Making the case for mediocre experiences
I am going through my photos from a recent summer trip to Florida and London [I know, odd combo. But we were going for muggy as the common theme for this trip]. There are 455 photos and the way it works is that I sit at my computer, filter the 455 photos to a more manageable 250 based on the variety of events and destinations and ensure it has the eye-catchability that is required of album sharing these days. And then I share a more selected few on Facebook while hosting the larger set on Picasa [which, if i am stupid enough to set on a public setting will notify everyone who is 'following' me, flattering as that may feel]. And i realize I am exhausted of superiorizing everything. And if I look at our experiences these days, it strikes me as unnaturally odd that all we seek are superlative experiences. A few samples:
-restaurant reviews are a must for dinners out.
-movie reviews are imperative and needs to impress to suck 2-3 hours of our precious time
-photos must be edited upon clicking, each pose is evaluated right after the shutter clicks to ensure it looks appealing [and if not, another go at it so that we can ensure brilliant poses and smiles].
-childrens products come with motherly seal of approval [my moms club LOVED these toys for their 22 month olds]
whatever happened to good ole mediocre experiences? you know, when you walk into a random hole in the wall and either get a surprise or a shock worth remembering? when you walk into a movie hall and watch a bad movie that you giggled all the way through in your seat coz it was SOO bad? there is a relative measure that is required to help us gauge what is truly a good experience thats memorable. Coz all we are doing is normalizing experiences otherwise, making them all labor-intensive projects even before we embark upon them [reading, comparing reviews].
I vote to make September my mediocre experience month--no reviews for any products purchased, no reviews for any restos visited and watch movies based entirely on randomly chosen traits such as 'he looks cute in the promos'.
Onwards and forward with mediocre experiences!
-restaurant reviews are a must for dinners out.
-movie reviews are imperative and needs to impress to suck 2-3 hours of our precious time
-photos must be edited upon clicking, each pose is evaluated right after the shutter clicks to ensure it looks appealing [and if not, another go at it so that we can ensure brilliant poses and smiles].
-childrens products come with motherly seal of approval [my moms club LOVED these toys for their 22 month olds]
whatever happened to good ole mediocre experiences? you know, when you walk into a random hole in the wall and either get a surprise or a shock worth remembering? when you walk into a movie hall and watch a bad movie that you giggled all the way through in your seat coz it was SOO bad? there is a relative measure that is required to help us gauge what is truly a good experience thats memorable. Coz all we are doing is normalizing experiences otherwise, making them all labor-intensive projects even before we embark upon them [reading, comparing reviews].
I vote to make September my mediocre experience month--no reviews for any products purchased, no reviews for any restos visited and watch movies based entirely on randomly chosen traits such as 'he looks cute in the promos'.
Onwards and forward with mediocre experiences!
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