Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Notable characters


My sister is a brilliant cook. Now our newly hired help also happens to be a great cook and she has brought her A-game into the kitchen. The result: divine food, cooked everyday on time between the two of them, without any hassle on my part. If laziness was a sin and there was a special hell for such people, I would be a guest of honour there.

More on our new member to the house... On the plus side, she is of a pleasant disposition, she works very well with minimal supervision and she seems genuinely happy with us than she was with her previous employers. On the down side, she can't stand seeing things of out place (she has to move these things to more suitable places which we don't often know about), she can't stand to have anyone refuse her food (for ANY reason, or she gets upset and irritated), she won't let us do any work in the kitchen (which is hard because we've been trained to do things on our own) and she wants what she wants right then and procrastinators are dealt with zero tolerance (she won't back down till we get that phone set up or call the grocery store for this or that right that minute).

Overall, we are glad and thankful she is here to make our lives easier. She's got three sons she misses dearly and she has lost many opportunities to watch them grow, get to know them and guide them. She's got an unfaithful husband, who she can't count on now or ever. She supports several family members besides her own children and in-laws. If she returns to her home country, the fate of herself and her family is bleak. Despite all that, she still manages a smile and works earnestly.

This song never seems to get old.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Internet Addicts Anonymous

"Hello. My name is Shuri and I am an internet addict. I spend too many hours on the computer, often compromising on a healthy lifestyle, not communicating or spending time with family members and not having a variety of non-internet related hobbies. Today I am happy to say that I have realised this and will think of ways to fight this addiction. Thank you."

I have been OBSESSED with this song for three days now. In a moment of weakness, I attempted to download this song on to my phone from a legit YouTube phone application while at work. After exhausting ALL the 9MB of data left on my mobile internet package for the next three weeks, I got an error message to the effect "Unable to complete download. Only 9MB of 16MB has been transferred". Outcome: I had no song and no mobile internet for the next three weeks. Of course, I rushed home to download it through my home Wi-Fi connection and I have listened to it a 201 times since.



Sometimes, Shuri thinks life is too short to be too careful with what she says and does. Sometimes, it's OK to make a fool of oneself like dancing with sub-zero skills and laughing over it later. Sometimes, it's OK to give an honest but offensive opinion if there's a good message that's relayed. Sometimes, it's OK to tell people you love them and they won't feel uncomfortable or think you are mad. Sometimes, it's OK to trust new people if the first and second impressions are good. Sometimes, it's OK to swear and make a scene if the cause is worthy. Sometimes, it's OK to lean on someone for help. Sometimes it's OK to take a calculated risk and face whatever comes head-on.

Monday, January 23, 2012

The circle of life

While looking through my box of precious memoirs back home, I found Chuk Chuk the brazen gecko.



This time I went home, I managed to visit the home of my paternal grandparents.

Last year, around the same time, I had return back to work when my holiday ended, without attending the funeral of my grandfather. This year, that house still triggered strong memories of him; how I used to follow him around in the garden, how he used to tell me about the flocks of peacocks that visited the garden (and how he used to give me feathers that he picked off the ground), how he used to write letters to me and send me old stamps, how he used to pluck fruits for us, how he used to make toys and wooden crafts on his makeshift carpentry table outside, how he used to tell us stories of places, how he used to show off his mathematical puzzles and that toothless smile he gave after thinking hard for awhile when asked about something.

Except for the lack of his physical presence, nothing much has changed around the house. There were peacocks. There were fruits on the trees he had planted. The structures he had built still stood there.


On a positive note though, a new member in the house - a very joyful one year old great-grand-daughter born a few days after he died - filled his void in the house and didn't fail to keep the adults entertained.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Rediscovering humanity


Today, I have my first real day of relaxation at home for the year 2012. I have refused to partake in any family events, chartered services or social events in hopes that I can blog and think about how I want to spend the rest of this year.

Let me get my thoughts aligned and archived up to speed since the last blog.

