It was a choice between the European Film Festival or the Hip Hop concert by Kohinoor held at the Warehouse Project for the evening hangout zone. Bowing to the majority opinion I skipped “Soul Kitchen” for some hip hop beats.

Arriving at 7.30 pm at a concert that was meant to start at 7 (which I presume did start on time) I found myself confronted with some Sinhala songs being sung by a new band of which I fail to recall the name. My already “in a bad mood” friend was on her toes, getting annoyed, and then decided that she was actually familiar with the song “Anganawo”. ( Do not ask me how this song qualifies as hip hop! I was playing the mere spectator, observing a man in a turban, some good looking young men in sarongs and a man holding a cigarette prancing in front of me with interesting expressions on his face and annoying comments to all I said.)

Things were quite normal till the rains started pouring. Well rather started knocking hard on the warehouse’s not so durable roof which started leaking in all the wrong parts of the hall.

In the meantime a friend trying to locate the “warehouse” lost in Maradana, as I with no clue on giving directions, the place being new to me as well, keep shouting at him over the phone “in front of the Elphinstone theatre” till he threatens  “ I am heading home!” Luckily another good soul with more knowledge on directions comes to save both our souls in helping the poor man find his way to me! ( So much drama and too much smoke and steam for one evening)

While the drama on phone continues the rains continue to pour down. My “not so in a good mood” friend seeking comfort found solace in holding on to a handbag which for some psychic reason on her part reassured her that she would be protected from the torrent rains and the lighting in a leaking warehouse with too many electric cables being present. ( I hear complains voiced this morning about the concert not being cancelled when it started pouring as the water on the ground and the water which rushed down into the hall right in the middle of it, would have been a possible disaster causer! But thankfully it was not!)

On a happy note, the performer Kohinoor was much appreciated and the concert was quite memorable with special effects provided by nature itself! Who would have imagined that hurricanes could help hip hop concerts flourish!

At 9 when the music stopped my other friend goes “ Oh! She stopped singing!” ( yes, she had to , though the rains would not stop and the floods would not stop in their flow , the music had to! Now to find a mode of getting back!)

No cabs available thanks to the roads blocked by huge trees that had been pulled off their roots and planted on the roads. Grateful to the gallant friend volunteering to brave the floods and try to get to Kolpetty prior to heading to Kohuwala, we walk out of the warehouse to drop into a puddle of knee high water. With no umbrella, being eternally deprived of any practical sense, I get drenched in the rain till the soaked clothes remind of a wet t shirt competition, I head home with a man who coughs all the way saying that he is trying cough me out of his system! (Why ain’t I surprised of such need!)

The evening ends, the conversation continues.

On managing to arrive at work and retrieving the laptop I commence the endeavour of typing out complains on grave derelict duty, gross negligence!

Friend number 1: If you are a public organiser you have a duty to provide safety, it’s not like these guys had any public liability insurance? versation on which I am eves ( I am unaware if they do, just typing out the conversation I am evesdropping on)

Friend Number 2: Who knows? Warehouse might have insurance!

Friend Number 1 : Who actually owns the Warehouse? I want to write them a letter!

Friend Number 2 : In their defence, well this happened once in 18 yrs, you know!

Friend Number 1: Thunder storms happen all the time! What are their precautions when this happens? Like a tree falling down?

Friend Number 2: You can’t do anything about a tree falling down!

Friend Number 1: Okay for example, that guy with the wire, gets electrocuted, falls down, breaks his back! What do you think they can do?? They can’t have a fucking ambulance because there is a fucking tree blocking the fucking road! ( The conversation is getting heated up, and I am blissfully typing away! )

This is so foreseeable! This is so stupid!

Why can’t they build something so that the water would not come in!

(Lot of animations! I mean lots of them! I love my friend, she always makes my day with her dramatic effect. Add to it some psychic touches and may be some legal touches! Tadaaaa! The best time of the day! I suggested she pursue stand up comedian-ship but well she dissented stating that it flows to her in a natural mode and that she is not good at writing them down and presenting them to people on stage. Our colleague who enters the conversation in a rightfully points out to me that Friend number 2, is more reality TV material! Okay now back to this conversation on gross negligence!)

So she continues….

And the optimistic bucket they kept, as if they can collect all the water that was flowing! Outrageous! When I am forced to watch that and I can’t do anything I get pissed, and then when there is thunder and lightning which is making me nervous, then it makes me double pissed off!

Person Number 3: I wonder whether they have a conductor!

And it was quite funny seeing the bus that was stuck in Galle road! (I am left unable to comprehend the funny part as I am not witness to this! Pity!)

Well as long as they had fun.. ( They as in the people who were in the bus, or the people in the concert? Not too sure!)

There are still cars that are stuck in the park!

Me: which park?

Person Number 3: There is only one park! The others are all little play areas!
(me nodding while typing)
….

Yes if one thinks this conversation is not entertaining enough, there is more information that I be privy to within the course of the day! I hear of a man that is on a ski jet in Maradana! ( I am sure that this is some made up thing, but thought it would be funny nevertheless!)

But the highest point of the day being when I heard that a colleague had fallen in a puddle! My sadistic being see many a hilarious imagery of the matter and the humour being added with all the conversations on it that follows as I type this, which unfortunately I am not permitted to put up on the blog due to possible threat of defamation.

So to sum up : All in all 10.11.2010 be a happening day in Colombo with hip hop, hurricane, and an interesting ride back home with a man coughing all the way trying to “cough me” out of his system. Pity be for those who never got to enjoy the day for its grotesque quality and pity be for those beautiful trees that were rooted out that sheltered the roads of Thumulla junction!

I surely will miss those once the rains get tired of pouring in, and the sunny skies and perspiring weather greets Colombo again!