One-Sided Whatever

Her name was Kim Nayoung. I don’t think I ever met anyone whose name still sticks with me for this long — almost 20 years. Somehow in my foggy childhood memories, she is still somewhat so vivid. Not long after the previous neighbor, Mr. Kim, moved away from the house next door, a Korean family moved into that house. A family of four; a couple with two children, an older boy and a younger girl. My domestic helper (who was always very up to date to the happenings around my neighborhood, bless her) informed us about the new family just a few days after they settled in. “Good news for you, Ghea!” she said cheerfully, “They have a girl just around your age. I think you both will get along well.” Oh, neat! A new friend to play with! I hope she likes playing badminton and Barbie dolls as much as I do. I wonder what’s her name? “Nayoung Kim,” our domestic helper told me without me having to ask her that. Her network was astounding. I’ve always wanted to be able to do it like her. For some reas...

People come and go, though some can leave a lasting impression on you even after years of their absence. I'm pretty sure you've gone through that before. It's probably someone you knew growing up; your childhood best friend, your elementary school mate, a teacher, or a college professor. It can also be someone you knew in passing; a stranger you met while commuting, a fellow passenger on the airplane, a cafe barista, or someone who waited at the same bus stop as you. It can be anyone. One of those people for me was my next door neighbour. My neighbour when I was still living in my old house in Bandung had always been Koreans, as far as I remember. My first memory of interacting with one of them was with an older man in his late 40s/early 50s, I think. If I'm not mistaken he stayed there alone. I only knew him as Mr. Kim. He was a sweet and gentle man, and I always saw him with a smile on his face. Whenever I played outside with my brother or friends, he would...

Hello! Well...it's a bit dusty in here, isn't it? How long has it been again? Think it was three years ago since my last attempt to blog again....Wow, time sure flies, eh? Especially when you neglect the things that you thought of doing? No? Just me? Okay... If you've been on my blog before, you'll notice that I've deleted all of my previous entries. I decided to do so because those posts...did not age well, I must say. When I read back on all of them, parts of me died. I cringed so hard I think my face muscles froze for a good 30 minutes. Those weren't my proudest writings. I went through that torture so you guys don't have to. It's still really difficult to me to keep up with this blogging thing (mostly because I always get so demotivated. Something I need to work on), but I am determined to at least write something one or two times a month. Let's see if I can stick to that. Anyway, I hope quarantine is treating you all well. It's been ...