The Romantic Movement

"The distinction was a reminder of two models of desire; on the one hand, the autonomous decision that 'I like this restaurant because the food tastes good to me,' and on the other, the imitative thought that 'This restaurant must be good because everyone I know thinks it so.'

In the former case, a direct line linked desire to the object.
In the latter example, desire was first filtered through intermediary channels, the review pages of the newspapers or the mouths of the celebrated."
- from The Romantic Movement by Alain de Botton

I finally got down to reading this book. (Seems like i always use "finally got down to" when it comes to books. so much to read yet so little chance and time)this is one of the most entertainin books i've read in recent time. I remember Paul Chow giving us extracts from Kiss and Tell back in JC days, and Mr de Botton's words were so succint yet deep in its psychological analysis and references. This book chronicles a couple's relationship, from singleton to hooking up and so on, with intermitten references to art, philosophy and pop culture.