Every time I wrote about my blog’s anniversary, I always say something along the lines of “I can’t believe I’ve reached this milestone.” Well, it’s true. Sixteen years is a loooot of time. I didn’t start celebrating my blog anniversary until my fifth year of blogging, and back then, I was super proud to have reached five years. Now, it’s much closer to 20 years than to that young, five-year-old blog I was so so ridiculously happy to celebrate for the first time.

Sweet sixteen! 🎉 It’s a coming-of-age milestone in some countries, and somehow, it feels fitting for my blog, too! It’s been sixteen very sweet years of blogging: almost always distracted, but still consistent. Sixteen years ago, my frustrated self just wanted an outlet after livejournal became unusable. But at that time, I felt like having a tiny private space of my own was more ideal—more me. I did go ahead and create a dreamwidth account, but I think blogging on my own space was what really made things take off.

When I was brainstorming what to write (I usually like to do those enumerated lists), I realized that I just wanted to revisit my thoughts and feelings from sixteen years ago. I remember when I turned sixteen myself, I was almost done with senior high school and preparing for university. I was in those final few months of high school, getting ready for college entrance exams, and feeling a little jittery because I was about to leave the school I’d spent four years in. At the same time, I was kind of shocked that I was getting older and that I had only four years of academia left ahead of me.

Turns out, that wasn’t quite true. Two years after graduation, I went back to uni, picked an additional degree, and a year later, started preparing for board exams. It was around that time that I thought about blogging. I saw so many people doing it, too. It was all the rage. Old-school influencers started out as blogger before became who they are today (to those who are still around now). Me, on the other hand? I’ve kept things much about the same. Well, not exactly the same same, because if you’re not new here, you’ll know that this blog has gone through different incarnations as I tried to cater to my ever-changing mind and interests.

So, what changed? A lot, from year one to year sixteen.

I think I’ve become more at ease with blogging. I used to be very hesitant to write because I saw myself as a poor writer. My grammar was just bad (not that is better today, thank you quilbot), I was very rigid, and I heavily restrained myself from expressing my thoughts (or, more accurately, I just wasn’t very good at expressing myself). I wanted to sound nice like a pro. But now, I’m not entertaining those thoughts anymore. I still choose what to share, of course, but I no longer hold myself back from expressing my sincere thoughts. That’s why I wrote earlier about writing against the trend, and why tl:dr doesn’t work for a yapper like myself.

In a way, my writing has evolved (if I say so myself). At first, all I wanted was to improve my English, but along the way, I also improved the way I express myself. I’m definitely a different blogger from the year-one Mitchii to the year-sixteen blogger I am now.

The way I’ve treated this blog has also helped to remain consistent. It evolved from a place where I could learn to write in my second language, to a space where I could keep up with my reads, explore my niches and passions, and eventually just document whatever comes to mind (aka my life). It’s a sweet escape from real life. And despite being so adamant about keeping things vague, there’s something freeing about sharing. Writing has always felt so nice, too. I know lots of people don’t enjoy writing (and reading) long posts, but I do. I really, really do! I just love seeing myself type away my thoughts, no holds barred. This is probably why this blog has withstood the test of time.

What keeps me coming back to blogging after all these years is something so simple and sweet: I just want to write my thoughts!

It’s incredible how the simplest things can be the biggest motivation for me. I don’t cultivate anything beyond that desire to write down my thoughts. No monetization, no popularity, no other goals. Just my own pleasure.

And through it all, my blog has always had my back. It’s been my sweetest little corner of the internet, my own space for online escapades, and a place I keep coming back to, year after year.

I feel a bit bittersweet that I’m about to say goodbye to this lovely decade. My 30s were full of learning, self-discovery, and taking risks that I never thought I’d have the courage to take! In retrospect, many of the moments that shaped who I am now happened in these ten years.

So before I unlock the big 40 soon *bite nails* I wanna give this decade a little love letter it deserves.

I was reeling everything in while thinking about what to write, but I guess a very short trip down memory lane (to my 20s) is necessary because that changed the trajectory of my 30s. Because in all honesty, my 20s wasn’t the decade I was most proud of. I was young, naive, and full of worries, anxiety, and internal screaming. I was completely closed off in my own personal (safe) bubble, unwilling to leave. When the clock started ticking toward my 30s, I was nervous and confused, feeling like my time was running out while I was still undecided about how to move forward. It was scary!

So for me taking that first step was the hardest.

