Who’s the Nyan?

My name is Neko Neha and this is the page where I get to prattle awkwardly about myself! I figured it would be cool to put a face and eccentric personality to the person conjuring up words of random silliness and occasional intelligence (if given the proper amount of milo) on this lovely blog known as BiblioNyan!

To be perfectly blunt, I never really know what to say in these sections, so if I seem like I’m blabbering randomly from one sentence to the next, I can promise you that that is precisely what’s going on.

Aside from being a passionate bibliophile and a crazed otaku, I’m very enthusiastic about the feline species. I’m a gleeful butler to four kitties, two dudes and two dudettes. I also have two cockatiels, Rani (the Mrs) and Raja (the Mr), whom I’ve had for over 21 years now! Apart from them, I have a wonderfully amazing human companion in my life who’s mysteriously known as Sir Betrothed.

I’m an Indian-Fijian introvert. I was born a woman, but I identify as gender non-conforming and use they/their pronouns. I’m also queer, specifically aromantic asexual. I’m short and chubby and I’m not fucking sorry to be such. I have learning and mental disabilities, but I don’t let them stop me from living like the vulgar, badass that I am. Languages that I speak fluently consist of: English (mostly British), Hindi, Urdu, and Italian. I’m learning my fifth language right now, Japanese. I fucking love video games, hot chocolates, Xenomorphs, Scooby-Doo, and Hello Kitty (aside from books, anime, and manga of course).

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My Credentials

My credentials aren’t anything wow-tastic, but rather simple and straightforward. I started reading books when I was the brattiest of wee brats. My mum introduced me to books and would have me read out loud to her as a way of improving my English, then when I became older, certain experiences helped me fall in love with literature and reading as a whole. Over the course of my life, during some difficult times here and there, reading has been a source of comfort for me and has also helped teach me a lot about growing up and learning to find one’s individuality and identity. I wrote a post about how reading helped my mental health in 2018, but honestly, these experiences definitely surpass 2018 and have always been a companion for me on this journey thus far.

My creds with anime is a bit different. I’ve been an aficionado of anime since around 2006 to 2007. I watched an anime called Initial D when I was much younger, but had no idea that it was anime, or what anime truly was until around the mid-2000s when I stumbled across Crunchyroll. I’ve been watching them and loving them and learning from them ever since. If you’d like to know why I’m so passionate about anime specifically, you can check out a post I wrote here about it’s significance in my life.

For my love of Asian cultures, I’m a self-dedicated scholar of Asian culture and literature, specifically of Japan. I study Japanese culture and literature diligently so that I can become an expert and a reliable source for the trade. I also hope to one day become a translator of Japanese literature and media. I’ve had a passion for Japanese culture ever since I attended my very first Japanese tea ceremony with my best friend, who’s Japanese, when I was a wee little adolescent. Everything about it was so marvellous and elegant that I knew I had found my calling. But I don’t limit myself only to Japan. I have been educating myself and exploring cultures and literatures from all over Asia and the Pacific Islands. Being an Asian-Polynesian person myself, it helps to keep me tied and engaged to my own cultures, heritage, and roots.

I am a proud advocate for diverse books, which consists of books written by marginalised people including but not limited to: people of colour, people with disabilities (physical and mental), and people from the LGBTQIA+; with a preference for #OwnVoices books. These are books written by people that explore same qualities of the themselves (such as being a POC, having a disability, or being Queer). If you don’t support diverse and #OwnVoices books, think they’re a problem or an unnecessary “fad,” then you are a part of the fucking problem and should kindly show yourself off my blog. Thank you, good day.

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How BiblioNyan Came To Be

BiblioNyan is actually the third name (and the permanent one) of a blog I started about two years ago. As a lover of books and an obsessed stalker of cats, the name sounded very fitting. For anyone unfamiliar, “nyan” is “meow” in Japanese, which made it a perfect subtle reference to my anime loving persona as well.

Initially, BiblioNyan became a dedicated book blog in December 2016, when I established the blog with it’s current name. My passion for blogging and writing took off and I wanted books to be my niche at the time. However, after a while, I started to feel restless and felt a strong desire to expand the content. The desire to do this came from two sources. Firstly, to appease my ADHD and fight off boredom, and secondly, to help cope with my increasing depression and anxiety, as well as to help my mind find alternative things to focus on when I have panic and PTSD triggers. This is when I introduced otaku content to the blog.

I also run a segment called Self-Care Sundays, which I started on an emotional whim in 2018, where I candidly chat about my struggles regarding mental health; how I cope, what works and doesn’t work, etc. My main goal is to raise awareness for mental health, as well as to erase the negative stigmas that are typically associated with it. I also hope that by reaching out and allowing myself to be vulnerable and unfiltered in my honesty in such a way, I can help others learn to cope with their own struggles in one form or another, or at the very least to let them know they aren’t alone in their fight.

