The case of the missing Grissom

I love CSI…and I never tire of declaring this.

This past long weekend, my kapatids found ourselves watching CSI Season 11. I recently purchased a pirated copy and was disappointed that it only has 15 episodes instead of 22.

But we enjoyed the stretch nonetheless. With a lot of interesting crimes that involved bombs, latex-wearing serial killer, wolves vs. vampires and a lot more of a psycho serial killer, the season was the bomb! (pun intended)

But something still doesn’t feel right. I’m having a bad case of missing Grissom, more than Sarah does. Grissom and his wise words, and his exasperation on unsolved cases; his intensity and the love for bugs

He is, after all, the “father” of CSI. He was the uncool hero. The uncool hero who doubles as a nerd and possesses a weird, but sometimes, acceptable outlook in life.

He was the original thinking man of CSI.

I’ve read recently that Laurence Fishbourne, the actor who replaced Grissom, would not return next season and it got me hoping that maybe, MAYBE Grissom can come back.

But that would mean a lot of complications to the team. Catherine has replaced him, even overtook his office. Catherine’s position is now Nick’s, so is her office. A lot of adjustments if you ask me, but the most intriguing would be his marriage with Sarah.

Would Ecklie allow them to work together in a team or would Sarah have to be carried on another team? Or Grissom could replace Ecklie? But that would only mean that he will see less action on their cases.

I wish he never left. I wonder what his views would be regarding the cases he missed. Dr. Jekyll, Squeegel, Justin Bieber’s Jason McCann…the possibilities are endless.

I miss him. 

Come back Grissom, and don’t forget to bring back that “bug-loving” swag of yours.

STILL GOT IT WRONG.

Guess I spoke sooner than I ought to.

But seriously, who cares?! Miami Heat was beat by the Dallas Mavericks in six games!

Take that LBJ!
I wonder if LBJ will end up just like John Stockton and Karl Malone, two of the "Ring-Less" basketball greats.

But let's see, maybe I am speaking too soon again.

So that's bye bye NBA for now and hello PBA!

Ginebra won last night. :)

ADELE-ightful choice of music

Music is my constant weapon.

Whenever I am happy, I belt out a song, without even bothering the tonal quality of my voice.

Whenever I am mad, I sing Tagalog-staples-of-hate song.

And whenever I am sad, I drown myself with songs and lyrics of loneliness and heartaches.

And so, I am picky with my playlist. A song on my playlist can last as long as a year. I remember obsessing over Sarah Bareilles’ songs in 2009, Katharine Mcphee’s in 2010 and now, I am all over Adele.

I cannot even remember how it all started. I was a fan of Chasing Pavements when it was first released a couple of years back, and upon learning of her new album, I was curious of the songs she has in stored.

First of the tracks that I listened to was Rolling in the deep, and upon watching it on Glee, I also tracked Turning Tables.

These two songs started to get my “LSS” mode on. I couldn’t stop singing it in my head. Then I started looking for other songs on her album 21, and from there, I came across the song Someone like you, Don’t you remember, Set fire to the rain and Rumor has it. Just recently, I also got to listen to her song Take it all and her version of The Cure’s Lovesong. All these songs have been well documented on my Tumblr account and some of my friends have been fans too.

Mia and I even wanted to start a campaign for Adele lovers through Adele-icious.

Adele describes her songs as “heartbreak soul”, as most of the tracks in her recent album are centered to her personal heartaches.

I am a fan, and people might say that this obsession can be a fad as her album is scorching hot at the charts, but as you have noticed, among her songs in the said album, only 3 has been played at the airwaves. I really admire most of her songs and I think that some of it was not at par.

I don’t go all-out Adele with banners and posters and every what-nots around there. I am a fan of her heartbreaks and how she deals with it through her songwriting.

Really, I am a fan.

MOCHI MOCHI Anone!

Traditional mochi is a Japanese rice cake made with glutinous rice. Polished glutinous rice is washed then cooked, after which, it’s pounded to make the pliable, moldable mochi. A special kind of mochi called daifuku has various sweet fillings, like anko (red bean paste). It is then rolled into a soft ball, then dusted with cornstarch so they won’t stick. 

