Moving to any new country involves mind-numbing amounts of paperwork and form-filling. Official forms often contain an ethnic or racial profile section, with a list of boxes to choose from and tick. In Britain, Sri Lankans are classified as “British Asian (Other)”. Despite an important presence in the national consciousness thanks to high profile people […]
Michael Ondaatje once said something really clever about his Sri Lankan family and their penchant for exaggeration. I can not remember his exact words because every time I try to recall them I get distracted by what I might actually say to Michael Ondaatje if I ever ran into him. Of course even in my […]
Husband, hearing and fearing the words “domestic servitude of motherhood” go from my mouth straight to the information superhighway (ie. my grandmother and her speed-dial), decided it was time to staff up and hire an au pair. This first au pair experience was such an abject failure it was nearly our last. I am currently working […]
I didn’t write over December 2010 and January 2011. Not that this was noticed by the literary or blogging world of course, but it was the first time since I learnt to put an HB pencil to paper that I didn’t want to write. Not a blog post, not a postcard, not even a list […]
At dinner last night the children wanted to know why they had to eat their brocolli. I explained that brocolli is high in iron, amongst other things, which was needed to strengthen their blood. This led to a discussion with Prima, Secundo and Tercero (aged 7, 5 and 2) about our circulatory system and I […]
After nearly two decades of legal training, my life – even my mummy life – is broken down into 6 minute billable units. I can’t help but see the passing of time this way. I’ve never had a biological clock; it’s always been a billable one. Today was a day like any other day. I call it […]
On a recent (fully (extended)) family holiday, the little ducklings met a new cousin (aged 5) who greeted them with a catchy little song he seemed to have composed just for them. It went something like this: “Sai Baba, Sai Baba, Saieeeeee Babababa Ba Ba.” Sai Baba is perhaps modern India’s second best known holyman […]
Last week it was our wedding anniversary. Ten years, four children, 53 stitches and one migration later, we found ourselves back at the Canberra Hyatt, the hotel where husband and I spent our wedding night. A decade ago, we arrived there after a seven hour wedding ceremony. Neither of us had eaten all day, our facial […]
That Jesus seemed like a great guy. With his heavy facial hair and strong attachment to his mother, he could just as easily have been Sri Lankan as Israeli. Whatever his ethnic origin, his golden rules of Do Unto Others and Love Thy Neighbour etc seem like outstanding principles to live one’s life by. And he […]
I should say that watching Spooks from Australia makes me miss London. Spooks will give you a slightly misleading view of London. In Spooks, it never rains, the Northern Line is always working, it is possible to cross the city and diffuse a bomb in 8 minutes, the A&E wards are never overcrowded and budget […]