A Reflection on 2020 For Minty and BAYOG

Hello my luvs, and HAPPY, HAPPY NEW YEAR!~ It’s Mintyyy~ 2020 has finally ended~ So I thought I’d do a bit of a reflection and heart to heart kind of post today. To be honest, I wanted to blog about something more relevant. Yet at the same time I honestly couldn’t really figure out what to write. Rather, I also wasn’t in the mood to write anything I’ve had planned in the back of my head. I do still plan on doing a full review and comparison of the [Sweet Home drama] and [Sweet Home webtoon]. However, I know we’re going to have alot to unpack. Plus, I’d like to breeze through the webtoon again to refresh my memory for those comparisons. So I’d rather put that off until I don’t have this annoying bandaging. My [injured finger] is all good now, but I’m still wearing a bandage to be safe and ensure it heals more quickly. Another thing is I think I’m getting hit with some seasonal depression. Just been feelin inexplicably blue and grey, sleeping less, hella tired, feeling pretty unmotivated, and I’ve had little to no appetite. I’ve also had a bit of a bad and frustrating week. So I apologize for putting proper BAYOG blog posts off. I do want to thank y’all for your understanding and patience though! I had previously done a little self-reflection of my [3 years with BAYOG]. However, for this post I want to look back at how 2020 has been for me and BAYOG.

I think we can all agree 2020 has been a pretty abysmal year. Our lives were changed drastically. Some of us suffered losses, lost people we cared about, and we’ve all had to make sacrifices and adapt to a new normalcy and lifestyle. It’s been a year of alot of bad, saddening, and painful news and experiences. I know many of us also struggled with our mental health. That includes myself as well. We’ve all just been struggling pretty bad. Honestly, even before the pandemic, I think all of us on the BAYOG Crew were just dealing with alot of things in our lives. We were trying to be more active with the blog again despite everything. However, it was difficult. In the end, I don’t think we really had blogged as much. Actually, I think we all just kind of went on hiatus as we were dealing with personal things and life in general. I know I tried to blog when I could since I had more flexibility. However, even I ended up taking extended breaks at a time. When 2020 started, I was initially excited. I had alot of plans. I was hoping to be more positive and do more things. Your girl had been especially excited for her first BTS concert. Of course, COVID-19 was like, “NAH.” For all of us.

For me, my family temporarily shut down our business since 3 out of 4 of us are immunocompromised. So I was basically unemployed for 6 months. I did nothing but eat, sleep, play video games, watch concert streams, and read. I also had actually started to be less active with blogging. I did get alot of new hobbies though. I read more than I’ve ever read before. I’ve read so many different manga, manhwa, manhua, and webtoon series. I also started reading novels and found them to be really enjoyable. I even started trying and enjoying new genres and topics that I had never had any interest in before. At the same time though, I also felt like since I had more time, I should try to be more productive. So I did push myself to try to get back into blogging in May. Surprisingly, we started getting more views than usual in April. Previously, our average monthly views were around 3-4.5k max. We had like 6.5k for April. Although, we realized the spike was probably because everyone is bored in quarantine and lockdown.

So since May, I tried to be more frequent with posting. I started to be more frequent and consistent around the summer. I tried to do more things. I also incorporated alot of the new things I got into during quarantine. I figured that I had more free time than the BAYOG Bros. I didn’t really have an excuse, so I should try to hold the fort down. Plus, I personally needed a productive outlet to keep my mind off of things and to feel like I wasn’t just doing alot of nothing.

Over the next few months, I was honestly really surprised. So I knew our numbers were getting higher most likely due to people having alot of free time during this pandemic. Still, I was always surprised to see that we would get more and more views than the previous months. At first it would consistently be 1-2k views more than the previous month. I figured it would die down after summer and once people were returning to work and school. I also thought I’d probably slow down once I started work again in September. I also figured we’d slow down alot in October becauase I was finally being hit with a bit of burnout. Shockingly, we 5k more views than the previous months each for October and November. I was like, “Well, damn! Like WTF? But that’s pretty awesome!” Now we’re nearing the end of December. We’ve had more than 10K views in December than November???!! Again, I thought we would’ve started slowing down in November and December due to the holidays. It’s honestly quite shocking.

