01.23.09
Soap Opera Weekly: Blogging With Mala
I’ve been a little behind with my soap hopping, so I haven’t tuned into AMC for a few weeks. But judging by the unhappy mail we get, it seems like watching the show is a cross between watching the live feed of an execution and getting a root canal. So, when I offered to pinch hit for our web site’s AMC daily recap today, I seriously questioned my sanity. I was like, “Dude, what am I setting myself up for?” Guess what? I loved the entire episode!
Expecting to see the “evil” Reese plastering herself all over Zach and “traitorous” Bianca waving her “spawn” at him in an effort to keep him from his beloved Kendall, what I saw instead was a Zach who was petrified by his wife’s fragile condition and struggling with his vulnerability. I saw a Reese who platonically kicked his mopey butt into Kendall’s room. And I saw a Bianca who was the St. Binks of the Holy Cross that I’ve always remembered. (Baby Gabrielle didn’t make an appearance at all.)
And guess what? There was other stuff on the show, too. (‘Cause if you go by e-mails and message board posts, you’d think the above storyline is the only thing on.) I didn’t realize that Pete was so darned cute. And Lucy Merriam’s Emma continues to be a total scene stealer. Brot, Taylor, Jake, Amanda, and JR all got a bit of face time to stir their issues around. Then there’s Aidan and Annie at Oak Haven…oh my goodness. Their “As The Air Vent Turns” bonding through the wall almost made me tear up. Yes, I’m that big of a sap. When I spoke to Aiden Turner during Super Soap last year, I remember he said he really liked playing Aidan a little bad, but honestly I love him good. Aidan Devane is an old fashioned soap hero and the few months where he was smacking Annie around and helping fake deaths were months I’m going to pretend didn’t happen. So this Aidan? The one who pressed his palm against the slats of the vent and urged Annie to visualize holding his hand…? Yeah, he’s a keeper!
Kinda makes me wonder, exactly what feed of AMC did I get? ‘Cause it’s sure not the one a lot of fans must be watching!
Maybe I just got lucky? LOL.
originally posted on soapoperaweekly.com
01.18.09
What’s cookin’?
After a brief hiatus from all things culinary, I’m finally getting back on the cooking horse again…as much as I ride, that is. So, to make sure I haven’t turned into a complete idiot, I decided to whip up my Technicolor Dream Rice, which I probably haven’t made in at least six months.
Not bad, right? You can’t quite see that it’s actually a pale yellow color from the turmeric, and lest anyone get squicked, the things that look suspiciously dark and insect-like are actually dried cranberries. The finished product actually tasted quite good… after a little extra salt. I still haven’t mastered the art of casually throwing spices in and getting the amount magically correct. LOL.
I’ve also been tinkering with a mac and cheese recipe. Nothing particularly complicated there, but still a work in progress. Maybe one day I’ll be able to actually foray back into cooking…meat. Gasp.
01.12.09
Soap Opera Weekly: Blogging With Mala
I rave about Y&R for a few reasons in the issue of Weekly that hits stands this week (you’ll have to pick it up and find out why), but that doesn’t necessarily mean the show is pitch perfect. In fact, I have some big ol’ problems with the show at times.
Like…Restless Style is a national magazine, right? So why do the editors think that putting people like Victoria on the cover or doing features about GC residents’ favorite boys (Billy, Cane, Daniel, etc.) would sell issues? I mean, seriously? That’s an incredibly limited market you’re pitching to there: that of those who follow local Wisconsin pseudo-celebs. That’s hardly going to up the sales on a national level. I mean, if I sat around and talked about my personal life in Weekly or I was on the cover, I don’t think a single issue would leave the stands. Except if my mom bought one. LOL. Though maybe that’s what Daniel’s mom, Phyllis, is planning to do to boost sales…buy all the copies herself!
Speaking of Phyllis, I’m having a little trouble mustering up empathy for her “Oh, noes! Sharon’s in New York with my husband!” angst. All her righteous indignation about Nick running back to Sharon would be easier to buy if SHE hadn’t been the “other woman” in Nick and Sharon’s marriage and built a family on the foundation of their wrecked one. Why is it that people who cheat never think it’s going to happen to them? Uh, chances are if somebody strayed before, they’re going to stray again. So now that the shoe is on the other foot for Phyllis, I’m not exactly feeling sorry for her. She literally made her bed and has to lie in it.
Now, mind you, none of the above paragraph means I’ve taken a side in the Great Shick Vs. Phick Debate. I have no opinion whatsoever on who ends up with who because the actors all work so well together. In fact, I enjoy Nick/Sharon/Phyllis/Jack in ANY permutation and wouldn’t care if it somehow ended up Sharon/Phyllis and Nick/Jack!
originally posted on soapoperaweekly.com
01.09.09
Ya gotta have goals.
Not resolutions, mind you. Just goals. 2008 was a very rudderless period for me, and I think a little direction is in order. As such, here are some goals I hope to see to fruition before 2010 rolls around.
1. Take more vacation.
I ended the year with almost 18 days leftover. That’s utterly insane, and probably explains why I was utterly insane. I’m entitled to time off, and it’s necessary for basic decompression! (And I’m already well on my way to making inroads, as I’m taking 2 days off this month, a long weekend in February, and a trip in March.)
