Of Addictive TV Shows, Late Night Walks and Subconsciousness...

Ever been glued to a TV Show so much that you would want to see all forthcoming episodes, and be done with it? Thanks to the invention of internet, and the AVI format of videos, one can now relax and watch TV Shows at his/her own convenience, and pace. Some would still want to see one episode a day, while others (like me :P) want to finish it all. This second category is the category of addicts, and I am proud to announce that I am one, and a proud one :)

One kind of addiction is when you like the show so much that you want to see it continuously. Like, in my grad days, I was so much into FRIENDS, that I used to have re-runs of my favorite episodes, while trying to learn the art of "eating the food without actually looking at it". That was because FRIENDS was fun, and a clear pastime in the days of utter boredom.

There is this second type of addiction that I'm concerned about. This is when you want to see episode after episode, because its a murder/mystery series (Kyle XY), or a reality show (The Apprentice). It was yesterday when i realized how big an addict I am, when i couldn't stop watching Kyle XY, because I wanted to know whats the mystery, the clue, the story. Prior to this, I had known my addiction only to the limit of watching all 3 LOTR movies back-to-back, but now I have realized a whole new me, ready to play around the element of time, in order to finish the unfinished :)

They say, human being prefer patterns and procedures, and left to himself/herself, a human would always prefer doing things in cycles/loops/time-slots. My belief in this was reaffirmed recently when i started enjoying going for night walks with a dear friend, and soon I was an addict, and even at days when i had work, I started feeling something missing on days when I hadn't gone for a walk. As simple as a walk, but addicts we all become, of things that we like :)

I know you must be wondering what has subconsciousness got to do with all this. Well, it does. How? All these decisions that we take, of watching another episode of the TV show, or for going on a late night stroll everyday, become a part of our subconscious, and soon its our subconscious thats deciding things for us, there is no place for conscious decision-making. In cases when the radicality of the conscious mind starts taking lead, the subconscious puts in a strong defense, and hints on how we like the patterns, the happiness of the whole cycle, and the feeling of having done it. And mostly, it wins. :)

The soothing drops of music

Once, around three years back, I had a terrible headache, and no attempt of mine to fix it was working. I put on some music, and whooosh! It was gone. I was shocked, in a happy way. Had i just discovered a cure to headache? Did I "by chance" stumble on to a complete new remedy of the most frequent of those irritating aches? I wondered, and I discussed the same with a friend. But, he could do nothing but laugh at my excitement. According to him, he could get over a headache only by having sleep, nothing else worked for him. Because I wanted to prove my point, I made some friends try listening to music when they had headache, but it didn't just work for them.

I was set to think if I was different than them, if I had some special love for music. I knew that I loved music, but this sudden new revelation was surprising. After some time, I realized that everyone has their own ways of feeling better (when stressed). Some would have a small nap, some would talk to their loved ones, while some others would prefer pain killers. My pain killer was music. And i was happy to know it :)

The years went by, and I forgot about my special association with music. It was only recently, that I was reminded of it, and I decided I needed a music player on the go. Since I always wanted an iPod, I ordered one, and I have been in bliss ever since. I also wanted to learn some instrument, and one of my new year resolutions was to learn one. I am happy that for the first time, I am actually living up to my resolutions. I joined guitar classes, and I am just lovin' it.

When i am practicing on my guitar, or when I am listening to those soothing drops of music (e.g. U2- With or Without you), my mind is so relaxed, I just feel like being in that state forever. I have a new friend now, a friend I would like to cherish forever, Music! :)