I know. It’s just numbers. However, it’s just amazing to me. Like BAYOG started as a small project by the BAYOG Bros. I later joined in with just the intention of helping on occasion. I didn’t realize it’d also become something I hold so dear. The BAYOG Bros and I love this blog alot. We’re passionate about our interests. We also just have alot of fun discussing our interests and making new friends. It’s a small side project, but we put alot of effort and love into it. BAYOG is just a humble little project that we take pride and joy in. We were so excited to hit double digits for daily views. We were more than happy to reach over 100 views for a day. We were so ecstatic just hitting triple digits for a weekend. It was amazing when we finally started getting 1k or more views a month. At first we basically averaged around 1-2k a month. Maybe 3k if we were lucky. Then the normal average in 2019 was 2-3k. Honestly, we were really happy enough and proud about that.

At the beginning of 2020, we started with 4k. We’re now at 32-33k for this month! Our total views for 2019 was 37-38k. We’re ending with a grand total of 141k-142k views for 2020! That’s just insane! It’s some mind-blowing to me! I know. It’s just numbers. I’m not trying to flex about that. I’m just in legitimate shock. I honestly never would have thought we’d grow this much. It’s not really about the numbers. I’m just really overjoyed to see something we’ve really worked hard for have such unexpected growth and progress! Like I want to cry because I’m just really happy that our hard work led to this. Yes, OUR. The whole team~ This time, I have to remind the BAYOG Bros that this was from ALL of our efforts.

I think one of the more shocking things for me was to find that people actually read and enjoy our blog?? I know, you’re thinking, “What?” The thing is, I’m not as sociable as the bros. I’m really bad at engaging people. I think I’m the worst one in the BAYOG Crew actually… Though, I do try my best. I don’t know how it is for the bros, but I write mostly for myself. I write as if I’m talking to friends. However, I never actually expect people to read it? I’m more of the mindset of it’s okay if people don’t read it, but it’s cool if people do. However, I was really surprised to find people actually do read and enjoy our blog posts. I mean people other than our blogger friends and IRL friends. On a side note, I recently learned that my younger sister actually reads my posts LOL It’s not any of her interests, but she likes supporting me~

Y’all know I always end my posts telling people to hit me up on my socials and join the [BAYOG Discord server]. I never expected people to really do so though. Shockingly though, alot of you hit me up through my socials! Several of you have also actually joined our BAYOG Discord server! It’s honestly been so wonderful to meet and talk to you all. I’ve had alot of fun conversations, and I’m really glad to hear that y’all have enjoyed our content. It’s been a really fun experience talking to you all, and seeing how all of you are from all parts of the world!

I’ve made some really nifty new friends too! Shout out to Lyla who’s basically my twin on the Discord server! I know we mostly have shy lurkers be it the blog or Discord server. Still, I’m really grateful for you all. I truly have enjoyed getting to know you all. Thank you for taking the time to read our content. It really makes it worth the time and effort~ I also have to say I find it really funny that a majority of you found us cuz you guys feel the same way as I do for [Remarried Empress] and [Cheese In The Trap]. Especially with Remarried Empress it seems LOL Also, I know our Discord server is pretty dead, but we have been trying to make some changes and make it a bit more active. Still, feel free to join and just chat with me and everyone on the server~ I promise we’re all very chill~

Other than making new friends with our readers, I also made alot of wonderful new friends with other bloggers and creators. Like I said in my previous reflection post, I’m a painfully shy and socially awkward person. I’m friendly, but just really awkward until I’m comfortable around you. Plus, I don’t get to socialize much, soo I don’t often get to make friends. Still, I tried to get out of my comfort zone. I’ve had the privileges of getting to know these wonderful human beings, have such fun conversations, and I’m glad to call these wonderful people my friends. I’m grateful to old friends like [Neha], [Rise], [Lita], and [Irina]. I’m also grateful to new friends like [Takuto], [Elle], and [Olympia] who are also wonderful fellow BTS ARMY friends~ I’m also thankful to other blogger friends like [Emiko], [Rose], [Moya], and [Nabe-chan]. There are so many more, but I wouldn’t be able to name you all. I really, truly mean it when I say that I’m so thankful to you all. You guys have given me alot of support, and are some of the reasons why I enjoy blogging. You may also not realize it, but you’ve really helped me during the times I just felt lonely and depressed. So truly, thank you for everything and for being my friends.

