Stories of the open road

By Pathum Punchihewa

When the night comes, you will find out that you are no more human, but something supernatural. You are not a vampire or a zombie, or a skin-walker. But you are a shape shifter. No, you are more than just a shape shifter. You are a werewolf.  It’s your gift and your curse. Night is about to fall and you better understand who you really are, a legendary phenomenon, a werewolf…!”

If you are also a “Twilight fan” or an “Underworld fan”, you know what that really means. Those movie franchises brought the Werewolf fever to the peak among many teenagers and youngsters world wide by portraying werewolves as supernatural heroes!

First of all, this fast growing subculture is not about real creatures that can shape shift into fearsome and super strong wolves but it’s all about believers of the werewolf legend. Some of them even perform dark magic rituals in moonlight! We are now witnessing a new subculture that is based on werewolf movies and literature.

Werewolf movies and werewolf literature hold one essential fear in common. We should realise that a werewolf is actually a symbol for the rage that all people hold inside that most are never able to let out. The werewolf is the personified rage which is unleashed by the main character of a story against his conscious will. Once that rage is unleashed, there is no controlling it, and there is no stopping it.

Most of the members of the werewolf subculture find that one of their greatest fears is allowing themselves uncontrollable rage. They fight with the emotions that we all do, and are afraid that there might be a chance that rage could take over, and make them do things that they would not usually do.

Just because a person is a member of the werewolf subculture does not mean that he or she believes that werewolves are real. Very few are given to the fantasy that there are actual werewolves. Chances are good that the few that do believe in such things have some kind of predisposition in their mind for believing fanciful thoughts.

Now, in Sri Lanka there isn’t exactly a Werewolf subculture but still there are many teens who love strong and masculine werewolf ‘Jacob Black’ than sleek and charming vamp-boy, ‘Edward Cullen’!

Published on  Daily Mirror (30th December 2010)

By Pathum Punchihewa

I have a confession. I am a man of many dreams. At least I was. Once as a kid I dreamed freely to the limitless ends of the universe. I had a dream about a moment, that I will have with the one I love and I saw that dream many times and I didn’t realise how important that dream was to my life until the day I see it with my own eyes…

  “She was next to me, lying on the bed on a tropical rainy night. I was sitting on the floor, resting my head on her body, she caresses my long hair. I  hold my guitar, singing for her, with a passion that I never ever believed I was capable of…”

I stopped. And she veered her body towards me. Then I said, “I had a song in my heart”. She was a statue of quietness. And like the tender levanter breeze, she begun to sing. I just wanted to close my eyes, dive in to the beautiful vibrations of her voice; she wasn’t a professional singer but it was a nightingale cooing to me…

What was that song? In my mind it was a song from an old movie. Oh yes, it was sung by another diva I loved, Lata mangeshkar. “Ajeeb daastaan hai yeh, Kahan shuru kahen khatam”…

“With the in depth meaning of the song, with the delicate feeling she sang, with the atmosphere surrounding us and with the idea that ‘she sang for me’… what can I say, it was my dream and it came true…”

Maybe this is a dream that any man can dream of. Maybe it’s just a Love Guru Classic. But what I wanted to say is, ‘just be with somebody who makes your dreams come true, tiny and sheer dreams that illuminate your life, very soul…’

And a footer note about the topic of the article. Yes, in that very moment I realised that I always wanted to be with her. And after that moment she realised that I am only her best friend; nothing more, nothing less…. Yeah, sometimes cupid works in such tricky ways. And that’s another story and until, ‘The End’…

Published on Youth Mirror - Daily Mirror (09th December 2010)

By Pathum Punchihewa

We are told to remember the idea, not the man... because a man can fail, he can be caught; he can be killed buried and forgotten. But even 400 years later, his idea can change the world.

Remember remember, the fifth of november,
Gunpowder, treason and plot...
I see no reason why gunpowder, treason,
should ever be forgot...

