Minty’s Update & Plans for May/Mental Health Awareness Month

Hello my lovely BAYOG Fam!~ It’s Minty~ I’m back~ I’m sure y’all noticed I kind of just suddenly disappeared for about 2-3 weeks. So if you don’t follow me on Twitter or aren’t on the BAYOG Discord server, I was forced into a sudden hiatus due to a family emergency. Basically, one of my baby cousins was suddenly unconscious in the hospital so I rushed to stay with my uncle’s family. Unfortunately, she didn’t pull through… She was only 13… So my stay was extended for the funeral, and I was busy serving as one of the bereaved family members. I also spent my time focusing on consoling my uncle and taking care of my other cousin, the youngest twin. With COVID and a bunch of other circumstances (and more family stuff), both our stay and funeral process was unconventionally extended than expected. So I apologize if I caused you any concern with my sudden disappearance.

Hey friends and BAYOG Fam, I wanted to let you all know that due to a family emergency I'll be taking another break from the blog…

— มิ้นท์ • Minty🌸ʕ„• ω •„ʔ🌸 (@piecesofminty) April 14, 2021

I also want to say thank you to everyone who reached out to check up on me and offered help and support. I also really want to thank Lauren ( @cattastick / [Necara]) for helping cover the blog during my sudden hiatus. I really do appreciate you all. I was really touched, and I’m more grateful to you all than you know. It was honestly a very exhausting (emotionally and physically), stressful, heartbreaking, and grief-filled 2-3 weeks. It was the first time in 16 months that I honestly saw anyone like my sister. So it was nice to be reunited with family members again and to meet relatives from my uncle’s wife’s side of the family. It was also funny how [everyone mistook my 30 year old ass for a teenager] and I got grouped with the kids… I also got closer to my other cousin as I tried my best to keep her company and everything. However, I really wish that it had all been under better circumstances.

While I am back home now, I do still have alot of concerns and thoughts on my mind. I still randomly get a bit stuck in my thoughts and feels. Particularly when I look at her guitar that her parents passed to me… I’m still kind of grieving, but I’m truly okay. Again, thank you to those of you who have reached out and periodically checked up on me and my mental health. Thank you for reminding me to take care of myself, letting me spill out my concerns to you, offering assistance, and literally helping me find resources. I’m truly grateful to have such kind and caring friends from all parts of the world; Both offline and online. I know I don’t really need to apologize for my disappearance, and that I don’t really have any obligation to tell you all this personal stuff. However, I’ve learned from last year that sometimes my sudden disappearance can cause my friends to worry about me. Yes, I do see you all as my dear friends. So I just wanted to fill you all in on the circumstance. Also, I just really wanted to thank those who reached out. THANK YOU. I’m really, truly blessed. I just wanted to update you on what’s been up with me and what I basically have planned for BAYOG.

Since it’s been a while since I took a longer hiatus, I’m still trying to find a way to get back into the groove of blogging. May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Y’all know mental health is a really important and personal topic to me. Especially because it relates to me, my friends, and people in my family. I typically try to do posts related to mental health around this time. Usually it’s an update to my [Airbag Playlist]. However, I thought I’d do it a tad bit differently this year. It is an incredibly important and personal topic, and because I recognize that alot of people have a had their mental health affected due to the pandemic. So I’ll basically be do smaller music posts highlighting some songs from the Airbag Playlist. In a way, it’ll be like our Music Monday posts. Actually I originally meant to do it as our MHAM Music Monday posts. However, I think I kinda missed that opportunity. Plus there are alot of great songs. So I might just randomly drop some posts every now and then. Anyway, my plan is that each post with have a high and low kind of track. Basically a track that you can relate to when you’re feeling low. I feel like these help you kind of pour out your thoughts and feelings, and maybe help you feel like you’re not alone. The high track is a track meant to comfort and uplift you. Mental health is a thing that I think we can all relate to, but at the same time everyone’s case and feelings are different. Music is nice because it can be up to you when it comes to how you feel or interpret it. There are times when it’s difficult to express one’s self, but I feel like music does such a wonderful way of doing it for us because of that. I also hope to do some manga/webtoon and drama posts for MHAM as well. Again, I feel like media can do such a wonderful job of expressing how we feel.

“When I’m all cried out, thank God that there are books, films, and songs to do the job for me.“

Tablo (Daniel Armand Lee/Lee Seon Woong) of Epik High | Blonote: pg 134

To be honest… I might be a bit overambitious in setting these goals for this month. Especially because I also started drama subbing again. I’m a TE working on another Viki drama project again. It’s the Thai version of [In Time With You(ถึงห้ามใจก็จะรัก/Even If I Go Against the Heart, I’ll Still Love)]; Which was originally a [Taiwanese drama (我可能不會愛你/I Might Not Love You)] that also had a [Korean (너를 사랑한 시간/The Time I’ve Loved You)] and [Japanese (僕はまだ君を愛さないことができる/I Don’t Love You Yet)] adaptation. Fortunately, I’m not a solo translator this time (Thank, God!). It’s also the only subbing project I’m working on now. I’ve learned from last time not to do multiple projects at the same time… So it shouldn’t be as hectic as last time. However, I am working again, still kind of in the grieving process, and focusing my attention on my uncle and cousin. So there’s a possibility that I don’t get to do everything I set out to do.

