Author: Dominica May

Most of my blogging tends toward my travel experiences, and diversity in media, but I will also discuss my own creative pursuits, which are generally in the film, writing, and performance fields. I'm also an editor at Solarwyrm Press. Performance: improv, acting, stand-up comedy. Filmmaking: screenwriting, directing, video editing, short films, music videos. Writing: speculative fiction, memoir, short stories. Though I consider myself a citizen of the world, with how many places feel like home to me, I was born and raised in Australia, to American parents. I'm a dual-national of both countries, lived in Malaysia for five and a half years, and now live in the US.

Identifying Triggers and Shame to Short-Circuit Automated Reactions, Defensiveness, and Trauma Responses

March 17, 2025

Last week, I posted a silly video to YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, wherein I talked about how sometimes I’ll hear a song out of the blue, and it’ll trigger a strong emotional response in me. In this video, I specifically talked about “All That She Wants” by Ace of Base, and how I only needed … More Identifying Triggers and Shame to Short-Circuit Automated Reactions, Defensiveness, and Trauma Responses

The Patterns I’ve Seen and Lessons I’ve Learned as I Heal My Fearful Avoidant Attachment

March 11, 2025

I have spent a lot of the past year or so learning about attachment styles and how they impact relationships. It started with me wanting to try and understand other people in my life, but it became more of a journey of self-discovery, where I finally landed on realising that I had a disorganised attachment … More The Patterns I’ve Seen and Lessons I’ve Learned as I Heal My Fearful Avoidant Attachment

Tears Stream Down My Face on My Mother’s 70th Birthday

March 4, 2025

Today is a good time for me to re-share this picture of my Mum from a little over 20 years ago, shortly before she turned 50. Mum should’ve been 70 today, but instead her life was cut far too short due to pancreatic cancer, which she was diagnosed with not long after her 50th birthday. … More Tears Stream Down My Face on My Mother’s 70th Birthday

One of the Best Things You Can Do to Heal from a Toxic Relationship

January 7, 2025

Have you ever felt at a loss after the end of a toxic relationship? Tried to sort out and sift through the details of what happened? Whether you ended the relationship, or were the one broken up with, knowing the relationship was toxic doesn’t preclude you from experiencing some level of grief for the end … More One of the Best Things You Can Do to Heal from a Toxic Relationship

Thankful for the Friends who Support my Livestreaming Efforts

November 28, 2024

This year, to date, I have gone live on my YouTube channel 17 times, and will hopefully do at least a couple more before the end of the year. I don’t have much of an audience, and in fact rarely have anyone watching live these days. It would be nice to have a bigger audience, … More Thankful for the Friends who Support my Livestreaming Efforts

Soup’s On!

November 19, 2024

This project was originally created for a writing competition in August 2022. I published it on a different platform, but now I’ve decided to repost it to my personal, public blog to showcase this project to a wider audience. Data analytics and coding is my bread and butter. It’s what put food on the table … More Soup’s On!

Attempting to End the Quest for External Validation, Once and for All

November 17, 2024

As a teenager, I felt like getting my mum’s approval was the most important thing for me. It didn’t feel automatic or unconditional, but I loved making her feel proud. I felt like she had certain expectations of me, and if I didn’t live up to them, I wouldn’t be “good enough.” She was a … More Attempting to End the Quest for External Validation, Once and for All

Dominica May performing stand-up comedy, Nov 1, 2024

Stay and Fight as an American, or Retreat as I’m Still Australian?

November 6, 2024

Sixteen years ago, I left Australia, the only home I knew, and moved to Malaysia. Ten and a third years ago, I left Malaysia and moved to California. Four years ago, as the US election results rolled in and started looking dire, I began contemplating moving back to Australia. I looked up real estate prices … More Stay and Fight as an American, or Retreat as I’m Still Australian?

Waylaid as an AI and Coding Curriculum Developer: Appreciation, Manifestation, and the Future

October 16, 2024

After the technical curriculum team she worked with was laid off, Dominica writes about the highlights of her career from the last three years and what she would like to move into next. … More Waylaid as an AI and Coding Curriculum Developer: Appreciation, Manifestation, and the Future