It isn't every day that I get to sit down and chat. That I've had two such days this week has made it spectacular.

I suppose it's the whole idea of just being just another face in a huge class after coming from a small teaching environment where almost everyone has at least heard of everyone else that just makes everything feel all the more impersonal. But at the end of the day, what matters most is that I have my fallback group. Granted I sometimes feel I might be a little too dependent on them, but they ain't made a sound yet.

I feel that I don't give myself the opportunity of opening up in school because I'm only ever there for classes and the few people I know will only ever know that aspect of myself because I'm immediately gone as soon as classes end. In so many ways, it just adds to the whole hi-bye element of the friendship.

Today though, I got to meet up with some people I met a while back, from a time where I seemed to be leading another life entirely and it was fun. I can't remember the last time I just let go and sang out loud, or the last time I actually stopped worrying about studies, or the last time I actually recommended Paulo Coelho to anyone.

Perhaps it just wasn't time back then and now, it just feels like the perfect opportunity.

Most importantly though, it was fun sharing this side of me that I don't share with many these days.

I've recently been reading Paulo Coelho's Stories for Parents, Children and Grandchildren. Somehow, his books have a sort of calming effect.

Every time I feel down or lost or remotely doubtful of anything, reading it just somehow makes everything feel all right.

Try it!

I don't usually come back home after 10 but tonight was a great end/start to the week: I finally went to watch Julie & Julia after telling myself that I would do so for the past 2 weeks.

I can't remember how long it's been since I've last whipped up anything in the kitchen but watching the movie made me want to start cooking all over again. Every recipe was so splendidly made with so much beurre that I could almost smell the scent of melted butter.

I miss cooking but the pragmatist in me kept yelling out at how much they hid the unglamourous portions in the movie.

For example, what happened to all those dirty pots and pans? Did they mysteriously get cleaned by the cookbook fairy? I mean, I would love to cook something so complicated and disgustingly sinful every single day but it's just impossible when you consider that there will be a never-ending basin full of pots and pans.

And where were all those calories going? Were they mysteriously disappearing? She never seemed to gain weight at all...

Mmmm...all I want now is to make something from Julia Child's recipe book, if I ever do get it.

It's all about cartoons we grew up with
Click here to go back to Cartoon Craze on Featured-Grownups!

Taking a quick look at several entries, I realized that what I used to watch as a kid was so different.

On the English front, I only ever remember being an avid fan of Captain Planet. (Go Planet!) I remember being so enamoured with the whole idea of controlling the elements. Of course, the whole idea of "Saving the planet" was lost on me. I always wondered at the purpose of having a ring that allowed you to talk to animals.
Gi's water control was quite lame as well because she had to be near a body of water. It was never like the water benders on Avatar who can control the water within people.
Then again, good ol' Cap was quite stupid because he became weak if he had sludge thrown onto him and stuff....I guess I had a thing for Linka. Her power of wind and the whole accent was so exotic. But I digress...

Perhaps the longest lasting memories of childhood cartoons are of Japanese anime. The Japanese craze had just hit Singapore when I was still a kid so the Chinese channel was always showing dubbed anime. I remember waking up at 5 am for school and watching the cartoons that were on then until I had to go down for the school bus at 5:45 am.

The Japanese stuff always got to me. I remember watching Neon Genesis Evangelion which might have been a tad too heavy for early morning viewing and Maison Ikkoku which was more of a "slice of life" anime. Both were equally fun and while I might not have grasped the depth of the animes then, still made quite an impression. There were just so many things going on in one episode that it really worked the mind.

Of course, on weekends there would be Raijin Oh and eventually Digimon. After my past experiences with anime, I liked waking up on weekends, especially after I'd bought breakfast for the family from the market, and watching the cartoons on tv while almost everyone else was asleep. It felt almost like a private time for me and it was fun to get sucked into those magic worlds where school children were part of this organization to control robots and defend Earth. Or in Digimon's case, children got sucked into an alternate reality to control monsters to defend the parallel universes.

But of course, I remembered Voltron! That was an extra special treat when I visited my dad who was working overseas--where it was cheap enough to get cable. I remember watching Voltron from Cartoon Network I believe. That was when I'd also watch the Hanna-Barbera stuff but Voltron was the one I remembered the most.

As you can see by now, I had a thing for robots and all that transforming. It's been a while since I've checked out the latest cartoons although I've always continued watching anime on and off. There's just something about it...Perhaps it's the constant theme of brotherhood, loyalty, love etc. They were always deceptively insightful even though they were "cartoons".

*The links here are just for introductory purposes. Perhaps you'll find one that catches your eye because I don't really know how to add pictures, or if I can even add them for that matter*

It seems that the economic downturn is on everyone's mind...even over at Featured_Grownups where it's this month's topic.

Honestly, I don't quite know if I feel the downturn at all here in Singapore. Everyone seems to be shopping incessantly. Every weekend spent outside is more time spent witnessing people spend, spend, spending everywhere.

The contrast was made all the more stark because I'd only recently come back from China, where I've gotten used to the lower standard of living for the past 6 months. Having to come back to Singapore and spend a minimum of $2.50 (equivalent of 12.50RMB) per meal (when it was 5RMB a meal in China) made me cringe at the idea of just being back.

Shopping isn't really a big deal for me because I only ever shop during either the Year End Sale or the Great Singapore Sale and even then, I have to seriously consider what I buy.

What I have a problem with is that the everyday stuff is so disproportionately more expensive in relation to what I would spend in China which is an unfair comparison. But I have to admit that I have been affected.

When shopping at the supermarket, I spend more time searching for the brand that offers the best value, unless it's something I'm not willing to compromise on (like my instant noodles or what not). As opposed to buying fresh milk or brand eggs, I survive on house brand UHT milk which, to me, serves the same purpose as fresh milk and lasts much longer. I don't know why I never thought about it before but I suppose that it made much more sense.

But then again, what downturn is there in Singapore? I don't see anyone scrimping and saving...at least not anyone from my generation...