Happiness’ Where I join the English Defence League!

Happiness’ Where I join the English Defence League!

Under the Sri Lankan sky on a rooftop down Fife Road my Kandyan Sri Lankan British friend made a pertinent comment on my visit to the Paradise Isle this week. He says “this bugger has lived in England for six years now, but whenever he’s in SL he absolutely has nothing nice to say about life there. The weather is cold, the tube is shit, the people are crap, etc., etc.”

So here’s to you my favourite Whiteman.

After attending a fair secondary school, my kid just got brilliant GCSE’s and will be attending sixth form at one of the best schools in the United Kingdom to do her A/L’s. She is brilliant and would have done well in any country, but this school makes it special. Lems Oxbridge aspirations for her are closer than you think. Mine are simpler as I want her to go to the fifth best medical school in the world – The Imperial College of medicine.

Lems works as a consultant to one of the best retail partnerships in England with stores from Oxford Street to everywhere in the UK.

However much I may complain I do work for my SIL, who owns her own law firm. Needless to say this brings about the benefits of working from home, appearing and disappearing, and the kind of lawlessness I love. My moonlighting at night as a bartender adds a bit of colour in my life. Especially at the infamous over 30’s disco which is held once a month and needs an iron heart to serve inebriated really desperate laddies and lady’s.  No, no ladyboys, thank you very much.

I play a bit of village cricket. Very enjoyable and as every Englishmen is susceptible to leg spin I do bag an average match haul of 5 wickets at each game. I will be playing this Sunday in a little village 5 miles from Oxford. 

Music, Culture, Dance, Art, Good Food, Great Drink. The streets and life of the City of London.

I travel to the US and the Paradise Isle at least three times a year. I do have the option to visit other places in the world, but the fact that our family matriarch has a mansion in Alexandria, VA, and Colombo; my youngest of the eldest sister and absolutely great friends in the Paradise Isle give me no need to see the world. Besides, other than Japan and China, I have seen most other countries.

There are a fleet of Mercs to drive here, from A class to C,E and M class, thanks to Lems and her family.  We live 25mins from Kings Cross on the Thameslink. 15mins to West Hampstead and the Jubilee Line to Bond Street, which is four stops.

So am I happy? Not really. For my Dad instilled in us this burning need to go after anything we need. But Mr. Whiteman, England’s OK!

My current quest for work in the Paradise Isle completes the dream, for I dare to dream of having the best of both worlds.

I have six years in England to thank for that. For as well as laugh, I have learnt to cry. To become a half decent human being and never afraid to be vulnerable. I am neither god nor legend.

I believe I now qualify for an honorary post in the English Defence League.

I think I am also a bit secretly proud of that Sri Lankiness’ in me, bitch we may, and boy do we bitch, but yes we’re very similar to the English, we also do quietly get on with it.

“Every journey has a beginning and an end. It’s the middle that counts”

Joanna Miles, Ex-ECD Phoenix Ogilvy Colombo and Proprietor Night Tiger, Singapore.  (Nothing to do with our now defunct tigers in SL, this was advertising. RIP Aunty Jo).


wait wait wait... 


it is still bloody cold here.