Light Weight………………….

Light weight………………….

When I was in my teenage I had a habit of reading each and every book which I don’t understand. I just read whatever available in the reach of my hand. Milan Kundera’s “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” was exposed to me during that time by mistake.

 I don’t know what I learn from it, but like Tomas in my early twenties I believed that sex and love to be distinct entities. Still I think some exceptional occasions it’s correct, but not with everyone. My understanding its very gender obsessed thinking. Mostly men consider sex and love is very distinct entities with very selfish grounds.

After reading “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” I did not feel any lightness. It was very confusing .Plus too heavy for mind I guess so.Dr Tomas, the womanizer what he is doing with wife? Even with that wretched dog? May be I was not mature enough to understand as well my  English not good enough  then I tried Sinhalese translation. Well to be honest it was the crappiest Sinhalese translation I have read in my whole life should I tell the translator as well? It was Mr .Gamini Wiyangoda.

But I must say movie was far better than the novel.It s because Daniel Day-Lewis's splendid performances.No wonder why he won Oscar awards for three times.For me the movie meant something than the book,

Do we ever able to feel lightness in life? Generally we are getting heavier and heavier with the age. We know our bones getting heavy with the age, then the mass.Those who very much figure conscious try various methods to obtain the light look of the body. Actually I tried some of common methods such as Yoga and heavy diet controlling I must say I was successful to some extend but what I lacking with me was continuation for a long run.

In architecture there is a very definite line between light looking buildings and heavy monumental buildings. There was a time in history the entire civilization was built over monumental heavy looking buildings. Pyramids in Egypt and South America still living proofs .Most cases rulers or kings, were   fascinated with heavy monuments and the people paid for it.Even in 21 st century this has not changed. Also it won’t change. It’s a statement to the leaders, they love it. The great civilization of the history such as Inca tried unbearable constructions of heavy pyramids and it caused of the collapsing indirectly.

History does not teach lessons to everyone.so we can see this mistakes are repeating more or less everywhere.

In Modern architecture there were very few architects were brave enough to raised monumental buildings and succefully ended .Out of all the first name coming to my mind is Architect Louis Khan. Architect Louis Khan actually lived in a with an unbearable lightness but designed monumental buildings to the poorest nations of the world. 

When the time the Bangladesh parliament was constructing the country was extremely poor. It’s was manual labor power and bamboo scaffolding. 

 Notable works of Louis Khan were monumental heavy looking buildings. 

But I must say Architect Louis Khan's life  had the" Unbearable Lightness of Being" through out his death.Those who watched his son's documentary  about his father will agree with  me."My Architect: A Son's Journey" by by his son Nathaniel Kahn, detailing the architect's extraordinary career and his familial legacy after his death in 1974.

The modern architecture mostly encourages light look of the building.to obtain this as architect we use various material. The light weight concrete relatively expensive material in the construction industry.

 

The use of LWC (Lightweight concrete) has been a feature in the construction industry for centuries, but like other material the expectations of the performance have raised and now we are expecting a consistent, reliable material and predictable characteristics.

Structural LWC has an in-place density (unit weight) on the order of 90 to 115 lb / ft³ (1440 to 1840 kg/m³) compared to normal weight concrete a density in the range of 140 to 150 lb/ft³ (2240 to 2400 kg/m³). For structural applications the concrete strength should be greater than 2500 psi (17.0 MPa). The concrete mixture is made with a lightweight course aggregate. In some cases a portion or the entire fine aggregates may be a lightweight product. Lightweight aggregates used in structural lightweight concrete are typically expanded shale, clay or slate materials that have been fired in a rotary kiln to develop a porous structure. Other products such as air-cooled blast furnace slag are also used. There are other classes of non-structural LWC with lower density made with other aggregate materials and higher air voids in the cement paste matrix, such as in cellular concrete.

In 1984, Thomas A. Holm estimated that there were over 400 LWC bridges throughout the world especially in USA and Canada. The research carried out by The Expanded Clay and Slate Institute proves that most of the bridges appeared to be in good condition.

The architect Santiago Calatrava has a reputation of using light looking concrete in many of his projects. He designed bridges like sculptures.Those are extremely beautiful infrastructures. But very few countries can only think of building such great pieces. Those are so expensive.

Actually th

e site where I work we have some structural light weight concrete proposals and during the month of December I spent most of my time to complete the details drawings and finally ended up with successful story. Those are very small scale light weight concrete geometries. But it was not a light job…….

My father , The Best Friend I ever Had.......

If I ever had a moment of choosing between my mother and my father I‘ll definitely choose my mother. To be very honest it is not because I love my mother more than my father, the reason is my mother was so helpful and she is with me all the ups and downs so far.What about the father? Well the feeling over my father is very  alluring friendship.

