Hello World!

In true programmer fashion, greetings to all of you from all over the world, for taking your time to read and explore my thoughts, findings, musings and ideologies. Hi! I’m Chris, and I’m originally from sunny Sri Lanka! An island nation in South Asia. Presently based here but of course no telling what the future holds and where it may take me.

It’s already been 35 years into my life and after much thought and consideration, watching multiple YouTube videos and reading the book “Show your Work” by Austin Kleon, I’ve finally decided to overcome my fear of being judged, along with my imposter syndrome tendencies, and decided to put myself online and hopefully build an audience. Since attention is the currency of the 21st century, and given that I do aspire to be a successful entrepreneur, the importance of having an outlet for your creative expressions as well as to display your success and achievements, and give back value in any form possible seemed imperative. It simply did not make any more sense to hold back!

It goes without saying that this is my first blog, and I’m certain my inexperience in writing online shows, so please bear with me.

So who am I really?

The philosophical exploration of who we are as individuals has long been a debate, which is not what I mean to address here, but a simple introduction into my past and experiences in order to build my credibility with you.

I am Christopher Suraj Nilanthaka Adikaram, a passionate entrepreneur with over a decade of experience in the Information Technology sphere and being a founder behind multiple start ups both in the tech realm as well as other industries. I am also a graduate from the University of Moratuwa, one of the top technical universities of Sri Lanka holding an honors degree in Information Technology.

I am also a passionate aviator, been inspired since childhood by both my father and paternal uncle who worked in the aviation industry, I currently hold a Commercial Pilot License as well as an Airline Transport Pilot License, and work as a First Officer for the National Career of Sri Lanka, SriLankan airlines.

Besides that, I have a passion for creative expression such as music, painting and photography, and do try to engage in them during my leisure.

I dabble in a few hobbies as well, such as philately, horticulture, and fishkeeping. Of course none of which I am a master at, and are completely works in progress.

As far as my intentions for finally taking the courage to write online after much contemplation, which I did for far too long, I will list them down below. And since this is my very first article I will try to keep it short.

1. My requirement to build an audience

First and foremost, it is increasingly evident that regardless of your field of work, building an audience is extremely beneficial for each and every individual. Besides potential financial gain, it creates a medium for giving back to the world, providing a sense of purpose and responsibility to life as well. We as humans have progressed through the generations from what has been left behind by those before us and building forward, which has contributed to the exponential growth of human civilization.

While not being nearly close to any great masters of the present or times before, my intentions are to hopefully grow towards achieving something of greatness. My hope is, by building an audience, that which I share about what I learn and find out through my journey will be beneficial for someone, and help them in their own journey.

Life in it self is a difficult journey, with much trial and tribulation, and the trials we face as individuals are far diverse. However the knowledge shared by people who faced similar situations could be of great value in navigating the difficulties of life, and my sincere hope is that the experiences I’ve faced in developing as an IT professional, an Entrepreneur and as an Aviator, will be helpful for those navigating in similar directions, as well as a few tips and hacks in general life and hobbies as well.

2. The wish to share my work with hopes of inspiring you

My belief is that no individual is meant to be confined to a single sphere of life. We are all diverse individuals with hopes of experiencing as much of which life has to offer. From traveling to food, to acquiring skills and making memories.

Being involved in many diverse aspects of life as a technical person as well as a creative, there is much that I try to achieve, from being a highly competent airline pilot to a successful entrepreneur and even being a good singer while playing my guitar by a campfire. All of which require a certain amount of work and learning.

Did I mention my aspiration to be a family man, a good husband and a father as well? More on that later.

My hope is that sharing what I learn throughout my journey of what I want to become, will help you as intended or inspire you to follow your own goals and passions.

3. The need to build a community which spreads positivity and personal growth

No man is an island! Human beings are generically evolved as a communal species, even though technology and economies have changed our behavior patterns resulting in more seclusion and introvertedness.

I myself am guilty of being stuck indoors, days at a time just minding my work with minimal social interaction. But true growth comes in sharing! Sharing knowledge and experiences. And to share there needs to be communion between people who resonate on a similar frame of mind. Be it through actual one-on-one conversations or through literature.

My hope is that through reaching out to the world, I myself will be able to attract like minded individuals, initially through the blog and then eventually progressing to other means of communication as we go along. Which I hope would contribute to my growth, challenge my ideologies and also contribute towards making me a better individual as well.

My vision for this blog

The experiences I face daily as a pilot, a businessman and a creative are various. I hope to write at least once a week and reach out to you with my day to day aspects of life, career, business and hobbies, through which I hope you will be able to gain something of value.

I hope to share my thoughts as well as my philosophical view of life, which is heavily grounded in my Christian faith too. But it is meant as an open invitation for everyone to see that aspect of my life as well and again take away from it if you find any value.

I hope to share my projects and work in progress to share with you the journey, the struggles I face as well as my triumphs.

And as I build an audience I hope to address any questions and issues you all face on your journey.

I apologize for any shortcomings as I am a novice to writing and blogging, as well as developing a presence online. Hopefully that in it self will have it’s own lessons to share with you. And I hope to develop the quality of the blog, the content and images in the future and perhaps include video content as well. So I hope you will kindly bear with me till then.

The future

I plan to share as much as I can, as frequently as I am able to, and to transition into other channels of communication, and I hope this small pebble will eventually grow into an unstoppable snowball. But as much as I would like to plan, the general direction of life is unpredictable. However now that I have taken my initial step I hope I will be able to build a routine around it, and create more beneficial articles in the days to come. So stay tuned!

Life is a short journey. We are mere specs of dust in the grand scheme of the universe, but even the flutter of a butterfly could contribute to the creation of a cyclone.

So here’s hoping for the best!

Until next time! Take care!