Friends is an American comedy television show created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman. The series was produced by Bright, Crane, Kauffman. It has ten seasons and was aired from September 1994 to May 2004. The main characters were Jennifer Aniston (Rachel Green), Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe Buffay), David Schwimmer (Ross Geller), Courteney Cox (Monica Geller), Matt LeBlanc (Joey Tribbiani), Matthew Perry (Chandler Bing).
Friends became the most popular TV show in the 2000s. The show is about six friends going through every life experience together in New York City. Rachel used to be a girl reliant on her wealthy father to support her, but later on, her friends taught her how to be independent, and she ended up being a successful woman. Monica works as a chef and lives in her own apartment. She is suffering from an obsession with cleanliness. At the same time, Ross Gellar is a paleontologist who has a crush on Rachel. He is Monica’s older brother. Chandler Bing is Joye’s roommate and best friend. Chandler has a good sense of humor. Phoebe Buffay, Monica’s roommate. She works as a masseuse and has a funny personality. She is my favorite character because she always makes me laugh. Joey Tribbiani is Chandler’s best friend. Joey is a food-loving person; his favorite meals are sandwiches and pizza. His job in the show is acting.
Finally, this tv show is one of my favorites. Each one of the characters makes me laugh in different ways. I would recommend people who like comedy shows to watch Friends too. This show is still as funny as it was when it first aired. The difference between each of the characters gives different forms of humor. I think this show also teaches young adults valuable life lessons. I would rate this show a ten out of ten.
血の轍/Chi No Wadachi/A Trail of Blood/Blood on the Tracks
[Observation of 102 Chapters]
Psychological Horror in Manga
To those who aren’t familiar with the psychological horror genre of Japanese mangas, many notable works achieve to question the societal extent of psychological disorders. In the case of Blood on the Tracks by Oshimi Shuuzou, we dive deep into the absolute horrors and frightening illustrations of mundane extremism.
Chapter 6 (Chi No Wadachi)
Chi No Wadachi is a dark Japanese manga series that explores the subtle mental abuse of an unstable mother, Seiko, towards her adolescent son, Seiichi, as he witnesses her willingly push his cousin off a cliff. Aware that her son witnessed everything, she disregards the incident as an accident and mentally manipulates his memories into believing so.
Domination Through Affection
The series upholds a mixture of unique elements through compelling artwork and storytelling, which is induced throughout the plot to display the magnitude of psychological torment Seiko inflicts onto her son, given her dominant role in his life.
Chapter 55: Mom’s Heartbeat (Chi No Wadachi)
Chapter 33 (Chi No Wadachi)
Seiko is labeled as an overly possessive/protective mother by people surrounding Seiichi, such as his family and friends, due to her clingy aspect. His distress is much more apparent when he struggles to differentiate his affectionate relationships with both his mother and love interest. At first, he appears to stutter, as a result of the traumatic event, much more frequently when communicating with his mother compared to his love interest.
Chapter 12 (Chi No Wadachi)
Due to jealousy, his mother then lures him back by orchestrating her pitiful narrative to secure the only affectionate role in his life, alongside her dominant role too. She depicts to have sacrificed every piece of herself for his well-being despite the harsh cruel treatment of her husband’s family through dramatic wordplay, which is evidently gaslighting. Therefore, the reader is provided with the perspective of a conflicted middle school student who blends familial and romantic affection as a result of his mother’s daunting influence.
Stockholm Syndrome
… hostages experience a perverse devotion to their captors, interpreting any abstention from violence and cruelty, however brief or arbitrary, as acts of kindness and even love.
The peculiar phenomenon of Stockholm Syndrome is apparent in the mother-son relationship. The everlasting attempts Seiichi abides by to seek his mother’s satisfaction haunt him as he lives on despite disliking her at times. As sickening it becomes for the reader to undergo the downfall of an innocent child, his character falls into complete despair and hallucination which eventually leads him to follow his mother’s trail of blood, taking the life of a relative he once deeply treasured.
Chapter 7.1 (Chi No Wadachi)
Seiko successfully managed to cast a permanent cage that will forever dictate her son’s thoughts, emotions, and decisions due to the unfathomable level of mental and physical torture she inflicts upon him.
