There have been a couple of places, (particularly on the IMDB forums and some online blogs) theorizing that V is in fact Valerie, the acclaimed actress who was arrested for being a homosexual. I admit, that thought had never entered my mind. But for a large portion, I have wondered about the coincidence that Valerie's initials are V. The main thing that popped into my head was that Valerie was actually V's mother. Of course, they don't show her and her partner having a child or anything. But it was a pretty logical decision considering how attached V seemed to Valerie.

Anyways, as for the alternate theory that V is indeed Valerie, it doesn't seem all that implausible. As I mentioned, V seemed a little too attached to the story of Valerie. I can understand that it stemmed from having heard her story and being inspired to fight against the system because of it. But what of the Carsons? The lady doctor does call it 'Your flowers'. Then there is the coincidental similarity of "V" and "V"alerie. As V said, "There are no coincidences, only the illusion of one". Plus, we don't really know what happened to V at Larkhill. That terrible experiments were going on, we are shown, but not the nature of those experiments. Wikipedia describes V as a 'transsexual terrorist'. I was quite surprised by this since they didn't show it in the movie. It could easily suggest that Valerie had a sex change at Larkhill, and the weird experiments had morphed her anatomy and voice. We, after all, never get to see V's face. Valerie did have reddish brown hair and so did V when he removed his mask after Evey left.

But regardless of whether V was Valerie or not, he was still a he. And Evey fell in love with him, so that doesn't make her character gay as some people are suggesting.

If only they had delved further into V's past...

I have the MOST terrible hangover this morning. And I should be in bed, except I can't stand the idea of lying down. So, here I'm writing in my blog. Sorry, if a lot of nonsense spouts out, though I doubt that's gonna happen. I'm a very conscientious writer... hehehe! But a word of advice, a homemade cocktail is so not a good idea. You just mix whatever you find in your kitchen and your brain ends up being that same, exotic potpourri. What was I doing drinking on a weeknight, you ask. Well, I was reading LOTR (yes, folks that's correct, I was reading  LOTR... is there any cure to my LOTR-obsession?) and there were some paras on Frodo and his friends drinking draughts, or somethin' like that. Anyways, I got hungry and I got thirsty, and there ya go.

SO... just got my copy of V for Vendetta and Poseidon, and will be watching it soon... oh yay! Oh, haha, I was watching SINS, some controversial Bollywood movie about a Catholic priest who engages in sexual relations with a local girl. The nude shots were definitely a WHOA! ... lol, ah I'll stop being a perv now. Anyways, the movie was kinda slow and weird, still have to finish like the second half.

And I can't ignore the Call of my Bed any longer, so off I go.

I need to begin by saying that I'm such an useless piece of sop . Anyways, I just finished reading Shamim Sarif's Despite the Falling Snow. I'm left speechless after reading that book. I was subtly impressed by her previous work, The World Unseen, but I wasn't spellbound the way I feel now. There is something so magical in the journey she takes the reader to in her latest novel. Shuttling between Post-Stalinist Russia and modern day Boston is Manna from Heaven for a romantic freak like me. The way she spins several different love stories all together is amazing. Even though, the stories cannot be called "original", as it does takes some previously used elements of intrigue, treason, betrayal, love-during-political-crisis, etc, but the way she narrates her story is so cinematic. This is exactly the kind of story I like to read. The words come alive in the form of expressions, visuals and feelings. Truly brilliant!

The main characters may be quite 2-dimensional at times. Like, Alexander was too much of a goody-two-shoes. But you still can't help falling in love with them. I especially found an interesting parallel between the relationship that Alex and Katya had and the romance brewing between Lauren and Melissa. Lauren and Alex are both artistic, romantic and have a slow passion about them. Melissa and Katya are both headstrong and quite ruthless when it comes to what they want. And in the end, both Melissa and Katya fall for the charming romantics... gives this charming romantic some hope .

