The Magnificent Swimming Pool

 

I had a chance to visit a traditional Asian village last week and spent hours in a place that brought me to the past.

With chickens and ducks freely roaming around, one always side-eyed me with judgmental eyes (maybe he thought I was supposed to feed him). I had pleasant afternoons watching goat MBEEE on their way home. Kids were out playing bicycles and soccer and got muddy on one rainy afternoon with laughter as the soundtrack. 

Dirt, animals, soaking in the rain, and playing outside were the good times of my childhood. Nothing could kill us; tumbling from the tree, falling to the drain, running from a snake, and stepping on a colony of fire ants was just another Thursday. Even the ghost in our attic and the monstrous neighbor didn’t kill us. Well, I made one up, but the monstrous neighbor was real; she threatened to chop off my hand because I touched her flower, but that is the story for another day. It traumatized me for a while, and I have been planning on an elaborate revenge by making her a despicable character in my future book! Just wait, you mean neighbor!

My primary (elementary) school back then was considered the biggest in town. To me, it was huge, with giant outdoor courts and a gigantic park with trees that reached the sky with my favorite bench under one of the trees (when I had the chance to go back as an adult, it was a small school with two rundown courts and a small patch of green with a few medium-sized trees, but everything looked big and grand when I was a child). 

One day, I arrived at school, and the whole park and court were filled with water. They were situated lower than the main street outside, and after raining the entire night and, of course, a horrible drainage problem, the whole yard was flooded up to my knee. We could still access the classrooms through the corridors, but during the class, everyone was looking out of the window longingly at the most magnificent swimming pool. Most of us didn’t have many chances to swim in a proper swimming pool, so it was very tempting. Our class had a sports subject that day, and we begged our teacher to let us play in the water. They did!

We giggled, laughed, and splashed each other while wading through the knee-high brownish-clogged rainwater; we couldn’t even see our toes or identify what we were stepping on. Other classes that didn’t have sports subjects that day were allowed to play in the water during the break as long as they didn’t get their uniforms wet. You would see rows and rows of shoes on the corridor with children walking around holding hands in the ‘pool.’ We were the luckiest ones as we got to play longer and had change of clothes, so it was up to us whether we wanted to go all in, as in real swimming!

Germs? Pathogens? Possible dangerous animals? Possible skin problems? Oh yeah, the risk remained the same with our modern day, but the attitude was different. Maybe some studies say we have better immune systems; maybe some parents would categorize that as horror. I don’t know. I am not a parent, and I am not an expert. But I can tell you that it was one of the best days of my childhood, and it’s nice to recount the memory.

Locky seems to agree with the theory 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.' Below are his pictures lounging on the river discharge to the ocean. It looks clear, clean, and pretty, but trust me, it doesn't smell as lovely as it seems. 

A Tale of the Young Witch

 

A tale of a young witch is a very ambitious fantasy. However, I am not sure why it’s divided into three parts because all three happen continuously and in the same timeline, involving the same characters.

The book has a simple but interesting beginning. We follow the story of Amelia as some origin story because she is the titular character who starts as someone ordinary enough with ordinary life, but it doesn’t stay that way for long. From there, the journey goes to common fantasy routes with a twist ending. More on these later.

This goes throughout the book, but it’s more jarring in the beginning; it is the way the story is told as ‘Amelia this,’ ‘Amelia that’ even though the scenes only involve one character or the other character is a male. It becomes very distracting because of the number of times the name is thrown instead of using she or her. I believe it would average at least three times per page. I am also distracted by the description of Jack earlier as lanky and when he is mentioned later in the book as lean. It would be fine as the two definitions are close enough if it’s not mentioned too often. Other terms that bother me are between ‘puppet’ and ‘clone.’ I love Sci-Fi, and the way these terms are used as if they are the same confuses me. In the earlier scenes with Scarlet, I’m sorry, but I have to repeat the word ‘distracting’ to read things like ‘angelic’ voice and ‘gorgeous’ eyes while they are in dire situations and not some observations of someone about the character. But these are nitpicking, and they most likely don’t distract others as much.

I prefer realistic fantasy, if that’s a thing. I wish there were a genre for it. It’s like fantasy, but the plot, the problems that the characters face, and the characters themselves are very much in line with reality. I devour The Song of Ice and Fire with great interest and have no problem with big-sized books, but this book makes me recall my experience watching the first Transformer movie. I’d categorize it as pure fantasy, so maybe I am biased in my reading experience because, as mentioned, I prefer the other kind of fantasy, nevermind they both have a similar magical creature. It starts well, and everything is intriguing enough. Still, unfortunately, I can’t wait for it to end after the final fights that stretch over one hundred pages, more or less, with repetitive dialogues. The fights are great and well-written, but it takes one-fifth of the book, and I have to admit I don’t care anymore since the outcome is obvious to me anyway. And there is a plethora of action scenes before these final fights that already exhaust me.

Having said all that, pure fantasy readers might enjoy this book. The author put a lot of effort into this, and there are a lot of unique and great scenes for the theme that is probably quite saturated. The characters are done well; we are introduced to plenty of them, and although some have fewer scenes than they deserve, they are distinguishable enough. The fight scenes are creative and well-written, and although I am not really taken by the ending, it has the potential for more stories.

