I've watched this video about ten times, and you should too. Dustin Hoffman has an epiphany about what it's like to not fit into a standard 'attractiveness' formula, and in doing so he realises something most of us never get around to: we are not the sum total of our physical attributes. This is why I write about my frustrations with beauty pageants and wage internet wars against skin

Melomanic Sessions happens this Saturday, 6.30pm, the Warehouse Project. Sadly, I will not be able to make it, as I will be off on a much needed holiday, but the lineup looks awesome as always, with some new faces and old: - Shaafo - Shamistha - Sankha B - Sam & The Cockroaches - Oshan & Dominic - Kavya, CC, ...

I am very excited to introduce to you, dear readers, Asela Perera’s newest single, Once, and provide a preamble to his 3rd EP, Evenings in the Sun.  <!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE TA <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]>

thank you for leaving me my love my muse you gave back to me she was hiding in the happiness forgotten, unwanted not needed to pen the sorrows to ink the tears I need her now. she took her time coming back having got too comfortable in dreams and laughter afraid of the storms ahead uncertain of how to put in to words the deep dark depths of regret but she is here now. I missed her.

The past few days have shown horrific incidents taking place in this country with regard to the abuse of children. I don't know if the situation has worsened over the years, or that it is brought to our attention more frequently because of increased reporting by all forms of media, but a question I have heard asked many times this week is has it always been this bad? I would hazard a guess and

The 16 days of activism campaign got me thinking and trying to define Gender Based Violence to myself. Violence based on, or because of your gender didn't seem to quite cut it. Violence denotes aggression and aggressive behaviour, physical force, injuries, blood; but so often violence, and abuse, is not just about those things. What about the wife who has no access to the bank accounts, no money

  Cutting for Stone If you read only one book this year, let it be this one. Beautifully written, Verghese takes you on a journey spanning continents and generations. From a mission hospital in Ethiopia, to the war terrain in Eritrea, to the tough streets of the Bronx, the story moves the reader through a dizzying array of themes and story lines, all wrapped in a cocoon of medical drama

Current obsessions: 1. Pinterest: been pinning like a fiend ever since I got on it. Plus, it's a great time waster at work! 2. Party planning: The Duckling and I just got done hosting an epic Halloween party (more on that later). Next up, possibly a farewell party and then her majesty's own 25th really young age birthday party. 3. The weather. Who doesn't love the thunder and lightning

I tried out a recipe for chilli last night that was such a success that I felt I must share.  I must warn you that the quantities below are all what I think "just about looks right" (I have trouble following recipes). Pictured below is what it looked like about half way through the meal, when I felt the need to blog about it. Chilli con carne: Adapted from BBCgoodfood Prep time: aprox.

Not Your Exotic don't wanna be your exotic like some dark, fragile colourful bird imprisoned, caged, in a land foreign to the stretch of her wings don't wanna be your exotic women everywhere look just like me some taller, darker, nicer than me but like me just the same women everywhere carry my nose on their faces my name on their spirits don't seduce yourself with my 'other' ness my hair

I think of you and the continents brilliant and arid and the slender heart you are sharing my share of with the American air as the lungs I have felt sonorously subside slowly greet each morning and your brown lashes flutter revealing two perfect dawns colored by New York see a vast bridge

I miss New York. I really do. Even though the last few months I was there all I could think about was coming home, now that I am home, I miss it. I regret not making the most of it while I was there. I regret not taking more time to explore, regret not breaking the rules a little more, regret not letting it in. I regret not going downtown more often, not visiting the East

Time for an update! I bet you all are as excited as I am, which is to say, not much. I've had a busy week months? The days are starting to blur together. I often don't know which day of the week it is and wear my Thursday jeans on a Tuesday, that kind of thing. So I went to Islamabad for a conference, which was informative and inspiring and all those things civil society conferences are

If you haven't checked out the Colombo International Book Fair already, you should. I can't remember the last time I went so the sheer size of it was totally overwhelming. Get someone to drop you off because the parking looks a nightmare. They have, if I remember right, halls A  through H, brimming with books. The Lakehouse, Makeen's and Sarasavi bookshops had the widest selections of the ones I

I have just returned from a very rewarding, albeit tiring, field trip to Hambantota. As part of a new project we are working on, we did a series of interviews and photo shoots, and we did and saw things that I may or may not reflect on later, time permitting, but I wanted to put down some initial thoughts while they're still fresh in my mind.  A few things struck me quite strongly during the

It's September! One of my favourite months; as I was telling O, 3 years ago we'd be unpacking in our room in college. Sadly, that is no more, and yet my virtual mood board is all autumn colours and pumpkin pie right now. So without further ado, the ten things I love this month: 1. Babies. I jest. But I am expecting a very special brand new nephew to make his appearance in a few weeks, and then

(this poem is) to my lovers who were once the suns in my skies: i am sorry that i never ravished you enough and that there is nothing to be done about the passing of time remember your lovers but, especially, don't forget them, while they are in your bedroom with their hair disheveled and their clothes strewn make sure you notice them as they stand before you as there they lie tell them that

Yes, I am as astounded as you are. Never did I think those words would emerge from my keyboard. But as someone reminded me recently, being environmentally conscious isn't a part time job; it's a way of life. Which means if I am to take myself seriously, I need to practice what I preach. What has given rise to this epiphany? Well, I guess over the years it's become harder to ignore facts

I struggle with religion. I was born a Buddhist, raised in Science and then kind of.. set free. I think it was around A/Ls and my first few years of college that I had strong atheistic leanings; the latter part of college I was enthralled by Taoism and the Bhagavad Gita (note to self: get my textbooks back). Now, after many discussions with my very religious boyfriend, I've settled into

To those who have been asking about the latest development on Wijerama Road, it still remains the same, with more building material being stacked along the side of the road. It indeed appears that the road will be widened but what will happen to the bronze stupa at the top of the road is anyone's guess, though if they don't remove that it will create a bottleneck that will make traffic matters