Seylan Bank – Credit card tax

i know that Seylan Bank pays the credit card tax on behalf of the customer; i know that that all the banks tried to negotiate (together) with the government to try and persuade the government to not go through with this tax; but what i didn’t know is that Seylan Bank backed out in trying to negotiate and went its own way.

So, what did the other banks do? they too dropped out. why? because of the potential negative image they could have ended up with as one of their own tacitly supported the government move.

So, who benefited? a) the government and b) Seylan Bank who ended up with a good advertising line.
I do not have the statistics, but my guess is that Seylan Bank credit card market share is low compared to HSBC and other banks. Hence, the cost to the bank is perhaps insignificant especially compared to the marketing gain it can produce.

Is this an instance where competition didn’t produce a bulk of winners?
(there are switching costs involved in changing banks to obtain credit cards, so the buyers could not have quickly and efficiently moved from one bank to another – plus, there could potentially be quality issues and the fine print which might have given Seylan Bank room to change its mind)

Want to ask for forgiveness… but…

The yearning to ask for forgiveness is so much,
but i cannot.
emails go answered,
text messages are not replied;
i dare not call her, for i do not know what i will hear (if she answers, that is).

We were good friends once (i think?),
I said stupid things,
did stupid things;
do i regret?
Not really sure.

Only one thing i know,
I want to be her friend; just a friend;
why?
she is special – that is all i know: and i want to be part of her life.

should she forgive me?
I hope she would – eventually.

Evolution – Explore the Potential of Sound (OJC)

It was simply great. I enjoyed it very much. Unfortunately one of their mikes failed during one song, but when the dude figured it out, he took the mike of and followed it up by himself. The singing was amazing not only because of the vocals, but also because most seem to feel the song (at least the ones that i understood).

The compère was good, at the beginning, but i felt that he took it a bit to far as the show proceeded. It was nice of the Wendt to have the AC throughout the show, until the very end.

A suggestion:
Would have loved had the Old Joe Choir (OJC) made the programme available publicly on the internet (i.e. set up a blog, which is not difficult) so that people like me could have known what to expect, and know the words of the songs.

PS: yesterday turned out to be the first non-Gods nectar Saturday in a very long time.

The Saree (and the jacket)

Saree: a garment which can hide so much, yet, reveal the important ratios. imo, it is very difficult for a women to look bad in a saree if she properly chooses the type of jacket, saree colour and properly drapes the saree.

All cultures can use the beauty of the saree. The other day, there were three, possible Pakistani Muslim women. They had the jacket sleeve stretch right up to the elbow. Faces (rather the head) were covered with an elegantly done head-scarf. I guess they are not supposed to show the shape of their figures, so the saree was heavy. Obviously no exposure of navel or hip: but they really looked wonderful in the bright coloured saree.

A lot of women appear to be putting effort in to getting the front of the saree jacket right – but not enough effort is been put to the design of the back of the saree jacket. I am guessing there are a lot of possibilities to work on the back. A loose (but well held) knot, different cuts to expose limited amount of skin, those glittering things etc.

However, wish people would take in to account flesh bumps when going for strapy or tight fitting jackets as it is generally not a pleasant sight. And, undergarments really need to match the colour (even when the undergarment is not exposed – white bra on a black jacket?).
Not all types, suite everyone. So, the jacket and how she drapes it needs to complement each individual’s shape.

* Note: in no way must one show flesh to look sensual, and showing flesh does not guarantee one looks good. It all depends…

I love weddings cause i get to see so many well dressed women; it only takes ten minutes for me to get dressed.

Hot Shots – Majestic City

The food there is pretty good – albeit a bit pricey. However, it is definitely worth it for the quality. i would say that Hot Shots is not perhaps a place for a family gathering, but it is definitely a place for friends to gather.

The service there is simply wonderful. I guess the small dining area helps. Those who serve seem to be well trained, and above all seem to be a motivated lot (kudos to management) who seem to genuinely care about the customer.

They could improve on lighting. Given the ambience, they could have dimmed the lights a bit in the dinning area; would have been a lot more comfortable.

Didn’t try the pool tables. But i would guess they too would be a bit pricey.

So many choices?

Do choices make us happy? yes and no. Yes, if we have a sufficient number to choose from; no when we are overwhelmed by them.
Would you rather have 100 dishes to chose from at a buffet, or say 20? if there were hundred dishes, you would probably serve about 15 kinds, and while you chew on it, you will probably wonder how the other dishes would have tickeled your taste buds.

So instead of enjoying the tasty meal, you will unnecessorily be thinking about the other choices you had (which you no longer have, unless you decided to go to the wash room, and empty the stomach etc). This will lead to unsatisfactoin.

So what can we do about it? simple, make a quick decision and learn to live with it.
if you have three hotels to choose from, after you check out the first one, and if you like it (and it is within budget) just make a decision and enjoy the rest of the weekend enjoying the hospitality, and not comparing it with the other hotels. When it comes to feelings for someone….hmmm…

When black and white is grey

Here are six black and white beliefs which i think should be grey; or sometimes, the complete opposite colour:

a) A virgin is virtuous, and a non virgin is not.
b) People who consume alcohol are bad, and those that do not, are good.
c) Religious people are good, and those who are not, are bad.
d) Those who agree with you are good & intelligent, those that are not; are not.
e) Girls who dress up (in revealing cloths) are fast & indecent; and those who do not, are decent.
f) Those who are pro-choice, are bad, and those who are not, are good.

There are more – but these are the few that came in to my tiny mind.

Red Mosque in Pakistan. Should the gvt have agreed to a safe passage?

Should a sovereign (dictatorship, or otherwise) bend its head to certain demands (such as for a pardon) by terrorists, if the chances of civilian casualties are guaranteed to be zero?

In Pakistan’s case, should the General have agreed to a safe passage, and during the process, engineered an accident?

“One thing is clear though. The government put its foot down and rejected the mosque militants’ demand for safe passage, demand supported by some politicians sympathetic to their cause”

Dialog: competition means higher salaries and lower tariffs

i cannot comment on the authenticity (perhaps someone out there can..) but i hear that salaries at all levels at Dialog  increased quite generously a few months ago. The reason: entry of a competitor.

Well, sometime ago, Dialog reduced tariffs by about 30%. the reason: competition.

Competition does wonders. In this well managed Sri Lank economy, mobile tariffs seem to be the only cost that keeps going down (in real terms). Companies such as Dialog, private dynamic companies are thriving not by hook and under-hand deals, but by capitalising on its expertise.

Anyways, does anyone know the percentage increase in take home pay of Dialog employees during the last few months? I don’t want absolute numbers, just curious about the percentage increase.

Lanka Bell – new add claims moneys stays in LK.

I loved the new add. It was very well done. but does it tell the absolute truth?
It goes on to say something like, “i like Lanka Bell because the money stays in sri lanka and it is a sri lankan company”. Please correct me if i am wrong, i have seen it only once.

Unfortunately, they are not really telling us the truth.
Perhaps what they mean to say is that is it is locally owned, cash paid out as dividends will not directly be sent out of the country; but the owner may spend it on a cruise.
The bulk of the mobile industry capital expenditure relates to the purchase of equipment, which is imported to the country. Hence, the portrayal of cash not moving out of the country is not true.

Why am i fusing about this? firstly, it is a lie. Secondly, when it comes to the mobile, fixed line telecommunication sector, what should matter to customer is the service (cost etc) and not ownership. They are emphasising on a selling point, which will not benefit the customer or the industry.