Fall Season 2009

After what seems like the fastest Summer ever, television is back. Funnily enough I've not missed it as much as I thought I would: apart from playing catch up on the shows I didn't have the time to watch as they aired, I finally got around to consuming the four seasons which made up the widely acclaimed (well, by geeks anyway) Battlestar Galactica. I never really liked it the first time around, but the fact that it was such a short series (one which was accessible thanks to a friend's full-season box-sets) convinced me to give it another go. And it wasn't too bad to be honest; a good time pass at the most. The plot left a lot to be desired and got a bit crap towards the end but there was enough ticking over to keep me going till television proper returned.

One Tree Hill season 7 was the first to premiere yesterday and although I've yet to watch it I can't imagine it being any good without the lovely Peyton (and I suppose to a lesser extent Lucas). As such I don't think it'll last past season break and I'm willing to see it out till then at least.

Other favourites returning include the dependable awesomeness of House season 6 and 24 season 8 (the latter resuming some kind of decent schedule now that we're two years out of the Writers' Strike of 2008). I've yet to find a confirmation for the return of Little Mosque, but I have both my fingers and toes crossed since it's such a good sitcom. Of course there'll be Peter and crew of Family Guy season 8 (I think) to watch if it doesn't.

My wish to watch less television seems to be panning out; so far the only new show I'm planning to watch is the sitcomification of 1999's(!) 10 Things I Hate About You. On the contrary Prison Break and ER both ended last year, with the pretty-but-yawnful 90210 dropping by the wayside too. This year, Lost season 6 will be its last and of all my shows I think I'm looking forward to that the most. Smallville is also promising (again) to end this year with its season 9, a good 7 seasons past its sell by date. Please producers lay this show to rest; or at least tell me now if you're going to carry on past this year so I can stop watching now.

Talking of shows that shouldn't be running, Heroes season 4, a show which truly is rubbish, will be watched in considerable pain and contempt and with a sincere hope that it will just curl up and die. Dollhouse season 2 returns after some pretty bad feedback (including mine); but hopefully Joss will have turned things around, returning to the form which brought us Buffy, Angel and Firefly.

So all in all a solid, if not hugely exciting line up to take us into the next decade. Happy watching!

Fall Season 2008

It's that time of the year again folks! The time when I don't go out much, don't get any work done and generally not move much from the sofa - telly season has once again kicked off.

Due to various writers wanting to get paid a bit more, 2007/8 wasn't a very good season - in fact it feels like normal telly as a whole has been missing for a while. We had stunted series of all the major shows, with some like 24 not being shown at all. Mercifully this was a good thing as I finally had time to do other things; and in that sense I'm kinda dreading this year's potentially fuller season.

That said, there's not much change this time around. The regulars are present in full force, with Heroes, One Tree Hill, House, Little Mosque and Lost all coming back for more. 24 also rejoins the schedule hopefully making up for its marked absence. Prison Break continues to redefine itself (not least because there doesn't seem to be any more prisons left to break out of). I will choose to pass on the Cherry Hill spin off. I can't seem to find any info on Family Guy, but I expect there to be more fun there too.

This year also marks the end of Smallville (hooray!), the one show that, despite its inability to just die has kept me watching for so long. We should also see the fifteenth and final season of ER; but I'm sure that will be an event all in itself.

New eagerly anticipated additions include the new Joss Whedon (of the magnificent Buffy, Angel and Firefly fame) project Dollhouse and, of course, we all get to go back to Beverly Hills with 90210. And although there is yet to be any news of a second season I really hope that there'll be more Aliens in America to watch.

Ooooh I honestly can't wait. Square eyes, here I come.

Fall Season 2007

Yep, that's right. Amazingly it's that time of the year again. But first, a recap of last year's television going-ons.

2006 was an unusual year, largely because I was playing catch-up for most of it. Four seasons of Veronica Mars were the main culprits, which was fine because the show was so ace (it's no longer with us unfortunately). But that wasn't all I had to cram in and I still have this year's Family Guy and ER pending. Oh, and I haven't even made a dent into the first season of House.

