SriLankan airlines boo down

To the land of sarees and back. In one piece with not much of collateral damage. I am pretty sure that I shall burst out crying if anyone so much as mentions sarees within the next few weeks. The things I do for my brother!

I felt like kissing the non-urinated, non-desecrated, betel spit unstained ground at arrival in SL. The suffering had been great, both in-flight and abroad. But good cultural splash nevertheless. Even after years of living there seems I have not quite gotten used to certain factors of that life. 

Was thinking of the decline of the Sri Lankan Airlines over the years. Glorious were the times when food was served in elegant porcelain dishes and tea was served in beautiful porcelain cups and the staff was alluring and courteous. The food itself was quite tempting and tea, more than just drinkable. But this must have been about 10 odd years before. Now at this declining day and age, appalling food is served in plastic vessels and a bland lame excuse for tea (in a country that is renowned for its tea, this is what they serve in-flight??)  is served in weirdly shaped plastic cups which is a huge turn off in itself. The food is uneatable and the crew rather impersonal and self-important. They used to be warm and inviting, familiar and welcoming. How things have changed! If this is what they call the "best of Sri Lankan hospitality", they do leave me wondering about worse case scenarios.

Last year an air hostess poured hot tea over my fingers scalding them pretty badly. Turned out that my horrible tea cup had been cracked and nobody noticed. They did not even apologize, rather turned up the nose, brought another cup and left. Being a peace loving person I did not complain. Everybody said that I should have. Well next time, I'm determined. 

Unless you happen to fly business class, its quite hard for a local to get some respect from these overpaid in-flight waiters and waitresses. Regardless, we always end up flying SriLankan out of loyalty. 

Come to think of it, I think its a Sri Lankan thing. Even in a restaurant, the white skinned get served first and in a more polite and courteous manner. At a local shop, the foreigner gets the undivided attention while we have to hang around in the background until somebody bestows their precious attention on us poor local folk. Its pathetic really. Seems we have not gotten out of our colonial mentality just yet. 

I beseech you to please take a look around the world to see how loyal other nations are to their own kind. We Sri Lankans suffer the discrimination as we travel the world when the nationalities concerned would always favor their own. In our own country we are discriminated for being locals. And yet we go about posting "Sinhala Buddhist" rants on social media. Think we are just bored and we want somebody to hate. 

A good lot of Facebook patriots we have become. My wall is overflowing with racist and patriotic material while we get discriminated in local restaurants and local airlines because of our Sri Lankan origin.  

Coming back to the topic of Chennai, couldn't help but compare their food culture with our very own. Theirs is an unmixed food culture. Even with a samosa they would give their own gravy whereas we would pour half a bottle of ketchup over a perfectly beautiful dish here in SL. Its like we are neither here nor there whereas they are well aware of where they stand. Comparatively, their sense of culture is much stronger than our own whereas we are like sponges ever ready to soak up anything and everything that is trending in the world today.  

Nevertheless the maximum amount of days you can eat their food is one and half. After a while it starts tasting the same and bland. I got myself craving for hot Sri Lankan chicken curry and that is novel for someone such as myself who is not the world's greatest spice fan. So I hand one to Sri Lanka in their culinary skills and the flavorsome dishes of a wide variety which never really bores you even when you've pigged out on them your entire life. 

Also, why is it that these people never smile? They have a perpetual frown on their faces that rivals the painful constipation evident on the face of Kristen Stewart. Also it seems that they have scared away the stray doggies from the roads with their own horrendous excrement. Its not an uncommon sight to see a man with his zipper down just peeing away at an unsuspecting wall or a woman with her saree hitched up, squatting on the ground doing their business in broad daylight. What you have to look out for while on these streets is not dog poop but human waste. Ten points for Sri Lankans for common decency, their easy smiles and cleanliness in general. 

All in all, its a part and parcel of the experience and India would not be India without the entire hullabaloo of madness and chaos. Its charming all the same, quite unique I should say. However, SO glad to be back. Seems that even years of living in India has not really got me integrated into their chaotic system just yet.  

