Archie Andrews, Well Done You!

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 A couple of days ago, while I was in Singapore, I was walking through a mall as one invariably finds oneself doing, generally to take respite from the heat and humidity, but in this case it was to dodge the torrential downpour that had finally succumbed after two days of threatening clouds and a heavy atmosphere.  Where was I? Oh yes, now that we have the weather profile over with, let me continue: In this mall, there was a small pop up concession selling English language books, and upon closer inspection, they had a good selection of children’s books of which I used to love. These included modern day reprints of classic Ladybird books, Enid Blyton stories as well as the requisite, abridged versions of the Grimm Brothers and Hans Christian Anderson timeless tales.

Amongst these as well, I spotted a pile of Archie comic books, and got quite excited. These used to be a favourite of mine when I was younger, and I remember amassing a small collection, with some great plots, and lots of random information that has served me well in life. 2 things, of which I can remember, are: 1. How to spell ‘Mississippi’, and 2. Mink oil is a waterproof agent for boots. (yes, I do use mink oil on my shoes).

Anyway, I decided to pick up a couple of these comics to relive my youth. Upon returning to the hotel, I started to read one, and I was quite surprised how the comic has changed since I last read it. Overall, the characters are generally the same. Archie and Jughead remain best friends, as well as Betty and Veronica.  Archie is still caught in the perpetual love triangle between Betty and Veronica, and Reggie is still the self-centred narcissist. However, Miss Haggly, the history teacher at school seems to have retired, but there is no history replacement. There is now a driving instructor, and a host of other teaching staff that reflect the more modern educational options that seem to be in schools nowadays.

The characters themselves have also undergone some subtle transformations. Jughead still eats like a horse, but now, is also an accomplished chef, with supposedly a large repertoire of food related trivia. Archie is still a klutz, but where he used to only show interest in girls and his delicate image in the beat up jalopy (which is now a 90s banger, replacing the old classic which Mr Lodge should have probably bought over as a collector’s item), he also exhibits ambitions through daydreaming. Betty is still the nice girl-next-door, but somehow has also morphed into a feisty young lady, taking Veronica on in disagreements where she used to be a doormat. Even Veronica has changed for the better, exhibiting flashes of humanity and kindness.

Perhaps what is most noticeable are the references to the global financial crisis, and how the fictional community is affected by it, mirroring real life. Gone are the bake sales to raise money for school dances, instead the Riverdale kids are putting their heads together and scheming to drive locals to small businesses. The community is brought together to save a pet shelter affected by the cut in funding arising from decisions taken to combat the budget deficit. The small puns, gags and wordplay all revolve around political buzzwords on the economy that we are fed on a daily basis through the media. It’s only a matter of time before the cartoonists fit in a gag about falling off the fiscal cliff.

It is heartening to see that the symbols of my childhood that saw me into my teenage years are going strong. It is even more comforting to know that while there are references to popular culture, it generally eschews the media focused obsession with fame, talentless personalities, and the habit of excess touted by celebrity that is generally so vulgar, even more so in this time of austerity. That the teenagers of Riverdale are delivering the message of civic duty, honesty and friendship, it seems that Archie and the gang will carry on being a decent moral compass for kids in years to come.

Well done to the guys at Archie Comics. I look forward to introducing them to my kids if they continue in this vein.

Baby its not so cold outside...

OH got back from a work trip the other day and brought with him the box set of Glee, Season 2. We're totally hooked on it, OH obsessively so.

Anyway, after Season 1, we were left wondering what would happen to Kurt, the openly gay character, and it turns out he features a lot more in Season 2. Just as an insight, here he is with Blaine, the other new gay character, doing a wonderful duet.

And just so you know, Blaine, I so would.

The week that was

Highlights included:

- finishing one tower of a set of Lego

- drinking 7 steins at the local beerfest

- eating tom kha gai three days in a row

- white Alba truffles from Italy, bought by my assistant, and black truffles in cognac, bought in the local market in Geneva

- a trip over the boarder into France to stock up on wine and cheese, and rendering the car a stink wagon

- dinner with great friends with more truffles, and foie gras

- upcoming trip to London to see other friends and enjoy the fireworks

- writing up my Christmas list (explanation to follow soon)

The start of apathetic middle-aged spread...

As I'm sat at my desk, eating fried rice for lunch, suddenly I catch the irony of the image as I'm flipping through a Men's Health magazine. Ever since I hit 30, I've been resolute in getting back into shape. The only thing is that my willpower has yet to catch up with me.

After a 3 month gym binge earlier this year before attending my parents wedding, I was struck with the realisation that my metabolism is slowing down, and my 23 year old assistant sitting next to me does nothing to help my effort in portion control, as he wolfs down his body weight in pasta, sausages and anything that if I glanced at, would immediately pile itself onto my hips.

However, now, I have a new resolve to go: This morning while bending over to put on my shoes, I actually wheezed a little. This has been alarming, and the secret hypochondriac in me has suddenly popped up, with silent-film images of myself dying in fairly graphic detail in a myriad of ways related to gluttony while on my way into work on the tram: Death by foie gras. The anxiety must have shown on my face because my secretary kindly offered me some Xanax that she was taking for her pre-flight nerves.

Also, an added incentive to going to the gym from today onwards, is the thought of the upcoming trip to Jordan and the Dead Sea. I'm hoping that I won't be mistaken for a dugong with the paunch, and be harpooned.

10 Books

I've been putting this off for a while, especially since I promised hijac that I'd do it a few Fridays previously. So, here goes my list of 10 books that have some bearing on the person I am:

1. The Little Prince, Antoine de St. Exupery : The first book I remember receiving from my father, and remained a keepsake to remember him by for the next 13 years when I didn't see him as both him and my mother were on fraught terms. Now, its a reminder of how the most important things in life are sometimes invisible to the eye.

2. Larousse Gastronomique : Because I love food, and this has almost everything you need to know about food, preparation techniques, and recipies. Truly food porn at its best.

3. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami : Tales that involve the metaphysical and ethereal have always appealed to me, perhaps because so much is rooted in the real world, but yet has a plausible escape hatch to enter the realm of the unknown. Hauntingly told, it also explains a lot about the heritage I bear and the mentality of the Japanese people.

4. The Life and Times of Michael K, J.M. Coetzee : For making me realise how lucky I truly am to be born into the life that I have.

5. Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden : Not so much for the depiction of life as a geisha, more for the bitchy repartée between the rivals.

6. Every Woman Deserves An Adventure, Yvonne Roberts : Probably the first bit of chick lit I ever read, and to date reminds me that it can be well written, and funny. Also because I desperately wanted my mother to be liberally sexual like the heroine instead of fighting for the divorce that never happened.

7. Giovanni's Room, James Baldwin : If you've read my previous posts, you'll understand why. Although I'm the gay man who suffered the anguish instead.

8. Farewell My Concubine, Lillian Lee : Another part of my heritage, and the love/suffering dynamic played out beautifully.

9. Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson : For reminding me that at times we shouldn't be so cynical and to remember what life was before we hit puberty, and to enjoy the simple pleasures.

10. The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat, Oliver Sachs : This is the only book I vaguely even understand out of the years I spent doing my degree in.

So, that was my list of 10 books. I'm sure some will change over time, but nos 1-3 will be hard to shift.