I've also only just finished Season Six of Smallville too. Yes, you read that correctly: despite my best efforts I found myself totally unable to dump this show. I have no regrets with that though - this season was one of the best which is not surprising seeing how heavily it had been borrowing from Buffy throughout.

Talking of dumping, Entourage and Shark have both died before they even had a chance to begin. Despite both featuring the absolutely lovely Sarah Carter, I just don't have the time (although perhaps I'll keep that single episode of Entourage in which she guests). I tried watching Grey's Anatomy, but it wasn't very good. I'll definitely leave that one for the girls.

The OC came to a natural end this year too (thank heavens), but other than that and Veronica I don't have any more drop outs from my schedule. The only new show joining the rest is Heroes, which isn't actually as good as everyone seems to think it is; think the television equivalent of The Da Vinci Code and you'll have an idea of what it's like. Oh yes, and hopefully there'll be a season of Little House to watch.

So the bulk of my schedule for 2007/08 remains the same as last year: 24, Doctor Who, Lost (which totally redeemed itself last season - and then some), One Tree Hill (they're all grown up now, apparently) and the fantastic Prison Break all await my eager attention.

Happy viewing!

Fall Season 2006

It's September, and that means that the US telly season begins anew. Despite my best efforts and promises to do otherwise, I'm watching more shows than ever.

The strange thing is that I'd be the first to admit that a lot of what I watch is pretty poor. Take Lost for example. Now this really is a crap series, the ultimate manifestation of how television is purely to lure viewers to subscription and ad-watching. And it's also something I can't stop watching.

Then you have OTH and The OC. Objectively neither is the best example of good television, but both appeal to my affinity for teen drama. Desperate Housewives was good, but now seems to be running out of steam; this might even be the last season I watch. Oh, and don't get me started on Smallville.

Still it's not all bad. After a few average seasons, 24 has returned to the excellence it showed in Seasons 1 and 2. The same goes for ER, and I'm glad I stuck with it through its bad times although I think they should think about putting it to rest soon (it's been on since I was 15 for heaven's sake). Family Guy is the best animated series ever, while Prison Break concentrates on providing pure entertainment (even if it can be a bit cheap at times).

In this season are Grey's Anatomy (too many people, including the friend who first introduced me to PB, have recommended this for me to ignore now), House (I've not related as much to a character for a looong time) and Veronica Mars (and not just 'cos I fancy Kristen Bell, it really is good).

Out are Alias (ended at the right time in my opinion) and Smallville (yes, I know I've been promising that for a long time). I'd love to place Lost in there too but I know I'm too weak to back that up.

So anyway I'm officially in do not disturb mode for the next eight months and if I happen blow you off, don't take it too personally. Television is very demanding, dontcha know.

Fall Season 2010

Is it sad that I'm more excited about the return of television than any long-lost friend? Having said that I seem to be less enthused about my serials now than I have been in past years. What's ironic is that I fully expect it to be my main source of entertainment once I'm married and having babies, so perhaps I should just archive everything for that?

But I digress. What's certain is that, yes, it's September and that means the return of the US television schedule. As usual, let's start with a review of the year gone by - a lot has happened actually.

First up, I'm still mourning the loss of the two great heavyweights of Lost and 24. Probably my most anticipated shows in recent times, I do think that the loss of both is one of the reasons why I'm not that hot about television this year. Also fallen by the wayside is Little Mosque, a show that was never the same past its Season 3. It was a crime to replace Magee. Still-born this year were 10 Things, Flash Forward (as they got axed) and V (as it was rubbish).

In place of all this loss is a whole bunch of sitcoms, most of which I've not even begun to catch up on. The full list includes Gavin & Stacey (which I did watch some of), Parks and Recreation (Aziz Ansari FTW), Modern Family ("Why the face?"), The Inbetweeners, Community, 30 Rock and Cougar Town. Phew. Oh, and I also intend on catching up on Scrubs at some point. And in terms of regular drama there is, of course, Glee, which although mediocre otherwise is a must see for the song and dance.

