Climate will be protected even after his term in office has ended specially because of the Republican stance on climate change.
On a side note I would like to take a look at President Obama's Clemency Record. Obama's clemency number stands at 1,917 as the final number, the most by any U.S. President. In that number the number of commutations given by him stands at 1,715 which is greater than the combined number of commutations given by the last 12 Presidents. This is a testiment to his dedication to reflect upon the issues in the criminal justice system and also his personal beliefs and attitudes.
Now we will take a look at the issues where Obama's actions were not positive.
By the time that Obama came into power it was clearly evident that majority of the major powers identified that invasion of Iraq was done under false accusations. This was one reason why pull back of American troops from both Iraq and Afghanistan was a major campaign promise of Obama. This promise was upheld and he initiated plans to start the troop pull back as soon as he came into the office although the method in which he did it can be argued upon.
Syria
Another armed uprising that started as a part of the Arab uprising which has now turned to a fully fledged civil war with many various parties with differing interests. Although at first US refused to take any part in the uprising later on they started providing arms aid to the so called rebels who they claimed that they have vetted and were of no danger to others.This action arose only after they started citing that Syrian armed forces where killing innocent civilians under orders from President Assad.
But then came the biggest threat to the civilized world, ISIS. ISIS was able to rise as a terrorist organization because of the instability which was created in Syria as a result of the power vacuum that was created. As a result of ISIS the situation in Syria further deteriorated spilling its effect into nearby countries as well, specially Iraq.
At this point the expansion of ISIS in all parts of the world through various other radical Islamist groups paying their allegiance to ISIS and Syria has gone into full scale civil war with humanitarian crisis adding salt to the wound. In my view all of these has been enabled by President Obama's indecision at the beginning of this issue. Where he did not take concrete measures in any direction to prevent any future misfortunes and troubles that would occur. Something which should have been nailed on its head, which he failed to do so.
President Obama may have had a positive relationship with the media up to a certain extent as far as the eye can see. But yet he is the President who enforced the US espionage act most number of times during a presidency. This clear by the fact that out of the 10 people who has been convicted under the Espionage Act, 7 of them has occurred under the Obama Presidency. The use of this Espionage Act was highlighted when he used it against Edward Snowden. This therefore is one of the major question marks of the Obama administration although much attention hasn't been given to him when considering the Obama legacy.
Then happened the Syrian crisis where Russia took the side of the Syrian government further antagonizing the relationship with US. These with all the actions taken by Putin's Russia meant that this relationship would only deteriorate, a deterioration which has been so magnificently photographed. To top it all of the alleged hacking of Democratic National Committee servers and other party related emails has finally resulted President Obama's final days at office ending with a feud with Putin and his government. These actions whoever took them to whatever decision has resulted in the most tenuous time in US - Russia relationship after the end of the Cold War specially considering rather unpredictable Donald Trump who will take the office of the US President in a couple of days his last few days regarding this matter will have a lasting impact.
Bond with Vice President and a word about his Secretaries of State
There have been many famous President, Vice President pairings in past like FDR and Harry S. Truman, Eisenhower and Nixon, JFK and L.B. Johnson, Reagan and George H.W. Bush, Clinton and Gore and George Bush and Cheney, but none can challenge the relationship between Obama and Biden. Fondly termed the Uncle in Chief, Joe Biden was made out of everything that a VP should be. Biden is older to Obama yet enthusiastic, full of life and energetic toe to toe with youthful energy even with his boss who is far younger than him. Yet for me they were like Yin and Yang for the government. two men sharing a great mutual respect to each other and always standing by each other. Thereby setting a standard for future President and Vice President relationships. I will truly miss seeing Joe Biden and his family.
My words here will not be complete if a word is not uttered about his Secretaries of State. First it was Hillary Clinton a woman expected to be a future president who was first denied by Obama and then recently by Trump, Mrs. Clinton was a strong messenger of Obama administration. Although she had her mistakes, she for me tried her best to be the best at the role that was given to her. My only hope is that history will be fair to her.
John Kerry, for me a man who should have been a President. A man whom I saw had incredible strength, courage, work ethic and commitment to his job. It was because of his major commitment that Obama was able to achieve much in the foreign stage in his second term. Kerry was instrumental in bringing the Iranian deal to success, re-establishing relations with Cuba, his successful pivot to Asia and many other achievements in the international stage. I will always remember how dedicated he was to achieving the nuclear deal with Iran. I will always fondly remember John Kerry.
The Obamas are the perfect first family to any country. They are respectable, hard working, lovely and dignified. For me Michelle Obama is one of the best First Lady's to grace the White House. I hope her role in the public stage doesn't end here and that she will continue to do her good work for the good of the mankind. And maybe even run for President in the future and use her great orator skills which is even greater than that of her husband. I will dearly miss the Obamas and hope they continue their good work in the future.
