New Year Resolutions

My new year resolutions are not many, considering that last year's list was longer than the yarns of a self-absorbed, senile neighbour. So here goes.
1. Try to keep new year resolutions. (That's never happening)
2. Keep writing this blog even if nobody reads it in my lifetime.
3. Try not to sink into the throes of depression.
4. Breathe regularly
That's about it. Happy new year and good luck with keeping your resolutions, and no, those extra 500 pounds are here to stay.

Happy New Year

Finally, 2010 is dawning. I can almost see it in the horizon now. Being vaguely neurotic, I can tell you that the new year is exactly 44 minutes and 17 seconds away. No wait.... now 44 minutes and 16 seconds away. Anyway, I wish all the non-existent readers (I imagine my baby blog has no followers yet, but I shall never give up!) the very best in the new year.

Milk and milk chocolate anyone?

Gratiaen prize winner Jagath Kumarasinghe's latest book, 'A calf in milk and milk chocolate' I must admit, is most bizarrely and delightfully named. I have yet to read this book and I am eagerly awaiting a moment of silence (which is proving to be rarer than an an occasion in which Mr.President would appear wearing a green scarf) so I can pick it up. I hope that The contents will equally as original as the title.

Life after Love

After approximately seven months from the book being published, I decided that I just had to read it. The ravings of my friends, many who admitted to loathing poetry, made me wonder what the maddening frenzy was all about. I myself am particularly receptive to poetry of any kind, so I decided to find out what this book had that rendered men speechless and reverent, and caused women nod their heads in agreement and understanding.
To begin with, the cover was quite fetching and the illustrations remarkably elegant and appropriate. When I read the title, I must admit that I expected a tiring monologue on how cruel love was and how no sane human must ever love again, but I was pleasantly suprised to find extremely readable, emotional accounts which were not encumbered by ancient and vague cultural references.
Muthu Padmakumara's poetry has always had a unique flavour but 'Life after love' is a colourful collection with many different themes and tones which takes this account of love and loss to a whole new level. The ideas are fresh and she simply explains the feelings and emotions connected with love, may it be at first sight, new, old or forgotten. She has composed the verses as a young woman herself and does not attempt to judge nor give meaningless advice.
However, some of her poetry does seems to border on being rather theatrical in the sense that she explains concepts which cannot truly be explained in such short a verse which results in a rather inadequate narration and a very reader who feels cheated.
But I believe that 'Life after love' is one of the best examples of the immense talent of Sri Lankan writers.

Waiting for Mr.Gratiaen

Yes, the time has come when authors rally their armies of pens and pencils and march across the great white landscape of paper to complete their masterpieces in hope that they may be hailed through Mr.Gratiaen's door.
While their neigbours begin to prepare the traditional christmas goodies, the haggard writers pour over thier unfinished manuscripts. During the month of December, they live like the proverbial mouse who is led by the haunting music of the Pied Piper. They are enchanted by the various muses who seem to possess them and tend to leave them (probably to enjoy a nap, which the utterly sleep-deprivedwriters may not have had for a long time) at the most critical points, such as when writing a conclusion to the book.
I wish all those tolerant and persevering souls the best of luck on their great literary journey.