Chance doc who made a chance discovery
By chance! These are the two tiny words that pepper one of the most important ‘heart’ stories of the 20th century. It is the story of the discovery of Brugada Syndrome and it is the doctor after whom it has been named, nearly-63 Prof. Pedro Brugada MD himself, seated in the lobby of the Cinnamon [...]
Appreciations
Celebrating her life amidst the mourning Clara Abeyawardene Clara Abeyawardene was my cousin, the eldest daughter of my father’s eldest sister. This meant that she was much older than me, and as children it was her children we knew best. Or rather the elder two, Rohan a year older than me and Manoji a year [...]
Taking restaurant business to a new level
To have your cake and eat it too is tricky business when it comes to running a restaurant. Restaurant technology company Leapset recently launched in Sri Lanka, offering the latest innovations in restaurant technology to allow restaurant owners to focus on what matters – the food, the service and enjoying that proverbial piece of well-deserved [...]
Chopard’s exclusive designs here
Chatham Luxury Watches previewed an exclusive collection of watches and jewellery by Swiss luxury brand Chopard last week. Prominent at the viewing was a selection from Chopard’s Happy Diamonds Icons collection, distinctive of the brand’s design ethic. The preview marked the first occasion that the Chopard jewellery collection was on display and available in the [...]
A homely feel with Ma’s organic soup
Ma’s Foods recently launched its new Happy Home Organic Soup range in response to customers increasingly seeking organic and natural produce at the Good Market. “A soup is like an orchestra. The feeling of warmth and comfort of a homemade soup and what it brings to anyone’s heart is what we want to bring to [...]
200 years at Ginthupitiya
Ginthupitiya for most Colombo-dwellers sounds like a far-off location, possibly a quaint town surrounded by tea plantations in the central hills. In reality, Ginthupitiya is a maze of bustling streets absorbing the spill-over of neighbouring Pettah. Perched on a hillock, overlooking the fast paced life on the streets of Kochchikade and gently-lapping harbour wavelets for [...]
Planets that aren’t and prezzies who are/we
Pluto is hardly the king of planets. But it was accorded right royal treatment when humanity’s ‘New Horizons’ probe swept by this week. After a very long journey, the NASA spacecraft finally came within hailing distance of the erstwhile planetoid. Eons ago, Pluto looked like a cluster of fuzzy pixels in the deep space probe’s [...]
Letters to the Editor
Don’t malign the men who did much for the Sigiriya frescoes The July 12 Sunday Times article titled ‘Precious ladies have suffered from experts makeovers’ clearly places in the hands of the late Luciano Maranzi some responsibility for the damage said to have been suffered by the restored Sigiriya paintings. The Director of the Post-Graduate [...]
The golden days of Visakha
The Pulimood memorial oration is held annually in July to commemorate the life and work of Mrs. Susan George Pulimood, Visakha Vidyalaya’s beloved principal. This oration is a tribute to a gracious lady, who was not only a beloved principal but also a scientist, botanist, educationist, administrator and above all, a human being par excellence. [...]
CINEC unveils ship-shaped training facility on campus
M. V. CINEC MARINER, the first ever ship-in campus training facility in Sri Lanka, was unveiled at CINEC, Malabe recently. The state-of-the-art training facility was declared open by Capt. Director, Fleet Personnel – Seaspan Ship Management Ltd. Hemraj Shetty. The event was attended by several distinguished guests– Director General of Merchant Shipping, Ajith Senaviratne, IMO [...]
Walk from the Heart
Students of Gateway College Colombo will be organising a ‘Walk from the Heart’ on Saturday, July 25th, to raise awareness of children’s heart disease and to support the on-going projects of the Children’s Heart Project which works with the Lady Ridgeway Hospital to improve the services available to children with heart problems. The walk will [...]
MILK: Summer workshops on food and health
MILK, the family lifestyle store & Milk & Honey Café is running a series of workshops from July 20– 29 on food and your health with Shalani McCray of Live Alive, Australia. Shalani McCray is a highly qualified and experienced naturopathic nutritionist and GAPs practitioner with a practical approach. The talks will kick off with [...]
Association of Justices of Peace of Sri Lanka
The following members were elected as office bearers of the Association of Justices of Peace of Sri Lanka at the 22nd AGM held on June 14 at the Lobby Hall of the Public Library Auditorium, Colombo 7. Hony. President: Al-Haj A.R.M. Bakkeer Hony. General Secretary:Deshabandu A.Dexter Fernando Hony. Treasurer:Deshakeerthi V.M.Shanmuganathan Hony. Deputy President:Deshakeerthi Mr. S.W. [...]
