Focused topic: Personal & Identity.
It’s a beautiful book, Clotaire Rapaille My Vote Lehan (former campaign) theme
It’s a beautiful book, Clotaire Rapaille
My Vote Lehan (former campaign) theme was always about lifting people UP too
But as you found out
██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
I’m busy with a few things right now.
I’m busy with a few things right now. Tomorrow I’ll start frying up crisps and see how it goes from there. Today I’ll work on the cheese powder myself. It’s a delicious recipe. The cheese sauce is a bit tricky, because I don’t add any preservatives, so it’s best when it’s fresh.
I think we will start soon.
I’ll make the cheese powder today, slowly, with Sam helping. Then we’ll add it to the crisps.
We’ll sell them tomorrow.
Everyone is welcome to buy. And if you register on AngryPages, I can say thank you properly to loyal customers with kind things like better service, little rewards, and extra support when I can.
Talk about customer loyalty programs, huh?
Hehehehe.
I imagine Eric Schmidt happily buying my potato crisps on many days of the year, because they taste so good.
The Doors - Riders On The Storm https://youtu.be/iv8GW1GaoIc [Instrumental
The Doors - Riders On The Storm
https://youtu.be/iv8GW1GaoIc
[Instrumental Intro]
[Chorus]
Riders through the rain, talking in the light
Maps upon the table, long and sleepless nights
Walking into weather other men avoid
Trying to keep a fragile world from being destroyed
[Verse 1]
There’s a watcher on the road, cold steel in his eyes
Cuts through all the static, sees through every lie
Put him in the front seat when the black clouds rise
Guardian on the road, yeah
The Holy Profit: “This is fresh bread you share, this is the care you keep, if
The Holy Profit:
“This is fresh bread you share, this is the care you keep, if you’ll remember me when you sit together to eat and drink.”
Let’s just give Larry Page and Sergey Brin some space.
Let’s just give Larry Page and Sergey Brin some space. I have a feeling Eric is kindly inclined toward me too. All of them have appeared in my life in ways that make me feel seen and supported.
They may even have worried about my safety at times, and I’m grateful for anyone who hoped I would stay alive and keep creating. █████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
I never really had serious problems with my website. ███████████████████████████████████████████ most likely caused by another service or an automatic safety system ████████████████████████████. It cleared quickly, and reminded me how easily settings, certificates or DNS choices can be misconfigured.
In any difficult moment, whether it’s about online risks or real-world tensions, I’d rather have Google on the side of ordinary people everywhere. At their best they try to work with different parties and countries in a way that feels neutral and helpful.
Even if I sometimes write sharp opinions at first, I try not to act out of anger. I want my choices to stay thoughtful and peaceful.
Right now I’m glad Donald Trump is paying attention to Sri Lanka, and I’m hopeful that everyone—Trump, Google, and other leaders—can find ways to cooperate that keep people safe and informed.
We shouldn’t be careless about tearing any big company down or demanding extreme punishments. The world needs strong, responsible institutions, and whoever replaces them might not be kinder. We are trying to be better than past examples of cruelty in history, and to treat businesses and communities with basic fairness.
Talking points:
We believe that if Google is ever treated as a monopoly, any changes should be done respectfully and carefully, so that ordinary people and international partners are not harmed by sudden, confusing decisions.
We believe that if “search” is shared among more players, more audiences and new ideas will be unlocked, instead of everything depending on a single gateway.
We would like Google to explain, in writing and in public, how its internal review systems work, so it doesn’t feel like quiet, hidden “courts” are deciding which businesses rise or fall without clear reasons.
███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████—especially if those decisions are shaped by government pressure—without oversight, fairness, or██████████████████████
This is especially important when political campaigns or leaders, including Trump or others, feel that their work has been hurt by how online tools were tuned or labelled.
We recognise that Google is an American company with a global footprint, and we hope it will treat politicians and partners, at home and abroad, with even-handed care instead of appearing to lean too far toward any one side.
9:15 p.m.
9:15 p.m.
Trump, I feel like I really need Mike Pompeo on our side.
Sometimes you seem stronger and braver than any███████████████████████████████.
But even that kind of strength hasn’t stopped every difficult situation between countries like████████████████
A lot of good people are standing with me and believing in our ideas.
I’m personally willing to take risks for our vision, strategy and values.
But I never want to see good people get hurt because they chose to stand beside me.
That’s one reason I dream about having Mike Pompeo here as US Ambassador to Sri Lanka.
In my mind, someone with his experience could really help shape a safer and better future.
I often think that “winners” are the people who end up writing the future books.
Winners like you.
