Sustainable Me

Source;Landrover.com/news What if I told you that luxury, refinement, power, performance, and presence could be combined into a   sustainable product? A product that goes “Above and Beyond” and challenges stereotypes. We as humans make choices every single day, 24/7, 365 days of the year, but how many of them are “Sustainable”? The Bigger Picture If I told you that I made a conscious effort to promote sustainable lifestyles and this affected the thinking patterns of 1000 people who saved 1 liter of water a day? This leads to a saving of 365,000 liters of water a year . Imagine, a million people doing this. I will allow you to do the math. This is the bigger picture I am trying to create awareness around and focus people’s attention on. The Choice Is Yours This article focuses on one of the occasional, but key decisions we make which can get us one step closer to saving the world from air pollution and depleting reserves of Oil through sustainable lifestyle choices...

One of the most important accessories to consider when expressing yourself in a fashionable way can be your friend who tells you the time – your wristwatch! Since I befriended Manendra back in 2007 we noticed that why we clicked so well was that we had a common interest in most things. To say the least, we were mad over watches! Our taste has matured over time and seek more than “Just a watch” to wear. While most people just look for “anything that tells you the time”, we take it to the next level; what we both are looking for is a masterpiece that speaks to us from the design, colour, and detail of the dial to the material used on the strap and the origins of the watchmaker. This process is more like buying a car for some (not how much money you spend, but how much time you spend researching) Individuality Matters! When we choose a watch we choose it based on a few characteristics that speak to us. Individuality is important. For example, my friend likes a thick ring ar...

As a fashion designer, I strongly believe we have to be aware of the story behind products and the people who are involved in the process of its production . Having been involved in the fashion industry for a number of years, I’ve gathered experience in a start-up and a few of the more recognised labels in Sri Lanka . Since we are now facing a pandemic on a scale that we haven’t seen the likes of for more than a century I thought it was important for me to talk about the importance of supporting local brands. I want to share the story behind my favourite type of fabric to work with. It is that of the handloom textile. The history behind traditional handloom weaving in Sri Lanka dates back to the times of the Indian Prince Vijaya and quite possibly before that. It is said that upon his arrival on the island in 543 BC, he witnessed a woman called Kuveni from the indigenous race “Yaksha Gothra” spinning yarn - she would go on to be his wife. The local handloom industry acquir...

A bright sunny afternoon in 2019 took a 180-degree shift to become a dark, windy, and scary one in just a matter of minutes!I remember this day very well as we were enjoying an event celebrating the Sinhala and Tamil New year organized by CIM Sri Lanka. We had perfect weather for an event like this (which started around 10 am that morning). But everything changed that afternoon. This is when I quickly snapped this picture! The rain got us soaked while we danced to the music. It was not the ideal weather to have, but we decided to have fun anyway.I know what you're thinking. We secured our mobile phones by putting them into polythene bags and keeping them under a hut by the DJ! The point I am trying to get at is that, you still can find happiness in adversity . Economic Effects I am sure you have heard enough about the adverse economic impacts that Coronavirus has and will bring about. Unemployment rates will soar, Gross Domestic Product or GDP (An indicator of the val...

COVID-19  smacked us in the face out of nowhere , didn’t it? The effects of the pandemic are unprecedented and so significant that the whole world is in a state of emergency. Economies are baldy impacted and this does have a rippling effect on all of us. It looks like the negative impacts will continue to be encountered in the foreseeable future. But, there’s a BIG But! Ups & Downs Where would the “Ups” come from without the “Downs”? Now if you start to keep the emotions at bay and start thinking logically, you will realize that adversity has brought out the best in us as we try to navigate through trying times. A quick glance at such events in history will highlight key inventions that came out of most trying times. So we can try to find peace in the fact that good things are coming our way! 😊 Focus On What Is In YOUR Control You control your emotions, your decisions, your feelings, your thinking, your motivation, your need to be better and the list goes on. Rather...

As an avid car enthusiast, I saw an opportunity when I heard that my friend Praveen Fernando joined the state-of-the-art Mercedes Benz Sri Lanka showroom (run by Dimo 800) as a Sales Consultant. He followed his passion for cars and gets to be with them most of the day! I so badly wanted a tour around the facility and told my friend about this. He was more than glad to invite me over. I even applied for leave (during the busiest times) to experience the new showroom! I remember driving to the location, and I was stunned seeing the architecture of the building with a massive structure of the “three-pointed star” badge right on top of the roof. Feeling at home I wasn’t going to buy a car that day although I do aspire to someday in the future. My friend was to meet me in 10 minutes (I was 30 minutes early as usual) and I sat down in the customer lounge overlooking an array of brand new Mercedes cars and SUVs. I was given a nice cup of coffee and was so lovely to see the Merce...

Winning a lottery can be attributed to “overnight success”, but in our daily lives the chances of winning a lottery is slimmer than the slimmest smartphone out there. What if I told you that there is a way to increase your wealth over time? All you need is focus and discipline! Here are some tips for you. What can’t be measured, cannot be managed You need to set your financial goals right at the outset. This means that you need to consider making a plan. A plan that would help you understand where you want to go and where you are at the moment. This will pave the way to understanding the gap between now and “then”. Say for example you want to save Rs.500,000. If you don’t set out a timeline for achieving the same, it would seem like a very difficult task, but let me simplify it for you. Plan it out Considering the above example, let’s look at a two-year plan to achieve this. 2 years, in other words, is 24 months. So, this is our first step. Divide the total amoun...