Like this turtle, I’m resurfacing on WordPress. (Photo via Pexels.)

Hey WordPress fam, 

Thank you for coming back to my blog after a few months of inactivity in this part of my universe. As you can see, I updated the theme of my site to keep it fresh. 🙂

If you’re curious what I’ve been up to in the last few months, check out the writing I’ve published on Medium. 

Medium wants you to become a paid subscriber at a cost of either $50 per year or $5 per month to access every article on their platform. However!

I’m including “friend links” below, which gets rid of the paywall and lets you read my work for free. 

I get paid for my work based on Medium subscribers’ reading time spent on my articles, but I’m giving you special access with these links as, apparently, earning coin is not a priority. (Not true – if you’d like to support me and my work, read on.) 

In the meantime, here’s what I’ve written this past summer and early fall in order from most to least recent:

12 Vetting Questions to Ask Yourself on a New Date: November 3, 2021. I write about my growth and journey to finding the person I would eventually marry. If you’re not self-aware and upfront about who you are and what you want, dating sucks up precious time and energy, both of which are limited.

About Me – Melissa Chanthalangsy: October 11, 2021. Learn more about where I come from, my career history, personality traits, astrological signs, and other fun facts. I’d love to learn more about you as well down in the comments. 

Leaving Was A Homecoming: October 1, 2021. A little creative nonfiction close to my heart about three wonderful months I spent abroad in college, how leaving the States brought me home to myself, and my tumultuous re-entry back to the US.

7 Common Signs You May Be Spiritually Awakening: September 15, 2021. My most popular piece on Medium thus far. It’s all in the title. As you know if you’ve spent time on my website, I am going through an awakening and wanted to share its common signs. 

George, Jesus, and Me: Navigating Life As An Asian Kid in Indiana: August 24, 2021. A personal essay entered as part of the Medium Writers Challenge. I had never worked so hard on any story before. It took every piece of me to write this, and I’m proud of having it out in the world. More of this content to come. 

We Resort to Binary Thinking Because Nuance Creates Discomfort (Especially In the Context of ‘Cat Person’): August 4, 2021. A synthesis on the New Yorker’s Cat Person and the recent bomb dropped by Alexis Nowicki on how that viral short story is based on her life. I felt the need to analyze my own experience in relation to this dialogue as it made me rethink the role I played in the most dysfunctional, toxic, and abusive relationship of my life. 

Billionaires Are The Enemy: June 22, 2021. A social commentary I wrote in the aftermath of my second dose where I call out the messed up system that upholds inequality in our society. It’s a call for justice. 

If you like what you see and want to access more thought-provoking, informative stories by other writers on Medium’s platform, it would help me out if you signed up for a membership at no additional cost using my personalized affiliate link as it will directly support my work and my writing. Thank you in advance if you do so! 

Tomorrow, I’ll share what I’ve been up to, what I’ve been watching, what I’ve been reading, and my current reflections for this time of the year. I hope you’ve been well and thanks as always for reading. 🙂