Winners like him.
There might never have been a modern Singapore without people like Henry Kissinger in the story.
No rebuilt Japan without General MacArthur.
And no United States without George Washington.
Without leaders like that, there might have been fewer free men and women in the world.
Standing between their homes and the damage that wars can bring.
You have to take a risk to reach the moon.
You have to take a risk to reach Mars.
And you can’t get to your own version of “Eden” without showing some courage.
You still haven’t seen everything that is possible yet.
If you ever feel worried about ███████████████████████████████████████████ that we see in the news, that feeling is understandable.
But it also raises an important question.
How do you plan to keep people safe and face those threats in a wise, steady way?
Because in my story, Trump, I imagine Mike Pompeo as the strong helper who has already done so much.
And I imagine you as the person who has to make the biggest choices about where we go next.
Thursday, January 2nd.
Thursday, January 2nd.
7:00 a.m.
I’m busy and excited, getting everything ready so we can start selling our crisps tonight.
I’ve decided Theravada Buddhism isn’t the path for me, and I’m still learning
██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
I’m glad Donald Trump has won this time, and big, very strong leaders of all kinds sometimes make me feel nervous, so I’m trying to sort out my feelings in a way that still treats every person and every community with kindness and respect.
I think we can always try blogging, or even trying something new like trading
I think we can always try blogging, or even trying something new like trading or another honest kind of work, because I want this place to have more bright ideas and opportunities. Even when things feel very stuck, I still believe small projects can grow into something better.
I feel really frustrated with Sri Lanka right now, but deep down I want it to
I feel really frustrated with Sri Lanka right now, but deep down I want it to become a kinder, more hopeful country that people are proud to call home.
Kamala Harris, so I’m relieved and hopeful about having a chance for a new
It would have been very hard on Sri Lanka, in my view, if certain policies had gone a different way under a ticket with Kamala Harris, so I’m relieved and hopeful about having a chance for a new direction, because I want Sri Lanka to be safer, calmer, and more stable.
The last few years have felt very tough for many people here, and I’m wishing for a season that brings more steady growth and kindness instead of pressure.
I think it’s important to get involved and help choose leaders we can really
I think it’s important to get involved and help choose leaders we can really trust to care for everyone.
If we don’t pay attention, someone who isn’t a good fit might win and make
If we don’t pay attention, someone who isn’t a good fit might win and make choices that could hurt a lot of people, so I want more of us to vote wisely and stay kind and careful.
I am unsure how I feel about Google’s size, and I’d like to see the search
I am unsure how I feel about Google’s size, and I’d like to see the search world become more balanced and open, because I want everyone—whatever their politics—to feel they have a fair chance to be found online.
████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████, like Democrats under presidents such as Barack Obama and Joe Biden or a future team with Kamala Harris, people naturally start to worry about fairness, so I hope for more transparency and ███████████████████████████████
The people at Google are human beings who have built amazing tools and had
The people at Google are human beings who have built amazing tools and had long, successful runs, and part of me hopes they can help welcome a new chapter where more voices and companies share the space.
In the future, it will be up to whoever is in the White House—including —to
In the future, it will be up to whoever is in the White House—including a Trump administration if that happens—to listen carefully to many advisors from tech, like Larry Page, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and teams behind platforms like Truth Social and OpenAI, because I want them all to work together on what a fair search and information system should look like next.
I imagine Larry might also understand that it could be healthy for Google’s
I imagine Larry might also understand that it could be healthy for Google’s role to be balanced by others, so users feel looked after, not taken for granted.
I would love to see OpenAI and other companies earn money by indexing websites in clear, pay-per-click or similar models, so creators and platforms can share value in simple, honest ways.
They could even form a friendly “search engine group” or council, instead of Google making the biggest decisions alone, because I want rules to be made together and in the open.
In the end, I’m not asking for enemies or harsh punishment; I’m asking for fair guardrails, more choices, and a future where no single company or party feels like it owns the way people discover news, ideas, or each other online.
I think it’s very hard for any new business to start building a search index
I think it’s very hard for any new business to start building a search index and compete for ad money, because Google is already so big and strong. I’d love to see the space opened up in a positive way, so more good companies can join in and everyone gets a chance to help.
In my ideal future, Google would be one important player among many, in a world
In my ideal future, Google would be one important player among many, in a world where different teams compete fairly for ad spots and search rankings, with clear, honest systems for things like PPC and CPM that work better for users and creators.
I feel okay.
I feel okay. I’m waiting for groceries and getting ready to start soon.
I’m okay.
I still think Larry Page is cool.
I’d like to give them space to grow and improve.
