I really did intend to restart my blog last year. But I’d get as far as starting a post draft, and then forget, and then time passes, and then I’d start over, and restart the whole cycle again with no posts to show for it. However, the reasons I didn’t post in 2022 were far healthier and more compelling than the reasons I didn’t post much in 2021 or 2020. To put it simply, I was too busy taking the steering wheel instead of going with the flow.
Like that seaweed that drifts in and out on the tide and tangles in your feet (and startles the crap out of you, if you’re like me), I have a tendency to just live from day to day and go/do whatever comes my way. Too much planning gives me crippling anxiety, and I prefer to be spontaneous and live in the moment. But I’m an adult human in an adult world, and sometimes there are things I have to plan and obligations I cannot be spontaneously present or absent for. I didn’t learn how to balance this in my twenties, and now in my thirties, I feel like I am only just starting to get the hang of it. At the best of times. Which brings me back around to my blog.
I have good intentions and plans to use my blog. I’ve watched/listened to so many talks about using a blog to develop a “personal brand,” to refine your writing voice, and to keep connected with readers, friends, and families. And I nodded my head, took notes, and proceeded to wait until I had the mental energy to post. Dear reader, as you might have guessed, that ended up being a time I never found. But that was because I was doing other things.
So now, I’ve meandered my way to the point of this post, and if you’re still reading, bear with me and know that I appreciate you. I didn’t post in 2022 because I . . .
2022 HIGHLIGHT REEL
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Was editing and posting on Wattpad every week
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Was going to musicals, concerts, and festivals
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Was travelling and meeting people
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Was working A LOT
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Was finally starting in on the never-ending lists of books, movies, and shows I’ve missed
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Was volunteering and doing things that mean something to me
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Was writing and even finished NaNoWriMo (yay!) for the first time in about 5 years
- Bonus: 2022 Highlights Playlist and Some More Photos
I’ll go into each one in a little more detail below, and potentially (but no promises) in future posts. For example, under #5, I did an 80s movie watching streak, and read a lot of Brandon Sanderson, and I have many thoughts. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s be orderly and start back at number 1:
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Writing and Posting on Wattpad:
If you’re a new reader (I’m sorry), then you might not realize that I started this blog because writing is what I love and what I do. I had a publishing deal that fell through once (another story), and while that set me back mentally, I have never stopped writing. Writing stories has always been necessary to my mental health and living my life, but since I didn’t get some five figure publishing deal and become a breakout star as a teen, I’ve had to live the more normal road of working random and diverse jobs while writing on the side whenever I have the time and energy. I haven’t given up on publishing, but it’s had to go on the backburner for years as I burned myself out paying my way through school and survival.
Which leads me to January of last year, when I finally decided to post up some of my writing in the hopes of having some casual readers and feedback. I used to be on Wattpad as a reader back in the day, and since I was familiar with the site and the least scared of posting my stuff up there, I ventured into the free-to-read world with The Last Coffee Shop (TLCS). TLCS was a former NaNo project of mine about a tired and stressed barista in a cheerfully post-apocalyptic world, who becomes the unlikely and reluctant heroine of an adventure she doesn’t want (Bilbo-style), and gets tangled up with a clever, dangerous, and oh-so-unreliable bounty hunter in pursuit of a dancing thief. It is wry, often sarcastic, and a little rough around the edges at times, so not for everyone*, and definitely not the mafia-werewolf-billionaire romance stories** that comprise A LOT of Wattpad’s offerings. More importantly, TLCS indulges my pointless love of footnotes.
Considering that Wattpad’s readership seemed to be anything but the types who might read and/or like my work, I only expected a few reads, and I certainly didn’t expect much in the way of interaction. So imagine my shock when a WP bookclub (I didn’t even know those existed), featured TLCS and I went from a handful of reads to about one hundred in just a few months. Those numbers may not sound big, and they aren’t really, but when you consider what I expected and the fact that I wasn’t writing along a trend, you can see why I was so surprised. I was even more surprised when the reactions were overwhelmingly kind, positive, or at least helpful. The bookclub belonged to a WP/Discord group called Dreamland Community (100% recommend), and I eventually joined their server and the selfsame bookclub: Dreamland Raid. Since joining the bookclub, TLCS now has over 1,000 reads, and some people might have even finished it. [Shoutout here to my sister Charlotte’s friend(s) who both finished it, and screamed at her over Discord about it. I have never met you, and I don’t even know your names, but I love you]
While I’m still not as active as I could be, I’ve been getting better, and I’ve really enjoyed reading and commenting on stories that are often far more diverse, creative, and interesting than a lot of what traditional publishing has to offer/will take a chance on. So the goal is to keep going into 2023, and do more. I’m currently posting a revised and edited version of Knight of the Blue Surcoat, a generally wholesome and very unfashionable Arthurian retelling, and seriously considering joining another bookclub and entering some contests here soon.
