Midnight Vowels

Sometimes I feel desensitized from the news & events occurring around the world, and at other times it's impossible to ignore how messed up things still are even though it's 2021. It can be frustrating to feel powerless and to understand that many things are outside of our control. There's a Spongebob meme called "Push It Somewhere Else Patrick," which references an older episode where Patrick suggests relocating the entire town of Bikini Bottom in order to avoid dealing with a raging Ala...

This is a nonsensical episode comprised of me rambling on about "Love Alarm," a Korean drama about an app that enables its users to be notified when someone within a 10-meter radius has romantic feelings for them. Along with what I discuss in the podcast, consider the following and decide whether you would download the app (if it was real) or not:What if your love alarm never rings?What if you're already in a relationship and your love alarm rings by someone else (maybe by someone you both mu...

Think of the last time you felt jealous about something. What about a time when you felt envious? Don't know the difference between jealous vs. envious? I certainly thought the two terms were interchangeable. And to an extent, they kind of are sometimes. However, there's usually specific distinctions when using one term versus the other, and I explore this in more detail on this week's podcast episode. Feel free to share your thoughts with me on Instagram: @midnightvowels

If you've never worried about someone referring to you by the wrong gender pronoun, you might not be aware of the privilege that you hold. We can't assume someone's gender just by the way they look, and people are often referred to by the wrong pronouns due to these assumptions. Displaying your gender pronouns is a good way to normalize sharing and using correct pronouns, and respecting the diverse gender identities of the people we encounter. Of course, we should also respect and not questio...

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in addition to being Mental Health Awareness Month. After posting last week's episode, I realized that one topic we could dive deeper into is the framework of self-care and mental health from the Asian American perspective. Though our experiences growing up are unique and diverse, there are some mental health experiences that feel like a collective struggle. However, with resources readily available on the Internet, and consequently more awareness ...

Self-care seems like a simple concept, but it's easy to muddle things up as adults often do. Time constraints, pressure to be productive, and our own personal issues can get in the way. In this week's episode I ponder the classic question: why is it so hard to take care of ourselves?Feel free to share your thoughts with me on Instagram: @midnightvowels

This one goes out to anyone who has a non-English/American name, like me! There's another level of awareness that you acquire when growing up in America with a name that other people have difficulty pronouncing. For example, I've had to anticipate correcting teachers during roll call, using an alternate name for coffee orders, etc. Join me this week as I share some of my experiences living as Huong, but also as Hương.Feel free to share your thoughts with me on Instagram: @midnightvowels

This episode is best listened to if you're having a hard time falling asleep. Why? Because I spend most of it just reading, haha. We're taking it easy this week as I take a personality quiz and find out 'which Yu Yu Hakusho character is my twin.' You don't need to know anything about the anime/manga because all the questions are pretty much random. I was expecting more out of the quiz question & results, but I guess if I wanted more YYH content, I could binge watch some video clips. Do yo...

I've seen several headlines throughout this past month marking the one-year anniversary of when the pandemic went into overdrive, lockdowns started happening, and our lives were universally altered. I mostly just ignored paying attention to these, but have recently been feeling the impact of living through a year of... everything. Join me on this week's episode as I discuss a few items I've been struggling with and give you a brief update of how I'm feeling at this stage of the pandemic. ...

Grab a snack and join me & Ann as we discuss a few scenarios pulled from the subreddit r/AmItheAsshole. AITA is an online forum where users can post about their conflicting situations, and other users will vote and discuss whether OP (Original Poster) was in the right or wrong in regards to their actions. I'd love to hear whether you agree with our verdicts or if you think differently! Below are the topics we discuss, if you're curious to read through any of the individual threads:*...