Tell us a fun fact about yourself!
I have travelled to over 55 countries so far in my lifetime.
What do you love about what you do?
There must come a time in your life that you must love what you do and for me, it has been becoming a published writer after I retired from corporate life. Writing has done more for my life than I could have ever imagined. The truth is that telling stories itself is essentially good and, in many ways, we live for story, and we live through stories. I can’t think of many jobs better than telling stories all the time. Writers offer people a glimpse into their own lives and help them live better stories.
Who is the best person you’ve worked with and why?
Having worked at the United Nations for many years, I have worked with and for some amazing people. Many have been women and from them, I learned teamwork, and the ability to listen well and communicate well with people. Perhaps the best of them was my first boss in New York, Mary Moors who took me, a twenty-one-year-old under her wing and taught me how to find the motivation to work hard, a trait that has helped me throughout my life.
What would your last meal be?
My last meal would be from my childhood, in the country where I was born. There is no better comfort food for me even today than the best possible rendition of a rice and chicken curry meal, cooked in Sri Lankan style accompanied by lots of vegetables and condiments.
What is your most memorable moment?
Personally, it was climbing the Great Pyramid of Giza when I was stationed in Egypt for the United Nations. Professionally, it was winning Employee of the Year and the Presidents Award for a multi-national technology company.
What event past or present would you like to witness?
Opening of the gates between East and West Berlin and the demolition of the Berlin Wall.
Which three guests, dead or alive, would you invite to dinner?
Sir Winston Churchill (British statesman, soldier, and writer and my hero when growing up). Wilbur Smith (International best-selling author of 49 books and my favourite writer). JK Rowling (Author of the phenomenal best-selling Harry Potter series). The volume of sales was so high, that it has been credited with leading a revival of reading by children. She wrote the first book as a single mother, struggling to make ends meet.
What are you currently listening to, watching or reading?
I am just about to finish watching the final season of Better Call Saul, a prequel to Breaking Bad. I am reading Cleopatra’s Heir, a book by Gillian Bradshaw, an American writer of historical novels, and I am listening to songs sung by Judith Durham in remembrance of her life as a pioneer in Australian music and perhaps the best female singer I have ever heard.
If you had to compete on MasterChef, what dish would you cook?
A Sri Lankan Chicken curry with all the trimmings. I have over the years learnt to cook it very well.
Where is your dream holiday destination?
There are many wonderful places to have a dream holiday, but one I have not experienced yet and would love to visit is the Kingdom of Bhutan, in the eastern Himalayas, and one of the happiest countries in the world.
What were you like as a kid?
I was a bookworm, my love of reading nurtured by my Scottish grandfather. I played cricket and rugby but was not very good at them.
What was your first job?
My first job was working as a welder in a tyre-rethreading company in Colombo. I was just out of school and wanted to learn a useful trade so I could use the skill to migrate to Australia.
What are the three most used apps on your phone?
WhatsApp (I belong to an online group of old schoolmates who still keep in touch with each other even though we live in different countries), Google Mail and Google Maps.
What’s one question that you have always wanted answered?
Are we alone in the universe? Will we discover life outside of Earth in my lifetime?