2020 has been really abysmal. There was alot of change, loss, pain, struggles, and sadness. There was alot of stress, anxiety, depression, and loneliness. However, it hasn’t been a total shit year. For me, I was able to grow a bit more. I learned to enjoy blogging more, and became more productive. I started reading more. I started reading novels. I found alot of new things to enjoy. I also made so many wonderful new friends. I also got to know some of our readers. We’ve seen immense growth with our little project. Really, 2020 has been an awful year…but these things were my light in this darkness. These are the things that made me feel really proud, and feel like I actually accomplished something. It’s what gave me something to look forward to despite the rough year. So let me say this again, thank you so much for helping our humble blog grow. We’re truly grateful to all of you for helping us grow, learn, and to be able to make such new wonderful friends. I apologize if this is a messy post. I’m lacking even more sleep after watching a concert stream and movie night with friends while typing this. It’s 4am so I’m going to go pass out now. Happy, Happy New Year friends~ I’m truly thankful to you all for everything in 2020. I hope 2021 is better. I wish you all health, happiness, and prosperity. Take care~ Stay safe~ Stay healthy, and have a wonderful day and start to your new year~

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LET’S BE FRIENDS!~ (つ✧ω✧)つ

Hihi! I’m Minty! I’m Thai-American~ เป็นคนไทยค่ะ~ ยินดีที่ได้รู้จักนะคะ~
I’m BAYOG’s hella basic Asian chick, Real People Stuffs expert, and boba addict. I’ve been a part of the BAYOG Crew since 2017~ I fangirl and mostly blog about music, live action movies/dramas, manga/webtoons, and occasionally webnovels~ When I’m not blogging, I’m usually writing/singing Thai-English covers~

It’s nice to meet all of you lovely people from around the world! Thanks for stopping by our blog!~
💜• ขอบคุณค่ะ • ありがとうございます • 감사합니다 • 谢谢你 • Salamat Po •💜

Wanna Buy Boba/Coffee For Your Bobae?☕ (´｡• ω •｡`) 💜: [Ko-Fi]
Feel free to buy me bubble tea/milk tea/coffee if you’d like. I’m always sleep deprived, and I’ll forever appreciate your kindness~

Let’s Be Friends On SNS! 💜(♡°▽°♡)
Let’s talk memes, music, dramas, movies, spoilers, or fan spazz!~
I also sing and write lyrics~ You can hit me up on my socials or Discord. I’m always happy to make friends~ For questions or business inquiries, contact me through my BAYOG email~
[Twitter] | [Instagram] | [YouTube] | [Cardd]
Contact: BAYOGMinty@gmail.com | Discord: piecesofminty#0182

Dramas I’ve Watched/Am Watching 🎞️: [DramaList]
Manga/Manhwa/Webtoons I’m Reading 📚: [AniList]
My Music Playlists/What I’m Listening To🎧: [Spotify]

JOIN THE BAYOG FAM (つ≧▽≦)つ 🎮🎞️
We share and chat lots of stuff on Discord, and we’re on other platforms too!
Don’t forget to say hi in the Discord server so I can properly welcome you~
[Discord Server] | [YouTube]| [Twitch] | [Facebook]| [Podcasts @ Spotify]
Follow the BAYOG Bros Too!🎮
They all good people! These your guys for anime, manga, and games!
[Kenny – Blackatron] | [Nick – Rokutsu]
[Marc – cmdrcluckcluck] | [Loha – Loheezy]

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BE SAFE. BE RESPONSIBLE.
WASH YOUR HANDS. WEAR A MASK.
SOCIAL DISTANCE. PLEASE.

Take care y’all. Please stay safe and take care of yourself. All jokes and fun aside…please, please, please, pleaaaase always wash your hands, practice social distancing, and wear a mask! It’s better to be cautious than face irrevocable consequences of health complications or death.

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BLACK LIVES MATTER

AS A GROUP OF BIPOC, BAYOG strongly stands with Black Lives Matter. We are all too familiar with the racism that we, our friends, and family have faced on a daily basis. Every life is precious. However, as BIPOC, we also recognize that black people are a group of people that face extreme racism and at a higher risk for their safety. We’ve individually done several donations. Of course, donations to support the cause and support change isn’t the only thing needed. Support for the cause and change also requires conversation and understanding. Make sure to have those conversations. Please remember to be an active supporter, be it through donations, sharing information, and/or conversations and speaking up.

If you can, please consider donating. I’ve donated more than once as well. For one of my donations, I donated through the BTS ARMY x BLM project. I recommend that if you’re unsure of where to donate. This is because the donation will be split amongst several different non-profit organizations. Of course, you can also choose a specific organization(s) if you wish as well. You can find that [HERE].

You can also check out the following:

• http://blmsites.carrd.co
• http://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co
• http://blackliveswillalwaysmatter.carrd.co
• http://blmstanguide.carrd.co
• http://saytheirnames.carrd.co

Stay strong. Fight racism, brutality, injustice, and bullshit. Don’t lose sight of the goal. We’re witnessing and being a part of history. Be allies and make sure change happens. Once again, BLACK LIVES MATTER.