 I have been a fan of mochi since I started obsessing with froyos (frozen yogurt). I would always have almond mochi or strawberry mochi as topping for my froyo. It was just recently that I started to eat the real thing. I was in Binondo, Manila when I first saw a rack full of flavored mochi goodness! I started with ube, mocha and banana at first. Then with the pandan and chocolate varieties. Later on, melon and choco-orange mochis were also at hand at the Eng Bee Tin shop. I was in love with the ube and chocolate mochi.

I also got to try Polland's own version of mochi and it was ok too. My bestfriend Mia, who was also a fan of the chewy goodness that's mochi, always gets a pack or two from me when she was still working in Makati. But now that she's been out there in QC, I buy mochi only for me. I have also tried their mochipia, which is a genius combination of mochi and the all-time favorite hopia.

 My boss knew of my obsession with mochi, and so from her recent trip to Taiwan, she brought me this:

I can't wait to try this!
*giggles*

BITTERSWEET

I was given a copy of the book, The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold.

I was hesitant at first because the book has no recall whatsoever, aside from the fact that it has been materialized in a movie in 2009.

I have the right to hold judgment as I have bought random books that turned out to be a waste of time and money. Horrible finds.

But then I gave it a try, and boy I made a right decision. It was an awesome read.

I just finished reading the book last night and the euphoria of how I managed to get through this melodramatic book still hugs me like a mother does to her child. It was hard to find the right words to explain the whole book and yet, it came to my head swiftly. BITTERSWEET.

Susie Salmon is fourteen then when she was raped and murdered by the most unlikely suspect in their neighborhood. With the end to her life is the beginning for her family and the people around her. The whole family; Jack, Abigail, Lyndsey, Buckley and even Grandma Lynn as well as two people she has last made connection with on Earth; Ray and Ruth.

To her, watching their every struggle to move on from her death and finding happiness eventually was both bitter and sweet. For in their sadness, she felt missed and in their happiness, she has been missed.

Susie was just starting to live her dreams when a man took it away from her. The only refuge to her desperation is seeing Lyndsey grow better in time. Sisters do quarrel a lot. They seek attention; they compete on anything especially for the affection of their parents. But no matter how hard they pull each other’s hair, or say the harshest words at each other, sisters have a special bond that even your bestest friend cannot give.

The way Susie watched over Lyndsey and how proud she felt for her, breaks the barriers of their sisterhood rivalry. Susie might have been stuck on her 14 year old self, but her heart and her head grew to a woman, to the big sister she’s supposed to be.

Being apart makes love grow deeper. This was true in the case of Jack and Abigail, Susie's parents. I guess their fallout was not entirely caused by Susie's death. It was in the intent to break out from the routine of their family ties with Abigail, and Jack's intent to keep everything to a whole new routine. It's in these intentions that they collided and sought refuge in someone else. Len and her dreams for Abigail, and their kids for Jack.

It may have ended nicely for them, but I am still unconvinced with Abigail, because if not for Jack's heart failure, will she ever return to her family?

And who says young love doesn't last? I am dumbfounded by Sam Heckler's eternal love for Lyndsey. He and his brother, Hal, has been a great help to the Salmons. I could not wait to find such great men in my life. :P

Sam had to endure college for Lyndsey. That really sealed the deal with them. As for Ray and Susie, time and separation is nothing to their love. Years after Susie's death and they still yearn for each other. Though Ruth has been a great friend for Ray, his heart never forgot the girl that she wanted to be the "moor" for. 

I found Buckley to be such a sweet kid, and I feel the pain in his innocence to deal with Susie's death and their mother's departure. And I feel for him as well after seeing his mother who has abandoned them for eight years. 

Grandma Lynn served to be the calming force in the family, amidst her loud statements and vague views in life. I actually liked her.

As for George Harvey, the murderer, every serial killer has a mental incapacity or emotional tortures from the past that are too hard to bear. Watching CSI made me realize that not all serial killers are just psychos and bloodthirsty individuals. They sometimes have a story to tell or a mistake to realize. Their satisfaction will never be enough, hence their serial crimes. He is a sick man though. 

It may seem like a typical family story, but nothing is typical with a family story seen through and narrated from a dead girl in her own heaven.

Now that is another topic.