3.5 rounded up.

 

Fools' Day

 

Locky is not a fool and knows how to enjoy a beach day and make that bath worth it!

 

ONE: The hitmanS

 

You get what you pay for.

 

This was what a Chinese Developer thought when he hired a hitman to kill his competitor because he was sued over a project dispute. At the price of 2 million Yuan (around $282,800), that should be enough to get a good quality hitman, or so he thought, and got Hitman 1.

 

Hitman 1 happily took the job, and with his impeccable business instinct, he hired Hitman 2. Why should he do the job if he could hire others for half the price and get the work done without getting his hands dirty? He was a genius! However, the idea was not exclusive. Gone were the days when we saw the John-Wick-alike kind of hitman; they all turned into entrepreneurs! So, Hitman 2 hired Hitman 3 with even less price, Hitman 3 hired Hitman 4, and Hitman 4 hired Hitman 5. That was a synchronization of teamwork we had never seen before. However, once it got to Hitman 5, the amount of money was not lucrative anymore; it was also quite insufficient to hire another tier of hitman. With that in mind, Hitman 5 let the murder target know about the plan. They staged a murder, and all the hitman wannabes and the mastermind were caught.

 

 

TWO: The elusive escapee

 

Speaking about cool movie characters (Yes, I like John Wick. I believe anyone who loves dogs like John Wick), there was a time when police in the Irish Republic faced the challenge of a serial traffic offender. This guy was so skillful he evaded tons of traffic violations by giving the authorities a different address every time, continued to break the traffic law, and always escaped the consequences. We are talking about fifty of them. Fifty! And I can't even win one game of hide and seek with my dog.

 

The police scratched their heads and were convinced they were dealing with a mastermind, 'The Fine Evader,' 'The Road Flash,' and 'The Asphalt Avenger' were the allocated supervillain names—by me. So, who was this traffic offender that had reached the legendary and cult level among the Irish traffic police?

 

Spoiler alert: his name was Prawo Jazdy. And who is this Prawo Jazdy? Prawo Jadzy is actually not a person but a Polish term for a driving license. Polish people were, and I believe still are, one of Ireland's most significant immigrant populations. So, there were over fifty times when the police wrote down the first line they saw on these offenders' driving licenses instead of their actual names, which led to the hunt for this mythical escapee.

 

For those who like to watch and read weird random things on the internet, you might have heard those stories before. For those who haven't, both are legit, they really happened and are out there in the news. Both stories amused me and made me laugh out loud in the middle of the night.

 

Happy April Fools' Day.

 

I don't do pranks, and I am not a recipient of pranks from random acquaintances. I have that kind of face that my schoolmates and colleagues think twice before they pull one on me. I hope! There are times I make exceptions for people I am close with, but we don't do those annoying elaborate pranks, just harmless, endearing ones, and they are not confined to April Fools. One of the most memorable pranks I got was the incident I called 'ball-less mouse,' No, we didn't catch the mouse and castrate it. Gen X-ers would understand that computer mouse/mice (?) used to have balls. The balls were removable for cleaning because they could get sticky over time, but no ball or cursor! I realize it's impossible to talk about balls without them sounding like innuendos. One morning, I almost pulled my hair out because I couldn't find the cursor. I am not a patient person when things break. Growing frustrated, I moved the mouse frantically with a little bit of slamming, but it still didn't work. It went on repeatedly until I heard an eruption of laughter. Someone had stolen my mouse's ball.

 

Light My Pyre (Kat Kinney)

 

The good thing about fantasy is that the imagination can be limitless. I believe I had watched some old Asian movie about dragon shapeshifters, but I certainly had never read a book about it.

The book follows the journey of Asher (a firefighter; this is not as close as Bookman as a librarian in Seinfeld, and definitely not better than a real-life firefighter, Lieutenant Les McBurney, but good enough) facing the challenge of a serial arsonist who seems to have something against him. He moves to a new place to escape from a traumatic event and meets a girl, a dragon shapeshifter, on the run of her own problems.

There are a lot of creativities in this book, but there are many times when I was distracted by 'witty comments' uttered by the characters. Some of them feel inappropriate to the situations and take me out of the moments, especially serious and sad scenes. They also blur the characters' distinctiveness. I have met many different people in my life, and trust me, not many are quote machines; some even laughed at my jokes on Monday after I told them the previous Wednesday. They are creative and funny but can become too excessive and tiresome for the above reasons.

I like the twists that make the book not very predictable and the greyness of the characters with their backstories. The ending is a bit draggy, but overall, this is a good read for those who enjoy fantasy. It's not my genre. I like GRRM books, but I categorize them more as realistic 'fantasy' (I know, it has dragons and zombies, but they lean heavily on stories, characters, social politics and the parallels to reality) than mythical ones. Over time, I have come to appreciate the fantasy genre and the amazing world of imagination that comes with it.

4.5 rounded up.

