Another year!

Bah! I can't seem to do anything right! First of all, just when I feel like I'm ready to commit to my blog, something always gets the better of my time. So this time I just have to - must, must, must - write! Lots of things have happened since I updated my blog a year back. 2010 wasn't the best year for out-of-Sri Lanka travel even though I did go for a work trip to Thailand in February. Though 2011 has been more brimming with adventure.

In February/March, we went to India, mostly the Northern area. It was really beautiful but very cold! First leg of our journey was the place we arrived in, New Delhi. It was literally very cold but it was fun. It wasn't easy because last year they experienced a bitter cold where several died. Later, Colombo did report a drop to 18 degrees C and many think Climate Change is starting in these parts. That aside, Delhi was great. Staying close to the Pharhaganj bazaar, we saw the Red Fort, the Jamma Masjid mosque and the Bird Hospital! The best part was we weren't affected by the Delhi Belly syndrome, more the cold/sore throat syndrome for sleeping in the bottom deck of a sleeper train with a chilly draught. So on the way to Varanasi, we didn't really enjoy sniffling our noses and sneezing a bit. Varanasi might be the start of the holy river Ganges but it's not at all holy. Ridden with pollution, chemical waste and atrocious sanitation, bathing in the Ganges adds to your sins rather than washes it away. It's really tough to think that the pollution in the Ganges is uncontrollable despite several pleas and measures forcing the authorities to take stringent action but nothing is done. At least those who bathe in the Ganges would develop immunity...or so we hope! Varanasi is crazy! I love Indians, they're cheerful but they can be forceful. I'm not comparing Sri Lanka with India because at home, we can be quite the same but in India, the poverty is just so difficult! The problem with Sri Lanka is our country is blessed with so much but our fools take it all for granted. In India, the rich become richers and the poor become poorer and they're so busy looking for their next meal, they would go to immense pain to get it. Even if it means haggling a tourist until they give as much as they can. One thing I was shocked to see was little children begging and sleeping all alone on the streets. Seriously, it just tore your heart! Varanasi might have lovely silk saris you can bargain for but often you always look guiltily as you see the poor people suffering to carve the garment out of scratch. So I'm glad I didn't do much shopping as I liked. Rather travelled a lot, saw a lot and took the memories. Lord knows if there was a child doing the embroidery for that silk Varanasi sari. Oh yes, and there was a Lord Vishnu festival which saw plenty of crazy Hindu devotees (mostly men and boys) going holy for their God. Pretty hard-core religious, if you know what I mean.

Thereafter we went back to Delhi and then to Agra to see the awesome Taj Mahal! Massively touristy and massively touty! Best to wear really cheap shoes so if they get stolen you wouldn't worry about them! I was wearing Rs.200 camel hide leather shoes so wouldn't have missed it much...though nobody stole them! Maybe the thieves value designer stuff nowadays! Anyway the Taj is beautiful (in it's own way) but because lots of people want to take the perfect shot next to it, the whole experience can be tiresome. Hated having the same pose so tried to do something different like hold the two minarets with my hands but it didn't come out nicely! All the same, it was nice we went to the Taj when we did. Apparently the Sulphur dioxide pollution is wearing and tearing out the marble and porcelain tiling in the Taj....and what was particularly awful was there was lovey-dovey graffiti on the walls! I mean we paid good money to get a ticket to go in and these freaking authorities do not even check to see if those crappy lovers sign their names in the walls of one of the World's Seven Wonder! Bloody bastards!

This guy Mohammed was a helpful guide showing us the intricate mosaic art inside the Taj, a cheery guy with a friendly nature....and who said that he wouldn't touch me because I was a woman and he was a proper Muslim...hypocrite!

Next stop was Rajashtan and the Pink City of Jaipur. Saw the observatory and the City Palace but nothing particularly impressive except for a few market sites selling good Indian brassware that would make serving those steaming Indian curries temptingly hot!

After discovering Jaipur in a day, we proceeded to Udaipur....and this was a fabulous city! Home of the Afghan Prince played by Kabir Bedi in the James Bond movie 'Octopussy', Udaipur is a romantic city. Part of the reason why it was romantic when we got there was because the Maharana's daughter got married to a handsome Gujarati prince and the town was painted in celebratory colours and people were in a festive spirit. We stayed at a lovely Haveli with a magnificent courtyard and we ate at some of the finest places including a quaint German coffee shop! It was definitely one of the most romantic places I've ever been to!