Which leaves us with the regulars. Both One Tree Hill and Smallville refuse to die, although we have been told that it really is the final season of the latter (I may throw a party if so). Doctor Who is weird post-Tennant. Family Guy is, believe it or not, becoming a little boring and staid. House is surprisingly enough pretty much the best show I watch now. Overall though, I've quite confident that I'll actually be able to watch all my shows on time this year. How refreshing.

So there you have it. 2010 seems to be the year I transition from engaging drama to not so distracting sitcom. Is this something that reflects a deeper change regarding a change in my own priorities? Don't be absurd; after all it's only television we're talking about here.

Fall Season 2011

This last year has pretty much been a failure for me in terms of TV watching. The truth is that between a full time job (sigh) and a years' Sky Movies subscription I had totally no time to watch much in terms of serials. But the Sky subscription is now over and I'm slowly becoming a hermit which means things should come back on track. For example in the past month I had already cleared the last season of Smallville and House.

Smallville has finally ended, and it's quite difficult for me to express how glad I am of that. It was like a dead weight around my viewing schedule, a kind of punishment for being a fan of the time pass that is television. House kind of made up for it this year, even though I felt some of the main story arc was a little against what I was expecting. I'm currently making my way through One Tree Hill, which has now officially taken the place of Smallville as Bane of My Life. Please let it end soon; the next season has been said to be last (and is only 13 episodes to boot), but we've all heard that before.

Otherwise I don't have much else to say regarding last year. Although I had plans to, I decided not to watch An Ordinary Family, Hellcats and Camelot - all three have been axed so I'm glad I didn't invest any time in them. My official backlog now consists of Doctor Who, Family Guy, Glee, Little Mosque and Torchwood. Oh and I've decided to jump on Entourage, The Big Bang Theory and The Wire too, so you can add those to the lists of shows I've yet to start (30 Rock, Community, Dexter, Modern Family and Parks and Recreation).

The new shows I'm looking forward to this year are Archer, Falling Skies, Game of Thrones, Ringer (Sarah Michelle Gellar FTW!), The Event (yes, even though it's been axed), The Killing and The Walking Dead.

And this isn't even a comprehensive list: I have a ton load of BBC documentaries to watch with my dad (Planet Earth, Human Planet and Planet Dinosaur), as well as short stuff like Sherlock and The Inbetweeners to watch. And to top it all off I just decided this morning that I had a craving for Quantum Leap.

Crazy? Well yes, although it's quite interesting how many of these shows are either really old or just started. As such there's no real rush to watch any of them immediately so if anything paradoxically there'll be less for me to watch on a regular basis. Maybe I'll even save the shows I've yet to begin to watch for a later date (if you'll excuse the pun).

Barbecue Season Starts Here

You know how some evenings are just... well, not perfect, but more right? Well tonight was one such evening.

The specifics aren't too important. It was a barbecue hosted by one of the ICSS lot, we were each asked to bring a dish (or raw meat, whatever) and a bottle, and most bizarrely we were given the metatheme of "the decade in which you were born". This meant we had to either dress up as, or alternatively (for the chickens) bring in some stuff from the 60s, 70s or 80s (as was relevant). I won't describe my outfit in too much detail, except to say it involved white socks, black shoes and some Ray-Ban-esque sunglasses. Quite.

Numbers were good; although the crowd was very three schools orientated, there were some out of the fold, and so it was nice to meet new people. The hosts owned and lived in the venue, and so there was no uncles or aunties to be considerate of. The cooking was taken care of by the usual suspects (that is, not me) and so was fantastic (barring the minor ham episode, but the less said about that the better). We even had some home-made desserts to top it all off.

But it was the vibe that stood out; that rare aligning of stars where everyone gets on, the conversation flows without any effort and the logistics just fall into place. In fact, the vibe was almost too good; as much as I myself tried to flit around there just didn't seem like enough time or space to mingle with everyone with the same kind of attention or quality.

Quite amazingly I was there for around seven hours in total; others were there for even longer. I have no idea where such a time scale went. As the night tailed off, the conversation became even more rowdy, silly and, in some places, rude (cough), but in all honesty I reckon we could have carried on for another few hours. No one wanted to leave (well, apart from the fuddy-duddy types) and it took a bit of an effort to finally drag our sorry butts out of there.

