Modern day dilemmas

Why are Malu-Pang's always triangular shaped?

Who started this tradition, and why? Was it always so?

Is there some precedent for odd-shaped buns in any other country, or is this unique?


In the modern age of cell phones the public telephone box is fast disappearing. This poses a number of problems: where does Clark Kent change into his Superman costume? And where can Dr Who land the TARDIS without the danger of it being promptly stolen by seekers of curios or antiques? Perhaps Dr Who and Superman will need to collaborate in the future, with Superman phoning Dr Who (on his Blackberry) to get him to bring the TARDIS where ever needed.

For Captain Kirk and the crew, the hand-held communicator has become a reality in the form of the cellphone, its the intergalactic roaming charges that are killer.

How on earth (really!) did a tale involving wizards and magic get into mainstream adult cinema? Pratchett did it first (and a lot better, in my opinion, I've yet to finish a Harry Potter book) but this was within the restricted genre of Fantasy. I thought magic was left behind with the Magic Faraway Tree, The Wishing Chair and similar tales by the age of ten, Disney cartoons (upto and including Beauty and the Beast) being the sole exceptions? Disney lost its way after that, save a couple of exceptions the Pixar collaborated Incredible's being the best.

Sri Lanka seems to have a host of heavy metal bands, at least judging by the pictures in the Sunday newspapers of late. They all attempt to look nasty being the approved image for such bands, long hair, unshaven, T shirts with ominous slogans but end up looking like schoolboys (which most of them are) dressing up to attend a fancy dress ball.

Perhaps some serious work on the music (having attended many a TNL Onstage programme - I had friends who were competing) would obviate the need for the 'image'? Why not let the music do the talking? The problem in this case is that no one understands the importance of form in music. Form is to music, what grammar is to language- a frame on which to string ones ideas. Breaking the rules is possible (and the riles of music are far more flexible than that of language) as long as the whole thing makes sense. Listen to Sri Lankan original music and one is left unsatisfied because while there may a tune or two, a theme or two, the authors have only the vaguest idea of how they need to be strung together. Look up song form on google and this will generally give you the idea. Music is ordered sound and 'Western' music is ordered on a number of dimensions: the scale, the time (rhythm) and then form

Therefore to write music some understanding of the underlying principles is necessary, skill as a performer is not immediately transferable to composition.

Thats all, folks, its Saturday night and I;m off to look for my fix.