Sri Lankan Farewells

From the time I have broken the news of Me Leaving Sri Lanka forever to my colleagues, Staff at the Hotel, My Clients... have been getting these funny reactions from them...

By Funny reactions I mean something which I Just did not expect...beyond expectations...

My Last Working Day @ SL Office :

The team did let me leave office early, they wanted me to stay back till late ( Though they have been wishing and praying for me to leave the country from the time I joined the SL office :) )

In the evening the team had organised for a High Tea as a farewell party, which looked more like a formality without any emotions, I was handed over a souvenir and a card and the team bid me Good Bye forever... could see the happiness on their face saying good riddance...

Farewell Most Unexpected :

In the evening on my way back to the Apartment....got a call from Rumiaz and Mansoor who wanted to catch up for coffee in the evening....first I was reluctant but thought it would be good if they came over...as I was over burdened with work from India.

The time decided for coffee was 19.00 hrs but the same was re scheduled to 20.30 hrs... well I thought of Dinner instead of coffee....

Sharp 20.30 hrs they were at the Apartment holding a couple of Bags in their Hands.... before I could enquire about the bags... Mansoor handed over a small Bag to me and saying they had got my Favourite Burgers for me to enjoy..... oh! it touched me some where.... I had that pain in my throat... never expected someone not related really thinking about me so much.....

I really wanted to order in one of the Best Dinners for them....so called the Chef and asked him organise the Best Dinner he could in the Apartment.... the staff came in set up the Table and laid the Italian Dinner with Lobsters, Prawns, Fish, Chicken, Lamb, Pasta, Risotto.... and No Alcohol...

I was touched....just had no words for them...why were they doing it for me...I just had a professional relation with them...a Client and Service Provider Relation...they really took time off to be with me....

Post Dinner Mansoor prepared coffee for all of us.... and just wanted me to sit in the living area and took charge of the Kitchen....

Before leaving they handed over a big box wrapped up... and wanted me to open it...they said it was a farewell gift for me.... It was a beautiful Shirt... I just did not know where to look... I hugged them and thanked them....

Soon they left.

Oktober Fest Farewell :

Yohan ( Sales Manager , The Hotel Residence).. Called me the next Day, and invited me over to the Oktober Fest @ The Hilton Colombo (Oktober fest is known as the Beer Fest in India).

He said it was a farewell dinner to me and the entire Sales team was sad for me leaving the Apartment for Good.... I was surprised as I had nothing to give him...for business nor I was any future Business prospect for him....

The Oktober Fest was a great experience with so many German Expats around...Free Different kind of Beer flowing all over... loved the BBQ...

The over all it was good experience and loved the farewell....

Halloween Farewell :

Joana walked up to me to the Swimming Pool while I was chilling with a nice chilled Beer in my hand.... well it was the first meeting, she introduced herself to me saying she was a great fan of me and has been noticing me swimming, chilling, roaming around the pool for the past few months.... and heard about me leaving the country for good, so wanted me to come for her Halloween Party....

I found it a bit strange but did accept the invitation.... The Party was not too Bad...but the People were really warm...I did dance, though I was not comfortable as Sri Lankans are great Dancers...but did manage to dance with a few Girls around who tried teaching me Salsa ;)...but was good fun.

The Joy Ride Farewell....

Wow... Nilanka drove the car around Colombo @ 120 + kmph... and made me sit on the front seat... I freaked...but the dude would just keep increasing the speed....would never forget...

That Evening I was touched...my friends from the front office wanted me to come out with them for dinner...Nilanka and Asanka were @ the Apartment to pick me up...they treated me out for Dinner @ Raja Bojun ( an amazing place to eat Sri Lankan Food)...

Later during the evening our Old Friend No. 7 Mr Jack Daniel's was presented to them by me.... rest is that no one reached office on time :)

I am really touched with the affection of the people @ Sri Lanka, it was so unconditional...they all knew I would never be coming back....I could give them nothing... but all wanted to be with me.... I am so touched with my Farewells...