The Silent Day

 

Do you remember the time when you tried to eat chips in the office but didn't want to share? Or when you wanted to fart and dropped a book to conceal the sound, but because of poor timing, you dropped the book, the whole class went silent, looked at you, and then you farted? Neither do I. It didn't happen to me. I swear.

But today, I try to be as quiet as possible. If you have watched a movie titled The Quiet Place that tells a story about monsters that attack sound (and everything attached to it), yeah, I wouldn't make it a day. I'm only talkative to certain people. I am not social, but I am clumsy and do everything with passion. Cling, clang, cling, clang.

Why today? I write this on March 11, the day Bali observes Silent Day (Nyepi). It occurs once a year and is the biggest day in Balinese culture.

Today is a reflection day when you are supposed to introspect yourself in silence. No sound, fire, lights, not going out but staying at home. This applies to everything and everyone; even the airport is closed. I can't think of a day when an airport is closed anywhere else except for emergencies.

We tried to experience Nyepi some years ago by staying in a hotel. At that time, it was our first year spending Nyepi in Bali, and we were worried it would be hard for us to be at home. Rumor has it that they shut down electricity. So, we looked for an affordable hotel that had a special Nyepi package, which provided meals and lodging at a reasonable price. As for now, I have experienced Nyepi many times and never encountered an electricity shutdown, so that could be a baseless rumor. However, I went through an internet shutdown a few years ago. They haven't done that for three years; I guess the internet has become such a necessity in life, important for emergencies, and great to have for those who go along with Nyepi without related culture and religion.

For everything else, the rule is strict for everyone, and there are traditional Balinese civilian officers (We call them Pencalang; I have no idea what the term is in English, but they exist in the neighborhood to ensure peace and safety). Not sure about other clusters, but in mine, I have only great experience with them; they are always ready to help and do their jobs well. These Pencalang all over the island go around to ensure that no one is out there or making unnecessary noises. If you have special needs, emergency, and noisy babies, you can inform them, and there will be exceptions given.

We were lucky to stay in a hotel with a rooftop a few years ago and experienced the night sky with dark surroundings. My favorite time when I climbed the mountains was at night or dawn during the scale to the summit, especially those non-commercialized mountains with hardly any other climbers. I loved that serenity and peace when surrounded by total darkness that my eyes would adjust to or showered in the silvery glitter of the moon. It was the best time to look at the stars, far away from light pollution. It always gave me feelings I couldn't explain, making me return for more, regardless of how agonizing the journey to the peak was. Looking at the stars during Nyepi was a very good substitute, as everyone tried to be respectful and quiet, with no one fiddling with their phones, and were just there, enjoying the night sky and the peace.

While it's not for everyone, it is certainly one of the unique experiences and traditions the Balinese preserve, and I hope they continue to do so. Although there are some 'outlaws,' most visitors or non-natives respect this unusual tradition; as the saying goes, 'when you visit a place, you respect its culture.' I don't remember the exact words, but it's something along that line. It's on a bigger scale than what most are taught since childhood: 'When you visit a house, respect its host.' I think it's basic, common sense, although it seems like common sense is not that common anymore when you read the news nowadays.

Find more story like this in My Newsletter, I promise there are gibberish there, and for more gibberish you can check My Website

Thank you!

Redemption (Dave Saari)

 

For the mystery, this book has a decent case. It starts strong and intriguing with a kidnapping and ransom case of a wealthy man's wife. He then fades into the background as we learn that the said wife had been murdered, allegedly wrongfully convicted and has been sitting in prison for five years until a good friend of his hires a private investigator to relook into the case.

The private investigators called FYI are the main characters: husband and wife, Trey and Sybil, and Trey's mother, Madeleine. They are rich people who take up cases for fun as they don't need the money if they believe their clients are innocent.

I want to like this book. I really do. I like murder mysteries and detective stories, but these characters, their interactions and relationships are too unrealistic to me. In my opinion, they are very objectified, and if we take out everything sexually related, there is almost nothing left. They are unrelatable, and I don't root for them at all. Here are the examples. As an ex-FBI officer, Sybil approaches, and borderline harasses their suspect carelessly. Both of them got away with it the first time, but when she acts alone, with her husband waiting and watching, she is assaulted, slapped, groped, and harassed, complete with torn clothes with buttons flying off and everything in the daylight. That should be serious, shouldn't it? But nothing comes out of it. There are no reactions from them other than some casual remarks, and they move on to discuss a dress now that her clothes are torn as if that is Tuesday.

And the dress, sigh, so these two buy a flirty dress from a consignment shop because it reminds the husband, Trey, about their hotel receptionist, whom he flirts with openly and apparently lusts for him based on a few interactions. So, Sybil, the wife, agrees to wear it to fulfil his fantasy even though she is uncomfortable and protesting multiple times. Fortunately, it seems like she finally feels okay, and they both enjoy fooling around in it, but then she decides she doesn't like it, and then they gift it to the receptionist, Nicole, the one the husband lusts for, because she helps them with the investigation. This girl apparently expects a threesome invitation when they invite her to their room. They didn't, but still, she was delighted to get this third or whatever hand slutty dress. (I have nothing against reduce, reuse, recycle (because that is the justification), but I really don't think it's a norm to give people a used slutty dress and loudly state you give it away because you hate it, as a thank you). To top it all, she gets so excited and flustered that Nicole leaves with the new dress and forgets her bra. I don't know, but normal people don't forget undergarments, especially when they arrive wearing them. That is not all. Sybil then confiscates the bra and wears it like her own. What is happening here?

