Wednesday, September 30, 2026

Glide typing is actually good replacement for handwriting keyboard?

I'm sure you have heard something about how your feet have a lot of spots that, when you press them, supposedly bring about some kind of benefit for your body. I don't know what the actual terms are, but once again, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.

And recently, well. Not really recently. I've always had some inkling about it.

Anyway, recently, I found out that hands also have similar power. And no, I'm not talking about how having a palm massage gives you better blood circulation or the likes. But about how moving your hands, not just your fingers, can kinda stimulate your creativity.

It is well understood that using your hand directly can stimulate your creativity better than using an additional medium to put words into something. In my anecdotal case, I could write better and ideas flow much better when I hold a pen and move not only my fingers but also my wrist around to write something on paper.

I have tried to emulate the act of writing on paper digitally by using a handwriting keyboard with a capacitive pen before. But maybe because my actual handwriting is just catastrophic, or the software is simply still too dumb to guess what I'm actually writing.

Or maybe a bit of both.

Many of my attempts have resulted in failure, making me go back to the good old way of writing on paper, then retyping things into the computer. Which is both a chore and a pain.

The only time it's truly a joy to do is when I use a proper pen tablet like this cheap Huion 460P.

This device is for drawing, though many people used it to play OSU! too because of how affordable it was. And in my personal case, I used it more to write than to draw.

It's comfortable, reliable, and very accurate. It was an absolutely great device for doing handwriting on a digital device.

IF ONLY it wasn't also such a chore to carry. It has a long cable, it runs off Micro-USB, and you need an adapter to connect it to the end of the cable, which is standard USB-A.

Not to mention, I left it with my niece, who said she wanted to learn how to draw. Which she has procrastinated on for I don't know how long. It's probably collecting dust in her cupboard by now. But it's too late to lament my mistakes and say I want it back.

Anyway, the idea of doing handwriting using all the methods above has been shelved for almost a year.

But yesterday, I suddenly found a stylus that I had completely forgotten I had ever bought. I think I bought it around the time I bought that underpowered 2-in-1 laptop with a touchscreen.

I tried to use it to write on the Google handwriting keyboard. And it was awful. Sometimes it's too sensitive, sometimes it's not sensitive enough. Sometimes your input goes through, and sometimes it doesn't. It is absolutely an unreliable writing implement.

Until I looked at my virtual keyboard and realized.

Wait, doesn't this have a glide feature where I can just glide my finger to type things? That thing is pretty accurate, all things considered. And so… I tried glide typing using the stylus.

And so… I realized.

To simulate writing on paper, I don't actually need the handwriting keyboard at all.

Weirdly, doing glide typing is enough to trick my brain into thinking that I'm actually writing with pen and paper.

I do not have enough data to make a proper conclusion. Would you like to try it yourself and see if it works for you too?

Share:

Monday, September 28, 2026

Being burned out is a good thing. Or, is it?

So recently I finished submitting a novel for a competition. A J-novel competition, to be exact. And it has been a week since I started feeling pretty burnt out, and I just can't seem to motivate myself to do pretty much any creative work.

Not drawing, not writing, not making any videos. And weirdly, not even reading which is just consuming. And even when I'm playing games, I'm just unable to enjoy them. My body would simply going through the motions.

But being burned out is not a bad thing. After all, it's proof that you burned your body and mind to achieve something.

Right?

I'm not sure about that, actually.

Not being able to do anything is mentally painful. Like, I have this kind of existential crisis when I'm doing nothing. After all, doing ``something`` is also how I distract myself from the reality that my life is kinda crumbling, bit by bit.

Some of those comes from my own action and inaction, and some of them comes from the world around me just getting worse because our leaders are just a bunch of buffoons hellbent on making life worse.

I wonder if this is the right way to see a hobby. Seeing it as a place where I can run away from real-life responsibilities. The fact that I'm even writing this is already proof in itself that my mind has started spiraling down.

Simply because I have been burned out.

A wise man once said mental block can be bypassed by viole… I mean, by forcing it. And sure enough, when I tried forcing myself to do ``something`` I could physically do the thing. Whether it was drawing or writing.

