This blog is about the entrants in the year 1960, to the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ceylon, Colombo. The email address for communications is, 1960batch@gmail.com. Please BOOKMARK this page for easier access later.Photo is the entrance porch of the old General Hospital, Colombo, still in existence. Please use the search box below to look for your requirement.
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Monday, March 23, 2015
Old is Gold!!!
email from Imelda de Sayrah
Old is gold, it is always said. When I was a five-year old, some sixty years ago, my elders said their olden days were gold. Today, my son, who is around 30, says, “old is gold.”
I always wonder why everyone's olden days are better than their present. Old music and songs were good. Old films were outstanding. Old clothings were of better quality. Old craftsmanship was worthier. Old silk sarees were good. In the olden days, food was of high standards. Old vessels and wares were of high quality.
Times are changing fast. Values are eroding. Goodness is replaced and it is now measured by smartness to get on with life. We have become excessively vigilant, touchy and more suspicious for no real reason. Today, we frisk everyone, inwardly at least. We take things with a pinch of salt. Though today's material comforts — that could not even be dreamt of a decade ago — are aplenty, still something is amiss about life. What is it? Peace? Happiness?
There was contentment. Competition was less cut-throat. There was concern, affection and true bonding. There was togetherness. More important, people were patient. No doubt, there were poverty and scarcity, paucity and difficulty. But there was beauty in life and comity among all. Disputes were quickly and amicably sorted out. Courts had fairly less business.
People helped each other. There was camaraderie. Places of worship were serene and tranquil. There was no terror harbored, either in the mind or for real. All communities co-existed amicably and people waited for better times.
Old teachers were excellent. Old schools were better centers of learning. Old furniture pieces were more appealing. Old houses were user-friendly, airy and well ventilated. Old games with minimum but crude gadgets were more enchanting. The old Radio Ceylon entertained us all with high quality programmers. Old friendships were more reliable. Old wine was tasty.
Is it something to do with one's psyche? No. It cannot be brushed off or wished away simply like that. Old is, and was, really gold.
But why?
There was give and take, and there were real tears during hard times. Roads were free of flashy four-wheelers. Dresses were tailor-made and not readymade. Hoteliers served fresh food. Food was never refrigerated. Fruit juices were fresh, never tinned. Home food was oven-hot, never re-heated.
Today, it is use and throw, be it a battery, a gadget, a gear, father or mother. Those days, it was use, remember and respect. Old homes of the past are old-age homes now. Donations to charities and orphanages are bountiful now. Temples are mushrooming in every colony. Yet, humanity is drying up, and about divinity, the less said the better.
Health was not a worrisome issue. It is a psychic issue now. We market ill-health in so many names today. Medicines are a “buy-one take-two (diseases?) formula” now. Divorces were few and far between. Every wedding anniversary is a milestone now.
There was commitment in what one did those days.
There is commerce in every thing we do today. There are Valentine's Day, sisters day, fathers day, mothers day, friends day, doctors day, nurses day, husbands day, wives day, water day, sparrows day, diabetes day, AIDS day, TB day and every other day. There were only Mondays, Tuesdays and so on earlier. Forget the past, someone said. Why should one? Is it because the present is unbearable that the mind should not be tortured with the glory of the past? It is said not for nothing that old is gold.
Old is gold, it is always said. When I was a five-year old, some sixty years ago, my elders said their olden days were gold. Today, my son, who is around 30, says, “old is gold.”
I always wonder why everyone's olden days are better than their present. Old music and songs were good. Old films were outstanding. Old clothings were of better quality. Old craftsmanship was worthier. Old silk sarees were good. In the olden days, food was of high standards. Old vessels and wares were of high quality.
Times are changing fast. Values are eroding. Goodness is replaced and it is now measured by smartness to get on with life. We have become excessively vigilant, touchy and more suspicious for no real reason. Today, we frisk everyone, inwardly at least. We take things with a pinch of salt. Though today's material comforts — that could not even be dreamt of a decade ago — are aplenty, still something is amiss about life. What is it? Peace? Happiness?
There was contentment. Competition was less cut-throat. There was concern, affection and true bonding. There was togetherness. More important, people were patient. No doubt, there were poverty and scarcity, paucity and difficulty. But there was beauty in life and comity among all. Disputes were quickly and amicably sorted out. Courts had fairly less business.
People helped each other. There was camaraderie. Places of worship were serene and tranquil. There was no terror harbored, either in the mind or for real. All communities co-existed amicably and people waited for better times.
Old teachers were excellent. Old schools were better centers of learning. Old furniture pieces were more appealing. Old houses were user-friendly, airy and well ventilated. Old games with minimum but crude gadgets were more enchanting. The old Radio Ceylon entertained us all with high quality programmers. Old friendships were more reliable. Old wine was tasty.
Is it something to do with one's psyche? No. It cannot be brushed off or wished away simply like that. Old is, and was, really gold.
But why?