Another example is Madeleine, Trey's mother, who, in order to get the information she needs for the case, opts for performing for a man. Having a sexual encounter with her female partner while the man watches. Of course, he promises not to take pictures or videos and to leave the information if he is happy with the show. Of course. Please remember these are professional, super-wealthy investigators with money, qualifications, and reputations. Madeleine is a tech wizard; that's what I know because it is mentioned more than I see her in action.

I don't have triggers, and I'm really not against mature scenes. One or two are useful to the plot and characters, but others are very distracting and absurd.

The villain is supposed to be the charming genius and psychotic, and there is a potential redeeming ending, but the book doesn't have enough of it or more scenes about why and how this person is a chameleon and mastermind because there is almost no actual interaction that conveys his charm, a missed opportunity because I would certainly root for the villain instead.

This is my personal opinion, and books are very subjective. What doesn't work for me might work for others. I think the author writes a good murder mystery and I like the style of flashbacks as we reveal the case.

3 used flirty dress out of 5 consignment shops

Flit (Ed Morawski)

 

Since I was a young adult, I have been dreaming about teleportation. Staying away from my loved ones, it's always a delicate balance to be with them, be in a place with the job, and be in places that are good for my mental well-being. I do not intend to be greedy outside of personal use and am very good at keeping secrets. Because of this wish, I think about this a lot, albeit always briefly, about how having this kind of device would impact my life and others if it's finally realized one day.

So, I am happy to read this book, especially when it explores the origin.

I was worried that the book would be a lump of narration and information in the beginning because we were barely introduced to any character. It has its purpose because it's just an introduction to the beginning. Twenty years later, there are multiple characters and storylines.

The premise.

I love the concept of this book; as told, I want to know what would happen if this thing became a reality. Every ordinary person thinks about all these scenarios daily, no? At least I have this book. Although I have nitpicks (more on that later), I admire the author's knowledge about a lot of things and read in amazement as he brings me through the science, jurisdiction system, business, banking, and the future.

 

The characters.

I love to root and feel for characters when I read books, and I root for none of the characters in this one. The primary and more prominent characters are decently created, but I can relate to none. The most down-to-earth, realistic, and ordinary characters are introduced in snippets just to put a name for how the device impacts them. However, it works for this book, and I think there is a decent balance between hard and soft science fiction. This would make a good movie with the montage of ordinary characters among the craziest things that ever happened to humanity. I wish Beach, Joe, and Irina would be less one-dimensional, but who cares? I have a four-second trip to make.

 

The pace.

The pace is great, although some timelines seem impossible for me, who worked in corporate deadlines many times before, especially in those sectors that rely on many things, including supplies and utility. But no part of the book is boring to me. It keeps me interested.

 

The style.

The book is a 'documentary.' I think it's creative and has many things that would make a great movie. But more on the nitpick.

 

Now, the nitpicks that sadly have knocked one star from me.

-       I am a nerd. I like to read about theories, calculations, details, and analysis (whether I understand them or not is another matter), and this book has many of them. It's all great, but something very simple caught my eye. It's a nitpick, of course, for something that takes only half a page, but hear me out. Emily, one of the minor characters, owns a boutique, and for some reason, the author details how the business has been doing well by including some simple calculations. With a rent of $28,000 a month, the company would break even if it could rake $1,000 a day, which makes it $30,000 a month. It is simple, but in the previous scene, it was mentioned that it is located in a very prime area with three full-time salespeople, even though they also work on a commission basis. Based on my knowledge, there is no way $2,000 a month would cover other expenses. Salaries, utilities, business trips, expenses, taxes, interior, packaging, transport, marketing, and bonuses are the basics. There is just no way the number would work. If there is a higher number, or best, not to mention them at all outside the general idea. It's a tiny thing; however, it makes me wary a bit. What about all those impressive calculations and details that I don't have any knowledge about? Don't get me wrong, it wouldn't impact my reading enjoyment, but it would make me less confident.

 

-       The aftermath

It's great that I get to read about the impact on the world. The author has a lot of insights into things that I have yet to consider, and it's really awesome to read them. While there are mentions of some negative impacts that spark a very tiny idea of reverting to the old transportation method, everything goes very smoothly regarding long-term technology impact, not social rejection (the riot).

It says a lot about the better environment, while in my head, it is the other way around. I was an avid traveler and sought remote areas: unpopular islands, underwater, and mountaintops. The best factors for all these are the destinations, the views, nature, and cultures. On the other hand the most disturbed factors by this device are the tranquility, exclusiveness, and the journey. All these would be gone (and that's why I decided unselfishly that this device is not ready to be introduced to the mass population ha). Every corner of my beloved destinations would be flocked with these annoying tourists and influencers. There would be no more peace. And who are the most disruptive and destructive visitors? Tourists and influencers. The beautiful marigold field would be flattened to the ground, and the unique mountaintop outcropping would collapse from the weight of people pretending to do yoga there. While we finally would be able to retrieve Green Boots from Everest, it would be a disaster up there with some wealthy housewife trying to do gender reveals. I feel stressed typing this.