But doing creative things without having your mind fully on it truly shows. Let me give you an example.

 

Can you see which one of these two drawings came out of me forcing it and which one I actually wanted to draw from my heart?

Sighhhh....

What should I do next?

Seriously, what should I do next?

Share:

Thursday, August 27, 2026

It's Expensive To Be Poor

Writer : Muzilana

It’s expensive to be poor because we have to compromise quality for something subpar. It’s expensive to be poor because we have to compromise quantity for something less. Being poor does not simply mean having less money. It often means having fewer choices, fewer opportunities, and fewer ways to avoid the costs that come with being unable to afford better options.

You think you are saving money by buying cheap products. You tell yourself that you are being frugal, that you are making the responsible choice by spending less. And sometimes, you have no other choice. But you cannot cheat your body out of what it needs.

Vegetables and nutritious food can be expensive. It is tempting to replace them with instant meals and cheaper alternatives because they cost less and are easier to prepare. But the body keeps its own accounting. Nutritional deficiencies, poor health, and illness eventually have to be paid for. The money saved on food can disappear quickly when a doctor's visit, medication, or treatment becomes necessary.

The same thing happens with the things we use every day.

It is cheaper to buy low-quality kitchenware, home appliances, clothing, tools, and other necessities. A cheaper product may seem like the better deal when you are standing at the checkout, especially when you are already struggling to make ends meet. But cheap products often break down more easily. A cheap appliance stops working. A cheap pair of shoes wears out. A cheap tool becomes unusable.

Then you have to pay again.

Sometimes you pay for repairs. Sometimes you have to replace the entire thing. The money you thought you were saving slowly disappears. You are forced to keep repairing things because buying something better was never an option in the first place. Instead of spending a larger amount once on something durable, you spend smaller amounts over and over again on something that keeps breaking.

And in the end, you stay poor.

The little money you managed to save can disappear the moment something goes wrong. A broken appliance, an unexpected medical bill, a necessary repair, any one of these can wipe out months of savings. Poverty leaves very little room for mistakes because there is rarely enough money left over to absorb an emergency.

You are also punished for buying less.

Buying in bulk is often cheaper, but you need enough money to buy in bulk in the first place. A larger package may cost less per item, but if you only have enough money for today's groceries, you cannot afford to buy enough for the next several weeks. The person with more money can spend more now to save money later. The person with less money is forced to keep buying smaller quantities at a higher cost.

So even saving money requires money.

And this is where poverty becomes more than simply a lack of income. It can become a cycle.

The world as a whole has become enormously wealthier over time. Technology has advanced, productivity has increased, and people today have access to goods and services that previous generations could hardly imagine. Yet the benefits of that wealth are not distributed equally. The gap between those who own the most and those who own the least remains enormous.

Wealth gives people advantages that allow them to accumulate even more wealth. If you have enough money, you can buy something durable instead of repeatedly replacing something cheap. You can buy groceries in bulk. You can afford preventative healthcare. You can survive an emergency without emptying your savings. You can invest money and earn returns from it. You can even take risks that might improve your life because failure does not immediately threaten your ability to pay rent or put food on the table.

But when you have little money, almost all of it is already spoken for.

Your income goes toward food, rent, transportation, bills, repairs, and other necessities. There is little left over to save, and even less to invest. Then, when something inevitably goes wrong, the small amount you managed to save disappears.

Wealth compounds, so does poverty.

The person who already has money can use that money to make more money. The person who has none can spend years simply trying to avoid falling further behind. One person can afford to think about the future; the other is forced to think about surviving the present.

But do we have a choice?

Do we have the luxury of options?

Options are a luxury on their own. Having enough money means being able to choose the product that lasts longer, the food that is healthier, the larger package that costs less per unit, or the service that prevents a bigger problem later. When you are poor, those choices are often taken away from you. You are forced to focus on what you can afford today, even if it costs you more tomorrow.

That is what makes poverty so cruel. You are expected to make financially responsible decisions while being denied the resources necessary to make those decisions. You are told to save money, but you cannot afford the things that would actually save you money in the long run.