There was give and take, and there were real tears during hard times. Roads were free of flashy four-wheelers. Dresses were tailor-made and not readymade. Hoteliers served fresh food. Food was never refrigerated. Fruit juices were fresh, never tinned. Home food was oven-hot, never re-heated.
Today, it is use and throw, be it a battery, a gadget, a gear, father or mother. Those days, it was use, remember and respect. Old homes of the past are old-age homes now. Donations to charities and orphanages are bountiful now. Temples are mushrooming in every colony. Yet, humanity is drying up, and about divinity, the less said the better.
Health was not a worrisome issue. It is a psychic issue now. We market ill-health in so many names today. Medicines are a “buy-one take-two (diseases?) formula” now. Divorces were few and far between. Every wedding anniversary is a milestone now.
There was commitment in what one did those days.
There is commerce in every thing we do today. There are Valentine's Day, sisters day, fathers day, mothers day, friends day, doctors day, nurses day, husbands day, wives day, water day, sparrows day, diabetes day, AIDS day, TB day and every other day. There were only Mondays, Tuesdays and so on earlier. Forget the past, someone said. Why should one? Is it because the present is unbearable that the mind should not be tortured with the glory of the past? It is said not for nothing that old is gold.
Guess who this was aged 18 yrs ?
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11:34 PM (5 hours ago)
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WHO IS SHE?
You would never have guessed that at 18 years of age, she was
what many would have called a raving beauty. I have wondered how come no
man was able to win her heart but as one of Sent from someone;s iPhone rather
than help ONE man!"
This picture is of Mother Teresa when she was a
young 18 year-old girl!
Programme for the get-together on June 13th 2015 at the Jetwing Blue, Negombo, Sri Lanka.
Decisions taken at
Ms. Durumila’s place at Barnes Place, Colombo regarding the ‘get-together’ of
the ‘1960 Entrants’ to the Colombo Medical Faculty.
Venue of the ‘Get
together’ – Jetwing Blue, Negombo
Date – 13th June 2015
Cost of the day programme –
Rs.3500/
Agenda – 13th June
2015
10.00am – Arrival, Welcome
Drink.
Registration – Fee
Rs. 3500/- includes Lunch and evening tea.
11.00 am – Group Photo (Copies
Rs.2000/-each, delivered by evening).
Fellowship.
1pm to 3 pm Lunch.
4.30 – Remembering those who
have departed.
5.30pm – Concert – Geri
Jayasekara, Travis Perera Vijitha – Anula Nikapota and Buddy Reid.
7pm to 12 midnight – Music by
Sam the Man - to have group singing of oldies and dancing, free style.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Confirmed bookings
so far, for stay at the Jetwing Blue.
1.
Sujeewa Tinto nee Athulathmudali
2.
MBS De Silva & Karunanayake.
3.
Nannayakkara CS and wife.
4.
Bala Balakrishnan & wife.
5.
Nalini Rodrigo.
6.
Vijitha Nikapota.
7.
Amarasiri Pushpa.
8.
Felix Senanayake.
9.
Gunasekara Asoka & Ramya.
10.
Gunasekaram Jeyendran.
11.
Duru & Devi.
12.
Gunawardena HP.
13.
Hema De Silva & wife Paula.
14.
Hetttiarachchi Sydney and Pearl.
15.
Jayasekara Geri.
16.
Jayasinghe Daya.
17.
Jayasekera Asoka & wife Shantha.
18.
Jayaweera Tissa.
19.
Kapuwaththe Sarath.
20.
Pathirana Udula.
21.
Suneetha.
22.
Ponnnambalam Arjuna Asoka.
23.
Reid Buddy.
24.
Thavarasa AS & Wife.
25.
Thenabadu Nihal.
26.
Thevarapperuma.
27.
Weerasinghe Tilak.
28.
Wignaraja.
29.
Jayalath De Silva.
30.
L.R. Amarasekera.
31.
L.D. Karalliedde.
32.
Ranjan Fernando.
33. Philip
Veerasingam & Ramya.
Anyone who has
booked at the adjoining Jetwing Beach could be transferred to the Jetwing Blue.
Please make the request to us, to do the needful.
The
organising committee is not handling bookings at hotels. You have to do these
yourselves. You can use your credit cards to do the bookings.
Please
contact :-
ASHAN
RANASINGHE
Senior Sales Executive (Corporate Sales) - Jetwing Hotels Ltd.
ashan@jetwinghotels.com
T: +94 11 2345700 ext: 1329 F: +94 11 2345730 M: +94 774750908
Senior Sales Executive (Corporate Sales) - Jetwing Hotels Ltd.
ashan@jetwinghotels.com
T: +94 11 2345700 ext: 1329 F: +94 11 2345730 M: +94 774750908
Please find the applicable
rates below for your perusal.
THERE IS NO HALF BOARD.
FULLBOARD FOR SINGLE IS Rs.16600/-
FULL.BOARD FOR DOUBLE IS Rs.22000/-.
