Life

[Sylvi]

PreseaLover,

I reply after almost 18 days, this was due to some of my personal lea-gel matters propped up due to closer of businesses during the lock-down days. In the past Lessees of my buildings were requesting unreasonable reductions for the days closed. I had agreed and signed MOU till end of last year.

As most business men do ill lea-gel account keeping for income tax purposes, which I cannot do all agreements are signed and copies have given to the government IT department for their references for my tax liabilities. At present income tax department function on a low key.

 My Lessees business will pick up after some time. This is the nature of some business men. I do not want to have any black marks in my dealings, never had to date. Will not do in future.

 

I refer to your post on 12/30/2020, following are how I think. Periciles is correct some one will have to pay for the sins. If the person who do all unwanted things for his own worldly pleasures, then there are many ways they will suffer in their lifetime.

Can be a incurable sickness which he embarrasses during those acts, loosing their inherited wealth and earned by himself. May get a crippled child. Jailed which will not end till he lives. are few thins I mentioned.

Have seen on our own Eyes during the past do not want to relate all one by one.

I have had ways in my early life to enjoy Wine and song, during late 1950 early 1960 days GFH Mount Lavina hotel will have very cheap week end entertainment, also our great show personalty late Mr Donovan Andree had many places to have all utmost pleasures for young and old. I refer first is week end dancing that follows all rest which I do not want to write. Entrance fee was Rupees 5,00.

All what I said above I had done to moderate way because I had to do my Technical business during my young days to keep my self going, without loosing the inherited wealth. I did little more than my late father. Unfortunately I have no Son to carry on my business. I think after me and my wife's death My only child with her family will get rid of all will leave the paradise Island to be third class migrants in a first class country.  

Sylvester Wijesinghe

Sylvi.

[Kavvz]

On 1/15/2021 at 3:24 PM, Sylvi said:

My only child with her family will get rid of all will leave the paradise Island to be third class migrants in a first class country.  

Sylvester Wijesinghe

Sylvi.

Interesting thought there Mr. Sylvi: " Leave paradise Island to be third class migrants in a first class country"...Its certainly food for thought 🤔 

But at then again, change is inevitable. Therefore if living overseas is what makes your daughter and her family happy, then that's all that matters! It's better she be happy overseas rather than being unhappy in Sri Lanka, running a business or managing properties that she has no interest in...

As always, its a treat to hear from you: My regards to you and your family Mr. Sylvi. 

Edited January 16, 2021 by Kavvz

[GK_007]

17 hours ago, Sylvi said:

leave the paradise Island to be third class migrants in a first class country.  

Its indeed an eye opening saying. Thank you Mr Sylvi. Always an avid reader of your comments. 

[Sylvi]

Kavvz and GK_007,

I really appreciate both members comments.

Thank you two of you'll for the posts.

What I wrote on the tread which is allowed by the moderators.Is true what happened during year 1970.

 Members please read on my thread which administrators had allowed me to write my long explanations to a subject.

Sylvester Wijesinghe

Sylvi

[ajm]

On 1/15/2021 at 8:24 PM, Sylvi said:

My only child with her family will get rid of all will leave the paradise Island to be third class migrants in a first class country.  

Being under the illusion of a "first class" citizen in one's own country while not knowing that even these "third class" citizens have access to better social security, healthcare and education in first class countries?

[iRage]

For sharing stories, thoughts and general ramblings and rants of our lives and life's experiences...

[iRage]

On 1/16/2021 at 8:42 AM, Kavvz said:

" Leave paradise Island to be third class migrants in a first class country"

For starters...I do not see what a first class country is. No country is first class...they all have their own issues. It is a very colonial way of looking at the world and down right discriminitory and ultra nationalistic (you know..the Tr**p supporter type..not the good kind). In one's heart and mind the first and foremost best country should be your motherland. As such..respect the other person's mother land as well.As for kids going abroad and resettling...the world is a different place from what it was 4 decades ago. I remember my grand father being pissed off at my father and aunt for leaving Galle and setting up home in Colombo (the evil big city)....I know people who still feel that way when their kids decide to leave their home estates in Kandy and Nuwareliya and move to COlombo or worst yet...Galle. At the end of the day..what matters is what is best for your kids. Will your kids have better and safer opportunities in another city or country...then you should wish them the best. If you raise your kids right....with GOOD and PROPER Sri Lankan values...then that will forever stay with them and will pass on for generations. What makes tradition and culture is not the buildings of a country but what is instilled within you. (Note I said SRI LANKAN..no references to race or religion).  