Driving through the countrysides. Balangoda, Sri Lanka

I had a very eventful and pleasant holiday back home despite the fact that I was always on the run and barely home. Holidays home are mostly about giving your parents a chance dote on you, fulfilling obligations to one's blood line, re-kindling old friendships, doing a little sight seeing (if time permits) and then enjoying the satisfaction of having achieved these. Relaxing in one's home country is not an option. Plans to read a couple of books and intentions to complete my memoirs on Nepal were utterly futile.

Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka

Being away from my country, culture and society for nearly 8 years, I have begun to like living in a open minded society where sectarian and negatively-affecting conservative beliefs are to a minimum (or at least they are not openly expressed, thereby reducing barriers for interaction and forming bonds). Part of my resolution before the trip home was to be patient, less cynical and open minded to what I was about to experience. I think this mentality helped a great deal with the events that took place for the 3 weeks I was home and at times, made me see a side of that society my usual bias would not have permitted. I was touched on several occasions by the humanity displayed by the people there, which is not very apparent in people living in 'more developed' countries.

Views from atop Adam's Peak (2243m above sea level), Sri Lanka

I'll admit to feeling a bit intoxicated on life these days, mostly with the freedom, fortune, distractions and joys of youth. So much change has happened, is happening that I feel like I have stepped into the heart of a cyclone of mental states. In the midst of this unrest of mind, I have to strive to find myself and pin my priorities in place. That, is my new year resolution.


Thursday, January 12, 2012

The Wedding

Sometime ago in December 2009, Katy Kat wrote to me:

"Well for me, the biggest news is the engagement *blush*.... It was the 21st (our 4 yrs and 11 month anniversary) so he said lets go have a picnic in St James park which is the park surrounding Buckingham Palace. So we bought our food (French fries and kebabs) and took the train there. Then when we got to the park i told him if u see a free bench grab it and at that moment i saw a free bench. So i said "Go grab it" And this fellow was lagging behind. So i got really irritated and said something like "What on earth are u doing child?" and turned around to see him on one knee with a ring!! :) Yes i almost dropped Then i realised everybody was starring and so before he could even ask the question i said YES. LOL. Then he insisted on asking the official question and we had about 20 spectators waiting to see if i said yes. The embarrasment! Then we sat down and ate our food :) "

A  few weeks later in January 2010, I said yes to Katy Kat when she asked if I would be one of her bridesmaids. Despite my initial anxieties over crowds, public appearances, heavy make-up and high heels, I was pretty excited when asked because 1) I was touched she thought of me for the occasion 2) It was my first time being a bridesmaid and, 3) Means I had the perfect excuse to give my mother and put off any wedding proposals because bridemaids can't be married! (that, I'm kidding).


Last week, she got married to her long time sweetheart and I was thrilled to be there to witness this joyful occasion. I got to spend several days with the couple, her family and their friends, getting to know new people, planning out a Hen Party for the Bride, observing how her mum worked on the wedding decorations and getting special treatment as part of the couple's retinue. During that time, Shu the "party animal" hit three clubs in five days - that will go down as a record.

I must say Bridezilla was surprisingly calm and in control in the days leading to the wedding, even when others around her were freaking out! ;) She's a rock in disguise, that girl. The wedding day went as perfectly as a wedding can go, thanks to several months of careful planning and preparation. The Bride looked stunningly gorgeous in her dress and the couple looked wonderful together. The church and ballroom decorations were beautifully done and the church ceremony was livened by a talented choir. Her mum had been planning and preparing for the wedding decorations years ago and it was really impressive to see the amount of thought, detail, time, creativity and dedication that went into making the "Beach + Seashells" themed decorations. The couple was surrounded by the positive energy of many good long-term friends and it was nice to see them all come together to make the event memorable. I was teamed up with the groomsman who looked like the Asian twin of Tom Welling (Clark Kent in Smallville) so I had nothing to complain about, really. And my family was very pleased that I had to dress up like a girly girl for a change.

Thanks Mrs Katy Kat, I took away a bunch of sweet memories from the experience. I wish you and your OH all the best in the journey you'll take together!

Social Privilege

Not all of us are born to the same circumstances. There will always be differences in social status, which is determined by factors such as ...