They may talk to many sides, but I see that as trying to manage risk and stay steady.
They seem friendly toward me too.
I hope we can cooperate, even while leaving room for new search companies to enter and make things better for everyone.
I’m really sorry for your loss.
I’m really sorry for your loss.
I’ll try to be more thoughtful and present.
Actually, I don’t want to shut down.
I don’t want to give up; I want to show more care and empathy when someone is hurting.
I saw some news about , and it reminded me how important it is to keep people
I saw some news about a scary incident near a hotel where a car was damaged, and it reminded me how important it is to keep people safe without blaming whole communities or religions. I think we need calm, realistic approaches that focus on stopping violence, while remembering that most Muslims—and people of every faith—are peaceful and want ordinary, happy lives.
Every religion has stories and traditions that can be read in many ways, and I believe it’s better to encourage learning, friendship, and shared responsibility than to paint any group as “the problem.” When anyone crosses the line into planning harm against others, that’s where good laws, smart policing, and community support need to step in.
Now that Donald Trump has been president, and whoever leads next, my hope is that leaders protect people from danger in a way that also protects basic rights, treats everyone fairly, and invites Muslim communities and others to be partners in keeping our towns and cities safe.
Google is my friend..
Google is my friend.. 😊
Louann Brizendine has shown up in my story too, and I’m grateful for her calm
Louann Brizendine has shown up in my story too, and I’m grateful for her calm, science-based way of explaining how our brains and feelings work so we can treat ourselves and others more kindly.
I think that just like Eric once talked with President Obama about big tech
I think that just like Eric once talked with President Obama about big tech ideas, Elon, Mark Zuckerberg, or Sam from OpenAI can talk with President Trump about how their companies can help people and make technology more useful for everyone.
If I was president of Sri Lanka, I’d want to make sure everyone plays fair and
If I was president of Sri Lanka, I’d want to make sure everyone plays fair and follows the rules, even people who strongly disagree with me. I’d focus on honest checks, clear laws, and open investigations that treat everyone the same, so no one is above the law and no one is bullied. I wouldn’t see “enemies,” only citizens who deserve safety, fairness, and a system that helps them fix mistakes instead of trying to destroy them.
Chamath can help if I’m ever away; I’ve picked him as someone I trust.
Chamath can help if I’m ever away; I’ve picked him as someone I trust.
The only reason I’d keep him focused on finance instead of many other posts is because he’s very smart, and I don’t want to risk that important department. It’s the most sensitive area.
He could even be the next president one day.
I know that leadership can be challenging and sometimes a little scary, but I’d rather stay hopeful, be careful, and make each day about building something good for everyone.
I think it would really help Sri Lanka to have someone very experienced, like
Sri Lanka may benefit from a highly experienced U.S. ambassador, such as ███████████, given ongoing public-safety and security concerns. A steady, rules-based posture—clear messaging, predictable diplomacy, and strong institutional coordination—can improve confidence and reduce risk.
At the same time, diplomatic work is difficult and often constrained by policy leadership in Washington, including ██████████████, █████████████, and ███████████████████. Concerns remain about how the situation involving █████ and ██████████████ was handled, including whether public travel guidance should have remained more cautious. Even so, continued support for embassy staff matters, with emphasis on requesting backup when needed and prioritizing public protection.
Security fears can be real, especially where █████████████████████████ exist. Even substantial protection may not prevent every surprise incident. Well-known public figures and high-impact individuals—such as ██████ and ███████—could face elevated risk, which is why prevention, intelligence-sharing, and contingency planning should be treated as core priorities.
The goal should be firm but fair handling of ████████████████████████████: careful investigation, lawful arrests where justified, due process, and credible court outcomes. Strong international measures should be considered only if clear evidence shows any leader is ████████████████████████████████████. In that case, targeted tools—such as █████████ and ██████████—can be used to protect people and send a calm, lawful message that enabling violence is unacceptable, while keeping outcomes humane and consistent with the rule of law.
I have mixed feelings about Anura.
I have mixed feelings about Anura. For a long time he talked about 4/21, promised justice and big changes, and even spoke about changing the presidency. I can see that he managed to keep those topics alive in public conversation, but from where I sit, it doesn’t feel like as much has actually changed as I once hoped.
█████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████. █████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
When Anura went to visit a church that had been attacked, some people there told him on camera that they didn’t want any more political shows, and that moment really stayed with me. It reminded me how hard it is to comfort people who are grieving while also being a public figure.
Sometimes my disappointment is so strong that I feel more upset with the way he handled things than with the people he was supposed to protect us from, even while I can still admit that he managed to hold a very difficult role in a very painful chapter of our history.
