The Intern Speaks
25 May 2012 2 Comments
in Home, Personal Profiles Tags: 2012, All Smiles, Awareness, Blissfully Beautiful, Blogging, First-timers, Journalism, Soul Searching, Sri Lanka, Work
The past month has been a whirlwind of events. Well sort of. Sure there were times when I didn’t do absolutely anything and there were many times and nights I have spent with people twice my age – don’t get me wrong here, it’s not what you think I can assure you that – but like everything else in my life, I adapted. I enjoyed talking about their mid-life crises and education and correcting the older-adults when they went wrong on topics that I have read more on.
Then there was the internship. We all know what happened to last year’s one 
It was a ball of fun and thank Heavens for The Editor – yes Boss I know you are reading – I worked for some 10-15 days of the 30 day internship.
This time around, I got serious. I worked for 26+ days, my internship diary tells me – guess it added up to the few days I took off while Akki was here – and I did learn a few things. Or a lot. I don’t know.
I learnt the importance of language. Thanks to my running off to India and my extensive use of English, my Sinhala is atrocious. This statement is made based on the fact that I have studied in Sinhala for nearly fourteen-and-a-half years of my life. I learnt that at a place where Sinhala and Tamil are the most familiar, English plays the role it was ideally supposed to: it acts as common ground to those who are not well-versed in the other official language. English neither takes over the existence of everything else, nor does not-knowing the language be a moment of shame. My many moments of shame arose when my Sinhala failed me and my non-speaking-Tamil-Muslim-ness came into being.
I also learnt the joys and the downside to a 9-5.30 job. I loved my time at FT. It was good fun and a heap of work, Sunday-Friday. That’s worse than college. However, over here it was fairly chilled out – rather I was fairly chilled out, not that great for an intern I suppose – and I did have time to do things after work and I had a weekend to call my own. I also did find myself switching off after 4.30 pm – fact – and the zombied look I would scare my folks every morning.
Another, uhm “lesson” that came my way was the futility of education. I have been debating on this topic for the past year and thus contemplating on the necessity of reading for a second degree. For starters, we learnt Vegas! Vegas is so old school and not as cool as FCP! Fine, we all don’t have Macs. But there’s more. The past two semesters boasted of two subjects: Audio and Video Editing and Television Appreciation and Film Studies. Besides the types of shots we learnt for both, I didn’t really find myself “applying” whatever nonsense they taught us. I found myself learning – not re-learning or applying but learning from scratch – new things everyday so much so that I felt a burden to all these lovely people here who were only more than willing to help. Especially the tea folks who knew that I loved my mildly-caffeinated beverage 
Realisation: I am not cut out for television. I don’t really know what I am cut out for actually, but I know that television may not be my thing. I found myself coming in the way of so many people and even a little interview with one bloke would require the service of so many others! In this aspect I found print media way cooler with or without the availability of those lazy photographers.
Of the career choices I see ahead of me however, I did realise that I would like something that is internet-related and sitting in one place with a pc sounds good – minus the fat and other job-related pains I would acquire.
I learnt much about concerns that I would have not read about otherwise. I think my previous posts have been impacted greatly by my readings done here. Those who know me will know for sure not to dare speak of politics, law etc with me. I would not only die of boredom but would have one too many blonde moments to handle. Now, not only could I have a half-knowledge-d discussion about the Constitution and its Amendments, I can also speak of the, this party, that party, tea party business. This place has made me way cooler.
An Evening With the (would-be) Oscar Winner
25 Mar 2012 2 Comments
in Home, Personal Profiles Tags: 2012, All Smiles, First-timers, Individuality, Life in a New Land, Understanding The Opposite Sex, Yindiar, Youth
The evening was a result of weeks, or days of planning, postponing (on my end as expected) and all that jazz. The day finally came for my date with the future Oscar nominee and winner.
He was on time, quite contrary to the “Indian Standard Time” and was also, my first “Indian” date. Don’t get me wrong; I am neither what Carrie Bradshaw calls ‘An international party girl’ nor what Samantha Jones labels, ‘Whore with a fucking passport’. Lol. Oh another first with him being younger than me. But then again, he is my “adopted (little) brother” so I guess that counts.
The evening was pleasant. McDonald’s was the easiest as we couldn’t stress ourselves brainstorming for a place and he had lots to tell me about her. Yes, the date was mainly about her and him checking out some hottie in the ground floor and exchanging intricate and disturbing, (if I may add!) details about students in the same university. Though women are titled gossips, believe me, men could only be twice as agonising and interesting.
The burgers followed doughnuts, picking up dinner for my room-mate and observing grown men share dinner, chat over doughnuts and feel each others backs. I do have my comments on the practices of homosexual activity, but I do put my foot down when it is done in the innocence of a doughnut store or cart or stall or whatever.
The occasional meat eating vegetarian also assured me that it was perfectly normal to practice speeches that one would deliver upon winning a title, Oscar or even when asked to be present at the United Nations General Assembly.
The evening came to an end very pleasantly after having visited the local dairy – Nandini (Lol). The kickass film director slash actor ensured that I got back with time to spare for the horrendous curfew and I in turn ensured that his BB was all he could look at by bringing her in to the picture.
