there are probably easier ways to introduce myself than finding one thing to say for every letter of the alphabet, but this sounded much more fun. some of these entries are meaningful parts of who i am, while others are simply little interests, memories, and quirks that make me feel like me. taken together, they form an imperfect and slightly random a–z portrait of the person behind this blog ♡
a — autism (& adhd)
autism and adhd are both part of how i experience, understand, and move through the world. they shape my sensory needs, the intensity of my interests, the way my attention works, and how much energy seemingly ordinary tasks can require. they also explain why i can crave routine and novelty at the same time—wanting everything to feel familiar while becoming restless when it does.
neither is the entirety of who i am, but i can’t separate them neatly from my curiosity, creativity, enthusiasm, or the way i notice small details. understanding myself through this lens has helped me recognize that i’m not failing at being a person; my brain simply has its own needs and rhythms. i’m still learning how to work with those rhythms instead of constantly fighting against them ♡
b — blåhaj
blåhaj is my plush blue shark, and he has become much more than an ikea toy to me. he is soft, comforting and always there when i need something to cuddle—so, naturally, he has also developed an entire personality and little life of his own.
he has a wife named rosehaj, and they both live on my tomodachi life island as miis. there, they are married with children, favourite foods and plenty of island drama. at this point, blåhaj isn’t merely a plush in my room—he is part of the family ♡
c — cozy games
cozy games are one of my favourite ways to unwind. i love games that let me move at my own pace, settle into gentle routines and spend time in a small world where there is no pressure to be productive. whether i’m checking on my miis in tomodachi life, visiting my villagers in animal crossing or solving a quiet puzzle, they give my brain somewhere soft to land.
i especially love all the tiny, seemingly unimportant things these games allow me to care about—collecting new clothes and food, decorating rooms and learning the quirks of different characters. perhaps not everyone would find those things exciting, but that is exactly what makes them comforting to me ♡
d — daydreaming
i have always been a daydreamer. my mind loves wandering towards future travels, ideas for things i might write and little versions of life that exist only in my imagination. sometimes i can build an entire story around a place i have never visited or a possibility that may never happen—and honestly, i quite like having such a busy inner world.
daydreaming can occasionally make it difficult to stay in the present, but it is also where much of my curiosity and creativity begins. it gives me somewhere to escape when real life feels a little too heavy, and sometimes those seemingly random thoughts even turn into real adventures or blog posts ♡
e — exploring
exploring new places is one of the things that makes me feel most alive. i love wandering through an unfamiliar neighbourhood, noticing the little details of everyday life and discovering places i would never have found if i had followed a perfectly planned route. travelling gives me the chance to step outside my usual routines and see how much more there is beyond my own corner of the world.
i even enjoy exploring when i cannot physically go anywhere. geoguessr lets me drop into roads and landscapes across the world, while maps, videos and internet rabbit holes help satisfy some of that same curiosity from home. whether it is somewhere on the other side of the planet or a street i have never walked down before, there is something exciting about not knowing exactly what i will find ♡
f — fidgeting
fidgeting is one of the ways i keep my hands busy and help my brain feel a little more settled. i often find it easier to focus, listen or regulate myself when i have something to squeeze, twist or press. what might look like restless movement from the outside can actually be quite calming for me.
i have collected a few different fidget toys over time, including pop its, slime, a squishy cube and my newest twisty tangles. i especially like leaving the tangles unconnected so i can wind them around my hands and fingers—and because they are easy to travel with, they will probably be keeping me company on plenty of future flights ♡
g — geoguessr
geoguessr combines so many things i love: geography, travelling, exploring and noticing tiny details that most people would probably walk straight past. there is something wonderfully satisfying about being dropped onto an unfamiliar road and slowly working out where i might be from the bollards, utility poles, road markings, signs or even the strange little quirks of the google street view car.
i love that the game has taught me to look at the world more closely. a yellow stripe on a pole or a particular shape on the back of a road sign can suddenly make an ordinary scene feel like a mystery waiting to be solved. i may not always guess correctly, but getting a little lost is part of the fun ♡
h — hello it’s winnie
hello it’s winnie is my little personal corner of the internet—the place where i can write about whatever is occupying my brain without wondering whether it belongs anywhere else. it is part digital diary, part collection of cozy games, internet discoveries and ordinary life, and part home for all the thoughts that do not fit on winnie x yong or a cup of claritea.
more than anything, i want this blog to feel like a space where i can simply be myself. nothing has to be perfectly polished, accompanied by an aesthetic photograph or packaged into something useful. i can write because i feel like writing, even when i do not have an exciting life update—and that freedom is exactly why this little site means so much to me ♡
i — introvert
i am an introvert through and through. i feel most comfortable in quiet spaces, with people i know well or simply enjoying my own company. time alone does not usually feel lonely to me—it is how i recharge, sort through my thoughts and return to myself after the world has felt a little too busy.