If this is a taste to come of this summer's barbecue season then I can't wait.

Bollywood Grooves at Canary Wharf

This evening Bollywood Grooves, a London dance company, put on a free event in Canary Wharf as part of the district's Indian Summer season of events.

The main show consisted of the main troupe dancing to a medley of recent Bollywood hits; Dus, Dhoom, Bunty Aur Babli and Jhoom Barabar Jhoom being amongst the few I can remember. And they were pretty good too: the Company's main instructor Vandana Alimchandani proved that she was well qualified to run a company such as this, while the rest of the gang managed to put on a good show (although I did think that some dancers were really good students rather than not so good professionals).

They had also promised to hold some workshops for those of us wanting to learn a few moves too, and it didn't take me much convincing by a friend to step up and take part with them.

Now, like most people, I reckon I can dance relatively well. Well, I can in my head at least. Still, whether I can or not in reality is largely irrelevant; ever since Bollywood Star I've lost any inhibition I may have stopping me from joining in a bit of a public group boogie, even if it's only on special occasions (like weddings, classes or, yes, reality-show-film-auditions).

The tune we danced to was the title track from Salaam-e-Ishq, which was fortunate for me since I knew the song relatively well. The routine itself wasn't trivial and I messed up on more than one part of it, but on the whole I think I did okay. I do think that I should have stretched a bit beforehand though. Like a friend (whose opinion didn't count for poo since he chose to stick to the sidelines) commented, my back was all I was going to manage to pull this evening with those particular dance moves.

But it was all fun anyway and I had a good time both watching and taking part and watching some more. It probably goes without saying that there was more than one attractive dancer on show, and I can count two distinct occasions when I happened to fall in love with a couple of them. I even got to catch a dance with one of my infatuations during the freestyle Bhangra session at the end; she even treated me further by agreeing to pose for a piccie with me (which you won't find on my Picasa along with the rest of the piccies from the event, here).

Oh man. I've just realised that I've become one of those guys. You know, the ones who get their picture taken with a hot girl at a show whom they're probably never going to see ever again and was probably humouring them anyway.

Sad, I know. But she was hot, so it's all good.

South America, Day One: Santiago

To be honest I was a little anxious about the two weeks I was going to spend in South America. I'm not sure why; perhaps it was how nothing apart from our entry and exit had not been planned, or that I was missing four bank holidays away from friends and family. Perhaps it was a fear of the unknown - this would be my first time in South America and visions of the jungles of Romancing the Stone filled my mind. Perhaps my heart just wasn't in this trip as much as the other destinations I had been to?

I used my usual tactic of ignoring irrational dread, expecting my mood to change once I was on my way. Flying itself doesn't excite me as much as it did as a child - in fact an airplane seat now acts as a kind of psychological trigger to knock me out and I regularly miss take-offs now; that this was a night flight helped too.

Landing an hour early in Sao Paulo in transit for our flight to Santiago I became preoccupied with figuring out what time Fajr was. In what can only be seen as proof of a God listening to my query I met around twenty guys on jamaat, also in transit to Chile; their planned road trip down the length of the country kind of put our stint to shame really. After Fajr jamaat with them I was given the standard jammat missionary talk (to which I had become desensitised to during my teenage years), although it was interesting to find out about second generation Arab Muslims in Chile and the support they needed. All in all I took this encounter as a good sign; that things do fall into place even with the loosest of plans.

After checking into our hotel we decided to hit the tourist trail running. Heading north we took a ride on the funicular on Cerro San Cristobal to Terraza Bellavista to check out the views of Santiago as well as the statue of the Virgen de la Immaculada Concepcion. There was a cable car too, but that seemed to have been closed that day (or perhaps season?).

The rest of the day was spent hanging about Bella Vista, Forest Park and Cerro Santa Lucia in the middle of town which may have just given better views than that what we had this morning. After dinner in Bella Vista we called it a day.


We must have walked miles today and we had soaked up a lot of Santiago's atmosphere already. Still, something was nagging me about the place today; something feels missing. And it wasn't just the lack of hot chicks.