But, I do know one thing, Russia is my new favorite place. The snow flakes playing on the spires of the Cathedrals and the overcast sky in the backdrop of the Kremlin... aah, the stuff that dreams are made out of. Now I can totally NOT wait for the film version of the book. Though, Kevin Reynolds is not really the director I would have chosen; he's not exactly the best around. His Count of Monte Cristo and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves gives *little* excitement. But at the very least, I'll be able to watch the characters on screen. But rather him than no cinematic adaptation at all. Just imagining Katya and Alex on their wedding day, or Melissa and Lauren having their duel of words, or Estelle and Alex meeting each other in their old age... *shivers in thrill*

Now, back to my own writing

So, it's funny how one thing can lead to another... and Poof! You get a whole new surprising revelation. Okay, no idea what I'm talking about??

So, I was listening to Eden by Sarah Brightman, one of my all-time favorite songs. I can go on and on and on about how wonderfully obsessed I'm with that song, but I won't. Anyways, so I went to Y! Music to watch some videos of Eden. Well, there weren't any but then I found a music video for this song called Harem... aah interesting, right? I thought so too... and since I absolutely had nothing better to do, I decided to check it out. Well, the song wasn't bad. There's one portion in the middle when the tempo increases and Arabic and Western Electronic fuse and that is, IMO, the best part of the song. Anyways, so I thought of checking out the album on Amazon. Few songs were pretty good and worth downloading... until I reached this song, The Journey Home. Lo and Behold! I listen to the song and I'm thinking to myself, "Now THAT sounds very much like Ishq Bina from Taal". So, I did a little Googling and surely, that song was composed by our very own AR Rahman. Kudos to Rahman Saab. He's probably THE most prolific and renowned Indian music director outside of India.

But that's not all. In the song, Take my breath away, my breath was literally taken away when I heard "Dil cheez kya hain, aap meri jaan lijiye" being crooned at the beginning. Not that the song is my favorite or anything, but it was quite a nice idea to add the song at the beginning.

My point? Nothing... I'm just so excited that two Bollywood songs were in Sarah Brightman's album. Though, I find it strange that Ishq Bina is almost always heard in AR Rahman "videshi" tunes. I can guarantee that there are much better composed songs of his that could be used... but mehh... he probably knows best .

Ooh, if eastern-western fusion type songs are your cups of tea, then you should definitely check out Harem by Sarah Brightman. I can assure you, it'll be worth your time.

I'm so pissed that CSI  never makes it to the performance/direction categories of the Emmys. Grrr!! It's the HIGHEST rated show in the US AND the highest rated American show in the world. And I think Billy Peterson definitely deserves to be nominated in the Lead Actor's category. Stupid juries...!!

Just finished reading Shamim Sarif's The World Unseen. It was a pretty intriguing book that kept me engrossed for a good 4-5 hours. It's not really long, so I was able to finish the entire novel in that time span.

I liked the story, theme and setting of the movie. Narrating the book from an Indian culture's point of view in Apertheid  South Africa is different. In the clear, marked distinction between races during that time, Indians were sort of like the middle class. The ultra-traditional approach of an Indian family towards morality and yet their rather callous inhumanity was well presented by Sarif. And of course, who can stop themselves from falling in love with the character of Amina? She's the ultimate female heroine the feminists would love. Miriam's character was sympathetic and you could often get flashes of the subdued spirit inside her. But barring these two lead protagonists, I really loved the character of Rehmat. She was funny, feisty and independent - all rolled in one.

Anyways, storywise, The World Unseen is about Miriam, who is married to Omar and is the conventional obedient housewife. Her life revolves around her husband and her three children and even though she longs to live more than that, she knows that it's not her destiny to be. And then she encounters Amina, the free-spirited woman who is forever shrouded in controversy. As the two woman get closer, we get glimpses of intensified racism, orthodox traditions, regressive situations for women and injustice masked as moral duties. But Amina sparks a fire in Miriam which propels her to dare something different.

