Personal Profile:

I am an excellent features writer and also a outdoor photographer of human life in its natural setting (including news photos). I have re-established myself as a photojournalist in Sri Lanka in 2003. I am ambitious and enthusiastic about the media profession. I am also a multi-capable graduate, with proven achievements in two other professions. My journalist and photographer abilities were previously recognised by the publication of twelve of my photo-articles in Thailand’s English language press in 1992/93. This required me to be self-motivated whilst showing initiative and adaptability, but most importantly, the determination to succeed.

Key Skills:

Excellent Feature Writer
Excellent Outdoor Photographer
Aware of political and social developments in Asia
Very Good Organisational and Analytical abilities
IT: HTML, Word 2000, Excel, Director 4.0 and Photoshop
Languages: Basic French, Sinhala and Thai. The latter at conversational level in 1993. Fluent in Tamil until age 14 (now at basic conversation level)

Recent Career and Educational Achievements:

February 2003 to present; Freelance Photojournalist . Several photo features and articles published in the Sunday Observer of Sri Lanka. My Feature Articles published in The Sunday Observer of Sri Lanka

June 2000 to November 2002; A Service Quality Consultant
Resolving specialist customer complaints for Intelligent Finance, a major new UK Phone & Internet Bank, based in and near Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.

March 1992 - May 1993; Freelance Photographer/Reporter,
Professional name: Michael-Rohan Sabai for the Bangkok Post, and also The Nation as well as Manager Magazine. - English language newspapers and business magazine in Thailand. Photographing and reporting of a social documentary / travel nature, in towns of my choosing in Thailand. Achieved 12 publications, including one from Hoi An, in Vietnam.

Other Career History:

May 2000 ; A temporary Adminstrator at the Scottish Executive, the devolved Scottish Government's Executive.

Jan. - March 2000 ; A Telephone Share Dealer at Stocktrade, a UK Stockbroking firm in Edinburgh.

March 1999 - Sept. 1999; at Magnetic Advertising Co Ltd., on a management programme placement for recent graduates, organised by Lothian Management Centre, Edinburgh. - I successfully utilised my graduate skills to develop Excel spreadsheets, Access databases and designed a Web site (above); to assist in marketing this young company’s innovative products.

1993 - 1994 Night Auditor at Marble Arch Marriott Hotel, London W1.
Conducted Nightly Audit of day's transactions, using IBM AS-400 system, reconciling cash and c.card/invoices, etc. Also responsible for front desk, dealing with guest/visitor enquiries.

1990 - 1991
Senior Night Auditor at Holiday Inn Marble-Arch, now M.A. Marriott Hotel-above.
Deputy to Night Manager. Acting Duty Manager in his absence and Night Audit as above. Successfully trained novice Night Auditor.

1989 - 1990
Night Auditor at Londoner Hotel, now Holiday Inn Oxford Circus, London W1.- Night Auditing with CLS software.

I previously worked as reception/reservationist for three years in London SW1, interspersed with a backpacking holiday in South-East Asia and Australia from April '86 to July '87. I returned to South-East Asia in March '91 in preparation for being a photographer/reporter from March '92, as above. I also travelled through most of Western Europe from August '89 to October '89 and in June '90. Between 1978 and 1985 I worked as a Sales Assistant,and then as a Clerical Assistant, at the Metropolitan Police Office in New Scotland Yard, after which I spent quite some time without work.

Education:

March 2004 - March 2005; Masters of Arts - English (preliminary) at the University of Peradeniya (Faculty of Arts)

Sept. 1994 - June 1998; BA (Hons) Information Management with Combined Studies
Achieved 2.1 classification from Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh. (http://www.qmuc.ac.uk - the study of organisational information flow analysis for efficiency, which includes the development of information strategies, as well as software usage combined with business management and elements of media studies.

Feb 1994 - Aug. 1994 Diploma in Management Studies
Huron University (USA), Kensington, London.

1988 - 1990 Certificate in Fine & Applied Arts - Photography
Part-Time (2 days per week) at Sir John Cass School of Art,
City of London Polytechnic (now London Guildhall University), London E1.
- final exhibition of 16 B&W images highly commended by external photographer.

1987 - 1988 City & Guilds of London Institute - Photography modules
Part-Time (Two evenings pw) @ Polytechnic of Central London (now Univ. of Westminster), London W1.

1981 - 1982 Association of Accounting Technicians.
Part 1 - Credits in Law, Economics & Statistics / Pass in Accounts. (Failed Final Part 2)
@ Accountancy Tuition Centre, London E1.

Sept.1976 - June 1978 North Herts College, Hitchin, Herts, England.*
Oct. 1974 - June 1976 St. Michael's School, Stevenage, Herts, England.
- Achieved four GCE "O" levels in English language (in 1976), and in Mathematics, Economics and History (in 1977).
* includes one year of A-level study

Jan.1973 - Sept. 1974 Wesley College (School)**, Colombo 9, Sri Lanka.
Jan. 1965 - Dec. 1972 St. Thomas's Prep School, Colombo 3, Sri Lanka.
- all studies in Tamil language with English as a subject.
**I was junior house captain in 1973

Personal Details:

Date and Place of Birth: 26th November 1959 in Colombo 6, Sri Lanka.
Nationality: British (naturalised on 26th January 1987).
Status: Single (past and presently, but hopefully not in the future). I hold a UK driving licence, where I was a car owner/driver.
Interests: Local & International current affairs
Activities & Hobbies whilst living in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK: Badminton, Swimming, Movies, Music, Writing, Photography and Living a Young Life.