LIFESTYLE
Surani Amerasinghe
In conversation with Nimanthi Bandaranayake
JOURNEY OF LIFE
Birthday
17 February
Alma mater
Ladies’ College
Family members
Husband (Harindra Kiridena) and daughters (Nimaya and Miheli)
Wanted to be
A hotelier
Is
An HR professional
What drives you?
Hitting my personal life goals
And what fuels your creativity and passion?
Everything – what I see, hear and occasionally smell
A moment you would like to go back to
Can’t think of any
Best advice received
Stop and smell the flowers
INTIMATE AND INSPIRING
Likes to watch
The birds in my garden first thing in the morning
Most unforgettable event
I’ve had many – both positive and negative
Your life in a book title
Eat, Pray, Love (by Elizabeth Gilbert)
Sources of inspiration
My daughters
Role models
My parents – cliché but true
Proudest achievement
It would be a long way to go to call it an ’achievement’ but being a mother, daughter, wife, sister and friend all at once
UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL
A daily practice
Listening to pirith while driving to work in the morning
Most hated chore
Anything to do with household cleaning and maintenance
Impressed by
Those who can laugh at themselves
Happy place
My veranda with a cup of coffee and a book
A unique talent or hobby
‘Unique’ may not be the word but I think I’m getting the hang of taking pretty good photographs
Most adventurous item on your bucket list
Whale watching in Alaska
Goals on your bucket list following retirement
To travel extensively within Sri Lanka with my camera
Music you enjoy
Slow rock, modern classical and a few of my favourite Sinhalese songs from yesteryear
Most transformative book you’ve read
I have quite a few but the most recent book was You Become What You Think – by Shubham Kumar Singh
A little-known fact about you
I love spending time on my own and music is my therapy
What legacy do you hope to leave behind?
Nothing to do with luck but the ability to keep getting up
Advice to younger self
Don’t bother about what others think – you’re not here to please everyone
FAVOURITES
Days of the week
The weekend
Colour
Purple
Chill out spot
Anywhere – it depends on me
Work wear
Pants and the company T-shirt
Leisure wear
Shorts, dresses and anything that’s comfortable
Brands
Not really into brands
Cuisines
Japanese and Italian
Beverages
Arrack or a good narang juice when I want to be ‘good’
Local holiday destinations
Wilpattu, Kumana, Arugam Bay and Galle
International holiday destinations
India, the UK, Europe
Restaurant
Nihonbashi
Books
I love a good murder mystery and anything historical (a bit of a geek here)
Quote
“Don’t let people tell you who you are.” – Diane Sawyer
Local sportsperson
Duncan White
International sportspersons
Usain Bolt and Bryan Habana
Likely retirement destination
Gosh, that’s a tough one… Galle, Tissamaharama or Wilpattu – I can’t decide and will need to convince my husband
COMPLETE THE SENTENCE
When you dance, you look like…
An ’80s teenybopper
The first thing you notice about someone
His or her smile
You know it’s going to be a bad day when…
There are so-called emergencies popping up one after the other
Recently laughed out loud when…
I met up with a bunch of my school friends at the Singhalese Sports Club (SSC); laughing out loud is also a daily occurrence
Saddened when…
I see desperation
Love has the power to…
Keep you going when things are tough
Happiness is when…
You are content
Sri Lanka will have a chance to develop when…
We all take collective responsibility
The world is…
Exciting but challenging and wild at the same time
Message of positivity
Nothing lasts forever
Goals you have for the future
To get published
PICK ONE
Memory skills on a scale of 1-10
Eight
Most productive in the morning, noon or night
Morning
Tea or coffee
Coffee
Savoury or sweet dishes
Sweet
Eating outside or cooking at home
It depends on the mood
The most delightful word you can think of
Hope
A fictional character you would like to have as your mentor
Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice – she’s bold, intelligent and independent, and has a witty sense of humour
Documentaries, fictional TV series or reality shows
Documentaries and fictional TV series
Solitude and quiet moments, or social gatherings and parties
Solitude and quiet moments
A day at the spa, a cosy day at home or an adventurous getaway
I love all three!
Coastal, mountainous or desert landscapes as vacation destinations
Coastal and mountainous
Your most used words or phrases
‘Aiyo!’ and ‘Hello?!’
Workout preferences
Long walks
Motto in life
Nothing is permanent