Also in 2018, I found a new passionate interest in Asian cinema and started dipping my toes slowly into watching and reviewing Asian cinema, such as drama serials and films. While this is something that I haven’t partaken in nearly as much as the other hobbies I have mentioned; it’s something I hope to dedicate more time to in 2019.

Speaking of, at the end of 2018 and beginning of 2019, I started to suffer from some of the worse bouts of depression and anxiety that I have ever undergone. As such, I bounced between a few announced hiatuses until I ultimately went silent in February. As I write this updated bio, I’m still on the fence of whether or not I will be returning. The part of me that is struggling with dangerous levels of apathy definitely wasn’t want to devote any energy or effort in blogging anymore, or much of anything to be honest. However, there is this other part that wants to fight these inherently negative and harmful feelings; a part that understands how much blogging helps my mental health and how vital it is in my treatment of mental health conditions. I’m hoping my fortitude will allow the latter to win out, yet only time will truly be able to tell. Wish me luck!

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BiblioNyan Today

What originally began as a book blog and then later turned into a book and otaku culture blog, will now also be a personal blog. I will still chat about all of the things that I’ve mentioned above—books, anime and manga, Asian cinema, mental health—because they are big parts and important parts of my life and for me reviewing is a very passioante sort of occupation. Nevertheless, BiblioNyan has grown into a space that is far more than chatting about random interests. It is my safe space and my outlet when life just becomes too heavy to deal with. When I’m feeling grief, anxiety, sadness, or even rage, I know that I can unload on BiblioNyan in a way that is physically and mentally safe for me. The same can be said for the more happier and exciting memories that I make, such as celebrating birthdays or other events, and travelling to cool places I’ve always wanted to check-out.

With that being said, know that I will never promote self-harm of any kind on this space, even if I’m going through some really fucked-up shit. Regardless of it being an outlet, I won’t allow this blog to become a place of negativity or hatred. That is something that is extremely important to me and I ask that anyone who interacts with this blog to show it the same respect. Please, don’t be disrespectful towards me or others during your time here. I believe in positive discourse and encourage discussion of differing viewpoints, but without hatred or harm.

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My Passion, My Job

Please know that reading books and watching anime/Asian cinema for reviews, and overall just creating content for my blog is my full-time job. My work day consists of 8 to 14 hours per day where I am assiduously working on creating content. It’s something that I’m extremely passionate and serious about. Even if I’m not making a post every single day, I can guarantee that I am working nonetheless. I really want to make a positive difference in these industries and the best way to do that is to give it my full attention and appreciation. My deteriorating health does not permit me to get a job in the most traditional sense, so I focus on this with everything I’ve got. I must give a very special appreciative shout-out to Sir Betrothed, whom has always provided me with continuous and unwavering support and love in my endeavours. I would never be able to do what I love without them.

I think I’ve prattled waaaay more than I intended to, oops. If there’s anything specific that you would like to know about me, please drop me a comment or inquiry. If I sound like someone you would like to befriend, but feel awkward or shy about, I promise you that I’ll probably be shyer than you. But hey, we can then be shy together with our awkward chit-chats and it’ll be a party. I really love meeting new people and I always need more friends, so chatter away. It would actually mean a lot to me. 😊

Updated: 14-Feb-2019

Please note that I am an independently intellectual sort of reader. What that means is that I like to read a book to formulate my own opinions about them. In regards to books that are considered problematic, I especially like to do this so that I can better understand WHY something is problematic. If I do not engage with the novel, then I’ll never acquire a personal comprehension of what makes the title problematic to a person, or a group of people, and thus I’ll never truly be able to understand HOW exactly it is problematic. Diversity in literature is a very important subject for me, which includes finding and promoting books with equal and proper representation. I cannot be a voice or an advocate for change, I cannot participate in discourse towards a positive evolution in literature, if I cannot fathom where the changes need to be made. I must engage with books that are construed to be problematic by reading it ON MY OWN so that I may devise MY OWN genuine thoughts, opinions, and understanding to become a more reliable and valuable voice in the fight for positive change. It also helps me to better comprehend the problematic nature of the book in the same way the people affected do. Please also note that this DOES NOT MEAN that I close myself off to listening to other people when they say that something has hurt them. In fact, I listen very intently so that I can be even more aware when engaging with such works. I wholeheartedly respect and encourage POSITIVE discourse in literature, as people are vastly and beautifully diverse as the books that we read should be.

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