Welcome, dear viewers (mostly imagined) to a blog idea I was urged to act on this week. I’m going to show the contents of this orange box of personal keepsakes. The box itself is from my cousin, who made these for a local hotel for their Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival Mooncakes.

There are two “floors” in the box in my mind. This is the upper floor, which will be unpacked in the next image.

#1 and #9 are birthday gifts from my friend Char, who knows I collect pins: there’s one about adulting that says “Oh yes. I absolutely have no idea.”, two sparkly ones inspired by two favorite Red Velvet title tracks of mine, and the Ladybug – Chat Noir pair designed by a local artist. #11 is the wrapping it came in. I missed seeing Char’s handwriting which is why I kept it.

#2 is a squishy cat gift from a caregroup leader, while #3 is a gift from a colleague who travelled to Thailand and says the charms are lucky. #4 is also a gift from that same colleague, and it’s a pin that says “Always Tired.”

#5 is yet another gift from the same caregroup leader – it’s supposed to be a clay keychain of Nam Joo Hyuk’s character from Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo. #6a-c are stickers made by the Rizal Library Ambassadors – my org of two years back in college.

#7 is a Park Bo Gum pin I won when I won a Twitter raffle of Park Bo Gum Indonesia during the 2017 Music Bank in Singapore. #8 is a gift from my friend Pong – it’s a teeny tiny book of Jane Austen quotes she picked up in London. #10 is a small duck figurine two of my friends bought for me during a high school field trip.

#12 and #13 are respective SHINee Key merch – one is a pin that says KEY in Korean, while the other is a small keychain where you can switch out small photos of SHINee, like a modern day Victorian locket.

#1 is a pair of Suho socks I bought a week ago! Admittedly, it doesn’t look quite like him.

#2 are presents from my sister from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Japan. I got a Slytherin and Ravenclaw cards from the Chocolate Frogs, which I’m happy about since they’re my House founders. My sister also bought me a Time-Turner.

#3 is a photo of Key.

#4 is a photo of Key THAT CAN BE USED AS A BAG TAG.

#5 came from the Red Velvet hand fans I ordered the last time, so those are stickers for the fan – I think. I don’t want to use them yet.

#6 is another bag tag from the SHILLA Beauty Concert my sister attended, when Red Velvet and SHINee were promoting for it.

#7 are cut-outs of Suho and Baekhyun from their Pepero endorsements, while #8 is a calligraphied name of mine given by a friend who asked her friend to do it. #9 is a postcard I got when I ordered the Lizzie Bennet Diaries box set, many many moons ago.

I like looking at the inside of this box because I’m reminded of things I love wholeheartedly, almost shamelessly. It doesn’t matter s much to me anymore if people don’t understand why these things are important to me. They just are. That’s love.

Till next time!