Yes, the just first step. It was hard, nerve wracking even, and there were so many doubts, and not only from me but from everyone around me. I didn’t trust myself that I can do it, and they didn’t trust me either. But in hindsight, their doubts actually fueled me. They pushed me to burst that bubble and finally leave.

It was the hardest first step, but it was also the most fulfilling one I ever took. And my life changed for the better.

The change wasn’t overnight. It was, and still is, a work in progress. But I’m happy to say that my mindset really did change. Don’t get me wrong I’m still risk-averse & still cautiously introvert but I became more willing to try. I’m still afraid to fail, but I always told myself that it’s better than not doing anything at all. At least I could tell myself that I tried. Oh boy, did I try! And still trying!

I’m still highkey anxious, but I’m doing things with anxiety. And honestly, that’s what my 30s have been about: scared yet brave at the same time! I second-guess myself a lot, but unlike before, I became more willing to do something about the things that scare me instead of letting the fear stop me completely. Do it scared as they say!

And I know, let us not kid ourselves, while 30s are still plenty young, but it isn’t longer a fountain of youth. And the more years added, the more it sink in, ah~ I’m really getting old. I felt my mortality more in my 30s. I can’t naively brush things off as just anxiety. The creaking bones, the consequences of sleep deprivation, the fast heartbeat, the worry on snacking unhealthy guilty pleasure food, yeah, they catch up to you real quick!

I’ve always been on the thin side most of my of my youth, but maybe because I’m finally in a better place, I finally gained a healthy weight. I love my body now even though anxiety makes me questions things (it is hypochondria speaking!) But like Hilary Duff said, “stronger, not smaller,” and my millennial queen Lizzie McGuire was right! I love this body, despite all the health scares it has put me through and all the times it had me going bonkers, but sheez, she’s always such a resilient bitch!

Again it isn’t just my body, my outlook became so different. I’m proud to say this over and over that I became more aware, more expressive, and more willing to take opportunities. The self-discovery was probably the most fulfilling part because I learned to love myself more in my 30s.

I have more confidence now, and that came from learning how to deal with being self-conscious. Oh yes, I’m still pretty reserved, but ain’t no pushover. Maybe I might still lowkey care about what other people say (just maybe?) but I don’t want that to stop me anymore. I’ve built more faith in myself because I don’t want to miss out on important things just because I’m worried about what others might say. I’d now say fuck them! I really feel good about myself now, and that’s what matters to me!

I want to cap this lovely, amazing decade with so much gratitude and love. I just can’t believe I’m leaving this era of my life. I’m a little nervous about hitting middle age now, and of course, my health and sanity still come with their own daily struggles (then what’s new, self?) But I know God will help me walk through this new decade. I trust in His wisdom.

All the most vivid memories of my 30s are just the most absolute best! She was that baddest bitch I concocted—a version of myself I’m so proud of!

I’m about to traverse the big 40 super soon, ngl I’m super nervous, but I also feel grateful, because aging means living! And as Stanisław Jerzy Lec famous quote said, “youth is the gift of nature, but age is a work of art.”

Relishing the few days of my 30s. But really, you’ve been a blast! ❤️

I saw this reel that I would’ve loved to reference it, but sadly I lost it. The guy said that men who exclusively read self-help books are the equivalent of women who exclusively read smut books.

*shakes head*

Yes, I know the operative word here is “exclusively,” but I just want to generally defend the genre of smut from those who think it’s just soft p/rn. It’s so easy to misunderstand this genre, and sadly, I think part of that comes from misogyny, and that the idea that anything predominantly enjoyed by women must be superficial or worthless. I don’t wanna rant about this in-depth, but it really shows women’s struggle where our interests and preferences have rarely been taken seriously.

Anyways, I’ve read a lot of smut series, novels, and graphic novels. I don’t watch p/rn because a lot of it is heavily made for the male gaze. I remember seeing a statistic from a certain adult website that showed women who do watch it tend to gravitate toward content with an actual plot (which is kinda like looking for a needle in a haystack, like seriously); but that just further demonstrates the stark differences in how men and women consume media with se×ual content.

As a woman, I value a lot more than just the act itself. While the se×ual tension is obviously part of the appeal (ain’t gonna lie), I’m still more interested in the inner workings of the characters and their relationship: their emotions, the anticipation, the chemistry, the excitement written in beautiful prose, and the magical feeling that comes with it, even when it’s completely unrealistic. That’s far more interesting to me than just reading it for the sake of it.