2. Finally sign up for improv classes at The PIT or UCB.
I’ve been wanting to do this since I moved to the city, and kept pushing it off and excusing it away, but improv is something I really, really used to enjoy. It’s fun, it’s a great form of creative expression, and it’s something I know I’d be much better at now, at nearly 31, than I was as a spazzy, self-loathing 19-year-old. (But, really, who ISN’T spazzy and self-loathing when they’re 19, right? LOL.) The PIT, especially, has a Level 0 class that’s not too pricey. It’s just good sense to start at the bottom and refresh my memory.
3. Be more culturally active and aware.
I love being Indian-American. I love speaking Bengali, I love that I understand Hindi, and I’m obsessed with Bollywood cinema. Unfortunately, these are all things I tend to relegate to the weekend. I tend to be a bit of a coconut the other five days of the week. It’s time to crack that shell and let the two sides of my life blend together and find some kind of harmony.
4. Take more pictures.
My parents got me a camera for Christmas, and I should start cataloging more of my life for posterity.
5. Be more assertive personally.
This is kind of an all-encompassing goal, because I have a huge, huge tendency to let life just happen to me. I don’t get out there, and I don’t put myself out there in terms of making friends or looking for a partner. I’m not exactly a big believer in The Secret, but there IS wisdom to the idea that you have to put something out into the universe for it to actually become realized. So. Yes. I’m going to quit being such an ostrich and actually risk opening myself up to people and possibilities.
01.06.09
Soap Opera Weekly: Blogging With Mala
Some might say I have a bit of a preoccupation with DAYS OF OUR LIVES’ Philip. What’s not to like? He’s a complex, well-written guy, and he has dimples! But I’m also fixated on him because I’m impressed that DAYS “went there” with the character’s war injuries and gave him a prosthetic leg. Since that initial storyline, which Kyle Brandt played out, Jay Kenneth Johnson has done a great job of remembering to limp on the correct foot. But what DAYS itself sometimes forgets is that an artificial limb isn’t just about a limp and experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq aren’t just footnotes and dogtags worn on a chain.
In real life, people live with disability every day and it impacts them in myriad ways. Why haven’t we seen Phil sit down Stephanie, and talk about what his entails? I don’t recall him mentioning it to Morgan either. He’s practically blasé about it. Wouldn’t it be nice for viewers dealing with similar conditions to see him actively acknowledging his issues and overcoming obstacles on a weekly basis? Back during the February 2008 plane crash arc, Philip and Chloe joked about how it was lucky his prosthetic leg got trapped under wreckage and not his real one, and then he asked her if it was okay if he detached it. With wreckage and snow carefully hiding the fact that Jay Johnson has two working limbs, Philip took off the prosthetic and commenced to fixing it. I appreciated that. It made sense and it reminded viewers of a key part of who he is.
But since then, aside from the limp, we get nary a hint that this is an ongoing issue for Philip. As a viewer, I get that he’s smokin’ hot and rich and charming, but when it comes down to the mechanics of say, SEX, don’t you think a conversation with a ladyfriend about how not all of Philip is as prettily sculpted as his chest is warranted? And it’s something that Stephanie would probably be able to relate to and connect with him over, as her own father is missing an eye and she’s seen what a non-issue that is for Kayla.
I had to laugh at yesterday and today’s episodes, where Philip pulled back from Steph because of his track record with women, because he didn’t want to hurt her, and not because he might have some lingering insecurities about how she’d react to his prosthetic. Even funnier? When Philip vaulted over the footboard of the bed with absolutely no problem.
It would feel so much more organic if the show put aside the “emotionally wounded bad boy” thing for a second and remembered that he lost both his leg and his face in service to his country. And didn’t he also work for the ISA for a bit? There is so much that could be mined from those aspects of his past and so much that those experiences could explain about who he is and why he acts the way he does when it comes to matters of the heart. I’d find that a much more compelling story than the poor little rich boy.
originally posted on soapoperaweekly.com
01.01.09
A new year, a new lesson to learn.
I don’t know what it is about the change from one year to the next that lends itself to navel-gazing, but here I sit, in a pensive state, pondering what I’ve accomplished, what I haven’t accomplished, and what opportunities the year ahead will afford me.
I’m turning 31 in a month. Yep, 2009 marks my 31st year on the planet. I’m officially older than Jay Gatsby was when he died and still a couple away from beating out Jesus. I have a steady job, a good job, in a field that I love. I live in a city that challenges me on a daily basis. I’m infinitely more secure in myself and in a healthier place than I was 12 months ago. I’ve come a long way from that woman mired in darkness and despair, though perhaps not quite far enough.
Last year was the year I discovered Facebook, and thus discovered all the good parts of my past that I nearly tossed out with the parts I don’t like to remember. I’ve reconnected with so many old acquaintances from elementary school all the way to college, from the Indian community to a place where I’ll always come “full Circle.” And I’ve been able to reconcile the awkward, spastic girl I was during most of those times with the person I’ve become.
I experienced some of my most trying professional times last year, as well as some of my biggest professional highs. I worked my ass off through it all, and that’s sometime I can be proud of.
2008 was also the year where I moved back to Queens, accepting that sometimes practicality really does outweigh the glamour of living in Manhattan.
Each year that goes by, I grow more comfortable in my own skin, I carve out another little niche for myself and my life, and I learn something.
So what am I going to learn in 2009? I don’t know. To trust? To love? To make guacamole from scratch?
I’ve got 12 months to find out.
