Ten Accessories every man should have!

Ten Accessories every man should have!

1. The Bag

Mulberry Messenger Bag – Ted Natural Oak Leather

http://www.mulberry.com/#/storefront/c5828/4839/moreviews/

2. The Watch

Hubolt - MP-02 KEY OF TIME

Hub9002 manual-winding movement with column wheel and power reserve tourbillon.

3. The Wallet

Comme Des Garcons Leather Full Zip Wallet.

4. The Pocket Square

Penrose.

http://www.penrose-london.com/shop/

5. The Sunglasses

Maui Jim Island Time.

http://www.mauijim.com/islandtimes.html

6. The Belt

Paul Smith Belts - Black Vintage Signature Stripe Keeper Belt.

http://www.paulsmith.co.uk/uk-en/shop/mens/accessories/belts/mens-black-vintage-signature-stripe-keeper-belt-ddddd.html

7. The Case

Moleskine. Tablet shell in Oxide Green.

http://www.moleskine.com/gb/collections/model/product/tablet-shell-oxide-green

8. The Tie

Alexander McQueen. NAVY/ORANGE STRIPE-SKULL TIE.

http://www.alexandermcqueen.com/menswear/mens-accessories/ties/ABIJ,en_GB,sc.html?&gclid=CNTZv6fbnLYCFaHHtAod1kkAvw

9. The Cufflinks

Polo Ralph Lauren Pony Cufflinks

http://www.ralphlauren.co.uk/product/index.jsp?productId=10387651

10. The Bracelet

Stephen Einhorn Double Strand Leather Snap Wrist Bracelet Silver. Natural Leather Bracelet.

http://www.stepheneinhorn.co.uk/double-strand-leather-snap-wrist-bracelet-silver-natural-leather.asp?pc2=J4274&p_subcategory=ME04

If you want him to love you forever, the best birthday present. http://www.stepheneinhorn.co.uk/small-skull-ring-9-carat-yellow-gold.asp?pc2=J1691Y&p_subcategory=SK01

Thank you Selfridges for the inspiration. The brand choices are mine. If you want the ring replicated for way cheaper, take the picture to Ijaz at Unique Jewels on Lauries Road, Colombo 4 and he will replicate it for you. Last time I was there he had some brilliant pink sapphires.

Desperately Sri Lankan

The sun has been beating down mercilessly for weeks now. The day almost unbearable if outside. Humid and hot even at night. The only respite at early dawn when it gets cold enough to sleepily search the bed with your foot for a thrown away t-shirt, the crisp white cotton sheet common to many homes in the tropics. Especially if you live in a concrete jungle. Colombo, Mumbai, Karachi, Sao Paolo, Mexico City, all the same.

Suddenly the hot afternoon sun’s covered by clouds, a cool wind sweeps across, and the concrete jungle can almost be heard sighing when the first drops of rain hits the hot concrete surfaces.

Schools out and the children run on to their leafy lanes to enjoy the rain. Paper boats are built for racing, mothers screaming for raincoats forgotten.

The old domestic serves the world with a rare bare toothed smile and takes a break in her hot kitchen. Now cooled by the rain beating down heavily overhead. She sits on her haunches with a fresh cup of tea and a generous serving of sugar balanced on her palm.

The government clerk at the ministry by the water sighs in relief. The yellow sweat showing through his white starched shirt now drying to a brown. He pours himself a large glass of water from the water cooler and at the same time gives his heat rash in his crotch a good scratch.

It’s a Tuesday, the women who had braved the sun all morning at the temple of the goddess Kali, look up at the heavens thanking their goddess for the relief. Mingled with their relief that the morning prayers and offering to the goddess has much pleased her.

The rain has come.

With it my tears.

I am so far away.

It’s better never to have loved, for then you know not and miss not the love you did not know. 

My Dear John letter to Sri Lankan Airlines

Flew into the old motherland for the annual RoyTho cricket encounter. As a member of the Fly Smiles SLA (Sri Lankan Airlines) frequent flyer programme, requested travel agent to get my ticket on the said airline (12kg more baggage and choice seating). Arrived at the SLA Heathrow Terminal 4 check-in to find that the much sort after emergency exit seats have been blocked by SLA. Informed to me by the Alitalia check-in person as they handle it for SLA out of London. Why they even bother to have SLA staff in London, I fail to understand if Alitalia does the job at check-in.

Emergency exit seats are usually given to able-bodied persons who are able to help other passengers in case of an emergency evacuation.

In the case of SLA, they are given to people who know people. After I got on the plane, one of the stewardesses was a relative and she managed to move me to one of the seats where families with babies travel with more legroom. The emergency exit seats next to me were taken by an old uncle and aunty.

·      The blankets smelt of vomit, to and from London.

·      The seats were extremely dirty and the plane not cleaned properly.

·      The seats smelt.

·      Once the meal was served, it took a couple of hours for them to be cleared. This added to the stink.

·      Heard someone else asking one of the crew about the cleaning of the plane. They were informed that there’s hardly anytime to clean the plane properly due to the quick turn around after landing in London.

·      The plane from Colombo to London was dirtier and stank more.

·      The food from Colombo to London gave me a bad stomach. For three days. It was awful. Both the food and bad stomach. 

·      In my haste to get out of the plane in London, I left behind some personal items on the plane. It’s been five days now and I am still to get a proper reply to my emails. Despite being a frequent flyer on SLA.

·      The planes were extremely warm. Both from London and from Colombo. The sweat of the people added to the stink of the plane.

I understand that British Airways will start operations to Colombo from London this month.

I am on the frequent flyer programs of SLA, British Airways, and Qatar Airways.

But I look forward to flying Sri Lankan Airlines in the near future on my travels to the motherland.

The flights will probably be empty, smelly and the food still awful, but I have a very good feeling I’ll on a very empty plane. I’ll bring my own blanket and food.

After all I do have the excess baggage allowance and I will remain Sri Lankan even after my death.