There are some friends we need but not always, but when we need them they are not willing to help us or listen. Yet again we are trying to keep some sort of relationship with them somehow. When I was a child the only memory about my father was going to Katunayake airport for in every nine months. He worked in abroad. Those days he was a complete stranger to me. Over a one month period of staying both of us were able to build a rapport, yet again he is about to leave end of four week. This happened throughout the childhood. I did not understand who my father was. My father never brought me even small chocolate, but always brought considerable amount of book. He is the one who responsible of developing my reading habit. At the age of 10 I had my own library.

After grade five exams I really had a considerable time to spend with my father. Instead of coming here both my mother and me went to see him in Pn’G.Over three months period absolutely gave me totally different perspective of my father. He took me into the highlands; we went to see Mt Hagan. He took me to see strange looking parliament building in Port Moresby. We went to see different tribes, we did boat rides in Sepik river.it was the best vacation I ever had. End of the three months actually I did not wanted to come. By force my mother took me back, she gave priority over my education rather than having a wonderful time with my father. But when I was leaving father I did not want to stay with my mother. All I wanted was stay with him. He was very influencing person.

But I remember how my father tried his best to extend my vacation .Even he looked for schools around Goroka in highland of Papua Newginia, which was a town the total population of little more than 10000 people. Even if I came with my mother those days I was deeply attached to my father. We did communicate through letters. I wrote everything, sometime letter were too large. But my father read single word of it replied me back.

I turned into a very confused teenager; I think it happened life with my mother was so restricted. Certain ways my father tried to talk to me but he never had a time to spent with me, neither did he not spend time with anyone. He had an idea of climbing Mt .Evarast, Well of course he went to Nepal and send me photographs with heavy brick buildings. But my father did not climb Mt .Everest or did not make even a close by Glacier.What I knew was he completely stayed away from his us, friends his  profession. Nearly nine months he did not send me a even a picture post card.

My uncles tried to trace him in P n’G as well in Nepal but we ended up with very unsuccessful stories. But I remember one day suddenly he appeared in front of our home. His sudden arrival did not make me happy, but he had lot of reasons on MIA. As usual my mother was the only person who was listening but I made my objections very publically. This time my father came up with a brilliant idea of migrating the whole family to Nigeria. I remember my mother was asking why do we try Nigeria , instead of Australia of New Zealand, My father’s simple answer was Nigeria requires surveyors but none of the other countries do not surveyors .My mother did not like the idea and  my father again packed his stuff to P n’G .

When I did my O/L examination I had really long holiday one 4 months. This time I requested that I want to come P N’G.But he refused. It was a time that I do what I want by the hook or by the crook. When I was rejected from my father I took the frustration from my mother and the grandmother. I started behave so violently at home, even my mother send me at a rehabilitation work shop at Subhodhi for one week, But nothing  could stop me .Finally my father agreed and sent the tickets.

I stayed with him over 4 months and I realized that my father turned into Papuwa Newgunian than a Sri Lankan. He did not have life in Sri Lanka. This vacation was the time I tried different kinds of Liquor and so many trials and errors in life. My mother wanted to me to do A/l exam in Sri Lanka and I had to come back. This was the time the relationship with my father started   getting disturbed. I did not write him at all, I did not read his letters  as well. Even I did not answer his phone calls.

Ironically when I wanted to wanted to stay away from my father he desperately wanted to get closed with me. He stayed in here and tried his very best to get close with me. Also he started writing a book with his all traveling he did. He told his book very much like collection T.E Lawrence’s epistolary. But I don’t think my father had so many journeys like T.E Lawrence. Somehow his book could not completed ,actually he asked help but I  was not interested and now I think it was the  most lunatic decision which I made.

 I was in my moronic youth hood. I put little weight for every request he made, he decided to go back This time he told his departure will benefit for everyone else expect himself. This was in 2002 and till 2008 he worked in PN’G.As usual he came in every 9 months. 

When I started thinking of a profession my first choice was become an air stewards, I only thought of the seems to be traveling experience that I going to have, But it was my father who strongly opposed this idea and explained why I should not think of becoming an air stewards .He explained this using very layman’s terms. That day I got really angry with my father and I took about 5 -6 years to understand that my father was right from the beginning.

Now I know he was far sighted than my mother always.other than than he never asked which grade I m getting in the school, or which subjects that you going to study. 

But he  thought me how to  make Pina Colada, he hated scraping coconut.My mother also did not like mixing cocktails for him.I was the only one who was willing to scrape coconut.He never bother about my education, it was my mother who worried about my education and pushed me forward when I ‘m in trouble.

