Roman Edirisinghe

The result of little sleep and midwestern winters in the USA.

Checked out Brian Ritchie playing traditional Japanese Zen flute music. I was crabby when I walked it, but the music quickly put a stop to that. It was deeply contemplative and I felt excellent by the end of the show. He even asked me to come up and sit in on a song, playing melodica in the style of a dissonant Japanese instrument. The funny part of sitting in is that I was on the way to the bathroom to take a leak when his wife Varuni chased me down and told me Brian wanted me to sit in with him.
I said, “I’d love to, but could I go to the bathroom first?”

Severe insomnia last night. Tossed and turned for hours. Finally, I was so tired of being tired that I started crying. Somehow, it worked. About an hour after I finished crying, I fell asleep. It must have been about 5:00 am. I remember seeing snow falling outside.

I had lunch with Brian Ritchie today, at the African Hut. We both enjoyed the akara and Yinka’s “Sunshine” hot sauce. Conversational topics included Sri Lanka, the Violent Femmes, One Drum, Shakuhachi, etc. One thing I noticed was how nervous I was. After all, I was having lunch with one of my heroes, someone whose music I had been listening since I was a teenager. Despite the fact that we had already jammed together in an intimate setting, it was strange noticing the nervousness.

I’m surprised it took me this long to find out what a blog was. I’d heard the word in various conversations, but never bothered to investigate. When I did, I was hooked. I’ve now set up a blog with WordPress, and now I just need to spend some time customizing it and getting it to look exactly like I want.

Meanwhile, it’s bloody cold out. My housemate just left for Jamaica to visit her husband (envy), leaving her son in the care of several friends. It’s going to be good to have the place to myself. I kind of miss nice weather; cold weather seems to make people extremely crabby in general. I went to the grocery store tonight and was confronted by droves of crabby people, fishtailed by their countless kids, most of whom were receiving harsh reprimands from their parents for simply being alive. If you can’t take proper care of your kids & treat them with respect, wear a bloody condom.

I quit smoking last week and general crabbiness ensued. However, I’ve been feeling better gradually.

That’s all for now.

Greetings everyone,

Here’s the latest update from Sri Lanka. I quit smoking a couple weeks ago. I’ve forgotten to mention it. It feels good to breathe again. What else? Read on…

One day, when walking down the street, I spied a homeless guy sitting on the sidewalk. Now this may not be uncommon, but for the fact that he had dreadlocks. He was, in fact, one of the few people I’ve seen in Sri Lanka with dreadlocks. So, I went up to said individual and asked him if I could take his picture. When I whipped out my camera, he opened his toothless, betel chew stained mouth and said, “Anne matte denne,” which means, “C’mon, give it to me.” Well, I managed to take his photo and gave him 10 rupees in return. This guy was obviously off his hook. He was quite insane, and as I started walking away I was glad that he was satisfied with 10 rupees. (Find photos of this guy in the gallery).

On another day, Roshan, Niroshi, Mayah and I went to a party. It was largely uneventful, but on the way back we came across a dreadful car crash. A result of drunk driving, the car had smashed into the concrete on the side of a bridge, flipped and landed between 2 bridges, and was hanging precariously over the river. The 2 passengers in the car apparently walked away unharmed. (Find photos of this accident in the gallery).

Last weekend I went on a trip to Kataragama, a holy city in the southern part of Sri Lanka. Drove down there with my friend Dikka, who takes a trip down there about twice a year. Although by our standards it would have been 1.5-2 hrs away, it took us about 8 hours to get there by car. The roads were small and winding, and and infested by all manner of obstacles, including cars, trucks, 3-wheeled cabs, bicycles, pedestrians, dogs, cows, goats, etc… Driving here is totally insane; I had to close my eyes and pray for safety innumerable times.

