The Days… are they completely gone?

The salty wind blows upon my face and I stand there staring at the calm of the ocean, recalling the days when we had to go to school in coloured head scarves in order to hide identity. The days when we had months of vacation only because it was not safe enough to be in school. The days when we were so afraid to leave home because of not being sure of getting back home in one piece. The days when we used to be so scared when a loved one was getting late to get back. The days when we were so scared to be outside home after the clock crossed 6pm. The enormous risk that we took in making trips out of Colombo is almost unspeakable of. The days when we were awaken in the middle of the night to the belief that the entire city was being burnt down. The fear of the unknown and the unpredictable height of crime, misery, death and pain. The days when even the lighting of crackers sometimes seemed like the blasting of a bombs. There was almost nothing to think about or wish for.

When people told me about the 83 riots – the dead bodies in rivers, the vehicles been burnt with people inside them - it seemed to be like something that could only happen in movies but I soon realised that I was wrong. It was more than believable, it was visual. I remember the nights when I used to wake up to the scary images of finding the head of a dead body. I would recall happenings from the newspapers and television.

Right here, right now, I’m actually wondering whether those days are really gone or - like the conversion of energy from one form to another - have they only changed to some from physical and mental trauma to some nameless feelings that lingers in our heads and heart making them heavy with the feeling of nothingness….

Lord, give us a future, save us!

Feeling good

Feeling good about yourself all the time can be bad sometimes and feeling bad about yourself sometimes can be good

Looking at the mirror that will tell you exactly what you are

What is more important than understanding other people, is understanding yourself!

There are two sides to me. Don’t judge me by just seeing only one

It could be too late

Always tell a man good things about him before he dies

Reborn everyday

He is most unfortunate who's today is not better than yesterday

Painting pictures with words

I am no expert when it comes to writing but I put some thoughts down on the spur of the moment for a friend. Thought I’ll share it!

People are sometimes gifted with good language skills (grammar, spelling, vocabulary and punctuation). This is difficult to master for most as we end up not paying attention to detail and tend to focus more on the content rather than the context of what is being said.

As for the writing skills (in terms of composition only) - one significant issue is that of emotion and feeling. You have to make the reader feel what you feel. This is easier to do when it comes to prose. Don't think that hiding your feelings is a smart thing to do. You might say that you write something not for the readers' pleasure but for your writing pleasure alone. Hear this - a feeling is most often momentary; meaning when you read what you have written at a later time, that piece of work should have the power of bringing back exactly what you felt like, when you were writing it.

A few writing tips

• The appropriate use of adjectives is very important. It's like the salt in a curry… too little or too much can ruin the entire dish.
• You have also to strike a balance between mixing long and short sentences. They add colour and variation.
• Some people have the habit of writing drafts and revising many times before publishing. I don't know how effective this practice is. For me I feel that if something doesn't come right the first time, it won't come right at all.
• When you write you must also play with the senses and the sensory memory. Use smell, touch and taste to describe places people etc. eg: He slowly opened his eyes while sensing that bad hospital odor that he always disliked.
• Too much and redundant detail should be avoided. Stephen king often puts me to sleep when he describes every detail of a room or a woman's dress. As I said before, the right amount of description is what matters rather than glamorous and heavy words.
• Your opening sentence must always be a blast. You either lose or keep your reader here. eg: She screamed!
• Most importantly (depending on the subject) you need to either express or not express feeling and emotion.
• Avoid vague ideas: don't have the reader thinking what the hell is he talking abt?
• Finally keep it simple: Mahathir Mohamed may be a great thinker but when it comes to wording his thoughts he sure can reach into your heart by just being simple!

Just let me be

Why do people have to keep comparing you with the better folks, if each one is a unique combination of elements and compounds?

~ EMIT TIME ~

Lord, I ask not for more time in my life
But do please give me more time in a day!

He forgot

He never believed in me

He never said any nice words

He never thought I will ever excel

He would say I was rebellious and incorrigible

He made me feel like nobody

He laughed at my dreams

And frowned at my work

On his death bed he said

“I believed in you, but I never showed it”

“I wanted you to be inspired by your faults and not achievements”

“I wanted you to excel through criticism and not praise”

“I wanted you to never give up on yourself no matter what anyone said”

“I wanted you to find out for yourself rather than me telling you”

“I want you to know now that you are so much more than what you ever thought you were”

He lied

He forgot that I had a heart

Do first impressions really matter?

They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression but tell me, how far does first impression matter?

Have you seen some people who are living proof that first impressions can be so wrong? I have, and trust me, the cover of a book can be soooo misleading!