A number of Colombo’s socialites love to flaunt their wealth with private soirees or soirees to celebrate their personal businesses. These socialites actually do have the dosh.  The problem is parting with it. It is well known that many who wish to la di da so are happy with holding functions in the most miserly way.   

Mrs Lobawatha loves to put on a grand show but her miserly or money pinching ways are well known to all and sundry.  Especially the majority of her invitees, who giggle amongst themselves and make dinner arrangements for after the function since it is a given that the pass around food will be quite disgusting and the cheapest available wines will be served to the guests.

Strangely, despite the guests knowing that their evening will be such, they long to be invited, especially during the Season, so that they could boast of the number of functions they have to attend at any given time. They all get to these functions, take loads of pictures to upload on social media and, in some instances, to show off the number of parties they have been to in one night. 

Mrs. Lobawatha tries to organize her events all by herself but fails to do so and has no choice but to hire an Events Coordinator. The Events people who have worked with her on previous occasions shudder and make excuses since extracting money from Mrs. Lobawatha is akin to pulling out a wisdom tooth from an old jaw. Nevertheless, someone ends up doing it and at the initial meeting ground rules on payment to the staff they hire for the evening plus their fee are discussed and finalized.  However, once it is realized that they have to work for an event hosted by Mrs Lobawatha most of the hired help request for payment in full before the occasion to avoid the chasing after they have to go through for weeks to collect what is due to them.

Some staff are directly hired by Mrs. Lobawatha, who has bargained them down to the least amount that would be acceptable.   Even then, Mrs. Lobawatha tries not to pay these persons.  

It is amazing how such miserly well to do people have no conscience and happily carry on like buffaloes with no care for the less fortunate.