tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78586427589862356672024-02-21T11:53:43.905+08:00The Caterpillar Who Loved Chocolate CakeShuri suffers from a chronic case of mental diarrhea and is often plagued by a hyperactive imagination that does not show in her ordinary conversations with others. This blog is what her (imaginary) therapist recommended so that she won't explode with a build up of overwhelming thoughts.Shurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14419320063261223436noreply@blogger.comBlogger227125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858642758986235667.post-56490482374831952192018-07-19T19:47:00.001+08:002018-07-20T09:05:30.384+08:00Social PrivilegeNot all of us are born to the same circumstances. There will always be differences in social status, which is determined by factors such as income, education level, occupation, race, gender, caste, lineage or even the social groups one's family belongs to.
Some think that it is also in the best interests of those who are privileged to keep it among themselves, lest they lose it for all who are Shurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14419320063261223436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858642758986235667.post-67280532510412094752018-06-07T00:57:00.002+08:002018-06-08T13:47:13.873+08:00The world of superstition and black magic
Every man is his greatest enemy, and, as it were, his own executioner
- Sir Thomas Brown
Of late, I have stepped into a weird parallel universe of superstition and black magic. Here, Science and rational thinking are dead.
(Image source: ILoveFunnyCats)
Black magic is surprisingly common, from voodoo magic in Africa or Gu in China, to what's practiced here. Although the Shurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14419320063261223436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858642758986235667.post-36971716705449580492018-05-27T16:37:00.000+08:002018-05-28T11:05:59.791+08:00Living on a dimeA Buddhist teaching speaks of the Eight Vicissitudes of life, also dubbed "The Eight Worldly Winds". These - joy and pain, gain and loss, praise and blame, and fame and disrepute - come and go like the winds. The trick is to remain mentally unshaken by these ever-changing winds, being equally reactive for the positive experiences and the negative experiences in life. Because only then, the Shurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14419320063261223436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858642758986235667.post-4392449509455369752018-05-23T22:58:00.003+08:002018-05-26T10:41:57.725+08:00 The nun from hell I shuttle between two offices during the week. Lately, I’ve been spending more time at my new office than the one at the UN compound.
This office is an old-fashioned, large, single-floor house that has been converted to a multi-purpose office. I learnt that this place has a lot of history. Even now, the building has remnants of various publications stacked up in shelves, novels written by a Shurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14419320063261223436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858642758986235667.post-67428634840552278382018-05-05T14:47:00.000+08:002018-05-08T09:43:22.634+08:00E.T. settles in Two years ago, after I made the somewhat unsettling decision to move to Sri Lanka, I felt like I was an alien that had unknowingly arrived at the correct planet. Many years prior to that, I felt that my interests in wildlife conservation were a little strange and highly idealised, even. Having spent a good part of my early life stuck in the obsession of being a veterinarian and eventually having Shurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14419320063261223436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858642758986235667.post-46736163460739793562018-04-19T18:23:00.000+08:002018-04-19T19:47:23.165+08:00The essence of new year traditionsEarlier in April, we celebrated our traditional New Year in Sri Lanka. This day is signified astrologically by the Sun's transition from the House of Pisces to the House of Aries. On this special event, the people who celebrate get into a frenzy of shopping for gifts, cleaning their homes, making/ buying sweets, following the traditions prescribed at auspicious times and preparing to visit and Shurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14419320063261223436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858642758986235667.post-2345664719080179442018-01-07T18:42:00.000+08:002018-02-26T00:49:46.978+08:00Lessons learnt from the B&B: 2 years onOur family just completed 2 years of running a Bed & Breakfast/ home stay. Looking back, we realise that we stepped into this venture quite blindly, which is not advisable at all when starting a new business. Due to lack of experience, we did no prior market research or risk assessment. However, we've learnt a thing or two along the way.
We are still a no-profit business with 7 more years toShurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14419320063261223436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858642758986235667.post-9762072825382047592018-01-06T00:36:00.002+08:002018-04-13T14:38:41.371+08:00Parting with a petIn life, we are faced with a choice: do we create new emotional attachments with other beings knowing very well that one day we have to part with them, or do we run away from it altogether to avoid the the pain that follows loss?