Barack Obama will forever be remembered as one of the greatest orators that the world has seen. For an office that boasts of Abraham Lincoln, for Barack Obama to be considered a great orator is indeed an honour. He has this perfect blend of charisma, infectious optimism, humility and humbleness that would rush up the adrenaline of any individual who listens to his speeches. Who will forget the speech he made at the Democratic National Convention in 2004, 2008 Election Victory Speech on that grand stage, his 'A New Beginning' speech that he made at Cairo University, his speech on the Trayvon Martin case and even the time he broke into singing Amazing Grace at one of the memorials held for a shooting victim.
Those speeches gave me goosebumps even remembering about them does, cause i have seen them all live in the television. During his tenure he has given many speeches so much so that it is hard to pick the best out of them. Oh that vigor, oh that mighty tone, that never give tone in his voice. I hope his speeches will keep on coming and encourage us all to be better individuals continuously.
Barack Obama came into the office of the President with the promise of hope and optimism on the message of change. The efforts that he undertook both in the national and international stage reflected on the core vision that he had for his presidency. Like all leaders do he had his ups and downs during his tenure in the office.
Although he had the power of the legislative when he first came into office which allowed him to get the healthcare act passed, he hardly had any backing from the Capitol Hill for the last 6 years. This lack of bi partisan support in the states prevented him from taking any major legislative actions and forced him to take many more executive orders than he aspired to take. Therefore Barack Obama could have had more more positive influence to the world had he been allowed to do so.
The relationships that he built with other world leaders is truly remarkable, his camaraderie with world leaders such German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Former UK PM David Cameron, Shinzo Abe from Japan and many others. Those bonds made sure that major world decisions were taken swiftly when needed.
And for all the things that he did he will be also remembered for what he did not do. That is not dragging the US into another major world stage confrontation despite the urges to do so under circumstances maintaining calm and restraint on his policies.
What I should state here is that as per my belief for individuals in the position of Obama its hard to live up to the great expectations that the world has of him, specially when paying attention to the hype that was there when he first came in. Being the leader of the free world is sure to take its toll on any person and Barack Obama is only human and for me he did a commendable job under the circumstances. I am stating this not as a Sri Lankan but as a fellow human being and as a global citizen. I am sure that the world will miss him in the years to come.
So for me Barack Obama goes into the annals of history as one of the best President the US ever had not just because of his accomplishments, but for his personality, charisma, orator skills, the respect he commanded, the belief that he saw good in every individual and for the goodwill ambassador that he has been for the world. Goodbye President Obama, the Leader of the Free World.
Have a Happy Retirement!!!!!!
Sunday, 1 December 2013
AT NIGHT
As a long dark shadow creeps up on my bed,
I clutch my pillow as fear streams up my mind
as there is no living soul in this building other than mine.
Darker are the corridors when I'm all alone
spooky are the noises when the night is old
harrowing are the stories that are told at night
Come take my hand bring me into the light.
Where are the forgotten, stuck between lines in old books
their tombstones wet and mossy with no flowers to colour them
Beyond grasp are the days of fortune and fame past,
so are the skills and secrets of them that are long lost.
Name one soul which is not haunted by their own problem
living under the veil of their own lies, unable to speak their heart.
Mine is such which is a hard thing to gulp,
Oh come and save me my dearest god,
Because only in you I have my trust.
Tuesday, 3 September 2013
Bitter will be the lessons
their costs and losses which are long lost,
some may seem them, but some may not.
Fear not my child, all is not lost.
Centuries of dust, gravel and smoke,
cannot be covered by one single cloak,
burnt and black is an old chinese wok,
but one doesn't know the heat it took.
Wild are the animals that they encountered,
who did deeds which are unaccounted,
to build and develop, what for them is sacred,
they are from those who lead and are not bounded.
Lives taken, lives bought,
none of which are caught,
come one day when they are given a thought,
bitter will be the lessons which were not taught.
Sunday, 7 July 2013
Just let me come to you
You came across my eyes
a true work of God indeed
cause you are a sight for sore eyes
Oh baby, tell me where the hell you were until now
I've never ever seen a girl like you in this town
the fever that you made, is burning me down
So I really really hope, than you won't let me drown.
The times have been so hard
but I never give up, so easy
for I always knew a girl like you
would always bright up my life.
Just give me a chance to amaze you
some time to break through.
touch your hand, make you smile
because I wanna show that I'm worthy of you.
