the moonlight atelier

The following was submitted for the fan-meeting special, "It's 5PM, and this is Kim Namjoon." I feel like I always have the hardest time writing what BTS means to me in a proper little piece, but I liked what I wrote for the special. Even if it didn't get aired, it was a nice opportunity for a little bit of reflection.  Happy 10 years to BTS.  Hi Bangtan!  So I've been reading a lot more lately (something that I've been doing out of inspiration from the well-read Kim Namjoon). And I find that the stories that are the best for me are those that end, short and sweet. Not the ongoing series that, over time, lose their unique flavor that made them so meaningful and good. Not Hollywood-adapted franchises whose themes get severely watered down to be palatable for the consumption of the general public.  But I find that there is one longtime ongoing series that I do enjoy - it's the one about you and me.  I don't mean for it to sound so romantic, but it does! ...

Genres: YA Fiction, Magical Realism  Yeah, I love this book.  If You Could See the Sun follows a girl that suddenly develops the ability to turn invisible.  So naturally, she capitalizes on it. At her elite private international boarding school, this girl, Alice Sun, decides to create an app with her mortal enemy Henry that allows her to anonymously take on requests for deeds to fulfill for her wealthy peers by utilizing her newfound ability. I read this book as the Book of the Month for a Discord server that I joined recently, right on time for AAPI Heritage Month in May. And it's definitely inspired a lot of thought, discussion and reflection on my own Asian heritage and generally children of families societally at a disadvantage.  Throughout, Alice is a girl acting in desperation.  Her main motivation is to be able to ease the hardships of her family as they suffer financially, to fund her own tuition for school when her parents struggle to keep up. She reco...

Was that the right thing to do?   I definitely felt a little embarrassed after doing so.   But I’m glad I did so.   No, not everyone needs to know that I’m struggling with a debilitating personality disorder.   But this particular personality disorder -  actually all personality disorders - receives a lot of flack and stereotyping. I don’t think I should hide because of this. I shouldn’t be embarrassed because of this. After all, I’m sick.   And I’m working on healing.   When I was first diagnosed, the psychologist told me not to look up Borderline Personality Disorder online.   Of course I would.   In my Google findings, I found r/bpdlovedones and the horror stories from friends and family of those with BPD. I saw myself in those stories, saw the way I’ve scared others with my behavior, saw my attachment and how dangerous it was.   And I closed myself out from the world, like I was voluntarily caging myself in the abyss. Because I was ...