Guy Fawkes belonged to a group of provincial English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Those secret plotters which consisted of Catholics who believed that the system is corrupt conspired to explode the houses of parliament. Unfortunately the plot was exposed and Guy Fawkes who was guarding the explosives beneath the basement was arrested. He was questioned, tortured and finally executed. This of course is part of history and Guy Fawkes has died and been forgotten as an individual but still those rhyming words stand for his idea, Remember, remember the fifth of November…

In our known history how many people died for the fulfillment of their ideas? Yes they die, but as free men and women. They have died defending the ‘idea’ that made them die, the idea that made them smirk in contempt at their moment of death.

It’s not just Guy Fawkes; we should remember how many heroes fought and died for freedom on our own soil? Can you remember mighty “Kappetipola”, Rev ‘Wariyapola Sumangala’ or ‘Butawe rate Rala’? They all sacrificed their lives for the very same reason, to defend an Idea. They knew that after countless torrents of bloodshed and volumes of wicked wars the true form of revolution was inbuilt in the idea itself.
“Beneath this mask there was more than flesh, beneath this mask there is an idea… and ideas are bulletproof!” You may definitely remember those words if you have seen ‘V for Vendetta’. The dystopian movie that portrays a mysterious anarchist that fought and died for the sake of giving hope for people against the corrupted system. And those words speak for the name of freedom and freedom of ideas which has always had a pure potential to lead mankind to its expectant utopia through revolutions.

Ideas cannot be touched. Ideas cannot be held. Ideas never bleed or ideas never feel pain. Ideas are devoid of emotion but ideas keep the revolution alive. And many men and women who sacrificed themselves for the sake of an idea they believed, are foundations of the new world that arises tomorrow. Fifth of November is a celebratory day for Britain but to us, the rest of the world It is just another day.

Today our country, our beloved mother land need something more than Slogans or patriotic speeches, more than political tricks and hidden agendas, more than reckless riots and foolish blindness. This country needs hope.

I will end the article in the way the movie ‘V for Vendetta’ ends. When you can give a real ‘hope’ for her my beloved mother land, when you can defend the idea of freedom there will be music played. And those rhymes will carry a different meaning. We are not talking about one year ‘let’s build a new country’ plan. We are not talking about the agenda for the next election. We are talking about a new hope, a new idea yet to be born, yet to be believed. And as always it is up to you.

Tomorrow is Fifth of November, the day Guy Fawkes died for his cause. We are not commemorating him tomorrow. But tomorrow, we can believe the fact that a single Idea can change the world!


Published on Youth Mirror - Daily Mirror (04th November 2010)

By Pathum Punchihewa

Published on Daily Mirror

Before I start the article, let’s face the facts. Children and young adults know it, but they really don't know enough about it. Yet, something is wrong, something is missing and that missing ingredient creates havoc. Yes, I am talking about ‘sex’ and the purpose of this article is to identify the missing ingredients, for greater good.

Today why do we need to discuss such a taboo subject in mainstream society? Is it really a taboo subject? For the second question, my answer is No with a capital N! The first question is something that mainstream society should answer. I could answer the question on behalf of mainstream society although I do not belong to it. The so called ‘Taboo’ subject needs to be discussed in public as the ship of mainstream society is wrecking slowly but surely. As the next generation, or more technically Millennials or Net Gens, Zee or Y gens, it becomes our responsibility to talk about it.

First of all I would like to come up with the word ‘Sexual Hypocrisy’. Before I start with it, let me tell you a story. In a Sinhala Blog space, recently I saw some blog posts regarding the responsibility of protecting our cultural norms and values. The writer suggested a few ideas and ‘decent fashion for women’. He strongly recommends that miniskirts create havoc in the Sri Lankan culture. The saddest part is, the writer of this blog wasn’t just an old fogey, but a young man, a member of our generation!

That was the pre-story and now we move on with the story. As a little kid, once I read about the beauty of Bali Islands. The writer describes the race as being hospitable and pleasant. The women never covered the top half of their body. They had nicely built figures from childhood from carrying weights on their heads.  Furthermore, the writer describes the beauty of the Bali waterfalls and people bathing under these waterfalls without any gender difference.  The writer mentions that nobody even looks at each other with a wrong intention or idea.

The writer describes Bali Islands as one of most peaceful Islands with a very low rate of crime. That includes sexual harassments too!

