being a couch potato...
for that is what i am :)
and what exactly do i do on the couch? when i am not researching the asic industry or designing the logo for socialvillage.org, i spend time with the idiot. the idiot box, that is.
and irrelevantly i realize ... it's been ages since i saw Bush.
it's true. there is none of the obsession with chimps here (perdoname, republican friends), there is only a passing interest in iraq. chirac and susilo bambang yudhoyono appear more that the ubiquitous bush, and michael jackson got one sound bite lasting 3 minutes on the news. so what do you get here?
the world is rightfully more than the US, Afghanistan, israel, the waronterror (was that one word? i seem to remember it like that!) and the axis of evil. the left-wing BBC actually mentions mongolia, bolivia, wangaari maathai and yes, even TIBET! they give equal time to matters of economy, environment, politics and sports. the best part of it is that it is 24 hours of intelligent TV. as is CNN international with 'inside africa' 'world report' and other such stellar programming. and then there is prannoy roy's NDTV 24x7 for everything indian and foreign. remember growing up with "the world this week?" this is more of the same , all day. excellent pieces of reporting.
so yes, the news channels are a boon for information junkies like me.
on the flip(pant) side, india is obsessed with emaciated, emancipated (from the restriction of clothes) 34-24-34 salon produced women. the same arch of eyebrows, the same band of eyeliner skirting vacant eyes. oh and if those vacant eyes are green or blue, 'snap!' you're lapped up by the latest TV serial producer and branded as the next pretentious Rai. straps and scarves are all the rage... and where are they worn? not on the shoulder or head. let your imagination take over now. what used to be once the realm of ramps and those that frequent them, now has spread to H Siddiah road, no less.
and no lower age limits exist for these women. some look barely out of grade school. and they are everywhere. DJs, VJs, anchors, comperes, actresses, models, school girls, and the average akka on the road. where once half-saris were the bangalore choice of dress, now half-tshirts and quarter-skirts have taken over. the biggest and brightest pictures in the supplements of the Times belong to similar pseudo-glitzy wannabe-glamorous types.
and so you see that on TV too -- there is a whole channel dedicated to inanity.
ZOOM, it is called. who is doing what, who said what, who was seen with whom, what is Ms. Zinta wearing, why Ms. Rai was replaced by Ms.Rani. of course, you've seen the song videos... kaal-type, bheegey honth-type. where virtually nothing is left to imagination anymore, much to the delight of youngsters. and old farts as well, who are reveling in this sudden shed of victorian prudishness for american style skin culture.
ok, enough b&**^%ing.
the sports stuff is AWESOME. imagine a sportscenter with all the sports you care about. tennis, especially! and hours of live french open and wimbledon, not spoiled by tape-delayed NBC coverage. and for manish, sanat, vishal, viren: live cricket is free and all day long here!
rather unlike me, i admit, but i am addicted to some serials on indian TV. they are run of the mill revenge-filled wronged women exacting their dues, mystery-shrouded indentities and the afore-mentioned scheming in-laws. but enough to keep your passing interest in half hour slots each day and ending with some intrigue that has you mildly hooked on for more. if you are a movie addict, there are channels devoted to that too... only the choice is not anything to write home about, except on the weekend, when all good ones sit on top of each other in multiple channels and you end up watching nothing.
all in all, being a couch potato is not difficult with about 90 channels in various tongues to choose from. you are well taken care of, should you choose the company of an idiot albeit intelligent in parts ;)
and what exactly do i do on the couch? when i am not researching the asic industry or designing the logo for socialvillage.org, i spend time with the idiot. the idiot box, that is.
and irrelevantly i realize ... it's been ages since i saw Bush.
it's true. there is none of the obsession with chimps here (perdoname, republican friends), there is only a passing interest in iraq. chirac and susilo bambang yudhoyono appear more that the ubiquitous bush, and michael jackson got one sound bite lasting 3 minutes on the news. so what do you get here?
the world is rightfully more than the US, Afghanistan, israel, the waronterror (was that one word? i seem to remember it like that!) and the axis of evil. the left-wing BBC actually mentions mongolia, bolivia, wangaari maathai and yes, even TIBET! they give equal time to matters of economy, environment, politics and sports. the best part of it is that it is 24 hours of intelligent TV. as is CNN international with 'inside africa' 'world report' and other such stellar programming. and then there is prannoy roy's NDTV 24x7 for everything indian and foreign. remember growing up with "the world this week?" this is more of the same , all day. excellent pieces of reporting.
so yes, the news channels are a boon for information junkies like me.
on the flip(pant) side, india is obsessed with emaciated, emancipated (from the restriction of clothes) 34-24-34 salon produced women. the same arch of eyebrows, the same band of eyeliner skirting vacant eyes. oh and if those vacant eyes are green or blue, 'snap!' you're lapped up by the latest TV serial producer and branded as the next pretentious Rai. straps and scarves are all the rage... and where are they worn? not on the shoulder or head. let your imagination take over now. what used to be once the realm of ramps and those that frequent them, now has spread to H Siddiah road, no less.
and no lower age limits exist for these women. some look barely out of grade school. and they are everywhere. DJs, VJs, anchors, comperes, actresses, models, school girls, and the average akka on the road. where once half-saris were the bangalore choice of dress, now half-tshirts and quarter-skirts have taken over. the biggest and brightest pictures in the supplements of the Times belong to similar pseudo-glitzy wannabe-glamorous types.
and so you see that on TV too -- there is a whole channel dedicated to inanity.
ZOOM, it is called. who is doing what, who said what, who was seen with whom, what is Ms. Zinta wearing, why Ms. Rai was replaced by Ms.Rani. of course, you've seen the song videos... kaal-type, bheegey honth-type. where virtually nothing is left to imagination anymore, much to the delight of youngsters. and old farts as well, who are reveling in this sudden shed of victorian prudishness for american style skin culture.
ok, enough b&**^%ing.
the sports stuff is AWESOME. imagine a sportscenter with all the sports you care about. tennis, especially! and hours of live french open and wimbledon, not spoiled by tape-delayed NBC coverage. and for manish, sanat, vishal, viren: live cricket is free and all day long here!
rather unlike me, i admit, but i am addicted to some serials on indian TV. they are run of the mill revenge-filled wronged women exacting their dues, mystery-shrouded indentities and the afore-mentioned scheming in-laws. but enough to keep your passing interest in half hour slots each day and ending with some intrigue that has you mildly hooked on for more. if you are a movie addict, there are channels devoted to that too... only the choice is not anything to write home about, except on the weekend, when all good ones sit on top of each other in multiple channels and you end up watching nothing.
all in all, being a couch potato is not difficult with about 90 channels in various tongues to choose from. you are well taken care of, should you choose the company of an idiot albeit intelligent in parts ;)
posted by ara at 8:08 AM
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