The loves of my life

When it comes to the things I love I’m very dedicated. In fact, on many occasions one may even say I’m loyal to a fault. But, that’s just really the way I am. I guess I’m just passionate about things that move me, people that move me. As for other things in life – material things – I can also be very passionate about them as well. I’m not one to hide my opinion of something once I’ve grown to love it. Which brings me to my current points of happiness and recent obsessions. These are some of the things that I’m totally loving now:

1) Caleb Carr. I’m always on the lookout for authors that can excite and move me. As I find I have less time to read than I used to, a novel will really have to pull me in to get me to finish it. Caleb Carr writes books that do just that. Though I read two of his novels backwards (meaning the newer one first) they both drew me into a new and exciting world that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I am talking about The Alienist and The Angel of Darkness – two novels that are about crime and intrigue and revolve around the psychological practices of one Dr. Laszlo Kreizler and his colleagues as they try to solve crimes that are shocking the very fabric of turn of the century New York. Born and raised in Manhattan and the Lower East Side, Carr remembers a New York that is as black and sinful as the darkest night, full of gaming halls and saloons and corrupt cops and murderers the likes of John Beecham and Libby Hatch.

It’s incredible how Dr. Kreizler’s motley crew of private investigators – a group which include his journalist friend Mr. Moore, two NYPD detectives worlds beyond their time, a frustrated female P.I. and his valet Cyrus Montrose and young ward pickpocket-turned-student named Stevepipe – put together the random clues and thoughts that no one else even thinks of to catch their quarry. And even beyond the psychological aspect, the book gives you a glimpse at how crime solving was done in the old days before the advent of C.S.I. I’m talking about the beginnings of fingerprinting, lie-detecting methods and forensics. Sometimes, when you really lack physical evidence, you have to rely on thought processes instead. It’s quite interesting.

2) Debenhams. Though I know I’m quite far behind and Debenhams opened here a while back at the Shangri-La Mall and eventually at the Mall of Asia, I only made my first trip over a couple of weekends ago. And I really loved it.

Debenhams is a retail department store based in London that carries a plethora of fun fashion items for men, women and children along with cool accessories, household stuff, intimate apparel and other novelty items that’ll have you drooling. Not to mention their clothes are hip and stylish and of the moment. I liked the funky tees they had for guys and the glam but wearable pieces they had for women. And I particularly loved their fun and kitschy underwear. Oh, and did I mention they were having a mega-sale with some items up to 70 percent off? That was nice though the unbelievably long line wasn’t something I’d like to experience on a daily basis. Then again, with bargains like that you can’t really blame people for flocking.

3) Motorola. Now this is something I’m really loving now. I just recently acquired the beautiful Razr phone I’d been dreaming of for months, especially after I caught Sydney Bristow using it on Alias. I’ve always admired the sleek razor-thin design and I’ve always wanted to see if perhaps Motorola phones were meant for me (I’ve grown quite accustomed to another brand which I’ve been using for over a decade now). In either case, I always just put it off or lacked the monetary backing to buy a Razr… until now that is. Two weeks ago I finally got one and I love it! This is definitely something I could get used to. The Razr is a great phone with all the functions I need in a mobile – camera, Bluetooth, USB connections, personalized services – and hey, it looks damned good! Though at first the change was a bit strange – getting used to a different dictionary and different keys serving different functions – in the end I’ve finalized the transition with ease and I love my new phone. It’s exactly what I thought it would be – thin, fun, funky and functional!

4) 24. Now this show, I just can’t stop talking about. Though it’s kept me up for almost three days straight in a row and I personally blame Jack Bauer for my eye bags (luggage I think is the more appropriate term) it was so worth it. I think you’d have to be living under a rock to not know 24. Yes, it is the number of hours in a regular day but it’s also what makes this breakthrough show so interesting and such a hit at the Emmys. It’s done in real time so each full hour of the show represents one full hour in the day of its protagonist Jack Bauer, played flawlessly by Kiefer Sutherland.

Now on season five, covering five different days in the life of the US Counter-Terrorist Unit as it struggles to keep the President of the United States and the world safe from terrorists and terrorist activity. I’m a late-comer to this show. Still, better late than never. I recently finished seasons three and four and they had me on the edge of my seat with anticipation just waiting to see what would happen next. And, oh my, how I love that Jack Bauer! Though he is technically the "good" guy he knows that sometimes you have to be bad to get the job done. I can respect that on a TV show (though in real life it’s bound to be frightening.) In the end, though, Jack always ends up saving the world – and does so in a sexy, tight gray T-shirt. Who can resist that?