I am not really a Tarantino fan. I know that his treatments are cutting-edge, and that he is loved and respected for such. I am, however, a CSI fan (if you couldn't tell already). I have literally watched every episode since its launch. And that season 5 ender left me disturbed.

I was sitting comfortably in a sofa, eyes glued to the TV set. I even watched the commercials (God, even that Cream-O desecration of CSI and that poorly scored Innova ad). I could feel some palpitations. It was a tense episode, the whole team helpless and naked of evidence. It was a good plot - the suspense of having a lead as the victim just sends your brain to the panicked world of what-ifs. What's also good is that each character was given a critical role in the case, even Hodges and Archie. But still, Grissom (of course) rules. Reading raving reviews online this morning, I found out that the episode was filled with allusions to other shows and to Tarantino's previous work (I couldn't tell). The reviews also provide a deeper analysis on the symbolisms and whys of the episode - greatly appreciated.

But - so what really disturbed me. Note that I am not on analysis mode. Knee-jerk reaction while watching - impatience. There were scenes that I felt that were not needed. The episode was all about the essence of time. Yet I felt things were belabored. I did not need to see a whole sequence establishing two dirty old men with Sam Braun to likewise establish his dirtiness. There were shots that just lingered a wee bit too long. More lingering and it could have passed for a Filipino Telenovela. And why was that orchard chosen? What made it the orchard? Not to say that the episode wasn't suspenseful though. These are just nits (and I'm picking on them - mark of an account manager).

And the biggest nit of all for me - that mega allusion to Kill Bill. The black and white showcase of morbidity. I later on rationalized that Nick's delusional state could be license enough for such treatment. But it came so late in the game that it was like a mushroom sprouting out of nowhere. I felt that it was so un-CSI. Maybe if there were little mushrooms (i.e. an installment of that delusional morbid treatment) sprouting out earlier so when the big mushroom comes, it wouldn't be as jarring. Well, that's just me. Again, I'm not a really Tarantino fan. It may be biased opinion.

But still, I love Grissom. That ant thing was just classic.

I am so excited, I cannot explain it. The giddy shaking of self at the very thought of it is totally taking over me. I am close to convulsing. For once, the craving for Congo Grill's sisig is taking a backseat. I absolutely love this show. No other spin-off could even come close to the clippings of this show's toenails (if it did have nails).

And I love Grissom. Sigh.

I'm getting close to that time of the month again. Because of which, I am absolutely craving for food. Chips and I have a list of restos that we miss or have yet to try out. I am pressuring him to take me to all of them. But okay, I won't be a meanie to his credit card - to most of them.

1. Sisig at Congo Grill - it's the crunchy crispy kind. Oooh yummy. This is of highest priority.
2. Shawarma from Food Channel - all beef with cheese.
3. Marios Kitchen - heard that they have this dish with a whole lotta meat and mashed potatoes.
4. Brazil Brazil - overflowing grilled stuff. Salivating.
5. Chicken Wings at Don Henricos - we just miss it.
6. A hotel breakfast buffet - bacooonnn!!! I sure hope we do this soon.

I need to get my eyes re-checked (totally unrelated to PMS or food, I know). It's getting blurry-er. I watched the PBT's staging of Swan Lake last Saturday. My sister was part of the Cygnets (bravo!!!) and I couldn't tell which of the four swans was her. I had to constantly ask Chips to point her out to me. I think my poor eyesight also led me to believe that the Jester wasn't that bad (okay, he sucked majorly in the opening scene but I thought that he somewhat redeemed himself somewhere in the middle). I couldn't even tell that the black swan and Odette was being played by the same person. And I'm already seated just 11 rows from the stage. And yes, I drive at night with this kind of eyesight.

I'm finished. Last night, or should I say this morning, it ended. Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code. I was trying so hard to stop myself from reading it all in one sitting. Okay so I did it in two. Not exactly meeting the objective of having slow, savory dosages. Why do I read so fast? Why? Dangit. And why do I have to be such a sucker for facts and trivial historical tidbits. Ayan tuloy.

I'd have to say that it was a brilliant book - because of the research put behind it. In terms of writing, well, I don't know. I was quite giddy-happy with the data dump. There were some parts that I thought would be better off unwritten or at least not belabored. There were parts that I really enjoyed reading (and visualizing). And then it came to end... What? This is it? It's over? That's the ending? I could not accept that that was the last page. Even when the next page was already the back end of the paperback. Okay, fine tapus na.

