In the voyeuristic name of Big Brother

I did something stupid last night. I slept at 01:30. Yes in the morning. I tried to tear my eyes away from the Big Brother housemates but I couldn't, I think I may need help.

I've heard all the arguments, "reality TV isn't mentally stimulating", "reality TV isn't even real", "why would you want to watch people just sit around and talk?" and I have an answer everytime! Reality TV does stimulate my mind maybe not as much as reading a book would but stimulation does indeed take place when I indulge in my not-so-guilty pleasure. It's not real, what is?! Reality itself is perception, when I tell you something that I am sure beyond a shadow of a doubt is real someone else could come and tell you the opposite angle of the very same story and both versions are still true. Perception. And as far as watching people sit around and talk, that's exactly why I love the show. We live in a culture that has allowed us to drift further and further away from personal interaction. We have emails, cellphones, Skype, Facebook, Twitter, blogs so many of these things that we use to communicate as opposed to just talking to each other. I find myself wondering how I'd fare if I were stripped of my phone, computer, TV, radio, books, newspapers and I just had to rely on the people sharing my living space to entertain me. Fascinating social experiment.

I love the housemates, the interactions at the moment can be likened to walking on a "kind" landmine - it hasn't decided to blow yet but you know it will. There are too many strong personalities in the house. Here are my impressions and wishes for the season.

Impressions
Lerato: She's hilarious. I get the feeling that she's struggled to click with the housemates in the first 2 days (which I grant is very early) so she stuck to the devil she knows, Meryl. I like Lerato because she's smart and funny and I'm looking forward to watching her this season because I missed her last time.

Meryl: She's so provocative and I haven't quite made up my mind about her.

Yacob: Very intelligent and my sister's are adamant that he's a snake and such a gossip. I've never watched him so I like him.

Mwisho: I didn't like him when he came in because I couldn't figure him out and kinda like his inverted mohawk he's growing on me.

Wishes:
I would love for some love to take place in the house, Jen and Uti would be the cutest BBA couple ever!!! Lerato seems to be crushing on Mwisho, they'd also make a interesting pair. Sheila and Hannington/yacob and Meryl and Munya. Please Big Brother deities make it happen.

Jen and Uti

Having said all that, sleeping at 01:30 has not been one of my brightest ideas. I woke up feeling like I'd just been run over by a bus and I still had to get on that same damn bus! Not a good day. My fear as I sit here is that today will be a repeat performance, pray with me not to let it happen.

Enlightened

I'm working as a secretary at this engineering consultancy company and I am having a serious problem. I work with a good group of people, except for this one poor misguided soul who thinks because I work as a secretary that is all I am. I'm sure he'd be crushed if he heard that I'm a graduate.

My problem with this man is not so much how he treats me but his narrow-mindedness. He judges people by their stations in life, a whole grown man, someones WHOLE father is going to pass on that superiority complex onto his children. It's tragic to watch how he deals with the people he perceives to be beneath him, it's also very enlightening.

One of my virtues is tolerance of other people, be it sexual orientation, religious beliefs (or lack thereof), race, gender you name it. I'm too educated to be judgemental, I need more than the colour of your skin, the level of your job or the name of your God to make a complete perusal of someone.

What today made me realise though is that my mind works very differently to other minds...not better, not worse, just different.