Sadly, the journeys would no longer be possible without alternative methods. Part of the satisfaction of these destinations is the journeys.

 

The other most important factors are animals and plants. People want to see wildlife up close and bring souvenirs; the consequences would be unimaginable. Endemic animals and plants, with their natural reasons and causes, would no longer be protected. Wallace's line exists for a reason.

Of course, there could be solutions, but I am just a bit disappointed that these very glaring negative impacts (to me) are not mentioned, combined with the population rise. (I have read somewhere that the lack of need to do other things and the plentiful of time will result in the increase of baby-making activities)

 

-       I am not sure why there is a need for a 'Post Release Update.' Imo, it totally throws everything else away. It doesn't go with the documentary style as this is supposed to be the private life of someone who is mentioned repeatedly as very reserved. The tone is also very different from the rest of the book, and it kind of ruins the consistency of the characters. I'm really not sure why this is included. Imho; it would make a much better book without.

 

-       The missing importance. The disappearing, the original scientists, and the alternate universe need to be fleshed out more. Those should be very important and alarming, or it would be interesting to learn about more than a few sentences. What about blackouts in between travels? Not all countries in the world have the same stability or capacity; blackouts happen often in some. Most less developed areas don’t even have internet connections. It would also be interesting to think about how vulnerable the system is to cyber-attacks and unauthorized imitations. Everything can be imitated, especially when they have the prototype.

4 out of 5 stars

The Classic (Race) Car

 

Locky has an itchy fit after I picked him up from his original grandma (a boarding perk I got from his original family when I adopted him. He has a second home whenever I am away). Besides medication and antiseptic soap, the vet suggested that he put on a cone or a shirt to prevent him from scratching. Here he is unhappy with the fashion choice, and that is my best T-shirt!

 But he got comfortable after I fastened it and slept well into the morning. On the way to beautiful, itch-free skin!

During my previous work, I passed this neighborhood road daily around the same time. I would see the same kiosks, the same people sweeping their yards, the same dog lounging under the afternoon sun, the same rubbish on the roadside, the same undies on the same cloth lines; yeah, I made the last two up.

Anyway, one day, there was a classic car on one of the roadsides (Classic, as far as my car’s knowledge allows me, I know almost nothing about them!). It was a pale blue, older model with a squarish look. Not Volkswagen, Cadillac, or Mustang; it looked sporty enough with Mustang’s style. Two youngsters, most probably less than twenty years old, were attending to it. They were busy cleaning, scrubbing, and tinkering every time I passed by.

I paid attention to everything unusual, interesting, or something regular. I also needed to slow down because sometimes there were stuff or tools scattered around. But one thing was for sure: they were very into whatever they were working on. It was not clear on week one, but on week two, they moved to focus on the area around the wheels, and it became obvious that they were trying to lower the chassis by the time they entered week three.

Please don’t ask me; I still don’t understand why some folks think cars with low body clearance from the road are cool and great. To put it simply, the less space it has between the chassis and the road, the better. I assume it feels different when you drive it; most probably, it feels like a racing car. I prefer to be as high as I can because I need to see what is going on in front of me. So, it’s not for me, but I understand that it’s a passion for some. It’s probably cool to look at as well for them, and it’s some achievement to obtain or modify a car that way. Here, there are no clear rules for modifications, or maybe there are, but after seeing all sorts of weird things on the street, they are probably very lax.

I enjoyed looking at how passionate these two were; they looked content and did a decent job on the car. Sometimes, there were one or two onlookers who helped them or just chatted on a small makeshift wooden pavilion nearby. All in all, it was a quality afternoon time for them. The car got lower and lower until it was around or less than 5 centimeters or two inches from the ground, and they wrapped the work.

However, there was one biggest flaw that they didn’t consider. It was very obvious, but maybe they focused on the process, and as a result, they forgot about one thing: Bali’s roads.

Bali has every imaginable road: the smooth ones, the jagged ones, the ones with plot holes, the ones with swimming pools, the ones with trees planted on the sides (not on planters or islands or curbs, on the roads!), the dirt roads, the ones with steep inhumane gradient that you clench butt cheeks when you go up and see your life flash before your eyes when you go down, the ones that lead to nowhere, and the ones with obnoxious manholes and humps.

Some manhole covers are fitted so haphazardly that they are much higher than the road. Humps, there are no standards here; sometimes they are reasonable with good angles, sometimes they are invisible (not painted), sometimes they are designed to make you fly or grant you a visit to the mechanics. There is one key here; all of them are higher than 5 centimeters.

Some assholes think it’s okay to speed on the neighborhood roads, so there are a lot of humps to prevent that, including, wait for it, humps in front and behind where this car was located, which was less than fifty meters in each direction. They were not painted, but a regular would know them by heart. I assume they tried to test the car for a ride when reality dawned on them because after the car was finished, it was only abandoned on the roadside for months until, one day, it was gone.

