January 2017: Not So Whoosh

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2017! The year of the ROOSTER!

Haha, not that it matters, but it IS a great year for me so far. So the Water Rooster did get lucky?!?! May be, may be not, may be it's just my brain ageing, and reaching a bit of maturity, nah I'm kidding. 

2017 So Far

Okay, so when compared to 2015 and 16, this year is wow, cause it's moving super slow, letting me savour each and every moment, unlike 2015 which just whooshed! That year is just not on my mind. I can't remember the movies, memories, MY BIRTHDAY! Nada!

2016 as you can remember was a grim year, and more philosophical for me, it was like my year of sudden divine knowledge of words and life. 

Back to the present, this year has been all that I wanted the past 2 years to be, could be my resolution to not have resolutions, and be spontaneous. 

My TO DO list for the day is in my head, and on my memo, to check them off. 

Or you know, it could be the weather, sunshine at noon and rain at night. The Rains at night are the best, to read books and sip on some Lemon Tea.

Resolution for the year 2017: Be Spontaneous

01. Resolution 2016: Visit as many exhibitions as possible ✔

Pakistan Single Country Exhibition - 13 to 15th Jan, at the BMICH

The first week of the year was caught up with work, and office get together s, and more work. I'm not complaining, I'm the happiest when we've got work at the beginning of the year. Woohoo!

I heard about the exhibition through a friend, and all I replied with was 'don't call me to any shopping festival'.

And there I was, at the exhibition on Saturday. To be honest I was tempted by the thought of Pakistani Food, Kabab, Keema Biriyani, nom nom, but to my greatest disappointment, NO FOOD STALLS!!! 😭 (I mean those Kottu Mee and Maggi stalls don't count, nah) 

Akmal's Crappy Photography

They did have stalls of Engineering products, Auto parts, Agro food, Textile and Clothing, Designer wear, Handicrafts and Ethnic, Pharmaceuticals, Gems and Jewellery, Carpets, Marble and many more except food.

The Setup of the stalls, lights, products on sale, the vendors, all of them made it look like I was actually walking through a Pakistani Bazaar.

Also they had Kurtis, and the Disha Patani style ethnic jackets, bags, footwear. You could buy a Kurti for a mere price of 1500 LKR, but I was in no mood for these, so all I purchased were a few Masalas, Pickles (sorry, but India has the best pickles), Natural Rose Water for the Skin, and a Sandalwood Ubtan. (I'll do a mini review on the last 2 in an upcoming post)

But seriously, Food 🙎 

Kala Pola 2017 - 22nd Jan, at Green Path

Now the 3rd week was tricky, cause I was down with fever for 2 days, and a freaking sore throat, and the thought of staying in my room one more day kinda threatened to make me fall sick again. I HAD to move.

I'm not a huge fan of going out on Sundays, cause I come back tired, it's office tomorrow. But unfortunately this time the Kala Pola was only one day again, and on a SUNDAY.

Plus I had fever yeah, and I wanted to get out, so I headed to my cousins on saturday, for some yummy seafood cooked by her, and finished 1/4th of their candy jar. Sour chewy toffees 😍 

My cousin Akmal accompanied me to both the exhibitions, but this time, my sister Ahra tagged along too.

You see, the thing about taking siblings is that all your activities are limited, not that I'm gonna do anything to break the law, but I have to get home on time, no roaming around in buses, or walking. Complicated!

Anyway, cannot complain, went ahead, and if I'm right, last time we had only around 30 ish stalls, this time there were like 300!

❤, I loved this piece so much that this was my caption on Instagram

"Vaes Dothrak... the city of the horselords"
In search of the other ....
 

It was drizzling, and then raining, and back to drizzle, that was such a bummer. But the fact that people kept going in spite of the weather, held me there.

Unlike last year, there wasn't much variety to be awed by, more canvas paintings this year, and scrap art, sculptures and very less carvings.