7 hours ago, ajm said:

Being under the illusion of a "first class" citizen in one's own country while not knowing that even these "third class" citizens have access to better social security, healthcare and education in first class countries?

This is beautiful. and ABSOLUTELY ! Do we not realise that we are being treated as third class people by our very own people ? It is a daily occurence....heck..my wife gets treated differently (in a better way) just because she is foreign whilst I get treated like garbage just for being Sri Lankan (I suppose it is a case of we all have to struggle therefore I will make you struggle as well). Also, lets not forget the low grading stereo typing that we ourselves do to our own people...again...90% of the time when my family and I go somewhere..I get mistaken for the driver. My wife sits in the back because that is where the little one sits...and at super markets I push the cart behind my wife...thus I am the driver. Funny thing is..the drivers of other Japanese expats think I am a driver too (not because they are excepting me in to their clan of brotherhood). They should have realised that can never be the case based on how I am dressed ! (For the record...these drivers are nicely dressed in a shirt, dress pants and shoes...here I am unshaven with a scruffy beard walking around a Japanese lady in torn jeans and a faded t-shirt )

Then, lets not forget the fact that we have been servants to a priviledged few who are utter morons since the dawn of independance.

[ajm]

14 hours ago, iRage said:

Then, lets not forget the fact that we have been servants to a priviledged few who are utter morons since the dawn of independance.

I couldn't agree more! Only a few percentage of the people are first class citizens while the others just cheer their success from the gallery.

[Sylvi]

iRage,

You say I post (general ramblings and rants) may be how you think of that post of mine.

Member please understand I post my past experiences and the true history happened 50 years ago.

Even today our responsible people who get to top posts in the country what they want is to get a quick Rupees and Cents.

I do not know when this will end in our country.

"third class" citizens have access to better social security, healthcare and education in first class countries?

There you are correct once you become a Citizen of a country you migrate will have the said benefits.

To get all said benefits a person will have to have sufficient amount of funds to satisfy the authorities in a migrant country.

Also like to mention I am not a ranter.

I remain.

Sylvester Wijesinghe

Sylvi.

[iRage]

12 hours ago, Sylvi said:

You say I post (general ramblings and rants) may be how you think of that post of mine.

I did not say YOUR POST was a rant. I moved it to a seperate thread so that the thread you originaly posted on will not get cluttered. This thread is for general ramblings and rants about life (this means anythign and everything anyone wants to share about life and life's experiences).

12 hours ago, Sylvi said:

There you are correct once you become a Citizen of a country you migrate will have the said benefits.

No...not true...I am not a Japanese citizen...but I am entitled to social security (i.e. pension fund, age disability, etc...). A foreigner here even on a work permit is supposed to pay it and can get a refund when he/she leaves the country.

I get national insurance...thus I pay only 1/3rd of the actual cost of health care and my maximum payment is limited to what my annual income is (for example lets say the total treatment cost was 900,000yen and I am supposed to pay 1/3, 300,000yen. However...if my annual income is 1mil yen...then the most I will pay for it might be like 10,000yen. If my annual income is 10mil yen then I will pay 100,000 or whatever the maximum payment limit for that income bracket is). 

What you refer to is true when people go to these countries and work and live out of what their visa/residency status allows them to do or take on jobs under the table.

I am not saying these countries are perfect (heck..Japan is the most non-diverse of the developed countries) Far from it....but it is also not the doom and gloomed 3rd class citizenry you make it out to be.  The thing is even if with all these imperfections, and one is willing to work and be productive to their society (legally), these countries still treat us "foreigners" with fairer prospects and security than what our politicians and a majority of our own people in SL offer.