After that, we found ourselves on yet another sleeper train but this time it was to Amritsar, the holy Punjabi city. It was very beautiful and pretty clean for an Indian city. We stayed at Ms. Bandari's guesthouse which had a swimming pool (only in the summer)! It was great to see the Golden Temple but sad to discover that the Punjabis had to endure plenty of suffering for their beliefs. It was not all Bhangra and Punjabi MC all the way when the Sikhs first started their religion. And of course, like Hinduism, one had to be born a Sikh. Sadly the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and the Moghul emperors forcing the Sikhs to convert had massive impacts on the faith making their beliefs stronger!

About 30 kilometres from Amritsar is the Pakistan/India border of Wagah. What a sight of Bollywood mania and happy patrotism! It was an interesting way to see how united Pakistan and India can be despite all the differences.

After that, we found ourselves on a plane to dirty, sweaty and difficult Mumbai. It wasn't easy passing through Dharavi, Asia's largest slum.....which is actually a billion dollar industry where recycling is a big business!

Mumbai was difficult to get about, the poverty was too much to bear, more than to contend unlike what we saw in Slumdog Millionaire! But the nightlife was rather happening! We found ourselves in Juhu beach at the Marriot dancing to Bollywood bhangra beats coupled with more electronica/modern pop stuff!

Setting off to cold Delhi was like a welcome and happy to be snug in the chilly weather, I was happy I went to see the northern part of India!

Next post, have to tell you all about Australia! :)

After a lapse!

Okay, okay so I didn't stick to my promise of posting 'every other day' sheesh! How do I live and then write about my measly life if I don't have the time? I have no idea myself but at least here I am.

Fasting's nearly over and I can wait for Eid. I gave up the bad things I'm not supposed to do but I think after talking about it, decided to make sure I solve the problem of my one character defect. Which is little white lying. I mean I don't want others to get angry but I'm so optimistic that massaging another's ego is not a problem....as long as I don't really mean it.

All the same, there are things I look forward to and things I hope to rectify in my life.

Nevermind all of that.

How was last weekend?

We spend last Friday night at Ambepussa Rest House. Now this place has got refurbished and the service is good but the quality of the food could certainly improve. Like they should be careful of flies in the soup. Which would do nicely for a start. The noise of the Colombo-Kandy road won't give you a blissful night's sleep but hey, it's a good place for a quick stopover on your way to some distant place on our Paradise Isle.

So Saturday we did the three temple loop - Embekke, Gadaladeniya and Lankatileke. It was good to see many smiling faces and even tourists to these off-the-track places and it was a quite nolstagic. I remembered Uncle Raja (God bless his soul) the last time I came here but it was a good way to revive my memories of him. It's nearly two years since we lost him. And sometimes I wished I was more concerned about him.Anyway that's a different story.

So on the way to the Knuckles (our main destination), we stopped to this awesome Angkor Wat-type temple called Galmaduwa Gedige which is absolutely stunning. Made of stone and brick, the temple was built by King Kirthi Sri Rajasinghe. It is so peaceful and quiet and you feel the coolness of the stone steps as you walk barefoot and calmness as you hardly see anyone here save for a few local villagers. We met Jayaratne there who said that the local bhikku manages it. I was impressed with the symmetrical architecture and amazing style. Definitely a must-see for those en-route to Digana or Mahiyanganaya or even if you're a Kandy resident and need a calm place for a nice picnic. But please, no lovey dovey stuff - it's a temple after all.

Proceeding towards Digana, it was nice to see the old school, Ecole Internationale. Brought back memories but it still is in a pathetic state, no change at all. They still ring the bell with a thing-a-ma-jig which gives you a combination of an earache and a headache like your head is in the Goss Urbaliner!

Going up the hills to the Victoria Golf course (where we were supposed to spend the night) was amazing! Even though I've lived in Kandy for a few years, the breath-taking views was something I was in dire need to savour. It's been to long! Sheesh! Sometimes big city life can indeed get to you, especially when you're trying to make a name for yourself and earn a meagre living. Not that I'm complaining. But still.