Random Thoughts

Sitting by the Swimming Pool and working for the past four days now... tuning myself for the change, a good change.

For the past few minutes have been getting some Random Thoughts, Random Words, some related to my Stint in Sri Lanka and some our just as Random as my thoughts.

Separation, Welcome, Suffering, Love, Hate, Music, Reunion, Healing, Taxi, Trishaw, Lake, Sea, Sun, Rain, Storm, Heat, Hotel, Apartment, Attachments, Breakfast, Dinner, Hunt, Search, Healing, Hug, Alcohol, Smoke, Jack Daniel's, Scotch, Wine, Casino, Travel Agent, Visa, Passport, Security, Check Points, President, Clothes, Tea, Coffee, Caffetine, Ice Coffee, Night, Sleep, Cry, Pain, Dreams, Swim, Gym, Sun Bath, Walk, Cars, Struggle, Streamline, Process, Prostitutes, Reception, Hotel Staff, Cry, Miss, Marriage, Family, SMS, emails, Origami, Eagles, Eric Clapton, MTV, Movies, Ravana, Spoon, Cuttle Fish, Fuck, Sex, Bastard, Dollars, Rupee, Currency Exchange, Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction, Perfumes, Blanket, Couch, Eyes, Tears, Balcony, Sun Set, Room Card, Wander, Feedback, Warmth, Failure, Wait, Pray, Chutney, Mango Tree, Camera, Farewell, Search, Open up, Introspection, Phone Calls, Late Nights, Drunk, Drugged, Bachelor, Commitments, Business, Targets, Reviews, Clients, luncheon Meetings, Flights, Army, Bar, Pub, Night Clubs, Calculations, Excel Sheets, Plan, Content, Aazan, Buddha, Young, Hair Cut, Planes, Combat, Civil War, Questions, Privacy, Friendship, Beaches, Forts, Temples, Maturity, Ownership, Holidays, Laptop, Shout, Mood Swings, Medicines, Hospitals, Parties, Blog, Train, Hills, Training, Pool Table, Steam Bath, Room Service, Lamp Rice, Kokul Mass Curry, Cuttle Fish, Swim Suites, Downloads, EGB, Cream Soda, Eyes, Yoga, Books, Transit, Suit Cases, Buildings, Breeze, Visits, Church, Silence, Birds, Nazal Drops, Bipolar, GAD, Lips, Hands, Expectations, Wine, UAT, Whyte&Mackay,...

So Random :)

The Wanderer

Well she was one of them, who wandered all over in the desert on the full moon nights when the Sand Shines like silver bed and kept searching for the stars, and wandered on the nights when there was no moon and then cried in search of the moon...she would search for the warmth in the nights in the desert.... she wandered all over the place had all in front of her but never took it and always wondered why she never got it... All wanted to heal her, all wanted to comfort her but still she wandered and took very little from it.

Lost in her own sorrow of failure of not been able to get what she wanted, she started a journey called search...search for what was always in front but never felt....she ran for things, what she thought would give her comfort...but always searched the wrong thing.

समुद्र तालाश्ती थी सहेरा में , चांदनी खोजती थी अमावस्या में, रेत्त की उस चमक को चांदी वोह समझ बेठी थी , और जब सूरज की उस रौशनी ने उस चांदी को फिर रेत्त में बदल डाला, अब दिल का क्या हाल था उसको न पता था, अब वोह क्या खोजती किसको पता था

The Last Letter

It was 11.00 Am in the morning and the day for Caroline was going as usual at work, on the phone as usual managing the inbound and outbound tourists. Her two hand phones would just not stop ringing, making her confused to decide out the two which call was more important.


