• No stone unturned for Russel
• Dickens' Christmas Carol
• Kenny replies to your needs
• Paradise Espied
• It's good to be old fashioned
• The kind leading the blind
• Paris fashions
• Dark circles under the eyes
• Bawa's building reborn
• 
• 

No stone unturned for Russel

By Wathsala Mendis

Russel Arnold is no stranger to Sri Lankan cricket fans. Hailed as a very obedient and polite child from his school days, Russel was the kind of student teachers would be proud of, someone who would never go against his elders. An incorrigible optimist, he leaves no stone unturned once he's set his mind on achieving something. Such is his iron will. Not surprising for a person who believes strongly in God and draws inspiration from Him. Being the youngest in a family of four, Russel is grateful for his two brothers and sister for supporting him in his career and being understanding without getting in his way. His ideal girl, he says, would be simple, responsible, sociable, and caring (not only to him but also to others). Now, that's not much to ask for, is it?

Time of Day

Late evening. It's the time when you can relax and enjoy yourself after a hard day's work.

Book

Comics. "Asterix," "Tin Tin," "Garfield".....stuff like that. (How childish?) Hey, that's rude! They're simple and nice. (Brings out the child in you!)

Memory

Being selected for the National Squad for the first time in April '97 when I least expected it. We played a test against Pakistan at the Khettarama Stadium. I scored 26 and 12 respectively in the two innings. It's hard to describe how I felt at that moment. It was a wonderful experience with a lot of self-satisfaction.

Place

Home. You just do whatever you feel like (and still manage to get away with it!). That's where you long to be.

Fantasy

To represent Sri Lanka as long as I can. To be the best amongst the best.

Smell

The smell of nature. Have you ever sat under the trees late in the evening and watched the sun go down? What do you smell at such a moment? (He goes all philosophical here and tries his best to describe the feeling.)

Item of clothing

Casuals. It's pretty easy with them on. Very relaxing. You see, everybody's into fashion. I just like to be different.

TV programme

"Always Breakdown." No, I'm not into politics. It's just good clean fun. (Yeah, who can resist a good laugh?)

Food

Barbequed spareribs. It's something that I always go for. (Can he cook? To which he answers with rather an amused look...) Me? I can fry an egg at the most!

Person

My Mum. She's always been there for me. I am what I am today because of her. You see, it's like this. I make my own decisions and she supports and encourages me. She doesn't interfere. But if I go wrong, I know she's there to help me.

Sportsman

I admire Christian Cullen, the New Zealand ruggerite. It's really nice to watch him play. Very exciting.

Song

"Secret Lover" by Atlantic Star. It's nice to listen to. Soothing to the ears.

Possession

My thoughts. (Hmmm...won-der what they are about) You really want to know about everything, don't you? OK, let's put it this way. My thoughts about being simple and being nice to people. 

Dickens' Christmas Carol

The Wendy Whatmore Academy of Speech and Drama will usher in the spirit of Christmas with their production of Charles Dickens' Christmas Carol. Although set in Victorian times the themes and story are very much for our age. Such a play, according to Director Tracy Holsinger, will be appreciated by both the old and the young. 

Apart from conducting professional exams, the Wendy Whatmore Academy has produced some fine family theatre in the past, " My Fair Lady "Mary Poppins" "The Album" "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", and last year's production of "A Little Princess" by past pupil - Jerome de Silva. This is Tracy's second production for the academy after her return from Goldsmith where she obtained a drama degree. 

She has done much with the script. Since the language was, she felt stilted, certain sections of the play will be improvised. She has given the cast the freedom to exploit their acting capabilities to enhance the beauty of the production. The cast from the age of 5- 19, are all pupils of the academy, except for the two guest- performers Jerome de Silva and Feroze Kamaradeen who are professionals in the field. The present students comprise Indika Mananwatte, (Best Actor - Inter school Shakespeare drama 98), Pubudhu Jayawardena, Chantal de Rozairo and Sushara Liyanage. 

Rehearsals have been fun for the children because Tracy has adopted her own style-relaxation, games, improvisation have all been part and parcel of their production. As a director she only acts as a guide. The style of playing is very mime like in quality. Another unique aspect of this production is that the crew members will be part of the cast - they will mingle with the cast and set the stage accordingly. 