Gorgeous villa we had there, really beautiful view of the Victoria reservoir and the fine dining restaurant served excellent food. Definitely one of the better holidays we've had but the swimming pool could have done with a good cleaning. It felt a bit weird as you swallowed lemonade water filled with Kandy bugs...And I'm not talking about the 'What's up, Doc?' Bugs Bunny!

Sunday saw us taking the Hunasgiriya route to the Knuckles. There were several pockets there where it was raining and a bit sunny but the views were absolutely out-of-this-world! Even though it is a nature conservation site, there are villages, barns for cardamom drying and several tea plantations. So it's not really a nice scenario and there needs to be some action enforced since plenty of endemic species live here. Obviously this makes them endangered. We went on the route to Corbett's Gap and Kobinalagala. You can see the mountain tops and the masiff which is a series of faults and folds which gives the range its name 'The Knuckles'. Though this was what the British surveyors called it, in Sinhala it's something to do with its misty mountains and cloudy hills referred as 'Dumbara Kanda' something like your local Everest, minus snow of course.

Also, it is the only place in Sri Lanka where you get several climates in one area in an half an hour walk! Pretty impressive huh? But due to the fear of leeches and the fact that we were virtually in the middle of nowhere, we just drove on and enjoyed snapping pictures of the views. They said that there was a small rest house called Eagles Crest but despite knocking on their door, we got no answer! Oh well!

Overall, it was a nice dany Kandy Knuckly holiday and I would recommend it to anyone. See the Sunday Observer for more on the trip :)

Next Friday is Eid so really excited - it'll be fun!

Though have to go through heaps of PR events and functions for the last week so looking forward to everything!

Work is better now, a few changes here and there but it's not easy dabbling into everything. Hope something works out.

Toodles!

Bloody sickness

Hate getting sick. Seriously. It takes the fun out of life and I missed the lovely event in Galle, the speech giving and even the launch in Colombo. All thanks to a rotten someone!!!
Anyway, at least thankfully they had my name on the banner so I wasn't all-forgotten.
I healed more quickly thanks to Polar Bear. I actually thought he had gotten pissed off with me and completely erased me from his hard drive...but I guess it was difficult..
It isn't easy for us both...anyway, it was all positive but it was upsetting to know that he perforated his eardrum dabbling in his passion. Sometimes I do think what would have happened if we met each other at a different time and life. Oh well, fate and destiny shapes our lives but it's so awful when you want things to change....at least for the best.
Have heaps of work.
Toodles!

Back!

Sheesh!
I can't believe it's been more than a year since I've blogged, seriously...too much crap is going on in my life! At least I can do a detailed post from now onwards but afraid it will have to be every other day. It's not easy, life's too fast and racy to take the time to savour the little things in life....like blog! Way too much writing goes on in my job anyway and lots of things to be at to really delve into finer aspects. See, I'm ranting...and rolling off on a tangent.
Let's see, let me start at the top of my head...
Today, I've just put in two features articles after a 6 month hiatus of not contributing to the features desk. Working with the editors is cool but now that they've got the VRS (Voluntary Retirement Scheme) for Lake House employees, now they are ruffling a few feathers by getting the non-performing ones to leave forcibly through the CRS (Compulsory Retirement Scheme). Of course, our jobs are pretty secured and it's great that all the gossip mongers and those who don't work their butts off (like us) are being kicked out but still, it does mean looking over the shoulder for us...whatever the consequences, it's always good to be prepared so...this means yours truly has to edit the magazine, contribute to the features desk and then go a bit of news too. If I'm lucky, I'll have to do the V3 column but at this moment, it's TOO TOUGH!!!