It was a pity. This post should stop here, but of course, like many insufferable writers, I try to draw a parallel in life. There is a good possibility that the way ahead and around us are not as obvious as when they are viewed from afar or by others. We get so accustomed to the conditions and surroundings that we can’t see the glaring, unbeatable obstacles, or we can see them but choose to ignore them because we enjoy what we are doing. I think it happens to me more than I am willing to admit.

Have a great day, everyone. Sometimes, I wish I was born on leap day because I hate celebrating birthdays, but that is the story for another day.

 

It's Not Too Late for April 14 Valentine Day

 

We still did manual drawings in uni, no computer, all hand drawn on humongous papers. I didn't have a drawing table, but fortunately, I could use the communal ones on my campus, which also meant I spent days and nights there preparing my final presentation each semester with a bunch of other classmates who also didn't have drawing tables or those who preferred companions during those sleepless nights. The schedule got crazier the closer we were to graduation.

It was miserable yet memorable; we haunted the campus when everyone was sleeping. A musical-talented classmate brought a drum set, and every time he was on the brink of the lullaby, he would start playing it like a zombie, hands moving, head shaking dramatically, eyes closed. Mumbling sounds of cassette tapes in terrible conditions were heard from one corner, playing the same songs over and over again. I remember trying to pry my eyes open to the tune of I Will Survive by Cake. Some fell asleep on common tables (because it would be a disaster to sleep on the drawing and ruin it!), some on uncomfortable benches, and some on the floor. They covered it with drawing paper; desperate times called for desperate measures. In the morning, freshly arrived rich classmates with their fancy private tables at home, junior students, and lecturers could catch us with pillow hairs and puffy faces in our pajamas. Some 'residents' would drag their feet to the bathroom, holding a small bucket filled with toiletries and towel draped over their shoulders. I was lucky to stay in a nearby hostel, so I didn't have to rely on university's facilities.

My hostel consisted of students from different faculties and majors; I had no one from the same major except one good friend. It was quite rare for others to have long study nights. Still, they were well aware of our 'hellish' time of the year since they would see us with panda eyes, carrying rolls of papers or a bag full of stationery, dragging our feet and limping to one side because we sat too long, and mumbling, "Brainnnnnsssss..." There were two Korean students (rarity!) in my hostel at that time, Kim and Lee, who were in the uni studying our language. We had developed friendships with them since my friend and I usually hung around the common area to do homework together (other subjects, yes, our major was hellish!). Sometimes, they asked us to help with their assignments, but most times, they just wanted to converse to familiarize themselves with the language.

Back to miserable nights on campus, while the sleepiest time was usually around 2 am, the hours leading to midnight were the time when the stomach started to rebel and demand sacrifice. Food from street vendors outside was the best for the odd timing. However, we didn't always have time or the budget to go out, especially for prolonged periods of late nights. Most times, we had to settle with 'almost there' instant noodles cooked with 'almost hot' water from our 'almost proper' budget kettles. Those kettles were very questionable because I was electrocuted once, but that is a story for another day.

One night, April 14, 1999 (if I remember correctly), Kim and Lee showed up at our studio. I didn't even know how they navigated the area since there were six other majors/main clusters in our faculty, but at least they knew where our faculty was. And with them, luxurious Korean noodles with some other delicious Korean snacks. Everything was a luxury compared to limp noodles. They brought enough for them and us, so with the envy of other zombies, we feasted, and they regaled us with a tale.

I don't know if this story is culturally accurate, but at least this was what they told us. Also, a disclaimer: we communicated in broken languages from both sides.

In Korea, females give chocolate to males on Valentine's Day. However, it doesn't stop there; the males then return the favor with white chocolate on March 14. I believe that is why it's called White Day. Then, on April 14, which is regarded as Black Day, for anyone who doesn't get anything, it is an 'obligation' to eat this specific Korean noodle, thick with generous black gravy, and I won't attempt to spell the name. It was a mess, and only after we had eaten the noodle, they told us the story. I was unsure if eating the noodles was some kind of F you or punishment, but it was done in good humor; at least, that was the impression I got from Kim and Lee. They happily told us they didn't want to suffer alone since it was supposed to be fun humiliation. All of us shared big laughs with our charming blackened teeth.

April 14 is an anti-Valentine Day, so if February 14 or March 14 are not your days, this is the Black Day granted to you.

Enjoy the delicious Korean black noodles while drowning in your tears or indulging in your freedom!

 

Note: In my university, there were many faculties with their specific study, like economics, engineering, social politics, etc. Each faculty had its own area, and some, like mine, had various majors under its umbrella, and each major had its own cluster of buildings and public space. It was a huge university and almost always deserted at night except for some occasional stupid student meetings; it was pretty dark with many haunted tales and an actual murder during my time, but those are stories for another day. Ha! There was a small 'village' near my faculty that accommodated hostels and small-budget diners for students who stayed away from home. Many of them operated until midnight.

Free Thermos (For Me!)

 

For me.

I am sorry, this is not a free gift announcement. Instead, it's a post about me boasting about my free thermos. Or the opposite.