Now back to the topic. Does the fault lie in your ‘miniskirt’ or in your eyes? Women are an aesthetic creation no doubt, and you can admire them. But that gives you no right to mix cultural values with personal hypocrisy.

No need to discuss more about this, since you are wise enough you can apply the story above to all aspects of sexual hypocrisy in Sri Lanka.

Now, to sexual Idiosyncrasy.  That’s in fact not a fault of yours. Sri Lankan mainstream society labels ‘sexual education’ as a taboo. Why is sexual education so important?  

‘Sexually Transmitted Diseases’ or STD has become one of the major health problems in several countries and gladly Sri Lanka is not on top of the list, but is quite high.

When to start sex education, how much information to give and who should give it, highlights yet again the societal debate about sex and sexual taboos in Sri Lanka, that has became a latest discussion these days. 

In sex education, important and accurate information about sexuality for both boys and girls are given depending on their age. It will be unfair and stupid to ignore or push aside the fact that they are aware of their sexuality. Sex education should naturally be integrated into their lives, as they grow up, both by the parents, teachers and society, in a very mature way. Parents should answer their children's questions properly and give information according to their level of exposure and maturity.

As I mentioned earlier, it is time to talk about these ‘taboo’ subjects that destroy the society completely. Remember patriotism or the responsibility of saving a culture is good as far as you are well grounded and you have a proper vision and a philosophy!

By Pathum Punchihewa

Published on Youth Mirror - Daily Mirror (25th November 2010)

Music beyond conventional norms… towards a better world…

By Pathum Punchihewa

Published on Youth Mirror - Daily Mirror (18th November 2010)

Unfortunately Love Guru’s Wicked Cupid week is not over and Love Guru is  suspicious whether the credit for this goes to the turbulent weather or if the Apocalypse approaches.

Recently, Love guru had to experience a really hurtful incident. One of Love Guru’s friends, a girl attempted  suicide with an overdose of medical drugs. As Love Guru believes that if you fulfill your purposes of life and if you are out of purposes, death is better than an aimless life. But you should read that inner idea carefully. For such a stage, you have to find and fulfill your purposes of life, your tasks for the world and you have to successfully accomplish them. And a broken love affair is not a cause for a suicide attempt! Never!!

“Suicide in any relationship or out of relationship is not right. This symbolizes a cowardice act that people do in desperation when they do not see any hope in their life. In fact these people forget that nothing is impossible if they work hard and dedicate their life in achieving whatever they want in their life. Suicide does not solve anything.” I found this quote in a web forum and I totally agree.

And there is another thing I should add. Why do you feel like you’ve been forsaken if your love ignores you? Is it because you fully depend on that person? Or is it pure love? I believe the first answer is more accurate.

There is another hidden idea that is covered with hypocrisy on ‘love hurt- suicidal mental stages’.  You might simply want to grab the attention of your love; you want to make him or her feel that you are suffering because of him. And I don’t need to mention about the ‘mental soup’ of self-sympathy amalgamated with elegiac feelings and stupidity as well as a lack of vision.

Life is precious and it’s a rollercoaster ride, get rid of extreme craving for love and attention. Just learn to love the world. Live to fulfill what you meant to be and after then die well…

By ‘Love Guru’ aka Pathum Punchihewa

Published on Youth Mirror - Daily Mirror (02nd December 2010)

Dictionaries always provide two meanings towards subcultures. “A cultural subgroup differentiated by status, ethnic background, residence, religion, or other factors that functionally unify the group and act collectively on each member, or one culture of microorganisms derived from another.”

Yet Rock music has grown up as one major counter culture, and with the decades gone by it has been able to provide fertile grounds for the seeds of many subcultures around the world. Today, a particular nation cannot claim the ownership of Rock as it is belongs to the world.

‘Rolling’… is the name given to an urban style of Argentina, whose popularity exploded in 1995. A synonym of this tribe is the word "stone" or “rolling stones”. This subculture characterized by their aesthetic belief’s was based on various influences and “Mick Jagger”, the rock legend, co-founder of The Rolling Stones in the early 60’s. It is also characterized by his followers like the rolling rock, and the type of behaviors that are characteristic of the "culture neighborhood."

