Makeover: Blog edition, my car, A Cinderella Story vs. Sex and the City

Yes, another new layout. I'm experimenting with colors but the same template...I just don't want to be like eeeevverybody else. I want to be different =D. But something that screams me all at the same time...like it? or don't like it? =)
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My car is getting old =(. It's going on 9 years old. I don't think I've ever driven a car for that long (probably cause I actually haven't had my license for very long either =P...I've only had my license for 7 years). Up until now, I never really understood people who were sentimentally attached to their cars. But recently (more like this year), I've been noticing very subtle changes in my car. Ever since I took my car to be maintenanced for hitting the 75,000 mile mark and the dealer remarked, "It's in great shape. You take good care of your car", it got me thinking. It never hit me that my car was OLD. Well, it's not, comparatively, but it's definitely hitting the over-the-hill birthday. But I had always treated it like it was still young...haha, kinda like the day when you realize that your parents actually age and that they're no longer immortal like you thought they were. So then I started noticing subtle changes in my car...like my brakes squeaking when I brake. I actually think the sound of my engine these days is louder as well. It's not as smooth as it used to be. It definitely sounds like an older car. My steering wheel hasn't started squeaking yet (thank goodness =P). But yeah...all the signs of an aging car. And I realized tonight, as I was driving home, that I would really miss this car when it dies. It's been through a lot with me. From my driver's test to my drives to and from Cleveland, I have a lot of memories in it...some good, some bad. This car has been with me through some tough times. It's seen stuff that no one ever has. If cars could talk...
And now it's going with me to med school...I wonder what's in store for it in this next stage of life. I hope it lasts through med school. But then again, I have to part with it SOME TIME...I just hope that I'll never have to =P.
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So I've been pretty busy for the past 2 weeks (retreats, wedding, preaching, working/working overtime, translating, etc.). But everything managed to be officially finished and over (except translating and working) yesterday and I had some time to myself to relax...some MUCH needed "me" time. So I decided to chill in my room and watch a movie. I picked a random movie I had never seen, A Cinderella story, a lighthearted chick flick and something that wouldn't require ANY thought on my part. After watching it though, I felt...disappointed I guess you could say. Not disappointed in the acting, plot, etc. (none of those are great. What can you expect? I sure didn't have high expectations in those areas.) What I was disappointed in was this: I felt empty after having watched it (in a bad way). I didn't feel good or encouraged. In fact, I most definitely felt worse (emotionally) after having watched it and not only that, I felt that my emotions were harder to control than usual. And this is something that I've been realizing for years about chick flicks (at least for me). They cause me to desire things that don't exist. Romance, love, boyfriend/girlfriend relationships DO exist but not like they do in chick flicks. Things don't happen that way. I may sound pessimistic and cynical when I say that but I'm not trying to be. It's just been my experience. Every time after I finish watching a chick flick, I feel like I have to disillusion myself and kind of give myself two figurative slaps in the face to get myself back into reality... (OK, not EVERY chick flick...but most...and those that do not are VERY rare for me)
Ah but there's another part to this story.
I was really having a bad day today. A bad day that I hadn't had in a looooooonnng time (like in at least 3 months actually lol). I was running on low sleep, had to put in overtime at work, work was stressful (the insurance companies were REALLY testing my patience), home was stressful (cause we were all pissed off for some reason) and I just couldn't take it anymore. So before I did or said something I would regret, I bolted out of the house with my purse and my laptop after inhaling dinner in 5 minutes. I just knew I had to get out of there. Not knowing what I wanted to do, I decided to go watch the movie Sex and the City (I had been wanting to for awhile now and never had the chance...and by the grace of God, it's still playing at one of our theaters). I was 15 min late but oh well, I didn't miss much. But the really COOL thing is, that movie COMPLETELY refreshed me. It was the right combination of humor, wit, and reality that I needed. I was encouraged and felt grateful for what I had after I watched that movie (which was a complete 180 from what I felt after watching A Cinderella Story which reminded me of what I didn't have and never could have). I was reminded of the great blessings in life like friendships, love, and hard times. I could really relate to a lot of situations and I genuinely appreciated that. Real struggles (relationship-wise) and watching someone go through them and come out victorious is something I really needed. That's what I love about Sex and the City. It keeps it real. Multiple times throughout the movie, I felt warm fuzzies (in a good way). And you know the funny part? The rated R scenes didn't bother me a single bit. The truth is, A Cinderella Story, though it's rated PG, left me in a way more vulnerable state (more easily fall into temptation and sin) than Sex and the City did. Of course, there are a some times I can't watch Sex and the City either but compare that to chick flicks! I don't think there are many times when I CAN watch chick flicks. They're a lit-tle too potent for me.
But that may just be me. You guys may feel differently.