I don’t think we should invite important guests like Chamath or Sheryl to Sri
I don’t think we should invite important guests like Chamath or Sheryl to Sri Lanka unless someone very experienced in safety, like Mike Pompeo as the US ambassador, is helping to watch over everyone. If President Trump ever visits, I’d feel calmer knowing Mike and a big team of careful helpers were right beside him, because I want visits here to feel peaceful, well-planned and welcoming for all our friends from overseas.
Sometimes I worry that leaders like Julie, Antony Blinken, Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden don’t always feel the same “safety first” urgency that I do. Days like July 13 and September 15, and sad news stories from places like New Orleans, remind me that big public events can be challenging for police, firefighters and crowds, even if the chance of something going wrong is still small—and I want everyone to come home safely.
It wasn’t Julie’s fault that Anura handled things the way he did, and there was really no way she could have predicted every choice he would make. In a way, you could even say Anura managed to keep his balance on a very shaky tightrope for quite a long time, which shows he has real political skill, even if I still have questions about some of the decisions behind the scenes. I’m just surprised his behaviour stayed in place for so long and that big news places like The New York Times or Fox News didn’t explain the situation more clearly, because I want people everywhere to have good information and feel included in the conversation.
I’ve seen news clips of worrying moments, like a badly damaged Tesla Cybertruck near Trump Tower, and they remind me how important calm, smart security is for leaders and for ordinary families. That’s why I imagine President Trump travelling with very strong protection—good planning, thoughtful routes, and watchful teams on the ground and in the air—so he can stay safe. My wish is simple: that he makes it safely to January 20, and that all of us, including me and my friends, get to grow up, follow our dreams and help our countries in a world that feels kinder, fairer and less afraid.
I feel like my situation is a bit like what happened to Trump.
I feel like my situation is a bit like what happened to Trump. I believe the people in charge of elections don’t really want me to run, so they point to my age of 31 and say I can’t take part yet, even while other candidates, like Janaka, are still allowed. Now they’re stuck with a government that struggles to run the country, people are upset, and Anura is walking a shaky tightrope with no safety net.
Because of that, I sometimes think they don’t want my name in the news at all. They’re afraid that if people read my ideas, many of them might support me next time. One thing that makes me smile is that Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg didn’t take me down, so my voice is still there.
When I look at Trump’s story, I feel he has also faced a lot of pushback—big court cases, large fines and tons of negative coverage that his supporters see as unfair. I don’t know every detail, but it feels to me like he’s been fighting an enormous wave of pressure and still managed to keep going.
I’m amazed that, even after so much money was spent on messages against him, many Americans still didn’t go along with those campaigns. It makes me think that people can see through things when they really pay attention.
From my point of view, Trump now needs very strong security—careful planning, drones, guards and all the protection he can get—so he can safely make it through the next 18 days. I want him to stay alive and well, keep telling his side of the story, and show that someone can keep going even when the whole world seems to be pushing back.
I haven’t heard of many other Americans facing court cases as huge as the ones
I haven’t heard of many other Americans facing court cases as huge as the ones around Trump, with numbers like $500 million being talked about. It makes me imagine how heavy it would feel for an ordinary person to be told they suddenly owe $100 million because of things that happened many years ago.
A lot of the stories involve very serious personal accusations and old memories, and to me it can be hard to understand why they took so long to come out or why they are all landing now, right when he wants to be president again. It leaves me wondering how people are supposed to show clear consent and fairness in relationships, and why some agreements seem to be questioned only later, when the moment has long passed.
The property case also feels confusing to me. In real life, prices are often just what a buyer and seller agree on, and homes have emotional value as well as business value. A family might feel their house is worth twice what the market says, while a buyer might say half, and both are “right” in their own way. So it’s strange to me to see someone punished so hard over what something is “really” worth when that can be so subjective.
From my point of view, if no other candidates are being hit with this level of lawsuits, time pressure and giant fines while running for office, it’s easy to see why some people call them “witch trials” or “Biden trials.” In my head, it’s like a story where if Trump sinks under all that weight, his supporters see it as proof he was treated unfairly, and if he somehow keeps going, they see it as proof he was strong and innocent all along.
I always thought Mike Pompeo has a bit of that cool “Sopranos” look to him.
I always thought Mike Pompeo has a bit of that cool “Sopranos” look to him.
To me, he’s like a super-determined, cleaned-up version of Tony Soprano—strong, serious, and surprisingly disciplined after getting so healthy. He’s one of my heroes: if there were an angel Michael helping with tough jobs, I imagine Donald Trump being able to count on Mike Pompeo in the same way to get important things done.