There are two things that provided hitches in this book. One was the overuse of rather long sentences, which I believe do lose a reader. The second was the dissatisfactory ending. Maybe Sarif wanted a sense of open-endedness in her story. Maybe she wanted to avoid hysterical flamings from conservative sections, but one cannot help but wonder what happens between Miriam and Amina.

And on another note, I'm finding a new haven in the Grissom/Catherine and Gil/Lady H shipperdom. Season 1-3 seem to be filled with Grissom/Catherine moments. Truth be told, I wouldn't even feel 1% of the annoyance I feel for the Grissom/Sara pairing had the writers decided to let him end up with Cath. Gil and Cath have a natural chemistry. They are like two best friends, complementing each other and being there for each other. I've hardly ever seen Sara be there for Grissom when he needed her. Same can be said vice versa. In fact, all the time that Grissom and Sara didn't have anything between them, he seemed to be a happier person. Whenever he's with Sara, it's like he becomes intense and moody. Not to mention, he doesn't really bring out the best in Sara either. So my ship preferences in decreasing order are:

Sara/Cath: Though I'm kinda not digging this ship as I used to. I think it's mainly because Sara's character is quite unimpressive and irritating during the first three seasons. And then Catherine's character took an about turn and became bitchy and melodramatic during the last couple of seasons. Plus, these two hardly get cases together and when they do, half the time they are fighting.

Gil/Lady Heather: They really sizzle the screen with their chemistry. Every little look they share, seems to be filled with meaning. And Lady H seems to be the only who is both comfortable and even appreciative of Gil's quirkiness.

Grissom/Catherine: Now that's a really cute pair. In fact, when I first started watching CSI, I really thought that these two had something going on between them. Imagine my surprise (read: horror) when I realized that the writers were forcing Grissom and Sara together. I really think Gil and Catherine are the most comfortable with each other.

Greg/Sofia: A highly unconventional pair and one that is not likely to ever happen. But Sofia always looks as if she could need some loosening up and Greg's just the one to do it. Added to that, Greg was the only one who was concerned about her after her demotion. He tried to make her as comfortable as possible. Too bad, she became a detective. A little Greg/Sofia interaction would have been cute.

Nick or Warrick/ Sara: Sara and Nick have a good friendship. They would be good for each other. Except, I see her more with Warrick for some strange reason. Maybe it's the way they were so tensed with each other in the 1st season and then went on to become one of the best working pair.

It's funny how I don't like any of the "canon" pairs on the show right now. Ah, that's what fanfictions are there for .

Wow... my hand is tired. But I've had this idea since last night and if I don't do anything about it, I'll not breathe peacefully for the rest of the day.

So, maybe some of you know what MBTI or Jungian Type Inventory is. If you don't... you can go to http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes1.htm and take a test to determine which type you are. And afterwards, you can go here: http://www.personalitypage.com/portraits.html to read a full-length description of your type.

So, let's begin, shall we?

Gil Grissom : INTP -

I- He's definitely an introvert.

N- Most definitely an Intuitive type. He "sees" things beyond their obvious meaning.

T- Thinking type. Will do what is right regardless of how he feels AND 99% of the time, can keep a nice distance between his feelings and his cases.

P - Firstly, he's not exactly a neat freak. Second, he does procrastinate. Like that one time when Cath asked him to fill some form and he completely forgot coz he was delaying it. Also, all those paperwork he has to do and never does.

INTP- Some excerpts from the website:

They are the "absent-minded professors", who highly value intelligence and the ability to apply logic to theories to find solutions

INTPs do not like to lead or control people

They are not likely to place much value on traditional goals such as popularity and security

his creative genius and possible eccentricity

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Catherine Willows: ENFJ

E- Oh so extroverted

N- very tuned to what people are feeling, etc.

F- makes decisions on how she "feels" about it.

J- quite organized in everything. Seeks closure... not very open ended.