I have tried reading adult graphic novels that are primarily written for men, and let’s just say I didn’t enjoy them. They felt highly repetitive, often polygamous in nature, with male leads who had no particularly strong defining traits beyond being the main character (more often than not, they were portrayed as washout that miraculously seduced all the girls???) and of course, there was often little to no plot to speak of. At least the smut I tried isn’t just straight-up explicit content; even straightforward er/otica still tends to offer something beyond just a series of sexual fantasies.

There are smut series that are genuinely well written and just so happen to contain se×ual content. Smut doesn’t automatically mean they have no literary merit just because there are se× scenes. I’m not saying every smut series is some undercover literary masterpiece. Some are purely for fun or meant to stir a bit of arousal. And ok, some are admittedly just, well, bad. But there are definitely gems!! And they usually have more to offer than simply trying to turn you on.

What I love about fiction in general is that it’s a safe space to explore so many different things. In this case, se× in fiction and fantasy is a great avenue for that. It’s a safe space to explore se/xua/lity without judgment or harm. Of course, I’m talking about adults consuming fiction. I assume you have enough critical thinking skills to separate fantasy from reality because otherwise, you have a much bigger problem than reading smut.

Many female fantasies (even se×ual in nature) can be explored through these stories which is exactly why smut written by women for women is so different from what many men assume it is. The act itself isn’t what solely interests us the most—or at least personally speaking. For me, it’s the entire dynamic of the relationship—how it develops, how the characters interact, how the emotional connection grows, the afterglow. That’s what shapes the experience far more than the explicit scenes themselves.

I enjoy wholesome stories just as much as I enjoy smut series. I’m actually not the biggest fan of pure er/oti/ca. I usually prefer clean romance, fantasy with a stronger plot, sometimes something cliché, and occasionally smut. At the end of the day, it’s all fiction. Even when it gets completely wild, it’s still a safe place to explore fantasies that would otherwise be frowned upon.

That being said, men shouldn’t look at what women read and assume that’s what we want in real life. Like I said earlier, you need to have enough critical thinking skills to separate fiction from reality, and I’d argue that’s one of the most important requirements for engaging deeply with fiction in the first place.

So yeah, I rest my case.

(Sorry for obfuscating the words, I just don’t want to invite unnecessary bots/spam to my blog by mentioning it directly.)

As of writing this post, I just finished Dr. Stone and wow! Just wow! Another incredible anime I’m happy to complete!

I’ve always believed that there is a perfect time and mood for every story. Sometimes a series finds you exactly when you need it and for me this time was Dr. Stone. Thankfully, the entire series is complete, which made marathoning it such a satisfying experience.

I remember falling in love with Dr. Stone when the manga started in 2017. Science was always one of my favorite subjects as a student, especially biology and physics. There was always something fascinating about understanding how the world works. So when I saw a story about rebuilding human civilization from nothing through science, I was immediately hooked.

But as time passed, and one new (short-term) obsession came after another, my excitement sorta faded. I stopped reading around the beginning of the treasure island arc, which was also where I stopped watching the anime. But when my timeline was suddenly filled with people celebrating the anime’s ending, I knew I had to return. After finishing Kuroko no Basket, I knew the next series had to be Dr. Stone.

And honestly? The nostalgia hit me hard!

Watching Senku restart everything from absolute zero was such a surreal experience. The modern world had disappeared for 3,700 years, and nature had reclaimed everything we built. But beneath Senku’s rough personality and uncouth mouth (which sadly, the translation wasn’t able to fully capture), there was always this unwavering determination to bring modern civilization back—with zero exceptions!

Seeing him progress from creating his first fire to eventually launching a rocket toward the moon was absolutely incredible. What made it even better was seeing how a journey that began with Senku alone eventually became a massive ensemble of amazing characters who were also experts in their own fields, each contributing something essential to humanity’s revival.

Like I said, I didn’t continue reading the manga anymore. So watching the treasure island arc, where the source of petrification was introduced, was almost new to me. Seeing how they infiltrated the island, and how the rest of the kingdom of science crew had complete faith in Senku’s knowledge of science that they allowed themselves to be petrified just to test their hypothesis regarding the mechanics of the petri-beam/medusa—that was teamwork at its best!

What I love about Senku’s character is that he welcomes everyone. We know he’s an amazingly intelligent guy, but he also admits that he can’t do everything by himself. That’s why he admires Kaseki’s craftsmanship, and even Chrome’s ingenuity. Despite not knowing about 21st-century modern science, Chrome was still able to come up with ideas on his own. Senku acknowledges every kind of expertise.