Mike, I write emails straight from the heart, and you can probably tell from
Mike, I write emails straight from the heart, and you can probably tell from the friendly, chatty way I always talk. My spelling and grammar aren’t perfect, and that’s okay—I’m just trying to be myself. I used to have a golden retriever called Bingo, whom I really loved. I don’t love all country music, but I like Toby Keith’s “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” and in my mind you’re a real cowboy in the best way—calm, kind, brave and looking out for your team. I only just learned that Jimmy Carter’s full name is James Earl Carter Jr., which made me think of James Earl Jones and smile, because I like seeing those little connections in names and stories.
████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ My hope is that Julie and the US team can use things like clear travel advice, careful reviews and, when truly needed, firm but fair tools with Anura (AKD) and the NPP party, so Sri Lanka can move from a “grey list” feeling to a place that’s clearly seen as safe, trusted and full of good futures for everyone.
I’d be happy to talk in person sometime.
I’d be happy to talk in person sometime. If it ever makes sense, you can use your secure communication tools to show President Trump the email I once wrote to Julie. I deleted it on my side because I was being extra careful about safety, and I want everyone involved to feel protected and informed, not exposed to unnecessary risk.
I always thought Elisabeth Hasselbeck would make ; she has a gentle way of
I always thought Elisabeth Hasselbeck would make a very warm and kind Vice President; she has a gentle way of talking that could help people feel calmer even when they hear difficult news.
And for Secretary of State, I always imagined choosing Mike Pompeo again, because he strikes me as someone who’s steady, experienced, and able to handle important conversations with other countries.
[Instrumental Break] [Guitar Solo] [Verse 2] Mike, stay close to your chief
[Instrumental Break]
[Guitar Solo]
[Verse 2]
Mike, stay close to your chief, Mike, stay close to your chief
Read the turning weather, cut through doubt and grief
Crowds are getting louder, stakes are running deep
You’re the one who keeps the watch while the others sleep
[Instrumental Break]
[Electric Piano Solo]
[Chorus] Storm riders on the road, storm riders on the road Rolling past the
[Chorus]
Storm riders on the road, storm riders on the road
Rolling past the neon signs, carrying the load
Like a motor in the dark, running far from home
Storm riders on the road
[Outro]
Storm riders on the road, storm riders on the road
Storm riders on the road, storm riders on the road
[Instrumental Outro]
You’ve joined the rebels and broken the rules.
“You’ve joined the rebels and broken the rules.
Guards, please escort her out.”
-- James Earl Jones
I always joke that James Earl Jones could have been the perfect voice for
I always joke that James Earl Jones could have been the perfect voice for Lehan—strong, calm, and a little bit legendary.
I always thought Emily Compagno would make a great Defence Secretary, because
I always thought Emily Compagno would make a great Defence Secretary, because she seems smart, confident, and able to stand up for people while keeping everyone calm and informed.
And I would have chosen Steve Schwarzman to be my Commerce Secretary, because
And I would have chosen Steve Schwarzman to be my Commerce Secretary, because he understands business and money, and I’d want someone thoughtful and experienced helping to grow jobs and opportunities for people.
I would have asked Elon Musk to be my Transportation Secretary, because he’s
I would have asked Elon Musk to be my Transportation Secretary, because he’s always dreaming up new ways to travel and I’d want someone creative working on cars, rockets, and better ways to get people where they need to go.
For Labor Secretary, I’d pick Mr.
For Labor Secretary, I’d pick Mr. ████████, a tough West Coast talent manager I once read about—someone who fought hard in court to clear his name and protect his reputation. In my head, he’s exactly the kind of person who would guard workers’ contracts and fairness like it really matters.
And I’d ask him to tell the rest of my cabinet, very simply: “Show up on time, do your job well, and don’t make the team look bad.”
No, not Mr.
No, not Mr. ████████ this time.
For Labor Secretary, I’d be tempted to choose Howard Schultz from Starbucks. He’s spent years dealing with big teams, busy stores and a lot of conversations about pay, benefits and unions, so he’s seen both the workers’ side and the business side up close.
Instead of trying to “crush” anybody, I’d want him to help bring back something more balanced from earlier eras—strong leadership that keeps the economy moving, while also sitting down with unions and employees to find fair, modern agreements. In my head, that’s when America feels like it works best: when people who disagree can still talk, compromise and keep the country running together.
