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January was truly the start to new beginnings and I can't wait to share what I've been up to in the new year!
Lifestyle: What I've Been Up To
Korea
My vacation to Korea was everything I needed as it was so relaxing and nice to catch up with my family whom I hadn't seen in a very long time. I also got to meet up with my friend, Yuri, who was also visiting Korea at the same time as me. We've had overlapping trips to Korea a few times before and it's always so nice to reminisce the old days together as well. 3 weeks went by too quickly and I can't wait to come back hopefully soon.
Love
When I came back from my trip to Korea, the boy I had been seeing for the last couple of months asked me to be official. I officially have a boy...friend... lol I don't know why it's so scary for me to say that (my avoidant attachment style still sticks with me in some ways). Although relationships still scare me deeply, I realized that whenever I was with this person, I felt so safe and comfortable. It's also his first relationship so I'm interested to see how we navigate this next chapter in our relationship. He's made me believe in the invisible string theory because we met through a mutual friend, whom we both knew for the longest time (literally since elementary school). This meant that we grew up in the same city and who knows, maybe even bumped into each other. However, we didn't officially meet until the timing was right.
Big Bear
My boyfriend asked me to make a last-minute trip to Big Bear for one of his closest friend's birthday celebrations. It was funny to be back in California but still seeing snow (which I was seeing a lot of in Korea). Although I didn't go snowboarding or skiing, it was so much fun to stay in the cabin and be warm and cozy. I also got to meet new people during this trip, which was very nice that they were so welcoming.
Movies
Once I came back from Korea, I went to use my AMC A-listers pass a lot. It was a great way to hang out with my friends during the weekdays and see a lot of new movies. Special shoutout to 'Anyone But You' because it seemed to have ranked the highest this month out of all the movies I watched. I'm excited to continue using my AMC A-listers and watch more movies with my friends. I feel so lucky that I have friends who also have the pass and always are open to making time to watch them with me. It's so nice to have friends who live so close to me.
Work
My vacation to Korea was a break I truly needed from work. Work has been crazy the past few months and maybe the whole year looking back. I truly girlbossed this year and made big progress in my career by getting a promotion last year. It's also officially the longest I've been with a company, which I'm proud of. I'm so thankful for all the opportunities that I have been given and I'm optimistic to continue to grow and learn in this industry.
Lows: Surgery
This month I went into my very first big surgery while I was in Korea. Last year, I found out that I had a few lumps in my breasts (which happens to be genetics because my mom and grandma also had surgeries for these). Luckily, the doctor said that it wasn't too serious and that we should do a check-in a year later. When I visited for a check-up, we found that one of the lumps grew a lot bigger and needed removal through surgery. Luckily, the surgery itself didn't take too long nor was it super painful. However, it was so nerve-wracking to be in surgery with the machines where you can hear how fast your heartbeat is going. All in all, the surgery went well and I'm doing alright now. I didn't know this but once I got out of the surgery, I found out that my parents and even my brother were crying outside. It made me realize how much they cared for me and how important health is! Nothing matters more than being healthy and taking care of our bodies. Feeling extra thankful for my healthy body and for my healthy recovery.
Lessons: Time Heals All Wounds
I truly think that time is the answer to all wounds as annoying as it sounds. I didn't think that I would be this confident in my career and be open to receiving/ giving love to someone again but here we are! However, I don't think that it was just the time aspect itself with minutes/ days just passing by. It was the effort that I invested in myself to be better and do better during that time that helped me to heal all my wounds. Therefore, I feel so proud of myself for everything I've done for myself to put those efforts, and hope to continue investing the time to become a better person. I know that might sound vague, but what does it mean to invest in myself? so here are some things that I think truly helped:
going to therapy ( I learned a lot more about myself)
yoga (de-stressing from work and investing in my body)
friends & family (carving out time to hang out with people that are important to me - a boost of serotonin)
work projects (showing interest in projects that aren't necessary my day to day job but I wanted to learn more about)
reading (I started reading about love languages and attachment styles)
budgeting (this taught me self-discipline)
These only list the ones I can think of off the top of my head but these are truly what helped me to heal my wounds and want to become a better person everyday.
Songs on Repeat:
Top Songs -
wherever u r (ft. V of BTS) - UMI, VAll Night (feat. Saweetie) - IVE, SaweetieRadio - Lana Del ReyMy Pick of the Month: Singles Inferno
I finally got to binge the rest of the episodes for Singles Inferno on Netflix and it was so much fun. Gwanhee was causing drama and headaches to the very last moment, but I did appreciate his moment of vulnerability. Not sure how I feel about the couples that made it at the very end but I will say that this season was by far the most dramatic and juiciest season, which made it so entertaining to watch lol!
This month truly opened new beginnings in my life and I can't wait to see where it takes me. I truly cannot believe that it's already 2024, but I mean it when I say that I'm excited to see what's in store for me.
Talk to you next month,
-- Jin