Samut Saring Ceylon

Tue 16 Dec 2008

Last few days...

To just maintain some level of normalcy in our remaining days here which is actually becoming more chaotic each day, we have found time to take some hours lightly and fun by being more creative.

Fuzzy has finally taken up the camera which is usually Vibrant Bea's default mode and got some shots of a fly catcher perched on the mango tree. This is by the way rarely sighted in Colombo and more common in the dry region of the Central Province. I saw a male flycatcher once in it's rare season of having a graceful long colorful tail in Bundala on our first year of our stay. I never got a chance of capturing it's beautiful flight with my lens.

Here is the best shot. I feel like it is going to be a long time before we get to see our next flycatcher.

And to keep the two busy, we bought some crafts from Pakistani brethren who sought asylum in this country because of religious persecution. The children thought it nice to add glitter in these wall hangers. And it did added some color.

And it made sorting and packing a little bit merrier for us all.

Whew! Movers will come in tomorrow to stash our earthly possessions away in bubble wrap, paper, carton boxes and loads of tape... let us see how it will go.

Comments (0) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link

Wed 10 Dec 2008

The Lil Ruffin fun

Posted in wachamacallits i love

Let me just share some photos of how Lil Ruffin takes the changes in our lives in a stride. She makes it light and easy amidst it all. She just "constructed" her own reading desk. She dons her own costume - a long bib worn frontside back for a cape, VB's headband for a head gear, a helmet, of course, a shiny belt with another of VB's headband as a gizmo, and calls herself a superhero. A playful child.

So to ease the pressure and break the ice, enjoy!

The older kids had fun too spending the afternoon with their homeschooling friends. They decorated gingerbread cookies with glitter candies, chocolate bits and mints. How sweet of them to bring their goodies home to share with the family. And they were yummy!

Well, I must say, inspite of all chaos, it is still a productive day for all of us.

Comments (0) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link

Fri 28 Nov 2008

A short getaway

Posted in wachamacallits i love

We took a short trip today to a beach resort, Blue Water, at Waduwa (an hour south of Colombo) to celebrate Vibrant Bea's 12th birthday tomorrow quietly. We decided to keep it simple this year since we feel like our energy has been sapped by our ongoing preparation for our departure. It is a short getaway from it all but we will be back Saturday afternoon.

Almost sunset. Relaxing by the poolside, the beach (Indian Ocean) can be seen from this point.

That's Fuzzy, running at the other side of the pool.

VB with Fuzzy and Lil Ruffin after a hearty buffet dinner at Bluewater.

Comments (0) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link

Fri 21 Nov 2008

a couple of Bollywood movies

Posted in wachamacallits i love

Because of it's proximity to Bollywood, Colombo's video shops are well-supplied of the best and latest Indian films ever made. I must say of the hundreds of titles, I have only watched two so far, both of them have not failed to match my expectations. Both also showed me a glimpse of the cultural richness and creativity of the people of India.

The first film is Bride and Prejudice, which stars Aishawarya Rai. A Bollywood adaptation of the Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. It gives a colorful and humorous twist to Austen's novel while it retains the plot of this favorite classic. Well, toss in some great beat, songs and well executed choreography and voila! You have a great classic turned into a Bollywood blockbuster. I remember my children wanting to watch it twice maybe even for a third time had I not decided to give the DVD away to someone who might also enjoy it. What captivated them really were the songs and the choreography a' la Bollywood.

My husband, the Principal, brought home our second Bollywood film today from a local video shop. It turned out to be not only equally entertaining but also informative. The plots runs on the history of India during the time of British rule, when "lagaan" or taxes (tribute) are paid by the peasants to the British Raj and a big portion of it are paid to the British head of cantonment. A peasant village is going through drought and thus, hard time that they can not pay lagaan to the cantonment. A wager was made involving a cricket game match between the village men and the British officers. Read more about Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India. It has gained numerous awards, nominations and accolades. In 2002, Lagaan was nominated for the best foreign language film at the Academy Award nominations ceremony.

Filmography links and data courtesy of The Internet Movie Database.

Imagine that, we were only looking for a friend who got a cameo role in this one. Yet, we did not see a shadow of her in the film but we unearthed a treasure. This movie gave us opportunities of learning India's history under the British regime, religious practices and the cricket game - which Vibrant Bea and Fuzzy enjoy playing with neighborhood kids. Coincidentally, we are also studying India as part of Sonlight Core 5's Eastern Hemisphere Explorer.

Hey, Hollywood! Bollywood is cool.

Comments (0) :: Post A Comment! :: Permanent Link

Tue 18 Nov 2008

Shipper's bid

Posted in wachamacallits i love

A shipper came today to take a survey of how much stuff we are going to ship to Cairo. I realized we haven't accumulated much since we came here. And since two of our tall bulky bookshelves, a computer and pc table, and a round table will be left with a friend and a church anyway, we still have a lot of room for a dining set, so he says. But we have not really decided on buying a dining set now. Perhaps, we might.

We were told by my husband's employer that there are three shippers coming to bid this week. So, it seems that I have to set aside three different meetings at home with these bidders to show them around and what wealth I have to stash away to Cairo, if there are any, in a medium-sized container. Whoa! And they are supposed to come during our homeschool time.. not a very bright idea, at least to me.

It turned out that there is only one local shipper contacted by three different companies in the US to do the work for them. These three US companies will supposedly bid on our shipment package. Isn't it funny yet amazing that their eyes were set on a single company among many others? This local company is the sure winner. Impressive, huh? Seems like there is no competition and which also means, I don't have to entertain 3 times a shipper this week after all. Simply impressive!

Well, it is worth mentioning that this company was established in 1878...They have been shipping a lot of the British and other foreigner's stuff and perhaps, gems and ivory (I am speculating here) long before Ceylon became Sri Lanka. And guess what is on their flyer. It says "Take the weight of your mind... Creasy's, The name that carries the weight." Can anything be better than that?

And they are not only into freight forwarding. They are into other big businesses as mentioned in their profile.

So I trust that this company will deliver our things safely on the shores of Egypt early next year.

Believe me, this is a shameless unpaid plug. Since this is my blog, who dares complain? But as I said, I am rather impressed.