being introverted does not mean i never want to go anywhere. i still love travelling, exploring unfamiliar places and sharing experiences with the people closest to me; i just need plenty of calm before and afterwards. sometimes my ideal day really is staying home with my cozy games, plushies and an interesting youtube rabbit hole—and i am learning that there is nothing wrong with that ♡
j — japan
japan is my favourite country i have visited so far. it is one of those places where even the smallest parts of an ordinary day felt exciting to me, whether i was exploring somewhere new, browsing shops or simply taking in everything happening around me. there always seemed to be another little detail waiting to catch my attention.
the trip left me with so many memories, along with a few tangible reminders—like the spheal plush i brought home for brandon. there are still so many parts of japan i would love to see, and i have a feeling it is a place i will keep wanting to return to no matter how much more of the world i explore ♡
k — keepsakes
i become attached to objects because of the memories they carry. something does not have to be rare or valuable to mean a great deal to me; sometimes it is simply a reminder of a person, a place or an ordinary moment that i do not want to forget. these little keepsakes make my room feel like a collection of stories from my life.
many of mine happen to be plushies. Green Dino reminds me of my first Valentine’s Day with Brandon, Pink Dino of the days shortly afterwards and Spheal of the time i visited Japan and brought him home for Brandon. to somebody else, they might just look like toys, but to me they hold pieces of the people and experiences i love ♡
l — little things
i have always had a soft spot for little things. a new food appearing in tomodachi life, finding an unexpectedly interesting video or having one of my plushies nearby can make an otherwise ordinary day feel a little better. none of these moments are particularly dramatic, but they still count as joy.
appreciating small things helps me remember that a meaningful life does not have to be made entirely from milestones, exciting plans or faraway adventures. sometimes happiness is quiet, familiar and easy for somebody else to overlook—and i think noticing it is one of the gentlest ways i take care of myself ♡
m — mayday: air disaster
mayday: air disaster has somehow become one of my comfort shows, which admittedly does not sound very comforting when i say it out loud. i can happily spend hours watching episodes on youtube and learning how a flight went wrong through a complicated chain of mechanical problems, human decisions and seemingly tiny details.
as unsettling as the subject can be, i find the investigation side of each episode fascinating. i love watching the clues come together and discovering how investigators managed to understand what happened. perhaps an air-disaster documentary is an unusual thing to relax to—but my brain has apparently decided that cozy games and plane crashes can coexist 😅✈️♡
n — neurodivergent
being neurodivergent shapes the way i experience almost every part of life. i am autistic and have adhd, and i also live with a severe anxiety disorder and moderate depression. together, they affect how i process the world, manage my energy, connect with people and move through things that might appear simple from the outside.
some days, my brain brings curiosity, creativity and an intense capacity to care; on others, it can make simply getting through the day feel exhausting. i am still learning what i need and letting go of the person i thought i was supposed to be. these labels do not tell you everything about me, but understanding them has helped me treat myself with a little more patience and recognise that struggling does not make me a failure ♡
o — ordinary days
most of my life is made up of ordinary days. they are days spent checking in on my miis, watching something interesting on youtube, scrolling through the internet or simply resting at home. there may not be an exciting announcement, a beautiful photograph or a story worth turning into a highlight reel—and that does not mean the day was empty.
i am trying to stop treating these quieter seasons as gaps between the parts of my life that matter. ordinary days are my life, and they deserve to be noticed too. perhaps that is one reason i love keeping a personal blog: it gives the small, uneventful moments somewhere to exist without needing to become anything more ♡
p — photography
photography has long been one of the ways i make sense of the world. i love capturing the details of a place, preserving a moment that might otherwise disappear and being able to revisit how something felt through an image. it encourages me to slow down and notice colours, textures and little scenes that i might have passed without a second thought.
my relationship with photography has become complicated at times. when sharing online began to feel like performing, i felt pressured to create perfectly aesthetic photographs for my blog and instagram just to be liked. i am slowly trying to separate taking photos from needing them to impress anyone—to remember that an image can be imperfect, stay private and still be meaningful to me 📸♡
q — quiet
quiet is not an absence to me; it is a kind of comfort. when the world feels too loud, busy or demanding, having somewhere calm allows my mind and senses to settle. it gives me enough space to hear my own thoughts without everything else competing for my attention.
quiet does not always mean complete silence. sometimes it looks like playing a cozy game, watching a familiar video or sitting at home with my plushies nearby. it is the feeling of not being rushed, observed or expected to perform—and in those softer moments, i find it much easier to feel like myself ♡
r — Rosehaj
Rosehaj is Blåhaj’s real-life wife and an equally important member of my plush family. what began as two shark plushies has somehow developed into an entire relationship, complete with their own personalities, family history and a marriage that exists both in my room and on my Tomodachi Life island.
her mii is a considerate cheerleader who loves baked sweet potato, and she and Blåhaj are still happily married with children of their own. i love giving my plushies little lives and watching the game add its own wonderfully unpredictable details—it makes Rosehaj feel like much more than a pink shark sitting in my room ♡
s — sanrio
sanrio has a special talent for creating tiny characters who are almost impossible not to love. i am drawn to their cute designs, distinct personalities and the cheerful little worlds built around them. there always seems to be a character for every mood, whether i want something sweet and comforting, playful or just a little strange.