This is my favorite line (no offense to Parisians): "Symbologists often remarked that France - a country renowned for machismo, womanizing, and diminutive insecure leaders like Napoleon and Pepin the Short - could not have chosen a more apt national emblem than a thousand-foot phallus." It was just too sarcastic to overlook.

So for the rest of the day, I obsessed about researching for and validating the facts. I've surfed through the official website. I've looked at close-ups and close-ups of Da Vinci's art. Now I'm browsing through my boss' illustrated version of the book.

Okay. So now what.

Next book (which is till to be determined).
But damn I hate it when a good book ends.

Because Asphaire and Animal so beautifully tagged me, here is the fruit of my stalling brain's labor. I thought that answering these would be simple. Harumph. Wrong. Not at all. Not to say that it wasn't fun though. So anyway, here we go. Tada!

Names you go by
1. Anna
2. Fozzy
3. Foz

3 screen names you have had
1. kaische
2. dezphaire
3. anna^foz

3 physical things you like about yourself
1. eyes
2. hair
3. nails

3 physical things you don't like about yourself
1. hips - they increase the impossibility of finding a perfect dress
2. teeth - they're waaay too big for my jaw's own good
3. vision - as in i'm on the road to becoming legally blind

3 parts of your heritage
1. Filipino (mostly)
2. Spanish
3. Chinese

3 things that scare you
1. Butterflies
2. Drowning
3. People plotting against you

3 of your everyday essentials (3 C's)
1. Coffee
2. Contact lenses
3. Chips (if not being with, at least talking to)

3 of your favorite musical artists
1. Tori Amos
2. Lenny Kravitz
3. Does Andrew Lloyd Weber count?

3 of your favorites
1. Gethsemane - from Jesus Christ Superstar
2. Sad but True - Metallica
3. Amber Waves - Tori Amos

3 things you want in a relationship
1. Trust. Goes hand in hand with honesty. Because you'd never have the feeling that you'd have to hide or lie or make accusations about anything.
2. Not running out of things to talk about. Not getting bored with each other.
3. Contentment. It's that deep sigh of joy you release when you're in each other's arms.

3 lies and truths in no particular order
Lies:
1. I'm not afraid of gore.
2. "Everything will be okay" (I hate this line but it makes everyone warm and fuzzy anyway)
3. I can bike. For the lack of any better lie.
Truths:
1. The other lane is always faster.
2. I suck at math. It doesn't take long to figure this out.
3. Assume nothing (thanks Grissom).

3 physical things about the opposite sex that appeals to you
1. An angled face i.e. cheekbones, jaw, cleft chin. No baby faces.
2. Height. He should aesthetically be taller than me even if I'm in heels.
3. Defined body. I do not want a surfboard with nipples.

3 of your favorite hobbies
1. Writing.
2. Reading.
3. CSI.

3 things you want to do really badly now
1. Go back to a beach.
2. Go shopping.
3. Finish reading my book.

3 careers you're considering/you've considered
1. Marketing for a better company/brand.
2. Be part of the Discovery Channel (longshot).
3. Doing nothing (right).

3 places you want to go on vacation
1. Cambodia or Vietnam
2. China
3. Bora-bora

3 kid's names you like
1. Lucia
2. Joaquin
3. Gavin

3 things you want to do before you die
1. Go to Six Flags and ride everything.
2. Have a nice happy family.
3. Own Manolo Blahniks.

3 ways that you are stereotypically a boy
1. I eat a lot of meat. Steak? Bring it on. With lots of gravy.
2. I hog the remote and switch channels like crazy.
3. I don't like talking about problems.

3 ways that you are stereotypically a girl
1. I love shoes (more so if they have heels) and the shopping of them.
2. I shriek at the sight of bugs (butterflies especially).
3. I manipulate. Chips is mostly the victim of this hehe.

3 celebrity crushes
1. Keanu Reeves
2. Christian Bale
3. Ewan Magregor

3 people that i would like to see take this quiz
1. Apester.
2. My sister.
3. Nio.

