TV at night

Its the end of an era.
Josh has been bugging me to get rid of my television set. Even I am inclined to agree. Its 10 years old, and the way technology is going, this TV set has to be a dinosaur. But everytime I try I just cant bring myself to take it out of its rightful position in my room, let alone dump it in the trash or by the roadside.




Flashback 10 years ago to 2002. I normally do not like to talk about the past, especially the bad times, but for this I will make an exception.

I just turned 16, and had just arrived in Australia as an international student, living in a hostel by myself. It was initially very lonely as I did not know many people (okay, anyone other than my rellies). Nights were almost unbearable because even though I tried I could not sleep, my mind would keep churning away...
In my 2nd or 3rd week living at the hostel I befriended this guy living downstairs, cant even remember his name. What is significant is that he had 2 television sets in his small dorm room. Yes, they took up nearly his whole desk. 2 TVS!!! He told me that the reason he had them was to occupy his mind while he slept so he wouldnt think too much and also abit of background noise while he went about his ways never hurt anyone. He was looking to get rid of one as he had no need for it any longer. Without hesitation I bought the 2nd TV off him for $100 and never looked back since!!

Bliss! No more thinking, I could just tune out to any programs, be it good or bad, especially at 2am! This same TV set has been with me since then. Throughout my 10 years in Australia.

I admit this has left a lasting impact on me, before I married Josh I always needed to have a TV in my bedroom because of the noise. When I was housemates with Joy even she commented on what a TV addict I was, because the TV was almost always on. The truth was that half the time I wasnt watching, just having the TV for comfort. The only drawbacks were the electricity bill and also im sure I could have gotten better results if I didnt have the TV at night, but I didnt care!!

Its only recently that I realised that I have no real need for the TV at night anymore - Josh is there for comfort and I can listen to his snoring if I really cant sleep. Besides, we do have a monitor that we hook up to the laptop to watch DVDs and TV if we really want (and do).

So this morning I unplugged it. Suffice to say its left a gaping hole in the room (check out the dust gathered!!)


The TV will be given to Josh to do what he wishes with it (ie, dump it). I guess its the end of an era. In a way it is fitting, because here I am ready to start a new university course as a full time student, once again.
I still cannot bring myself to do it.