The world may be getting richer, but that does not necessarily mean that being poor is becoming easier.

You are not simply paying for being poor with the money you do not have. You pay with time, health, convenience, opportunities, and sometimes the possibility of escaping poverty altogether.

It is expensive to be poor because poverty does not only take away your money. It takes away your choices.
Share:

Thursday, August 20, 2026

Hurry up! Hurry up! Hurry up! Hurry up! MALx Honeyfeed Novel Writing Contest 2026 is closing soon!

Hurry up! Hurry up! Hurry up! Hurry up! MALx Honeyfeed Novel Writing Contest 2026 is closing soon!

I wrote the title twice because just how important that point is. The news come to me so suddenly, and the deadline is so close there's pratically less than a month left for submission.

Event / Stage Date Period
Novel entry period July 6 to September 27, 2026
Judges voting period September 28 to November 24, 2026
Public voting period (Finals) November 25 to December 23, 2026
Winners announced January 7, 2027

In partnership with Kadokawa. MAL whicsh also in partnership with, Honeyfeed is doing another novel contest this year. And this year theme is quite exciting (too bad i prolly can't participate), and that is EPIC HEROINE or Tragic Hero. You choose one, and this is for a oneshot series. For now they are not looking for a series.

The full rules and are here, but here some of the most important one these.


Some of the Requirements
1 You need to be 18 or older
2 It's in English
3 Minimim word count is 50k and maximum is 80k
4 You have not published it anywhere, offline or offline. If you want to rework your old stories, better remove them from the internet for a while.
5 This is NOT, a contest where you submit a finished product to be judged. It's a contest where you publish chapter by chapter of your story ON THEIR PLATFORM and is finished by the deadline date.

The deadline is tight, and what it asked is quite a lot. It's understandable if most people can't participate. Even the most passionate one. But in case you already have something, it might be worth the effort.

Share:

Tuesday, July 28, 2026

Essentially Just Fanfiction

For people who started their reading or writing journey with fanfiction, most of you must be familiar with this formula.

Somehow, you find yourself in the world of your favorite fiction.
Somehow, you need to avert the disaster coming for you or your favorite characters.
Somehow, you change the plot of the original fiction.

That kind of story, while very common, is mostly found on… you guessed it, fanfiction sites. Because even most readers think it’s just cheap. I mean, using other people's stories as a foundation and just inserting your character into them sounds absolutely low-effort and cheap.

Yet nowadays, it is exactly the main theme of so many-many-many-many stories. It is especially prevalent in female-oriented novels and manga or manhwa after the decline of pure isekai and the rise of the "villainess" trope.

Though seinen categories aren't that much better either. You will find countless stories with the whole premise being reincarnated into xxxx game. The difference mostly lies in the main theme of the fictional game being used as the basis.

While I understand the hook. I mean, I also read a lot of them. So you bet I kinda like them too. I feel a lot of disconnect with them. After all, the main unique point of such stories is that you are familiar with the story being used as the base.

But with the current trends, the base stories are just stories inside stories. A fiction inside a fiction. A fictional fiction that we are neither familiar with nor emotionally invested in. When they start with ``I'm reincarnated in the world of this game/manga/novel,`` I just… yeah? So what?

For me, the reader, that info is kinda irrelevant.

In fact, most of the time, the whole game/novel/manga background becomes kinda irrelevant as the story goes on.

While some are successful at using such a theme, most are just meh. But then again, that’s the usual thing. When we have trends, the majority of them are not good. It’s the same for school battle harem, it’s the same for school club drama, it’s the same for generic isekai, it’s the same for the ``I got fired from the hero party`` trend.

But this one subgenre felt kinda worse.

The Japanese light novel industry has never been shy about taking inspiration from each other. But the current wave is so blatant that it honestly feels like people are just writing fanfiction of each other instead. And it gets even worse when you double-copy fictional fiction inside the fiction.

You can make something good out of it. BUT! It’s easier to mess the whole thing up.

Btw, this is good.

Share: