ThE CoUcH PoTaTo LiFe

What’s your favourite thing to do when you have a whole day free, with nothing to do and no need to go out?

Well, mine’s sitting in front of the telly and vegging out. I’ve been this way since…I was maybe, three? I remember coming home from kindergarten, dragging my personal table and chair (my grandmother bought for me when I was a baby) in front of the television, and spending an enjoyable hour or so having lunch with the characters on telly as my companions. My viewing material? A tom & Jerry cartoon video. I found watching and re-watching jerry outsmarts tom absolutely hilarious.

When I was in primary school, I switched my attention to drama serials from Taiwan especially the gong-fu fighting ones. The serial stand out most clearly in my memory is Return of the condor heroes, the period drama starring a very much younger Christopher lee as Yang Guo. Two episodes of the serial would air every weekday’s night, but my brother and I were only allowed to watch the first half because we had to wake up early for school the next day. My parents would record the second half (not every time though) of the show for us to enjoy the next day after school. Then, of course there were the cartoons. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mask, X-men, Transformers, Flintstones and lots more – these were part of our daily enjoyment.

My secondary school days were filled with American dramas like Beverly Hills 90210 and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Friends and ER, before I progressed to Asian dramas, and, of course , my present favourite – Japanese dramas especially their love stories.

Why do I like watching telly? My mother thinks it’s an absolute waste of time, but to me, it’s pure enjoyment. There’s nothing like sitting down for a couple of hours and immersing yourself in the lives of some fictional characters, imagining what you would do if you were in their shoes. Though many of the stories are so close that I can usually predict what’s gonna happen next, I still find much joy in indulging myself in their melodrama. It takes me out of the stuff that’s happening in my life and gives me a chance to relax.

But as much as I love my television, there are limited numbers of hours I can spend on it, both when I was in school and right now, because of work. I’m sure you’re in the same boat. Well, all I can say is, even as your exams are around the corner, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. When the school holidays come around, you’ll be free to indulge yourself in the couch-potato life I yearn to live, while I slogs at Alexandria Hospital to get at least an A grade for my industrial attachment. Bless it be.