Nicholas Sparks and What He Likes to Do

As far as I can remember, the last three times I cried in public were when
1) my grandmother passed away
2) I was on a flight, watching Cinta -- starting from the part where the grandson had no choice but to send his grandfather to the nursing home. (Which I don't think even counts, tbh. It wasn't entirely in public, was it? Only one person sat next to me, and she might not even see it. And I was 30,000 feet above the earth. The science was different.)
3) I quit working at the Hell House, over the phone, when my colleagues called me at home. Weren't we silly back then?

In short, I don't do this crying thing often, especially not in public, most especially not over a movie or a book. In fact, I'm your shoulder to cry on. I'm that person who comforts you with my wise words and all. I'm practically a healer!

However, this year, it's so easy to get me. Everything is sad. Though I didn't cry, I found Taking Chance, Grey Gardens, and even Toy Story 3 and the Entourage season finale sad (yes, that show that drops the F-bomb twice in every sentence). By this time, I'd kind of suspected that I had an issue.

I read Dear John early this year. It's my first Nicholas Sparks book and the first book I cried reading! Read it at 3 in the morning on a long holiday weekend that I spent alone. Super sad. Flash flood.

Then I saw The Last Song. It was on a long quiet early morning weekend again, and it was a major flood again! How is it possible to cry over a Miley Cyrus movie?

Most authors write around a theme. John Grisham writes legal thriller. Sophie Kinsella -- neurotic women. Sidney Sheldon -- thriller and strong women. And Nicholas Sparks -- he just wants to make people cry.

Sparks writes love stories about a Boy and a Girl with the usual drama of a Boy and a Girl, but this isn't the part that will make you bawl. I watched The Notebook some time ago to see what all the hype was about. Big meh, I don't get it. We would understand if the Boy and the Girl didn't live happily ever after, so Sparks makes people bawl through a supporting character: the father.

And I woke up with two swollen eyes the next morning.

As I was mopping the floor gently wiping my tears, I realized this is what Nicholas Sparks does. I'll make sure I won't fall for it next time, so I'm writing this down as a reminder.