Mush Alert. This thing called love makes you appreciate even the siliest things. Like this totally irrelevant and bewildering conversation that happened on the way to work this morning:

"Hun, who's that artist who sang the new version of Tsinelas*?"
Chips thinks. "There's an old one and a new one right."
Uh. That's what I said. "Yeah. The original one is by Yano."
"Ah, yes."
"Who sang that new version?"
"The new version is the one that's medyo reggae."
"Ya who sang that." Are we even going anywhere here.
Chips struggles to think about the question. "Argh, sino na nga yun"
I rattle my brain. I'm OC about these things.
He then has what seems to be the answer. "It's that guy..."
The at-the-tip-of-the-tongue feeling. Hate that.
"He's the guy with the lisp."
I look at him blankly.
"He can't pronounce his S's right." And he goes on to sing - "Mang kulath, pabili nga ng thinelath."
I just let out a half-breed of a sigh and a defeated laugh as he continues with the song:
"Pudpod na at gath-gath, baka papigtath..."
"Hun, I need the name of the artist, not the type of disfunction he has."
He laughs inspite of himself. "I love you."
I laugh, that tone-deaf lisped rendition still ringing in my ears. "Love you too."

*Tsinelas means slippers. The song is basically about a guy who needs to buy new slippers (from Mang Kulas) because his old ones are already extremely worn out.

Greenhills. It is the work of the devil. It is where tempters abound. And I am a victim! A sinner, purchasing more than I should. I was supposed to just get a black polo shirt (ala Lacoste). After accomplishing this, we move on to search for a Sony Clie charger, since Chips lost his. Here the tempters from the kingdom of computer geek-ness beckon. I end up buying an Adobe Photoshop CS installer. I also realize that this is a perfect place to haggle for a flashdrive. Which I end up buying too. A 256MB flashdrive at a (good) price of 1,200 Php with a 1 year warranty. Not bad. But bad for the wallet. Bad Fozzy, bad.

Chips didn't get to find a charger compatible with his Clie. His wallet is saved. I, on the other hand, succumed once again. Army green cropped pants. It comes with a gold sash as a belt. I picked it out from the rack and showed it to Chips - "Hun, isn't it cute?" And he actually provoked the purchase with this line - "Yeah, why don't you try it on?" So I thought, yeah, no harm in trying it on right? I anyway had the mindset that I had enough purchasing. NOT! The pants fit oh-so purrrfectly! I blame Chips for this. He said they fit really nice when I asked him. He seconded the motion! It's his fault! The devil conspired with him!

Who am I kidding.

I am so close to losing my ability to smell (plus breathe) and taste. My nose has been clogged for the past three days and I've been coughing up a storm almost every five seconds. My eyes have this certain feeling that they're always tired and sleepy. There are three things that I am very grateful that existed, given that I pretty much couldn't do anything.

My fluffy pillow. Just love having something to cuddle. Even if you're in a bed that's been unmade for three days. It makes everything seem so much better.

Medicine. Namely Biogesic, Loviscol and a whole lotta Vitamin C. Also my new best friend, Ben Gay. Just see my frustration here: my body hurts and I would have loved to get a massage. But since I am sick, I am discouraged to get a massage. Argh. So much pain. So much agony. So I just cuddle my fluffy pillow and not move.

CSI. I am all done with CSI Las Vegas. And since we couldn't return disc 8, I will just have to wait for the season ender like all the rest of the population. I spent the entire weekend watching the first season of CSI New York. And I must say, they did a pretty good job. So much better than Miami. The people had much more character, much less annoyance factor, and the cases are pretty interesting too. I think they should scrap Miami. The forensic world could do very well without the know-it-all Horatio and that irritating blonde.

Oh and the other good thing about being sick... I got to skip work yesterday. Milestone.

A massage. A good one to take out knots and knots of stress in my back and neck.

A good dinner. Preferable something that involves gravy and bacon. And Haagen Daz (in Macadamia Nut) for dessert.

Maybe a new pair of shoes. My gold flats are busted. Or matte gold heels. Because I only have shiny gold heels. That's reason enough, I think.

Time to finish a book.

An undamaged disc 8 of CSI Las Vegas Season 5. Unfortunately, the last disc in my box-set misses the season ender. Of all episodes. The thought that it's unswitchable (because it's a box-set) sucks big time.

A gold belt. Because the new gold flats or matte gold heels will need a new gold belt.

A nice long shower. Or a nice long weekend at the beach.

Good sleep. The type that goes on until 2 in the afternoon (or later).

It is peculiar how we know that men amaze themselves with details about bodily pleasures and their mechanics. And yet when faced with women talking openly about the use of tampons (which really do have the same mechanics as what they, you know, do) - they are flabberghasted and turn their faces into a quirky combination of bewilderment bordering on disgust.

So peculiar that it's hilarious.