My father was a good chess player. But he was the only chess player who never tried of protecting the Queen. He had his own theory of self defence by the queen herself.in a simple way queen will find her own protection when you just ignore her. Actually he applied his theory in his personal life. To my mother he gave the utmost freedom, and my mother was very protective by herself. In my experience theory was very successfully in the game of chess as well in his family life.

But I tried it sometimes; I was not smart enough to make the correct move like my father.

Somehow yesterday was the seventh death anniversary of my father. If he was alive he will be celebrating his 70^th birthday on last June 25^th.

So what will happen if he reads this blog .I’m very sure he will have a good laugh and encourage me to write some more. But the same time I know if I read something like this to my mother she will very disappointed of me as well she might get depressed. Well that’s the different between my mother and my father.

The Mathematicians............

The mathematicians,

“Mathematics may be defined as the subject in which we never know what we are talking about, nor whether what we are saying is true.” -- Bertrand Russell

The world we live is totally different without mathematics. What.What I like about mathematics is there are no in-between answers; it’s always either right or wrong. When the life is full of uncertainties at least we have something to rely on.

Carl Friedrich Gauss, who was famous as the prince of the mathematics defined mathematics as the “Queen of the all science “.We all know it’s  not easy to deal with a queen, not a queen even with a lady boss.

However mathematics is a very interesting thing to learn, we all may be not good in mathematics, but it does not matter. In my life I have a known two mathematicians. The first one is my best friend “Sha….”

Can anyone guess who is SHA.?.

“Sha” is not her full name, since she did not like to expose better not to tell her full name. Actually I met her in my Advanced level class and we are sharing both happy and sad moments over 15 years now. Only one thing I know about “Sha” during the advanced level class she always knew the answer without spending half of the time to get it by us. Also she had thinnest hand writing; she always skipped several steps and achieved the correct answer. 

I was actually other way round I had large hand writing and I am trying to get the correct answer by going through several lengthy methods. Most cases I did not get the correct answer. When we doing trigonometry she was a fastest student in the class. When she is solving it’s like writing a poem, I guess that why now she is doing her PHD and I am worrying about proportions of  buildings. 

She is my best friend; when I was in hospital she is the one stay besides me.She had very strong shoulder where I cry at any time more than that she is a good teacher, out of all she is a good mathematician. These days she is battling with some equation related to congestion of passenger movement in airport terminal which I don’t understand.

Though my friend “Sha “is good at mathematics she is not really good in day today life. Often she forgets to get balance form the cashiers .She never tried driving manual  vehicles even the auto vehicles to much effort to end the journey carefully. 

She has the ultimate prefers colors and she does not even stay close by some colors. But.But she is a very good fan of Bollywood movies. It’s unbelievable my best friend is a vegetarian, with no particular reasons. In her wardrobes she has all creams, face washes, etc but she is not using any of it as a habit, however she is a great believer of her horoscope, very recently she told that horoscope says that driving is not good and she is purposely avoiding driving these days.

The other mathematician I know is Dr. Wickramabhahu Karunaratne, He obtained his PHD in Electrical engineering with a first class honor and was a lecture in maths department in University of Peradeniya .But in 1982. He is among very few Sri Lankans who won the commonwealth scholar in Cambridge. In 1978 he was arrested in Kandy for attempting to put up protest slogans against the President  (J.R Jayawardena )prior to his visit to Kandy in 1978. He was released without charge after a few months of detention, and the University of Peradeniya which suspended him from service soon after his arrest reinstated him after a rather delayed inquiry. He was forced to leave the University after he collected his back pay. He was reinstated by Cabinet decision in 2001but was not allowed by the university.

But Today the same UNP government got a special cabinet approval corrected their own mistakes by the nephew of ex-President J.R. Jayawardena.Now Dr. Wickramabhahu Karunaratne in his early 70 s .

Though he was actively in politics he never got selected to the parliament, In Sri Lanka even Upeksha Swarnamale got selected by people of Gampaha district. Gampaha district consider as the highest literacy level in the Sri Lanka. I don’t know what they read exactly.

However Dr .Wickramabhahu Karunaratne got little more than  7000 votes in 2010 presidential election from whole country.2010 election was a battle with war heroes,Personally I did not want a war hero as a president so I did not vote any of them. So I vote to Dr Wickramabhahu Karunaratne knowing that he won’t be the president in 2010.Over this decisions I remember some said to me I am lunatic. But still today I don’t worry about my vote, at least  in Sir Lanka there are nearly 7000 people who  have genuine understanding about Dr.Wickarambhau Karunaratne as a politician.