It wasn’t all science, it has action, too! I was not prepared for the South America arc. The standoff between the crew and Stanley’s elite soldiers was intense, brutal even. When Chelsea understood what was going to happen, I almost got teary-eyed too. Knowing nothing about what was going to happen myself, I was at the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next!!! 😱

When they finally entrusted Suika with the revival, I was like, “they’re really gonna leave everything to this little girl?” But your girl was brave! It took her years, but seeing everyone finally unpetrified again was another favorite moment! I love the integrity of the story—that everyone can be a scientist (or Science user). Everyone can be an expert in something, and their expertise always has a place in the evolution of mankind.

Speaking of experts, I wasn’t too fond of Dr. Xeno and Stanley at first. Their bond, um, yeah, how do I describe it? It was heavily implied but remained ambiguous. Oh, not that I’m assigning meaning to it (or maybe I am? 😊), but they were close on a completely different level. While Senku had Taiju, Xeno and Stanley had this almost unwavering affection and devotion toward each other. Maybe I’m just reading too much into it. Admittedly, I love this kind of relationship where one person has absolute faith in another and is willing to protect them no matter what (like Hak to Yona).

And whether that was amorous or not, well, it’s up to our imaginations! But one thing’s for sure: Dr. Xeno will always view science with elegance, and he also has that same magnitude of faith and loyalty toward his equally elegant friend? partner? in Stanley.

It also dawned on me how Earth would survive without us. A lot of the things we built only remain because humanity exists and is able to preserve them. But nature is really the true dominion of the Earth. She can engulf everything and reclaim it should she want to.

Nothing but amazement at how Earth continues to live on its own, even without humans around. It will still prosper without us.

Pseudo-philosophical thoughts aside, while I was making my way through the last few episodes, I was feeling really emotional. Senku started by creating fire, building his lab, experimenting with how to make the revival fluid, befriending the small village of his father’s descendants, then creating the Kingdom of Science brick by brick, finding the Medusa, traveling across the world, petrifying the whole world once again, reviving one country at a time, launching the spaceship, and successfully booting why-man off the moon!

What a fucking absolute badass journey!!!

Gosh, when they were launching Senku 11, I was proud as fuck, because they went from almost nothing to launching a massive spacecraft. That was one huge leap from the stone age to modern science.

I just can’t help but think about the resilience and desire of humankind when we truly set our minds to something. While sometimes I lose faith in humanity, it’s undeniable that we have built incredible and marvelous things born from the human mind.

(Apologies for the long-ass post, this was my post-watch ramblings, raw and unfiltered! 🙈)

I’ve mentioned about this plenty of times, but lately I’ve been staying away from endless scrolling because I’ve realized how detrimental it is to my attention span. So I thought, why not channel my laziness into watching anime instead? At least it asks me to focus on something for longer than 5 minutes.

Before this I used to watch random vlogs but I stopped that, too.  Sure, they’re long, but they often feel directionless. They never really improved my attention span despite the length. A full vlog can still feel empty: nothing lingers, nothing stays with you. It is still something you need not to invest or imemrse.

I digress, some people would probably argue that anime is a juvenile way to spend your time. I don’t think so, because anime has plot. It has structure. It makes me think. Vlogs like travel vlogs, which I used to be so engrossed in don’t really do that for me anymore. Looking back, a lot of them feel overly externalized, all movement and spectacle. And honestly, my own drive to travel has faded a bit too. Real life gets chaotic, and sometimes you lose the spark to chase your own wanderlust and focus more on what’s right in front of you: the here and now.

Like I said, I’ve been watching a lot of anime but mostly rewatching. I’ve also been rereading books, manga, and webtoons from my stash (as seen in yearly reads so far). Yeah, just about anything to keep myself from endlessly scrolling. Because beyond ruining my attention span, scrolling makes me agitated and, again, directionless.

There’s something about immersing yourself in fiction (reading between the lines, remembering character names, noticing details) that moves your brain more than people realize. And I feel like in this time and age, we’re slowly losing our ability to stay still and be patient. We always want things instantly, like pronto! But back then, patience was part of how we consumed media. We sat through TV ads, waited for weekly episodes, waited for movies to come out (or wait a year or so before it officially premieres on TV/cable). We had to focus and take in things one by one, letting the details settle.

What also bothers me is how so much content online feels designed to rage-bait, to provoke and keep people angry. It’s honestly disheartening to witness how much media illiteracy is out there, too, and how many people seem unable to separate fiction from reality.