It’s February, and I hope the new year has been kind to you so far.

It has been fantastic for me, maybe not to others' standards, but I don't need to live up to those, and I have just got a free thermos! 

You know the threat of AI replacing us is real; it has been for a long time. They 'write,' they do backflips, they make stuff, they are great in accuracy and precision engineering, and they are out there in medical fields and space. However, I always wonder how stupid they are sometimes, especially when dealing with frustrated humans, or maybe that is intentional.

 

Whenever my mom stays with me, we always go for morning walks before breakfast. I ordered a tiny thermos, half the size of my palm because she needs to take her medications before meals. It's troublesome to carry mine because it's too big and I carry way too many other things. My dog needs his drink, too, and our stray friends identify my face with kibbles and treats.

Anyway, the thermos was sent from China (where most of the goods come from in our online marketplace here, we have local sellers from other countries, but it only makes up for a small percentage with much less variety. Amazon is not common, and shipping cost is a killer), from a 'shop' that seems like a consolidation of many sellers because it has everything and dominates the market. If I ordered five things from them, they would come in five packets at different times. I had never had any problem before, but this time, I was looking at the flat, card-sized box delivered to my home after a week plus (normal delivery time from there), trying to remember what I ordered.

It was weirder when I opened it; I didn't even recognize what it was supposed to be! Inside a tin box with a glass window was a mixture of gold and silver geometric shapes, assembled into a round disc and another piece of a golden curved triangle. When I checked my order, it was my 'thermos.' Anyway, I didn't order anything else. So, I took the picture, feeling a bit furious because those two were not even comparable in terms of functions and looks. I told them they sent the wrong thing and asked for a return/refund while grumbling to myself about the hassle of repacking and going to the post office, having to wait longer for refund approval, and the hassle of looking for another one.

To their credit, they refunded me straightaway at that very moment, so I looked for the return instructions and where I should send it back. I got a message in my inbox (automated) saying that I didn't have to send back the wrong item. (Although I didn't want it, it was nice that I didn't need to go through all the hassles). I opened the tin box, and now it's clear the thing was some luxurious-looking fidget spinner, with the triangle as the holder, like a tiny super-fast Ferris wheel. I don't know what to do with it, so it still rests inside my cabinet.

Then, two days later, another package arrived, and I was also dumbfounded. I didn't order anything, but it was my name and written there outside the packaging: thermos. The thermos that I ordered. There must have been some mishap between the seller and the shop system. I couldn't help but think about someone with a small business losing their income because of this mistake since the order was, in fact, correct, but the system just sent me something else under the same order, which I then mistook for the wrong delivery. So, I chatted with the seller (but it, unfortunately, went to the shop, there was no other contact), explaining the situation and asked for a solution to refund them the money, or maybe I would purchase another one, but they didn't need to send me the stuff. But the reply was automated, and they only responded to keywords (probably refund) and kept giving me instructions on how to get a refund. I changed the wording and asked to speak to an actual person, but they replied with standard 'how may I help you' blabla and asked me to explain the situation. It went into an unbreakable circle like this, and until now, I can't get any answer other than the refund process, finding another contact, or talking to an actual person.

Well, I am a mediocre person. I am not out there doing good works or charity, but I was raised from a small business's earnings; I tried to do a small business and failed, and I know how hard it is and how little income means. The shop might be a disgustingly rich corporation, but I somehow believe it has small businesses under its wing, which, unfortunately, have no way to control the situation. Most likely, the loss of this is passed to the sellers. Somewhere out there, maybe, a customer would complain about not receiving their Ferris Wheel, a seller would get nothing from the thermos, and maybe they would even get some 'rating punishment' because of complaints. In contrast, the corporation got away with its errors. I am the winner here; I got my money back, a free thermos, and a free Ferris Wheel, but it doesn't feel that good.

So, why does AI get so advanced, but the level of customer service remains idiotic? I 'stay' in two places, and I must admit in this case it's much better to live in a third-world country because anytime I call customer service, I get a human with a waiting time of less than a few minutes. Although the frustration could remain the same because they usually don't provide real solutions and it always feels like talking to the wall. Maybe it's all intentional; customer service is a service that frustrates us so much that we give up trying to get a solution. Bingo.

Anyway, others keep their newsletters short, but I always blabber too much. You are the strong ones.

Thank you for being here.

REVIEW: Jigsaw: Powder Keg (David Alyn Gordon)

This is one of the weirdest books I have ever read.

I like the uniqueness of the first of its series, but unlike this one, it was at least contained in a certain theme. While this one is fast-paced with a lot of action, it confuses the hell out of me. I like reading books in nonlinear timelines, and although the timelines here are undoubtedly challenging to follow, as they span thousands of years, I don’t have any problem with that.

Even when I can’t get into the importance of what they are doing, this is not a deal breaker. The concept is similar to the first book; most of the time, it is to ensure that history goes the way it is. However, I believe the stories can be told better if there are more emphases on what if it doesn’t? Would it be really that bad? It’s hard to root for the characters and what they are doing without more justifications.

