Ever since I was 14, Valentine’s Day has always been interesting for me, and not necessarily in just good ways. I grew up in Madras, a city not particularly known for its sense of romance. As school kids, Valentine’s day was spoken in hushed whispers and was an urban legend that only some chosen seniors had a clue about. The whole idea of expressing your love for someone to that very someone was a fantasy that had no existence outside of Tamil movies (and the occasional Hindi movie at Melody theater).
I have always been fascinated by series that tackle a theme each week and strive (or so it seems)to send across a message. I particularly like the shows that are based around quotes. There are many such popular series that have used this concept to their advantage. The show wants you to think about every great quote there ever was and weave a story around it. Many characters from the show tend to portray the voice-overs or a specific person does the voice over, the voice of reason. Voice-over is often like narration but it provides a touch of insight into people’s lives and often addresses the moral dilemma a character is involved in. Ok, I stole that line from Wikipedia !! It does sound good though.
One Tree Hill was one of the first shows I watched which has theme based episodes. The title of each episode is coined after songs, bands or albums. Some of my favorite titles are
1. The Games That Play Us2. You Gotta Go There to Come Back3. The Desperate Kingdom of Love4. The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows5. Like You Like an Arsonist6. I’ve Got Dreams to Remember7. I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness8. Songs to Love and Die By9. All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone10. For Tonight You’re Only Here to Know11. Hate Is Safer Than Love12. One Million Billionth of a Millisecond on a Sunday Morning13. Almost Everything I Wish I’d Said the Last Time I Saw YouI like many other titles but these, I like the most. Some of my favorite voice-overs in no particular order are(that sounded like I was giving away the Oscars *grin*), 1. But, our biggest regrets are not for the things we did — but, for the things we didn’t do. Things we didn’t say that could’ve saved someone that we care about. Especially when we can see the dark storm that’s headed their way.”2. There comes a time when every life goes off course. In this desperate moment who will you be? Will you let down your defenses, and find solace in someone unexpected? Will you reach out? Will you face your greatest fear bravely? And move forward with faith. Or will you succumb to the darkness in your soul?3. George Eliot once wrote: ‘There is no despair so absolute as that which comes with the first moments of our first great sorrow, when we have not yet known what it is to have suffered and healed, to have despaired and have recovered hope.4. Most of our life is a series of images. They pass us by like towns on the highway. But sometimes a moment stuns us as it happens. And we know that this instant is more than a fleeting image. We know that this moment, every part of it, will live on forever.’5. 6. Douglas Adams once wrote: ‘He felt that his whole life was some kind of dream, and he sometimes wondered whose it was, and whether they were enjoying it. (I have wondered too.)7. T.H. White said; 8. John Steinbeck once wrote; ‘It seems to me that if you or I must choose between two courses of thought or action, we should remember our dying and try so to live that our death brings no pleasure on the world.9. – William Shakespeare, “Julius Ceaser”
This was from the pilot episode of the series and set the right tone for this popular show.
10. Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark in the hopeless swaps of the not-quite, the not-yet, and the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish in lonely frustration for the life you deserved and have never been able to reach. The world you desire can be won. It exists.. it is real.. it is possible.. it’s yours.
– Ayn Rand, “Atlas ShruggedThis one is my favorite.There are also some great songs that played out during this series. I will write about them another day.
I had originally planned on putting all the quotes in a single post but realized I won’t do them justice. So, Next up is Criminal Minds…
contd..
pS: Images are not mine unless copyrighted.
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Oxymoron, indeed. I have yet to update my blog with posts that have been hanging out in the draft section for over a year now. I have some great ideas(that’s what I think) but they don’t seem to materialize on paper or in this case on the RT editor. I think I should go back to writing in journals/diaries. Suits me better like many people who grew up in the 90′s( I am so not revealing my age). I stopped writing just a minute ago and was off to my dreamland wandering and wondering among other things if I should go make some more coffee/tea. Sometimes, I just assume that drinking more coffee will jolt me back to reality and I will actually end up doing something constructive. Bah !! Humbug! You say ? Continue reading
Going from Mumbai to Pune was something I did very often. My family stayed there. I had to get up real early to get there.I got ready, packed my bags and went to the bus stop. I waited for the bus to come at its normal time of 5:40 am. Imagine the unearthly hour I needed to get up at. I did it anyway because in the end, I could visit my family and get my beauty sleep for 2 straight days and then… Ugh ! I didn’t want to think about “then”. The week would start again and so would work. Sometimes, I hated it and sometimes I loved it. This was one of those times I was not looking forward to the work week.
I was waiting at the bus stop alone and it was still dark out. Dark because it was winter and the sun did not rise till late. Did I mention I was cold too ? It was way too early, wasn’t it? I was cranky alright. Man! I needed a caffeine kick. I waited 12-15 minutes before I started panicking about missing my train. It was a long way to the station. I started to look out for autos. Once I saw one, I waved to catch his attention but he ignored me. After that, I just stood there for a while. Continue reading
Is it Black Friday already ? Lately, I get Black Friday stampede dreams and the one being crushed is me. So it got me thinking. Is the sale really worth all the trouble we go through for it ? But then again, I am one of the naysayers.
For the inexperienced, it is the biggest shopping season of the entire year. Many people camp out the entire night to get the doorbuster(read “bone buster”) sales that starts at 4am when the stores open on the Friday after Thanksgiving. During this time, the prices of a number of products are slashed for the public. But the effort it takes and the large crowds that gather for this sale does not seem like it is really necessary to do this. And here’s why.
1. The prices of products are reduced drastically to attract customers into the store. But these products are in limited number. If you do not get to them first, they are gone.
2. The second question you need to ask yourself is whether you really need what is on offer. Most products that have lowered rates are electronic goods. We don’t really need these goods, do we. Most of us give in to the craziness of the season and see other people do the big Friday shopping and follow suit. Stop and think.
3. Doing the Black Friday roundup requires a few weeks of effort to check and cross check prices and items on sale. Why not be lazy and forget all about it ?
3. According to experts(on various websites), the sale prices of most goods(not in the doorbuster category) are still the same the rest of the Christmas season. If you feel the necessity to buy them, you could buy them later in the season too. The trick that stores follow is to make you believe that everything is dirt cheap and make you spend on non-essentials. Also, this season, many stores are opening sooner in the hopes of getting the most customers.
4. If you are really big on the shopping thing, then you always have the option of going for Cyber Monday. Some stores like CVS and Amazon are also offering online deals on black Friday. It helps make a more informed decision.
5. The cold season could get the better of you and make you sick. Ah, that didn’t stop anyone before, has it ?
If you are still thinking of going ahead with the Black Friday sale, make a list of things you want and go after that. Try not to deviate from your list and carry water and energy drinks. This reminds me of the target black Friday advert.
