Who am I?

I love romance and romantic novels.

There, I've admitted it. In real life, it becomes sometimes embrassing that you are addicted to such soppy stuff, even in the ripe age of 30s. But in this blog, I claim so without a bit of embarassment.

Actually, I really don't get embarassed in real life too. I read what I love and when I can afford to, then why not. As for addiction, I've got over a lot of stuff and when I would have to, I would.

What irritates me is when strangers:
1. Want to know what you're reading by peeking into your pages or covertly reading the covers.
2. Want to know why you're reading it.
3. And then when you smile and ignore them while continuing reading, they just shrug and wonder what's so interesting.

Well, that's the beauty of it. I read romance to escape into a world of feelings. I need to identify with the characters. They may be from different culture, class, color, religion, but their feelings are universal. The highs of meeting someone they love, the anguish and pain when the path to love is paved with problems and separation, the lows when they have to sacrifice and compromise, and the ultimate satisfaction and the feeling of 'aawww....' when love conquers all.

In the cynical world of dating, cross-dating, heartbreaks, divorces, and casual sex, 'love' is perhaps the most often and usually misinterpreted word. People say why look up into books when one should be exploring the real world to find the soul mate. True, but alas, it's not as easy and attainable as it reads. So while one may compromise in the real life due to biological, material, or social needs, in the world of books, one can imagine being 'swept up from their feet.'

Another question. Why waste days curled up with a book, when you can actually see its movie version in three hours? Right! But then, when you read about the main character, an image floats in your mind. And usually, that face starts to resemble your own. Also, it becomes a little hard to imagine the main heroine in the movie to be the shy girl next door when you can see her cavorting drunk in some celebrity blog.

Whatever might be the reason, books --- no, romantic books --- have been my best friend and my ever-faithful companion since the last 20 years. Family members have moved on, friends have drifted, people come and people go, these books have always been with me, taking away my loneliness, giving me a glimpse into the magic and love, and keeping my faith and hope alive.

I salute them and thank all the wonderful ladies (most of the romance books have been written by women) who've written them.

May you continue to weave beautiful stories and weave your magic.
And may all of you find love in real life.

Au revoir!