FULL BOARD FOR A TRIPLE IS Rs.28280/-
WITH THE DAY FUNCTION HALF BOARD IS NOT
AVAILABLE.
Day Outing Rate at Jetwing
Blue: Rs. 3,500/- Nett per person (Inclusive of Lunch & Tea / Coffee and
Snack)
If you are coming only
for the day with no hotel stay for the night, you could have dinner also at the
hotel for Rs.3000/- each.
If you have any doubts regarding your
bookings please contact Durumila Kumara:-
durukumara@gmail.com
Home - 0112697188
Fees for Sam the Man and his band has met
with a shortfall of Rs.40,000/-. Rs.70,000/- balance from last get together will meet the balance, for total fee of Rs. 110,000/-
The organizers hope that any contributions
from any members of the batch on the day of arrival will meet this shortfall.
Please circulate this document among batch mates.
The Organising
Committeee.
1960batch@gmail.com
Nalini
Dear Phillip,
Geri
called to discuss the problem of Rs.1.3 lakhs for Sam.
Please
write to all the batchmates & say this is the cost & whether they would
like us to go ahead with getting him & also whether any of them would like
to give a small donation towards the cost. Better do it soon so that Sarath K
can say yes or no to Sam.
Thanks.Nalini
Sunday, March 22, 2015
saffron found to help vision loss in elderly
email from chellah pathmanathan
Researchers
strike gold -
5 February 2010
The golden herb saffron may hold the key to preventing the
loss of sight in the elderly, a world
first trial by researchers at
the University of Sydney and in Italy has found.
Professor Silvia Bisti, a visiting
scholar based at The VisionCentre at the University
of Sydney, described the results as a breakthrough, with trial participants
showing significant vision improvements after taking a saffron pill for three
months.
"Measurements using objective eye
sight tests showed patient's vision improved after taking the saffron pill.
When they were tested with traditional eye charts, a number of patients could
read one or two lines smaller than before, while others reported they could
read newspapers and books again."
The trial, conducted at Italy's Policlinico Gemelli by Professor
Benedetto Falsini, was double blind and randomly controlled, involving 25
subjects over six months. Half the group were given a saffron pill for the first three months followed by
a placebo, while the other half were given the pills in the reverse order.
"All patients experienced
improvements in their vision while taking the saffron pill," Professor
Bisti said. "But when they stopped taking the pill the effect quickly
disappeared."
Professor Bisti began studying the
effects of saffron at L'Aquila, in Italy's mountainous Abruzzi country, because
it was a widely‐grown local crop which has been used in traditional
medicine as a treatment for conditions such as cancerous tumours and
depression.
"The chemistry of saffron is quite
complex", she says. "It is well‐known as
an anti‐oxidant, but no‐one had explored its effects on eyesight before."
Professor Bisti says "saffron
appears to affect genes which regulate the fatty acid content of the cell
membrane, and this makes the vision cells tougher and more resilient".
Professor Bisti singled out
"saffron's 'anti-apoptotic' properties - its ability to increase the
availability of oxygen to the body and prevent cell death," as a key
factor in its beneficial effects.
In collaboration with the Catholic University of Rome and the University of L'Aquila
Professor Bisti is now conducting a twelve month trial, with the aim of finding
out more information about optimal doses, and at what point patients might
experience a peak effect.
Another potentially fruitful line of
research will be investigating saffron's ability to treat genetic diseases of
the eye, such as retinitis pigmentosa, which can cause life‐long blindness in young people.
Professor Bisti's work builds on many
years of collaboration with Professor Jonathan Stone at the University of
Sydney's The Vision Lab. The lab's extensive trials using animal models, which
found that a saffron diet will protect the eye from the damaging effects of
bright light, formed much of the basis for Professor Bisti's research with
humans.
"After decades of lab research it is wonderful to
now be able to help people," Professor Stone said.
Note:
Professor Bisti's laboratory at L'Aquila University was severely damaged in last year's earthquake in Italy and her experiments disrupted. The Vision Centre has supported two of her research staff to continue their work at the University of Sydney.
To interview Professor Bisti or Professor Stone contact Kath Kenny, University of Sydney Media Office (02) 9351 2261(02) 9351 2261 or 0434 606 1000434 606 100, k.kenny@sydney.edu.au
Note:
Professor Bisti's laboratory at L'Aquila University was severely damaged in last year's earthquake in Italy and her experiments disrupted. The Vision Centre has supported two of her research staff to continue their work at the University of Sydney.
To interview Professor Bisti or Professor Stone contact Kath Kenny, University of Sydney Media Office (02) 9351 2261(02) 9351 2261 or 0434 606 1000434 606 100, k.kenny@sydney.edu.au
Need not a ‘National Health Service’ but a “National Well-being service’.
PS
The Ancient Chinese apparently had a system, where the family doctor was paid his annual retainer, only if there was no sickness in the family for the past year.
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