In 60’s the band “Rolling Stones” was hailed around the world as well as in Argentina. They died out quickly but the bar bands they inspired in Buenos Aires cultivated a rabid following that coalesced into the “Rolinga” or Rolling subculture.

“Rolingas” are identifiable by their Polynesian cargo cult style deification of The Rolling Stones, Mick Jagger hair styles, and disdainful attitude for anything that isn’t “Rolinga”. They heavily borrow customs from soccer hooligans, so concerts are cramped affairs with chanting fans, giant flags with epithets, and the occasional streak of violence.

The “Rolingas” are fans of the style of music they created, the rolling rock, which they call simply "rock and roll."

They are ardent followers of bands such as ‘Street’ , ‘Mice Parade’ , ‘Intoxicados’ , ‘Los Piojos and ‘Sons of the West’, besides a large number of bands playing rolling on the track "underground" as ‘Gardeweg’, ‘the brat’, ‘Slumber’, ‘La Covacha’, ‘The 25’, ‘creature’ etc.

Now, Buenos Aires based Rolingas are one good example of ‘how Rock music spread around world’ and was adopted in various degrees.

By Pathum Punchihewa

Published on Youth Mirror - Daily Mirror (02nd December 2010)

“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.”

~ Lord Buddha

There was a time when I surfed through my facebook chatting sessions or Google buzz, when a friend asks me “how are you”, I would reply without blinking “oh.. life is hectic!”. Even I didn’t know how it suddenly burst out from me, but even I believed that I live such a hectic life. That’s story ‘one’…

After I realised that  my “I’m so hectic” attitude affects my lifestyle and penetrates my peace of mind and makes my life a mess, I decided to stop saying the word and stopped thinking of ‘life as hectic’! Then one day I counted the number of times I  associated the sentence “life is so hectic”  from other people. And at the end of the day, I had a tremendously unbelievable  score and that’s the day I thought that I should write this article! Story # ‘two’…

Recently, I listed down my regular work, long term works and total ‘work hard’ And I found out that I do many things per day including ‘earn money’ works, extracurricular activities including writing, music, charity work and organizational work, cinema and music which goes to the entertainment category, and even protracted telephone or chat conversations with girls! And I cannot believe that I am not hectic anymore! That’s my story number ‘three’…

Now, with those three stories you can have a perfect sense of the whole article. All the time we are hectic, we are stressful. Maybe you don’t work that much. But still you are stressful. And that effects not only yourself but your loved ones that are around you. If you go in to an extreme, maybe you will end up as a psychopath. Now my grand question; aren’t we all just making this up, that we are restless and busy?

I say we just make this story up because I have been there myself before. The matter is not the amount or the weight of works we do. It’s all about our ‘attitude’ and lack of management. When I was trying to complete each and everything I had to fulfill and try to balance my life in the middle of an avalanching work load, I felt like I am in the middle of a thunderstorm in a Great Ocean on a little kayak boat. But my mom said “manage your time and make your work fun, just take it easy” and I gave it a try and it was the solution!

I say, do everything you have to do, you want to do and you meant to do. But never make your life a mess. And most importantly, get rid of the attitude of “I’m so hectic”. You will begin to see the colours of life and you will enjoy being busy as I do now!

In this stressful and hectic world, learn to stay calm. We won’t live forever. Humans are like Daffodil flowers. They bloom and instantly they droop… So why would you waste your precious life time in ‘being stressful’ and ‘being hectic’…? You can be a busy bee but keep your calmness, keep the peace within. Then you can say just before you
die, “I lived such a life”…!

By Pathum Punchihewa

Published on Youth Mirror - Daily Mirror (25th November 2010)

“Love is strong yet delicate.

It can be broken.

To truly love is to understand this.

To be in love is to respect this.”

This week was a wicked cupid week if you ask me, the love guru. “Love is painful” was the, most repeated quote and Lionel Richie’s “Tender heart” was the most heard song!

Now, my friends I understand that this is not a ‘my bloody valentine’ but frankly this week I have heard about heartbreaks over and over again. And love guru means to wield hearts, so naturally such news gives pain to him.