In particular, I admire the author’s display of the unspoken of when it comes to women being the perpetrators in abusive relationships… I personally would not recommend this work to the light-hearted, as it explores themes in a dreadful manner through the journey of a mere child.
This novel is written by the famous author Colleen Hoover. She is one of my favorite writers and this book will always be at the top of my reading lists. This book spoke to me because it mostly talks about Domestic Violence types of relationships, and this sadly happens a lot, especially in the UAE. The author also mentions at the end of her book that this story is actually based on her mother life’s more than her. The relationship was mostly portrayed with honesty and compassion, it shows the strength of all survivors who have faced this kind of relationship.
The cover page of this novel has a broken flower on it, especially a lily flower. Ironically the main character’s name in this story is actually Lily Bloom. The author described her as a very beautiful red-haired girl who loved to garden ever since she was a child. The main event that took place was that she met the “Perfect man” on a rooftop of an apartment building. He was everything a girl could ever ask for, handsome, a surgeon, and mysterious. Fast forward they eventually started dating and he was like prince charming to her. She couldn’t believe a man like him existed because her father was the mayor in their hometown and he showed people that he was “Perfect” when in reality he abused her mother with every chance he got. Sadly he passed away, but she felt nothing because he did abuse her too.
Prince charming’s name was Ryle, he took care of her and promised he would never become the man her father has become. He met her mom and everything was perfect, until one day they got into their first fight and he “accidentally” pushed her down the stairs making her pass out. When she woke up the first thing she told him was “you pushed me” and he responded, “no you fell”. That was a major red flag but hey they were “in love”. Manipulation was all he ever did to her, she tried talking to her mother and she told her to face reality, everything that happened to her is now happening to her own daughter, but now it’s her mother’s turn to convince her to leave him. Ryle kept using the same excuse to her every time he did something to hurt her physically, when he was younger he accidentally killed his younger brother with a gun in his parent’s bathroom. He keeps telling Lily that’s where he gets his “Rages” from.
Atlas was another main character in the book, he was lily’s best friend from high school and she took care of him because he was homeless. They fell in love but he had to leave for the military and live with his uncle outside of town. She didn’t see him up until she went to the new restaurant with Ryle named “Bib’s” which stood for Better in Boston. He was the main chef and manager, also he named it that because it was something he and lily used to say all of the time when they were younger. Ryle didn’t know anything about him until he read through Lily’s old journal, which made him choke her so hard she was going to pass out yet again!
At the end of the book, Lily gave birth to a beautiful baby and Ryle was the father! She let him hold the baby and he was crying with joy awww, she told him “I want a divorce” and he was SHOCKED and kept crying but let’s be honest here, no one really cares about him. She then looked at her baby and said “It Ends With Us”. They co-parented together and she fell in love with Atlas, THANK GOD.
Domestic violence comes in many types of ways, but the most common would be that the other partner would be blinded by love and easily manipulated by their narcissistic partner. Everyone should be aware of these common signs like lying, never admitting to something they did, making it always your fault. The book has more serious events that happened, so I recommend everyone to go and read it!
Seven seasons, 153 episodes, and a revival show filled with comfort. Gilmore Girls, starring Lauren Graham (Lorelai Gilmore) and Alexis Bledel (Rory Gilmore), is an American comedy and drama television series created and written by Amy Sherman-Palladino. The series first aired on October 5, 2000 and ended on May 15, 2007. The revival show aired 9 years after the end of the original series with 4 movie-length episodes titled “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.
The main cast of Gilmore Girls
The story follows the 32 year old Lorelai Gilmore and her 16 year old daughter Rory Gilmore. We also have Lorelai’s estranged wealthy parents, Emily and Richard Gilmore, who Lorelai and Rory end up having to have weekly Friday dinners with for taking tuition money after Rory was accepted at the prestigious Chilton Preparatory School. The girls live in Stars Hollow, the fictional town filled with countless fun and quirky characters. We have Luke Danes, the owner of the town’s diner and Lorelai’s close friend and main love interest, Sookie St. James, the town’s best cook and Lorelai’s best friend, Lane Kim, Rory’s childhood best friend, and many more unforgettable characters.
