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Category: Beyond the Isle

Beyond the Isle

Afghanistan at First Sight

It started with being told that I had to cover my head from the airport to car park C. My arms too. I wore all black, for no particular reason but the dirt on my clothes will not be seen after a really long flight. I almost always pack a shawl, socks, cardigan and my statement pink batik wrap slash beach cloth so covering was not really big deal. Continue reading Afghanistan at First Sight

seniintheboxAug 25, 2018Dec 4, 20192 Comments

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Flowers in our (old) garden. More like @sabina16’s carefully tendered bits of green-hand-ness. Since construction, there hasn’t been many flowers or vegetables. The little patches of garden has cement and concrete bits around it and we need to clean it up and make things whole again. However, if it has been done once, I don’t see why we can’t do it again! . . . On another note, December is also a good time to find contentment in the little things. I’m not vying for happiness because we have learnt that it’s a bit difficult, far-fetched and often times, too good to be true. Instead this month, lookout for the smaller details, whether it is a flower that has bloomed in your garden or the extra serving of french fries you got at McDonald’s.

There is a blog post or a book of essays in the making here, so I guess we will all have to wait till that happens. . . . Annapurna Base Camp was testimony (to me) that if I put something out to the world (I started unofficially announcing it exactly a year before the climb), hold myself accountable and do what I can to get in shape (ish) and prepare, that I will actually make the climb. At 4,130m it’s the highest altitude I’ve ever been at (not counting airplanes, obviously!) and the most extreme conditions I’ve put my body through, but I guess that means we only go higher. Onward and upward. 🏔 . . . Also, I need to perhaps get a nice tripod or a photographer to take nice pictures of me. The ones I have of just me as close as I could get, makes me look larger than the mountain. #fail Also, yes that’s me, it was around 0–5°c and that’s the coldest temperature I had ever been in and the zipper on my down jacket froze on me! ⛄️

When I look back at this new hiking/trekking hobby of mine, I think I can date it back to mid-2017 and the little trip to Sarankot, a little peak at 1,592m. Of course, I was in shorts, knock-off Converse, no sunscreen and no water bottles! It was a short trip uphill many many stairs (not half as bad as Adam’s Peak I’d admit) but still, we were totally and very unprepared. However, we made it and since then I think it’s been a slow steady climb uphill, a little higher altitude with each climb. Here’s to 2020 and more mountains, in Sri Lanka, Nepal and hopefully, beyond 🏔

Do you have any siblings? I have only one sister and growing up we were not close. Our fights used to be cray, so much so that our punishment was to sit outside of the house (out in the porch, killing mosquitoes with hopes that we would reconcile). Our relationship perhaps took off as sisters only towards adulthood and when we both started living away from Sri Lanka. Now I do look at my sister as a friend and is one of my favourite people on earth, despite being related 😄 . . . Since our relationship made amends over ten years ago, I have happily taken over the role as big sister (at most times) and Instagram-photographer because that’s something I genuinely enjoy doing. I love being overwhelmed with responsibility so much so to the extent that I like to drop all of it one random day and dash to the mountains or a 10-day meditation retreat. Should we have had another sibling, the dynamics would be different but thank our lucky stars that we don’t! 👭

For those who know me, you know how protective I am of my closest family and friends. I am fiercely maternal about these people because well, I don’t have too many of them really and it’s really important for me to keep them close, alive and safe from the evils of the world. I also want to do everything in my capacity to make their lives easier because that’s my way of ‘loving’ someone (love and I have a very complicated relationship and that’s a story for another day). This also means that I don’t talk about them as much or post pictures of them. Yes, I do use their lives as reference points in conversation (we have great stories to tell!) but that’s only in passing or only with the stories and anecdotes I’m comfortable throwing around. . . . This was taken during a little ‘adventure’ trip we took about two years ago to Polonnaruwa and then (to my dismay) a spontaneous detour to Anuradhapura. It was oodles of fun and we managed to take some pretty great pictures too.

How many us slow down? It’s the end of the year and while we sit back to reflect on things we have achieved, not achieved, wins, losses and lists that are similar in nature, how many of us actually take time to slow down and well in this case, enjoy the bubbles? . . . I don’t disagree, time does cost most people money and there aren’t many (daylight) hours left in the day to get the most done (also not to forget as women that we find it more difficult to do things in the night). But looking at everything that’s very “in” right now, be it self-care or self-love, they all come down to taking care of oneself, slowing down, breathing in all the smog and even having a nap. There isn’t always a need to go on a vacation or indulge in something that would cost two salaries. What’s perhaps most important is putting your brain at ease, be it by listening to a meditation app, taking a yoga class, putting your phone away or even doing a slow-mo twirl amidst a bubble blower at Universal Studios. . . . PS - Thanks to @lifeandstylewithn for being a real trooper and agreeing to do these ridiculous things for me.

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