When we were young(I am talking about 80s-90s here), there was no internet (or if it did exist, it wasn't for everyone). Cable TV was there, but again, its not accessible to everyone. In terms of TV entertainment, we rely on local channels. We have an option to probably go to a movie house, but since we were young and still studying, going to movie house could be quite troublesome and expensive.
One way to catch up with what's going on in the international entertainment industry (well, mostly American) is through renting or "borrowing" movies/series in a now would be extinct or is already extinct(?) - video rental stores.
At that time,there were no Blue ray DVDs of course.. We catch up by renting betamax or VHS tapes :D In a typical home, you would usually see a Betamax/VHS player and a tape rewinder below the TV set.
Video rental stores were a booming business at that time. All you need is to register your name, telephone and address and bring some identification and Voila! You can rent a VHS tape for N no of days for a fee (and an additional fee when you bring them back late).
Going to a video rental store is like going to a candy store for entertainment fans(like me)! There are so many movies to choose from and you can physically see the tapes lined up per genre. I can stay there for hours :D Sometimes if you are looking for a particular one and its being rented out - you sign up for a waiting list :)
When I was a young girl, it was my brother who frequently goes there and would bring me with him sometimes. He would rent around 3 tapes and we'd watch it with the rest of the family on a weekend :) Its a good bonding experience, actually. I remember I got familiarized at the time with WWF (wresting) because my brother rents WWF series as well.
When I came here to Singapore, around 10 years ago, there were still some DVD rental stores(graduate na from VHS). I would go there on a weekend and and borrow up to 7 tapes for a movie marathon usually with my housemate. Every time I do this - I consider it a weekend well spent.
I miss these times - when we gather family or friends around and then watch a movie/series together since there's a deadline to beat (of course who wants to pay for late fees). The fact that its not too accessible, unlike now that we can watch anything we want on our smartphones/computers via youtube, netflix, torrent?! , it becomes special :)
Any memories you wanna share?
One way to catch up with what's going on in the international entertainment industry (well, mostly American) is through renting or "borrowing" movies/series in a now would be extinct or is already extinct(?) - video rental stores.
At that time,there were no Blue ray DVDs of course.. We catch up by renting betamax or VHS tapes :D In a typical home, you would usually see a Betamax/VHS player and a tape rewinder below the TV set.
Video rental stores were a booming business at that time. All you need is to register your name, telephone and address and bring some identification and Voila! You can rent a VHS tape for N no of days for a fee (and an additional fee when you bring them back late).
Going to a video rental store is like going to a candy store for entertainment fans(like me)! There are so many movies to choose from and you can physically see the tapes lined up per genre. I can stay there for hours :D Sometimes if you are looking for a particular one and its being rented out - you sign up for a waiting list :)
When I was a young girl, it was my brother who frequently goes there and would bring me with him sometimes. He would rent around 3 tapes and we'd watch it with the rest of the family on a weekend :) Its a good bonding experience, actually. I remember I got familiarized at the time with WWF (wresting) because my brother rents WWF series as well.
When I came here to Singapore, around 10 years ago, there were still some DVD rental stores(graduate na from VHS). I would go there on a weekend and and borrow up to 7 tapes for a movie marathon usually with my housemate. Every time I do this - I consider it a weekend well spent.
I miss these times - when we gather family or friends around and then watch a movie/series together since there's a deadline to beat (of course who wants to pay for late fees). The fact that its not too accessible, unlike now that we can watch anything we want on our smartphones/computers via youtube, netflix, torrent?! , it becomes special :)
Any memories you wanna share?