ENFJ- Some excerpts -

Because ENFJ's people skills are so extraordinary, they have the ability to make people do exactly what they want them to do

ENFJs do not like dealing with impersonal reasoning  ~~ Cath Vs Grissom, anyone?

Motivational, inspirational  ~~ "King Kong on Cocaine?"

Able to "move on" after a love relationship has failed (although they blame themselves)  ~~ She does an excellent job moving on, if her numerous one-night stands are anything to go by. Also, the tendency to blame? Right on!

Extremely sensitive to conflict, with a tendency to sweep things under the rug as an avoidance tactic

--------------------------------

Sara Sidle: She was a difficult one to pin down, because she's so complex, it's hard to say for her. Most people call her INTJ/P becoz of her "geekiness". The thing is that, while she does fit the INTJ profile sometimes, yet I can't entirely see her "T" ness. As in, she does make decisions based on her feelings and value systems. So, I guess she's more INT/FJ. Anyways, I'll provide some excerpts for both

INTJ:

INTJs spend a lot of time inside their own minds, and may have little interest in the other people's thoughts or feelings

Other people may have a difficult time understanding an INTJ. They may see them as aloof and reserved. Indeed, the INTJ is not overly demonstrative of their affections, and is likely to not give as much praise or positive support as others may need or desire. That doesn't mean that he or she doesn't truly have affection or regard for others, they simply do not typically feel the need to express it. Others may falsely perceive the INTJ as being rigid and set in their ways. Nothing could be further from the truth, because the INTJ is committed to always finding the objective best strategy to implement their ideas. The INTJ is usually quite open to hearing an alternative way of doing something.

INFJ:

They are deep, complex individuals, who are quite private and typically difficult to understand ~ Sound familiar?

This may result in an INFJ stubborness and tendency to ignore other people's opinions

They don't believe in compromising their ideals

Tendency to hold back part of themselves

Have difficulty leaving a bad relationship  ~  No wonder, she still likes Grissom...

Dislike with dealing in details - You know, come to think of it... I do hardly find her being very meticulous. She just "immediately" gets things.

Side note: Don't the NF's make a good couple?? Just saying...

-----------------------------------------------------

Nick Stokes: ESFJ

They want to like people, and have a special skill at bringing out the best in others ~ Who can deny Nicky's little good boy side?

The ESFJ takes their responsibilities very seriously, and is very dependable

ESFJs are such caring individuals, that they sometimes have a hard time seeing or accepting a difficult truth about someone they care about ~ Remember that hooker?

They're traditional, and prefer to do things in the established way, rather than venturing into unchartered territory

-------------------------------------------------

Greg Sanders: ESFP

They love to be the center of attention and perform for people. They're constantly putting on a show for others to entertain them and make them happy. They enjoy stimulating other people's senses, and are extremely good at it. They would love nothing more than for life to be a continual party, in which they play the role of the fun-loving host. ~ That's Mr. Sanders, alright

An ESFP is unfailingly warm and generous with their friends, and they generally treat everyone as a friend

They like to "go with the flow", trusting in their ability to improvise in any situation presented to them

---------------------------------------------

Warrick Brown: ESTP

They pick up on little cues which go completely unnoticed by most other types, such as facial expressions and stance ~ I remember him saying something along the lines of he can pick up when a "whitey is lying"

They're fast-moving, fast-talking people who have an appreciation for the finer things in life. They may be gamblers or spendthrifts ~ BANG ON!

Excellent and clear-headed dealing with emergency situations

May inadvertantly hurt others with insensitive language ~ He blows his top more than often.

More likely than other type to leave relationships quickly when they get bored ~ Casanova Brown

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Fanfiction is one of the most intriguing and widespread phenomena in the Net world. Its nature has been analyzed, studied and criticized. Type in Google and you'll find so many sites bashing and tearing apart this Online activity. But, while these arguments are not entirely baseless and some of them go to great lengths to incorporate educated facts to back them up, one cannot deny the influx of fanfictions into the life of several thousands across the globe.

