Blisters & the Missed Opportunity

19th June 2023

Monday

As-Salaam-Alaikum,

(Meaning: Peace & Blessings be upon you)

Hello again~

What's your addictive beverage? Every Bangladeshi on the face of the Earth will tell you how amazingly intoxicating cha (চা, or chai) is. Yet it can get a bit overwhelming during summer. Particularly from May to July. Urgh. But does that stop us? Of course not. Don't be silly. Ah, but not everybody has the same opinion.

Usually I'm the girl who let's the cup sit for a while. Reduce the hot tea to lukewarm, then drink. Let me say, not a fan of doing that... but the past few summers have really tested my limits on enduring heat. I've forever grown up in a home without air conditioning. So it's pretty normal for me whenever the heat gets above 35°C; though, I often end up with blisters, itchy skin and melting like an ice-cream (I sweat like crazy! Its genetic.). And don't get me started on the increasing amounts of load-shedding this year. No generators, no functioning IPS.

Now, now, before some of you guys pull your hair strands thinking: "How can someone possibly live like this?!" I gotta inform you that I'm actually living a lot better than millions of other people out there. It's a bit difficult when the load-shedding happens at the dead of the night (cuz I can't f*'in sleep 😡 properly😭), but otherwise it's somewhat manageable. I've heard lots of other areas have it worse off (load-shedding for more than 3 hours straight!). We have 3 hours per day (unless it rains and its cooler) of load-shedding with each hour at seperate times of the day. That kinda helps, I suppose...? Only when the weather is warm does the load-shedding happen.

Apart from ice-cream, mango, watermelon, or even cold water, a great way to relieve and/or forget the summer heat just for a few minutes, is to read books! Sometimes I like reading fiction and non-fiction books together so that both my brain and heart are nourished. It's fun to enjoy a bit of a thrill once in a while, wouldn't you agree? Plus, it takes my mind off things! 😘

  The book I'm currently reading right now is titled, "The Fault in Our Stars", by author John Green. Now, I have heard about this book vaguely a couple of times during my pre-teen and teen years. However, I never really got to reading it. I read the summary/description at the back of the book and felt like the ending wouldn't be something I liked. You'll have to excuse my pre-teen and early teenage self... I was obsessed with 'happy endings' back then. Currently I've read until the middle of Chapter Eleven. You know the part where the waiter comes to inform the pair that their meal has been paid for by Peter Van Houten? Yup, exactly that sentence.

Just the terms, 'cancer', 'terminal', 'heartbreaking', and as the title suggests, 'fault in our stars', they really didn't paint the soft, happy mood I was seeking desperately at the time. I do know how it feels to have close people who have suffered from cancer. Which was partially why I avoided reading this story. Plus, being at that age where one tries to act as normal as possible, when your situation isn't exactly simple... if you've been through that, then you know what I mean. Traumas are not easy to get rid of.

When I borrowed this book from my cousin, it was a spur of the moment decision. For the first time, I wondered what goes on inside the mind of a person with terminal illness. How blurry the line between life and death gets... and how other's reactions take effect?

In those aspects so far, I'd say the book really delivers splendidly! I wonder how Peter Van Houten would react when he meets his fan, Hazel. I hope nothing too bad happens before their meeting. Though I do hope that Hazel's mom ends up spending some of her free time for herself. That woman deserves at least this much......

Perhaps after I finish reading, I might give a proper review/report about it, but for now that will be all.

On that note, maybe I'll share my opinions about other books I've been reading as well? It'll be fun! Just a concept in my head, no promises.

Anyways, thank you for sticking by for so long. 💛 Today's post has been a tad lengthier than usual. Thanks for stopping by~ tata 👋🏼