There are so many peope in SL who do honest work to make a living and make thier home and country better. But at the end of the day....the politicians take all that away and squander it on themselves for their luxurious living. Rupee goes down or the country gets flooded with 1000s homeless...the citizens are supposed to sacrifice whilst the politicians give themselves pay raises and new luxury cars. We are supposed to go get medical treatment at hospitals that are barely equipped properly that even if amazing doctors are there they cannot do much except work miracles they can by themselves, but our politicians get themselves flown to Singapore, Thailand, etc....So..is this how first class treatment to Sri Lankans in Sri Lanka should be ? 

Edited January 24, 2021 by iRage

[GK_007]

First I dont think Mr Sylvi meant to offend anyone living abroad. By the saying "Third class migrants in First class Country". 

I guess living in SL or abroad is a personal preference one has to make. And the sacrifices and gains in doing so can vary from person to person based on his situation. And it depends on what you truely value in your life. What I value as the first priority might not be applicable to another. 

I have travelled to many so called popular destinations of Sri Lankans and stayed long term, but I never felt I want to make that place my home.

So what I believe is we cannot generalize saying SL is a shitty country due to politicians and everyone should leave. Heck politicians will never change and I have no hope that this country will be better ever.

But still for me the pros of staying here outweighs leaving despite crappy political situation. So whatever happens here, I still believe being a first class citizens in this third world country is good  🙂

Edited January 25, 2021 by GK_007

[iRage]

I don't believe he intended to nor did disrespect anyone who lived abroad. He just expressed what he felt was best for his family. I am sure having a child move away to a far away place despite the safe nest one has built as a father is hard. But I hoped he would find some comfort in seeing that it is not all bad and she actually does have easier access to resources she wouldn't if she and her family work for it.

The thing is..the whole first class, third class view is not relevant in the world anymore. It is something that was used during times of slavery and colonialism. It did not work then..it doesn't work now. In fact, the whole first class, third class mentality is the reason why even within Sri Lanka itself we have groups who belive the others are  lesser than them and that they deserve more than others. It ranges from race, religion the school one has been to, passing high in A/Ls and getting to a SL University, to the job, to the car one drives. My posts were to merely show that there is nothing called first class treatment in Sri Lanka just because you are Sri Lankan and there is nothing called third class treatment.. In fact I do beleive that Sri Lankans treat foreigners a lot better than their own people (thus the examples of me and my wife).

Just as you cannot generalize Sri Lanka being shitty (although times are dire more often than not for the country and its stability), one cannot generalize being in a foreign country as being treated shitty either. 

As for the choice for living out of Sri Lanka...it is a matter or perspective from where one is in their life as well and pros and cons are different for each person at different points of time in their life. At the what is important and what should be encouraged is to people taking the decisions and paths that make them happy. You really cannot say that living in one place is first class and another is third-class. 

On a side-note....as a native of Sri Lanka..yes we can get away with a lot more BS than in another country as in another country we run in to the risk of getting kicked out until we get nationality in those countries. But then....if you do something that warrants getting kicked out of one country...you probably should not be doing the same in your own ?  

 

Edited January 25, 2021 by iRage

[iRage]

So how is everyone holding up during the pandemic ? Has anyone's job being effected ? I am sure we are all taking an equal beating emotionally...restricted outtings, etc...

Yesterday marked the 1 year mark since our family got tied down with COVID-19 related restrictions. Yes...one year ago they started closing down schools in Vietnam (just before the lunar new year holidays with an uncerain start date). So one year of not being able to go to work (home based working sucks for my job)...now nearly 1.5 years since I was able to go back to SL (our firt trip in 2020 was supposed to be in April)....so yeah..dang pandemic. Looking at how the vaccine is getting roled out and having to adapt to all these different strains, I wouldn't be surprised if it takes another 1.5 to 2 years until we can travel with minimal restritions and in actual safety. 

On the funnier side of things....now we know how dogs and cats feel when they travel internationally. You know...vaccinations, pre and post departure quarantines....

[MrCat]

Hmmmm.. We are one of the few extremely lucky cities when it comes to Covid.. Fulltime working from home lasted only a month from mid March to mid June.. Things slowly opened up after and been normal since like August.. People even shake hands now..   Massive kudo`s to the government for excellent planning and execution (state and federal both) and also to the general public for behaving themselves.. Plus, I have a feeling that being the most remote city of more than a million people in the whole freaking earth may have helped a bit.. 