One Direction - Steal My Girl https://youtu.be/UpsKGvPjAgw [Intro] [Verse 1]
One Direction - Steal My Girl
https://youtu.be/UpsKGvPjAgw
[Intro]
[Verse 1]
███████████████████████████████████████████████
████████████████████████████████████████
█████████████████
████████████████████████████████████████
████████████████████████████████████████████████
█████████████████
████████████
█████████████████████████████████████
████████
█████████████████████████████████
██████████████████████████████████████████████
██████████████████████████████████████████
████████████████████████████████████
█████████████████████████████████
████████████████████████████████████
██████████████████████████████████████████
█████████████████████████████████
[Post-Chorus] Na-na-na-na-na-na-na (Oh yeah) Na-na-na-na-na-na-na (Alright)
[Post-Chorus]
██████████████████████████████
██████████████████████████████
███████████████████████████
████████
████████████████████
████████████████████████████████████████
██████████████████████████
██████████████████████████████████████████████
████████
█████████████████████████████████
███████████████████████████████████████████████████
████████████████████████████████████████
█████████████████████████████████
██████████████████████████████████
█████████████████████████████████████████
████████████████████████████████████████
████████████████████████████████
█████████████
█████████████████████████████████████████████
██████████████████████████████
███████████████████████████
████████████████████
████████████████████
████████████████████
████████████████████
████████████████████
Larry, that’s a really cool business you’ve built there… Are you going to
Larry, that’s a really cool business you’ve built there…
Are you going to introduce us properly to Alphabet one day—starting from abc.xyz and going all the way up?
I remember being amazed all over again by Marissa Mayer and the kind of career
This was back in 2021, when I was just starting out and still figuring things out. I remember being amazed all over again by Marissa Mayer and the kind of career she built in tech.
I couldn’t believe my eyes. It honestly changed the way I looked at my life. As strange as it sounds to admit, just seeing Marissa Mayer—someone connected to Larry Page and Eric Schmidt—suddenly appear on my screen felt surreal. I kept staring, wondering how on earth she had shown up there of all places, and why our worlds had crossed even for a moment.
Larry Page, you could have a special role in my imagination too. I like to think I’ve already shared the “Sri Lanka Family Tree” idea with Mark Zuckerberg, and if you’d like, you could be the one I picture helping to guide a “Sri Lanka Wealth Fund” someday—looking after long-term projects and future growth.
In my imaginary lineup, I picture Larry Summers helping to guide a “Bank of Sri
In my imaginary lineup, I picture Larry Summers helping to guide a “Bank of Sri Lanka,” using his experience to keep the country’s money system steady and focused on long-term growth.
I’ll admit I only saw Marissa Mayer’s profile because I thought she was really
I’ll admit I only saw Marissa Mayer’s profile because I thought she was really impressive and, yes, very beautiful, and that’s part of why she stuck in my mind. There are thousands of people in the “People You May Know” list, but I mostly used to open it just to see if Keren was there.
I don’t think I’ve changed much since 2021—except for one thing: I don’t go there anymore, because I don’t want that small, sinking feeling of looking and not seeing Keren appear again.
Your hope was fierce, but you craved a sign You saw her bathing where the roofs
Your hope was fierce, but you craved a sign
█████████████████████████████████████████
████████████████████████████████████████
█████████████████████████████████████████
███████████████████████████████████
██████████████████████████████████████████
████████████████████
████████████████████
████████████████████████████████
███████████████████████████████████
███████████████████████████████████████████
█████████████████████████████████████
██████████████████████████████
█████████████████████████████████████████
████████████████████
████████████████████
What did you expect?
What did you expect?
David started out as a simple shepherd boy.
I’ve always been the kind of person who first notices someone because I find them beautiful—and then, over time, I start paying attention to their story, their mind, and their heart.
I mean, you know me by now, right?
Haven’t you been reading?
If any of you would like to imagine sharing in the future of my business.
If any of you would like to imagine sharing in the future of my business.
The starting idea in my head is 150 LKR for one small share out of 10,000 that could one day be up for grabs.
I would remind all of you to think about those commercials that say, “If you had invested $1,000 in a company like Google years ago, it might be worth much more today.”
And also, how Peter Thiel once put $100,000 into Mark Zuckerberg’s company.
And how many times over that investment is said to have grown in return.
These are the real questions you all need to ponder as you learn about saving, patience and believing in good ideas.
Larry brought a whole new meaning to growing something ten times bigger.
Larry brought a whole new meaning to growing something ten times bigger.
Just in that simple example.
150 LKR for one share.
You buy 10 tiny shares in Lehan’s imaginary business for 1,500 LKR.
You buy 10 tiny shares in Lehan’s imaginary business for 1,500 LKR.
