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| Sunday, 29 February 2004 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Sunday the 8th of Feb was a special day for Bird and her Co-Workers in the S.O. It was our long awaited, long planned S.O Trrippp!!! With the ultimate Holiday Destination planned out to be Negombo, preparations began one month ahead under the guidance-ship of Trip Leader, L. Edirisinghe, together with his Henchmen, the Mini Chairmen of L.H, Sunny, Stanley, Prasanna, Athula, Sumathi, Nalin and Ranjith.
From taking down names, shouting out orders, planning the budget, getting a list of soft drinks and a triple list of non soft drinks to consulting the Trip Organizer, our Travel Expert Jansz, inventing old party games, buying the gifts and drawing up incentive "Trip Promotion" posters to keep the moral e going, the whole of Jan was spent planning the trip, talking about the trip, recalling tales of the previous trip and giving forecasts on what the coming trip would be like. "Where are we staying?" Trip, trip, trip, Bird was getting sick of the subject, specially as same old stories were repeated everyday (though perhaps this is somewhat understandable considering most of the trip participants were bordering on their second childhood). D-Day arrived at last. Being told to be in front of L.H.Reserve's grand entrance at 7.00 am, Bird and her friend R arrived on the dot of seven and wondered whether we'd got the day right. Not only was no other person within vicinity but there was not a sign of our travelling coach either! Fortunately a few minutes later when I was just considering phoning Boo to pick us up, the coach arrived. A big "Dinamina Seegragami Bus Ratayak" in which a quarter of the trip gang were already comfortably sitting. Waiting for those ever so considerate late stragglers to hop in it was nearly 8.00 o'clock when we finally took off. Rrrrrrmmmmppphhh! The S.O gang were on their way to rock it out. Making pit stops to collect those on route, the party gets started in the coach itself, those in the back having an early shot and singing and dancing baila, while those of us in the front gabbered, gossiped and laughed. And the lens clickers clicked on. By nine thirty we were at the exotic Taj Airport Garden for a scrumpy breakfast from sausages, eggs, potatoes and croissants to "Indiappa", "sambol" and "fish curry". Bird swallowing down her meal with a glass of chocolate milk, heads off with R to have a go at the children's play park. No sooner she swings herself in the air, the rest of the gang follow her lead and take over. Breakfast and play at T.A.G completed half an hour later we arrived at our destination of stay, the Royal Oceanic Hotel, Negombo. No sooner we step into it, everyone groups up and proceeds to do their thing. Lak and Las (D) go for a dip in the sea, while Fahima plays about in the shallows. Others gossip in the beach around an umbrella'd beach table and Stanley, Leslie and their card gang begin a round of "OMI" inside the beach hall. The rest of the S.O, Lalith, Selva, J.J and lot venture to splash in the pool, Bird having a love for the sea breeze goes on a stroll down the beach with R and Jayanthi. By 1.00 pm we're all together at the Hall for the S.O Recreation Time. Beverly and his band The "La Lankans" string up a tune and the dancing and baila begins, followed by a competitive game of "Musical Chairs" and an extremely furious case of "Passing the Cushion" (which Bird won). A Singing Competition, Baila Competition, Dancing Competition, Fastest Dancing Competition everyone swinged it out. There also seemed to be an unofficial Alcohol Consumption Competition, followed by a much worse, Drunken Behaviour Competition. Next comes the trip lunch, which was mmmm... delicious. While Bird had warm buttered sauted potatoes topped with melting cheese and grilled Seer fish, everyone else just "lambased" the sea feast of prawns and fried lobsters. As for the desert. It was a chocolate fiesta, from chocolate puddings, to chocolate cakes, to chocolate eclairs. More music, games and dancing followed lunchtime, after which a few like Bird and a few colleagues, having had enough fun, bused it to Colombo, while the rest staggered to Leslie's for dinner. PS-I hear the after effects of the day had been tremendous that a certain person didn't make it to his home, but spent the night in a greasy garage! pPS-For those not familiar with the S.O People, here's a brief summary of all those who participated in the trip, starting from the seven Cocks of the News and their one Hen. The Seven Cocks Jangi Sakara-S. Selvakumar -Most Veteran Journalist. Lean and hungry Palakidnar Ananth Journalist. Ananda Kumar -Journalist and Chief Sub Editor of News. Picked off the Streets of Wattala for the trip. P. Krishnaswamy- Next Door Table Neighbour of Careem with whom there's constant fireworks. J.J-Jayampathy Jayasinghe-Our very own Police Inspector, there to keep an eye on everyone but in reality one whom everyone should keep an eye on. This somewhat laid back journalist was the girls' swimming coach on the trip. Leonard Elmo-Rabu as he is known among us due to his raw rabu eating habits is our Nutty Professor. A gymnastic and Yoga Expert. He represented S.O's general fitness through standing on his head in the hotel in front of a vast audience. Medium Boozer. De Silva Roy-Sub Editor. Dresser of White. Deepal-Journalist. The Hen Shanika-Health Journalist. V.Tall. Features-All Hens I think K.Roberts- . Keeper of Oberon and Titania. C.Aloysius- Veteran Feature Writer. Health Editor. Loves a yak. Umangi-Bird's co-mag writer. Has groovy ring tones, a cackling laugh and a singing voice. Liyanage Jayanthi-Our furious writer is the most hard working of the gang. She's constantly scribing notes and finally typing page long articles to the very last moment. Is v Kind. Fahima-Sub Editor of the Magazine. Another Yakker, gabbler and cackler. Is game for anything. Lasantha-This Community Page Lady loves to baila. Lasanda-Chief of the Feature Department. Plus in the Trip there were S.O's Sport Cocks-Leslie and A.C Business Hens-Sureka and Chanuka S.O's Lens Clickers Pererahamu and Kumarahamu As well as VDT Big Man Stanley Mendis And the Chief of the S.O-Gunesekara Lakshman. |
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