@Irina_the_Great we both got mentioned in a Korean article by RIDI (company that made Manta) ~ I found out about this late, but it's a pleasant surprise haha~ pic.twitter.com/cLOb7Wzxmg

— มิ้นท์ • Minty🌸ʕ„• ω •„ʔ🌸 (@piecesofminty) May 6, 2021

In some pretty random and cool news, BAYOG and I got mentioned in a [Korean article by RIDI]. It’s on their [website] too apparently. [Irina], our lovely friend that you know and love, also was mentioned in the article. If y’all didn’t know, RIDI is a e-publishing company behind many popular novels and webtoons. They’re also the ones behind [Manta Comics]. Based on my basic ass Koreaboo Korean and MTL-ing, it’s about the launch and success of Manta. They mentioned us and our [reviews]. From what I can tell they mentioned my surprise at Manta reaching out to me for feedback after reading my post. They also credited me for some of the implemented changes on the app (fonts, search function, etc.). At least I think so… If one of y’all knows Korean, I’d love if you could give me an accurate translation haha~ It may seem trivial, but I thought this was pretty nifty. First of all, never thought I’d be in any article; Especially a Korean article.

Secondly, I’m in awe at seeing “블로거 piecesofminty… (Blogger piecesofminty…)” I’ve talked about this before, but I forget I’m a blogger? Yes, even though I put blogger in my SNS profiles… I still forget… So I was like, “Blogger piecesofminty…?? *confused face* I’m not a blog—Ohhh… Right… I guess that’s right…” So yeah, this was a moment that it occurred to me that I’m actually a blogger haha. This thing with Manta has been a wild ride for me. Never in my life would I expect to be contacted by a platform from such a legit company. And never in my life would I think I would have some impactful contribution to a popular platform. Even if I do think of myself as a blogger, I see myself as a non-influential nobody that just writes stuff for fun for my friends to read. Rather than actual blog posts, I see my posts as no different from my messages to friends or posts on the Discord server. So honestly, it’s pretty nifty. I think this will be my one small claim to blogger influence fame haha. I gotta say, I owe it to you, our dear readers and friends, and the BAYOG Bros for giving me such fun experiences~ So thank y’all~

Anyway, that’s it for my little update and plans. I’ll most likely get started on regular posting again sometime this weekend. I know I set out to do alot of of stuff, and I don’t have to do blogging and subbing. Still, I kind of need a productive distraction too. Otherwise, I’m stuck in my thoughts. Yeah, it’s a vicious cycle in my head haha. Also, I just really want to do these posts for MHAM. I know it’s tough, and I figured it’s enough if it helps comfort people a bit. Especially if it happens to be a day that they need it most. After this month, I then plan on probably taking a 1-2 week hiatus to just do nothing. 2020 was hectic, but 2021 has honestly been full on kicking me in the ass… So I think I should have some me time to take a complete break from everything for a bit~ I also promise that I’ll get started on replying to those messages and comments I missed during my hiatus! I appreciate y’all for always being so loving, supportive, and understanding. Anyway, I hope y’all have a lovely day and start to your week! Please take care and stay safe. Drink water, don’t forget to eat, and don’t forget to have personal time for your mental health~ You are loved and I know you’re doing your very best! Take care my loves~

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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…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

STOP ASIAN HATE

As an Asian-American, racism, xenophobia, and hate crimes against AAPI isn’t new. It’s always been around. Unfortunately, misinformation and the pandemic has caused an insane surge in racism and xenophobia. There has also been an insane rise in hate crimes. More recently, we’re seeing a surge of hate crimes against the Asian elderly. Particularly in the California and New York areas. Some cases even leading to injuries and even death. The sad thing is that many cases do not get alot of attention, or are just looked passed. It breaks my heart and is cause for concern since it affects our community. Since some of the BAYOG Crew (including myself) are Asian-Americans ourselves, I wanted to use our small platform to help in anyway. Hate, racism, and xenophobia is an ugly thing. We’re friends, in the same community, and against the same social injustices. So be kind and let’s fight these things together.

You can also check the following for more information, ways to help, & to donate:

• http://hateisavirus.org
• https://gofundme.com/AAPI
• http://advancingjustice-aajc.org
• http://caasf.org/
• [Donate to Different Organizations to Support AAPI Communities]
• https://anti-asianviolenceresources.carrd.co
• https://stopasianhate.carrd.co/

Please report hate crimes at Stop AAPI Hate:

• http://stopaapihate.org

Volunteer
You can see if your community has a volunteer chaperone or neighborhood watch/patrol program.
Some examples:

• Compassion in Oakland @ Oakland, California| http://compassioninoakland.org
• Safe Walks @ NYC, New York| https://safewalx.com/en/welcome
• Guardian Angels| http://guardianangels.org/volunteer
  They’re well known patrol volunteers in NYC, but they do have other branches too.

Volunteer at any other organizations that provide assistance to Asian-Americans; Particularly the elderly.
Some examples:

• Heart of Dinner @ NYC, New York| https://www.heartofdinner.org/
  An organization that supports local businesses and provides meals and care packages to the Asian elderly in NYC.