During the last period of Sri Lankans civil war Dr.Wickramabahu Karunaratne was among the hatred Sinhalese by the majority of Sinhalese Buddhist. The reason was his outspoken ideas on between civilians of both parties. Some says he is the” Sinhalese TIGER”. As far as I knew he is not an admires of terrorists .I will conclude this with one of statement “Both LTTE and the JVP are like twin brothers or it’s like the two sides of the same coin”

Without Sins.....................

“She shall be brought to the door of her father's house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death. She has done an outrageous thing in Israel by being promiscuous while still in her father's house. You must purge the evil from among you.”

Deuteronomy 22:21

But the same  Bible says John 8.5

 ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. 5 Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’

They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.

When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ 

Questing Moses did not make Jesus Christ a hero. He was crusified.it took years to understand what Jesus Christ meant by that day.

It says there was no one without a sin. This may be a reason stoning to women being condemned in many countries in the world. Because I have a feeling we are all sinners more or less. May be we are not exposed like the other person but we have sins. Out of all adultery has become a common sin in the 21^st century.

In Sri Lanka within the legal frame work adultery is not a crime, but it’s a reason to obtain the divorce. If this is the case I dought there will be very few married couples. With the large number of population of Buddhist we have to follow the third fundamental remaining in faith to husband and wife. But Sri Lankan free society even the cabinet ministers boasted of adultery in parliament. Hope that Hansard records not being deleted.

This all came to my mind because a Sri Lankan house maid in Saudi Arabia found guilty in Adultery and about to stone. This kind of punishment we think brutal, ruthless, sadistic or uncivilized .Also it says it’s impartial because only this woman going to be stone. Why this man did not get the equal punishment?

Pre -Islamic Middle East was far different from what we see today. Middle East became such wealthy nation only it discovered oil in late 19^th century.Before that Middle East was a Nomadic nation in deserts.by the time of Muhammad Nubby or the holy pro-pert was came as the messenger of Allah the Middle East was very hard and harsh place to women.

Most of us think that in Islamic it restricted women’s liberty, but actually in Islam it tried to safeguard the women. The time when Muhammad nubby was delivering god’s message the infant baby girls were buried in alive by the people in Middle East. Muhammad Nubby banned this, he safe guarded infant baby girls without burring alive. Also he ordered if someone hoping to get married has to collect certain amount of money to assure the prospective   wife’s future. But over centuries like the other religions the intentions of the fundamentals were neglected and necessity of the people stands out. In Sri Lankan Islamic people expecting a dowry from the bride totally forgetting what Holy pro-pert said which a shame is

.

In middle east it s going to the worst scenario. Rich Middle Eastern do not safe guard their wife’s future with the bridal price, they just buy their brides throwing a fortune. I don’t think neither of these extremes that Holy Pro-pert expected.

I never been to Saudi Arabia, but I have read very integrating book about how rich Middle Eastern misuse the Islamic religion.

 It s the “Princess: A True Story of Life behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia (The Princess Trilogy)”

By Jean Sasson .What we read is not always true, but when I read the book I feel there are certain truth .In Islam use of Alcohol is completely banded. I know many Sri Lankan   Islamic people who consume alcohol on daily basis.

It’s not the religion that s people misuse it.

Again back to stoning I remember a true story later there was a film based on this story.

“The Stoning of Soraya M” story based  in the remote Iranian village by car trouble, a journalist is approached , a woman with a harrowing tale to tell about her niece, Soraya, and the bloody circumstances of Soraya's death, by stoning, the previous day.  Finally the journalist must escape with his life to tell the story to the rest of the world and he did .the Journalist role was play by James Caviezel.

When I was watching this movie I was in half way of my architectural education and kind of exhausted with architectural education system in here.The personality of the James Caviezel made me to think most Journalist must be good looking as James Caviezel. Well again I changed my mind after watching Passion of the Christ, but I still like his smile with that eyes.

However Stoning of Soraya M explains how much an abusive husband can go in Islamic religion to fulfill his selfish reasons. He was cruel enough to give stones to his sons use against their mother.

But again we don’t need religious support to full fill our selfish reasons, so many real stories both husbands and wives kill each other with their own reasons.

Again the Sri Lankan house maid a mother of four children in Sri Lanka found guilty in Saudi Arabia for adultery. Very soon she will be stone as Soraya to the death.Adultery is not acceptable, as well the stoning till death.

I would like to end this with another film. It’s “the broke back mountain”. I watched it few time with two reasons. One is the story and the other one is the Heath Ledger. Even though he died nearly 7 years ago how can I forget such attractive person? The environment change people, even in burning Middle East or cold Broke Back Mountain we tend to change as per the environment. But most cases we all ended up with disaster.