The number of deaths from the flu season actually dropped in 2020. Social distancing meant that we didn't even catch a common cold last winter.!  Having a 4 year old who didn't get sick in winter was unreal  

I`m sure the ripple effect on the economy will be felt for a few years to come, but not many people are doing worse than they used to around here. Some did better due to stimulus payments. Campervans, 4WD`s, classic cars all got sold like hot cakes. Took advantage of the Covid boom and sold my E30 too (sold within week of advertising)..  People started doing renovations and shit so every tradie and their dog were like booked out for months! It's amazing how economic/market dynamics work in scenarios like this. 

It`s like anything else in life really, when shit hits the fan, people/communities/countries with financial reserves and good management/planning skills may come out better on the other side.. 

[Magnum]

14 hours ago, MrCat said:

Hmmmm.. We are one of the few extremely lucky cities when it comes to Covid.. Fulltime working from home lasted only a month from mid March to mid June.. Things slowly opened up after and been normal since like August.. People even shake hands now..   Massive kudo`s to the government for excellent planning and execution (state and federal both) and also to the general public for behaving themselves.. Plus, I have a feeling that being the most remote city of more than a million people in the whole freaking earth may have helped a bit.. 

The number of deaths from the flu season actually dropped in 2020. Social distancing meant that we didn't even catch a common cold last winter.!  Having a 4 year old who didn't get sick in winter was unreal  

I`m sure the ripple effect on the economy will be felt for a few years to come, but not many people are doing worse than they used to around here. Some did better due to stimulus payments. Campervans, 4WD`s, classic cars all got sold like hot cakes. Took advantage of the Covid boom and sold my E30 too (sold within week of advertising)..  People started doing renovations and shit so every tradie and their dog were like booked out for months! It's amazing how economic/market dynamics work in scenarios like this. 

It`s like anything else in life really, when shit hits the fan, people/communities/countries with financial reserves and good management/planning skills may come out better on the other side.. 

I'm pretty sure MCM had more to do with the E30 than Covid boom

[matroska]

On 1/24/2021 at 10:48 PM, GK_007 said:

I guess living in SL or abroad is a personal preference one has to make. And the sacrifices and gains in doing so can vary from person to person based on his situation. And it depends on what you truely value in your life. What I value as the first priority might not be applicable to another. 

I have travelled to many so called popular destinations of Sri Lankans and stayed long term, but I never felt I want to make that place my home.

 

On 1/25/2021 at 5:31 AM, iRage said:

As for the choice for living out of Sri Lanka...it is a matter or perspective from where one is in their life as well and pros and cons are different for each person at different points of time in their life. At the what is important and what should be encouraged is to people taking the decisions and paths that make them happy. You really cannot say that living in one place is first class and another is third-class. 

This is quite true - all this is circumstantial and based on that individual. For some it works out, few people I know returned cos it never worked out for them. For some life really sucked here - and things got better once abroad. For some it's a chance to carve out their own path than being overburdened by very demanding families/relatives. For some it's the promise of pursuing their dream career. For many people I know it's a fresh start. There was one guy who moved to avoid clashes with the in laws  And for many people I know the sole reason is providing their kids a good environment to grow in and avoid the messed up education system here.  My dad tried to do this by planning for me to study abroad at least post A/L and  when I was a teenager he took me on a tour of the UK where we have friends and family for me to get a feel of things. For some reason while I enjoyed it never really resonated with me - and no I did not miss the spicy food and the whole "hela" vibe. In fact I loved it there but something was missing.  