Today, Dineth P. is having a fashion show at the Galadari hotel which is outrageously gonna be out of this world! Juana, one of our Colombian friends is also participating with a whole host of Sri Lankan and expatriate women to glam up the fashion show. It's supposed to be interesting as it's got heaps of sponsors so let's hope for the best!
Besides that, got an excursion to Galle Fort on Friday. Trying to meet up my cousin who's suddenly popped in from Dubai. So trying to get as many birds in one stone as possible. I know it ain't making sense. Plus, fasting's around the corner and I've donated blood. I'm feeling drowsy but it pays to work!
Anyway, the reason of heading off finally for a 'proper' stay at the Galle Fort is because Juliet Coombe and Daisy Perry are launching their Generation T book which is supposed to be awesome. The mad tea party is on Sunday and fingers crossed for a good turn out. Of course, the dynamic duo haven't had any problems getting crowds anyway.
The icing on the cake is that Sumi and Thanga, my family friends have suddenly made a visit to Sri Lanka and thinking of taking them to Galle as too!
So much of things! See, what a major life!
Let's hope for the best....!!

Whale of a Time!

26th March 2009
11am: It was just another day and I was settling down to doing anything and everything a proper 'working' writer would do and then Champa (Editor's PA) summons me and asks, "Would you like to go for a whale-watching expedition?". Ha! As if those kinda excursions come my way. Being the pronto journo I am, I blurted, "Sure thing!" Yeah baby, finally no more envying all those Gehan DSW text updates and whale watching adventures in HI! magazine, I'm off for a real-life in-the-blue-whale-flesh expedition. Of course, this spur-of-the-moment trip was given at short notice, so I had to rush home and get my things! Woo Hoo! Whale time
4pm: Not sure about which hotel the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau was planning to shove us into this time (after previous horrible episodes that included dust-mite ridden beds at some Godforsaken 'room' in Hix), I was not expecting anything fancy. Wouldn't have been surprised if they told us to pitch a tent down Galle beach (such was my expectations). Apparently, I was asked to meet Vishadini(new recruit at SLTPB who used to work for 'Nature Odyssey') a friendly and good girl (fresh breath compared to that banshee Sulo) at the time aforementioned at Cinnamon Grand. Okay, and half an hour later, she calls and tells that finally she'll meet. No wonder - some things haven't changed like SLTPB punctuality. God, I prayed, please don't let it be a bad experience.
5pm: We set off in a Lanka Sportreizen minivan with Vishadini, Mel from AFP, Tulsi and Sanka from STimes, Sharon from Radio One and another photographer.
I was pleasantly surprised that we were actually going to Fortress of which I saw the first time during a cocktail during Galle Lit Fest 2008 but never stayed overnight. Something to write home about. Ha!
8pm: Arrival at Fortress, very swank hotel (obviously) but it rather got me excited that this place served the world's expensive dessert. Not that I was keen on trying it out but then again, its about a hotel trying to catch the world's attention. Tried to look I'm-a-journo-I-deserve-this as much as I could be. We were met by Shalini Bandaranaike, the PR manager and General Manager Steve. I told Shalini that she gave us a large Fortress bag(now my laundry bag) with a little notepad and pen (I think it's stashed somewhere in my journo junk now) and wow! she remembered! Also, the cinnamon, ginger iced tea welcome drink was heavenly.
It was no surprise that ours was a room that didn't have a view but the stone pot with good private garden was good. I had to share with Mel and Tulsi but it was a good experience. While Mel was the mature and the I-value-my-own-space kind, Tulsi was more the quiet and sweet one. Except she took ages in the bathroom (couldn't blame her because it was a good bathroom). Okay, I fancied the hand-made Siddhalepa soap and Ayu range of bath products. The best was the iPod shuffle with lots of good songs like Amy Grant and Diane Warwick whom I hadn't heard in ages. Too bad we couldn't linger for a longer time - tomorrow was whale watching day.

27th March 2009
7am: Yawn! Sleepy eyed but more excited than ever! Today is the day I see whales for the first time in my life! Yipee! We have no time to eat breakfast at the hotel so we pack it up. I take a sneak peek at the goodies, yummy-smelling pastries, fresh fruits and other tantalising delights. We set off with the BBC team with Alsa, Esh and Mr.Banana Pants. I call him Banana Pants because not only does he flirt with the girls but he amused us by sitting on a banana and smearing his pants with it!

7:30am: Arrive at Mirissa Harbour of the Ceylon Fishery Harbour Corporation with 'Nature Odyssey' part of Walker's Tours. We get on a speed boat enough for a 12 member crew. We have Tudawe the boat rider and Wasantha our lifeguard. We are fitted with not-very-sexy life jackets but as long as we're safe, that's all that matters. We get on slowly but steadily with another French couple who look like the real travelers with sunburnt skin and freckly patched skin. Oh well. Word has it that for the 12 member boat it was Rs.4500 per person and the big 20 member boat was Rs.6500 per person.

