TV that changed my life. No, really. (Part 1 of 2)

Sitting in Starbucks sipping a cup of tea and maximising the use of the buffer-defying wi-fi (even my torrents are d/ling on wifi here), I got to thinking about the people in my life and I thought, they deserve an encompassing post on how much love and care I have for them, through the thick and the thin.

That was until one of my torrent TV shows finished downloading. 

So then I thought I'd leave that riveting post for some other time, watch the show that just downloaded and write a fluffier piece instead.

This is a piece about the six TV shows that have inspired and influenced the various facets of my life thus far. Yes, you read that correctly; I am one of 'those' people that think what goes on in the silver screen can be mirrored in real life. And I say those who doubt me - why not? It is no different to the fables and stories we read growing up, the same ones that taught us vice from virtue (albeit socially constructed, but that's another story) and showed us that anything is possible. All stories are derived from some form of truth or reality, and we can always learn something from them.

1. Lost (2004)

Anyone who truly knows me, should not be surprised that this ranked first, in fact, I am at a lost for words (yes, pun intended, har-har) at how much more I can actually rave about this piece of brilliant production and the terrific script that accompanied it. 

LOST is a story of a group of survivors of a plane crash and the mysterious island that seems to bend the law of physics and time in which they are all trapped on but also, as it is revealed in the end, salvaged by as well.The devices used to weave the intertwined stories of the survivors throughout time and space are accompanied by emotive and subtle displays of long-standing debates within philosophy, psychology and religion. Not for the light-hearted, LOST makes one question the choices one has made, and reflect upon the human connections that we have made, however insignificant and the impact they have on our lives. 

When: 2004-2010, the period when I was actually using my brains.
Why: Read above. And its a plane crash. On TV. In Hawaii. Come on.
What I learnt: That choices are what me make of it, and that the people around us are what matters most.
Who: Evangeline Lilly as Kate. And yes, the chubby one - Jorge Garcia (now on Alcatraz, which features the same producers as Lost)

Watch the video below that explains LOST in 8 minutes before the final season.

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2. Just Shoot Me (1997)

When I was growing up in Malaysia, unless you had subscription to cable or Astro (the equivalent to Sky UK), there were not many American comedies floating around on national television. I guess most were either deemed too suggestive by the censorship board or the TV execs did not figure the mass public would get the caustic humour that came bundled with most of them.


Just Shoot Me was a classic half-hour sitcom that revolved around a fashion company and followed the hilarious trials and OTT tribulations of the writers, photographers, models and the boss of the company. While everyone else was watching Friends, I escaped into my own world with this show, which aired at 11pm - way past bedtime for a school night. But sneak I did, and laugh I did even more.


When: 1997-2003, when puberty hit and I got bored of Power Rangers. 
Why: Needed a reason to stay up late.
What I learnt: How to be funny, wit and all. And when.
Who: David Spade (now on Rules of Engagement) and Wendie Malick (now on Hot in Cleveland)
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3. Yo Soy Betty, la Fea (1999)

I know what you are thinking. A TELENOVELA? Well, it so happens to be the most popular one of all time, with countless adaptations around the world - I am sure everyone knows the American version, Ugly Betty that propelled America Ferrera to fame. Well, this is the one that inspired it all. And god knows how it got picked up by Malaysia's NTV7 (probably due to popular demand from the huge population of Filipino maids in the country) but I use to watch this religiously, everyday after school, 4pm.

Yo Soy Betty, la Fea, a classic story of the bullied ugly duckling who eventually turns into a beautiful swan, beds the handsome boss and 'defeats' the superficial vamp in the social, fashion and corporate world set in Colombia. We've all heard it before, but damn did this soap opera make me sweat till the end. Unsurprisingly, at the same period of time, I was struggling with being different back in high school myself and god knows those braces and glasses that I wore did not help - much alike Betty herself.

I mean ffs, I use to look like this:

But, like the telenovela, I turned into this:

So don't feel too bad for me. Muahahhahaha. :D

When: 1999-2002, again when puberty hit and I was at my, ahem, most unattractive.
Why: Homework was wearing me down, and I wanted to practice my Spanish for my eventual world tour around South America (which I will eventually get to)
What I learnt: That we are all beautiful from the inside, and well, outside matters too. And you know it.
Who: Watch it for the titular character, Betty. It would make a much better story than a duck I assure you.
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That's all folks, for now. Part 2 will be up shortly and will be posted hopefully, via my new IPAD 3 which I am now patiently waiting for to be delivered to me via UPS. I mean, CAN.THEY.BE.ANY.SLOWER.

Later.