Over the weekend, Mrs FOMOist and I decided that we are going to explore our own backyard and spend the weekend soaking up the London culture. This meant watching a number of movies at home, going out for one and a play as part of the London Vaults Festival. There seem to be a lot of good tele and movies out at the moment and with our busy lifestyle, we needed such a weekend to bring ourselves up-to-speed.
The movies (and the play) we watched reminded me of a 1998 Madonna song which starts with the lyrics “you only see what your eyes want to see”. It sounds obvious, almost rhetorical, but I have always thought of this line as one of the most profound.
The reason why I am telling you about all this? Well, that brings me to Underground at the Vaults. The play is based on two strangers who find each other on a Tindr equivalent, even though they catch the same tube and live around the same area. The play was refreshingly witty with a strong self-reflective tone, without being preachy. I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about it, but I have often said to Mrs FOMOist how I catch the same tube, 5-days a week, at the same time, yet never see the same person twice. Is it because there are too many people in the world or am I just not observant enough? The play was a brilliant portrayal of how small the world has become with technology, getting more and more distant at the same time.
The next thing that had a similar effect was the tear-jerking, gut-wrenching story of a little boy in the movie Room. It was incredible to think that it is possible to limit your world to one room. If you don’t know any different, the feeling of walking on freshly cut, dew-covered grass can be liberating, revolting or pure horror. Now I understand the difference between people like me who want to see and do everything and people who wouldn’t go to the South of River Thames.
Also, no matter how small or humble your home is, there is no such feeling as being home, not just any house, YOUR home, even if it is just a room.
I know the above is just a rant about nothing, but I just wanted to write it for my own sanity.
Confessions of a FOMOist 