Vikash Tiwari, is indeed, a good date. Ladies, fear not, he’ll look in to only your eyes when you are out with him. I can assure you that
(Due to inconveniences caused by the present internet connection, hyperlinks and images cannot be added. This would be rectified at the earliest.)
To Mama, With Love
26 Jul 2011 4 Comments
in Home, Personal Profiles Tags: 2011, All Smiles, Blissfully Beautiful, Blogging, Feminism, Home&Co., Pink!, Sri Lanka, Women, Women In Islam
Dear Mama,
This post has been coming a while, however I was in question as to how it must be framed. Thus I thought, what better and easier way than a letter? It’s not one of those reply-me ones, but rhetorical to a great extent.
As I said, this has been a long time coming. I cannot thank you enough for what you have given me and on the same lines, I cannot but cringe at those moments I always cried for more. Among Akki’s and my friends you were always nicknamed the “coolest”. However to Akki and I, you are beyond being merely “cool”.
Looking back at my twenty-one years, of which I remember around fifteen, more or less, I’ve seen a woman who has risen to a height in terms of her family and now her career. We are indeed proud to be your daughters.
I always think to myself especially at those times when I ask you something and you answer, ‘Would I be able to answer all the questions my daughters ask me?’ The most common response blinks in front of me: Google. However, what’s amazing about Mama and her generation is that they never needed Google. Now I wouldn’t even know how to write my research paper without it. I am a core tech-buff, I agree, whole heartedly. However, the picture of me educating my child on puberty with a reader on my palm, headset on my ear and a constant eye on the laptop laying on top of the coffee table in front of me awaiting that very email, [Heaven forbid what other technological developments would be available fifteen years from now] does not seem too appealing.
Mama, you would not believe how truly grateful I am about you not turning Akki and I into book-worm. Even if you attempted so, I sincerely doubt that we would’ve been any good at it. What you did was very commendable and looking back at it, prudent. Our Mama did not cut off our allowances or give us less food or do something that would be considered a “punishment” if we were to horrible at our exams. One of the reasons we did not do all that bad was because, she had faith in us that we would do our best, and indeed we did, attempted to or at least tried not to fail Being in University now I am glad I do not have the pressure being haloed over me and as a result of which am able to partake in everything my now-weakening flesh and bones allow me to.
Mama, you taught me how to cook. Rather, I observed and learnt to cook looking at you make all those yummy dishes. Dammit. I want beef.
This letter would be incomplete if I don’t add a realistic touch to it and tell you Mama that you need to work on your patience. Yes you do have patience, I agree, having brought up to unruly monkeys like Akki and I all by yourself. However, you don’t have enough patience to teach me to drive nor teach me to read Arabic. LoL.
With that, I would like to say thank you once again. For bringing us in to this world. For raising us to be responsible children. For teaching us that we don’t need a man to get through in life. For finding yourself a charity-buddy, always-friend-in-need and others’-first, me-last man.
All the best in all you do Mama. We will be there with you every step of the way.
Love,
Akki and Nangi
D for David
19 Apr 2011 2 Comments
in Home, Personal Profiles Tags: 2011, All Smiles, Blogging, First-timers, Home&Co., Individuality, Kill All Boys :), Planner, Understanding The Opposite Sex, Youth
I may have been a journalist for a little over six months, but if written content appeals to me, I call it good writing. Bias, opinionated and very unprofessional as it lacks the required objectivity in journalism but I honestly don’t care. I love myself and believe that my take on things that matter to me are accurate. The first paragraph is self-explanatory of the initial half of the previous sentence *chuckle*
I look forward Lasantha David’s writings not only because he is my friend; I look forward to it because I am able to see his passion for writing and the subject matter visibly whilst reading it. When it comes to being a friend, I am terribly proud of this boy and his book. I wanted to publish two books containing my poetry before I was twenty. I was fifteen when this thought occurred to me – naive, very new to poetry and to reality. I will be twenty-one and have closer upon to seventy poems that are hidden in my closet. But, when I look at Lasantha, “half an IT grad” *chuckle* I am proud of him for having written his first book. I feel like a Mother who is watching her child grow up and pass out of school and university with flying colours. Okay, maybe not all that. It’d be a little creepy if it were so, but the general idea has been established eh?
Another thing about this boy. He is my age, yes will be twenty-one sooner than I would, and Susan, he is mature. As a policy, not only don’t I date but I also refuse, (or maybe it happened unconsciously – which is a very big possibility) to be friends with boys my age. Yes, the clear use of word “boy” in this context was meant to serve its purpose. They are so immature that I can’t help blaming our respective biological functioning. However, since of recent I’ve known two of them, yes a big achievement on my part; and Lasantha is one of them. In fact, he is more mature than guys older than us and no, mention names I shan’t. He was the only soul who kept me sane after my scary treadmill accident. I needed someone to talk to, just blabber with at 7.30am on a Saturday, and this boy was good enough to do so. He didn’t freak out, didn’t insist on flying to India that instant, but he just yapped and played funny YouTube videos of jokers such as myself falling flat on exercise machines #bliss
This boy, often jinxed – as much as I hate to say
that – is truly one of a kind. He’s had a hard journey from the very beginning, and I can’t be more thankful to God for giving me one of the bestest friend’s, ever.
Thank you God and thank you David, for showing me that one’s passion could reach to great heights, without a degree