Now, again talking about the causes and cures of heartbreaks is useless with a capital U! Maybe all the causes of the up’s and down’s is the climate change with its recent cats and dogs rain. But, today Love guru wants to share a small talk that he had with a good friend.

About the friend, she is a charming lady. Elegant and sweet… Yet never lucky enough with matters of romance. So she broke up with her 99th Soul mate and grieves.

She was in such a mental dilemma before Love Guru even touched her mind. She has become skeptic about love now as previously she was a very lovely sweetheart living on the happier themes of love. But the matter was she was not so good at choosing the right person and she was craving for romance, she needed to be loved and she wanted to love so much. And people simply used her.

So, Love Guru decided to reveal to her the true form. He told her everything he thinks about her. To Love Guru, she is such a gem, a lovely nightingale! And she asked back, “If I am as good as you say; why do people leave me”? That was a very good question indeed and Love Guru froze for a while.

“Because, Gems should end up in the top of a crown and not in some useless fellow’s hand” I said. And even a blind man cannot understand the true value of a gem. And she realized and laughed.

Story ends and Love guru wants to say something. “Wait until the climate changes, romance will blossom again”!

Love Guru

Published on Youth Mirror - Daily Mirror (25th November 2010)

By Pathum Punchihewa

This world is such a strange place. I mean no offence but it seems never to allow anybody to fulfill any of their dreams. Now, do not throw punches of optimism and positive thinking from your countless work shop’s as I say this because I see more people losing rather than winning. First of all, I was afraid to start this theory with this paragraph because many people may just stop trying after reading it. They will be defeated even without a fight. There is a beautiful saying amongst the Irish peasantry to inspire hope under adverse circumstances: "Remember," they say, "that the darkest hour of all, is the hour before day."

So I say again, “The darkest hour of the night is just before the dawn…” This is one inspirational quote in my life that took me years to decipher its true meaning. I had to read Paulo Coelho’s ‘The Alchemist’ to remember the spirit of the quotation again; I had to walk through many debris of life to realise it’s true meaning. Now, I am telling you the story…

‘But a man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated’, once said, Ernest Hemingway in his book, “The Old Man and the Sea”. This not only stands for the pride of man but also stands for the true spirit of keeping the fight. Now, that is the spirit I am talking about. The spirit of relentlessly fighting and if upon the face of defeat and death, to die as a noble man.

That ‘code of valor’ is only understandable in the heart of a stout-hearted person. And usually they are rare and that explains the high percentage of losers when comparing the rate of winners whom are written all over in history.

Yes, History says winners are rare, and they are meant to re-shape the world. In old times they were meant to be worshiped at a dramatic level.

Now let’s get back to our lives. Are you afraid to chase your dreams? If you are afraid, who is the monster in your dreams that you are so afraid of? Let me guess, you are afraid to lose. You can try and win or try and lose. But you should never choose to never try and so never win nor lose but just keep dreaming until you will ultimately be defeated by life or death. Don’t get me wrong but you are still a ‘loser’.

The night is not dark as it seems, in fact if it is darker and makes you fearful, do not forget, you are about to witness the ‘sunrise’ and it will be such a beautiful scenery that you will never forget it until your sigh your last breath.

Never hesitate and give up quickly, even you feel that it’s enough and you are tired and have to go. You have to walk until the road ends. Many people who failed did not know how close they were to success when they gave up. People don't actually fail, they just quit too easily. Maybe the road to Eldorado is dark, but never give up. You will end up in a Valley of Gold.

Published on Youth Mirror - Daily Mirror (11th November 2010)

By Pathum Punchihewa

Immediately after you finish your good old school times, you are either on the beginning of higher education or you are on high dosed dreams of a fresh career. Normally, at this stage, only a rare few young school leavers or more politely, Young and energetic employees have a perfect expectation about ‘what my career plan should be ‘ or the answer for ‘who should I become one day’.

That’s quite unavoidable as fresh career learners always need some time to brush up from old sermons about life and tune up from ‘the system’, to the new career world they are about to step in to. For the first one or two years it’s a learning circle and some talented and more capable apprentices catch everything quickly and move forward fast.