Coming home is always pleasant when you have got someone waiting for you. Its an absolutely beautiful feeling. The fact that you've been missed brings a whole new definition to the life that you have been living so far. Suddenly you realize that you do matter to someone and even if it is just one person, it means the entire world. That is one good thing about travelling, there is always that warm and fuzzy feeling to come back home to which makes your entire month. But sometimes when expectations shatter even for a little while, it does sting quite a lot. That's the beauty and ugly of travel. You don't really know if you will be missed. Or if anyone even noticed you were gone.  

Why??

Why is it that the victims in all these horror movies insist on running in the middle of the road when they are being chased by a car (or truck or bulldozer, etc)? Why doesn't it ever occur to them that they should get off the road (at least run on the pavement like a good pedestrian should) or run into one of the gazillion buildings that line the either side of the road when the killer is trying to run them down? It's annoying just to watch. And then they scream like its the Goddamned apocalypse when they are being run down. Idiots.

Why is it that it always happens that the bad guy, whether it be a cold-blooded serial killer, a chainsaw-bearing blood thirsty wackjob, or a saintly looking creep with pedophile tendencies just happen to listen to metal music? The twisted ones always have rock music blaring out of their beat up campers (why do they have to live in beat up campers in the first place?) Is metal music the music of the bad people I ask? Or is it supposed to twist one's mind to the point of lusting after blood extracted the most imaginative way possible? Honestly, its insulting!

Well at least they are extremely creative in their murders. So maybe that is a comfort (or is it a discomfort? *scratching head*).

And I think that wars are much more interesting when fought with swords, spears, bows and arrows and the like. Guns, bombs and nuclear weapons are SO boring! The modern man has become a regular lazy bum. No wonder Gerard Butler, despite his ridiculous costume of cape and underwear in 300 manage to look so friggin' hot! *swoon*

If I became the ruler of the universe, I would destroy all guns, missiles and nuclear weapons. Wars shall be fought with muscle, sword, bow and arrow and the like. If a nation dares use guns and modern day warfare, I will annihilate their entire nation. I mean come on. There is no real purpose to war anyway. So at least make this utter pointless occasion of people killing other people a little more enjoyable for the others to watch eh?

Also, its a legendary fact specially in Sri Lankan cinema and television that the bad guys are long haired and bearded  They often have piercings and tattoos to go along with it too. Sigh..........talk about stereotyping!

And why is it that good ideas always come when ur just about to fall asleep? You have to drag yourself out of bed just so you can jot them down lest you should forget afterwards (like I always do).

Sound of the household waking up. Dearest Darling parents wrestling a slipper out of Frankenstein's (Frankenstein chews-a-lot- my Doggy Dearest) jaws while bribing him with his morning bowl of milk. Frankenstein in his daily frantic round of early morning exercise. (mad dog running while being chased by a knife-bearing leprechaun I call it) Well, happy sights and sounds :)

The art of wait

If there is something that I absolutely despise in the world that would be waiting. Whether it be waiting for photos to upload, dressed and waiting for others to get ready, waiting for a response to an email, waiting for a much awaited call, waiting till a much awaited day, waiting is a tedious task.

If I had it my way, I would annihilate the act of waiting from the world. I would take it off dictionaries, revise the lexicon, fine anybody and everybody who uses the word or practices the act. I despise waiting.

Why so whiny? I'm in the process of uploading some pics and they J U ST  W O N T  U P L O A D!!

Was watching the whole hullabaloo of the CJ affair on news yesterday. The Police were playing God Almighty when the media wanted to speak to the former CJ now evacuating her territory. While a chubby butter ball of a police personal (full of bullshit or just overfed on bullshit?) insisted that she is just a normal citizen now and therefore the media cannot speak with her, a media person asked the million dollar question - Does not an ordinary citizen have the right to express his or her opinion anymore? (heart sang for the sheer timely brilliant awesomeness of the question, traa la la!) Whoever asked that question deserves a trophy of world's finest ice cream topped with chocolate sprinklings, chocolate mousse, a large dollop of chocolate topping and 25 of the world's sweetest cherries. I felt like giving him a big, fat, sloppy kiss!

All that aside, the way that most media channels presented the entire ordeal to the public was just precious. Even Swarnavahini is sounding as hilarious as the ITN now, while they accused the lawyers of trying to create trouble and calling the handful of the bus-faced hired goons as the "general public" rooting on the appointment of the new CJ in front of the Supreme Court. The Darling says we must understand that they are all in it for the gain and that they should save their own necks first but it IS frustrating all the same.

