Happy New Year!

I wish all readers of this blog, a Very Happy and Prosperous New Year - 2018

Auld Lang Syne - Happy New Year From Rohini Ana

(From the You Tube)

New Year Greetings from Sriani Basnayake

Let me wish all our batch mates good health and happiness in the coming year.

Our phones        are         wireless

Cooking                is             fireless

Vehicles               are         keyless

Food                      is             fatless

Tyres                     are         tubeless

Dresses                are         sleeveless

Our Youth           are         jobless

Our leaders        are         shameless

Relationships     are         meaningless

Attitude               is             careless

Females               are         fearless

Babies                   are         fatherless

Feelings               are         heartless

Education            is             valueless

Children               are         mannerless

Everything is becoming Less and less……. BUT,

Our hopes   are    Endless.

Finally, wishing all of you a happy new year, and saying good-bye,

I   am   Speechless.

Cheers,

Sriani

(From an old IMPA newsletter)

New Year Greetings from Speedy

New Year message from Rohini Ana.

Counting my gifts before Christmas, and Greetings from NZ

To my dear friends in the blog-

Firstly an apology, as I have not responded to some of the questions directed to me in your comments recently, and I have not responded  to some of your emails -
I hope you will all forgive me - it has been,  and is, a dizzying time and I am totally overwhelmed !
However, you are the gifts I have received with no Xmas trees, tinsel, wrappings or ribbons ! which I have greatly appreciated through the years.
In alphabetical order! - “Anonymous”!, Cyril, Indra, Kumar, Lucky Weerasooriya, Mahen, Manel, Nihal, Razaque, Sanath, Srianee, Sriani, Sumathi, Zita - I have thoroughly enjoyed your “chat” and learned much from you all. Your friendship has been a great gift to me.
Lucky Abey , thank you for being the “Post Master Extraordinaire ” ! without whom most of these gifts would not have been received .
It has been wonderful coming to know you all even in small measure, and
thank  you very much for being in my life-
I wish you all, and the rest of my batchmates a wonderful festive season and a glorious New Year .

Rohini Ana

Pohutukawa - New Zealand Christmas tree (Metrosideros excelsa) which flowers during the Christmas season coloring the coastline a brilliant red.

Close up of Pohutukawa flower

A Terrific, Loony Season's Greeting

Terri- Luni dialogue of Season’s Greetings

Luni: I am used to going around you but I never thought of saying Hi!

Terri: I am so used to turning around my own self I often ignore you except once in a full moon!

Luni:  Without me you can’t function. I keep your waters in high and low tides.

Terri: Oh yes, a big lot that helps! How about when you made those Giant waves?

Luni: That was not my fault. That was because you cracked up in quakes.

Terri: So, you had no part in the Tsunami!

Luni: Don’t change the subject! How about your avalanches and earth slips, you terrible creature?

Terri: Whatever you say, I am the ones human beings love. They live here.

Luni: Sour grapes! They tried hard to land on me.

Terri: I have a Sunny friend who gives me light and energy! Your light is what is reflected off him!

Luni: Without Sunny, you earthlings will perish! But I can manage with my beings!

Terri: So you have ‘beings’?What are they? Bacteria? Our men who visited you couldn’t detect any other beings!

Luni: Incompetent, incapable idiots they were! They won’t find out my secrets anytime soon!

Terri: OK, OK! I only wanted to wish a Happy Festive Season and Prosperous 2018!

Luni: In fact, that’s the same reason I said ‘Howdy’! To wish earthlings a really Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year!

Terri: That’s welcome! We have special beings here, have you heard of Batch 1962?

Luni: Of course! They are a brainy, witty bunch! I hear words, like ‘speedy, lucky, rohini, sumathi,nihal even professor and anonymous!

Terri: So, you want to wish them all?

Luni: Yes of course a Very Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year 2018!

Terri: Same from me too!

-Zita Subasinghe Perera– December 2017

Medical Dance 2017

Mary, Did You Know? - aKaPeLLe (Pentatonix Cover) From Srianee's daughter Manjula

To put all our viewers in the real Christmas Spirit, I wish to add yet another to the list of children of members of our batch who have excelled in the sphere of Arts. The latest addition is an outstanding  performance by Manjula, who is one of the singers in her group in Germany. Manjula is the daughter of Srianee (Bunter) Fernando Dias.

In this capella video, as you would have already guessed, Manjula is in the centre of the group. (Srianee claims that Manjula looks a bit like her. I am not going to argue about that but leave it to the reader to decide!). Manjula also advises the viewers to listen to the video with speakers on or with good headphones. For the benefit of the uninitiated (like me), a "Capella" video is one where the music is specifically group or solo singing without instrumental accompaniment or a piece intended to be performed in this way. "Capella" is an Italian word used for "in the manner of the chapel".

Let me now digress, as I usually do even when writing a short piece! This is another spin off from this blog - learning new things almost every day! No sooner I read Srianee's e-mail, I rushed to Google to see what a Capella video is. That is how I learnt about "Capella", and for a moment pretended to have known it right along! This is also the first time that I got to know at least this much about Srianee's daughter although I have been acting as if I have known Manjula for a long time!

Now, back to Manjula and her video. By way of an introduction, it is a Christmas song by Mark Lowry and Buddy Greene. Arranged by Pentatonix, Paul Langford and performed by aKaPeLLe, from Hamburg, Germany (of which Srianee's daughter is a member).

This post about Manjula and her Capella video introduces her to an exclusive group - children of our batch colleagues who have excelled in varying fields, some of whom have already been featured on this Blog. Names that come to mind are Sujatha Maligaspe Lena, Malkanthi Wijesuriya McCormick, Suriyakanthi Karunaratne Amarasekara, Anton Ambrose, Sanath Lamabadusuriya (whose son won fame in Scrabble), Indra Anandasabapathy. I am sure there must be much more out there whose achievements have not reached our ears mainly because their parents are too modest to share with others.

Click on the following link and enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aECRdsy4A90&feature=youtu.be

Have an enjoyable holiday season.

Lucky

OR see below:

A Christmas Wish

A Christmas Wish   

                       .

Never let me outgrow Christmas

Loose the wonder and delight

In Christmas trees and decorations

In singing carols by candlelight.

Never let the spirit of Christmas

Be forgotten this time of year,

The joy of Loving, Caring, Sharing

Wishing all people Peace and Good Cheer

Never let me lose the simple

Vision of a little child,

Never let me doubt or question,

Ever-trusting all the while.

Keep me just the way you made me,

When I first saw light of day,

Give me what is necessary,

Taking all the rest away.

Never let me outgrow Christmas,

Nor the lessons I have learned,

Let me not expect a bonus,

Only that which I have earned.

As I kneel outside the Stable,

Draw me ever close to your side,

Help me to Serve, be Gentle and Forgiving

Day by day, let Love be my guide.

Suriyakanthie Amarasekera -