Author: udhara
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Black Cat: Colombo’s Best Eggs Ben, Iced Black Coffee, and Books
I was a digital nomad from 2013 to 2017, building a digital agency, working as a creative strategist and exploring as much of world as I could in my spare time. It was during this time that I wrote an extensive piece about Colombo being a hidden hotspot for digital nomads, sharing my favourite places…
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Airbus A380: More than an Airplane
“Combining the most advanced aviation technology and an inspired cabin design, Airbus is proud to have created an aircraft that is celebrated for its outstanding quality in every aspect. Leading the industry in standards for innovation, experience and efficiency, it is adored by passengers, pilots and crew alike.” – Airbus.com, ‘More than an Airplane’, A380…
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Airbus A350 vs Boeing 787: Which cutting edge airplane is ‘best’?
The A350 XWB is Airbus’ shiny, sexy twin-engined plane, built with combination of carbon composites, titanium and aluminium. It’s powered by two ultra-quiet Rolls Royce engines. Its ‘extra-wide’ cabin is designed to make passengers feel as comfortable one can without flying in a private jet. Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner is their version of the…
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A Life Less Ordinary: Season 2 Singapore is here! Meet My Co-Host Vanessa
‘A Life Less Ordinary’ is back on Apple Podcasts! This season, I flew to Singapore to meet fascinating entrepreneurs, athletes, actors, and more. The video above gives you a short little introduction to our first guest, my dear friend and Season 2 co-host Vanessa Fernandez. By the way, she’ll be performing at the Singapore…
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A Life Less Ordinary Season 2: Singapore is around the corner!
After a long, 9 month journey, my podcast A Life Less Ordinary Season 2: Singapore, will be out on Apple Podcasts next Thursday! Following a successful Season 1 in Sri Lanka, I’m joined by musician, radio presenter and my co-host Vanessa Fernandez for interviews with guests that include: Award-winning, Crazy Rich Asians actress Tan Kheng…
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Changi Airport: What to do at the World’s Best Airport in 3 hours
This special edition of Stopover at Singapore’s Changi Airport originally appeared on Nomads Bazaar. Stopover is a travel show I host and produce with my creative partner-in-crime, Adam Moorhead. We usually choose a city to create our 6 and 12 hour Stopover episodes, but Changi Airport deserves its own special 3 hour stopover episode! …
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Stopover Singapore: What to do in Singapore in 6 and 12 Hours
I’m excited to share the first travel show produced by Nomads Bazaar, the media company Adam and I run in Sydney! What started as a way to utilise our days off in between shoots has evolved into a little monster of a project that has been 9 months in the making. ‘Stopover’ gives you…
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I’m making “A Life Less Ordinary” Season 2!
I am incredibly thrilled (and terrified) that I’m producing a second season of my podcast, A Life Less Ordinary! This year we’re heading to the “miracle of Asia”, Singapore! It’ll be an exciting few months of researching, writing, interviewing, filming, recording, editing, and promoting. I hope you guys fall in love with Singapore as I…
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My last ditch attempt at making the most of Apple Music
Two years in and I still wasn’t getting even remotely closer to finding amazing music with Apple Music the way I did when I tried 90 days of Spotify Premium. Seeing the new HomePod ad where FKA Twigs play with the fabric of time and space after she asks Siri to play something she likes…
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Transforming Qatar into a Cultural Instigator
A post shared by Udhara de Silva (@udhara) on Dec 21, 2017 at 3:49pm PST Sheikha Mayassa Al Thani is the Art World’s most powerful woman, who at 34 years old oversees the Qatar Museums Authority. Founded by her father, Sheikh Hamad Al Thani, QMA was established in 2005 to connect the world to…
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Slaving Away Under Kafala
A post shared by Udhara de Silva (@udhara) on Dec 14, 2017 at 4:09pm PST “All men are tempted. There is no man that lives that can’t be broken down, provided it is the right temptation, put in the right spot.” – Henry Ward Beecher Low-income migrant workers from South Asia and East Asia…
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Knowledge is Power?
The Paradise Papers have been flooding news cycles around the world, but I don’t think many of us really get why. Bono uses them to funnel his wealth into investments in shopping malls while fighting for human rights and ending poverty. Lewis Hamilton uses them to save millions in import taxes on his…
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A Life Less Ordinary: Conversations with Asia’s Extraordinary Individuals
I can’t believe it, but the day has finally arrived after 9 months of planning, researching, flying, recording, producing, and editing! ‘A Life Less Ordinary’ is the podcast about Asia’s extraordinary individuals. If you listen to TED Talks, Tim Ferriss, This American Life, How I Built This, or even RuPaul’s podcast, I think you’ll really…
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The Status Quo: Made for Shattering
I finally arrived in Beirut on January 13th, 2017. I’d been dying to explore ‘the Paris of the Middle East’ for years. Lebanon did not disappoint. I made incredible friends doing inspiring things with their lives, from journalism to wine bars. I discovered Lebanese cuisine, which I thought I knew about all my life but clearly didn’t…
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5 Life Lessons I Learned Working at Apple
I had just one dream to accompany my suitcase as I left my hometown, Sydney, for London in August 2010. As a 21 year-old aspiring songwriter and producer fresh out of university, I intended to make London my new home and writing hits for Beyoncé and Beyoncé-tier artists my new career. Standing by for Beyoncé’s…
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My Grandmother Seela De Silva: Rebel, Adventurer, Feminist
This is my visual tribute to Archchi ? My Grandmother’s children scattered her ashes from a boat on Kalutara River in #SriLanka yesterday afternoon. The grand Kalutara Temple Stupa sits in the background. My grandmother Seela De Silva had so many wonderful dimensions but to me she was a rebel, adventurer, feminist, and artist. She was…
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Colombo, Sri Lanka: The Hidden Tropical Hub for Digital Nomads
While Sri Lanka’s capital city Colombo isn’t the best representative of the tropical paradise most people envision the tear-shaped island to be, a growing number of interesting attractions and the city’s convenient location provide a great hub for travellers and fellow digital nomads. In this post I’ll share my perspectives on Colombo for travellers, nomads,…
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Exploring Hampi: The Indian Mega-City of the 13th Century
The ancient city of Hampi in Karnataka, South India, is home to hundreds of ruins of palaces, temples, and UNESCO World Heritage Sites and belonged to the mighty Vijayanagara Empire (13th to 15th centuries). Geographically it is one of the most interesting places I’ve explored, with giant boulders scattered throughout the city that make it look like a…
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How to meet yourself.
En route to Colombo from Badulla “Travel far enough, you meet yourself.” – David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas The first post I saw on my Facebook newsfeed this morning was the quote above, from one of my favourite books. Mitchell’s quote means so much to me – if I hadn’t moved from Sydney to Vienna when I…
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Time to Begin, Again.
Comfort is the first symptom, followed by restlessness, frustration, despondence and if you refuse to acknowledge the swell of symptoms, an indifference swallows you like a falsely soothing wave of post-op morphine. At least that’s what happens to me if I ignore the telltale signs it’s time to move on to the next adventure,…