One of the loveliest places to have a beer….

What an amazing view

 I rarely drink beer these days. But that doesn’t stop me from making notes of ideal places to have a beer when I am travelling.
Guess old habits die hard.
We were at the tail end of a thousand kilometer road trip and making our way from Tangalle to Matara in order to enter the high way.
I wonder if you have ever noticed the beautiful stretch of beach which greets you as you take the bend passing Tangalle town? . It always amazes me that a beach in such close proximity to a town could look so untouched.
I have noticed it many times. And each time I pass it I say damn I wish I could sit here and chill for a while; sipping on a beer.
Now they have a shop. And they have beer! And one of the loveliest and windiest sit out areas with a magnificent view.
But the good news stops their.
The food is horribly expensive. The menu doesn’t have that much variety. And the quality of the food and cooking quite poor for the money they charge.

Horribley expensive less than average food. The cuttle fish in the pic was meant to be hot butter cuttle fish

The next time I pass this place I am still going to stop. As the view is too good to be avoided. But I shall sit and consume only a drink and go for lunch elsewhere. So my stomach will not accuse me of torture.
I believe they also have a few rooms to let on top of the premises. I must say it would be heavenly to wake up in the morning and admire the view with strong gusts of wind brushing against your body. Well it does seem like a dream as long as you don’t have your meals there. In that case it would turn into a nightmare.
The name of the place is called “Emmalaya rockview” and you can find them on TripAdvisor.

The comfort of your presence....

The comfort of your presence...

sometimes it's all I need....

just to feel you close....

so eyes can meet via mirrors

making soft lips transform into a smile

even though rarely a word is exchanged

it makes me feel warm inside.

Isn't Karma a Bitch

"Oh goodness these Sri Lankan men are useless!"
"I will never even associate with any one from Sri Lanka - even though I am Sri Lankan"!
"These people don't even know how to loving or be romantic"
"Or even how to make love properly".
"I want to marry a Sudda (foriegner)".
This was the constant stream of drivel which was spewing out of the mouth of a certain lady I know. And yes she got involved with a white guy which made her even prouder and more arrogant as she strutted around insulting the entire male population of our country.
Unfortunately for her the white guy turned out to be one of these confidence tricksters who tricked her out of over 5000 euros.
For someone who was constantly complaining about the lack of sexual prowess of the Sri Lankan male she certainly got screwed. :)

Island Mentality!

"Every one wants to go to heaven but no one wants to die". This was a phrase I came across many many years ago.
And it crept back into my thoughts as I was contemplating on how to handle a situation I am facing right now.
I have realized that this is true with a lot of people. They want the best of what an organisation can give them but yet don't want to put in the effort required to achieve it. Some call this "The island mentality". Apparently most people who are in islands are like this. Lazy and lackadaisical with no energy to motivate themselves to get their asses in to gear. The laid back attitude of Jamaicans and people from Philippines being a good point of reference. Coming to think of it these same people who seem lifeless over here in Sri Lanka transform themselves to bundles of energy the moment they migrate to another country. Though Australia and UK too are islands. Guess it has to be called the "tropical island mentality". As someone said it is the salt in the air. Just like it corrodes metals it seems to be corroding certain peoples brains.

Emptiness...

He sits quietly in front of his computer…

A luminous square of nothing staring back at him.

Urging him… no challenging him to write something.

He types… then deletes it.

He types again… and deletes once more.

The past few hours have been a constant cycle of typing and deleting.

Someone has told him that he needs to open up.

Be more personal. Show more emotion.

But how does one describe emptiness? How can one define it?

It has no size or texture.

No form or color.

But it is ever present.

It blocks out the sunshine of a beautiful morning.

It sucks out the joy of victory

It is sitting next to you in the passenger seat... silently…..

Transforming a delightful drive into an arduous journey….

It sitting behind you at meetings… lying next to you in your bed…

Even accompanying you to the shower….

It is not a sickness so you cannot treat it…

It does not have form so you can’t fight it.

It is everywhere… It is in everything….



But it is nothing.

Sin-ical!!!

"I have prayed about this" she says looking at me defiantly!
"Oh!" I say doing my level best to keep my face dead pan knowing very well that with those few words our discussion has reached a stale mate situation.
We are having a conversation about a communication plan for an event. A task which she is not capable of handling as she has not done anything similar ever before. But she is not willing to consider the roll out plan I am recommending. And there is nothing I can do because who can argue with "this is what God has laid on my heart".
Of course the turnout at the event was not as high as they expected. But then again it is shrugged off as "Gods Will".
I am a believing Christian. Though not one of the Bible thumping holier than thou art rabid kind. But I do encounter them a lot. And over the years I have realized that 99% of them are just normal people just like us. Bitchy. Argumentative. Horny. Jealous. Jumping into conclusions and revengeful as well. But most of them cloak their negative actions in what I would like to call "God Speak".
Being rude and hurtful is saying it with love and truthfulness.
Being stubborn and obstinate is carrying out God's wishes.
If something is not going the way they want it is the work of the enemy or a spiritual attack.
And if it is an argument which they can't win of course it is earthly wisdom.
Ultimately it is the same shit in a more holier saucer.

Awwdience!

Bloody Peasants!
This was the comment made on a fb post I had shared where Derana made an apology for criticizing Kishani Jayasinghe on singing "Danno Budunge" in an operatic style.
I resented that comment.
As much as I resented all the negative comments made about the performance.
Because this, along with most of the other comments supporting the performance reeked of - a false - sense of superiority. A "my tastes are far more refined than yours" kind of haughtiness. Which I found unpalatable.
But it did get me thinking.
This was a national celebration, with a nation-wide audience, telecast live on national TV? Not a concert for the Colombo elite in a small intimate surrounding.
And the question which begs to be asked is did those who put together the show think about the audience when doing so?
To me the first priority when planning a celebration is to focus on what would please the audience? What would thrill them? What would they appreciate?
Not to get them to try and appreciate what I think is good and then cry foul when people don't do so.
My question to all those people who are shouting about casting pearls before swine is this?
Wouldn't you have to be an absolute fool to do so?