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November is all about giving thanks to all the people in my life. I know that life would not be merely as enjoyable had I not had the people around me. This month I remembered to not only cherish the memories made but also give thanks to the people I love.
Lifestyle: Work-Life Balance
Stephanie in LA
Stephanie decided to switch it up this year by coming to LA instead of having it in SF. Not going to lie, I think she came at a hectic time in my work life because I had just come back from a work trip and had a busy schedule due to a campaign shooting that was happening. However, I was so thankful that everything was able to work out and we were able to make so many fun memories that we'll love to look back on. Stephanie decided to fulfill her little girl's dream by going to Disneyland and Universal on the same weekend. We rode on plenty of roller coasters, snacked on all the goodies, and got lots of hot girl walks in. All in all, the weekend to celebrate Stephanie was so much fun and I'm so thankful to have a friend like her in my life. I genuinely am not sure when the next time we'll reunite, but I know we'll stay connected and have a great time wherever we head next. I hope she had a very fulfilling birthday with filled with lots of love.
Friendsgiving & Holiday Festivities
Mish decided to host an intimate Friendsgiving dinner and it made us realize how thankful we are for each other. It's so tough to find a time that works for everyone, especially in our adult lives. Therefore, I always feel extra lucky and thankful when I have a group of friends I know I can rely on that will make efforts to carve out time to connect. The Friendsgiving dinner and the gingerbread house making for Holiday festivities felt like just that.
Home for the Holiday
I was also able to spend meaningful time with my family back at home for the holidays. Over the past few years, we've been hung up on going to travel during the longer holiday season but this year, we decided to get it local and chill. I cannot be any more thankful because this felt like everything I needed to recharge from the hectic and stressful month that I've had. I was so thankful to spend time with my family, eat good food, and not think about anything!
Dates
This month, I pushed my boundaries in a lot of ways when it comes to dating. I haven't found anyone that I wanted to go on more than 3 dates with or that I was interested in getting to know more. However, this month, I was able to get to know someone more and it felt uncomfortable for me due to my avoidant attachment style. I think it was a lot of self-growth because I was trying to recognize all of my avoidant tendencies and think through them logically. I'm not perfect, but I do see self-improvement and I hope that I can achieve a secure attachment style in the future. All in all, I had a lot of fun getting to know someone and doing activities that I've been wanting to do such as Color Me Mine!
Work
Work has been a little more chaotic throughout this month starting with having to go on a last-minute work conference to Atlanta, GA. This was my first ever official work trip I've gone on so I felt so much like a girl boss adult lol. It was honestly so exhausting but I think it truly pushed me even more career-wise to be more open and confident. I got to network with so many cool and respectable people that I felt a little bit of an imposter syndrome, but I pushed through. However, it was inspiring for me to continue with my career to reach some of the achievements that some of these people have been able to achieve. I was also a part of a big campaign shooting, which also was exhausting but lots of learning experience. I recognized that there was so much more that I could learn and got me excited for the opportunity to grow. All in all, an exhausting yet fulfilling month.
Lessons: Thankful
This month taught me that there's SO much I should be thankful for. I'm so thankful for all of my friends locally that carve out time to hang out with me I'm thankful for long-distance friends that continue to check in on me. I'm thankful for my family who'll always support me no matter what. I'm thankful to myself for being so strong and living each day to the fullest. I can't list everything, but it is a season to reflect. I think it also hits harder because I'm almost approaching my one-year moving out and in this job. I feel like it's been so long yet so short at the same time. I can see visible change and growth within me from the past year, so I cannot be any more grateful. I can't say that the past year wasn't tough, but I can say that I've tackled each problem as best as I could and tried to learn from it. It's easy to dismiss everything you've gone through and look at the future of where you want to be. But, I do think it's important to take a pause and thank yourself for all the progress that's been made.
Songs on Repeat:
Top Songs -
Perfect Night - LE SSERAFIMCan't Catch Me Now - Olivia RodrigoLove U Like That - Korean Version - LauvMy Pick of the Month: Spotify Wrapped
I always look forward to seeing the Spotify Wrapped because I also think it could be a representation of how the year went. Shout out to Olivia Rodrigo for being my #1 Spotify artist and I hope that I can see her at a concert soon! I'm so thankful that I've been able to see Taylor Swift, Ruel, and Blackpink at their concerts this year. Up next, seeing LANY & Olivia Rodrigo live!
This month was definitely about giving thanks to the people around me and a great time to reflect. Life gets so busy and I always feel like I'm in running mode. However, months like these allow me to pause and look back at how far I've come. Thank you to everyone who has made an impact in my life this year so far, I'm so grateful for you.
Talk to you next month,
-- Jin