 Years later, working for a European company I frequently visit Europe on work but despite staying for months in some really safe and excellent cities (and maybe opportunities of actually moving there) It never really felt like home. I totally admire the people, their culture and their open mindedness but I just don't feel comfortable there. Every time I return I take a couple of hours to stand  in the hot steamy air, smell the flora, and hear the fauna and start sweating, and that's when I feel comfortable. Maybe I'll regret staying someday and yes the queues suck, the traffic sucks, and infrastructure is terrible and let's face it most of our fellow citizens are a bunch of herd-driven cattle. But still this is not really that bad. (maybe it will be in the future) 

So again it's up to the individual - people who live here aren't losers and not everyone is 'stuck' here some stay by choice. People who live abroad aren't refugees or illegal migrants or homeless people - they preferred to live elsewhere and they're pursuing their own goals and dreams.  What's irritating is people who tried really hard to migrate and kept failing IELTS then preach the virtues of staying in their motherland and their other counterparts - the guys who managed to go abroad and brag about - telling us all the wonders of wherever they live in - like the guy who recently started telling me about a wonderful thing called Electronic Toll Collection, something i've been using for the last 7 years  and folks who try to explain to us what a waffle is 

 

 

[iRage]

21 hours ago, MrCat said:

Hmmmm.. We are one of the few extremely lucky cities when it comes to Covid.. Fulltime working from home lasted only a month from mid March to mid June.. Things slowly opened up after and been normal since like August.. People even shake hands now..   Massive kudo`s to the government for excellent planning and execution (state and federal both) and also to the general public for behaving themselves.. Plus, I have a feeling that being the most remote city of more than a million people in the whole freaking earth may have helped a bit.. 

The number of deaths from the flu season actually dropped in 2020. Social distancing meant that we didn't even catch a common cold last winter.!  Having a 4 year old who didn't get sick in winter was unreal  

I`m sure the ripple effect on the economy will be felt for a few years to come, but not many people are doing worse than they used to around here. Some did better due to stimulus payments. Campervans, 4WD`s, classic cars all got sold like hot cakes. Took advantage of the Covid boom and sold my E30 too (sold within week of advertising)..  People started doing renovations and shit so every tradie and their dog were like booked out for months! It's amazing how economic/market dynamics work in scenarios like this. 

It`s like anything else in life really, when shit hits the fan, people/communities/countries with financial reserves and good management/planning skills may come out better on the other side.. 

Wow..lucky. We felt really safe in Vietnam...everyone from the government to the people were very careful (even though the government published names and addresses,close contacts, including peope they slept with,  of infected people). Coming to Japan, things felt a bit dicey.

You sold the E30 ? What's next ?

[iRage]

。。。

Edited January 26, 2021 by iRage

[MrCat]

2 hours ago, iRage said:

Wow..lucky. We felt really safe in Vietnam...everyone from the government to the people were very careful (even though the government published names and addresses,close contacts, including peope they slept with,  of infected people). Coming to Japan, things felt a bit dicey.

You sold the E30 ? What's next ?

Vietnam did quite well managing Covid isnt it? Cant remember seeing any big numbers from over there during the 1st wave or after.. 

The E30 wasnt getting used much being a 3rd/project car.. So the plan is to get something i can daily drive whilst having a bit of fun.. Would really like to exexperience a V8 before ICE engines are gone for good.. The only reasonably priced sporty V8 offering here is the Mustang GT.. Hoping to get one towards the end of the year...

Edited January 26, 2021 by MrCat

[Sylvi]

Members,

Very true of living in other countries other than a persons mother land had been well documented in earlier few posts. I first traveled to the west in late 1958. The country most Sri Lankans wanted to get a education. As well as a qualification to be a carrier in their life.

Later due to some family requirement I was compelled to be back in Ceylon. I was the only male in my family. My late father who had build up a Business in Industry I had to help him due to is illness. I carried on that technical maintenance business till late 1980. I was compelled to do even today I do few related maintance of the same industry for few of my old Customers where I had done early modifications to their machines. I attend few of those customers who became life long friends due to my knowledge I gained for many decades, specially attending to their technical problems in their industry to operate smoothly.

Later I switched on to completely different Automobile after market maintenance service, which no one wanted to establish due to the demand for the Automobile service was not heard in our country.

I took a bold challenge in establishing same. Even today I do with two workers very successfully. I am in my late seventy 77+. Today little feeble physically, not in my knowledge. Fortunately I have two workers talented carrying on my Automobile service which I establish in 1992 till today very successfully.