*Content warnings up in the description on WP
**mafia/werewolf/billionaire romance and fanfic seem to be the pillars of Wattpad
2. Musical$, Festival$, and Concert$
2022 will go down in my personal history as the first year I lived my music-loving dreams to the fullest and most indulgent heights. I could probably write six (or more) whole posts about the amount and variety of live music I witnessed, and maybe I will someday, but I’m going to keep this as short as possible and just give the highlights.
The most interesting festival I went to was the Busan International Rock Festival. I finally saw Nell and Jannabi (the ENERGY this man has), and Bastille again (festival Bastille is epic) and fell in love with a lot of new (to me) bands, including Glen Check and CNEMA (angelic vocals, some screamo, a trumpet, and more).
For concerts, there were two standouts: Epik High and BTS Yet to Come in Busan. I have never seen Epik High, although I’ve been a fan for years, and they were, well, epic. They are hilarious, and their chemistry and energy together is unmatched. It was the Epik High is Here tour, so they mainly did tracks from that album (part 1 was released in 2021, part 2 in 2022), but they also did some throwbacks in medley or full form (BORN HATER!). And then Younha (one of my all time favorite singers!) made an appearance and did Umbrella/우산 (one of my favorite songs!) and it was gorgeous. I rarely get emotional, but I teared up, got chills, and had the time of my life.
BTS Yet to Come in Busan was an even more impactful but very different experience. First, there’s the whole part where I managed to get a standing raffle ticket, and it was free to attend. Second, there were the people from all around the world that I hung out with, chatted with (sometimes through the aid of translation apps!) It was a once in a lifetime moment, and I enjoyed every minute of it. The sets, the fireworks, the special effects, the crowd, and of course, the guys themselves, made it one of the most special concerts I have ever had the privilege of attending. And this isn’t even getting into the emotional intensity of the moment. Since BTS (like many other artists) had to cancel a huge tour due to Covid, and they hadn’t performed for a full audience in Korea since 2019, the Busan concert was even more special.
Finally, the musicals. I probably should have had a category just for those. The first musical I saw in 2022 was Jekyll and Hyde in February. I’ve seen it before, and I enjoyed it a lot, so the main reason for going was to see my favorite musical actor: Hong Kwang-ho (I have gushed about this man’s talent and voice multiple times on this blog alone). He was amazing as usual, so no shock there. However, I then saw The Lion King, Kinky Boots, Death Note (more on this in a moment), Sweeny Todd, West Side Story, and Moulin Rouge to round out the musicals that I saw for the first time last year. West Side Story was the biggest surprise, being the one I had never been interested in, but considering I saw it with the Kim Junsu as Tony and Leo (from kpop group VIXX) as Riff, and the addition of dance fighting, I enjoyed it a lot!
But Death Note . . . that was the culmination of my journey to Korea, in an ironic way. It was Hong Kwang-Ho and Kim Junsu in the roles of Light and L, respectively, that sucked me back into a renewed interest in learning Korean when I had started to give up. Specifically, it was the video below that made Hong Kwang-ho my must-see artist, and then my favorite musical star, the first time I visited Korea in 2018.
I had listened to every bad audio quality recording from the audience, and I basically had the main songs memorized before I even went. I was fortunate enough to see the musical three times while it ran, and one of those times was with both leads reprising their roles (which they originated in the Korean version), and when I say it was a peak moment of my life, I’m not joking. The singing, the staging, the acting . . . it was far better than a paragraph in a recap blog post can convey. But whatever money I spent on it . . . it was worth every bit.
I ended 2022 with Moulin Rouge, another culmination of years-long fandom. The movie is one of my favorites, for all that it’s er . . . problematic,*** but the artistry. And it isn’t an exaggeration to say that I’ve had that soundtrack on a regular rotation for over fifteen years now. Of course, I listening to the 2019 recording from the Broadway production, and I loved it too (Aaron Tveit is nearly unbeatable!). So when I found out that Hong Kwang-ho and Ivy (another very famous and incredibly talented Korean musical star) were going to star in the first Korean production, I was stalking Interpark (ticketing website) every day for release dates from the minute the news broke. And it went above and beyond my every expectations in every way. Some of the best choreo I have ever had the pleasure of watching, and don’t even get me started on the costuming. But again, this is not the point of this post, so maybe I’ll come back to MR later . . .
***Morality aside, I could write a paper on the merits of the movie, artistic and otherwise. But Hindi Sad Diamonds etc, etc.??!!