There is the rare breed that already have perspective towards their professional life, they have the perfect answer for ‘who am I meant to become’, before they even start to climb the ladder of career. And if you are one of that rare breed, today’s article is definitely not for you but you could read it as well.

Newly starting a profession is always exciting because there are many things you have to learn. And with that sensation and excitement, anybody will always like their first job.

After a few exciting years, if it is not the profession you really want it starts to be a habit. Now your profession is not something keeping you alive and fresh. You sense that something is missing. The excitement begins to fade away. It simply dissolves and discontentment comes and fills the space. And the worst part is, it starts to influence your activities as well.

At this stage you may miss your duties; you may not be able to cope well with fellow workers. You may feel like you are stocked in quick sand. Either you cannot come up or you cannot move. And then mental disorders appear. Depression first, and slowly and painfully it affects your personal life too.

Now, Why does all this happen, is it because you failed to choose the correct career program…? Or maybe your valuation about yourself is wrong. And this shouldn’t be the end point of your career no doubt.

There is a word called "inertia". After we attach ourselves to an organization or a company it’s hard to leave.

I have a friend that put his every effort to build up a business. After 4 years, today it is a well built large company that runs well. But business is always business. Now things have changed and my friend feels that as the company is not granting sufficient attention to old workers who have sacrificed good years to build the empire it might be time to push off but still he’s attached to the company. He feels like he cannot leave the company that he contributed to build.

Now, what I have to say is, wake up! Think about your own future first. Always keep goals and strategy plans and work according to the plan always. If you feel it’s "enough", and if you can gain more in your professional life with another company, it’s definitely a green light to have a fresh start from a higher level!

Published on Youth Mirror - Daily Mirror (28th October 2010)

- Pathum Punchihewa

Indie scene… Abbreviated from "independent," indie has become an entire genre that includes music, movies, clothing styles, and other facets of culture. It is characterized by its separation from commercial institutions and mainstream lines, and is often considered synonymous to alternative styles.

‘Indie’ is a modern day alternative sub culture defined by its associated music, fashion, behaviour and beliefs. It is a culture that emerged in the 1980’s as a by word for attitude and anti-commercialism with a territory of its own kind of music and film. It prided itself in protesting against the mainstream. Like many subcultures before it, the indie culture has become part of youth subcultures.

Indie music rose to new heights with bands such as The Smiths, Sonic Youth and The Pixies, who were successful due to their new indie fan following. They were not signed to major record labels, instead opting for the independent music label, usually managing their whole careers. The original indie kids bought clothes from second hand shops, wore cardigans, scarves, waistcoats, jeans, aviator glasses and devoted themselves to independent music labels. They had a strong sense of being outside the music business machine and ultimately the mainstream.

The main characteristics of modern indie clothing trends are uniqueness and individuality. Clothing items include band T-shirts, vintage clothes, striped tops, blazers, waistcoats, ties, cardigans, skinny jeans and Converse shoes.

Indie kids often reject brand names and like to make fun of people that shop at big retail chain stores for spending so much money...

Indie movies often include "unknowns" and are made with little money. Sundance, Cannes, and other film festivals feature such flicks. Major Indie films include "The Science of Sleep," "Volver," "Babel," and "Fast Food Nation."

Sites Referenced www.bookrags.com

Published on Youth Mirror - Daily Mirror (09th September 2010)

By Pathum Punchihewa

I am depressed. I am disappointed. I know that’s not a nice tagline to start an article but I was just describing the recent mental frame of mind I am in!

Nobody can stay high up on cloud number 9 and always keep the spirit of life at an intense level. Everybody has their inclination as well as high lands. Even the happy prince cannot stay with his lustre smile forever!

Usually  I don’t like to share my personal feelings with anybody however today I think that analyzing my mentality and how I got over it will be helpful for the ‘guide’ column. Now, we start.

How do we understand the symptoms of depression? Symptoms include feeling hopeless or helpless about life. These feelings can translate into feeling less interested in your hobbies, sports, clubs or other activities that you are involved in.

