Category: Life

Day before SF day 2006

So, Chanux and I came to the road with Randy and got ourselves onto the bus at about 4:30 AM, hoping Randy and Asanka would come to Colombo tomorrow to celebrate SF Day. It was about 9:30 AM when we got down at Majestic City. We were expecting LKLUGers all over the place, but not even a single Linux guy was present. Instead, we saw the EPSI guys (EPSI Computers) setting up their self-promoting campaign instead of promoting free software.

Chanux sent an SMS to Bud to find out what was going on. Bud was busy because he was lecturing at APPIT (an IT school), so he sent us the phone number for the Narada Center to call Ven. Meththavihari Thero. We tried that number but found no one there to answer the phone. So, we wandered around MC, kicking our heels, until we called the Linux Center, which was the next number BUD gave us.

While we were on our way to the Linux Center, Bud called us and asked us to come back to MC because he was there. So, we returned to MC and were introduced to the EPSI guys as LKLUGers by Bud. After that introduction, we were free to use all those “cute” Asus laptops and other powerful Asus hardware to install and configure Linux, or even play awesome 3D games.

At about 3 PM, Ven. Meththa came to MC. Ven. Meththa was very nice to us and stayed until 5:30 PM before heading to TLC (the Linux Center). We stayed at MC until 7:00 PM, spending our time handing out invitations to guys and gals to attend the SF Day events happening the next day.

We met Bud at 7:00 PM, and he happily spent money on our dinner at KFC. Thanks a lot, Bud ! Afterward, the three of us went to the Linux Center in Nugegoda. There were five of us at TLC at that time, including Ven. Meththa and a guy called Ruwan. We did a lot of work to finish preparing the Ubuntu, Kubuntu, and Xubuntu CDs, which were to be given out for free the next day.

Bud left TLC at 1:30 AM, and the rest of us crashed at TLC, hoping to have a nice day of FREEDOM.

C.J.

Hmm.. .Life is…

As I told you, we (me and Chanux, as always) went to Asahanaya’s house on Thursday (14th) evening. We were planning to catch the Colombo bus early in the morning with David and Randy (Asanka and Naya). Although we needed to sleep early to wake up on time, I couldn’t sleep because I’m addicted to staying up late at night. No need to mention Chanux, David, and Randy. Thanks to Suntel, they’ll never sleep early with their Night Owl Internet package. 🙂

After trying and trying, I finally managed to crash at about 11:30 PM. I just remember Randy configuring all four alarms (even phone alarms) to make sure we’d wake up on time.

When I woke up at 1:15 AM, I found that Asa had a problem with his health. It seemed like there was something wrong with his stomach. He was trying to hide how bad he felt and wanted us to go to Colombo, leaving him alone at home. But he was wrong about his friends. All three of us were planning to stay home with Asa and let the other two go. Asanka’s mango buddy, Randy, gave up the idea of going to Colombo without Asa and decided to stay. Nicely done, Randy! Asa is so lucky to have such a good friend like you, and so am I.

So, this whole scene ended with Randy staying home to look after Asanka.

It seems that the title of my last post is valid not only for me but also for the rest of the world, or even the whole universe. No need to be surprised, because I took that verse from the Dhammapada, a Buddhist book that teaches the way to live happily. After all, the Buddha’s teachings are universal truths. Anyway, here’s that part from the Dhammapada. See how true it is, not just the first line, but the third line also matches our situation:

Health is the precious gain,
and contentment, the greatest wealth.
A trustworthy person is the best kinsman,
“Nibbana,” the highest bliss.

“The Buddha’s way, the path to freedom”

C.J.

Arogya Parama Laba! (Helth is the precious gain)

OK, OK, OK! Sorry for the delay, I really mean that. I had a problem with my left arm, so no typing at all. Oh man, you don’t realize how useful a body part is until you lose control of it. 🙂

It all happened on Sunday, the day we came back home from Colombo. It was about 1 PM when I got back to 127.0.0.1 (home, for those who don’t know), had my lunch, and went straight to bed.

It was around 6 PM when I woke up. Suddenly, I realized that my left hand was cramped. I spent the night and the next morning hoping my hand would be fine, but no good news. So, our family doctor was my only hope. The doctor figured out the problem and told me, “Don’t worry, it’s just because your arm needs some rest.” 🙂 I wish that had been the last thing the doctor said during that session. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. I couldn’t believe my ears when the doctor told me, “You’ll have to halt for a week.”

So here I am, typing my blog after that long week. My left arm works fine now, although it’s not at maximum performance yet. I spent the whole week using all my input hardware with my right hand. Now that sucks!

OK, enough excuses. Check out my next post, which I’ll publish within a couple of hours, to get an idea about the SF Day on the island.

C.J.

At last!

At last!
I’ve finally gotten myself into blogging. Ever since I entered the cyber world, I’ve been really good at reading blogs, but I never had one of my own. Even though there were lots of things happening in my crazy life, my busy lifestyle left me with no time to maintain a blog. Not that I was too lazy to post things 😉 I just never got around to it. But now, here I am, ready to share my life experiences with everyone.

I’m not planning to shout out a loud introduction about myself at this moment. I’ll let time introduce me as it flows. For now, all I’ll say is that I’m a 20-year-old guy who loves to live life free and cool. Not “free” as in free beer, nor “free” as in free software 🙂 Although I love FOSS, I absolutely hate it when people try to modify my “life source code.” It drives me nuts when that happens, and it’s definitely not good for those who try!

The reason I’m not introducing myself properly right now is, as usual, my lack of free time. And to make things worse, there are some special events coming up. Since “Free Software Day” is on the 16th of September, my worst best friend ChanuX and I, along with “Asa ha Naya” (check how it’s spelled), are planning to head to Colombo to join the LKLUG guys and spread the word of “freedom” across the mountains of our beautiful island. Our Linux guru, Ven. Ilgo, is planning to visit Peradeniya University to meet another monk and switch him to FOSS. So, ChanuX and I decided to use those free days to have some fun and meet other Sri Lankan FOSS users to see what’s happening outside our (cyber) world. Asanka and Nayomal (yes, you guessed it… Asahanaya!) also promised to join us, as they’re always happy to tag along.

Now, I’ve got to stop typing and head out into the real world to buy some essentials for our journey. I have a feeling the next few days will make me work like “Speedy Gonzales” because there’s so much to do in such a short time. I’ll try to post an update with the latest info as soon as possible. Until then, adios!

C.J.
(P.S. I couldn’t post this earlier because I had issues with my internet connection. So, I’m posting this on Sunday evening after finishing our journey to Colombo. Check out my next post to hear all about it!)