Spontaneous Informality

Spontaneous Informality

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A Rocky Start: My First Day with the Xbox and Train Sim World 5

Friday, the December 6th, 2024 marked my first real attempt at diving into the world of gaming on newly acquired Xbox, and to be honest, it didn’t go as smoothly as I’d hoped. As someone completely new to gaming, I knew there would be a learning curve, but

A Long Day at Work: Managing the Unexpected

Today turned out to be one of those unexpectedly long days at work. While my afternoon shift was supposed to start at its usual time, I had to arrive two hours earlier for a classroom training session. The training was informative and necessary, but it meant that I had already

Back to the Grind: A Post-Vacation Reflection

After ten relaxing days in Sri Lanka and two restful days at home, it’s time to gear up for work again. Starting tomorrow, I’ll be doing four consecutive afternoon shifts, each lasting 10 hours. Though there are bound to be the usual challenges that come with my role,

Crafting a Fulfilling Post-Retirement Career Aligned with My Strengths and Values

Crafting a Fulfilling Post-Retirement Career Aligned with My Strengths and Values

Retirement marks a transition, but for many of us, it is not an end—it is a beginning. It is the time to align our work with deeper passions, core values, and the desire to contribute meaningfully to the world. Based on the unique blend of strengths revealed through my

A Short Yet Meaningful Vacation in Sri Lanka: Reflection, Gratitude, and Hope

As I sit on the aircraft returning to my destination, I find myself reflecting on my 10-day vacation in Sri Lanka. Though the time passed quickly, this trip gave me the space to rest, reconnect, and reflect. It has been a meaningful journey filled with emotions — gratitude, sadness, admiration, and

Remy: The Cat with a Personality Larger Than Life

Remy: The Cat with a Personality Larger Than Life

Remy is quite the character, and our household wouldn’t be the same without him. Loved by everyone at home, he brings joy and laughter with his playful antics and, for the most part, is an obedient little guy. But don’t be fooled — he certainly has a mischievous streak

A Week of Rest, Reflection, and Reconnection in Sri Lanka

A Week of Rest, Reflection, and Reconnection in Sri Lanka

Almost a week has passed since I arrived in Sri Lanka, embarking on a visit that I had both long anticipated and desperately needed. This short break from work has felt like a gentle reset, a chance to fully immerse myself in the beauty and rhythm of life here. Yet,

Witnessing History: A Peaceful Election and the Hope for a New Era in Sri Lanka

Witnessing History: A Peaceful Election and the Hope for a New Era in Sri Lanka

As I pen down my reflections on this momentous day, I feel both privileged and deeply grateful for the opportunity to be present in my home country, Sri Lanka, and to exercise my democratic right to vote. This experience marks not only a personal milestone for me—having cast my

Breaking the Cycle: Leadership, Precision, and a Call for Excellence

Lately, I’ve been deeply frustrated by recurring audit feedback highlighting significant discrepancies in our equipment packing—both excess and shortages. These issues aren’t new, but the fact that they keep happening raises serious concerns about how we handle non-compliance feedback. It makes me wonder if, despite our best

Reflecting on My CliftonStrengths Top 5: Building Strengths in Life and Leadership

One of the most enlightening exercises I’ve done recently is discovering my CliftonStrengths top five themes: Consistency, Developer, Empathy, Discipline, and Harmony. Reflecting on these strengths has given me a better understanding of how I approach work, relationships, and personal growth. These strengths not only highlight what I bring

Morning Shift Success: The Power of Team Effort in Meeting Urgent Equipment Need

This morning, I spent considerable time working alongside our west wing ware wash teams to ensure that our preparation teams had the equipment they needed, right when they needed it. Meeting these urgent requirements is never easy, especially when there are so many moving parts in our operation. But as

Reflecting on Days Off and the Week Ahead

Reflecting on Days Off and the Week Ahead

After a long stretch of five back-to-back night shifts, I found myself spending most of my two days off sleeping. It’s been a while since I slept so much, and while part of me wonders if that was the best use of my days off, I realize it was

Navigating Night Shift Challenges: Communication, Teamwork, and the Need for Transparency

Another night shift has wrapped up, and it was eventful as always. One of the main challenges we faced was the food handover from production kitchens to our preparation teams. It sounds simple—one team prepares the food, and the next team packs it for flights. But in practice, when

Starting My Journey with Principle-Centered Leadership

Starting My Journey with Principle-Centered Leadership

I’m excited to share that I’ve finally enrolled in the Principle-Centered Leadership online program. After weighing the decision for some time, I decided to take the leap, and I’m genuinely looking forward to what lies ahead. More than just learning, I’m hoping this program will inspire

Night Shift Challenges, Teamwork, and the Art of Food Preparation

Night Shift Challenges, Teamwork, and the Art of Food Preparation

Working the night shift in flight catering always brings unique challenges, but the past few nights have been especially demanding. Delays in the handover of food items from our production kitchens put extra pressure on our packing teams, who were racing against the clock to meet deadlines. Despite these challenges,

The Daily Battle

As I stand in the smoking yard, I watch the steady stream of Hi Loaders returning from aircraft, each loaded with used catering items heading for ware wash. These moments of observation make me reflect on the ongoing challenges we face with equipment availability. Each day, our operations depend heavily

Considering Principle-Centered Leadership: Growth for Myself and Others

I’ve been thinking about enrolling in the Principle-Centered Leadership program from Franklin Covey Academy. The course costs $3,249 for four modules, with access for a year. I had sent them an email asking possibility of paying in three instalments. They replied that, their accounting system doesn’t allow

Living Alone : A Journey of Independence & Reflection

It's been nearly two year since I moved into my fully furnished, serviced apartment, and I can confidently say that I’ve settled into a familiar comfort here. The space provides me with everything I need, from peace and quiet after long work shifts to the convenience of

Image Format

Up until today, I wasn't aware existing of an image format called Webp. I first found out from Jason at 10C when he posted that he has updated 10C for webp support, while he was trying to resolve the image upload issue I was facing on 10C, due

It has been four years

It has been four years

It has been four years yesterday since my mother passed away. We had only been able to mark her death anniversary in 2019. Unfortunately, we could not do anything for two consecutive years due to the situation prevailing in the country caused by Covid 19. That is sad because we

Spontaneous Informality

Spontaneous Informality

Yep! It is back - Spontaneous Informality, a blog I used a few years back, is again here. I borrowed the Name Spontaneous Informality, is from my friend and world-renowned foodie, Mr. George Banks. I remember, George used this phrase whenever he created new menu concepts. Another regular phrase he

Coming soon

This is Spontaneous Informality , a brand new site by Sumudu M. Gunaratne that's just getting started. Things will be up and running here shortly, but you can subscribe in the meantime if you'd like to stay up to date and receive emails when new content is