And that’s exactly what frustrates me: when that inability may eventually lead to censorship simply because some people can’t engage with fiction as fiction. What kind of cultural climate are we creating if fictional works constantly have to defend themselves against real-world moral standards?

I’ve spent years consuming fiction like series, books, films, and I’m still perfectly capable of distinguishing right from wrong, and fiction from reality. That’s the point. Fiction doesn’t erase discernment; if anything, it sharpens it. What makes me sad is that discussions around fiction now are so often flattened into moral judgments based on real-life standards, instead of being discussed within the context of the fictional world itself. Nuance gets lost. Everything becomes generalization, and honestly, I’m getting tired of seeing it.

As someone who grew up as an early internet adopter, I can’t help but feel how much the web has changed and not always for the better. I don’t like the direction it’s heading. We’re becoming more restless, more reactive, somehow less thoughtful, and sadly less intelligent.

I could say more, but I’ll stop here.

I read that even writing long-ish paragraphs feel harder now, which says a lot. That in itself feels like proof that something is shifting in how we think and engage. And ironically, it seems to be happening because we’ve let technology start taking more control over us than we ever intended.

Second (and last) part of my China (Shanghai) Travel Diaries. As I mentioned before, we had two important requirements, and one of them was a major theme park! It wouldn’t be a stretch to call it the main reason, ’cause my family loves them rides! And I must report that it was an enjoyable and memorable trip to Disneyland. (I know, I know, it’s a “paved paradise to put up a parking lot” situation, but sometimes we just need to have fun in an artificial fantasy land!)

My family and I really enjoyed our time there. We went ahead and rented cars (yes, two, ’cause we’re a family of nine!) and let me tell you, the Chinese are very keen on time. Some of my family members were five minutes late, and the drivers politely asked us not to be like that again. It was a bit embarrassing, but he was a pleasant man. During the whole car ride, our driver was, let’s just say, chatty and very fun. He even turned on the massage function of the seat and played some music (even though it was basically old Chinese pop).

We actually rented the cars just to take us there, so we still didn’t know how we’d get back to our hotel. When we mentioned it, he volunteered to pick us up again, and we were happy to oblige. We’re so grateful to him because he also arranged the other car for us. Like I said, the Chinese people we encountered were generally nice. I had good interactions with them.

We went on a day with perfect weather, 18°, slightly windy but with the sun shining brightly. It was a long walk from the parking lot to the actual entrance. I’m not sure if it was peak season or not, but the lines moved fast. Also, take note, you must bring your passport. Your passport is your ticket to Disneyland Shanghai. No QR code needed, just present your passport and they’ll scan it. Isn’t that amazing?

And just like HK Disneyland, I couldn’t stop gushing about how pretty the garden was. It’s hella larger than HK too. The main street was so wide. Actually, all the pavements were wide. I didn’t bump into anyone. I liked that there were lots of benches too, especially since this time our mom came with us. She didn’t try any rides outside of the boat ride and the castle, but she was happy just being with her children and all her grandchildren.

Also, the rides are spacious and extravagant. Because I’m prone to dizziness and have a fear of heights, I tend to avoid anything rollercoaster-y, but I tried my best to go on anything I felt comfortable with. My favorite ride was, hands down, Pirates of the Caribbean. I loved the feeling of drifting through the currents, and all the effects made it feel like we were roaring among the waves.

Unfortunately, I mistook Zootopia for something dizzy-inducing, but my fam said it was so cute and interactive. I wish I had ridden it. Then we went to calmer rides like the boat ride and Alice in Wonderland maze. I enjoyed Buzz Lightyear, Peter Pan, and Dumbo (thanks to my little nephew’s insistence after I passed up the chance to ride TRON). TRON was the biggest ride there. I didn’t even try, ’cause that’s not for me. My sister, though, lost her glasses on that ride and had to continue our trip squinting the whole time. I had to buy her a new pair as a birthday gift when we got home.

There were other rides too like Roaring Rapids and (forgot the name), which of course I declined to try.

The food was delish! Again, like I suggested in my other Shanghai post, skip GCash and install Alipay instead. We ate at a restaurant near the TRON area, and the burger was humongous! And really tasty too. I got the vegetarian one, and they didn’t skimp on the ingredients. The drinks were tall!