But this is not an article about Fanfiction and its impact on society. It has been done to death and the pros and cons have been outlined in layers like a ruptured onion. It's one of those things where you know there are drawbacks and yet you can't help yourself from enjoying it. It's a relatively modern mode of entertainment and one that, I suspect, will just continue emerging and spreading. However, this piece is about my personal experience with Fanfictions and what I have learnt during my tryst of fanfic reading and writing.

I was first introduced to the world of Fanfiction roughly over a year ago. From that moment, till today, a lot has happened in a lot of time. There have been certain life-changing realizations. Interestingly enough, the fanfic world has been intimately connected with this revolutionary change in my life. It’s as if emerging into this ambience has awakened and modified me in ways I never imagined. It seems exaggerated, perhaps, but I assure you that it’s not. However, before anything else, let me detail my personal experience in the world of fanfictions.

I first came across fanfictions in The OC’s Alex/Marissa forum. Before that, I never knew fanfictions existed. It’s funny because I have always been a “fanfic” writer and dreamer. I would watch movies, TV shows or read books and conjure alternate scenarios with the characters. But I never really wrote it down because my personal experience with fiction writing hasn’t been positive. I always start off with a lot of zest only to fizzle out somewhere in the middle. So, I’ve always acceded that I didn’t have the dedication to write anything more than 5000 words. But when I read a couple of fictions online, some good, some bad, some terrible, two realizations struck one. The first was, I began feeling a sense of kinship towards these writers. I’ve always considered myself slightly “out there” for creating stories with already established characters from someone else’s work. But I saw, that I wasn’t the only one. I was apparently part of a really large community. The second was the fact that after reading some absolutely horrendous fictions, both in that forum and on other sites, and seeing how much praises they get, I wondered why I shouldn’t do the same. Yes, the conceited in me was confident that I was better than a lot of them. So, I penned down my first fanfic, which was a cross-over between The OC and Once Again. It was quite a success and really boosted my ego. I’m not proud of the way I wrote it but I do proudly claim that for a first-time writer, I didn’t do badly. I still loved the premise and if any of you are fans of the TV shows, you can check it out in my fanfiction site. Anyways, getting back on the tangent, the next fiction I wrote was Soulmates. It was also the first fic I posted up on FanFiction.Net, the Mecca for fanfic writers. It was moderately okay. After Soulmates, I went on a long hiatus from fanfic writing, mainly because other things started taking importance. If you happen to know me personally, you know what I’m talking about. If you do not, suffice to say, it wasn’t a jolly period of my life. Forget writing, I don’t think I was even capable of thinking properly. Anyways, I then reemerged into the fanfic world after watching South of Nowhere. I started a fic which I yet have to complete. The story was nice but there was something dull about that fandom which really oozed out all my inspiration. I contemplated writing some L Word fanfics, but once again, there’s something missing in that fandom. Much as I like that TV show, I just don’t think I love the characters or any pairing for that matter, to really get into it. And then came CSI. I don’t quite remember how, but I think it was after reading some Law and Order SVU fictions, featuring Olivia and Casey ships, that I began routing out for some CSI fics. I wasn’t entirely surprised to find a plethora of Catherine/Sara fanfics. In almost 99% of cases, it’s the show that inspires obsession in fanfics. In my case, it was my love for the fanfics that inspired my obsession with the show. I became absolutely engrossed in CSI episodes and wondered how I’ve missed this wonderful show for so many years. As I got to know the show, the characters and the procedures more thoroughly, I wrote my first CSI fanfic. It was, may I say it, a success beyond my expectations. The blood of that success started a thirst in me that is still yet to be quenched. I’m on the sequel of that story, and from the looks of it, it’s going better than I thought. But I’m not one to count my chickens before they hatch. I do believe that this current one I’m writing will be my last one, unless I’m inspired (and coerced) enough to write a full blown trilogy. But that’s an ambitious declaration, so I’ll shut up. But that’s just my fanfic writing experience. I have known to have woken up till 4 or 5 AM in the morning reading fanfic series, even though my eyes felt as if it’s going to pop from exhaustion.

