Serein Choo's Blog

“If the book we are reading does not wake us, as with a fist hammering on our skull, why then do we read it?”

Franz Kaftka (Author)

Maybe, we don’t need such soul crushing shocks.

Small shocks are good too. (Like all the Korean and Japanese Lit, that is quite popular lately, gentle/healing shocks). Do you have any favourites right now?

Mine is Sweet Bean Paste. It gently settles you down.

#MondayMotivation

Disclaimer: Quote doesn’t belong to me.

By Sayaka Murata.

I didn’t think much of it when I bought this book. I went in almost blind because I liked the other book (Vanishing World, by the same author), which I haven’t read either. When I picked up the other one, I grabbed this one too.

And yes, I didn’t read that one—I read this one first. Haha.

My brain always chooses the simpler book with an easier theme or a shorter story. Lol.

Here’s a little blurb of the book:

“Keiko doesn’t fit in. She’s 36 years old, she’s never had a boyfriend and she’s been working in the same convenience store for eighteen years.

Her parents wish that she did get a better job. Her friends wonder why she won’t get married. Bur Keiko knows what makes her happy, and she’s not going to let anyone take her away from her convenience store…”

From the blurb, you can tell, I can roughly guess how it goes.

Which is why, I felt that this book had performed much better than I thought. The characters were compelling. Keiko is very unique and also very empathetic character, She understands where they are coming from but doesn’t responds in the way the society requires her to be, thus shutting herself out. If it wasn’t for her sister’s help and the convenience store, I think it would be even harder for her to adapt/pretend.

Another point that I love about Keiko is how closely she observes her surrounding, absorbing other people, trying to blend in and pretty self-aware and content about herself until she was pressured (friends, family, work) into changing.

Another character that stood out, would be Shihara. Don’t get me started with Shihara. Ugh, this character, but the feeling that it gives shows how much the author in depicting this character (Hated him from the first impression). Sexist too.

Some parts that stood out to me:

“When you work in a convenience store, people often look down on you for working there. I find this fascinating, and I like to look them in the face when they do this to me. And as I do so I always think: that’s what a human is.”

“The normal world has no room for exceptions and always quietly eliminates foreign objects. Anyone who is lacking is disposed of.
So that’s why I need to be cured. Unless I’m cured, normal people will expurgate me. 
Finally I understood why my family had tried so hard to fix me.”

“So the manual for life already existed. It was just that it was already ingrained in everyone’s heads, and there wasn’t any need to put it in writing. The specific form of what is considered an “ordinary person” had been there all along, unchanged since prehistoric times I finally realized.”

“I wished I was back in the convenience store where I was valued as a working member of staff and things weren’t as complicated as this. Once we donned our uniforms, we were all equals regardless of gender, age, or nationality—all simply store workers.”

Convenience Store Woman (2016), Translated (2018)

It’s a 4/5 for me. Explains about social pressure, conformity/individuals. Comedy? I don’t think it’s comedic in any way, I found the book reflecting life. It reflects conformist society and how people impose their ideals for marriage and success onto others. How the things are being replaced every day but the whole (in this case the store) still remains unchanged.

And after reading this, I really am glad that Malaysians don’t have it too bad.

*Spoiler Alert (Turn Back)

Seriously, I am really glad that Keiko didn’t end up with Shiraha, or I would have thrown out this book. That parasite of a human being. Everything about this character just makes my blood boil. An insufferable parasite! Lower than a worn. Sometimes two wrongs don’t make a right.

I am also very glad that Keiko has her own support, a.k.a. her sister, although I do pity her as well, as it seems that, in the end, she had a breakdown as well.

“Will you ever be cured, Keiko…?” She looked down, not even bothering to remonstrate with me. “I simply can’t take it anymore. How can we make you normal? How much longer must I put up with this?”

However, I think it will only be short-term. Deep down, I think Keiko’s sister still loves Keiko. Involving her sister in the story also shows us the perspective of the family that needs to take care of such a person.

I really like how the story turned out. Not everyone is meant to work in an office; everyone has their own path, be it an office worker, chef, farmer, or, in this case, a convenience store employee.

And the story depicts this very well.

I really love that part where Shihara’s sister in law scolded Keiko about conceiving another child. That is so true. Like you can’t even take of yourself, please don’t bring another innocent child into this world. Every child deserves parents, but not every parents deserve a child.

“Better to have, and not need, than to need, and not have.” 

Franz Kaftka (Author)

Doesn’t this perfectly capture the contrast between mutual love and unrequited love.

#MondayMotivation

Disclaimer: Quote doesn’t belong to me.

“I no longer know If I wish to drown myself in love, vodka or the sea.”

Franz Kaftka (Author)

Maybe all three. It’s Monday and I wish to be drown in love and/or the sea (no alcohol, since I can’t drink), rather than going to work.

#MondayMotivation

Disclaimer: Quote doesn’t belong to me.

“Writing is utter solitude, the descent into the cold abyss of oneself.”