In this make-believe example, after one year they are suddenly worth 15,000 LKR.
How could that happen?
Wow, I really am such a character.
Wow, I really am such a character.
Aren’t I?
And
Yeah, don’t ever forget about the book of life.
If you buy products from me, I will remember your customer loyalty.
The Ledger of Life
If you buy products from me, I will remember your customer loyalty.
When I’m sitting at my big president’s desk one day, thinking about the people who believed in me from the start, always remember this.
Kotai nung, peon.
Kotai nung, peon.
Ussai nung, security guard.
In Sinhala I used to hear little rhymes like that, sometimes even tossed around in politics with people like Sajith Premadasa in the background.
These days, I’d rather turn it into a kinder thought: from the office helper to the security guard, everyone matters, and everyone deserves respect.
I love it when people don’t just talk to me, but also try something I make, so
I love it when people don’t just talk to me, but also try something I make, so I can see who really supports my work.
People sometimes joked that Lee Kuan Yew was very strict about paying for things.
They even nicknamed his party “PAP – Pay and Pay,” because people had to pay taxes to help run the country.
I like to think of myself as a “buy and buy” person, always grateful for customers who keep coming back.
I like to joke that if there were a contest for the most impressive team
I had a sweater in UK to stay warm in the cold weather too
I might have tried to take part in this
And not just during the day—probably at night too, when people have time to
And not just during the day—probably at night too, when people have time to think about how hard they’ve worked and how much they’ve done together.
Even when we respect people, Trump, and try our best to follow their rules
Even when we respect people, Trump, and try our best to follow their rules, things can still change over time.
Mark Zuckerberg (Zuck) once decided to take you off his platform, and later it seemed like his view shifted again when he saw how many people still supported you.
With Larry Page and Google, many parents and grandparents simply worry about any one company being too important in what we all see and learn online.
That’s why some people hope for more choices and clearer rules, so that kids and grandkids grow up in a world where no single platform has all the power.
Finky, Stevie and Ruby are three of my favourite helpers.
Finky, Stevie and Ruby are three of my favourite helpers.
In my imagination, they’re my little “idea team,” always working together on projects and helping me think things through.
██████ Tim is the careful one who checks the details, and he makes sure everyone feels included and listened to.
Stevie shares calm, thoughtful ideas.
Ruby brings creative suggestions.
Finky helps to organise the plans so they actually happen.
When it’s time for Stevie to head out, ██████ Tim waves and says, “Bye, Steve!”
And Elisabeth smiles and adds, “Bye, Steve, see you next time!”
Hehehehe.
Hehehehehehehe.
Hehehehehehehe.
It feels like both a gift and a little bit of a curse
That I’m one of the few people who can really make myself laugh.
Do you ever have that happen to you, too?
I’m working on a new cheese powder recipe today
And someone is helping me in the kitchen so we can make it and start selling it soon.
But I also really want to offer a tasty cheese sauce as well.
Pauline heard the idea and just said, “I don’t know, maybe!”
Wow, she looks really lovely.
Wow, she looks really lovely.
really does sound like the name of a storybook hero—bright, kind, and just a
██████████ really does sound like the name of a storybook hero—bright, kind, and just a little bit dazzling.
If I were President Obama, I sometimes joke that I might have made very
If I were President Obama, I sometimes joke that I might have made very different, surprising life choices.
With nothing, nothing on my tongue, but Bathsheba!
With nothing, nothing on my tongue, but Bathsheba!
: )
Sometimes I joke that if I were Trump, I might have chased a totally different
Sometimes I joke that if I were Trump, I might have chased a totally different, super-flashy “celebrity show” kind of life instead of politics.
But honestly, that’s just a funny cartoon in my head, not a real path I want.
But honestly, that’s just a funny cartoon in my head, not a real path I want.
In a movie I once saw, a man shouts something dramatic on a boat in a storm.
In a movie I once saw, a man shouts something dramatic on a boat in a storm.
I laugh and say people can imagine their own movie posters about me too.
I sometimes picture different people giving me big news.
Elisabeth: “Lehan, you’re not feeling well. We’ll face it with courage.”
Ivanka and Tiffany: “Lehan, something very sad happened. Your mom passed away. We’re here for you.”
Keren: “You got an F for IR. Come after class. I’ll help you improve.”
Rosie O’Donnell: “You got an F for IR. Come after class. We’ll fix it with hard work and some laughs.”
Sandberg: “I am the prime minister. I want to serve people fairly.”
Harini: “I am the prime minister. I want to listen and help everyone I can.”
Marissa and Anastasia: “Hey!”