Exactly, an year ago, we were forced to adopt two kittens that were abandoned by the roadside. Although we asked around, no one was willing to adopt them.
So Shurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14419320063261223436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858642758986235667.post-17669998840222704152018-01-04T12:07:00.001+08:002018-01-05T18:29:18.353+08:00A closer look at a double-edged sword
“All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first, the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing Shurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14419320063261223436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858642758986235667.post-46759799169272871262017-12-09T23:40:00.000+08:002018-06-18T20:56:19.425+08:00People: KumuduMy mother has a new helper who comes and helps us with housekeeping and making tofu. With me moving to the city to do a job and being occupied on weekends with my Master's research project, I can no longer help with housekeeping and guest welcoming activities at our Bed & Breakfast. The lady who used to help my mother earlier with making tofu no longer needed this second part time job since Shurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14419320063261223436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858642758986235667.post-27637559347132454382017-10-30T21:41:00.000+08:002018-01-06T12:15:10.121+08:00The Sunday ClassifiedsAccording to my weekly routine, I took the early morning train this morning to make the 2hr 45mins journey from home to office. Train journeys are my favourite. I can hardly sleep while traveling by train because looking out the window (at green paddy fields, paddy farmers at work, birds and other scenery), reading a book in solitude, listening to music or being lost in thought feels so good and Shurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14419320063261223436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858642758986235667.post-30681354264831033692017-10-11T12:02:00.003+08:002017-10-11T12:02:59.657+08:00To believe or notThe other day, I called my mother frantically and told her, "MOTHER, I'M BURNING, WHAT SHOULD I DO???"
(I had a urinary tract infection and two painful styes in both eyes)
However old you get, you can never replace that comforting feeling you get from your mother, especially when you are sick. She calmed me down and gave a list of things to drink, if I could find them at that hour of the night;Shurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14419320063261223436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858642758986235667.post-73755100693228999232017-08-27T00:33:00.003+08:002017-08-27T00:33:53.626+08:00I'm a super-absorbent spongeThis weekend I stayed back from going home. Now without the pressures of lectures and exams, I am free to roam around. The only way to hold me back it seems is to tie me to something, or else, off I go.
The place I stay during the week is very conveniently located in a centralised location of the capital city. Because of this, I am able to participate in various events, that hardly Shurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14419320063261223436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858642758986235667.post-35495328410665343992017-08-20T00:31:00.000+08:002017-08-20T14:16:36.000+08:00Greener aspirationsIt's not like I had a lot of options to choose from when I took an unorthodox route in continuing my higher studies. Normally, people go from good universities to better ones, but I went from a university that brags being top 10 in the world to a university that ranks somewhere below the 2000th spot. The quality of education between the two universities is not comparable. The former consisted of Shurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14419320063261223436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858642758986235667.post-89990293578985878572017-08-08T17:14:00.003+08:002017-08-08T18:17:11.326+08:00Time for a serviceI find it really hard to focus on writing lately. I'm not sure why. At first I thought it must be because I am usually busy, but no, I've always been an occupied person. And I always make time to do the things I like. So it's not that.
Maybe my losing touch with writing has to do with feeling detached with my authentic self once again. Maybe my ego has been slowly growing with too much Shurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14419320063261223436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858642758986235667.post-49506404688631581142017-07-08T01:42:00.000+08:002017-07-08T14:11:03.132+08:00Beyond the ClassroomJust when life in the university had settled into a predictable routine (in terms of the standard of education, educators, lecture styles, exams, etc), where the expected always happened, something threw us off guard.
The last subject of the curriculum called "Legal Protection of the Environment" commenced a few weeks ago. This was the first time any of us had any exposure to environmental law. Shurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14419320063261223436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858642758986235667.post-64679060920710320272017-06-21T00:05:00.000+08:002017-06-21T00:36:40.133+08:00Candid PeelThis morning at around 5 a.m., I was woken up by loud screams. The sounds sent chills down my spine. My first thought was that someone somewhere really close by was getting murdered or raped.