On the way to Kataragama, we stopped by a beach town called Unawattuna, alleged to have one of the best beaches in the world. We decided to eat have a drink there. It is a truly beautiful beach, and we were enjoying the view when a bead salesman approached us. Upon seeing me, he announced “Welcome, Roman Edirisinghe.” I did a double take. Had I ever seen this guy before? Surely not – he had a memorable face. And yet here was this guy who claimed to have seen my and my band on TV and the internet. Finally, after a few minutes I knew something was up. I looked at my friend Dikka, who was sitting there quite earnestly, and I realized he’d somehow put this bead salesman up to this ruse. We all had a good laugh about it (see photos). I then bought some beads, and asked the beadguy if he was going to use the money on liquor later that night (Sri Lankans have a penchant for drinking)… He replied that he didn’t drink alcohol and instead he preferred this: he then picked up my bottle of soda, filled my glass with it, and started drinking the rest of my soda out the bottle. I nearly split in half laughing. This guy was so crazy. He left us a few moments later, continuing his bead peddling. We saw him go up to a sunbathing tourist couple and start tickling the guy’s feet. Finally the guy rolled off, laughing. He then offered the lady his hand, and pulled it away just in time and stuck his tongue out at her. Dikka & I were in stitches.

We got to Kataragama later that night. Upon entering the town, Dikka found out that one of his good friends in Kataragama had died about 2 weeks back, which apparently eliminated some of the plans he had had for the trip. So instead, we found a hotel to stay in. This part of the country was very dry. It hadn’t rained in 6 months. After freshening up @ the hotel, we went to the Kataragama temple to make an offering, called “Pooja“. Pooja involves obtaining a plate of fruit to offer to the god Kataragama, who it turns out was a Hindu god of sorts. However, all the Buddhists on the island make a type of pilgrimage to the town because it is a very sacred place. Incidentally, Kataragama turned out to be a diety of music as well, and Dikka explained to me that Carlos Santana and Duran Duran had not only spent time there but also made devotional offerings and songs to the God. Armed with this knowledge, we walked to the temple, accompanied by the boy who was bearing our Pooja. Right before the temple gates, we had to take off our shoes. I was wearing the typical black rubber slippers that one finds there. We walked in barefoot, made out offerings, walked to another building, went thru some more ritual experiences (which included smearing a little coconut oil on our foreheads and receiving a blessing of some powder by a Swami), and then walked to a the Buddhist part of the complex. There, we made an offering of water lillies, and lit some incense. The whole time, I was trying to connect to the experience, and I had a difficult time embracing the place spiritually (internally) because it was all so new and I was overloaded with external stimuli. So heading back, we were almost at the gates when we noticed a band was coming closer. Led by a trumpet player, the band consisted of a bunch of drummers trailed by an entourage of dancers. And the shit sounded so good that I had no choice but to join in. It was then that I connected with Kataragama, and was welcomed in by the dancers and the musicians. They recognized me as a foreigner, but I also spoke Sinhala, and they complimented me on my dancing. The music kept playing and playing and it was a real blast. Afterwards, we met the trumpet player (Rohana) and he invited us to stop by the following day to get a recording of the devotional songs the band had played. Upon leaving the temple, I discovered that someone had walked off with my cheap rubber slippers, probably thinking they were their own. So I walked home barefoot.

Dikka & I crashed in the hotel room and I was under a mosquito net. For some reason, he didn’t want his. At some point in the night, the power went out, which mean out ceiling fan stopped working. It got so hot, and the mosquitos were dive bombing the net. I could hear them whining away. Furthermore, my roommate was snoring. It was rough. Eventually, the power came back on and we got a good nights sleep. The following day, it started raining! What a feeling. One could just see the dry earth soaking up the moisture. The smell was incomparable. The earth smelled freshly laundered. We checked out, met with Rohana (he gave me a CD with 18 tracks played by him & the band), got me some new rubber slippers (these were unmistakably blue), and left town. We decided to head back to Unawattuna. Hours later, we arrived there. Apparently the rain had struck all over the island, pretty hard. We decided instead that we should simply head back to Colombo, so we did.