Franz Kaftka (Popular works includes The Metamorphosis, a novella, and The Trial and The Castle)

So true. It’s like a lone fight with yourself, in a good way. I can’t help remembering all the dialogues I’ve had with myself (for the sake of my writing). It’s writing two characters talking, but if you really think about it, you’re talking to yourself, since there’s only one person who is, and always will be, writing the story.

It’s the same with the characters’ personalities—you are the hero as well as the villain.

#MondayMotivation

Disclaimer: Quote doesn’t belong to me.

First Draft (Slice of Life?) by Serein Choo.

This is my side side project, literally cause I got too distracted with my two mains and one story that I was rushing for ONC (a collective writing competition on Wattpad), so this project was stalled and for now, waiting to be completed.

Storyboard/Theme for, The Kopitiam at the End.

The title has already grown for me. So I will be using this but the storyline, plot might still be changing as I go along (I tend to change as I go even though I have written down points for the story) (guilty pantser here!).

This will be a story set in Malaysia, of closure, and letting go. Husband/Wife (one of them is gonna be a ghost) going through the process of grief and with lots of coffee, teh c and cham involved (and a little dash of magical realism).

My first attempt to focus on a couple, love, grief and closure.

First Draft (Magical Realism) by Serein Choo.

A moment of distraction, I got caught up in a writing spree (ONC, Wattpad 2026) to write 20k words in a month although, I didn’t qualify since I was late for the attendance but I continue to write according to the timeline provided. It was great to squeeze out words Haha, was it hard? Yes, definitely but at the same time it was fun.

Based on a writing prompt No. 42 : One morning, time simply refuses to move forward and you are the only one who can still move while the rest of the world stands frozen.

Storyboard/Theme for, Frozen in Time.

When everything is stopped with a big old full stop.

What would life be?

Where there is no birth nor death, simple because everything seemed to be frozen in time.

You wake up one day, and this is the reality you face; everything around you is frozen in time. The clouds hang motionless in the sky. Cars are suspended mid-crawl. Birds remain trapped in the air. The world has stopped but you haven’t.

Or have you?

Are you truly the only one still moving… or is your mind playing tricks on you?

This is what happens to Penny Chan, an ordinary office worker living an unremarkable life until one she woke up one seemingly normal morning, only to find that time itself has abandoned everyone but her.

She was scared, lonely. And most of the time, confused.

But as Penny struggles to make sense of her strange new reality, a deeper truth begins to surface: the world hasn’t simply stopped, it’s waiting. Waiting for her.

Because if Penny Chan can’t figure out who she truly is, or what it really means to live, the world will never move forward again. With everything hanging in quiet limbo, Penny must confront herself in a way she never has before. Because this motionless world depended on her, Penny must face the one thing that she had been avoiding her whole life:

Herself.

All rights reserved.

At the end of the month, I got down 15k words which was great, although I bit sad that I didn’t manage to reach the finish line. But I will continue to finish it on my sweet time (since I want to end it around 20k+ words as well). I didn’t want to drag out the story so maybe another 5/6 chapters to completion.

Good luck to me!

“Start with what is right rather than what is acceptable.”

Franz Kaftka (Popular works includes The Metamorphosis, a novella, and The Trial and The Castle)

We should also do what is right instead of what is acceptable.

#MondayMotivation

Disclaimer: Quote doesn’t belong to me.

First Draft by Serein Choo.

Other than The Retelling of Night (Chinese Fantasy), this is the second main writing project I am working on. This one requires much more brainpower than the others, but I really hope to finish writing it. Love exploring new waters with imagination and creativity.

Listening to this song, Past Lives by Sapiendream while I write. It matches the mood and vibe of the story so much.

Storyboard/Theme for, In the City of the Blind.

It’s the story of Ah Loong and Sarah who were both struggling in the world where people are blind at birth. The challenges they faced and the decisions they had to make to continue living in such a world. What choices they will make?

Quote for the story: ‘We are together in loneliness… until I found you.‘

I truly love this story from the bottom of my heart. I’ve been writing it every other night, though progress has been slow, and I’m only around Chapter 10. I’m also challenging myself to write in dual points of view (POV). It’s difficult, but I think the challenge is worth it.

First Draft (Chinese Fantasy) by Serein Choo.

A little update on my writing. If you has seen my social media, I have posted these projects that I have been working on but silly me but I have forgotten to update it in my blog as well. So here we are.

A Retelling of Night is a Chinese Fantasy story, I have been working on since last year.

Storyboard/Theme for, The Retelling of Night.

It all begins with ZhuRong (Deity) defeating XiangLiu (Yao) and sealing him. Giving the seal to the humans thus, birthing the role of Holy Maiden and the State of Zhu. Yet Yaos are always trying to find ways to break in to the Capital and release XiangLiu from captivity. With Royal Guards like DuCheng and the current Holy Maiden, Shi YiGuang.

Will they succeed in protecting peace? You got to read it, to know the rest (You can check out the first few chapters posted on Wattpad).

At this point, I have already finished the 1st part of the story and I am currently having a friend beta reading this for me and editing the feedback I have gotten. However, this is still unfinished since I am planning it to be a 2 part story. So, I will be writing the 2nd part soon.