Plus cause of the rain, and that many stalls, I couldn't capture good images like last year. And sometimes, while looking at these beautiful scrap arts, I wonder why they don't make awards out of it. I mean it's good for the environment and unique.

If you had not read my post on Kala Pola 2016, you can read it here.  

P.S. don't laugh after reading it, I never stuck to my resolution 😸 

Following are a few captures from the Kala Pola.

This one painting was my favourite, I even managed to get the Artist's contact details this time,
the play of colours is amazing, these two paintings has a 3D feel when light
falls from the back.

This is what I am talking about, why can't this be an award?

Perfection

Yes, this is Colombo

Chemex 2017 - 26 - 28th Jan, at SLECC

CHEMEEEEEEEEEEX! 

The First Chemex exhibition I went to was back at School, and it was at the BMICH, loads and loads of experiments, industrial stalls, soap making. I even managed to get a soap as a souvenir, which is still inside my cupboard. They were testing out, and I was asked not to use it on my skin.

Back then a soap without Sodium or Potassium Hydroxide was a huge deal, and Sri lankan students were testing out soap recipes with coconut oil as an alternative, but now when I think about it, and about all the Organic soaps, shampoos, shower gels that are available world wide, I'm not sure I'm that excited. 

I think the 1st one was somewhere in 2011 if I'm right, so after 6 like years, I was expecting to have the same kind of excitement. So headed there with Akmal.

The entrance fee was 50 LKR, and the Saturday I went was the 3rd and final day of the exhibition, and those in the stall looked like they needed a long vacation, I did go to one or two, only to come running back, cause it was school all over again. No Thank You! 

There were only 2 stalls I was interested in, one was something related to Palm Trees, the fruit and tuber (Odiyal), they had Odiyal Flour and Boiled Odiyal Flour, apparently it's much healthier than the American flour we use here. When i went home and told mum about it, she was not at all surprised, instead she told me all the food they make with the flour.

While I was looking for the English term for Odiyal, I found a link for Odiyal Flour recipes, check it out here.

Also on display were a few samples of  Ice cream, Yogurt and other snacks and sweets made out of Palm fruit. 

The other was the Toxicology stall, thanks to Hassana, a classmate, I did check it out, and I loved it. All I have to know about the top drugs, addiction,common food combinations that are unhealthy and about the impact food dyes have on us and our off spring. 

All in all, we were there only for like 30 mins, and the best part was meeting an old friend after years, nothing else matters.

Chemex would have been best for students, not me.

DID YOU KNOW that having Cigarettes and Coffee together very often can lead to Pancreatic Cancer? 

This topic registered on my mind, and I somehow found this image online, I can't remember the website, if I did, I would've linked it.

What follows was my facebook post that accompanied these images:

"Yesterday's Chemex Exhibition was great for Students, but here is one topic that I saw and that which kinda stuck on my mind.

Makes you wonder....

Most of the concerns are chromosomal damage, so if we are healthy even after consuming these, we should be worried, for our children.

People know, about the effects of dyes, carbonated drink, processed meat, harmful chemicals in food, beverages, beauty products, and that we have to go organic, chemical free and be eco friendly.

But none of us are ready for change, people advertise, have campaigns, protest, but a very very very low percentage.

It is a difficult process, cutting down and getting used to, but when you look at the bigger picture, you'd be happy to give up."

I didn't add the next part, cause the the part 2 of this post is going to be all about it.

Wait, did I say part 2?

Yeah, this itself is pretty long, and nobody likes to read a very long post, no matter how interesting. So the January checklist has to go for a part 2.

But this is the end of Exhibitions for January, and who knows what is in store for Feb? No, no, not Valentine's Day, I do not celebrate and don't want to. I mean once upon a time I was excited for Feb, love was in the air, blah blah blah, but at this age, MEH! 

While we are at Valentines Day, I guess it's best if I end this, Quoting Sheldon:

"Given that St. Valentine was a 3rd century Roman priest who was stoned and beheaded, wouldn’t a more appropriate celebration of the evening be taking one’s steady gal to witness a brutal murder?" 😈

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