Another half the year has swept by just like that. What have I achieved, as usual? Nothing much. This year has been better than last year though, with new friends, more fun and new-found confidence in things. I managed to achieve things which I would otherwise never have imagined.

Somehow I get reminded of my childhood favourite program "Sesame Street". Who can forget those cute puppets.... muppets? Bert's obsessive-compulsive personality with the easy-going nature of Ernie. Big Bird's endearing traits. Snuffle's (I can never remember his full name!) never wavering friendship to Big Bird. And the oh-so-cute Elmo! Oscar the Grouch. Cookie Monster with his never-ending supply of cookies! And the cutest frog in the world - Kermit. Not to mention Grover and the Count too!

Sesame Street is a classic. I grow up on the show, I learnt my alphabets, I learnt to count, I learnt to read, I learnt to sing, I learnt about being nice and good. I learnt about getting along with neighbours. I learnt about friendship.

Sesame Street to me is more than just a show. It is a big part of my childhood, of my growing up years. For someone who was totally sheltered and not allowed to go out in my younger years, who hated school and homework, Sesame Street is one thing I look forward to everyday and which made my strict upbringing more bearable.

I love you, muppets!

Another great performance, with songs by Andrew Lloyd Webber, especially with the song "Memories" - beautiful, haunting, touching. What a pity the run is ending soon, I will sure like to go for another performance!

The whole performance is good, with nice music and even nicer choreography! No wonder it is one of the longest running musicals of both West End and Broadway!

September 11. Seven years already to the greatest event in the 21st century. Hopefully those traumatised by the incident would have been able to live their lives normally, even though I am sure their lives would never get back to normal.

Since then there have been major changes in the world, in terms of politics, economy, laws and regulations. All of a sudden, insurances and law agreements have to include force majeure clauses of terrorism acts.

Check-in and check-out counters have more stringent measures in people coming and and out. Airline crew have been warned to be on their guards against suspicious people and terrorists. Even our local transport system had been showing advertisements on what to do in the event of terrorism!

Because of one person, or one group of people, or one faith (okay, I cannot condemn the whole religion because of one or two black sheep), billions of people the world over have to suffer the inconvenience caused by one person, when in the past things could be easier!

How long will this last? Perhaps forever. Perhaps only when there are no more terrorists can things get back to normal. But will there be a case when no more terrorists will be around? Every few decades, someone came out. Wars were always abundant, except this time a major world war was prevented.

Hopefully there will be no need for any real war, otherwise another depression and holocaust will come. And with the modern society lately, there will be more social turmoil as many people nowadays are born into a priviledged life with no chance of any hardship or real suffering.

In my younger years, I just took life one day at a time, expecting things to go my way and refusing to believe when things went wrong. Each time when there was a problem, I would avoid talking about it or solving it. Then I learnt a big lesson. Even though whatever transpired were not handled properly by both parties, I learnt that when things are really not going well, the responsible thing to do is to nip it in the bud, before they became worse.

How I learnt this lesson was through avoidance. We avoided talking about it, avoided solving it, in the end the whole thing blew up and it came to a stage where things could never be salvaged anymore. I guess on my part, I still thought things would work out by itself one way or other, but I guess when the problems culminated, one day it would just burst.

And I cried bitterly many days on end after that. What was the use of crying over spilt milk when I could have been more receptive and observant, instead of being in my own ivory tower? So from then on, I know that if problems are going to occur, I have to nip it in the bud. I have to talk things through and ensure the parties involved are able to come up with an amicable solution. This involves all areas and aspects of life, be it work, family, love, friends.

This is what being responsible is all about. Facing the problems head on instead of avoiding them altogether. Because only by facing the problems can solutions be met, or else the problems will only get bigger, not smaller.

I cannot believe it will soon be another decade! Has it been another ten years? Imagine how "colourful" my life has been since then. At times, I crave for the simpler life where everything seemed more smooth sailing.

Ten years back, I was still in school, full of ideals and hopes for the future. There were four of us - me and Matt, Lynn and Isk. We would hang out together, watching movies, visiting each other's homes and watching discs, going shopping, having meals. Those were really fun times!

We were just living life one day at a time to the fullest, never really talking about the future. We dreamt of overseas education, of working for big organisations, of getting married and having a good family. Ah... the carefree life of a student, times gone and missed....

Adulthood changes everything. Growing up puts one's perspectives in a different light. As age catches on, it comes to a stage where one has to be serious and think through exactly where one's life is going.

In the process of growing up, there are times we had to forget all the ideals of youth and face reality. What do we want out of life? In terms of career, love and major?

I guess I was the last one to grow up. I never wanted to face reality, even though signs were appearing everywhere. But it is not a matter of how long we have been together, but whether we can live the rest of our lives together with each other. And it was better to cut off when we did rather than holding on.

Since then, I knew what I wanted. I wanted a good job, major in something I am passionate about, and converted to a religion I have been believing in for quite some time.

So when I met up with him and his wife last year, I am really happy for them, for him that he has found his true happiness. For myself that my life has more or less stabilised, that I can look forward to better things.

And that is what growing up is all about. Growing up is not when things are all good and rosy, but when things are not going well and you learn from the process. You learn through experiences gained. And your life is all the richer because of that.