Just Going...

Have you noticed an AD on television harping on a 2 in 1 bank. Like those 3 in 1 radio sets during the early stages of our free trade phase?

Colombian watched this hilarious AD that has a man and a woman bump ON-to each other while going over from one bank to the other. Both under the same roof.

"I am juuu...st going over to.... " says the woman while the man says that he too is juuu...st going to the other bank and they meet again and are juuu...st going over in the opposite directions.

If Colombian remembers right this Juuu...st going business plays a bit of a 'cockney' part in English we use here.

As in "Going to go..." "Drown and come" or in the case of seeking an answer to "Isn't that a beautiful dress?" pat comes a reply "Yes! NO ?". So actually, Colombian thinks that being a nation of good samaritans we do not believe in murdering the Queen as much as suffocate her.

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Importing The Flu

Talking of Queens! This one is it. At a restaurant serving interesting dinner fare, a lady, I said a because there are two more involved in the business, making it look like a family of sisters running the place.

But getting back to the lady, oh! she is the type that will remind you that there is an overpowering woman behind every over-worked and successful man.

Now Juuu...st the other day when I Colombian was over at the restaurant to collect me's dinner this rolly polly lady, who keeps yapping over every little thing that is going on at the premises asked one of her customers in Sinhalese why he was not buying any chicken dishes, inquiring "Ayi Bayada?" (Are you afraid?) To which the gentleman responded with a soft smile.

Not giving up; the lady, with a view of promoting her chicken dishes tells the man with a hint of pride in her voice "Api kukul mas lankawen ganne nahe, okkoma pita-ratin genwana ewa" (we only use imported chicken) to which the gentleman and the others froze in their tracks, including me Colombian.

The poor thing not realising the gravity of what she had just announced kept on with her merciless yapping not realizing that if the word got around about her imported chicken bit the place will have to bring its shutters down.

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Acting! Indian Tutors

It is now heard that there is a big demand for people from the Indian film industry to talk shop here. Directors, choreographers and many connected to the technical side of things are in big demand. All this, Colombian is told is a move to train the Lankan stars a few things in commerce which everybody feels that we lack; Badly.

When I said commerce it does not necessarily mean the fees of the stars. In fact it's all about how much money can be made at the box office.

There is pressure building up to curb the importation of the 'Hindi product' by imposing a higher tax on them.

So, as a move to give something palatable to our viewers, producers are looking at bringing out films with song and dance.

The entire operation has begun to roll, already at least one film is out with dance sequences choreographed by an Indian and TV at least 2 serials are showing daily, made; assisted by Indian Directors and technicians.

So, are we not far off from witnessing a remake of 'Kadawunu Poronduwa' (If our 'very' English readers do not know, it was the very first Sinhala film screened in the year 1949) in glorious colour with a trail of choreographed dance sequences in real 'Devdas' style.

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Tsunami And Katrina

Both the ladies played havoc with the lives of people, the first one in the Indian Ocean and the other in New Orleans, USA. People who actually got affected are yet recovering from the shock and the loss. But what's evident is that even incidents of such mammoth proportions slip into oblivion with time. New Orleans is proving it at present.

Just 6 months after the tragedy the city is hosting the Mardi Gras in real carnival style.

Even though there were millions participating and visiting the state to witness the spectacle in other years this time there are only a mere 400,000 in comparison.

With a lot of work to be done, if the State is to return to normality many they say are there to forget the disastrous past than to celebrate what is happening around them at present in spectacular style.

Even though a vast sum of money was collected towards rehabilitation most Americans are asking 'where did all the money go?.

As most of the State still stands as devastated as the hurricane left it behind, analysts are saying that most of those funds have been spent on immediate relief operations like clothing, food, immediate sheltering and medicines and they say if the monies were not spent in that way there would have been a different picture today which would have helped most of New Orleans back on its feet with speedier reconstruction. Now, do we have an answer to our question here?

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Re-dressing Marriages

At cocktails hosted by a restaurant which was re-dressed recently me Colombian met an Israeli (No, No he was only passing through Colombian's Colombo to reach another destination in the orient).

But what the brawny middle aged university lecturer in 'Sexual Politics' had to tell me Colombian is that the State of Jewism is working hard at keeping the divorce rate at a low ebb in comparison to the other parts of the world, specially the west.

As a measure to this issue some bright brain (with grey matter in abundance I am sure!) has started an institute to teach men how to cheat on their wives.

Colombian was told that the response is overwhelming. Many wives who have suspected their husbands from day one of tying the knot is now sorry for their 'not so strange bed-fellows'. Well the theory is 'If you knew how; you won't attend classes to learn how to do it'

So! 'Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife' is strictly adhered to in this land of Moses, according to the lecturer in sexual politics.