my love of sanrio is also a reminder that joy does not need to be mature, practical or taken seriously by anybody else. sometimes seeing a familiar character on a plush, trinket or everyday object is enough to make me smile—and i think adulthood is much nicer when i allow myself to love cute things without embarrassment ♡
t — tomodachi life: living the dream
when i talk about tomodachi life, i mean tomodachi life: living the dream—the newer game, rather than the original version. checking on my island has become part of my daily routine: i visit Fresh Kingdom Market for new foods, browse Where & Wear for new clothes and occasionally check T&C Home Reno to see which rooms have appeared that week.
my island is populated by miis based on me, Brandon and many of our plushies, along with the children who have been born there and created an ever-growing family tree. i have become far more invested in their marriages, favourite foods and tiny dramas than i ever expected. it is part cozy game, part virtual dollhouse and part completely unpredictable soap opera—and that is exactly why i love it ♡
u — unpolished
i am trying to become more comfortable with things being unpolished. for a long time, i felt as though anything i shared online needed to be carefully edited, aesthetically photographed and packaged into something other people would want to like. somewhere along the way, creating began to feel more like performing than expressing myself.
hello it’s winnie is part of my attempt to let go of that pressure. here, a thought can be unfinished, a photograph can be imperfect and a post can simply exist because i wanted to write it. unpolished does not mean careless or without value—sometimes it just means honest, human and allowed to breathe ♡
v — visiting new places
there is a particular feeling that comes with arriving somewhere i have never been before. suddenly, even ordinary things—the streets, shops, food and rhythms of daily life—feel interesting because they are unfamiliar. i love being able to look around without already knowing what is waiting around the corner.
visiting new places can sometimes be tiring or overwhelming, especially when everything is happening at once, but curiosity usually keeps pulling me forward. each place gives me new details to notice, memories to carry home and a slightly wider understanding of the world. no matter how comforting home may be, a part of me will always wonder where i could go next ♡
w — winnie x yong
winnie x yong is my other blog and the more polished, editorial side of my online world. it is where i share thoughtful pieces about intentional living, beauty, creativity, travel memories and finding calm in everyday life. compared with hello it’s winnie, each post usually has a little more structure and care behind how it is presented.
the two sites hold different sides of me without either one being less genuine. winnie x yong is the thoughtfully arranged living room, while hello it’s winnie is my digital bedroom—the place where i can leave things scattered around and write whatever is on my mind. i am glad that i do not have to force every part of myself into a single space ♡
x — x marks the spot
i have never been very good at choosing one ultimate dream destination. every time i look at a map, i notice another city, island or stretch of road that makes me wonder what it would be like to stand there. for me, the “x” is always moving as the world gives me more places to be curious about.
perhaps there is no single spot i am trying to reach. the joy is in following the next interesting path, getting a little lost and collecting memories along the way. whether i arrive there through a real journey, a geoguessr round or an afternoon spent exploring maps from home, every x holds the possibility of discovering something new ♡
y — youtube
youtube is one of my favourite places to find comfort, company and the occasional unexpected rabbit hole. i often put a video on while i am relaxing, working or doing something else around the house. sometimes i want to become completely absorbed in a story, while other times i simply want a familiar voice filling the quiet in the background.
my subscriptions are a slightly chaotic reflection of everything that interests me. i love gentle glimpses into everyday life from channels such as Lana Solo Life and Hopeless Salaryman in Tokyo, while Dashcam Nation and penguinz0 are among the channels Brandon and i enjoy watching together. somewhere between peaceful solo-living videos, internet commentary, reckless drivers and aviation disasters, youtube always seems to have exactly the kind of company my brain is looking for. i have even written an entire post about some of my favourites here ♡
z — zero pressure
if there is one thing i want more of in my life and creativity, it is less pressure. less pressure to be productive, interesting or perfectly put together; less pressure to turn every experience into content; and less pressure to know exactly who i am and where i am going at all times.
even this A–Z is not a complete definition of me. it is simply a snapshot of the interests, memories and thoughts that feel like mine right now. some of them may change, new ones will appear and there will always be parts of me that cannot fit beneath a letter—and there is zero pressure for it to be any other way ♡
final thoughts
putting together an A–Z of myself was much harder than i expected—especially once i reached letters like Q, X and Z 😅 but it was also a lovely way to notice how many different pieces make up who i am. there are the things i love, the places that stay with me, the ways my brain works and the tiny comforts that quietly fill my ordinary days.
this list could never explain everything about me, and i do not think it needs to. it is simply a little time capsule of the person i am right now. if i wrote it again in a few years, some answers might be different—and discovering those new versions of myself is part of the fun ♡
your turn
what would you put in an A–Z of yourself? you do not need to have a profound answer for every letter—and you are absolutely allowed to cheat when you reach X 😅 if you make your own list, i would love to know which letter came to you immediately and which one left you staring helplessly at the alphabet ♡
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