“If I had my way, I would remove January from the calendar altogether and have an extra July instead.”
Some amusing words by one of the world’s most famous children’s writers Roald Dahl (1916 – 1990). Less sunshine does means more time for reading though!
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.
The world’s most famous ever physicist Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955), who discovered relativity and won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921. I hope you all have had a great start to 2026.
Claire Dunphy: What are you wearing?
Haley Dunphy: What? What’s wrong with it?
Claire Dunphy: Honey, you are fighting for your future… in front of a disciplinary committee, not entertaining the Secret Service
Haley Dunphy: In “Legally Blonde”, Elle won her case because she was true to herself and dressed cute.
Phil Dunphy: Haley, this is real life, not an excellent movie.
Julie Bowen, Sarah Hyland and Ty Burrell in the hugely popular sitcom Modern Family (2009 – 2020). The dynamic between Claire, Phil and their rebellious party-loving daughter was one of many fantstically written and acted out relationships from the 22-time Emmy winner.
Gonzo: My name is Charles Dickens.
Rizzo the Rat: And my name is Rizzo the Rat… wait a second! You’re not Charles Dickens!
Gonzo: I am too!
Rizzo the Rat: No! A blue furry Charles Dickens who hangs out with a rat?
Gonzo: Absolutely!
Rizzo the Rat: Charles Dickens was a 19th Century novelist! A genius!
Gonzo: Oh, you are too kind!
Rizzo the Rat: Why should I believe you?
Gonzo: Well, because I know the story of A Christmas Carol like the back of my hand!
Rizzo the Rat: Prove it!
Gonzo: All right! Um, there’s a little mole on my thumb, and um, a scar on my wrist from when I fell off my bike…
Rizzo the Rat: No, no, no, don’t tell us your *hand*, tell us the *story*!
Who doesn’t love The Muppets’ Christmas Carol? The 1992 film starring Michael Caine as Scrooge may well be the most loved adaptation of Charles Dickens’ 1843 classic.
Kim: Hold me.
Edward: I can’t.
Winona Ryder and Johnny Depp in the fantasy romance Edward Scissorhands (1990). Famously directed by Tim Burton, it tells of an artificial man’s struggles to embrace the humanities in life.
I wonder how many people don’t get the one they want, but end up with the one they’re supposed to be with.
From the much loved book Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe (1987) by Fannie Flagg. It’s dual narrative covers the past and the present, covering themes such as friendship, lesbianism, ageing and the deplorable racism at the time.
Hal: Honey, the whole cooking thing was my idea. I’ll handle this. Reese, we pulled you out of class because we know you cheated. Now, you would have won easily. Why did you do it?
Reese: I don’t know. It was fun.
Lois: Those people worked very hard on their dishes, and you destroyed them. How would you feel if you were that poor woman whose quiche you salted?
Reese: Fat?
Hal: Reese… do you know what empathy is?
Reese: No.
Hal: Empathy is putting yourself into other people’s shoes so you can feel the way they do. If you hurt someone, empathy makes you hurt as well.
Reese: Then, why would you want empathy?
Bryan Cranston, Justin Berfield and Jane Kaczmarek in the hugely popular single camera comedy Malcolm in the Middle (2000 – 2008). Running for 7 seasons, it tells of a genius middle child and the dynamic between his four brothers and his long-suffering parents.
Becky : Hey, anybody hungry? I made some stuff. Uh… mango spring rolls.
Doug: Mmm-hmm.
Becky: And cider-basted spare ribs. There you go.
Carrie: Wow, Becky, you made all this for the movie?
Becky: Oh, it was no trouble.
Carrie: You put me to shame. All I have is a cloret and some old
birth-control pills.
Becky: Oh, don’t worry. I go to the culinary institute, so this is a project for one of my classes.
Doug: Well, feel free to tell the teacher the “Doug” ate your homework.
Christen Sussin, Kevin James and Leah Remani in The King of Queens (1998 – 2007) sitcom about a delivery driver with a big love of food, watching sports and his wife Carrie.
Bradford: You got something to say, Chen?
Chen: Uh, yeah, I do. I… Why are you being so nice to her? My first few days on the job, you kicked me out of the car, tormented me. A month later, you — you — you stole my duty belt while I had to go pee. You called me “Boot” so many times, I get triggered when I go shoe shopping.
Bradford: Look, Officer Barnes has other issues.
Chen: Like what? Like, she’s fit and beautiful and smart —
Bradford: She won’t wear perfume.
Chen: W-What does that have to do with anything? What?
Bradford: Look, I teach my recruits according to what they need. Officer Barnes won’t wear perfume because she’s still worried it will give away her position. A part of her is still waging a war in Afghanistan, and if she’s gonna be a cop, that has to go. You are a kind and insightful person. You see the good in people. So much so that I had to show you the world can be a scary place. Officer Barnes only sees a scary place, and she needs to know that not everyone’s out to hurt her.
Chen: Is she gonna be okay?
Bradford: I think so. And who knows — one day… she might even be as good as you.
Eric Winter and Melissa O’Neill in the popular cop show The Rookie (2018 – ). The show tells of a man in his mid-forties who decides to be a cop after witnessing first hand a dramatic bank heist foiled by law enforcement. Across the six seasons, we see how he and the other (younger) rookies learn to change their insincts to better serve the community and deal with conflict.
Master Yu: May I help you?
Detective James Carter: We’ll be asking the questions old man. Who are you?
Master Yu: Yu.
Detective James Carter: No, not me. You.
Master Yu: Yes, I’m Yu.
Detective James Carter: Just answer the damn question! Who are you?
Master Yu: I have told you!
Detective James Carter: Are you deaf?
Master Yu: No. Yu is blind.
Detective James Carter: I’m not blind. You blind.
Master Yu: That is what I just said.
Detective James Carter: You just said what?
Master Yu: I did not say what, I said Yu.
Detective James Carter: That’s what I’m asking you.
Master Yu: And Yu was answering.
Detective James Carter: Shut up!
Detective James Carter: You!
Master Yu: Yes?
Detective James Carter: Not you. Him! What’s your name?
Mi: Mi.
Detective James Carter: Yes, you.
Mi: I’m Mi.
Master Yu: He’s Mi and I’m Yu.
Detective James Carter: And I’m about to whoop your old ass man because I am sick of playing games! You, me? Everybody’s ass around here!
Chrus Tucker, Henry O and Oanh Nguyen in Rush Hour 3 (2007). While it’s my least favourite of the trilogy, this update of the Who’s on First skit by Abbott and Costello really was a funny scene eight years after the original.
Alex Raphael 