No TV, lots more life!

Thanks to the recent cable digitisation deadline, my TV has gone dead. It's been 20 full days!

I decided on a whim not to switch to the digital version and forego my daily diet of stuff that the TV would normally spew out. An experiment, most of my friends & family feel won't last very long. :)

In the absence of the TV, I realise that I have loads of time on my hands once work is done with. My normal routine would mean at least 2 hrs at a stretch in front of the idiot box, with a few minutes spent in between completing chores (like gulping dinner, doing dishes etc.) Unimportant stuff... when there's a need to know what happened next in the whodunit, what wisecrack it was leading to that burst of laughter (canned though it may be).

It got me thinking, do I really need a television at home? With the advent of technology, information is available everywhere - radio, print, desktops/laptops, phones, tablets.... the list goes on.

It's early days yet, but the things I have restarted:

• Demolish the ever growing pile of books in the corner... I am still wondering how the stack grew so large.
• Read the 'bookmarked' articles and snippets, another ever growing pile that was always put off for later - 'when I have the time'
• Listen to music, going through my collection again. Something I had unfortunately stopped doing (except in office - helps me focus better, if that can be called an excuse :|) 
• Pay attention to the 'real' stuff on Facebook and Twitter. I realise that it's not always updates of 'I just brushed my teeth'/ 'I just had coffee'/ 'I feel great/sad/angry etc etc'. There's a lot of interesting things going on, if you know where to look. 

Hopefully, I shall add 'frequent writing' to the list, in time!

Do I miss anything on TV? Not really, almost everything is available via the internet either as post-telecast videos or live streaming. I pick and choose what I want to watch. Unlike earlier when the television would be droning on in the background or when I would be tempted to switch channels aimlessly, trying to find an 'interesting' programme or block out shrieking news anchors.

 I wonder if these anchors have been told it increases TRP ratings... all that yelling and emphasis on every word... I mean every word. Ummm... I'm digressing...

Next step - figure out a better bandwidth for my internet connection. Keeping my fingers crossed that I don't get addicted to the computer now. There's always some vice waiting to trap poor unsuspecting souls. Sigh!

('Animal Crackers' courtesy: www.gocomics.com)

I see trees of green... red roses too...

One of my all-time favourite songs, 'What a Wonderful World', has been airing on national TV recently. Normally, this would not be a cause for concern but fun... something to look forward to each time I turned the TV on (considering how often the advt plays).

Only, this version makes me cringe. Don't get me wrong, the singer is not bad at all, but one has to admit that Louis Armstrong's rich, powerful voice belting out 'What a Wonderful World' is as timeless as it comes. The more recent rendition on TV is a damp squib, almost wimpish in comparision. As I hear it being played over and over again, I have begun to subconsciously hit the mute button on the remote.

Why, oh why, couldn't they just use the original? The copyright might have cost a pretty packet, I assume (don't know for sure) but the telecom company (which is advertising) would probably find it petty change considering the advertising blitz they've been subjecting us viewers to since they launched a few years ago.

Anyway...leaving you with the classic version of the song. Happy listening!

"Friends"...

Normally, I am not the overly sentimental type nor do I gush about the good things in life, even if I like them a lot (except bookstores, maybe). And for those who know me, it might seem a little out of character for me to post this piece. But, I shall risk it...

I wonder what it is about the TV series "Friends" which makes it so evergreen? I have been watching it for many, many years (more years than I care to admit) now... rerun after rerun after rerun, but I just don't seem to tire of it.


And I cannot think of any other TV series that I can watch endlessly without getting at least a little bored of it, not even "Malgudi Days" (based on RK Narayan's novel by the same name).

The six friends whose lives revolved around a coffee shop and their New York apartments - Phoebe (eccentric, masseuse, ex-street thug), Rachel (fashionista), Monica (chef with an OCD for cleanliness), Chandler (witty, no one is really sure what his job is), Ross (paleontologist) and Joey (womaniser, out-of-work actor) - have kept me entertained many an evening. Bored or need a break from ploughing through studies/ work or just to pass time, watch "Friends"!

Sometimes even when more than one channel on TV aired the show with episodes which were many years apart (as per storyline), I have happily watched them. If one channel had Monica and Chandler married and living in the same apartment, two hours later on another there would be Monica in a relationship with a man old enough to be her father. But was I disoriented, fazed?...no way...not me! I lapped it all up even if I was watching it for the 'n'th time, even if it was to watch Phoebe sing "smelly cat" again or Joey ham through another audition or Rachel & Ross in their on-off relationship...

Well... yes... I am a die hard fan. Enough said. :)

(pic courtesy: www.amazon.com)