...stories from along the way...

"...Taprobana...Taprobane...Serendib...Ceylan...Ceylon...Sri   Lanka..."

From the time of my birth in Ceylon (Sri Lanka)  to the present, my life has been full of adventure; some excellent, some great,   some not-so-great, some I am not pleased with, some I am genuinely sorry about,  and some that have inspired me to keep moving forward regardless of where I find myself at that particular point in time. 

We might call it "The   Excellent and not so Excellent Adventures of George Pingho."

Unsurprisingly, the ancient name for   Sri Lanka was "Serendib."
  - the root word for "Serendipity" -

Here are some of the definitions:

• The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident.
• The fact or occurrence of such discoveries. 
• An instance of making such a discovery.  

The English author Horace Walpole is responsible for the word serendipity, which he coined in one of the 3,000 or more letters on which his literary reputation primarily rests. In a letter of   January 28, 1754, Walpole says that "this discovery, indeed, is almost of that kind which   I call Serendipity, a very expressive word." Walpole formed the word from an old name for Sri   Lanka, Serendip. 

He explained that this name was part of the   title of "a silly fairy tale, called The Three Princes   of Serendip: as their highnesses traveled, they were always making   discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which they were not in   quest of."

And so I continue to "discover wonderful things by  accident." ( I know the term "journey" has now   become overused and abused, but I still believe that we indeed are on a trip; we came with no map, and we leave with no map except with what we   have embedded in our hearts and souls.) 

There will be more to add to this page and additional pages as we continue the journey.

Sri Lanka has gone through turbulent times, however, the "Pearl of the Indian Ocean" will always survive. We have survived thousands of years and will always find a way to take on the next challenge.

Check back from time to time! You never know what you might find out next!!

                            "Serendib - the   confirmation that all things are possible."

I