I’m back in Colombo now, trying to feel everything out. I’ve had a very intense trip, full of emotions I never expected to feel. I’m headed back to the US this weekend, and I’m almost ready to come back. I just have a few more things to do in town, and I’ll be coming home.

Love,

Roman

Hey there,

The baby got baptized on Sunday, August 8th. I’ve already mailed u a link to view some of the photos. The experience was rather amusing. One one hand, there was Niroshi’s side of the family, all ultra-conservative, Roman Catholics who would ordinarily not choose to be in my company, and on the other, there was my side of the family – my cousin Roshan and his friends, and lastly, me, dreads & all. The ceremony was conducted by a Jedi Knight. Just look at the pictures. I really felt the presence of The Force. Luke Skywalker was definitely there in spirit, as were Obi-Wan Kenobi and Princess Leia.

The funniest thing about the ceremony (actually there were 2 really funny things). Firstly, the godmother Nilu had no idea of how to hold a baby. I believe maternity would pose an interesting challenge to her. Secondly, once Nilu held the baby in her arms, Mayah started trying to suck on Nilu’s breast thru her clothes. Oh god, I thought I’d die!!! When the priest finally poured some water on Mayah’s head, she started wailing. I guess babies don’t really enjoy getting cold water poured on their heads, even by a Jedi Knight.

Later that day, there was a party. Niroshi’s dad got really drunk and asked me to call him my younger brother. There was singing and general merrymaking. We had a a barbecue and I made some killer veggie kabobs. Even later, after most of the people had disappeared, one of Roshan’s friends, in a drunken frenzy, ended up punching a wall with his bare hands because he found out that a girl he really liked was simply using him. Talk about self hate. His knuckles were swollen and bleeding. It shook me up real bad, and after everyone left, I thought about Sri Lanka and why the people here are so intense. What I came up with is this: The history of this country dates back 3000+ years. Much of that history is linked directly with spirituality. So let’s assume that spiritual energy can build up in certain places, to the point where the place but radiates it. If people chose not to attune themselves to that energy, and understand it, and work with it, it ends up erupting out of them regardless… This is the best explanation I could come up with. Although this country boasts four religions, those that claim to be Christian or Tamil or Buddhist or Muslim don’t necessarily follow the principles. It’s the same with the rest of the world.

Anyway, my stay here is more than half over. I’ve met many cool people, and I’ve met some fucked up people. It’s just like anywhere else. I’ve met a woman who I really like, and there are also some challenges to us getting together. This culture poses some interesting dilemmas to romance. Oh well. I’ll take it as it comes and make the most of everything.

I’m getting used to people staring at me everywhere I go. You know, one of the reasons I enjoy leaving Milwaukee is that I can be anonymous. I’ve lived in my hometown for such a long time that I rarely avoid running into someone I know when I’m out in public. Coming here, however, is not giving me my fill of anonymity. I want to be a stranger, but it’s hard to feel like that when everyone is staring.

Don’t forget to check out the online photo gallery…

Well, I’ll see you all soon. Be well,

Roman Edirisinghe

Hi folks,

I’m back to Colombo after visiting my family in Kurunegala. By now u should have received an email inviting u to check out the photos I added to the online gallery.

Um, let’s see. Where to start.

So I took a train to Kurunegala. Pretty laid back, actually. I love travelling by train, watching the scenery sort of whiz by. It seems a lot safer than driving here, that’s for sure. The motorists here are absolutely psychotic, and could give a New York cabbie a run for his money.

