malayalam is a language tailor made for sarcasm and satire. storytellers and movie makers have made use of this particular aspect of the language to create some of the most interesting, quirky, heart-wrenching, hilarious and unforgettable narratives.

while people like MT, Padmarajan and an army of others have created a slew of classics, one man stands apart – as the king of malayalam satire, a living legend. his name is sreenivasan. a man who flexes his pen, twists malayalam to his hearts conent – and ultimately exposes the true essence what it is to be a malayali.

allow me to elaborate my point with an example….. it is very easy to understand why shobhana’s “vidamattey?…” and “yaarathu?….” bits from the wonderful Manichithrathazhu are so memorable and so often repeated. but only in malayalam, would you find a line like “Polandine kurichu nee oraksharam mindaruthu, athu enikkishtam alla” (delivered by a very frustrated sreenivasan over his first proper meal in days) receive such undeniable cult status.

Now, if you ask me exactly what the “essence of being a mallu” is…… i’d find it hard to explain. i guess its a mix of acid sarcasm, good humour, strong political views, unbridled cynicism, gossip and boundless wit. Or as a friend pointed out – all things mallu have one trait in common: they thrive on self-criticism. That is exactly what sreenivasan has learnt to capture, time and again, in his work.

They say that the best way to learn a language is to watch movies made in it.
So, If you want to learn malayalam…. watch the classics.
But, if you want to learn to be a malayali…. watch sreenivasan.

It’s been a hectic January; and January isn’t even over yet. I’m falling behind on everything.

lows >>
chippy isn’t so happy with me right now. i’ve hardly spent any time with her for a month, i think. to top it off, i’m not making the trip around south india with her. *sigh*

I hate the new traffic regulations in kochi. you have to go all the way through thevara and cross the bridge there, instead of venduruthy! it zaps off whatever little energy you have at the end of the day. yesterday, i had the misfortune of travelling from kalamassery to mattancherry by bus. via menaka and then thevara. it took 2 hours.

the day before yesterday – i made the same trip.

heath ledger died. that just sucks!! it SUCKS!!

highs >>
Theres a sweet new used books place right off MG Road (on warriem road). :) it makes me smile every time i walk by it (and i walk by it atleast twice a day). The other day i went in and saw a copy of PS: I Love you. i hope its still there when gayathri (after reading this) runs frantically over to buy it.

speaking of books, i’m reading “the witch of portobello” by paulo coelho. its very impressive work. falling in love with it. the theme is very heavy but its so well written that you don’t realize. very easy to read.

its thekke madam shasta preethi this weekend!!! woohoo!! 3 days!! perfect way to recharge after weeks of tiresome toiling. its also the best way to fall further behind on work. and flunk SBN’s ecology test on tuesday. yay!

random stuff>>>
i had a dream the other night. that i rid the world of dandruff. if i went to a shrink, he/she’d tell me that this dream is a projection of my personal, deep seated desire to rid my own scalp of dandruff.

i was beginning to wonder if this blog’s name is any good. now, i think it sucks. thats the thing about me – i can never make up my mind. if i ever DO make up my mind, i change in anyway. maybe i should have called it “glorious indecision”.

i love sting.

OK, First off, i should tell you that i DONT make new year resolutions and so, this post is NOT about broken resolutions. *flashing teeth*

Don’t you think “Past-Year Retrospection” is a far more prudent MO? You cant break retrospections, now, can you?

So, heres my own PYR 2007 – off the top of my head, in no particular order…….

In 2007, these are the books that i read and still remember (:D)
The Name of the Rose – Umberto Eco
Journey to the River Sea – Eva Ibbotson
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – J K Rowling
Cry, The Beloved Country – Alan Paton
Thud! – Terry Pratchet
How to be an Alien – George Mikes
plus lots and lots and lots of chick-lit and several mindless advneture novels(hehe)

In 2007, i watched the following movies and still remember them:
Donnie Darko, Casablanca, to Kill a Mockingbird, Crash, The Departed, The Seventh Seal*, Brokeback Mountain, 300 *grin*, Capote, A History of Violence, Casino Royale, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Heat, Chak De India, Akira Khurosawa’s Dreams*, Taare Zameen Par, Om Shanti Om (i grudgingly admit i liked more parts of it than i hated), Arabikkatha, Mozhi.
(WOW! that is a LOT of movies….)
On TV, i mainly just followed Grey’s Anatomy. Have stated watching The Closer too, though.