9am: Totally jumping up and down for joy! Saw about 5 blue whales already. Then I saw something like a humming bird whizzing by and asked Alsie. She said in her Scottish accent, "Oh! It's flying fish". Awesome. Never seen a flying fish before but it was cool. They 'flew' for about 30 seconds in the air before swimming back into the sea. We were all busy photographing and snapping pictures. There was a boat called 'Mirissa Water' or some crap like that where the tourists were hanging with their legs over the edges. While we had to wear lifejackets, these tourists had nothing to cling on to. Imagine if there was a calamity, the consequences would be deadly. Just because someone offers you a cheap ride to see the whales doesn't mean it's a foolproof plan. They also buoyed way too close to the whales so no wonder they dived back into the waters gulping their breaths as fast as the waters can take them. We took nice photos. Loved every minute of it.

10am: Now really very excited. Gosh! We saw dancing dolphins. Wow pretty ones. Dark blue colours. Vishadini said, "You can't really count the number of dolphins because they glide and swim above and over one another, so it's really more than you see!". They turned and twisted for us, they gave us a feast for our eyes. They peeked their little eyes and fins that bobbed up and down the waters. It was heavenly.

I so had to write a poem.

Oh!Lovely Dolphin

Oh!Lovely dolphin,
You're so graceful and sleek,
Swimming with your friends,
You're so free.

Gliding on your belly,
Your turns and twists are a sight,
We are in awe of your dancing,
Moving in the light.

Oh!Lovely Dolphin,
Please don't be in fear,
We love you so much,
It's nice to have you near.

12am: Heading off back to Fortress for a quick swim and lunch. Really enjoyed the whale watching tour! It was one of the best experiences of my life! :)

Independence Day

Remember the movie 'Independence Day' when Will Smith who acts as Captain Steven Hiller and says, "Independence Day - the day we fight back!"
Well, Independence Day, usually a time for peace and goodwill and where you lay down arms, wasn't like that in Sri Lanka. In fact, I'm sure our President would wholely sanction what Will Smith said and I'm sure he'll be/or is an avid fan of that block-buster movie because he doesn't believe in laying down arms for terrorists who have no concern for a ceasefire agreement.
Despite requests by both UK's Foreign Secretary David Miliband and US Foreign Secretary Hilary Clinton for a temporary no-fire period, our President is quite unwavered.
There are two sides to the story.
One side is evacuating our troops and allowing the LTTE to continue their terrorist activities by recruiting children and forcing poor Tamil civilians to join them in the ethnic conflict with aid coming from Tamil Christians in Canada and other countries. The other aspect is to wipe out the terrorists and help the Tamil people get on with their lives. This is difficult and the Sri Lankan ethnic conflict is a hot topic for discussion at all world-wide discussions but many are afraid of the government and their tactics for being ruthless. As one foreigner suggested, "Sri Lanka's government is even more ruthless than the LTTE - the most ruthless terrorist organisation in the world!". At a UN security council meeting this week where Mexico and Russia were discussed, many couldn't help turn the talk towards Sri Lanka. "So to state the obvious, the UK likes the government of Sri Lanka more than the Sudan's. But a requested Council briefing on the situation in Sri Lanka is being blocked, on a technical assertion it is not on the agenda. Zimbabwe wasn't on the agenda, until the UK pushed to have it included under the name "Peace and Security in Africa." How about "Peace and Security in Asia"? What's in a name?" by Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN.
Looks like Sri Lanka is one of the most revered countries and the rest of the world would envy that President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his armed people are trying their best to liberate it. Even though the governments of African countries might be helpless to do anything to overthrow the terrorists there, President Mahinda Rajapaksa decided to grab the bull by the horns. "The country should be liberated one day. So why not today before it's too late?" seems to be on the minds of the patriots and ehem then again, the nationalists after the President pledged to defeat the terrorists within a few days of Sri Lanka's 61st Independence.


