The worst TV programme in the world..ever!

When I go home I often end up watching rubbish on TV. Nothing unusual about that, but today I hit a new rubbish TV low.

There are many categories of rubbish TV. For instance you have:

1) stuff you have seen a million times already,which was good at the time but kind of boring now, but still watch just because (eg the Christmas episode of Cheers, the Simpsons, Anything on Dave or daytime E4)

2) Stuff you watched when you were wee but is somehow still going and you wonder why you actually enjoyed it in the first place (Chuckle Brothers, I'm talking about you)

3) New kid's programmes (Basil Brush which is a parody of itself, were that possible)

4) Neighbours

and so on and so forth.

But the other day I shuddered at what I had witnessed. That I was on TG4, an Irish language channel, was odd enough (I don't speak much Irish). But this programme came on. It was called "Passion Fashion". Not a good start.
The hostess then showed up and presumably welcomed us to the show. Fine. She introduced us to the lovely Siobhan from Belfast, who it seems was unlucky in love and resorted to the last bastion of desperate singles- the dating show. Jolly hostess then introduces us to three equally desperate blokes, who all looked remarkably similar to eachother. They might have been brothers, I guess. I don't remember their names, so let's be racist and call them Sean, Seamus and Oisin. Jolly hostess spoke some Irish and brought the three mugs to a shopping centre (Castle Court, Belfast shopping centre fans) where they each picked out an outfit for the lovely Siobhan to wear. I don't actually know if they had seen a picture of the lovely Siobhan, but they more or less picked out the same outfit for her to wear (it transpired that she was to wear the outfit on a date- more on that later).

The lovely Siobhan then tried on all the dresses and whittered on about feeling "girly" (The Irish for girly is "girly" would you believe). She then dressed up in her civvies and met the gormless trio, who each presented her with a rose. Then, she went into a cubicle and emerged in one of the outfits a guy picked for her. Sean screams with delight and the other two offer their congratulations. Sean and Siobhan (not a good match in terms of nomenclature- names are perhaps too similar) then go off on a date to one of Belfast's top restaurants (the cafe at the zoo, maybe). Roll end credits as he pours the wine and she looks uncomfortable.

Anyway you probably gathered I didn't really think much of it, and you'd be right. But as the adverts rolled, I sat in a stunned silence.

Had I really spent 25 minutes of my life watching this claptrap? I could have read a book or phoned somebody or talked to my parents or gone into town or spent 25 minutes in a medieval torture rack and it would have a been more productive way of passing the time.

Make no bones about it, this was the most rubbish TV ever. Not because it's bad per se, but because it's bad and it draws you in, like all these daytime programmes. Moral of the story? TV before prime time is to be avoided. At all costs. And I think the lovely Siobhan will agree with me...

(I know having a TV in the first place makes me a terrible person. But it was not my decision to make so please don't judge me....)

2007: the big review

Well I say big, it's merely a set of questions and answers. It'd be cool if you could do the questions too because I'd love to see what everyone's year was like. Here are the categories, which you are free to choose from (and add to!):

High point of 2007
Low point of 2007
Person of 2007
Best film you saw this year
Best book you read
Best album
Funniest moment
Best sporting moment
What you are looking forward to most in 2008
Thing you will miss least about 2007
(where applicable) "God moment" of 2007

So without further ado:


High point of 2007
It has to be passing my first year assessment. Judging by the number of panic attacks and moments of self-doubt I had, it was going to be tough. And it was, but I got through it by prayer, getting moral support and pulling my socks up. Thanks to all who helped me with this! (Honourable mention goes to being asked to do PA at Lorraine's wedding. A small task, but I felt honoured nonetheless)
Low point of 2007
2007 hasn't actually been a vintage year in terms of happy moments. I was plagued by self-doubt for a lot of it, and explosive moments in the flat didn't help. Nor did failing my driving test twice and being "ill" for a lot of the summer. So take your pick from that lot.
Person of 2007
The person has already been notified. I hate to be so secretive, but I know that they wouldn't want me spreading it over the net, so I'll just say thanks!
Best film you saw this year
Probably the Bourne Ultimatum. Worst film I saw was Perfect Stranger. Avoid if you please.
Best book you read
The only book I read that wasn't a re-read was Mark Twain's "The adventures of Tom Sawyer", which, luckily, is pretty good. Even if I didn't understand a lot of the southern dialect.
Best album
"Minutes to Midnight" by Linkin Park is my most played. Don't judge me...
Best sporting moment
David Healy's winner vs Denmark in Euro 2008
What you are looking forward to most in 2008
Euro 2008, although it might be rubbish due to lack of home interest, spending time with folk before they graduate, maybe a conference, if I am lucky, less tutorials, Calcutta Cup, passing my driving test, 20's and 30's
Thing you will miss least about 2007
The general malaise that surrounded me this year should hopefully be gone in time for the summer. We'll see about that, as the GMan once said..
(where applicable) "God moment" of 2007
There was no real moment but God shed a lot of light on relationships, mostly of the boy-girl variety, but other sorts also. Some things in this regard have made me frightfully sad this year, but I have been able to understand some of the things that have gone on (though not all of them, much as I would like to) thanks to this teaching. I'm hardly an expert now, mind...

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this brief snapshot of my year, and I look forward to reading yours. Let me know if you've written one!

Merry Christmas and have an amazing 2008!

Review or maybe not

I'm considering writing up all about my 2007 (well not all....within reason) but I'm worried this might be a bit too Narcissistic, even for me. I will ponder this for a while and get back to you. Your opinions are welcome..

Saint Anger

A long time ago, I was in the flat watching TV, just minding my own business, when my flatmate comes back from Uni. I have never been so scared in my life.

It kind of reminded me of the Tasmanian devil, a whirlwind of rage and anger as he proceeded to throw things into cupboards and slam the doors with such force that I feared for the hinges. That done, he walked out, slammed the door and went back to his room, presumably to punch a wall or smash some chairs or something.

Later I got to the bottom of the issue and it was resolved, at least from the perspective of our relationship, but I still remember it and it worries me that people can really get that upset about those sort of issues.

I live on the other end of the scale. I often get irritated by things, but I rarely get properly angry (unless an Ulsterbus is involved).

I don't believe either way is a healthy level, and I appeal to Jesus for clues...

Jesus got angry and irritated like the rest of us. But his anger usually had a point. Matthew 21:

18Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!" Immediately the tree withered.

20When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. "How did the fig tree wither so quickly?" they asked.

21Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. 22If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

Now apparently in another gospel, it was actually out of season for figs, so the tree was hardly doing anything wrong. But we see Jesus is clearly annoyed that the tree hasn't got any fruit and that he acts with swift judgement.

Earlier

12Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13"It is written," he said to them, " 'My house will be called a house of prayer,'^[e] but you are making it a 'den of robbers.'^[f]"

Not the actions of a man who is okay with everything.

So we see two kinds of anger, one towards an unfortunate circumstance and one towards people not behaving as they should. So it seems it is okay to be angry sometimes.

But I say that with caution, since on both these occasions, an important point is made, one about living by faith and the other about propriety of conduct in the Temple. So, Jesus' anger is not merely a reaction to the circumstances, but more a way of demonstrating important principles.

There are many occasions where Jesus could get angry but doesn't. I can think of many daft questions posed by Pharisees and discipleswhere he could easily have lost his rag, or when the adulterous woman was brought to him or during his sham trial. On these occasions he either did not say anything at all or responded calmly and honestly.

So, I guess I can conclude that it is okay to be angry from time to time, but the anger should be brought about as a result of love for the other person if that makes sense. An example is that a parent can be angry with their child for erring, but that anger is justified because the parent wants the child to know the difference between right and wrong and is not just annoyed for the sake of being annoyed. I would hope so, anyway.

The other extreme is knowing when letting your anger affect your actions is inappropriate. Wisdom is the key here: and if you ask for it you get it (James 1 or 2), something I don't do as much of as I should. Just think: am I serving this person by losing it? Or am I just going to scare them and make them run away?

Anger may be good, but only so far, Paul commands in Ephesians not to go to bed angry as that gives the devil a foothold. In other words, sort your grievances out as soon as possible, so it doesn't fester.

That's what Jesus did, and I reckon that's a good act to follow.

(Usual blog disclaimer of it being late and not wanting to get all the ideas out that I wanted to)