Well I might as well forget the frustration and go munch on a chocolate or something.

Coming back to the earlier topic of waiting, I am changing my mind about rejecting the task. I suppose there are good kinds of waiting (No, I'm NOT talking about the irritating wait for photos to upload, which btw is STILL going on, Gaaaaaah!!) and just got reminded that I myself have got several delightful things to wait for and look forward to in the near future (Yeeyy!!)

But then again I learnt to take pleasure in the little joys of life from a very young age. Nothing new, just a fact of life.

I suppose we all need something to look forward to in order to get out of bed each day eh? Could be as small as the first gulp of tea in the morning or a big tight hug that will linger on for hours afterwards. Or it can be as big as a change in path, career, residence, country, etc. But is waiting the same as looking forward to I wonder. Whatever it is I suppose it's necessary. This I suppose is what everybody calls a "purpose" in life.

Yet I'm looking at the uploading tool and this little voice in my mind screeches : Photos, WHY YOU NO UPLOAD!?!?! (knives clanking at the back of head while nunchuks  clash against one another). Yes the Lady has had enough!

Sunny days, where art thou!

Sitting in the balcony letting the thoughts run awash. Its finally shining. Well barely. And hence the breezy thought provocation.

The sky is strangely bland. Not a cloud in sight. It's strangely depressing, somewhat empty and stale. Its the kind of a decrepit stale you find in deserted colonial inns and empty hotel rooms that had just been vacated. Its the feeling you get when you are on the verge of leaving a country that has begun to grow on you but which you hadn't initially liked. When the rain is absent I miss the rain. When the sun is absent, I miss the sun. Why can't we have both, the sun and the rain? Both at the same time preferably. But alas, no such luxury can be ours.

The sunlight is sickly still. Does not shine in its full and abundant glory. And here I am longing for sunny days.

Or heavy and thundering showers.

Anything but this dull, gloomy moderation that seems to suck out energy and joy.

Rain rain, go away!

Beginning to hate rainy days. Specially nights. This is a little too much. Everything feels so cold and clammy. Ugh!

And cloths smell funny too. Just took the entire wardrobe out and put the cloths out to air. Doggy is all wet too. Comes cuddling with his fur coat wet and all. Had to shoo him off several times. Poor thing. He only has us for company. But I do wish he wasn't so fond of the rain.

I've always suspected that our dog may have an identity crisis. Sometimes he thinks of himself as a fish because we often find him splashing about in the pond. Other times he sails at us like a bird flapping his limbs. He would sit like an old man and stare like a child. One of a kind this dog of ours. Made uniquely for us.

Life would indeed be very boring without him. A regular goofball he is :)

Just found The Virgin Suicides at a bookshop. Yeeeeey!! Celebration time! Looks like I'l be up all night tonight :)

Bodhi poojas still going on. A good thing about the rain is that it sort of drowns out the sound. Loudspeakers anyone? I'd be happy to give them away free even.

Have you noticed how these Sinhala radio dramas manage to sound embarrassingly pornographic sometimes? Whether it be a man climbing a hill, a woman sipping a drink, opening a bottle, writing something, learning to drive,eating peanuts, etc etc etc, they make very embarrassing sounds and they are very vocal about it too mind. Same goes with these Sinhala dubbed dramas on TV I've noticed. What's up with the awkward sound effects seriously? Do not need them. Please.

People have already forgotten the Delhi rape case. Now its Rizana. I ask again, has anyone cared before for any of these women before? Many have died in the past, hundreds, many have suffered, many have gotten raped, abused, etc. Has anyone bothered to find out before? No.

But then we live in a society where everybody wants to see the body. It just ins't complete without seeing the body! In the absence of which they want to see the blood stain. If not, the place where the body had been found. Or the slipper. Or a bloodstained knife, etc etc. The media is no better. When they cannot find footage of the body they make sure they have a satisfactory shot of the blood stain, a misplaced slipper, a trickle of blood,etc. (dramatic zoom-in on the bloodstain and rapid scene change from knife, slipper, police. Linger tortuously on wailing family member, photo when he/she was alive, rapid change to bloodstain again, etc) Very morbid I should say. Or is it blood thirsty?