Whenever I have to write about something of my interest, I never miss the chance to write about Gilmore Girls, and this is why I am here again acting like the main promoter of the series. Even though I have not watched Gilmore Girls a very long time ago, it is already my all-time favorite series. I have made many people in my life watch it, all of whom are obsessed now, and I am here to convince whoever reading this blog post is to also watch it. The main reason I love the show is because of the comfort it brings me. Gilmore Girls is filled with all the fun, excitement, drama, and romance you would want in a show you are watching, and it also does it better than most, if not all, shows. Watching the show, you will end up seeing fragments of yourself in a lot of the characters, and that makes it all the more comforting and real. Even though the show first aired 22 years ago, it feels timeless. All the jokes and plot-lines still hit the same and the show’s legacy will continue to go on just like how its popularity keeps on rising by the years.
Going through difficult stages of life can be wearying and emotionally draining, sometimes our bodies are so focused on survival that we can’t see what’s in front of us with clarity. When your body and mind shift to survival mode, you may abandon logic or lack the energy to make sense of things. A couple of years ago, I approached my recovery period following a few years of depression. An occurrence like this will shift your perspective on a variety of things in life, it may even influence a change in beliefs and an overall attitude towards life. A lot of healing is necessary to move forward with one’s life following extensive stages of immeasurable anxiety. Needless to say, it’s incredibly challenging to let go of old habits and unhealthy coping mechanisms that you may have relied on during those times. This may include things such as self-sabotage, isolation, distrust, people-pleasing, etc.
I unexpectedly stumbled upon a podcast online, so I gave it a go. The podcast was called “On Being,” it discusses all kinds of experiences people go through in their lifetime. It features Krista Tippet, the host, and selected guests that go on to share notable moments and lessons from their lives.
They cover topics concerned with spiritual inquiry, science, social healing, and the arts. The radio show conducts its work by discussing human experiences, the use of practical tools, and accompaniment. Their goal is to influence human change which will allow for social transformation. The guests that join the radio show are considered creatives, healers, and changemakers throughout various disciplines.
I happened to listen to one of the episodes where a guest speaker discussed the agonizing period of depression he had gone through after losing a family member. The way in which he had discussed the void, hollow, and soulless sensation that comes with it caught my attention. Both the host and the guest began to discuss the aftermath of depression, the things one may acquire from it. What piqued my curiosity was the realization that this dreadful event had actually taught me numerous things and reformed my behavior entirely. I began to think about the way I react to things now, how my energy had dipped. I no longer find myself expressing my emotions as thoroughly as before, or reacting to things too quickly. I only allow myself to react if I feel as though it is worth my time and energy. This can be a good or bad thing, it depends on the way you look at it. I began to appreciate my emotional growth, depth of understanding, and greater empathy towards others. I also began to notice the areas where I grew to become more defensive, usually due to internal wounds that I haven’t given the time or effort to heal.
Overall, after going through multiple episodes of the On Being podcast, I found that it helped me understand depression better and the changes that come with it. I would advise listening to it if you find yourself absorbed in areas regarding spirituality, poetry, social justice, religion, healing, and any sort of eye-opening conversation.
You heard that right, a new world is approaching fast, to be precise, it has already arrived. You and I have been a part of this era in the past years. Well, now in the coming days we will be able to comprehend and live in them. Yes, It’s the Metaverse. A whole bunch of 3D-generated worlds forms into existence at our fingertips. From “buying lands” to “attending Snoop’s concerts” we will be able to carry out simply anything in the Meta Universe. Now you may ask, “Why is it necessary, and What purpose does it serve?”. Well, the perfect answer is that it’s a world not bound to limitations. A world where people would not be judged based on their cultural aspects or educational limitations. The Meta Society is merely interested in your qualifications or your credentials. What matters is the effective utilization of resources in the metaverse in such a way as to keep the channels running forever.
The resources primarily used in the Metaverse are NFT’s, (Non-Fungible Tokens), purchased through the crypto blockchain of Ethereum. NFT is one of the most controversial topics debated in social media. People who claim that NFT’s are a scam are preposterous. These are people who have not purchased any NFTs nor have the slightest knowledge of how it works, which makes their arguments ridiculous. NFTs may sound foolish but the sound of profitability it reaps is remarkable. One of the greatest aspects of creating NFT’s is that you need not be an artist. You can typically sell anything. No Creativity is needed.