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Security Checkpoints: It can't be helped that the armed forces in Colombo have to check every Tamil coming into the city. One army officer in the Fort area said, "What if they (Tamil civilians) were held at gun-point by the LTTE by holding their family hostage and asked them to blow themselves up in the city? I wouldn't blame them but that's why at HQ, we always have to keep an eye out". He said that not every Tamil should be blamed because it can be brought by people from other ethnicities even Sinhalese. Experts who know about bomb assembly especially when interviewing them casually at the 'Deyata Kirula' exhibition that is currently being held enlightened us more. "The best way to bring a bomb to the city is to carry the various parts and pieces from all over and assemble it here, so it can be said the same for the LTTE" said an army officer working for the Bomb Disposal Squad. "Sometimes they can bring essential parts in whole but even in the case of the assasination attempt of the former President, the sharpnel and other bits can be transported in small quantities and arranged just near the place where the bomb is expected to be set off" he said.
So checking measures should be proper and many should be qualified to do the job. I went for a high-profile event where the President was attending and the female security officers were checking in all sorts of private places which even when we go to Temple Trees, isn't the norm.
"It's rather difficult when they pretend as if they don't know you and even though you go with all the relevant IDs and approvals, they still check you as a terrorist" said a media colleague.

New Year 2009

Happy New Year 2009!~
The month of January was truly hectic and it isn't easy to balance the working and the pleasurable life especially when a new editor walks into the great 100 walls of Lakehouse. However, I'm glad it's now a 'safe' place to work with less back-stabbing and colleagues who I can work well with. The fact that our editor said that we have to 'earn our salary' and 'there are no Chinese walls between Daily News and Observer', makes it worthy to write about other aspects like the V3 column. I'm not really happy that the previous editor went back but he was so politically motivated and had this 'thing' with the youngest staff in the office that I daresay the move was for the best. Politics seriously doesn't get you anywhere especially in office since you are likely to be thrown from one point to another without being serious in your work. It has been a common thing to just run outside the premises of Lakehouse and go on a strike so that your pleas are heard to give a bonus or whatever. The Sinhala daily newspaper is presently overstaffed with 260 and there are people at the Observer who just come to scream at other people the whole day instead of doing their work. It's rather upsetting that one has to mould oneself into a rather neutral individual with all the hype going on but it's rather secure and safer than being in an independant newspaper since your life is not at risk. Oh well!
Having visited Maldives recently, I noticed how stunning and beautiful the resorts are! I stayed at Meeru Island, Maldives in the North Atoll of Maldives. It was also an honour to meet President Nasheed the week before during his official state visit to Sri Lanka. He has suffered so much for the country and it was great to know that he actually started out as a journalist. Makes me think that nothing in the world is impossible if you believe in what you do to help others, especially your country. Sri Lanka's corruption is on a different scale to Maldives. In Male, alcohol isn't allowed so smoking is only alternative and people prefer to do that. Not to mention drugs - even though there is a huge notice saying that there is a death penalty for drugs, most youth can easily get their hands on it. I was thinking, Sri Lanka isn't that bad, why can't people enjoy a glass of wine or beer to unwind after a hard day's work? In Sri Lanka, even if they don't advertise alcohol on local media, drinking is prevalent everywhere. Even though Maldives might be a Muslim country, there are lots of Sri Lankans, Bangladeshis and Indians working there. However, you can see the youth just roaming the streets in their mopeds which reveal that youth unemployment is on the rise. For the Maldivian youth, Sri Lanka is like a London or New York because it is the only place, an hours' flight away where you can live a cosmopolitan life in Colombo and most prefer the education here as there are plenty of offshore international universities and colleges here. However, some who graduate prefer to seek greener pastures elsewhere but some do get back to Male to be near family. The girls, especially would do the right thing by marrying whoever their parents wants since Islamic tradition is strict here. All the same, Maldives is a nice place in terms of the resorts but Male is rather different. Male is very small, people travel in mopeds and cars are sandwich sizes. It is rather dirty but the buildings are of different colour. The people dress decently but some do their hair in all sorts of nice colours.
More travelling included the official museum in Sigiriya and the Jetwing Earth Day at Hunas Falls!
So much to write about and so much to say! I hope I find the time someday!
So I hope it looks like a nice and amazing year all around!
Have a happy new year 2009!