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I just finished reading Jim Rogers' book Adventure Capitalist, in which the legendary investor describes his three-year road trip in 116 countries at the turn of the millennium. The book gave me insights on changes happening in the world and, more importantly, on how a flesh-and-blood capitalist's mind works. There were times when I was shocked by Rogers' sweeping generalizations (he advocates conditional debt write-offs and thinks the IMF and the World Bank should be abolished, but not the WTO), but kept on reading, remembering that this was the man who years ago accurately predicted- and is profiting from- the current rise in oil and food prices.

Last year, Rogers moved to Singapore from New York and was quoted as saying, "If you were smart in 1807 you moved to London, if you were smart in 1907 you moved to New York City, and if you are smart in 2007 you move to Asia."

With opportunities sprouting in our enterprising region, it's auspicious that Singapore-based writer Jean Paul "Jippy" dela Rosa chose Big Dipper to print his first book, 33, a collection of essays on sex in the city of the Merlion. Together with Hong Kong-based A.M. Azada's A Roomful of Waiting, 33 represents our company's efforts to reach out to a wider Asian market.

In his book, Jippy turns the image of Singapore as an "all work- no play" city-state on its head. Jippy, a well-groomed professional (his day job is interior design), also breaks the still ubiquitous Filipino stereotype of the gay man as a flaming faggot who pays for sex- as depicted, for example, in Brillante Mendoza's Cannes 2008 entry "Serbis."

Moreover, the book breaks new ground in cultural studies by exploring a gay man's ambiguous, yet requited relationships with straight men from different countries. This excerpt from the first chapter "My Russian Boy" is typical:

So there we were, drinking, and then I gave him some house clothes that he could get comfortable in while we watched some late-night TV show. And boy was I shocked when he just stripped in front of me! I have to be totally in check most of the time during those moments. Good thing I never lost my sanity! And everything was very normal.

Yeah, as the night clock ticked its way into the wee hours of the next day, we were just there, he seated on my antique Chinese daybed and I cuddled with my head on his lap, watching some show (which I couldn't remember anymore, as I was enjoying that moment!). As my body settled down, slowly things around me became clearer.

Here I was so close to a straight guy that I really like, but that was it.

The stories were published with the consent of the author's present and past partners. Congratulations Jippy for coming out in such a classy, courageous way!

To order copies of 33, call iiiDEAS shop at +632-8173424 or send a message to popoii43@hotmail.com.