diary notes #9
september 18th
I can't believe how long it's been since I've last written either on my blog or on my fiction pieces. Sorry. I've been away in Thailand for some time and it was a difficult holiday. There was a lot of shopping, a lot of walking, and all the usual problems that arise when you're on a vacation with your family.
In the vacation, I didn't really do much. Oh, I saw the ocean so that was nice! Tidal waves are very soothing in person. I tried mimicking the feeling via a YouTube vid but couldn't. Some things just can't be done through a screen.
I've had a refreshing look at Dhaka ever since I came from Bangkok. Like, the differences are very clear. Bangkok, although quite hectic, is much quieter and more developed than Dhaka. Hell, I saw the first Subway shops there in my life. There's also just more shit to do in Bangkok and everything is cleaner and doesn't look like a post-apocalyptic city such as mine. There is no cacophony of car horns there and the shops sell crap that are actually good and genuine.
Honestly, I don't like how unfair the world is. Just because I am born in a different country should not mean I get access to lesser facilities or that I live shorter or need to eat unhealthy food or that I need to order stuff from abroad because the local country products are pathetic. It's just sad, really. But hey, whenever I'm sad or mad at something, I try to be grateful of something else. One should stay happy.
september 19th
I've been thinking of studying abroad somewhere. I want to live in Europe but there isn't that many English-speaking countries there. Sure, I'm learning French at the moment but my French isn't even near the level required to attend lectures in it; that's way beyond my level right now.
There's Canada: the second-option every Southeast-Asian parent wants their children to choose. USA is off for me because of their lengthy citizenship and excessive political drama. UK is too expensive for me and besides it's the British and I don't really like the British for colonizing my country for two-hundred years. There's Australia, but yeah the country doesn't match my vides. New Zealand does, however, so it's right alongside Canada. Well, it's an island nation so no stupid world politics crap nor is there that many people in New Zealand. It's got good nature and a reliable economy to find an AI job in, so it's on my list.
So, that makes: Canada and New Zealand. France is also an option but only if a university allows me to study any tech-related degree in English. I don't minding learning to speak French outside the classroom but academics is already hard and to do it in another language than English would just be more pressure. Yeah, I wanna live a more chill life.
It's sort of sad, as I still see it, why I need to leave Bangladesh. It is the only country where I'm a citizen and I vibe with its culture, but alas, we cannot have everything. Bangladesh is a developing country with a poor economy, low levels of safety, and too much political crap. There's just too little shit here and the shit that are here are quite shit: old, barely functionable, tedious. That just about describes all the technology here. And I have to thank the British for all that.
september 20th
I'd recently just binge-read the first arc of Lord of Mysteries and my God my eyes feel sore. Very sore. I must have spent about three hours just reading page after page; I skipped a lot of paragraphs as there are a lot of boring plot points.
Anyways, let's talk about the book, shall we? First, the transmigration/isekai shit ruins the hell out of the book. Also the fact that it's a fantasy. I really think the book would've done a better job if it was set on Earth instead, without all those imaginary countries or cultures or languages. I just like realist fiction.
The writing was bad, no offense. I clearly saw the use of vocabulary was average at best. Imagery was a bit difficult to understand as well. I suggest the author using more descriptive writing in their works later on. I did, however, really like the characters; the author did a splendid job at that. Klean is an interesting protagonist, and the book would've better, I believe, if it was written in first-person. But it's a mystery so you get what you get.
Speaking of mystery, the supernatural detective part is literally my favorite aspect of the book. I love all the little cases. Sure, there's that stupid power fantasy shit but that's only there as the protagonist solves tougher and tougher cases. The slice-of-life sub-plot with his sister and brother made the story more wholesome and I liked the supernatural aspect in some degree.
I really think the book would've been much better if it wasn't set in a freakin fantasy world. It should been set in a real world because the novel's money system is confusing! I also saw a typo somewhere; that was a nuisance.
Literally, I just love the mystery part. I eat up detective fiction like it's candy. The author should've made it strictly a detective/supernatural work, but as I've said just before, you get what you get. I'm grateful it's not like the rest of the shit that most web-novels are. This one's quite good. Not good, but quite good. I have to end the binge-reading though.
Update: After finishing the blog entry on the twentieth, I binge-read more Lord of Mysteries and when it was my bedtime I actually felt sick; got a scolding from my parents for my bad habits 😔