Eat, Sleep and Netflix

"I'm sorry, I don't own a TV.
You don't own a TV? What's all your furniture pointed at?"

Does that sound familiar to you? Okay, how about this one?

"But it hurts my Joye's Apple.
For the last time, it is not named after each individual man."

Context: They were talking about Adam's Apple. Still, not sure? And here goes my last clue.

"Everyone is getting married or pregnant or promoted. And I am getting coffee. And it's not even for me."

Yes, I am talking about "Friends(F•R•I•E•N•D•S) ", the 10 season series which was first aired in the 90's and still it is aired on some or other channels daily. Every time I browse through TV channels, I stop for "Friends" and for a good laugh. You can even catch some funny moments on Youtube. 

I was first introduced to "Friends" by my husband. He had the 10 seasons in CDs. Though, he had lost one or two of them. Thus, first time, I watched the show without a season in the middle and the entire last one. I was curious to know what actually happened in the end. So, I again started watching on Netflix and completed the entire seasons. Till then, I watched many shows and yet "Freinds" is my all-time favorite. 

I watch Netflix, just to relax. I am fond of the shows where I don't have to use my brain. I like comedy, drama or the one with beautiful vivid backdrops. Adventure, Superheroes or any kind of violence is usually not my forte. So, here goes my list of Netflix Series for you who enjoy lucid comedy or light-hearted drama.

1. F•R•I•E•N•D•S: 

I think "Friends" is one of the most popular TV shows of all time. The story begins when Rachel runs away from her Wedding and meets her childhood friend Monica. Soon, they become roommates. Monica is a chef and Rachel starts working as a waitress at "Central Park", a Manhattan coffee house. Rachel joins Monica's Friend circle which consists of Ross, Monica's elder brother, Chandler who is Ross's friend, Joye who is Chandler's roommate and Phoebe. Ross is a Dianosarus Doctor(ummm a Paleontologist). No one knows what Chandler actually does for a living. But he uses his humor whenever he is nervous. Joye is a struggling actor who loves to eat and does not share his fries with anyone. Joye is popular among women with his catching phrase "How you doing?" Phoebe is a Masseuse in a massage parlor and loves to sing "Smelly Cat". I still can't decide who is my favorite among these six Friends. I think, people just love them as a combination and not individually. 

2. How I met your Mother:

Another Manhattan-based story which started airing in 2005. However, I watched it much later, all the 9 seasons together. The series revolves around Ted an architect, in flashback, narrating his children about how he met their Mother. In his story, he introduces his friends Marshall- a lawyer, Lily(Marshal's wife)- a kindergarten teacher, the playboy Barney and the news reporter Robin. 
The series has numerous elements of humor and drama. But I had a feeling that it is dragged a bit in the later seasons. Overall, a fun watch.
Recently, it is removed from Netflix. But I am sure it can be streamed from some other providers.

3. Gilmore Girls:

A woman-centric series with a colorful background. The show centers on the life of two girls - a single teen mom Lorelai and her daughter Rory. They live in a small beautiful town named 'Stars Hollow', which is fictional. It portrays beautifully the contrasts of the mother-daughter relationship in a witty and intense background glazed with some ambition, family clashes, and romance. The series has 7 seasons and its a perfect mix of humor and drama.

4. Switched At Birth:

Again, a family drama with a slightly different plot. Two girls in their teenage discover they are switched at birth by mistake in the hospital. Since then, their lives turn upside down. The story revolves around these two girls, how they get adjusted to two different set of parents. One of the girls turned Deaf due to some medical issue in her childhood. I learned about ASL(American Sign Language) for the first time from this series. This show has 5 seasons and the last one being aired in 2017. 

5. Royal Pain:

This series is based on concierge medical practice of a doctor and his life and family. This series started in 2009 and has total 8 seasons. I started watching it because it already has 8 seasons and I find it distressing to search for a series every 3-4 days. The protagonist of this series is Dr. Hank Lawson who was an ER Doctor in New York and was wrongfully terminated. He moved to Hamptons for a weekend trip and eventually settled down there with his brother, practicing 'house call' medicine. 

I prefer to complete a series and then start a new one. While picking a new series, I search for something offbeat and thus ended up watching a few series in the different genre. Below are the other series with an unconventional kick and pace and I actually loved:
6. Crown
7. Sherlock
8. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D
9. Quantico
10. 13 Reasons Why

Every time I start Netflix, I agree with myself to watch only one episode and then get back to work. I click on the next episode and whisper "Just another episode!" and end up watching a few more. Netflix is an addiction, an equally dangerous one as my craving for sweets. Why there is no Anti-Netflix patch available like a Nicotine patch? I would happily wear one. Or, there should be some App where I would fix my Netflix time and once set, no matter what, it should be unalterable. Wow, that can be a new Business idea! Till that idea hits the market "Happy Netflixing Guys!!!"