I arrived in Kurunegala late monday evening, and spent some time with my family. The following day, I took a walk around the village with my aunt. Two things come to mind as I recall that experience: 1) everyone recognized me, because I used to live there as a kid and 2) if I thought being stared at in Colombo because of my dreads was bad, I was in for it in the village. So it was similar to being some kind of celebrity. The village (Thiragama) was pretty laid back. I spent my days either reading, or walking around. The food was great. At night, I took a nude “shower” by the well, if u consider using a bucket a shower. It was deliciously cold, and helped me shed layers of sweat that one inevitably accumulates while there. One night, it rained heavily, and I decided to take my shower under the drainspout. I had my cousin turn off all the lights, and I stripped again, and it was freakin’ amazing! I can’t even convey what that feels like in words. To be surrounded by inky black night, with a storm raging above you, immersed in yummy cold water is totally out of this world, yet so much part of this world.

Part of Kurunegala’s attraction is this huge rock called “Athugalle.” A couple years ago, the Buddhist Ministry built a huge Buddha statue up on top, right in front of all the radio/tv/mobile phone antennas perched up there. Quite the juxtaposition, actually! Anyway, I went there with my aunt Susila and my cousin Dilini. We checked out the statue and the view, and then started walking back down. There was a little shop and we picked up some cookies. As we continued our descent, we were suddenly appoached by a gang of monkeys, all of whom wanted some cookies. So Susila threw one a cookie, but then we were swarmed. One of them jumped up on me, and I raised my knee in defense to knock it off. Seconds later, another came charging out of the brush, teeth bared aggressively. I had to make all sorts of noise and hide the cookies before those monkeys would leave us alone.

Let’s see, I’m back in Colombo now. The baptism of my godchild is tomorrow. I’ll let u know how that goes. We all know how devoutly Roman Catholic I am. Hee hee.

Miss u all a bunch,

Peace,

Roman

Hello folks,

Latest update. Life is now drama free.

The missing wife had been recovered. It turns out her parents snatched her up because they hadn’t seen her in a while, and when they discovered their cell phone call had been traced and that there was police and Sri Lankan mafia looking for her, they decided to let her go.

The guy who punched a cop got bailed out successfully, and I think he is seriously reconsidering the course of his life.

The fired maid apparently spoke to Niroshi’s aunt (the one who referred her), and claimed that Niroshi & I were trying to get her out of the house so that we could get it on. Interesting notion, considering we have a video of her going thru Niroshi’s purse. I’d love to make it available on the internet for all of u 2 see. I’ll keep you posted.

Meanwhile, I’m planning to leave Colombo this afternoon, and head for Kurunegala, where my dad’s family came from. It’s going to be nice to leave the city for a while, but I probably won’t have internet access there. So I’ll email you all when I get back, which will be before the weekend. I have to be back before sunday for the christening ceremony. (Interesting especially considering I’m about as far removed from a practicing Roman Catholic as you can get).

Well, I miss you all. I especially miss y’all One Drum members. It’s been interesting playing music here – I’ve turned into a hit machine of sorts – I’ve been playing 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s tunes. Some Eagles, Eric Clapton, Bryan Adams, Guns N Roses, Nirvana, etc – mostly what people request. They have no interest in hearing One Drum tunes. Been playing some La Bamba, Guantanamera, etc. I guess what doesn’t kill you will only make you stronger, eh? The saving grace, however, is that everyone loves Bob Marley, and so do I.

I’m doing much better. My mood has improved dramatically…

Peace,

Roman

Greetings,
Here’s the latest update:

I’ve kind of been laying low. No major adventures to report – I’ve been hanging out in suburban Colombo (the capitol of Sri Lanka), helping take care of my cousin’s baby (my god-daughter). I’ve definitely been smoking too many cigarettes.

Last Sunday we went to Mt. Lavinia beach, only to find out that 2 boys had just died there, about two hours before we got there. It’s monsoon season, and the waves are rather high and the current is deadly. I know all the beach people on that stretch of ocean, and one of them invited me to come out for a swim in search of the missing bodies. Skeptically, I joined them. The best swimmer (and also the unofficial lifeguard) was in front, wearing flippers. I was right behind him in the ocean, with no swimming paraphernalia save trunks, and we were tailed by two other guys, both of whom had some type of swimming aid. The waves were freaking huge. Definitely a couple of stories high. I was a little worried at first, but when I realized I was right behind the best swimmer on that beach, a man who knew the flow of that stretch of ocean and the direction of its currents, I felt reassured and regained my confidence. Well, swimming during monsoon season is definitely a way to be reminded of Mother Nature’s immense power. We didn’t find the boys. When we returned to the beach, we were surrounded by a mob of people, all curious to find out what we discovered.

