Diplomacy Clips, Fry-Oil Lessons, and the Track That Made Me Cry

April 18, 2025

Dean Martin and Trump–Meloni clips fueled diplomatic fixation; Tiger Balm memories and fry-oil lessons met tech, faith, and antitrust worries Dean Martin and Trump-Meloni clips pull me into diplomacy brain, then I ping-pong through Tiger Balm memories, fry-oil lessons, tech and antitrust worries, and faith

The image features a scene from a news article on the New York Times website. The main focus is on two individuals standing together in front of a backdrop that includes two large flags: one American flag and one Italian flag.

On the left side of the image, the American flag is prominently displayed, with its red and white stripes and blue field with white stars. The Italian flag is partially visible, suggesting a connection to Italy.

The first individual, on the right, appears to be a man with light skin, short, styled hair, and a slight smile. He is wearing a dark suit with a white shirt and a red tie. His body language is open, and he is gesturing with his right hand, possibly pointing or emphasizing a point.

The second individual, on the left, has light skin and long, straight hair that falls past her shoulders. She is wearing a light-colored coat and has a cheerful expression, smiling broadly. She stands close to the man, suggesting a friendly interaction.

The background consists of a white wall and a window, indicating an indoor setting, likely a formal meeting space. The overall atmosphere appears to be positive, with both individuals engaged in conversation or a photo opportunity.

Above the image, there is text that reads "Trump Welcomes a European Leader He Likes: Meloni of Italy," indicating the context of the meeting. Below this headline, there is a brief description stating that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy came to meet President Trump representing Italy, but also on behalf of the rest of Europe.

The article is categorized under the "Tariffs" section, with additional headlines visible on the left side of the image, including topics related to tariffs and international relations. The layout suggests a typical news article format, with a focus on current events and political interactions.

Overall, the image captures a moment of diplomatic engagement between the two leaders, set against a backdrop of national symbols.

11:00 AM

Dean Martin’s “That’s Love”

Friday, 18th.

10:30 am

Dean Martin - That's Love

https://youtu.be/OnFlx2Lnr9Q

[Intro: Coro]

(In America dove love è re)

(Quando un ragazzo incontra una ragazza)

(Ecco cosa dicono)

[Ritornello: Dean Martin]

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[Ponte: Dean Martin]

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[Strofa: Dean Martin]

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[Ritornello: (Coro) & Dean Martin]

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[Ponte: (Coro) & Dean Martin]

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(Trin-trin-trin e canterai, “Beautiful life, beautiful life, beautiful life”)

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[Strofa: Dean Martin & Coro]

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[Finale: Dean Martin]

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11:00 AM (b)

Keren Teaching International Relations at Columbia

Keren teaches International Relations at Columbia uni!

: )

12:30 PM

Meeting the Tiger Balm Owner During Lee Hsien Loong’s Visit

I met the Tiger Balm owner, when he visited with Lee Hsien Loong

I wasn't supposed to be in that room, but Harsha De Silva, forcibly dragged me in, and then Ranil W let me stay inside

Even though ███████████████████████████████████████████████████

I took my 2 Lee Kuan Yew books for him to sign, ████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████

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Here I am

Here I stand

This is me

And there's nobody else I'd rather be

12:30 PM (b)

Meeting Prima’s Owner and Cybersecurity Mentor Ken Soh

I also met the Prima owner in Singapore, and other cool people

The coolest of whom, was Ken Soh, my mentor for cyber security

Shamil Mendis and his wife, gave me a mini Tiger Balm jar as a gift

The image displays a webpage from the site "Vote Lehan," specifically the "Trade" section. The layout features a clean, minimalist design with a white background and black text. The title "Trade" is prominently displayed at the top in a large, bold font.

Below the title, there are five numbered sections, each detailing different aspects of trade policy:

1. **Setting Industry Standards for Growth**: This section discusses the Trade Department's focus on establishing clear industry benchmarks to enhance Sri Lanka's global trade presence. It emphasizes collaboration with experts and stakeholders and mentions the potential for military backing to ensure progress.

2. **Global Capitalism for National Prosperity**: This part outlines a strategy aimed at wealth generation for Sri Lanka, referencing the "Sri Lanka Family Tree" initiative, which aims to ensure that all citizens benefit from economic growth.

3. **Standardized Work and Investments**: This section highlights the importance of standardizing work practices to create opportunities, reduce unemployment, and attract investments, with the Trade Department leading by example.

4. **Worker Rights and Economic Stability**: Here, the vision is to improve labor rights in Sri Lanka, drawing comparisons to developed nations like Germany. It stresses the importance of maintaining fiscal discipline to avoid economic instability.

5. **Capitalism, Sri Lanka Style**: This section likely discusses the unique approach to capitalism that Sri Lanka will adopt, although the text is not fully visible.

The webpage is framed by a browser interface, showing tabs for "Welcome To Jurassic" and "Facebook" at the top. The time displayed is 1:32 PM on April 18, and the battery and Wi-Fi indicators suggest the device is a laptop. The overall aesthetic is professional and focused on political messaging related to trade policies in Sri Lanka.

1:45 PM

John Williams’ “Welcome to Jurassic Park” Chord Notes

🎶 Welcome to Jurassic Park

🦕 by John Williams

https://youtu.be/BXsWn9DHf5g (dead, fossil)

https://youtu.be/BXsWn9DhF5g

Main Chord Progression:

| Bb | Eb | F | Bb |

| Gm | Eb | Cm | F |

Melodic Highlights:

🎹 Bb → D · F · G · F

🎹 Eb → F · G · Bb · G

🎹 F → A · Bb · C · Bb

🎹 Gm → D · F · G

🎹 Cm → G · Ab · Bb

✨ These notes soar above the chords — just like the gates of Jurassic Park opening.