Now that the war is over, methinks they are all bored now. One calamity replaces the other to entertain our lot. Human nature or our war mentality? Do we always need one tragedy or another to linger, regale and loiter in? Do we always need something to go anee and aiyoo over? Bit too sadistic if you ask me.

Its raining again. Too cold these days. And clammy. Ugh! Hoping to see some sunshine tomorrow. And feel some warmth!

Bodhi Pooja Crisis

So the temple next door is having one of its lengthy and extremely noisy Bodhi Pooja's again. I can barely hear myself think.

This is the 2000th one as I heard. (Yes, the 2000th, I kid you not). And they are being conducted by this super arrogant monk to whom Father Dearest fondly refers as the බෝධි පූජා කොමසාරිස් (Commissioner of Bodhi Poojas) some Kumara Kashyapa Thero who NEVER participates in an alms giving, never comes for a preaching, etc except to a very few select houses which also incidentally happens to be the habitats of the most wealthiest and the most powerful personalities of the area. Oh and of course, in order to be graced by his presence you have to support his mammoth lineup of bodhi poojas and donate hefty sums to him his cause as well.

Father Dearest says he's trying to get into the Guinness Book of World Records by holding the most number of bodhi poojas. And I'm not entirely sure if he was kidding or not. It's really difficult to tell whether he's serious or not sometimes.

While I have no objections to people reveling, drowning, indulging, bathing, etc etc in their respective religions whichever way they want, it is so irritating how they have to force others to participate (very unwillingly so) too. We have two loud speakers attached near our house and others are strategically set up so as to not let anybody have any peace at all for the next few days all over the neighborhood. So very absurd. Its almost like having sex and installing speakers all over the place so that others can hear how much fun you're having in the bedroom. We just don't want to hear it! Do whatever you want, break all the furniture, prance around making monkey sounds, babble and screech complete nonsense or sing it in soprano but PUH-LEESE keep the noise to yourself? I do enjoy the sound of pirith and sometimes even a meaningful bana once in a while but all these annoying made-up verses sung in an equally annoying tone (and very stupid ones too), not to mention the senseless and ignorant things these monks "preach" are just too much to bear.

Buddhism is a precious philosophy. It is a very practical doctrine based on the stark utter reality which is credible and so very down to earth. It is devoid of all the nonsensical aspects that we heap on it today which weighs it down and degrades it to a mere gooey superficial pulp. If practiced, learnt and grasped the true essence, it is an invaluable elixir. Such a shame how these nitwits who call themselves "monks" make a fool of themselves in such a manner, sullying the name and the reputation of this invaluable wisdom in the process. Breaks my heart.

But then, one has only to look as far as the home page of one's social media profiles to see absolute morons who call themselves "Buddhists" debase this truth with anti religious hate speech. It's disgusting. I'd be surprised if these idiots knew even an iota of what Buddhism is about.

Nevertheless just a few days before, went exploring around Pettah and Colombo Fort with The Darling. It was an amazing experience, just wandering about, getting drowned in the activity and the hoards of people buying, selling, roaming, etc. And we were just blown away with the amount of history, culture and wonderment that this dingy corner of the country often overlooked by many holds. Sometimes its almost like stepping back in time when exploring within these old Dutch and Colonial buildings, as if the world outside just falls away and fades into something of a dream and an ancient world just unfurls itself before your eyes. It truly is a flabbergastingly jaw dropping experience.

Have I ever mentioned that I'm obsessed with old buildings? Well I am.

The evening ended with a beautiful cup of tea at the Heladiv Tea Center. Had this absolutely lovely cup of tea called the Tropical Sunset....or something. It was so fragrant that I was convinced that I could burp, fart and sneeze wonderfully perfumed matter that day! By then it was as if the both of us were drunk - with tea, the experience or exhaustion I'm not sure. Laughed like maniacs (for no apparent reason) and chattered nonsense, came up with weird stuff that made absolutely no sense to either of us and then laughed about that all over again all the way home. It was good. We are so silly together that its so cool :))

The noise has stopped and I hadn't even noticed. Seems like I've learnt to zone out the racket thank God. But I was told that it will be like this till the 21st or so. Oh well, lets see. If the worst comes to worst, I'm taking down the loud speakers and selling them on ebay.