Principal Mrs. Wendy Holsinger says she is extremely delighted that the Wendy Whatmore Academy is staging this production. The entire proceeds will be donated to the disabled soldiers, a cause she feels very strongly about. This is also a proud moment for her, because Tracy now fulfills the founders' goal, in encouraging drama among both the young and old. 

The Christmas Carol goes on the boards at the Lionel Wendt on December 11, 12, 13. 

-Vinodh Senadeera

Kenny replies to your needs

Dear Kenny...

I'm tired of writing this column. I've been writing it for more than a year now, but somehow don't feel a sense of achievement about it. Other columnists, like the Agony Aunts of this world get to help people by offering them advice on problems in their lives. I just write about anything I feel like writing about, nothing that will necessarily do anything for the betterment of humankind. 

Sri Lanka has the world's highest suicide rate and a large percentage of those who commit suicide are thwarted lovers who see no other choice. So I have decided to turn this into an 'Agony Aunt' style column. I feel that this will provide an essential service to the youth of Sri Lanka by providing them with a shoulder to cry on and a forum to share their problems. Young people from leading schools in Colombo (they are the only one's who seem to get themselves into these messes) will write to me asking me for advice about things going wrong in their lives. I can see it now...

Dear Kenny,

I am a sixteen-year-old girl attending a leading school in Colombo. Three months ago, I met a man in the bus on my way home from school. He was tall and had black hair, he was wearing a white shirt and a brown pair of trousers. He must have been around thirty. Our eyes met immediately, I could tell that he liked me. Kenny, it was love at first sight. He was obviously a shy guy because he didn't look at me again. But then suddenly, he got up and offered me his seat. 

Although he got down at the next halt without saying a word to me, I knew that something special had happened between us in that bus. I tried to get in touch with him (Hello out there 22.11.98) but he never answered. Kenny, what can I do? Do you think he's angry with me? Could it be something I did? Do you think he may have found someone else? I love him so much. Please don't ask me to forget about him, and please don't throw this letter away. 

Desperate.

Dear Desperate,

I see your problem. It is quite possible that he is angry with you. And yes, it probably is something you did. Have you ever wondered why he offered you his seat? Maybe he wrote his name and telephone number on the seat in front hoping that you would read it (shy guys can be very subtle). This also explains why he is angry with you. He probably thinks that you didn't share that special moment with him that day on that bus. 

The best thing you can do right now is to try and find out his telephone number. The easiest way to do this is to find the bus in which this all happened and look for his number on the seat. But you need to do this quickly you have already wasted too much time. Take a day off from school and check all the buses on the route. There's no need to tell anyone about this they'll probably get over-excited and cause an unnecessary commotion.

Dear Kenny,

I am a fifteen-year-old boy attending a leading school in Colombo. I have a problem. I am a shy guy and rather inexperienced when it comes to dealing with girls. There is this girl in my Maths class that I've liked for a long time but have been too shy to tell her about it. But suddenly last week she handed me a letter. Kenny, she likes me too. She says she wants to know everything about me. She also wants to know if I have a girlfriend. I don't want to mess this up. So please tell me what do I do?

Confused.

Dear Confused,

It's lucky that you decided to ask me for advice, because from what you have told me about yourself, I'm sure you would have managed to mess it up if you tried to do anything on your own. You see, the golden rule in life is to take nothing at face value. But at fifteen you can be excused for not knowing this. The girl is probably just toying with you. You are obviously a loser and no girl in her right mind would actually be attracted to that. The letter is probably the result of some bet she had with her friends. 

There's only one way to check if this letter is genuine. Ignore her completely. If she is really interested she will try again. If she gives you another letter, to make absolutely sure that she really means every word she has written in there, read it out aloud in front of your Maths class. If she then refuses to own up to writing it, then you know that she is a phoney, and that you've done the right thing. 

Please send in your problems to 'Dear Kenny' and I will find the solutions you are looking for. If you are desperate, don't despair just let your troubles flow into words, don't be afraid to share.

More Mirror Magazine  *  Paradise Espied  *  It's good to be old fashioned - Dear Daughter -  *  The kind leading the blind