Before I knew it I was hooked

"The following takes place between 7am and 8am"

By the time it goes : "The following takes place between 6am and 7am", which is day 2, Jack Bauer would have already save the world under 24 hours yet again. Inevitably.

Its the same regime, expected outcome where the good prevails and the villians eliminated. The golden globe award winning TV series "24" stars Kiefer Sutherland, in reel life a CTU (Counter Terrorist Unit) agent dedicating his whole life for his country. Its not hard to imagine how successful the show is. Sutherland, who grabbed the emmy awards for his role in "24" signed a 3 year US$40million contract for his role as Jack Bauer again.

Just six months ago, when "24" season one landed on the sofa in my room (compliments of my younger brother who got everyone in the office discussing "24" during every god damn lunch), I left it sitting there for another 2 months.

Last night, I finished Season five.

For someone who does not worship TV and who would rather past his time hitting golf balls at the range, "24" has definitely twisted some of my leisure habits, drastically. I am now victimised. Great god of media have me hooked on high budget TV serials such as "Prison Break" and "24".

It is not surprising for me to get hook on serial dvds. But 4 years ago, something astonishing happened.

My good old dad is an extreme workaholic. He wakes up at 6.30am every morning, works 7 days a week, comes home late from work, and when the Asian Financial Crisis hits, he works 10 tens harder to fight back his construction empire. He went to China, set up his new plant, worked his ass out, and took his poor old lad (Myself) along to carry out his sadistic mission of torturing oneself at work.

One fine day, he cut short his work hours and dissappear from his office before lunch. I later learned that he has dedicated the rest of his days watching TV serials while his son is working his ass out in the sick China factory in Qing Pu, a southern back dated town away from Shanghai towards Suzhou. And it went on for a couple of weeks.

Of course this was for a very short period of time, before long he felt an itch in his backside and he's off to Totureville again. This is my good old man, whom I respect as father, a true businessman and a not to mention a devoted sadist at work.

Such is the lure of good TV serials. Don't get me wrong, I am not all ready to jump into the bandwagon of screaming housewives and aunties oogling at Korean men starring in Korean soap operas. But TV shows with budget matching that of Hollywood's movies does turn me on, very.

"24" season 6 have already premiered in the US. And the counter terrorist bug has already hit me. It will not be too long before my brother hand me the first 4 episodes.

"Hands UP! CTU!! Put your hands over your head and slowly lower you weapon..." I can now hear it in my head already....