What I loved most, though, were the staff. They were genuinely friendly and warm. I appreciated this, especially since in HK Disneyland, the staff sometimes felt a bit distant. I’ve been to major theme parks around Asia like Universal Studios in Singapore and Japan as well as Legoland Malaysia. My general consensus? Shanghai staff were friendly. Well, USJ is like top-tier, no contest, but I would say the staff here were also very accommodating and kind.

We didn’t get to watch the fireworks and light show in the end because we promised to meet up at 9:30 p.m. sharp so the car could pick us up. And even though we missed it, I think we made the most of our time and enjoyed a lot of rides. Thankfully, the longest wait I had was just 40 minutes. The lines were long but moved fast, so it didn’t feel like forever.

I know people say you need two days, but I think our one day was pretty productive. We got to ride most of them, skipping the ones that are already in HK.

Overall, I had a happy experience. Between HK and Shanghai, I’d say I pretty much enjoyed Shanghai better. If the opportunity comes again, I’ll definitely visit again!

Every time I wrote about my blog’s anniversary, I always say something along the lines of “I can’t believe I’ve reached this milestone.” Well, it’s true. Sixteen years is a loooot of time. I didn’t start celebrating my blog anniversary until my fifth year of blogging, and back then, I was super proud to have reached five years. Now, it’s much closer to 20 years than to that young, five-year-old blog I was so so ridiculously happy to celebrate for the first time.

Sweet sixteen! 🎉 It’s a coming-of-age milestone in some countries, and somehow, it feels fitting for my blog, too! It’s been sixteen very sweet years of blogging: almost always distracted, but still consistent. Sixteen years ago, my frustrated self just wanted an outlet after livejournal became unusable. But at that time, I felt like having a tiny private space of my own was more ideal—more me. I did go ahead and create a dreamwidth account, but I think blogging on my own space was what really made things take off.

When I was brainstorming what to write (I usually like to do those enumerated lists), I realized that I just wanted to revisit my thoughts and feelings from sixteen years ago. I remember when I turned sixteen myself, I was almost done with senior high school and preparing for university. I was in those final few months of high school, getting ready for college entrance exams, and feeling a little jittery because I was about to leave the school I’d spent four years in. At the same time, I was kind of shocked that I was getting older and that I had only four years of academia left ahead of me.

Turns out, that wasn’t quite true. Two years after graduation, I went back to uni, picked an additional degree, and a year later, started preparing for board exams. It was around that time that I thought about blogging. I saw so many people doing it, too. It was all the rage. Old-school influencers started out as blogger before became who they are today (to those who are still around now). Me, on the other hand? I’ve kept things much about the same. Well, not exactly the same same, because if you’re not new here, you’ll know that this blog has gone through different incarnations as I tried to cater to my ever-changing mind and interests.

So, what changed? A lot, from year one to year sixteen.

I think I’ve become more at ease with blogging. I used to be very hesitant to write because I saw myself as a poor writer. My grammar was just bad (not that is better today, thank you quilbot), I was very rigid, and I heavily restrained myself from expressing my thoughts (or, more accurately, I just wasn’t very good at expressing myself). I wanted to sound nice like a pro. But now, I’m not entertaining those thoughts anymore. I still choose what to share, of course, but I no longer hold myself back from expressing my sincere thoughts. That’s why I wrote earlier about writing against the trend, and why tl:dr doesn’t work for a yapper like myself.

In a way, my writing has evolved (if I say so myself). At first, all I wanted was to improve my English, but along the way, I also improved the way I express myself. I’m definitely a different blogger from the year-one Mitchii to the year-sixteen blogger I am now.

The way I’ve treated this blog has also helped to remain consistent. It evolved from a place where I could learn to write in my second language, to a space where I could keep up with my reads, explore my niches and passions, and eventually just document whatever comes to mind (aka my life). It’s a sweet escape from real life. And despite being so adamant about keeping things vague, there’s something freeing about sharing. Writing has always felt so nice, too. I know lots of people don’t enjoy writing (and reading) long posts, but I do. I really, really do! I just love seeing myself type away my thoughts, no holds barred. This is probably why this blog has withstood the test of time.

What keeps me coming back to blogging after all these years is something so simple and sweet: I just want to write my thoughts!

It’s incredible how the simplest things can be the biggest motivation for me. I don’t cultivate anything beyond that desire to write down my thoughts. No monetization, no popularity, no other goals. Just my own pleasure.

And through it all, my blog has always had my back. It’s been my sweetest little corner of the internet, my own space for online escapades, and a place I keep coming back to, year after year.