Friday, December 13, 2013

A hundred posts, a new look and maybe a new beginning

I started playing around with the look of this blog, I'm not not the greatest designer but I think a change in look will help refresh my mind.

I've managed a hundred posts this year but at the expense of quality. There are a few posts that I am happy with but a lot that are below par. Not enough time to think or reflect. I have not done any proper reading for almost six months and my brain is feeling pretty dead.

I changed jobs in July and work has been pretty hectic. When I get home I don't seem to have the energy to pick up a book. Also my Economist subscription was delivered at my office. As I have not yet got around to persuading management here that I need it, my regular source of news and analysis has been cut off.

The local press is hardly worth reading and even the online resources are looking tired and stale; it sounds like the same old story being repeated. The local Blogosphere is as dead as the dodo and while twitter is a useful source of news no debate takes place. 

My New Year's resolution is to start reading again, I'm easing myself in with Tea & Memories and Sri Lankan Memories.

4 comments:

sbarrkum said...

You could search for Books on Ceylon at google books.

Highly recommend Skinner: Fifty years in Ceylon. Used to have a downloadable pdf, now discontinued.

If you set the search criteria to full view (default Any View) you get books that have pdf downloadables.

Jack Point said...

Thanks Sbarrkum. I need to get down to getting an ebook reader......

I do remember seeing some of Major Skinner's books in my grandfather's library, I shall try to get that download.

sbarrkum said...

Once you read Skinner: Fifty years in Ceylon also read Leslie: Recent disturbances and military executions in Ceylon. This is downloadable, not Skinner.

Leslie is quite critical/skeptical of Brit Colonial Policies including the 6 days labor to construct roads which he says will mostly benefit British Capitalists.

Also read pg 18: Description of Puran Appu and Gongalegoda Banda. Then read the wikis for Puran Appu and Gongalegoda Banda.

I wish I had access to these books while growing up. Mostly Dickens, Flaubert, Scott, Hardy and British History.

Jack Point said...

Thanks for that recommendation as well. One I should definitely read I think.