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'School Romance' in the 90's

Today morning, I was driving my daughter to her school pre-school. She just turned three and started her pre-school. Before that, she used to go to the same Montessori, but toddler class. We used to even call that 'School'. On getting promoted to her pre-school, she started believing that she is a 'Big Girl' and school is only for babies. So, whenever we talk about her school, she corrects me “Mamma, that is pre-school, not school. I am a big girl now!” So yeah, we were driving to her pre-school and she was continuously babbling about how Mr. Sun was still sleeping and her car seat was cold and it's evening or morning and so on. 

With the onset of winter, the morning was cloudy and a bit foggy. It rained last night. So, the streets were damp. Everything looked gray! I am not a big fan of winter in the US. It makes me gloomy. I was driving a little absent-mindedly while responding to my daughter's chit-chats. I saw a bunch of school goer kids at the intersect, trying to cross the road. I stopped to let them cross first. It was a mixed group of 6-8 kids of different ages. They were all talking and giggling and wearing some bright and interesting dresses and hair. Soon, my gloomy morning turned vivid. Some of them were on a skateboard. They crossed the road without even noticing me. They reminded me of my school days and it was so different.

Growing up in a small suburb in India, in the 90's, in a middle-class family, my childhood was simple, yet remarkable. There was nothing in excess. Still, we were content. We had to wear uniforms to school. My dad used to take me daily on a bicycle. I sat in the front until I started riding my own cycle. I went to a co-ed school. In India, there are schools only for boys and only for girls. Mine was for both. The primary classes (Class I to Class V)started from 6:30 in the morning with a Prayer, a particular song which we had to sing daily. Classes from VI till XII were at noon. There are so many memories that are flashing through my mind today. The classroom, the blackboard, the desks, the playground and certainly the school romance.

The "School Romance" was very different, back then. Even in that age of no phone, mobile, Facebook and Whatsup, there were a bunch of macho boys who loved to imagine themselves as a Hero in a Movie. Though the access to movies was limited, a weekly interaction with Bollywood was of plenty influence to those days of puberty. They wore the newest shirt they got on some festival, took their manly ride out( a Bicycle) and stormed around the town in search of their "Soulmates". They got skilled with practice. There were a few formulae to impress a girl.A Bicycle stunt or a love letter or just following a girl to get noticed were the top amongst all. Love letters were a troublesome job and also it had to be creative. Spellings and Handwriting were the biggest hurdles to cross. But who cared about those spelling mistakes if there were a few cute Hearts in a letter? The most popular ones are "I Love You" with some hearts - an easy and effective solution.

I Love You...

The Bollywood fever had even stricken some girls. The count of Love Letters and the number of interested Romeos buzzing around were some factors to make a girl "pretty" and "popular". The style is an all-time favorite weapon for girls. Given the lack of exposure and supplies, they had to do the best they could with their limited awareness. A pretty face was not enough. Girls started walking on roads as they were walking on ramps. Uniform was a MUST to our school. So, they folded and pulled the socks down to expose some skin and the boys got clean-bowled by their finesse. The girls always got to choose the Winner and flaunt the "love of life". The heart-broken and failed Romeos felt humiliated and totally perished until they saw their next "Soulmate".

What was the parent's role in all these dramas? Mostly, the parents were unaware and dead against. That made the whole idea more lucrative and just an exact scene from a movie. If the kids got caught somehow, they had to start a revolt to prove how much they were in love. But most of the time, a tight slap from their parents was enough to cure the "Loveria".

Well, there were also some kids like me. Discovering all those romantic stories from my class, my mom sat with me one day and explained how inappropriate it is for a kid at that age. It was a clear threat that if I became a part of a story like that from my school, I would be disowned. But, that warning was not at all necessary for me. It was me who was scared to death if a boy followed me home. I was always an introvert. So, making friends with some unknown boys was not my forte. 

One day, a boy threw a paper at me, on my way back home.I let it fall on the road itself and biked faster. It was not me being rude. It's just that I did not know what else to do. Then another guy, whom I had seen a couple of times before, stopped me on my way back from school. He started explaining how he was not able to eat, study and sleep after he had seen me. I asked him all concerned if he had informed his parents or if I should tell them.He got offended and left. My winner story revolves around a guy from my painting class. I used to attend a Painting class, every Sunday afternoon. I walked alone to the class since it was just behind my place. There was a boy who made me feel uncomfortable every day by doing or not doing something. He used to wait outside the class and followed me to the class to take a seat somewhere near me. Soon, I started spotting him everywhere I went. In the class, we had to remove our shoes before entering. One day, while leaving, I wore my shoes and felt something soft. I saw that guy standing nearby. So, I wore my shoes in a hurry and walked home. On reaching, I removed my shoes and discovered a Red Rose inside. I took the crushed rose and threw it and went inside. It happened again for the next consecutive weeks. Maybe, he was expecting a response while I preferred to ignore. Realizing that his innovative idea was not being praised enough, or even noticed, he decided to confront me. Well, it did not go well and he scared me off. So, I decided to let my parents know about it and the rest was history.

It's so incredible how such small silly things take up the most room in our heart. I still remember so many stories from my childhood. Though it looked stressful that time, it puts a smile on my face today. I can't stop thinking about those golden days, those friends, those not-so-friends and my school, where most of my beautiful memories were created.

My School

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