As a teenager, I have indulged myself in various pursuits, active and inactive, among which I like the most abnormal one amidst youngsters– reading. It is no more a news that young people nowadays despise reading. It has been perceived as one of the most slumberous extra- curricular activities ever invented. Moreover, unlike an enthusiastic sports doer, who often is a stereotype of strength, muscles and health, a "keen reader" sounds like only a polite way of calling a "bookworm". However to me, reading is no agony. From Shakespeare's Hamlet, to George Orwell’s Animal Farm, and even to J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter, I all embrace with heart. In the perusal of my books, I commiserate, empathize and share joy with the protagonists. This experience in itself is delectable.Another reason why I hold reading so dear is that, in books justice can for all time be upheld, however subtle it may be. While in reality the truth does not always surface in time to affect events, in books it always does. It warms my heart to discover that good prevails over evil even if that triumph is only fictional.
Turn-ons: Anything innovative, the sound of genuine laughter, the smells and sounds of the South of France, conversations with free-thinkers, anything made or crafted rather than manufactured, a real night sky (the kind you get at sea), vision, talent, courage, honesty, integrity, imagination, enthusiasm, good manners, genuine smiles, great ideas.
Turn-offs: Groupthink, substandard customer experiences, uninspired advertising, lousy customer service, artificially flavored foods, rulebooks, artificial looking people, poorly disguised bulls**t ,bad grammar, cheaply built products, fearful narrow-minded people, social climbers, hypocrisy, selfishness, racism, sexism, greed, fear of failure, intellectual laziness, self-righteous armchair quarterbacks.