I visited Japan for the first time in 1970 to Japan Osaka to Expo70. Which was the first Japanese exhibition after 1st World War. That Expo70 was a eye opening to entire world to prove how capable and efficient to raise their heads from Ashes. After that I was offered a training in Japan for a Machine in late 1970, which is necessary to uplift one of our agricultural exports to world. Later my excess to Japan was very easy I became a Automobile importer till late 1980.

I have traveled almost 70% of Japanese city's for business to related imports of automobiles. When I first visited Japan the US Dollar was Lankan Rupees was 7/50 or 8/00. I do not want to mention any more connections I still have in Japan.

I may have mentioned for last 10 years about my life into this forum. I was not aware of this forum, one member told me to log in to Auto Lanka Forum explain what service I do in 2010 so that members will know about my service. That will help members to get my service. Which I still do, had many members criticizing my service. I am not worried will cray on till I die.

I want to mention one thing , I would have settled in a developed country. I never liked the foreign living had very little inherited wealth also from my wife's side. Therefore we have only one child, what is the point leaving this motherland? when I am happy with the Sri Lankan way of living even with a (AMUDAY) can walk on your lands what you have with out harming to our country men.

Readers will say I am blowing my own Trumpet. When I read few posts originating due to my post.

Sylvester Wijesinghe

Sylvi.

[iRage]

@Sylvi...nice to hear your stories from the past and see how the world has changed. Sadly not everything that has changed is good. I see you got out of the vehicle import business in the 80s...I blieve that is when the business turned really really ugly and decietful (if memory recalls I remember my father talking about how bad some importers were even in the early and mid 80s..but remember the really bad decietful stuff happening more towards the end).

I beleive as Sri Lankans (and most Asians in general) we are nest protectors. We build a nest and keep the family close by and having members leave is quite an emotional affair. But like they say....you have to set the bird free so that it can fly and then it will come back. I say this because my parents put away many oppotunities to migrate as well and having both their children settle down far away was and is never easy on them. Especially as they are growing older and things like COVID strikes and we cannot be together as often as we want to. When both my brother and I were single their biggest concern was that we were alone. We had no one when we moved away and building relationships took time (until which oint we were alone...my parents thought it was best that both my brother and I lived in th same state when in the US because of that). They seemed to be a little bit relieved ony after we got married and had out own families and extended families.

Now...I must say...becasreful when you walk around town wearing an amude....the cities are so polluted these days you never know what will get on you and end up giving you rashes in difficult places  

[iRage]

10 hours ago, MrCat said:

Vietnam did quite well managing Covid isnt it? Cant remember seeing any big numbers from over there during the 1st wave or after.. 

The E30 wasnt getting used much being a 3rd/project car.. So the plan is to get something i can daily drive whilst having a bit of fun.. Would really like to exexperience a V8 before ICE engines are gone for good.. The only reasonably priced sporty V8 offering here is the Mustang GT.. Hoping to get one towards the end of the year...

Yes they did....benefit of being a communist state as well. The national party says jump...they start jumping an ask is this high enough. No one could challenge publication of private info..or anything. But then again the Vietnamese people are a very strongly knit group of communities. Peope their equated the pandemic to the country going to war and they were self policing each other too.

Hmm..Mustang GT...so something modern. I was imagining something a lot older..but then those things cost an arm and a leg (your's and that of the first borns of a few generations to come).

[MrCat]

22 hours ago, iRage said:

Yes they did....benefit of being a communist state as well. The national party says jump...they start jumping an ask is this high enough. No one could challenge publication of private info..or anything. But then again the Vietnamese people are a very strongly knit group of communities. Peope their equated the pandemic to the country going to war and they were self policing each other too.

Hmm..Mustang GT...so something modern. I was imagining something a lot older..but then those things cost an arm and a leg (your's and that of the first borns of a few generations to come).

