The Way They were

The original Five

Disney's modern version

Back in our hey days, that is before cable TV, the Internet and mobile phones took over our lives, reading/books played a big role in how we spent our 'lesiure' time. Not including Peter & Jane, which was practically a staple read back in primary school, Enid Blyton's The Famous Five was perhaps the most popular amongst children's books then..I mean who could forget Julian, Dick, George, Anne and Timmy?

Apparently the folks at Disney did who've come up with a modern take of the Famous Five to be aired on its Disney Channel this coming May. Except for Timmy, in place of the others are Jo (the half-Indian daughter of George), Allie (Anne's daughter who supposedly moved to the US after college), Max (the adventure-loving son of Julian) and Dylan (wannabe businessman tycoon son of Dick). I suppose credit could be given to the Disney people for at least retaining some kind of connection to the original gang but as with most makeovers, some things are best left untouched...the Famous Five being one of them.

One Dance in Paris

It finally happened.

After what seemed like an eternity (ok, slight exaggeration there but Medulla can attest to this) and coupled with guilt over the dust that had been gathering on the books which had been purchased over a period of three years, the dry spell has been broken.

And what better way to start with something light and easy to the brain and eyes i.e chick lit.

Linda Stone barely remembers her mother..until she discovers that her mother was an infamous international showgirl in Paris, who goes by the name La Gazelle (that's 'The Star' to us non-French speaking readers)

As scandalous as the words 'infamous", "international" and "showgirl" may seem to imply, this story is far from that. My guess is that this plot was just an attempt to add some allure and mystery. Ultimately it's about self-discovery following one's journey into an unknown past. Cliche? Goes without saying but I admit I can be a suckered into cliches so it came to no surprise that I found myself engaged and ultimately, eager to know the ending - which I did at 1.30 am last night.

A new era?

First there was the iPod which totally revolutionized the way we listen to music over the past few years. And now we're getting the literary version, aptly called the Kindle, which offers access to about 90,000 books and 11 leading newspapers.

Now, the important question is - is the Kindle the new iPod? Peter Kafka seems to think otherwise.

Blessing in disguise?

As the WGA strike continues, and with no light-at-the-tunnel as yet, here's a lowdown on the remaining number of episodes to some of our favourite shows:

Brothers & Sisters : Six (out of twelve) left
Heroes : Five (out of 12)
Grey's Anatomy : Six remaining
House : Six left
Ugly Betty : Five or six
Pushing Daisies: Four (out of nine) left
Gossip Girl : Six left
Samantha Who? : Eight left

What this means is that, in the event/worst case scenario no resolution is reached before the year-end, we'll probably have to wait til September 2008 for the new episodes (or season?) to arrive...

As depressing as it may seem, it does not necessarily mean the end of the world. Here're some things I can do during the 'break':

• I can finally get back to reading my books! Yes, TV has taken over my life that my yet-to-be-read books have been collecting dust for two years including a certain Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince..
• ..and in between catching up with my books, I can also squeeze in watching my DVDs (also collecting dust!)
• Cook/bake
• Spring clean my room. The current state of my room has been begging for a makeover so a garage/car boot sale might be possible *hint* *hint*

So all is not lost, yet...this strike might just be the blessing in disguise I've been looking for.