TV

I know you probably spent a good chunk of your childhood and adolescence being told by most authority figures that TV=Satan, that 'scientific studies' proved it significantly reduced your intelligence, that it promotes violent and promiscuous behaviour...bla, bla bla. Truth be told, many valuable lessons have been handed to me through TV. For real. So don't tell me all my long hours sitting in front of that magical box have been in vain, OK?!

Last week, I watched the season finale of Gossip Girl, my favorite TV series of all times. And the most deliciously-evil character ever, Chuck Bass, pronounced these words: 'there's a difference between a great love and the right love.' Don't know if any of you lovely readers are GG fans, but the backstory to this phrase is that Blair is about to marry this prince, and Chuck tries to stop her. After a series of events, she ends up caving, and decides to dump Louis (her prince) for Chuck:

Blair: “I should find Louis and tell him it’s over.”
Chuck: “If that’s what you want.”
Blair: “It’s the right thing to do.”
Chuck: “You really love him, don’t you?”
Blair: “Yes, but not like I love you. Louis and I, it’s different. It’s lighter. More simple. He makes me happy.”
Chuck: “And I don’t.”
Blair: “What we have is a great love. It’s complicated. Intense. All-consuming. No matter what we do and how much we fight, it’ll always pull us in. What’s mere happiness in the face of all that? Right?”

At this point, I was confused. I must admit I was one of the hoards of Blair/Chuck shipppers, waiting all season and begging for divine intervention to get these two together at last. But after these words, I wasn't so sure. I mean sure, we all want great love (especially cheesy, into-1950's romance like me), but shouldn't we take a page out of Juliet's book and learn that many times, with great love comes not happiness but tragedy? The next scene seemed to confirm my thoughts exactly: just when Blair is about to tell Louis they are through, Chuck cuts her off and instead congratulates Louis for their engagement, telling him he is truly happy for the two of them. And when Blair demands an explanation, he simply says:

Chuck: “There’s a difference between a great love and the right love. I left the Empire State building last year after 2 minutes when you didn’t show. Louis waited all night. This is your chance at happiness. You think you shouldn’t want it because you’ve never had it, and it scares you. But you deserve your fairytale.”

Chuck: “Don’t let anyone tell you you’re not powerful. You’re the most powerful woman I know.”
Blair: “It’s taking all the power I have to walk away from you.”
Chuck: “I know. But I need to let you go. You need to let go.”
Blair: “I will always love you.”
Chuck: “I will always love you.”

Woah. Talk about a 360° turn. After staring at my screen in confusion, I finally managed to wrap my head around the main idea, and as always, found a way to relate this all to my own life. Because you all know I simply love to find ways to relate completely unrelated stuff to what is going on with me. Leaving aside the whole cheesy-ness of the general idea and the fact that there's a prince (an actual Prince William-like figure) involved which should make it all beyond the unrealistic limits, I think it's true. We all tend to imagine that the great things in our life are worth keeping, doesn't matter if they are complicated, rollercoaster-like and make us suffer. Actually, we think it's normal to suffer intense pain, we think that the more suffering is required, the grander the whole thing is. This idea doesn't just aply to love, it can be extended to any area you like.

So, is this really so? Should we hang on to the complicated, to the painful, to the intense, to the hardships, just because it will make out story so much more grand and tragic? Should we ditch what makes us happy, because it's too simple, too easy? Yeah, I don't think so. We only get one shot at this people, why should we make our life even more complicated than it already is? We were sold this shitty story that amazing love is only the Rome & Juliet kind, that great success comes only from all work and no play, and that life is just all about pain. I say it's not. I say we can all the enjoy the simple, the uncomplicated, whatever makes us truly happy, without destroying you. Do like Chuck, and try to focus on what brings out the light in you and in the people around you, not the dark.

/rant

fearless

Change is good, I suppose. Up until now, I've always sort of resented change, thinking it was destiny's whimsical way of screwing up with my life just when I had finally learned to deal with the latest thing thrown straight at my face. But apparently, change can be good too. Many things are changing in my life right now, and it has all been pretty fab. I have FINALLY landed a job (an actual job, not the enslavement I did in the past with all work and no pay), I'm moving in to my own apartment (yes, ladies and gentlemen, it is MY apartment, since I'm paying for a third of the rent) and cute men just keep popping out of nowhere. So yeah, life's good. Maybe that's why I have had such a long writer's block, I have nothing to rant about. I really need to become a better writer, one that can write the same funny posts even when she's not nearly blacking out with rage or about to slit her wrists from depression. I'll attempt to whip out some extra-hilarious posts this summer, pinky promise!!!