144 schools receive British Council award
This year, 144 schools from remote and urban areas of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Batticaloa, Badulla, Bandarawela, Colombo, Galle, Matara, Hambantota, Jaffna, Kandy,Ratnapura,Kegalle and Kurunegala received the ‘British Council International School Award’ at the award ceremony held recently at the Eagles Lakeside banquet hall in Attidiya, Dehiwela. Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Upali Marasinghe was the [...]
A liftime of rewarding experiences
Sri Lankan-born Angela Jansz was just 18 years old when she migrated to Australia with her family in 1975, on completion of her education at Holy Family Convent, Dehiwela. But though she left, never did she sever contacts with her motherland. In Sri Lanka was a group of children with whom Angela constantly kept in [...]
‘Keep Fit with a Song’ at Soul Sounds Academy
Like to sing while working out? You are not alone. ‘Keep Fit with a Song’ is a new initiative by the Soul Sounds Academy – a singing class with a fitness element to it. It is aimed at the young professional who wants to de-stress after a hard day’s work or for anyone who enjoys [...]
It’s fun performing Broadway numbers
Dmitri Gunatilake admits to a love for performing Broadway out of the corner of her mouth. “Aunty Menaka would thoroughly disapprove of this,” she laughs, referring to teacher and mentor Menaka De Fonseka Sahabandu. “It’s ‘easy singing’ because there’s not a great amount of technique involved in performing Broadway when you compare with, say, classical. [...]
Movie Club at the British Council
From July 2015, the last Wednesday of the month will be movie night at the British Council Library, with the launch of their new film club. From Hitchcock to Harry Potter, the UK has a long tradition of providing quality movie entertainment for all the family. Movie night will be held on the last Wednesday of [...]
Identities Inc returns with The Irish Curse
The multi-faceted mask would win the approving smile of any movie buff. The insignia of Identities Inc is an amalgamation of some of theatre and film’s iconic characters, clearly reflecting the very essence of the production house. Formed last year, the self- sufficient team is an assortment of personalities from the obvious actors and directors [...]
Missed Maru Palanaya? It’s back on stage
If you missed Indu Dharmasena’s political satire” Maru Palanaya” it’s back on the boards at the Lionel Wendt Theatre on July 25 and 26 at 7:30 p.m. Indu Dharmasena’s latest offering is a political satire revolving around Romesh Kaylingnayaka and his cousin Vyjayanthi Lanudena, who comes rushing down from London to support him after he wins [...]
Evening of movie magic by SOSL
The Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka (SOSL) returns with yet another magical line-up of big screen hits. The evening of movie magic will include soundtracks from the unforgettable theme song from the blockbuster Titanic to the retro music of the seventies hit film Grease, from the familiar beat of the Pink Panther to the evocative [...]
Dialog gets a new look
Celebrating their move to their plush new premises at Union Place, Colombo, the Dialog Axiata Group invited customers and guests to enjoy a new digital experience at a reception held on Friday July 10. The unmistakably stylish building will function as the Group’s new headquarters.
Creations away from Tea
The Dilmah Real High Tea Challenge brought together top chefs from across the world to display their tea creations and innovations. Watched by a select audience and industry insiders, the winners were honoured at the closing ceremony held at the Water’s Edge on July 4.
Benedictines celebrate in style
It was a historic occasion graced by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the distinguished old boys of St. Benedict’s College- priests, politicians, lawyers, doctors, actors and sportsmen, they were all there in their numbers to toast the 150th anniversary of their alma mater. The celebration dinner was held at the Oak Room of the Cinnamon [...]
At Melheim it’s like staying in the clouds
The secret to finding a good, affordable hotel is to check the special offers that expensive hotels occasionally promote. Okay, it might be the hotel’s off season but the room infrastructure is the same. Often, if the hotel isn’t jam packed with tourists, the service will be more personalised and friendly then. So that’s why [...]
Seeni sambol ice cream! That’s how rare it gets
The first I hear of rare at Residence by Uga Escapes is that they serve a delicious sprat and seeni sambol ice cream.The promise of it is enough to lure us down to the Residence on a week night. Located in a gorgeous old mansion down Park Street, the boutique hotel is surrounded by a [...]
A more flavourful Palmyrah at Renuka Hotel
A reliable stop for traditional Jaffna cuisine, the Palmyrah at Renuka Hotel has taken on a new look. In business since the early 70’s, their standard flavours and authentic northern food have kept the restaurant’s seats occupied through the decades. It has gone through a lot of changes to stay relevant, says Joint Managing Director [...]
Saman Villas: Where luxury takes on a new meaning
Perched on a rocky headland dividing two long seemingly endless, surf swept, unspoilt beaches of golden sand backed by the luscious greenery of coconut plantations in the quiet fishing village of Aruruwella, Bentota, lies award winning Saman Villas, Sri Lanka’s first boutique hotel. At Saman Villas you’ll find a special place that is a true [...]