The characters. I feel nothing about them. So many names were thrown out there without any refresher about their previous stories until we got closer to the end in bits and pieces. It would be great to have some summaries of the earlier stories because they are really hard to follow. And some of them have multiple names.

However, most of all, the hardest factor for me to digest is the ambition of combining so many things that usually don’t and imho, still don’t go well together. It’s science fiction, with teleportation and time travel; it’s also historical fiction, and this is the heaviest theme of all. But then, there is a vampire (what?), a werewolf, a Gollum. What? And then I read about celestial beings and almost lost it.

I haven’t read other books in the series besides the first, so I give it the benefit of the doubt that the transitions and combinations of all these mixtures are smoother. While this book is not for me, I admire the author’s creativity and willingness for pushing the boundaries.

3 out of 5 stars

REVIEW: Darklands Paranormal (Marco Santucci)

 

This is the second book of the paranormal investigation series by Marco Santucci and also the second book in this genre that I have ever read. Unlike the first book, which feels much more personal, this one follows Marco and his partner, Scott and their visits and investigations to various places, with stories of their encounters with other beings. Scott has a knack for snapping pictures of them, while Marco has his recordings. There are QR codes throughout the book that readers can scan to hear the audio. I didn’t scan any of those simply because I prefer not to listen to them personally, but I think those are exciting and awesome additions.

While undoubtedly there are many intriguing and chilling scenes, I prefer the first book because it feels much more personal. The feel, the emotion, and the experience are raw and intimate. This book feels more like narration or a collection of short tales, mainly because it’s jumpy from scene to scene. While it’s not easy for me to enjoy it as a book, it’s reasonable because of the nature of the investigations, and even though I wish for more answers, it’s understandable too that many events are left to the imagination and our own analysis. I learn more about the other side from the first book.

While there are many opportunity setbacks, there are also many opportunities for the team to develop and share their hard work with the world. The book's last quarter is the most enjoyable to read as I follow their most exciting finds and imagine the thrill of walking through the trails. I admire their passion and dedication and wish them all the best. This book is definitely a precious find for paranormal fans out there.

4 out of 5 stars

REVIEW: A Darker Shade of Sorcery (William Collins)

The good thing about fantasy books is that everything can be up to the imagination. You can find everything in this book, I mean, everything: orcs, gargoyles, vampires, demons, elves, wizards, zombies, ghosts, modern life, other realms, too many to mention. While I applaud the author’s creativity, it also feels a bit overwhelmed and, at times, thrown together in a lump. Yes, it’s a fantasy, but it’s also a good way not to have explanations for many things. Maybe I shouldn’t wonder if a ghost is fighting with the zombie of himself.

There are also tropes and predictable plotlines common for young readers and this genre. Still, this is the first book that opens up opportunities for many other, hopefully more unique storylines. Having said that, this book has its own distinctiveness and is very well written. Many of the characters are distinguishable and well-developed, even with a lot of names; most of the time, I can follow who and who. The descriptions and feels of the settings are powerful; it’s easy to visualize them, and it helps to immerse me into the stories.

While there are some dragged-out scenes, I enjoy reading this book. It would be both tedious and great to turn this into something visual like an illustration book or a movie. While this book builds up the world, the subsequent ones will reap what it sows. Based on this book, some side characters like Sintian and Lok will most likely have bigger roles, and it would be interesting to see both main characters return to Earth and face whatever is coming for them.

4 out of 5 stars

REVIEW: All The Life I Could Not Speak (Shubelle John Baptiste)

This book could help kids or even adults struggling in difficult social situations, regardless of where you are in the spectrum. I relate to most situations and wish I had read something like this.

The illustrations are wonderful. I am sure it's much nicer to hold this book in its physical format. In my opinion, the language is a bit too complex and mouthful at times for a children's book, but on the plus side, it doesn't simplify the situations and is most likely more acceptable to a wide range of readers.

Overall, I think this is a wonderful book, a wonderful gift, and I could see a child clinging to this book and growing up with it, feeling understood as they flip every page.

4 of 5 stars

REVIEW: The Haight (Peter Moreira)

The Haight is a murder investigation book that is more than murder investigations. The book is fast-paced, and we are introduced to many characters; almost all of them are fleshed out well with their distinctive traits. Although many names are thrown around, I don't have difficulty remembering them because they are not just names.

The story follows the main character, Jimmy Spracklin, to a case that is easily overlooked as suicide, but things are not what it seems. Besides the case, we learn about Jimmy's personal life, which relates closely to the case as we go deeper. His political views about the real troubles happening in the world during that time are well documented without disrupting the main storyline. I find all the details interesting and believable. The revelation of the case and the domestic trouble feels natural with the character's prowess and shortcomings. The only thing I find lacking is the supposed intelligence of Marie's character. The intelligence is mentioned a lot by Andy's character that it draws my attention to it, but I see none of it displayed in her actions or thinking. Yes, we are not privy to her view actively, but from the way she reacts to everything happening around her, I don't see anything that proves that statement. It would be fine if not for the repeated mentions.

Overall, this is a good read. It's a very decent and interesting murder mystery. I like the main characters and the setting. As the title says, there is more to them in other books.

4.5 rounded up