Soon my lane was buzzing with neighbours in their nightwear flocking to the house where the screams originated. Other neighbours talked to each other to piece together what was going on. The police arrived Shurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14419320063261223436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858642758986235667.post-9030337999195343362017-06-08T23:10:00.000+08:002017-07-08T10:35:40.384+08:00M.Sc. for Juvenile DelinquentsNext month, I'll be done with one year of coursework. The six months after that will be spent on independent research with no more lectures or exams. And if everyone in class finishes their research projects on time (which is unlikely), we'll all meet again on graduation day in 2018.
Hurrah?
I think not.
I'm really going to miss my crazy classmates and the good times we had/ have during Shurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14419320063261223436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858642758986235667.post-73041729515144105792017-05-04T07:41:00.004+08:002017-07-08T10:36:24.143+08:00The little drummer
This is a story about a little drummer.
I have never met a kid so passionate about something, having solid future plans to pursue his ambitions. Udara is a 11-year old. His ambition is to become a traditional Sri Lankan dancer/ drummer, despite his brother's expectations of him becoming a professional football player. Besides compulsively feeling the urge to tap his fingers on surfaces, he Shurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14419320063261223436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858642758986235667.post-40626088091792203802017-04-15T23:35:00.000+08:002017-07-08T10:36:53.623+08:00Traditions then and nowThe traditional Sinhala and Tamil New Year which falls in April was a fun time for me as a child. We looked forward to this joyous occasion, which fell right after the school holidays began. It was a time when relatives gathered at my grandparent's house. There were plenty of games, food, fireworks and laughter. Now our grandparents are no longer around, so the relatives don't gather as muchShurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14419320063261223436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858642758986235667.post-86130252447847032222017-04-15T20:36:00.000+08:002017-07-08T10:37:29.752+08:00Just do it!I'm home for the New Year holidays. Like Singapore's Chinese New Year, this is one of the longest holidays that people here get to enjoy with their loved ones.
While life goes on here and I have a growing number of tasks on my plate, I've been feeling somewhat paralysed and defeated by my own state of inaction lately. What I previously thought of as procrastination might actually be a case of "Shurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14419320063261223436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858642758986235667.post-39304916663489209452017-03-13T22:56:00.000+08:002017-07-08T10:38:26.489+08:00The Bermuda TriangleI have come to the conclusion that my seating area in the office is a mini Bermuda Triangle. Several things of value have gone missing lately. Few days ago, I decided to search for a missing camera in a big box located behind my chair. I had noticed this box lying there, closed up, since the day I joined.
I nearly fell off my rotating chair the moment I opened that box because, man, I did NOT Shurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14419320063261223436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858642758986235667.post-7821782164939120882017-02-28T21:50:00.000+08:002017-02-28T22:04:36.710+08:00I might be the Flash!I really shouldn't be blogging because I'm supposed to have other priorities today. Sigh.
Yesterday, I set off to work from home, covering approximately 150 km in 4 hours to make it to an important meeting. On the same evening, I covered another 150 km in the bus and train to be back home to cover the B&B for two days while my mother was supposed to have a small medical procedure. Shurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14419320063261223436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858642758986235667.post-8920569160199228512017-02-10T23:02:00.002+08:002017-07-08T10:39:06.952+08:00Pushing limits Watching this video that a friend shared on Facebook today gave me inspiration for this mini-post.
Basically, the video says that being busy can be good for the following reasons:
Being productive is a vital part of our human existence
Being busy also means you are constantly improving yourself
When you’re busy, you are also learning more things about yourself and pushing your boundaries
Shurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14419320063261223436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7858642758986235667.post-11376106087074708882017-01-17T21:34:00.000+08:002018-06-18T22:01:06.072+08:00Blogging: An Alternative to StudyingDay Two
Assignment: Familiarise self with more files and read relevant information on the internet.
Status: Mission accomplished. Brain supersaturated with information.
~ ~ ~
As the office consists of two other senior females and one senior male staff, I hang out with an intern about 9 years younger than me. The kid is friendly and has attempted on both days to make sure I am not feeling Shurihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14419320063261223436noreply@blogger.com0