In Continuum.

Fitzgerald Vs. Viagra

Through the blog of a second degree friend,i managed to come upon a very interesting article concerning the nature of books.Apparently,according to this survey done in America,it is true that people would smile or speak to somebody depending on the books they are reading.Also,forget about taking viagra to stimulate your sexual life.Pick up a book now,and wait for women/men to come floating in like metal dust to magnets.

But then again,that is what the article claims.

Link to the Article

It is true that that is the very thing we wish to happen.Sitting comfortable on a beautiful Saturday morning,at a cafe in the middle of the town,you are joined by fellow book-lovers,or coffee addicts,just have soft conversations with their friends over a nice warm cup of coffee,or a simple breakfast as a cool breeze blow through the whole cafe,lifting your hair and at the same time,your spirits.Or maybe you might be in the bookstore,just having your eyes surfing through the towering shelves of books,searching for something that catches the surfboard under your eyesight.

Just then,somebody comes up to you and start a conversation about the book you are reading,about the book you intend to read,or about the book he or she is reading.Isnt that a wonderful sight to behold?

But no,such things certainly will not happy in Singapore,or South East Asia,or Asia for that matter.At the very least,not to me,me or me.That is certainly,out of the question.

The article is really interesting,stating that not just ANY kind of books will get you somewhere with the member of the opposite sex.I shall quote a little paragraph from the passage:

"...But before you trip off to the park clad in your most fetching sun hat and clutching your copy of the latest Jilly Cooper - be warned. Not just any book will do. Erotic fiction, horror, self-help books and the dreaded chick-lit were all, in fact, deemed turn-offs when it came to love between the covers. The genre most likely to help you pull - the itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny yellow polka dot bikini of the books world - is the classics, followed by biography and modern literary fiction (think Zadie Smith and Sebastian Faulks, rather than Dan Brown and Martina Cole). Forget the gym: if you want to raise your dating game, head down to your local library and start borrowing..."

Which is a strange thing,because i dont read erotic fiction(Anne Rice),i dont read horro(Stephen King),i dont read self-help books(Sex for Dummies),and i sure as hell dont read chick-lit(The Shopaholic Series).I've read classics (The Great Gatsby),biography(Angela's Ashes),modern literary fiction(The Hours)!So how come the people who go to the gym are still having much more fun than myself?

Look,i am not being jealous,or in any way troubled by this information i have concluded about myself.Like i have always stated,i am completely self-sufficient right now.I am,in fact,not in any way,ready to share my time and wealth with a significant other for 24/7,especially when the amount of time and wealth spent on the significant other is,well,significant.

Perhaps Corinna is right,when we were talking about this issue.She said that i usually read my stuff in camp.And let's admit it,i HAVE attracted a lot of attention in camp by doing so.In fact,Kenneth Kwan and i never really talked before we found out about the common likings in certain genres of books.My conversations with Glenn never exceeded the threshold of me,saying how gay he is whenver he is with his bunkmates,or even the late(Late,because he is no longer in the company)Kenneth Cheng,this ultimate party boy who has a thing for novels as well.

Anyway,my point is that perhaps it does help,just not in a very public and widespread level in Singapore.Let's admit it,if somebody were to come up to you while you are in the middle of the bookstore and comment that the book that you are about to buy was read by him or her,and that it will be an absolute waste of time for you if you buy it,you are going to think that this person is either nosy,bored,crazy or crazy.

I was laughing particularly to a certain part of the article because of this personal experience of mine the other time i was at Borders.

"...Turn-offs, on the other hand, include Money by Martin Amis, "everything by DH Lawrence", and snobbishly, any book with a cover based on a recent film or TV adaptation..."

The other time i was at Border's,i forgot what books i was shopping for,but queueing up at the counter i was just minding my own business when a teenage girl went up to the information counter to look for a book.She was decent looking of course,looking like any other ordinary schoolgirl,only better in some ways.Of course,that image was soon shattered when she enquired about the novel version of The Matrix Trilogy.That took the girl behind the counter by surprise,as her eyebrows arched and smiled in return.First of all,i dont think such a book exist.Second of all,you come to BORDERS to look for such a book?Like the above quoted paragraph,any book based on a TV or movie adaptation really is a turn off.

So the next time i decide to spend a nice Saturday morning at the Beans,i am going to ask my bookie friends along,sitting under the comfortable shade of the Beans and read a book in full view of the public,and see just what we can get out of it.It might sound incredibly stupid,but then again i guess there is no harm doing so.What are the chances,here in Singapore anyway?