Below is the full text of the speech by King Willem-Alexander during the National Remembrance on Dam Square in Amsterdam. I’ve decided to translate it properly as I have fuck all else to do and I can’t sleep, and can’t keep bugging people. And it needs to be read. And translation is what I do. It was a touching speech. ...
It may be happening to all of us, but we all react in wildly different ways. I am getting less relaxed about this now. Not that I was relaxed about this to start with but a few panic attacks later with a severely tight chest, and then yesterday a few dry coughs, and some crazy apps to people in the ...
This is This is life, or so we thought This is the new normal, so they say This is seeing friends, from afar This is watching TV, religiously every day This is saying it ain’t me, I’m ok This is saying stay away, I’m ok This is thinking, will it stay this way? This is hoping, will my family be ...
When this is over, I want to bask in the warmth of the sun. I want to say thank you more often. I want to work less and play more. I want to be the love I hope to create. I want to say hello to strangers. I want to laugh loudly with friends. I want to make amends with my ...
Another brilliant piece by my friend Michael about the real impetus behind the very Brexiteers now in charge (I use the term loosely) of the British Government. The world deserves to know about this so reblogging it! Padraig Colman Many detached observers have asked what the point of Brexit is. Who benefits? Many people have asked the simple question: why ...
Excellent piece by my friend Michael O’Leary if you’re wondering what the hell is going on in UK politics these days. Padraig Colman This article was published in Ceylon Today on September 26 2019 https://ceylontoday.lk/print-more/41193 I have been reading a very depressing book called How Democracies Die by Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt. They go back as far ...
I have been in love with three Sri Lankan men. I am still friends with all. But there is a seriously sad and pathetic undertone to how these guys live. I can see it clearer when I am home, in Haarlem. The constant demanding of money is tiring. Not from the first I must add… he is now settled in ...
Except for the bit about children, I can very much relate to this. EAT SLEEP EDIT REPEAT Note: I agonised over whether I should share this post at all, especially on my work blog – but I decided it is better to talk about these things. I also stressed over what to call it, but decided anything else would be ...
The title makes little sense, neither did my head when I finally decided to leave the country I have called home since October 2004, yep 13 years. 13 years of joy, sadness, hurt, immense moments of happiness, fun, near-death experiences, sickness, health, evil and good, and fucking great, absolutely dreadful, but fantastic too. Beauty and ugliness, rich and poor, intense colour, and ...
Excellent perspective on sexist issues in Sri Lanka today. three sugars in my tea. For a country that won’t shut up harping on the fact that it elected the first female Prime Minister, Sri Lanka sure can’t stand to see a strong woman hold her own without giving into some innate need to tear her down. A strong, opinionated woman ...
Excellent blog post by a volunteer about the good and the bad of the relief efforts in the recent floods & landslides to hit Sri Lanka. As Indi brilliantly put it “Sri Lankans are actually amazing in a crisis, but if we were organized we could actually be effective.” three sugars in my tea. Endless lessons have been learned in ...
Today is Vesak Poya (full moon) Day. It is probably the most important festival of the year in the Theravada Buddhist calendar. Buddhists commemorate the three most important events that took place in the life of Lord Buddha on this Vesak Poya Day (always the first full moon in the month of May). First is the day Siddhartha Gautama was born, which took ...
This is a great A – Z guide to Sri Lankan food. Enjoy! Style in Sri Lanka Fresh, local produce is plentiful and widely available in a variety of mouth-watering dishes across Sri Lanka. There are also likely to be many foods you haven’t tried or perhaps even heard of before which alone is one of the many highlights of visiting this ...
Now unless you live in Sri Lanka, I am 99% sure that you will have absolutely no idea of what I am talking about except for the prawn curry bit. Basically, Sri Lanka has had some “issues” with island-wide electricity supply since Sunday the 13th of March when the entire country was without power for around 8 hours due to ...
A new document was created and published earlier this month that offers descriptions of linguist roles, i.e. translators, interpreters and terminologists. A BIG THANK YOU to the five professional associations and the industry professionals (see at the end of this post for the names) who worked on and supported this project, which is a valuable resource to all linguists and ...
Going to the vegetable market is always fun in Sri Lanka. It’s pretty much pointless to make a shopping list for me because I never stick to it. I can be convinced that I’m going to buy potatoes, onions, cabbage and tomatoes but what I’ll actually come home with are sweet potatoes (the normal variety were small and the sweet ...
You know all those stories about eggs in excess being bad for you because they lead to high cholesterol? It’s all rubbish. The nutrition and especially the diet industry have in the last few years done a big u-turn and we are now told that fats do not make us fat after all, and eggs are in fact a superfood. ...
Happy Poson poya day! Mihintale: where Buddhism was introduced in Sri Lanka. A special place during Poson poya. Today is a full moon day (poya) and in the Sinhala Buddhist calendar it celebrates the arrival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka in the 3rd century BC. It is a festival of great historical and religious significance and is celebrated island-wide, second only to Vesak. I ...
ankierenique:With special thoughts and prayers for Nepal on this Vesak day in 2015. Originally posted on ankie renique's blog: Now unless you live in a mainly Buddhist country like Sri Lanka or are a devout follower of Buddhism, you’re probably wondering “what is she on about now?” when I happily wish you and your family a happy and peaceful vesak. ...
This post is in response to a photo I saw today. One that has gone viral, one of a little girl putting her hands up to a journo with a DSLR. She thought it was a weapon. A Syrian girl. The BBC is calling this “the photo that broke the internet’s heart” What a load of codswallop. It breaks peoples hearts. ...
