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With the sun out for a little longer after work, I’ve found myself wanting to do more activities even after work. I’ve always been a person where the weather affected my mood a lot so with the sun being out for longer and it being sunny for most days, I’ve noticed that I’ve been feeling a lot happier. It was officially the start of spring towards the end of March as well, which put me in a bright mood as it’s my favorite season of the year.
Lifestyle: Friends, Work, & Dating
Friendships
This month was filled with lots and lots of friend hangouts from my LA friends, high school friends, to college friends. It’s always a nice time catching up with people that make time for me as I know that making time that works for everyone is not always easy. I truly learned the joy of being able to share my life from highs to lows and people actively wanting to listen to them. I’ve also learned the joy of other people wanting to open up to me and tell their lives to me. With all the greatest accomplishments and worst hardships, I learned that it’s always a lot better when other people are there for you. I used to be not the best at opening up to a lot of people but I’m proud because I think I’ve gotten a lot better.
Travel
This month, I got to take a trip to San Diego. Kelsey and I carpooled down to San Diego and stayed with our mutual friend, Taralyn. We explored so many different parts of San Diego that I did not get to explore before from North Park to South Park. We did our favorite activities such as going to cute local coffee shops and walking around the area. It took a downhill when we ate some Mexican food that we were excited to try, only for it to make us sick and throw up a few times. Luckily, we quickly recovered and were able to end the night with some wholesome moments of catching up on our lives before we slowly fell asleep.
Career
I look back and there were some moments when I first started working where I felt overwhelmed. I don’t know if it’s because of how much time has passed or my bandwidth just opening up, but I can say that I’m definitely at a better place now. I’ve also been getting closer to my coworkers as we make jokes before meetings or share our addiction to caffeine. Luckily, I also think I’ve been slightly cutting back on caffeine as promised in my last blog.
Dating
I went on two dates this month, which may not sound like a lot to some but is a big step for me. From each one, I’ve learned the joy of getting to know someone. It’s always interesting to see how similar or different someone’s lives are and how you can incorporate or change some things in your life. I’ve also enjoyed the process of someone getting to know me as I learned more about myself through that. From people asking the typical getting-to-know questions about me, I had to do a lot of reflections such as what are my favorite hobbies, what are my pet peeves, and what are deal-breakers for me.
Lows: In a Funk & Family Health
Feeling Funky
I’ve always had a habit of being in a funk whenever my life seemed too good to be true. When there are too many continuous days of me being happy, I subconsciously get worried and think “when is it going to suddenly go bad?” I don’t think I do it purposefully but I’ve noticed a pattern. I decided to pick up a journal where the last entry was from 4/12/21 - almost a year ago. I decided to write down how I felt and give a major life update on everything that happened for a whole year. It felt so therapeutic to not bottle up my feelings and write them all down on paper. I hope I can continue my habit of journaling during both good and bad days. I used to journal every day but I have a bad habit where if I skip one day, I think “okay well might as well skip the rest of the month and start fresh next month” -- and I never end up writing again. I don’t want to put the pressure on myself of having to write a journal entry every day but I do want to pick up the habit again.
Family’s Health
This month I learned that my grandpa has not been feeling well recently. It broke my heart that he wasn’t doing well, but it hurt more seeing how much it affected my dad as well. As I grow older, I forget that it also means that my parents and grandparents are also aging. Nothing is more important than the health of loved ones so I hope that my grandpa can get better soon. My grandpa lives all the way back in Korea so I believe my dad is trying to find time to go see him soon. I hope that the plan works out and he can spend quality time with him as well as help him recover from his health problems.
Lessons: Loving Myself
Alone Time
As fulfilling as hanging out with friends has been this month, I’ve realized I’ve lacked a lot of my alone time. I learned that I gain a lot of energy from hanging a lot of people but I charge by spending time alone. Therefore, I need to prioritize some more relaxing time alone as much as I do spending time with friends.
Communication is Key
This month, I had to do the uncomfortable thing of friend-zoning, someone. It was hard because I realized enjoyed the company but I knew that I could not see a romantic connection or future. However, I learned the importance of prioritizing and actively communicating my feelings. To my surprise, the talk went super smoothly and we are still good friends. I learned that when both parties are mature and communicate well each step of the way, there’s nothing to fear in speaking up about how you feel.
Dating
This month, I got to go on my first blind and double date. I didn’t know what to expect at first but it ended up being a lot of fun. The guys surprised us by taking us mini-golfing and we went to get some dessert after. I’ve lacked a lot in the dating side of my life and I’ve learned a lot by going on different dates. I’ve learned that it’s important to go on dates with different people to learn what you want. By going on this double date, I found myself laughing a lot as we shared similar humor. That’s when I realized that having similar humor was very important to me. I’ve always been an overthinker but I’m learning to go with the flow and just have fun.
Songs on Repeat:
Top Songs -
sad - LANYCool for the Summer - Demi Lovatoneverletyougo - ROLE MODELMy Pick of the Month: San Rio
The picture only shows maybe 1/5th of the cinnamoroll collection I have going on. I’ve recently become obsessed with San Rio and I can’t pass up anything, especially when it’s cinnamoroll. The character is just too adorable and collecting these items just makes my inner child so happy. I also have a special love for Hello Kitty as well as it’s engrained in my necklace that I got as a baby and wear every day to this day. I usually wore the backside that has my name on it but I’ve been wearing the Hello Kitty side up more often recently and stacking it with another necklace with my name on it that my good friend, Stephanie Wantah gifted to me this month.
As always, this month has been a mix of highs and lows. But, it was really a lot about my relationships with friends, family, and dates. I learn a lot through them and they definitely make an impact on me. I’m also super excited that spring is finally among us. Next month is my birthday month and I hope that it’s filled with more memories with friends, family, and people I care about. I hope everyone had a fulfilling month in March.
Talk to you next month,
-- Jin