Someone who is depressed may be sleeping and eating a lot more, or less than they used to before she felt depressed. Other indications of depression include a big drop in grades, hanging out with a different group of friends or dropping friends altogether.

It's important to distinguish clinical depression from other emotions such as grief. If you have experienced a loss, such as the death of someone close, or you've just broken up with your boyfriend/girlfriend, it's normal to feel down for a period of time. A period of grief may last from several weeks to even a year. It's important to realize that grief is feeling sad about your loss, a natural reaction. But sometimes people don't work through their loss and it can turn into depression.

The worst part of depression is sometimes someone may feel so depressed that they may plan to end everything and kill themselves! For the record, I got over it, don’t worry everybody!

Now for the cure to the problem. It is important to get help right away if you feel depressed or suicidal. But before feelings turn worse there are always some things you can do by yourself.

I’ve used an old method of mine to overcome depressive feelings. I call it ‘the big picture of life’. I started to plan the big picture of my life with an exclusive year plan. That made me easy and I started to recover.

Importantly there is a vital thing you should do if you suffer from depression. You should talk to somebody, which I didn’t do but yes I had the moral support from a periphrastic way. Nobody wants to be lonely and nobody can stay alone forever.

Books, support from friends, improving your self esteem, affirmations, websites about depression all can help  you give yourself the best chance for a depression cure that will work for you.

Now, let’s summarize the facts I’ve brought up. Be true to yourself, Look to the present, drop the worries about the future and the regrets of the past. Focus on positives not negatives, Give yourself permission to move forward, Work on your self confidence and self esteem. Make a list of everything that you are thankful for in your life… So everybody, happiness is a gift, it’s always inside you… happiness will never look at you unless you look at it…

Published on Youth Mirror - Daily Mirror (16th September 2010)

By Pathum Punchihewa

I am a book worm. Well, I know with the word ‘Book worm’ everybody pictures a geeky person with big rimmed spectacles who is sitting around books! I don’t fit well into that image but yet, I am a book worm.

When I was a kid, I always wanted to travel around the world.  And books made that dream come true at least in the virtually real world of them. I travelled in far away deserts looking for a dream with that boy, Santiago whom I met in the book, ‘The Alchemist’. I’ve seen the beautiful Andalusian highlands and variegated rural Spain and I was in a fishing trip with Ernest Hemingway’s fictions. And Baron Munchausen brought me alongside in his fantasy adventures and I was daydreaming about the miraculous cheese lands and three eyed tribal people for years… Ah, that is an advantage of being a book worm. Who else can travel around the world in 80 days by steam boats and trains?

September is a most awaited month by many Sri Lankan book-holics as the Colombo International Book Fair is an annual calendar event of this month. And most people come to collect books for affordable prices while having fun among books as well!

What are the advantages of being a book-holic? Well the very first accurate fact is the knowledge. Reading is the basic foundation on which academic skills of an individual are built. The education system knows this fact very well, and hence it's given a top priority in primary education. Many believe that reading is an apt measure of a person’s success in academics. Most of the subjects taught to us are based on a simple concept - read, synthesize, analyze, and process information. Although a priceless activity, the importance of reading has been deteriorating rapidly.

And reading helps to shape up the philosophical flux of a person. Through books, a person can gain the knowledge of the rotating world around him. Reading can change the life of a person. As an example I can say that I have seen people who changed their lives and the way they think by reading Paulo Coelho’s books.

Today people are more bonded with technology and trend modifications and reading books is about to become old school. In a poll for reading a book or watching a movie, 8 out of 10 millennials would vote for watching a movie!

The biggest difference between reading a book and watching a movie is the scope to unleash your own creativity. In movies, the concept is conceived by the writer and director and presented before you in a specific form. On the other hand, the writer does conceive the concept of the book, but you are also given ample freedom to unleash your creative thinking and power of imagination. Reading a book is in itself an exercise to sharpen your creative thinking skills, whilst you broaden your horizons.

Now “If you believe everything you read, better not read” is an old proverb and it explains the basic rule of reading. Reading a book is also a creative work, an art, just like writing a book…

Published on Youth Mirror - Daily Mirror (09th September 2010)