Where is the luck, when I'm in need
Where is the will, when I'm in love
How am I suppose to say this to you
Just let me come to you,
just let me come to you.
Friday, 12 April 2013
its a simple explanation
And i only need a small time for that
So Come around sit by my side
And hear what I've got to say.
Oh baby i know that its been tough
And I've been trying so hard to impress you
So so let me breath some air from now
Because i know we've got a good thing
Oh baby why do you walk away
Every time we pull a fight
Oh baby where is your smile
When i come,home at night
So Why don't you say whats so worrying
And help me make this right
Let us be our own best friends
And beat our problems downright straight
Then nobody has to be our middle man
So come around sit by my side
And hear what I've got to say
Sunday, 23 December 2012
I have no regrets
I have no regrets,
Watching your hair loose, on your shoulders
just the way I like it.
Tracking you eyes, wherever they went
just to see them shine, for it gives me strength.
Turning my head around others, just to see your beautiful smile
wishing that you were smiling at me.
I have no regrets, no regrets, not for you......
I envy you,
For the friends around you, for the love you have
cause they break me.
For dazzling me with your charm and grace
& leaving me asking for more.
For walking past, staring at me,
giving me hope with nowhere to hold on to.
I envy you for today and tomorrow......
I cherish that moment
When you do childish acts, laughing with your friends
being free, being you, just the way I like it.
When you take a long walk, just to see me,
smiling and giggling beautiful as the rising sun.
When i catch you speaking about me, telling your friends that I'm around,
the shyness with which you turn away, making me smile.
I will cherish those moments, for today, tomorrow and until the end of my days.....
I have no regrets
For telling my friends about my feeling for you,
cause all it did was bring you closer to my heart.
Getting a last look at you, before you leave for the day,
so I may picture you in my dreams.
I have no regrets for loving you the way I do,
not today, not tomorrow, not till the end of my days.....
Thursday, 10 November 2011
කවුළුවෙන් බලා සිටින මට
කවුළුවෙන් බලා සිටින මට
පෙනෙයි මඳ සුළඟින් වැනෙන
තුරැ ලතා සිසිල ගෙනෙන.
කවුළුවෙන් බලා සිටින මට
සිහිවෙයි එම මොහොත
නැවත නැවතත්, නැගුන ද පැනයක් එයින්
මගේ මනසට, එය මා ප්රබෝධමත් කරවයි.
කිසිවෙකු එලෙස සිනාසී නැත කිසිදිනෙක,
එවන් දසුනක් මගේ නෙතඟට
ලැබී නැත, මේ වන තුරා.
සිනාසුනි මම ද නැවතත්,
නමුත් මම නොදනිම්. . . .
මින් පසු කුමක් ද?. . .
කවුළුවෙන් බලා සිටින මට
සිහිවෙයි එම නෙතඟ මා හදවත
පසා ගිය අයුරැ.
සිහිවෙයි එම සිනහවින් සැරසුණු
මුවඟ මා දෙස බැලූ සැටි.
සත්යයක් ද එය, මම
කියන්නට නොදනිමි.
දැනෙයි මට එම මිහිරි හැඟුම
නැවත නැවතත්, නොදනිමි මම
එය කියන්න ද කියා, නොදනිමි
එයට යටත් වෙන්නට ද කියා. . .
කවුළුවෙන් බලා සිටින මට
නැවත නැවතත් එම
පැනය මතුවෙයි.
Sunday, 23 October 2011
My take on Gadafi n all the others
Friday, 26 August 2011
Something Beautiful
So quiet was the world,
when I walked along the road, that night.
When I saw you, sitting on a bench all along,
was it fate, was it destiny,
But for me it was the start of something beautiful.
You are the girl of my dreams, who coloured my world.
And I will never ever let you walk away from my life.
So call it love, call it whatever you want,
but it meant everything for me.
Times would be hard, times would be good.
But baby we did face them together.
But now we are in better days.
So we can slowly build our dreamz,
Because we got something beautiful.
Sunday, 8 May 2011
It's your smile
what made me to look at you .
What made me to talk to you.
It's your smile, it's your smile.
I haven't talked to you in a while,
So don't know what's going in your life.
But there's one thing I can see.
and that is you are not smiling anymore.
I've never gone far
and was always by your side.
So now you can put all your things behind,
and bring back that smile I love.
Career Limbo
I'm 26 years old, almost done with my higher education, working in my 2nd job in the second year of work and yes I am in career limbo. A...
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I'm 26 years old, almost done with my higher education, working in my 2nd job in the second year of work and yes I am in career limbo. A...
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Once upon a time You came across my eyes a true work of God indeed cause you are a sight for sore eyes Oh baby, tell me where the hell ...