3. Travelling and Meeting People
I’m not the most social creature (to say the least), but I do love to travel. While I only made it out of Korea to go back to visit my family in the US last year, I did manage to travel around Korea a lot more last year. I also joined Gospel City Church in Seoul, the church I’d mainly been attending online because of Covid, and I regularly attended a small group. This led to far more meetups and hanging out than I did in 2020-2021 combined. I also met a lot of friends’ mutual friends, and hung out with people from so many different countries, which was awesome!
Of course, there is always hiking, which continues to be one of my favorite things to do in Korea. But I also did far more urban hiking in 2022. I explored more corners of Seoul, and finally went to Jeju. Jeju Island is just as beautiful and lush as people said, and part of my time there was the long (8+hr) Hallasan hike, and drinking/eating my weight in fresh citrus. With striking black volcanic rocks, windblown slopes, mountainous ridges, and lush greenery everywhere, Jeju looks like the setting for a folktale. The colors of the sea and grass were incredibly vivid, and there is a wildness to the landscape that is different from mainland Korea. Now that I’ve been, I can’t wait to go back.
4. Work, Work, Work
I’m still at the same hagwon (academy) that I started at in 2020. In 2022, I had the opportunity to teach some more high level classes, and far less kindergarten, which suited me just fine. Some stand-out experiences were talking Hunger Games with our highest level book club, teaching writing to college students, and greatly improving my listening skills by conversing with elementary school students. Our younger students talk in high speed, and have colorful repertoires of insults and game characters’ names. Listening was one of my weakest areas in Korean, and I 100% attribute my gains in this area to my enthusiastic and verbose younger students.
5. Pop Culture – All the Books, Shows, and Movies I Never Have Time For
I read so much more in 2022! Fantasy, nonfiction, Wattpad books, you name it. I also listened to a lot of audiobooks, putting all my hours on public transportation to good use. In books, some highlights were T.S. Kingfisher’s thriller/natural horror novels, Robin Hobb (finally!), The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix, Return of the Thief by Megan Whalen Turner, A Deadly Education (and the sequel) by Naomi Novik, Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim, and my favorite book of 2022: The Red Palace by June Hur. While I read far more titles, these were the ones that really made an impression.
The Red Palace is a historical mystery set in 1800 century Korea, during the turbulent time of the troubled Prince Yi Seon (이선), better known to us as Prince Sado who infamously died after being confined in a rice chest during the summer on the orders of his father. However, the Crown Prince’s tragic and violent story is the background to the mystery, and a sweet, thoughtful, slow-burn romance between an illegitimately born young nurse and a police inspector. Whether you are into history, mystery, or the romance, there is something for you, and even if one of those elements isn’t your bag, June Hur is a masterful, lyrical author who will sell you on the other parts. I highly recommend it, and if you end up reading it, let me know in the comments!
For shows and movies, I don’t ever remember those as well, but I 95% loved Wednesday, watched a great Korean historical film called The Night Owl/올빼미, enjoyed the star-studded Amsterdam, and thought Stranger Things S4 was fantastic. I also finally watched some more 80s and 90s movies (more on that eventually), rewatched old favorites like Terminator, and made far less progress on my to-watch list than on my to-read list, as per usual.
6. Volunteering
Volunteer work and helping in my community has always been something I was highly convicted to do, but was often unsure about how to go about getting involved. However, thanks to some friends and making connections at church, I was finally able to do more volunteering in 2022. In Chungju (the city I live in), I hung out with and did everything from baking to playing outdoor games with students at a shelter for older girls who haven’t been adopted. It hasn’t been easy (they are often shy, and don’t try to speak in Korean or English), but we are slowly starting to develop rapport and relationships with these brave and interesting young girls. One of my goals for 2023 is to be able to do more than in 2022!
7. Writing and NaNo
Last but not least, other than the writing alluded to in #1, I have been writing far more than in the past few years. School burned me out badly, and bouts with self-doubt and depression haven’t helped at all. But thanks in part to my Wattpad bookclub, readers like my sister and her friends, and the generally better place. Just having a writing community that is accessible to me, albeit online, has made a huge difference in my motivation. I wrote over 100K words last year, and I hope to write even more in 2023.
As for NaNo (National Novel Writing Month), I wrote over the 50K words in a month goal, and made progress on a novel project I’ve been tossing around for a while. I also worked on some other projects, and got some editing done. I’m not sure what’s the next step for my writing in 2023, especially since I don’t have a lot of free time, but I am feeling a little more optimistic about where I’m at right now than at the same time last year. Self-publishing is a route I’ve definitely been considering, and looking into that route with more serious intentions is one of the main things on my 2023 agenda.