Tag: entertainment

Telly Addict

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

In the age of the Internet, we all seem to have the assumption that we no longer rely on TV. We spend nights browsing the web, rather than sit in front of the ‘gogglebox’ all the time.

People do still watch TV, it just maybe isn’t as traditional as it once was. High speed internet and DVRs have changed how people view TV shows. You can set things to record, and watch it when you want. You can watch episodes through various catch-up services such as BBC iPlayer or 4OD. Then there’s Lovefilm and Netflix, where for a monthly fee you can access a seemingly endless amount of shows and movies to watch on games consoles, mobile phones and computers. We have more options than ever.

And the problem is, that because i can stream 3/4 episodes in one go, i watch more TV than ever. I don’t have to wait for schedules for everything. I am watching through Buffy, Gilmore Girls, Dexter and Weeds. And by having all the episodes ready, I can watch them all intwined. It’s great, and super addictive.

I still watch shows as they are scheduled, only really Bitchin’ Kitchen, Skins and Casualty. I know none of them are particularly interesting to most, but I got in the habit of watching them. Which is something I have always done, had one or two shows that I watched regularly. Then the Internet and on demand viewing happened and I watch loads of TV, although most of it is through my iPad or Xbox.

It’s like i can feel compulsed to watch a certain show. Particularly the Gilmore Girls. It’s too easy to watch one episode and think, ‘I’ll watch the next one’. And before I know it, I’ve spent the whole afternoon watching it. It’s easy to do, and not something that used to happen.

TV still rules, it has just adapted a little. What shows are you addicted to, and how do you watch them?

Triggered

~ Sue ~ 1 Comment

Recently, popular British entertainer, Stephen Fry mentioned during a podcast that he had tried to kill himself last year. The actor, writer and comedian suffers from bi-polar, and is president of mental health charity, Mind.

This is a brave thing for anyone to admit, and is proof that mental health issues aren’t restricted to any particular type of person. A big problem with mental illness is that it is not something that can be cured, or will simply go away. It is something that sufferers have to live with and adapt to. People who have never suffered from mental illness, will comment that a suicide attempt is ‘selfish’ or want to know the reasons behind it. All that this shows is a mis-understanding of mental health problems.

The admission of having problems, by Mr Fry, is something courageous and helpful to so many people. Sometimes, it is hard to picture yourself as a success, if you suffer from any mental illness, because it can be hard to predict how you are going to feel and act on any given day. So the idea that someone very successful in their chosen field whilst having a mental illness is very comforting.

What isn’t comforting is the negative commentary. People who have never suffered saying it is irresponsible to talk about suicide. But speaking about suicide is not a trigger to a lot of people. Speaking negatively and frowning upon it can be. As a person who has both self-harm and considered suicide, if I hear people telling that what I am feeling is wrong, I punish myself more. I don’t know why I feel what I feel, and I can’t explain it. So to have someone marking me down because they feel negatively towards me because I once tried to overdose (I passed out for a few hours). The feeling that I felt after waking up, will stay with me forever.

I think that anything that can bring mental health into a forum for discussion is great. I do think that people need to think about commenting negatively about such a topic, though. I know that if I read someone bad mouthing depression, it can trigger my own feelings. I believe the negative comments, that I have a lot in my life, why should I feel bad? In honesty what a person owns, has nothing to do with it. But I go through the tiring process of hating myself, because my depression and anxiety seems so falsified, because others have it so much worse than me. When I get in that frame of mind, I could cry, I could scratch myself raw or cut myself. Because it punishes me for being so privileged and having the stupidity to be depressed. I deserve to be punished for ‘choosing’ to be a burden.

In all honesty, if I had a way to choose the way I was, I assure you that I wouldn’t feel this. And that is what non-sufferers need to understand. It is not a choice, it is not based on anything in life, people suffer mental health issues, because it is an illness. There may be a chemical imbalance in their brain, or something scarred them as a kid, it could even be passed down from relatives. It could be anything, and can happen to anyone. As a person who sees negative commentary as triggers, I find those who demean Mr Fry’s admission as thoughtless cowards.

I know it is the internet, but it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t hold a certain level of respect for one another.

A Life In Print

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

For the majority of my life, I have been a nerd, the type of girl who would rather read a good book, than go out on the town. This hasn’t changed at all, in fact, if anything I am find myself reading books more and more. I find it relaxing, and I love the idea that just by reading some words on a page, I can be carried away to another world.

I wanted to crawl in between those black lines of print the way you crawl between a fence…— The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath

I guess, I get it suggested that movies and TV shows should also have the same effect on me, as they are also a form of escapism. A break away from the real world. But it doesn’t, unless it is very character driven and dialogue heavy, I can’t seem to get into TV or movies. I am guessing, that is because there is a lot of substance in most novels, so that the writer can paint the reader an accurate picture. Because story has to have depth, I find a lot of things on TV fall flat. I like when there is 3 or 4 stories interlinked and you follow them all, and it always takes more than one viewing to get EVERYTHING.

It’s just most things I try to watch, seem to try too hard, and end up being flat. That is all in my opinion, of course. But I think it helps that because I work during prime-time TV watching time, I have gotten out of the habit of watching the same shows, with the same story lines, just different words. And once you get out of that habit, you find yourself wondering how you could ever spend so much time in front of a TV.

Anyway, books are the opposite to TV, and reading one makes me happy and keeps me occupied. I love the idea of getting lost in a world, that noone else can see. It is like, the book creates a little world for only you. Like it’s my secret. I like holding a book in my hand, and knowing how perfect each printed page is. I’m sorry, I can’t see myself getting such an attachment to an ebook reader. A piece of plastic, which ultimately takes value out of literature, as much as the value was taken out of music. Yes, there is still value in music, but it has decreased massively. In fact, the only way a lot of bands make money these days, is through selling merchandise and touring. People think they are owed music and things for free.

I had someone tell me that they had downloaded the whole Shakespeare collection onto his Kindle. He downloaded it off Frostwire, for free, and didn’t care who he told. He said he really enjoyed the plays, and it was the best thing on his device. This upset me, because although he liked it, he didn’t value the work enough to even pay for it. That is the one thing I hate about the digital age. Everything is condensed into files which hold no value to anybody.

A book or an album, when you hold them, you feel great having the product. You feel like you can really appreciate it, because you own it. It is the self-satisfaction that you worked hard, and you are going to enjoy what you spend your money on. But that’s maybe just my brain that works like that.