Now after learning how I became sucked into this vortex of fanfic writing and reading, let me get into the life-altering changes it started. First and foremost, it reinforced my opinion that I have extremely poor work ethic and ergo, I end up starting something without quite finishing it. Several unfinished series provide evidence for that. But after writing my last CSI fiction, which I successfully completed, and the sequel which I’m still fired about, I have realized that discipline and inspiration is key to successful writing. Unlike the previous occasions when I dabbled in fanfic writing only to escape more important life responsibilities (well, not entirely unlike but that’s a completely different discussion), I have dedicated myself 100% to fanfic writing this time. I wake up every morning and finish writing a chapter or two by the end of day. I read and re-read it and definitely proofread it before posting it up. It has started a routine in my life that is quite pleasing. Especially, when I read new reviews and find my review count rising. But then again, that just bears testimony to my insatiable (or should I say, pathological) hunger for praise and accolades. Anyways, what I’m trying to say is that I do consider this fanfiction an exercise for honing my writing skills. Whoever said “practice makes perfect” was right on. There’s nothing like regular practice to perfect your art. I’ve written four complete series and two one-shots since my first try at writing. I can safely say that with each fanfiction, I just get better. I learn stuff about grammar, new synonyms for overused words and now when I read books, I do more than just skim through the words. I find myself reading in between the lines, checking for the grammar and the style and concentrating hard on the flow of words. Not only that, in the process of research for various tidbits for my fics, I’ve come across some very interesting facts. In other words, fanfic writing has opened a world of creative learning in me. I’m still way behind in being that skilled to start writing my original novel. I’m a perfectionist after all, and I believe in the motto of “all or none”. The current fic I’m writing is definitely better, IMO, in terms of grammar and style, than my previous fics and so on. Also, fanfic writing has enabled me to skirt through a wide arena of genres. Though, romance and drama are the predominant plots in all of them, yet I’ve blended it with various concoctions of humor, tragedy, angst, teen chick-ish genre, and most currently suspense and thriller. I have to say, I have definitely been the most uncomfortable with the humor and teenage stuff. I’m most obviously a sucker for mature and intense themes. The CSI fics I had and am working on are very close to the kind of novel I’ll like to write. Older characters riddled with global issues, involving some kind of villainous figure bent on widespread disaster- is my diagramma principale. Anyways, so for the change… it definitely brought out the very dormant creative side in me. I now have an outlet to express my talents. It not only exuded in me a confidence in my writing abilities, but it also led me to try my fingers in other creative work, such as graphic designing. Of course, it comes at a price… everything does. Creativity is the work of the Insane.

The second biggest revolution in my life, due to fanfics, has been the impact on my sexuality. My orientation wasn’t a secret from me. I knew it all the way back in 7^th or 8^th Grade. But the difference was, I never really thought I could do anything about it. This is not my “coming out” article by any means. But it is perhaps the first time I’m openly speaking about it. Anyways, if you’ve read my fanfics, you know it is all femmeslash. The reason why my attempts at fiction writing, prior to being introduced to fanfics, have always gone awry, was because I always made a heterosexual pair my lead. Fanfics allowed me to break through that norm and gave me an inspiration like none other. Also, posting fanfics on some forums, led me to go sifting through for more forums of like and that led me to support groups and a lot of LGBTQ sites and forums. Now let’s just say I’ve come to terms with my sexuality and am in full blown recognition of it.

It has been an uphill task since then. With all these different aspects of my personality getting a free rein, more stolid and “socially acceptable” parts of my existence has received a kick to the rear. While, I won’t go as far as saying that the changes brought about in my life were negative, I’ll definitely state that the overwhelmed part of me has a lot to resolve. I need to learn to incorporate all these new information in my lifestyle, not to use it to demolish previously established stabilities.