Pointless Madness

“Did you ever think about life as a metaphor for television?” Chuck Palahniuk.
I think it holds true in modern times since watching television has become the only source of entertainment for most of the families across the globe.

A couple of months ago, I visited one of my newly wedded friends in Mumbai. I was astonished to find how important the television was for their existence. Their typical routine included, having breakfast together with the television, husband leaving for work around 11 am, wife watching the television throughout the day, husband returning home by 10 pm, having dinner together with the television and then watching the television till 2 am. Even my presence could not alter their routine. Clearly, the television was an integral member of their household. In fact, I felt that they married each other because they needed company to watch television. Now, every time I talk to them, I don’t begin my conversation with 'how they are doing' instead, I inquire 'how their television is doing.'

I have been fettered to a bed for a little over a week. No! I am not pregnant, virtually or otherwise!! A few days ago, I managed to escape a fatal accident with a couple of hairline fractures. As a result, I have been grounded until I recover completely. Since I am perennially lying down and my parents have also been complaining about my incessant reading, even in the ICU, I am trying to figure an alternate to entertain myself.

Drawing an inspiration from my friends, I tried dating my television for a couple of days. Thanks to Singapore Grand Prix that helped me get through Sunday. It was Monday, however, that caused me pain. I began my day watching 'Gattaca'.  

Now, if you have dated your television, even briefly, you would know that the movies that they broadcast on television are old but not old enough to be branded as 'classic'. So if you are a movie buff like me, you will soon realise that you have already seen most of the movies. Hence if the movie currently being aired was exceptionally good, you may take the pain to watch it again, else you may find yourself fumbling through the labyrinth yet again.

Then, I looked up to different news channels for the next couple of hours but one can do that for so long. Earlier, when I used to come home from work, I used to dedicate one hour to the news and that never seemed like a waste. However, I had to abandon this option as soon as I realised that they repeat the same news every hour.

Then, I called sitcoms and talk shows for my rescue. First of all, deciding on which show to watch wasn’t easy as it occurred to me that the timings for the shows being aired and the shows I watch don’t match. Perhaps this is so because I have been watching most of my favourite shows online and that way, I never needed to bother about the timing at all. I could pick up any show at whatever time it pleased. Eventually, I decided on a show but soon after it dawned upon me that the frequency and the duration of commercials was far more than the duration of the show itself. It turned my experience sour.
 
Presently I have turned to the tried and tested pastime. Reading books and solving crossword puzzles that is. While I continue to meander through the pointless madness, you have a good time out there.
Cheerio!