Ideal marriage material

When a Sri Lankan woman arrives at her 20th milepost in life, the usual trend for her parents is to lay the foundation for her future family. No doubt the hunt begins in finding a decent boy with a good job as typically stated by many Lankan parents. If the eligible bride to be owns land, a house or several, in possession of a University degree from a Western European country or North America the scales would tip in favour of her. Often she would be known as USA/Canada/UK returned or USA College Degree and so on. Her family members, if they hold jobs in professional fields such as Medicine, Engineering, Law, Architecture, IT ( recent field to join the list) they would be specifically stated along with the Degrees obtained.If she is not in the professional employable cadre, her employment with a multinational company in an Executive capacity would be emphasized with the added fringe benefits extended to her by her employer. If the bride to be is not employed her domestic & home management skills would be emphasised – i.e. Culinary skills – this would further branch out to two areas – main dishes & desserts, dressmaking, gardening, handicraft. The planetary positions in her astrological chart would be discussed later on. Even though the eligibility criteria is more severe for the potential bride that does not mean that the bridegroom to be is spared. The foreign degrees will naturally cause a great impact, his career and position, family assets all of these will be considered, compared in getting the best deal for both families. Honesty, common sense, practical attitude, sound mentality can always wait to be figured out during life after marriage.. In typical local saying “a good match”.

A contrast of seasonal dressing

The shop windows are decorated with cotton fluff to create an image of snow in 32 degree weather. Pine trees stand in street corners waiting to be picked up by this year’s owner. The neighbouring coconut and mango trees seem to look down amusingly, on the annual strangers who have travelled all the way from the hill stations to the city. Painted images of reindeer are seen on banners and sign boards. The trees continue to have their same dresses in shades of emerald, jade, olive and lime and the sun spreads her rays of heat and warmth all over, making it impossible even for the made up cotton fluff to remain for long hours. There is now way we can accommodate a snowman with all the scuttling shoppers rummaging through things for the best bargains. In any case the snowman would face an instant death due to the scorching heat. The television tells us that one part of the globe is changing colours for Christmas and most of everywhere is white. We see people huddled up in warm clothes sipping coffee, others skating, skiing. Sprigs of holly and mistletoe decorate the windows and doors. Whereas at our end kids attired in the least clothing play cricket mimicking their favourite heroes, the pavements accommodate the street vendors selling their Christmas trinkets, fireworks, export surplus, Isn’t it amazing to think that while the earth rotates that one side of her chooses to turn white at this time of the year while the other side prefers to remain green ?

VAT free Value Added Service

The extent of brokerage services offered over here can be varied. The familiar services include real estate, matrimonial, commodity trading and employment. Providing reliable and the appropriate links to finalise the deal will call for a percentage of the total transaction value. The terms of these familiar services are understood by anyone who seeks their help. There is also an unusual kind of brokerage service extended to funeral undertakers. The services include many different types and may range from providing mourners at funerals. That would mean a single or a group of people who will call over at a funeral and weep as if they supply of oxygen has been cut off due to the departing of the deceased. Based on the amount paid, they will wail and beat on their chest and proclaim that this death has caused a great void in their lives and that it will effect their emotional well being. Everybody who are present, will also get an opportunity to hear on the exemplary life lead, by always putting the interest of others before one’s own. Such statements voiced out does not really matter even if he/she has been a selfish miser or lived a life of deceit Only the people who actually know the person will wear snickering smiles and eyeball each other. The rest will have no option but to listen to the sorrowful chanting of these hired mourners. The other type of service extended is dealing between the funeral undertaker. One could see such service providers hanging outside state hospitals awaiting the news of indoor patients who has expired for the day. The total death count for the day would be conveyed by hospital attendants (who will also be rewarded, for providing instant information) This information will instantly be conveyed to the funeral undertaker who will arrange for his representative to go to the respective wards and explore the possibility of securing an order for a coffin and if required additional services. The simple but tiring services extended to secure a place within the first 10 positions of a queue in a State Department or a Diplomatic Mission is also fully worth the money paid avoiding all the long hours of standing and being baked in the scorching sun. Depending on the hours a fee can be agreed and handed over, once the actual applicant takes over the position. These odd services are indeed a great boon to most people who are grappling with time to get some of these tedious chores done and certainly is a big saver of time as the right links are connected with payments being tax free of course.

Acrobatic Cooks

Amidst the usual chanting of the conductor, my eyes focused on a physical work out by the cooks outside the street café. Several pairs of arms moved in perfect synchronisation it seemed, in turning out a variety of dishes within a couple of minutes. Be it cracking an egg and spilling the contents into the sizzling hopper, or chopping kottu roti at simultaneous movements the agility in which those deft limbs moved were indeed remarkable to watch. At the Beverage counter workout number 2 was in progress. Piping hot tea was poured from outstretched hands back and forth each time spilling into receiving ends of a steel mug and glass. When the workout ceased there stood a glass with an inch thick layer of foam sitting on top. Adjacent to the session of stretching tea, a splitting noise of thambili (king coconut) carving the opening to place in mouth and drink the water. The arm holding the knife flew so swiftly yet so precisely that one smack made a neat rectangular cut on the top. Dessert counter was conducting workout number 3 with pineapple being stabbed with sharp knives at frequent movements in and out, skinned, slicked and garnished with chillie powder to balance the sour flavour. Swift, yet so precise in positioning that leaves no room for any miss. It certainly was like watching acrobats cook the only difference being this wasn’t a circus !!