Save Sunday, this week has been largely uneventful. The past few days have yielded quite a bit of drama, none of which really has anything to do with me. I just happen to be the idiot spectator:
Two days ago, my cousin’s wife Niroshi and I decided to take a walk with the baby. My cousin Roshan was at work. Our walk was essentially a ploy to find out what their maid did while there was no one else in the house. I had set up my digital camera to record up to 15 minutes of video, and positioned it in a location that yielded the best view. We had also left Niroshi’s purse out, in full view of the camera, with money inside. Having returned from the walk, we watched the video, and discovered that the maid had in fact entered the room, gone through Niroshi’s purse and taken some money. Later, when confronted about it, she denied it, even though there was proof. Needless to say, she lost her job that night and was sent home. Honestly, that lady gave me the creeps. The first day I got there, and intermittently during my stay, I would be going thru my bag, look up and see her watching me like a hawk. Creepy!
Well, with no one else in the house to help Niroshi with the baby, I’ve been obliged to stay during the day instead of frolicking like I would want to. The bright side is that I’ve read almost all of the Harry Potter books, and I’m about halfway through the most recent one, “The Order of the Phoenix”.

Drama part II

Niroshi got a call yesterday, and found out that one of their friends’ wife was missing. She had left to visit her mother that morning, and never made it there. So, people started panicking. I just kind of sat there and took it in. I never know what to expect from life anymore. Anyway, this guy’s wife calls later in the day from an unknown cell phone, says she’s ok, and that he shouldn’t worry. Click. They somehow managed to trace the phone number, and along with contacting the police and various “underground” connections, managed to find out that the dude’s wife left willingly, and that there might be another guy involved. So, here I am, on vacation, getting the the feeling that I’d much rather be home than dealing with all this hoopla.

Drama part III

Last night, Niroshi got a call from another one of their friends. This dude had gotten trashed, punched a cop, and was calling them to bail him out of jail, which they did. Turns out, for only about US$20. If you want to puch cops, do it here, because it’s cheap. Of course, they beat you up too. Whatever.

I’ve been feeling a little edgy, staying cooped up so long. But I got out today, went to run some errands, and hit an internet cafe, where I am now. I was hoping to upload some pix too, but the computer I’m on doesn’t seem 2 be reading the CD-R I burned too well. I will send another email once I get some pix up.

My plans for the next week? Well, I want to hit the ancestral land in Kurunegala, which is about 2 hours north of Colombo by car. I’ve got an uncle, and aunt, and 2 cousin-sisters living there. After that? I dunno. Hopefully I’ll challenge myself to new heights, rather than staying in a comfort zone.

I miss you all. Any bit of contact is appreciated. It’s amazing how much one can take people for granted when they are within reach. I would love to have the power to teleport any and all of you here to be with me. Sometimes it’s strange having no one awfully close to you to spend time with.

Peace,

Roman

Greetings from the Teardrop of India,

Day 2 in Sri Lanka, getting over jetlag. I met my beautiful baby godchild, and what a joy she is. I will send some pix when I can. So I decided to leave the safety of the house for the din of Colombo. I was walking down the main road by my cousin Roshan’s house, looking for a 3-wheeled cab (tuk-tuk) to catch to Colombo, when a guy walking a bicycle popped out of an alley. Upon seeing me, he uttered what must have been the only two words he knew of the English language: “Holy shit!” Interesting choice of words, upon seeing a dreadlocked man wearing sunglasses and shorts, walking down the street.