Let it breathe. Let it build. Let it speak without words.

The image contains a text document with a structured layout, likely outlining a policy or strategic plan. The text is organized into numbered sections, each with a bold heading followed by descriptive content.

1. **Capitalism, Sri Lanka Style**: This section discusses the goal of integrating Sri Lanka into the global value chain through collaboration with multinational corporations, emphasizing dynamic tax policies to support economic development.

2. **Entrepreneurship through the SLWF**: This section mentions the Sri Lanka Wealth Fund (SLWF) and its aim to replace outdated tax systems to promote entrepreneurial ventures, with a goal of increasing entrepreneurship rates from 2% to 100%.

3. **Flexible Labor Rights and Retirement**: This part advocates for German-style union practices to give workers a voice in company decisions and mentions flexible retirement options to allow continued economic contribution.

4. **Efficiency through Standardization**: This section outlines plans to streamline operations across industries to maximize efficiency and improve work-life balance for Sri Lankans.

5. **Eradicating the Black Market**: This part addresses the threat of the black market to legal businesses and the economy, stating that strict measures will be implemented to ensure transparency.

6. **Mandatory Oversight for Accountability**: This section discusses the introduction of mandatory oversight for businesses to ensure transparency and governance, focusing on long-term strategies for economic stability.

The text is presented in a clear, professional font, likely intended for formal communication. There are no images, logos, or identifiable brands present in the document. The background appears to be a plain white or light-colored surface, emphasizing the text. There are no people, clothing, or facial expressions visible in the image, as it solely consists of text. The overall tone of the document is formal and focused on economic policy.

1:45 PM (b)

Sri Lanka’s Problems and Singapore’s Forgotten Past

🙂

People will never believe you, when you describe SL today, the problems we have, the 1.2m court cases, the 1,000 calories a day stunting children, the $2,500 GDP per capita, or whatever else.

The same way, nobody in Singapore remembers or believes the stories of how life was, for their grandparents.

1:45 PM (c)

Jonathan Looking Like Hans Zimmer

Jonathan looks a bit like Hans Zimmer!

The image displays a promotional artwork for "The Lion King," specifically from "The Legacy Collection." The background features a gradient of deep blue and purple hues, suggesting a night sky with scattered stars. In the center, there is a stylized depiction of a lion, possibly representing Simba, with a strong, proud expression. The lion is rendered in warm, earthy tones, primarily shades of orange and brown, which contrast with the cooler background colors.

To the right of the larger lion, there is a smaller lion cub, also in warm tones, looking up towards the larger figure. The cub's expression appears curious and innocent. Surrounding the lions are soft, swirling clouds in pink and purple, adding a dreamy quality to the image.

At the top of the artwork, the text reads: "Walt Disney Records," followed by "THE LEGACY COLLECTION" in a bold font. Below that, "THE LION KING" is prominently displayed, indicating the title of the collection.

At the bottom of the image, there is additional text that states "ORIGINAL SONGS," "MUSIC BY ELTON JOHN," "LYRICS BY TIM RICE," and "SCORE COMPOSED BY HANS ZIMMER," providing credits for the music associated with the film.

The overall composition is visually striking, combining elements of nostalgia and artistry, characteristic of Disney's branding. The image is designed to evoke emotions related to the beloved film and its music.

1:45 PM (d)

Crying From Raw Emotional Music

Why am I crying? This music is just pure raw emotion.

2:30 PM

Music Charging Me Up

I love music, it just charges me up

3:45 PM

Peter Denying Jesus and July 13 Miracles

Even after everything, all of the miracles Peter saw to his own eyes

He still denied Jesus 3 times

We are all like him, but we have seen July 13

8b people have seen it

10:45 PM

Wanting a Tesla and Defending Zuckerberg

I want a Tesla

I love Elon, he's super cool

And I'm rooting for, and actively thinking of ways to protect Zuckerberg

It's ugly what that spiteful woman is doing, testifying on personal matters like Sheryl celebrating her femininity with lingerie, while Zuck's taking an antitrust lawsuit, it's very mind boggling, how they all plan those things

Poison the pond tactics, before trying to harm FB

11:00 PM

Defending Facebook, Gmail and Zuckerberg During Antitrust

They have planned for that woman, to publish her book, and then, to testify at the exact moment Zuck has to defend himself with an antitrust

Nobody, forced anyone to use FB

We're all here, in full knowledge, because of the respect, trust and gratitude we have in Zuckerberg

Yeah you all can say, "They gave free emails at gmail or Google, to make money off you, free web hosting on FB, to sell your data for engagement"

But those free services were still insanely valuable

Even now, most people use gmail

Most people use fb

We all love it, and we love Zuck, Sheryl and their wonderful team, of cautious people who protected their users

11:00 PM (b)

Hurt Seeing Zuck in Pain

I'm hurt to see Zuck in so much pain

11:15 PM

Crisp Oil Tips, DBU Lawyers and Starting Soon

Stephen's not the Wizard at the DBU. They're good people. Franklyn was teaching me about how to conserve oil, by drying the crisps properly. Cause the water in the crisps, because we keep in cold water. That water spoils the oil faster. So we do like the DBU and those decent, good people.

Sean, Henricus, from Cambridge uni, will be able to be a lawyer when I get elected (fantasy). As he's been in a very ugly, profane and unjust way, like Jagath's daughter Puthula who is also a Buckingham uni lawyer, aren't allowed to practice here

As they're "too good"

I'm hurt by those stories too

***

Let's just do it soon

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You don't need 49 years of experience like Franklyn

You need to have some

I dunno

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11:15 PM (b)