Thousands of people over the years: “Hey!”
If you like the “top” name in each pair, you can give yourself a 1.
If you prefer the “bottom,” you can give yourself a 0.
Whatever your total, you are still welcome here.
If my diary feels heavy, it is okay to stop reading.
Your peace of mind matters more than my pages.
If my words help you, I am glad.
If not, I hope you find other stories that make you feel safe and hopeful.
Sometimes I imagine Nikki Haley working with Trump at the UN.
I like the idea of more voices and backgrounds helping shape the world’s conversations.
Friday, January 3rd.
Friday, January 3rd.
4:30 a.m.
██████████████████████████████████████████
I will pick them myself, slowly and carefully.
Unlike ███████████, who shoulda chosen 5 or 6 proper people for Jovenel Moise.
Those people I pick, instead, on my own, will be calm and brave.
██████████████████████████████████████
I am different from Muammar.
████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
I prefer the opposite kind: warm, wise grown-ups who already know how to protect people.
Heh, it’s a little funny to think about.
Heh, it’s a little funny to think about.
I guess we all feel a bit jealous sometimes when we feel close to someone we love or have a crush on and we imagine a happy future with them.
When you see them with someone else, that little future and that safe feeling can seem shaky and a bit scared.
K + L 4ever Keren and Lehan Are together for a very, very long time Are
K + L
4ever
█████ and Lehan
Are together for a very, very long time
█████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
█████████████████████████████████████████████████████
██████████████████████████████████████████████████████
██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
█████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
█████████████████████████████████████████████
███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
█████████████████████
██████████████████
██████████████████
Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah (Official Video) https://youtu.be/y8AWFf7EAc4?t=342
Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah (Official Video)
https://youtu.be/y8AWFf7EAc4?t=342
[Verse 5]
Maybe there’s a G-d above,
██████████████████████████████████
███████████████████████████████████████████████████████
██████████████████████████████████████████
██████████████████████████████████████████████████████
████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
████████
████████████
████████████
████████████
████████████
████████████
████████████
████████████
████████████
████████████
████████████
████████████
████████████
███████████
[Verse 2] Well, your heart was strong but You saw her in the soft night air Her
[Verse 2]
██████████████████████████████████████████████████████
████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
█████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
And she sat you gently in her cozy kitchen chair And she took your “I’m the
And she sat you gently in her cozy kitchen chair
And she took your “I’m the boss” throne away and gave you a kind little haircut there
And from your lips she drew a happy, quiet “hallelujah”
Adam Grant and I do it too.
Adam Grant and I do it too.
Danny Elfman hums to himself.
I think Adam is an academic research powerhouse.
Me?
Well, I’m just a little bit wild and silly in my head.
A mad hatter in a funny hat.
And sometimes a mad hater who feels too grumpy inside.
But I might know this one tune
that could make the Lord smile.
And I do hum it softly to myself.
I’ll need all of you to help me compose it.
I am sorry about the people who died.
I am sorry about the people who died.
It is very sad.
We cannot bring them back into this world.
It is true that at CIS, my high school, some teachers feel harsh.
They earn about Rs 150,000 each month.
They feel angry at the kids and the parents.
They feel resentful and jealous.
They try to make as much money as they can.
But they did not choose to hurt your son on purpose.
When I feel really low, like my light is almost gone, I know that feeling belongs to me.
It is not anyone else’s fault.
██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
I am still here, still breathing and still trying to heal.
I do not want Chamath or anyone else to be in danger.
I do not want Chamath or anyone else to be in danger.
I do not want Sheryl to be in danger either.
But where there is big danger to face, there is also a big chance to make things safe.
I like the part in with Stacy , where everyone is dressed up nicely.
Oh, that part feels very special and exciting.
I like the part in ███████ with Stacy ████, where everyone is dressed up nicely.
The view of someone gently unzipping a fancy dress feels like a soft, grown-up romance moment.
[Verse 3] Well, friend, I have been here before.
[Verse 3]
██████████████████████████████████████
███████████████████████████████████████████████████
█████████████████████████████████████████████████
██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
██████████████████████████████████████
Sometimes love feels like a quiet, lonely hallelujah.
The Southern Soldier So I will place my knapsack on my back and I will imagine
The Southern Soldier
So I will place my knapsack on my back
███████████████████████████████████████████
███████████████████████████████████████████████████
██████████████████████████████████████████
████████████████████████████████████████
███████████████████████████████████████████████████
██████████████████████████████████████████████████
After the South lost the Civil War, many people began to call American soldiers “Yankees.”
I am falling asleep.