Turns out you can sell almost anything which you deem “fair” at a “fair price”. Last week, the “creative art” of a 10-year-old shot up in demand as buyers bid with a staggering price of 43ETH (132,000$). His parents dwelled on the thought of encouraging him to draw by showcasing his “art” online. Well, they just hit a mega jackpot. Yes, this is how NFTs work and if luck finds you well, you too can take a place in the “Hall of Fame”.
Bad mental health is romanticized in many ways in social media. From quotes on depression with romantic pictures linked to it, to the way people use anxiety to seem “relatable” and the way mental illness in general is used for capitalistic purposes, to gain followers or consumers. Here is an example of a quote that does just that:
The language used here is trying to romanticize suicidal urges. This can be very harmful especially for teenagers. Younger people are most susceptible and can easily fall into this side of social media. The image above is one example of the way mental illness is portrayed as desirable. This is harmful because it neglects real experiences of depression, but portrays it in a desirable light.
Here you can see a quote about anxiety being used in a supposedly funny way to be seen as relatable. The image shows a hoodie that is being sold using mental illness as a way to appeal to consumers. This is very damaging to younger people who do not realize how it affects their image of mental illness. It shows them a false image of what depression and other forms of mental illnesses actually look like.
There is a very interesting article that discusses how detrimental this topic is for people who are really suffering from mental illnesses. From the article “The Los Angeles Loyolan”, it says, “The lure of wanting to be “interesting” combined with the rise of self-diagnosis is a dangerous mixture. It simultaneously dilutes and glorifies the symptoms of depression on a large scale.” This trend makes a lot of people try and self diagnose themselves. The more people do this, the more it takes away from people’s real life experiences of dealing with depression. Romanticizing depression makes it harder for people to know what depression is actually like. Instead, it is shown as something desirable.
In the last year, I realized that I wasn’t the same person I was with everyone. For example; when around friends, I put up a different front than I do with my family. I noticed I tend to “alter” my personality to appeal to the people I am around and become who they want me to be in hopes of them liking me. So, when Taylor Swift’s “mirrorball” was released, I related to it on a personal note.
The song is about Taylor’s self-imposed obligation to change the way she acts to please the different people she is surrounded by. Comparing herself to a mirrorball is a metaphor that describes that she feels the need to always entertain others, just as a mirrorball does. The lyrics; “I’ll show you every version of yourself tonight”, showcase her attempt in trying to show someone exactly what they want to see.
And since Swift is a famous artist, she is aware of the fact that she has to compromise what she wants to do while also managing to please the public by doing what they want her to do. However, twisting and bending yourself just to adjust your personality to earn others’ validation could be risky since it would start feeling permanent. In the song, Taylor admits that she lost a sense of her natural self and is now stuck being a people pleaser.
When Taylor said; “I’m still on that tightrope / I’m still trying everything to get you laughing at me”, it made me realize that being a mirrorball actually dehumanizes a human being. Taylor explained how she was the only person left in the circus and was balancing herself on a tightrope, just to get others to “laugh” at her. This suggests that she would do anything – even go to extreme lengths of being a circus animal – just to entertain others and receive their attention and validation.
Takeaway:
I believe that deep down, there is a “mirrorball” inside all of us. We all crave validation from others, and that can cause us to change how people might perceive us. This is why I think that all of us are on “tightropes”. It is an ultimate balancing act that we all do to make sure we fit in with people we come across; while also trying to not get too caught up in the act that we start losing ourselves. Finding the right balance is what we’re all just trying to do. So, what do you think? Are you a mirrorball? And are you able to openly admit it as Miss Swift has?
In a world where oppression is prominent, the fight against social injustice is a constant struggle.
It seems BS ironic that certain human rights are stripped away from minorities, when they should be able to exercise them simply by virtue of being humans. The thing is, humans have an empathetic nature, or at least I like to think we do, so when certain communities are denied their rights, compassion fuels others to combat the issue along with them. We often retaliate the bigotry by engaging in activism such as protests. And protests call for slogans, a tradition that stems from intense sentiments on political outrage, all compressed into brief compelling phrases that make headlines. Now my question is, how effective can a 3-10 word phrase be in battling injustice?