 

That is some great insights in to the Vietnamese way of life/governance. Too much "Liberty" has got it`s own issues as well, like what the Americans are finding out. Person 'A' wants 'X', person 'B' wants 'Y', government says everyone can have "X and Y" and sometimes it all end up being a cluster fu**k   

Regarding cars, I`ve personally decided to exit from mucking around with old(er) cars for good (not too sure how it`ll go, but at least that`s the plan ). Storage is a major issue here since I dont have a large property with a barn. Moving to a large property with a barn would create more lifestyle issues to that is also not an option at this point in life.   Time is obviously a concern as well, just dont have enough of it to work on and enjoy driving project car(s). I suppose it`s difficult to have the cake and eat it, so I`ll be only having two cars at a given point in time. That way, they both get actually used and it`s easier to justify spending on mods/maintenance and stuff.. 

Gravitating towards the new Mustang simply because it`s the only brand new V8 in this market which is practical, reasonably priced, and cheap to service as a daily driver. The throttle response and the low down toque of the N/A V8 is just phenomenal.  Being a heavier car, it does not obviously handle like the previous BRZ or the older Mx-5 I`ve had, but it`s not too far off and the ride comfort and compliance is extremely good.

I`ve decided to stay away from anything with 4 or less cylinders this time, and it must be a relatively lighter car, so the only other option (though they are not comparable cars) is the BMW M140i. This is a proper little rocket with the outstanding 6-cylinder turbo. The B58 engine is an absolute gem and BMW will never design/make anything like it anymore (so the M140i`s are holding up value quite well now). This won’t have the road presence or the V8 burble of the Stang, but two additional doors and easy 150+HP tuning potential are the plus points for it..

Edited January 27, 2021 by MrCat

[Kavvz]

On 20/01/2021 at 10:55 AM, ajm said:

I couldn't agree more! Only a few percentage of the people are first class citizens while the others just cheer their success from the gallery.

Very nicely put. I love Sri Lanka, but sometimes things seem a bit unfair and reserved for the 1% (and members of the political elite) only. 

Does that happen overseas? Yes of course. It's just that most of the time we don't notice, as it happens at a couple of social levels & financial levels above the average 1st generation immigrant.

In SL as we are constantly bumping up against those financial and social barriers it seems more obvious I feel.

All good: All those going abroad should go abroad & Enjoy! All those deciding to stay in SL should stay & ENJOY!

In the end as long as you are enjoying, its all good!! 😆 

[Kavvz]

 

Quote

Every time I return I take a couple of hours to stand  in the hot steamy air, smell the flora, and hear the fauna and start sweating, and that's when I feel comfortable.

Huh? I thought it was just me...When that plane door opens and you get that first blast of hot steamy, Colombo air: I get a bit weak legged and all...I always feel like I should pull a MR and stumble down those steps to kiss the ground or something. lol !! 

(*For the record the Chennai Airport is extra special too, as sometimes when they swing that airplane door open you get the stretch of sewage mixed in along with the hot humidity....Its quite something and makes you stumble about week legged for a bit too, but for a different reason!! 😆)

 

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So again it's up to the individual - people who live here aren't losers and not everyone is 'stuck' here some stay by choice. People who live abroad aren't refugees or illegal migrants or homeless people - they preferred to live elsewhere and they're pursuing their own goals and dreams.  What's irritating is people who tried really hard to migrate and kept failing IELTS then preach the virtues of staying in their motherland and their other counterparts -

Well said. 👏 

(The 'hela' buggers who seem to think that anything foriegn is automatically garbage or inferior without even pausing to think are super irritating too: Seriously, look at all the fuss they made over a simple syrup made out of bees honey, ginger and nutmeg!! )

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the guys who managed to go abroad and brag about - telling us all the wonders of wherever they live in - like the guy who recently started telling me about a wonderful thing called Electronic Toll Collection, something i've been using for the last 7 years  and folks who try to explain to us what a waffle is 

lol !! My favorite kind of idiot! The ones that seem to love bragging about how everything 'in the abroad' is fantastic...!!

I remember meeting a bugger who brought his first 4x4 overseas (a highly depreciated 4/5 yr old Honda CRV). Bugger seemed inordinately happy about it, so I sat back and let him ramble on about his 'SUV'...How great it was...How it had tons of space in the back even with the seats up etc...

He wasted a good 20 mins of my life on the subject of his ratty (new to him) cuv that's the equivalent of a used Alto in Sri Lanka 😆 🤣. 

Edited January 27, 2021 by Kavvz