The Sportsman in me and other Beasts

The Sportsman in me and other Beasts

By

Gyan C A Fernando

Illustrated by N. Senthilkumaran

“Success is not really important. Everyone loves success. Everyone wants to do things well. But we all know that people are really good at doing things badly. Failure is the thing that we are best at. This is the difference between people and animals and we must not think that failure is bad.”

Stephen Pile, the author of “The Book of Heroic Failures”

I was never good at sports or I was good at it. It is a matter of opinion.

 I achieved my first major and historical victory in the field of sports; a long, long time ago in August 1959, when I come last in the Sack Race at the Sports Meet day at my old school, cheered by all! 

Your Presents Will Be Appreciated!

Your Presents Will Be Appreciated!

By

Gyan C. A. Fernando

Illustrated by N. Senthilkumaran

There is many a slip….

There is no doubt that life in Sri Lanka revolves around Births, Weddings and Funerals. The main box office puller out of the three however, is weddings.

I think I have already expressed my cynical views about weddings, elsewhere, but I think I did forget to tell you about wedding invitations, or “invites” to use the Sri Lankan colloquial, which of course is the misuse of a verb as a noun.

What with so many nephews and nieces of marriageable age lurking around, I am now an expert on how to draft wedding invitations. My favourite niece Samanmalee (“Sam” 35+, loud-mouthed, still single) has provided us enough entertainment over the years by getting engaged many more times than I can care to remember!

If there is an impending wedding in our extended families, there always are, and invitations are to be drafted or proofread, my services are generally called for. That is as long as I solemnly promise not to introduce craziness into the invitations, ‘till death do us part. (there is more!)