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Lotus Reflections
“May we exist in muddy water with purity, like a lotus.” Zen saying. The Weras Ganga park was open in 2014 and is adjacent to the Bellanwila Raja Maha Vihara temple. The park is popular for its jogging and cycling tracks and I’m usually here, cycling every Sunday. This month I visited the park for the first time since the Easter Attacks in April....
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The Colombo Project
In 2016, I conceptualized an installation titled ‘The Colombo Project,’ for Cinnamon Colomboscope, an annual contemporary and multi-disciplinary arts festival in Sri Lanka. Using both photography and film, the installation tried to capture a vision of the city which holds within itself a potential for ethnic and religious harmony through its built environment and technological advancement. The installation was based on the neighbourhood around...
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Tea, in India
The last few rainy days in Colombo has made me nostalgic for a hot chai. A good tea for me is my chai from a roadside boutique in India. Maybe it is the size of the cups they are served in. Or the flavor of cardamon. But my love affair with tea began and ended in India. As a child, I hated drinking tea....
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Mecca and Medina
Visiting Mecca is always this overwhelming experience, even for the not so observant. I’ve seen the Ka’aba (black square building) for years in pictures and on television, and finally seeing it in real life is both surreal and exciting. The layout and architecture of the mosques in Mecca and Medina gives one the feeling of being on a futuristic movie set. Where everyone is...
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Phillip Island, Australia
My first trip out of Melbourne was to Phillip Island. The place is a very popular tourist destination both for its scenic beauty and wildlife sanctuaries. The island is named after Arthur Phillip the first Governor of New South Wales and is only an hour’s drive from the city. There are many things you can do in Phillip Island. My itinerary included: Walking along The Nobbies. Lunch...
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Blogging from Melbourne
I am sitting at a Middle Eastern cafe called Zaatar, in Coburg, a cosy suburb in Melbourne. Lined with Arab and Turkish cafes, Pakistani dress boutiques, and Indian restaurants, the place feels close to home. I order a chamomile tea and a piece of baklava so I can sit here and write my fist blog post since May. I am in Melbourne for many reasons....
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Laksa, Malaysia
Laksa has now entered my list of all time favourite things to eat. I just returned from Malaysia where I spent my Avurudu* week eating half of Asia. Malaysia is a great melting pot for Asian cuisine and my next blog posts will feature the different kinds of food I encountered on my holiday there. What is Laksa? Laksa is a noodle soup that...
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Pasar Malam: Malay Food Fiesta
Yesterday I went for ‘Pasar Malam,’ a food fiesta and hawker street organized by the Womens Affairs Committee of the Sri Lanka Malay Association. Having a Malay grandmother, I had been exposed to most of these food items growing up. My grandma loves to cook and she and her sisters make some amazing Malay dishes. A brief history of the Malays in Sri Lanka...
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The Melomanic Sessions
Always a delight to attend. The Melomanic Sessions happen every few months and brings together music lovers to a night of acoustic relaxation. This time Melo was held at “Nuga Sevana” (on the Cathdral premises on Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 7, near BMICH). I love the venue and the stage underneath the Nuga tree makes for quite a magical experience. I wasn’t there for too...
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Colombo Design Market
The Colombo Design Market has been taking place for the last three months in front of the Laksala store behind the Colombo Museum. Organized by sisters Alifiya and Munira Mutaher and some of their friends, the market is a fun place to socialize, and check out young new artists, designers and performers. It’s also a great place to promote your work. Some of my...