Let us take a look at a couple of scenarios and evaluate the effect each banner has…
Scenario #1
The phrase uses a device I have previously found in poetry, end rhyme, where only the last syllable rhymes. In poetry, end rhyme creates a sense of musicality and flow which facilitates in memorisation, so I assume here it is a strategy to make the phrase unforgettable for people who only catch a glimpse of it, walking along the street. The slogan connotes that people keeping quiet is damning evidence of their position. By isolating the subject it becomes taboo, which indicates that it is a problematic conversation that is not welcome in most platforms, increasing ignorance, and straying further away from possible action.
A photograph taken at the Plymouth Black Lives Matter solidarity protest
Scenario #2
A photograph taken at the 17 October (Thawra) Revolution
This is what is known as a declarative statement. The purpose of a declarative to imply that it is factual, as though it cannot be refuted. Instead it refuses a pragmatic assumption that people in power are stronger. This is corroborated by the capitalisation of all letters, which is a common feature of most protest posters: it roars, demanding to be heard. This expression implies that what common citizens can achieve when they unite for a common cause is stronger and further compelling than the power that authoritative figures yield.
Scenario #3
In this case instead of focusing on the wording, I would like to bring attention to the fact that in a country where only 5% of the population speak English (cited below), the language of choice for their slogans is ironically, English. If a message is effectively transmitted to the intended demographic, the greater the probability that action will take place. Basically, if the activists are protesting in their own language, this issue does not travel out of their region, keeping it within local realms, however, if it is communicated in English, they gain worldwide attention, making it hard for global entities to ignore.
A photograph taken in Mandalay for the 2021 Myanmar protest
Moral of the story, while a few words is not going to magically eradicate the deep-rooted issue, it certainly will be a call for action, as well as bring light to the situation. Ultimately, protests give a voice to the minorities, who have been silenced for most of their lives.
In the name of social sustainability: speak up for what you believe in!
Image for Scenario 1 https://arts-lab.co.uk/product/silence-is-compliance-print/
Image for Scenario 2 https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/lebanon-main-parties-agree-hariri-reform-plan-amid-protests-over-economic-crisis
Image for Scenario 3 https://ifex.org/coup-and-civil-disobedience-in-myanmar-farmers-protests-and-metoo-victory-in-india/
Statistic for Scenario 3 Bolton, Kingsley (2008). “English in Asia, Asian Englishes, and the issue of proficiency”. English Today. Cambridge University Press.
Netflix released a film adaptation of the musical play Tick, Tick… BOOM! and the life events of the talented Jonathan Larson that created it. Linda Manuel Miranda directed this film and cast Andrew Garfield to portray the story of Larson.
Fear of Failure
The musical focuses on the struggles of not accomplishing one’s dreams while growing up, specifically before turning thirty and highlights such struggles through its characters dialogues and songs.
It mentions the fear of running out of time to redeem one’s self and making a career out of their dreams. And the struggles are indicated in the film by lines such as “There is no enough time. Or maybe I’m just wasting my time.”, “Fear or love?”, “The time is flying, and everything is dying. I thought by now I’d have a dog, a kid, a wife.”, and “Time keeps ticking”.
The film also sheds light on the impact that such a fear may have on the persons’ daily life and relationships. “And she says I want you to come with me.” “What did you say?” “I said “oh?” What am I supposed to say? I don’t know what to say. I mean, like I can’t leave. I can’t leave New York!”. It’s lines like these which shows Larson’s character struggling in balancing between his dreams and personal life.
The Clock Is Ticking
Time is obviously a major aspect of the musical itself and to represent its importance in the film there were a lot of illustrations of it through the medium of messages and key points. They exhibited the character undergoing a constant challenge of facing deadlines and his never-ending encounters with the remerging question that Larson asks himself whether he should continue going after his goal or not, “Johnny has no guide. Johnny wants to hide. Can he make his remark if he gives up his spark? Johnny can’t decide.”, as well as the sound of ticking whenever tension builds up.
Overall Tick, Tick… BOOM! is a great representation of Anthony Tommasini’s quote, “It’s not how many years you live. But how you fulfill the time you spend here”. And if you’re an individual that enjoys musicals or biography films maybe you should check this one out!
