Countdown to CHRISTMAS: Favorite Christmas Movies

I don't know about you guys but I LOVE Christmas movies! I am guilty of watching them all year around. Here are some of my favorites over the years and I think they will tailor to people of all ages!

1.) Elf 

2.) Love Actually

3.) How the Grinch Stole Christmas

4.) Nightmare Before Christmas

5.) The Holiday

6.) Last Holiday

7.) Home Alone

8.) A Charlie Brown Christmas

9.) It's a Wonderful Life

10.) Borrowed Hearts 

Si's Life: My Best Feature

"Don't get caught up in the 'look' thing. Sometimes, we as men and women, the first thing that attracts us to someone is their physical appearance, and that's not always a good thing because what's good on the outside is not always good on the inside." - Keith Sweat

In grade school we were taught to never judge a book by its cover. What our teachers had failed to mention about this lesson is that it is much easier said than done. 

Take a look at the photo above. At first glance most people would cringe and say something like ewwww that's so disgusting and gnarly looking or WTF is that THING? It definitely isn't something people would describe as beautiful. But what is it exactly?

That  gnarly looking "thing" is my scar from my second kidney transplant (bet you guys didn't guess that). The transplant itself was a huge success however due to different techniques used by different surgeons the scar didn't end up disappearing and ended up like this. For the longest time I couldn't stand to look at it and was terribly embarrassed by it. Hiding it with clothes was easy enough but not enough for me to forget it was there. I guess the main reason I was so ashamed of it was because I was afraid what other people would think of it. I thought that people would find me repulsive and that I would probably never meet someone. 

However over time I begun to feel better both physically and mentally. This second kidney transplant had truly worked and I felt better than ever. Now every time I look at my scar, I think about the obstacles that I had gone through to get to where I am today and the challenges I had to face for a second time. It also serves as a symbol of strength and to never take anything for granted. A couple years ago if someone asked me to show them my scar I would probably have said no and ran away but ask me today I would proudly show it to anyone. It's easy to judge based on outward appearances because we have easy access to it. But outward appearances don't tell us anything about the person themselves. We all have flaws about ourselves both outward and inward that we don't necessarily like about ourselves, the important thing is to accept those flaws and turn them into something positive. Besides if everyone was perfect how boring would the world be?

Si's Life: Why am I REALLY SINGLE?

I can't tell you guys how many times I get asked on a daily basis about my love life. If I had a nickel for every time I am asked, I would be filthy rich like Angelina Jolie. These days it is apparently  taboo to be a single lady especially in her 20s and while I know my family and friends only want the best for me it can get EXTREMELY annoying and even more irritating when strangers start to but in.

I'm not some crazy feminist bashing men everywhere I go. I to have my moments where I wished I was in a relationship. Growing up, I didn't have the best examples when it came to romantic relationships. In my Asian culture, the men ran the house and as women we had to obey them. For years I watched the women in my family did everything for their men with very little reciprocation from them. I vowed to myself that when I find my prince charming I was not going to go through what the women in my family have.

My relationship history has been sort of a struggle. My dating experiences don't fill up a book much less a notebook. I have had great relationships with great men and some crappy relationships with really crappy men. And sadly I have to report I have not found my prince yet. My last so called relationship ended up with him cheating on me. After it was over I was devastated and gave up on any hope of ever finding anyone #foreveralone. Looking back now I realize how dramatic I was being after all I am only 23. Through the pain I discovered how much I took being single for granted. I had a great independence to do what I want and spend time with the people who meant the most to me. Being single has made me stronger and in turn helped me grow up... a lot. It has taught me to rely on myself more to get the things I want and actually somewhat achieve my life goals. Right now in the present when people ask me about my love life I tell them that I am exactly where I want to be. I have a job that I love, I am going to grad school to pursue my dream career to become a trauma/transplant counselor and have the love and support from some of the best people ever and all without A MAN. I am not going to take this time for granted and just going along for the ride. When the time comes I will meet the right person.

Si's Life: Relationship Series Part 1

RELATIONSHIP WITH FRIENDS

 In preschool and kindergarten everyone is friends with everyone. There were no cliques or drama we simply just enjoyed each other's company (o how I wished for those days again sigh...). As we reach elementary school, we start to get more choosy. We wanted to be friends with the kids with the coolest toys and the best birthday parties. In junior high or middle school we are at the point where insecurities with ourselves begin to surface and suddenly everyone is separated into cliques and everyone wanted to be the popular clique. Rumors and drama also begin to surface which can make or break friendships even those you have known since preschool. It suddenly becomes uncool to be friends with that person you pretty much known your whole life because they decided to go a different direction. By high school, the drama is at its acme. Cliques become tighter and membership is very exclusive. This is the time where we find ourselves lucky to have some friends and a place to sit with at lunch. But through all of this ask yourselves....

What is a friend?

According to Google a friend is defined as someone whom one another as a mutual affection towards or a member of the Quaker society.

For me personally friends are one of the most important people a person has in their life. They should be and are the people you go to for no judgement advice. They are people who support you and love you just the way you are. They are family, just the ones we can choose. Not everyone is lucky enough to come from a good family. So having the option to create one for yourself is truly a blessing. 

Having friends can also help you grow as a person. These are the people that push you because they truly believe in you. They know a whole different side of you that your family probably doesn't.

Even when you lose a friend, it becomes a life lesson. It teaches you about love and lose. As we grow we change and the best way to see that is through the people we meet.

What is NOT a friend!

Someone who brings you down instead of up

Someone whose brings drama 24/7 in your life

Someone who doesn't apologize for their mistakes toward you