Soon it was lunch time and today she decided to treat herself with good Grilled Sea Food and wanted to spend some time with herself, she soon called for her car, a Black shining Mercedes Benz. Chauffeur in White Uniform with a P Cap quickly got off the driver's seat and opened the Left Rear Door for Caroline.

Driver was about to shut the Back Door when a voice from the back stopped him to shut the door by Caroline's personal assistant. She was running with an envelope in her hand and handed it over to the driver asking h hand over the same to Caroline as Urgent and Personal was mentioned on the Envelope.

The handwriting on the Envelope seemed very familiar to Caroline, her facial expressions suddenly changed, the old age lines suddenly became prominent on her face, the think lines on her forehead looked more deep. Keeping the letter in her hand she commanded the Driver to turn the car towards the National Highway leading to the International Airport and asked not to stop or turn the car till she commanded.

Now slowly she started to open the Envelope, she had lot of questions in her mind before even starting to read the content of the letter, it seems she had a hint about the who the author of the letter was.. with some reluctance she started to read the letter, and it said :

Dear C,

It has been 55 years since we have met and communicated, I did not have your contact details till I read about your company in one of the leading Business Journals of the United Kingdom.

I would like to congratulate you on your success in your business, I always knew you would do well and make a mark for yourself.
Since we have not communicated in years I think this will be the first and the last letter from me since we last met, as by the time you would receive this letter it would have been too late for you to reply back and there would be no contact address for me as I will be gone forever.

Years spent with you were one of the most memorable ones and are still fresh in my mind and heart. The look in your eyes, the million dollar expression when you would see me anywhere was the one to die for.

You looking at me from far away, and whenever my eye would catch your looks, you would look some where else and believe me i always pretended not have noticed it.

I know you wanted to spend most of your time with me but could not due to obvious reasons and I think there is nothing to regret for.

Alot has happened since then and there is very little time to tell, life has been good to me and now I am breathing my last moments and before my last day I want to tell you that I miss you and apologise you for not been able to give you a chance to pick me up from the airport as we had talked about.

Hope you own a Black Merc now and yes I am still a Bachelor

Love & Remember me Always. Good Bye.

YY.

Caroline's eyes were moist, her face was red, in her cracked voiced she asked the driver to turn the car away from the Airport and take her to the restaurant where she had met YY.

Freedom.

"Freedom is my birth right and I am free"

Do we know that we are free and have the right to live with our own will and without fear?

Freedom is a mindset, it is we who define parameters and standards of performing any activities. It is we who trains the mind and overcome our own fears, and if we fail to do that our mind becomes the slave of the fears. This is where the freedom is lost and the Fear Masters the Brain. The dependability of a person increases on other factors and lives on the likes and dislikes of others.

Do we really have to live with likes and dislikes of others? Nobody owns each other , every individual has his/her's identity and they have to live as per their identity and behave as per their characteristics, each individual will make a different positive mark in the world.

Freedom is every body's birth right, each one of us need to realize our freedom, overcome our fears, spread our wings and fly Free....

My Apple.

As a child I would visit this Apple Orchard every evening to take a walk and spend some time with myself.

One such evening while I was on my regular walk I spotted a beautiful Apple hanging from the tree....it was so red and shining that I wanted to pluck the Apple and keep it with me. The Apple was too high for me to reach and I was too young to climb the tree....so i decided to have it one day when I can climb the tree.

My visits to the orchard was now only confide to the Tree with the Beautiful Apple, I would spend hours looking at the Apple, imagined holding it and keeping it with me and not eating. Everyday it looked better and my want for it increased as the days passed.

One day on my routine visit to the Apple Tree or as I called it My Apple Tree, I found My Apple missing from the tree. First I thought I had reached the wrong tree and started to look for the correct one but something within me kept telling me I was at the correct Tree and the Apple was gone.

Yes soon I Realized the Apple was gone for ever, someone else had climbed the Tree and taken it. Still I see that Apple on every tree, climb it and take it and then realize it is not what I once wanted to have.