Sustainable Me

  Did you know that expressing yourself with your car can also mean how "well-groomed" your car is? (Just like you groom yourself before an outing or important occasion). I reckon this can be called mutual respect or a discreet way of saying, "I respect you, hence why I am well dressed for the occasion". Have you ever felt the difference in the vibe around you when you drive into a car park or some sort of gathering in a car that hasn't been washed in ages versus a car that has been put through a nice wash and clean? If you haven't, it's worth checking it out! I have experienced it and want to share what it means to keep your car looking spick and span.  So,   I caught up with Ayesh Wickramasinghe who I've known for almost a decade, and we share the same love for cars and keeping things CLEAN! Tsemach Global Automotive  - The Detail Studio is his venture that specializes in bespoke car detailing and is the Sole Agent, Authorized Distributor, and ...

  Buying a used car is not as easy as you think unless you have done your homework! Searching for used cars has become a walk in the park with the growth in social media and the internet in general. However, there's a downside to this ease of finding the exact car you want to fit your budget. Do you know what that is? Let's find out! 💪 1) All that glitters is not gold 🏆 When you search for a vehicle online, you are able to define exactly what you want in terms of; make, model, YOM (Year Of Manufacture), price range, colour etc. Our friend the internet then gives us an array of options and to your surprise, you might find exactly what you are looking for! Have you ever thought about what happens then? You get EMOTIONALLY ATTACHED to that vehicle without even seeing what's under the hood or how well the mechanical parts of the car have been maintained. This should ideally raise RED FLAG in your mind to tell you, "Hey, I know you like this, but do not get emotional wi...

Whether you drive a Maruti or the most expensive car in the World, there's a way you can create a character of its own to reflect your tastes, preferences and attitude. When this is done, there's no longer a "Maruti" or a "most expensive car in the World", but rather a "one-of-a-kind ride" which is truly yours and can be differentiated from the rest! In this article I will give you some tips on how you can enhance the apperance of your vehicle while being on a budget! Expressing Yourself We all crave to be different, to express ourselves, to be unique etc. Some do this by way of fashion, singing, gymming, sports and many other ways, but some do it using their cars. I really find it fascinating as to how creative people can get and how they could transform the look of an average car into something so special and unique. Once Upon A Time Since 2003 (when the 9 year old me started to realize that car modifications aren't limited to PC games such a...

Although, I keep harping on the fact that you should be positive and avoid any negativity (in my articles), over the past few days I was overwhelmed by negative thoughts. It was such a painful realization to comprehend that no matter how much I tried, I kept falling down the spiraling stairs of negativity. Everything seemed to annoy me and I mean everything! Now I really understand what some of you may be going through. I guess we just need to go through the feelings without trying to suppress them or force ourselves to be positive (because sometimes, It is not that simple). Don't Force Positivity What I realized is that there are some situations where you need to let yourself go through all those negative emotions and not force positivity in there. That said, this should not be a prolonged measure. For me, it took me about 3-4 days to get over the negative thoughts (around a lot of things). But then I made a conscious decision that I would keep track of how my thoughts ta...

By popular demand, I decided that I need to put out an article related to fitness. So I caught up with one of my buddies I met in School almost a decade ago — Mushahid Munshif. He’s been so passionate about fitness over the past 10 years and has come a long way since the beginning of his fitness journey. His dedication and consistency towards what he was doing impressed me and I am sure it impressed everyone around him too. So I could not think of anyone better to collaborate with on this one! A Fresh New perspective Even  I  was mind-blown when he told me that, “Fitness is not just aesthetics, it’s much more than that. It’s about your physical and emotional well-being.” Come to think of it, this concept really makes sense. What’s the use of being the most physically fit, but not so good on the emotional side. What kind of impact would it have if you give your mental health an equal amount of attention too? This was truly an eye-opener. However, another important point broug...

Bright-coloured spices & fruits among lush veggies and greens. Now isn’t that a lovely sight! It truly fascinates me how a fully-grown plant starts off as a tiny seedling and then goes onto produce food for us for months on end. I took up planting back in January 2016 and I started off with one of the easiest plants to grow from seeds – chili. I had three pots into which I sprinkled some seeds and three months later I had my own chilis fresh off the tree. Fresh & Yours There’s no better feeling than to harvest your own food. Knowing that you have not used any pesticides or chemicals on them makes you feel even better. Just like us humans, plants need love and attention. You need to water them sufficiently. Once in the morning and once in the evening is more than enough during bright sunny days. All you need is some space. If you don’t have a big garden, that’s okay. Start small. Get some flower pots or better yet recycle some plastic containers and convert ...

Now, since I promised you a part 2 way more interesting than part 1 . I got an additional contributor to this article- Geshan Wimaladharma. He is attached to one of the leading watch stores in Srilanka; Wimaladarma & Sons .The interesting part about this is that I got to know him due to my weekly visits to one of the stores so I could enjoy glancing through new arrivals. I have bought multiple watches from this store and restored my late grandfather’s watch too.  Here are more insights especially for you! Impress yourself An interesting insight Geshan shared with me was that he’d select a watch not by looking at the brand, but by how unique it is in its styling . Now for those of you who think, “bigger the brand, the better it is”, if you personally don’t like how the watch looks or the general designs offered by the brand you deem “the best”, then we suggest that it is not the watch you should buy. Remember that you need to f eel satisfied with your purch...

Ever wanted to get into the stock market, but could not go that extra step? Then you’re in luck because I will break it down into manageable bits in this article! 😊 Kindly note that this is set in a Sri Lankan context and this article will focus on investing in the Colombo Stock Exchange ( CSE ). Becoming an Investor First of all, you need to get in touch with a stockbroker company such as Asha Phillip Securities Ltd (which has been my stockbroker for ages now) or any other reputed stockbroker in the country.  Once you’ve done that, they will create a CDS (Central Depository System) account for you. So basically, you need to deposit money into this account if you want to make any purchases of stocks. Once the money is in, all you have to do is call up your agent (a stockbroker assigned to you) and tell him or her which company’s stocks you want to buy at what price and how much. You will then get a statement of your stock portfolio every month and you can also dow...