Voting Woes (11.07.16)

I received terrifying news yesterday, when I ventured home to fill out my voting ballot and see my Mom, Dad, and sister.

I was very angry with my mother told me that my father was voting for Donald Trump. For a man to be in a family of all women, I felt very strange that he was voting for a man who discriminates against women. And then she justified his voting reasons by stating that the Chinese church was going to vote for Donald Trump. 

She went on to say that under Obama's presidency homosexuals gained marriage privileges, Tran-sexual bathrooms were created, and the republican view was lost to mankind in violation of the rights of the people.

My response that I could not voice to her was to tell the church to go save the voters because one man cannot affect change on the country the way multiple can. Also, it is foolish to blame the change of the world's views on Obama. If would be like blaming the loss of the world to be all Christian on Jesus. It's ridiculous and hardly possibly the truth. 

Like any body of people being governed, why are we separated by such harsh lines and views? If you really take a poll of Christian people and their beliefs, more than half would be democratic, due to the way the Church is structured and run. And yet, it has more to do with the radical and heretic ideas Republicans make about Democrats that really is the issue of why the Church maintains a Republican stance. 

I mean... if Trump wants to ship Mexicans back across the border, how much time will it be before he ships Asians back across the sea? I mean, didn't they even watch the presidential debate?! How could you trust the country to such a spiteful, materialistic, and judgemental man who actually benefits from and celebrates the 7 deadly sins?? He doesn't follow the 10 commandments... he's treats women poorly... he spreads more hate than love... I doubt Jesus would vote for him, today. 

The reason I bring this up is because... do you know how many Chinese people there are out there? A LOT!! And yet, they've been lead astray, into believing that Trump is for God, Country, and mankind. 

Perhaps this makes me a Rino (Republican In Name Only)... but I'm voting Hillary Clinton. I'd rather vote for someone who is open to affecting change than someone who will never. Though she's not the best, she's the lesser of two evils, to be honest. Personally, Bernie Sanders ~ ALL THE WAY!!!

Seriously, now... I'm a MINORITY CHRISTIAN WOMAN... Who did you think I would choose?

Fickle Friendship (02.17.16)

Friendship, I have found, is a very fickle thing. I’ve met strangers I could rely on more than friends of friends, which makes me wonder just how they think and operate. I’ve been burned so many times in friendship, I feel it is my job and duty to make others aware of just how aloof some can be when faced with the opportunity to help or ignore someone that is connected to them in some way. And for privacy purposes, I’ll not name names, but if they read this, I’m more than sure they’ll know who they are. And, again, this is a discovery post for me, about how I think completely differently than they do.

For those of you who don’t know me, just know this; I’ve never been in an intimate relationship, so all I’ve ever had were friends. So, I treasure these friends very much. I treat them like kings and queens because… they are all I have. And I believe in treating others the way you want to be treated. It doesn’t mean they have EVERY come close to how I treat them, but I still have hope that… maybe one day, SOMEONE will. However, having friends is special. Having none is lonely. Less painful, but also more quiet. So I choose to have friends. Maybe that’s where my thinking become so warped?

I recently learned that I treat strangers and non-direct friends better than I ought to. One example came from a recent hope of an adventure I had. I wanted to create a difficult custom designed cake that required baking knowledge and so, I asked a friend of my sibling’s for help. The person could do great things! I’ve witnessed it and eaten it before! This person agreed and then, after a few emails, this person just ignored me. I felt a bit hurt, brushed off by someone I thought I could trust, but then, I guess, this person was a relative stranger to me. If it weren’t for my sibling, then I wouldn’t know this person. Regardless of how close this person is to my sibling, that person obviously felt no connection to me.

So, it was my fault for putting so much hope in this person. I’d forgotten about how different of an person I am. For me, if a friend of my sibling asked for a favor, I would be gung-ho until the very end. I would offer up my services in every way, shape, and form, because they are friends with my sibling.

Another example comes from a wedding I once pulled out all the stops for. With a three camera set up during the service and two traveling cameras during all other times of the day, throughout the different events, I could have easily charged $1k for the whole shebang, even it being my first full wedding package. Instead, because the bride was one of my sibling’s best friends, I busted my butt from 6 Am until midnight, and was given a red envelope of $20 at the end. I was so speechless, I was so hurt, I was so humiliated, I didn’t know how to handle it except to swallow it.

Final example? A friend of mine moved recently and though I tried to help, I simply didn’t have the time. There was a miscommunication and that left a staleness in our friendship. I was confused because, when I see someone moving down the street, or what not, I usually offered to help if they needed it. Even in the Church I grew up in, we were taught to help others without complaint nor resentment. I’ve helped more people I didn’t know move than I care to remember. It was just the fact that I was fulfilling a need. That’s all.

I asked friends if my way of thinking was an American way of thinking and most of my Asian friends said yes, whereas my American friends simply told me I was just too nice. But… isn’t that how the Church raises the children to be? Have unconditional love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control?

So, this weekend,  I will venture into the cake making adventure on my own with a friend who is as ignorant as I am, and hope for the best. I can’t blame others for not helping me because they have no reason to. We think differently, therefore, the only hurt is me.

Is that right? Am I missing something?

So, please, for everyone who reads this… please be aware that some of your friends are as “too nice” as I am. If you don’t want to help them, TELL THEM DIRECTLY. Like me, I won’t know even if you ignore me because I will always give you the benefit of the doubt and think that you’ll get back to me as soon as you can. People like me… we get hurt much more often than you think, by people just like you. And yes, it’s our fault for being “too  nice”, but that’s the way we were raised. As much as I want to say no, if I CAN help… I always will. And when I get underappreciated or brushed off, I will believe that it’s my fault. And I will forgive you.

Because to me, everyone is a friend. Everyone who needs help should receive it. … Right?