It's wedding times again

By Ayesha R. Rafiq

It's June again and time for brides to be getting nervous about dresses, bouquets and make-up. But the something old, new, borrowed and blue concept is fast being replaced by newer designs and creations, and with all the imagination going around, the brides are going to be in for an exciting time.

Gone is the concept of virginal white for a wedding dress, being replaced with bronze, this off white and the occasional red. While the dress itself remains the popular symbol of girlhood and innocence it always has been, sexier and more figure revealing outfits are becoming the in thing for those adventurous enough.

Bouquets are becoming bigger and trends are turning towards using more oriental themes, such as lotus flowers, dried flowers and a host of other local flora. Most brides are now going in for lighter and more natural makeup and earthy tones are being favoured as opposed to bright reds or pinks. Hairstyles are being given trendy and exciting treatment, with head dresses becoming bigger and bolder but prettier and more sophisticated.

For those who are torn between a modern and tradtitional look there are pale pastel hues which blend in beautifully with more modern Kandyan sarees or increasingly popular skirt, blouse and shawl combinations. Even for those who still favour the old favourites, wonders can be done with the complementing flower arrangements and bouquets, which results in a whole new look.

As opposed to the elaborate dresses and sarees that were the in thing at one time, the trend now seems to be shifting towards simple, yet dressy and elegant, with something different and unique for each bride.

At the end of the day, the concept seems to be comfort with style, which no bride could possibly disagree with.

The Mirror Magazine's special bridal issue features the creations of Ramani Fernando, Ramzi Rahaman , Kanthi Fernandopulle and Janaki Kurukulasuriya. The models were photographed by Mettasena.

Which white is right?

Dear Diary,

Started painting the apartment last week. What could be easier, you ask? You buy the paint and hire some guys to slap it on the walls. If only you knew. Remember that paint advertisement which promises you over 1000 colours, including about 20 different shades of white? Well, the choice isn't exactly as easy as you may think.

What I'm trying to say is, the shades of white aren't really all that white. The Apple White is more green than white, Lily White more grey than white and Rose, Orchid, Apricot, etc White are all more pink than white. So there were the two of arguing over, believe it or not, whether Lavender White was a cosy enough colour for the study and whether Apricot white on the bathroom walls would give it a yellowish tinge.

We had another problem. The colours had to match the curtains. So, a green curtain would naturally have to go into a room which was painted say, Apple White, a pink one with Rose White and so on. All this deliberation going on with us blissfully unmindful of the fact that sometime in the distant future we may actually want to change the curtains. Timely intervention in the shape of His father however, saved the day and solved our problems by saying we couldn't seriously be thinking of having different colours in different rooms. Being an entirely rhetorical question of course, we've ended up with just plain white on all the walls.

All my life I've waited to grow up, leave home and get an apartment of my own where I could hang out and do my own thing. I fantasised about calling home maybe once in two weeks just to say hi! Wouldn't that be just great. No parents to have to listen to or to interfere.

Well, the annoying thing about growing up is that you realise your parents may actually have been right, hence the slow but sure shattering of many childhood dreams. Now, all I think about is how many visits home I'll be able to squeeze into one week and how many times I'll need to call home for advice on how much chilli powder chicken curry actually needs. He has convinced Himself that once in two weeks is all we can manage and that phone bills are too high these days to call anyone for advice. I'm still working on that one though.

Went for a facial last week, which my beautician says you have to start on at least two to three months before the wedding. After my first but not last experience though, I don't think I'll ever look at a beautician with anything but fear after this.

The massaging and the pampering is all very nice. But just when you think you could enjoy it, begins the torture. First I had to sweat over a steamer so 'my pores could open up'. Then my face was 'cleaned up' (which term I found rather insulting because up until then I had considered myself a rather clean person). But this was nothing compared to the threading.

Threading your upper lip has got to be one of the worst tortures ever. After 10 minutes of it, my face was entirely wet with the uncontrollable tears of pain that got squeezed out of me. And after all that, there isn't even that much of a difference anyway. My next appointment's today and I'm dreading the very thought of it.

Amidst all the bedlam, came what has got to the most fantastic news in the world. He and I are finally going to be aunt and uncle. Finally, a little kid we have some actual claim on to boss around (smile). It's a little hard to boss a kid who'll probably be living a good part of his life in the States though. I'm hoping my mother-in-law won't decide it's high time I made my little contribution to the family tree as well, so lying low for a while seems like a good idea right now.

The Bride

Adding sunshine to their lives

By Wathsala Mendis

They are poles apart. The sons and daughters of resident expatriates working here in Sri Lanka on the one hand and the timid little ones for whose parents every day is a battle for survival on the other. Language is another barrier. Coming from such vastly different social backgrounds, any sort of interaction between the two groups might seem well nigh impossible.

Yet the 16 and 17-year-olds from the Overseas School of Colombo have got on well with the kiddies of the Sri Panee Pre-School at Ganelanda Temple for the past five years through their community service project. The OSC believes in the development of the whole child through its education programme. Hence the students at the upper level are prepared for the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma programme which includes a component in which the students serve the community at large.

Under this project a group of students have been visiting the Temple School once a week and teaching English to the children through games and play activities. The history of the school is a story in itself. While at the beginning of the project, teaching and playing promised fun and excitement for both parties, they had to make do with a couple of old and broken benches which served both as tables and chairs. The main hall of the temple was used for the school which in turn had to be used for other temple activities as well. The kids had no permanent place to display pictures or any educational material.

Through their vigorous fund-raising projects, the OSC students were able to provide the school with play equipment, reading and writing materials, a blackboard with space for hanging pictures, toys, and a climbing frame. Towards the end of last year a new building was put up in the temple premises for housing the Pre School. The OSC through the good offices of its students provided some roofing sheets and paint. The students also spent a couple of Saturdays painting the building.

Now that they had their own building the next pressing need was furniture which was made possible through the kind donation given by the Netherlands Embassy. It was again one of the OSC teachers, who has been the project supervisor for the past five years, who organized the donation. Now the kiddies have beautiful new blue and white furniture, tables, chairs, books, shelves, storage boxes, and cupboards.

Moreover, they have been invited to OSC on World Children's Day as well as on other occasions, where the children are entertained by OSC students and are given the use of the computer room, the library, the video room, and the fully-equipped kindergarten play area which is their favourite. They are also provided with transport to attend all OSC theatre productions.

To 17-year-old Jichul from Korea what appeals the most about these kids is the fact that they're "so innocent and pure." Though the students find communication a bit of a problem at times, they always manage with body language. The kiddies, of course, wouldn't mind using their mother tongue as and when they want! And both parties learn a lot from each other.

According to Ianthi Wijewardena, the project supervisor, it's an interesting experience for these OSC students who come from very privileged backgrounds to step out of their own little world and have an understanding of the hardships faced by their not-so-fortunate brothers and sisters. And the OSC, while being proud of its achievements so far, looks forward to adding that little bit of sunshine into these kiddies' lives.

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