Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Break Routines, Open Doors
How are we ever going to find excitement in life if we stick to routines? Talking to the same people at work, sitting by the same people at school. By doing this we see life from the same perspective day-by-day. We aren't pushing ourselves to see our lives from different perspectives, in a society where were creatures of habit. Let's have the boldness to break routines, and open doors for ourselves. Doors to new friendships with people, doors to new opportunities and friendships, to experiences that grow us. Getting to know a bunch of people and loving them, instead of the same people. People are such good investments. Listen to what they have to say, what they have to teach you. Be a light in their lives, fill the faults within their hearts. Encourage them and lift them up, in this society of negativity. Believe in them, because maybe your the only one who does. Serve them in little ways.
Friday, April 22, 2016
Meeting Tyler Oakley
An unexpected event, not just any spontaneous event, a spontaneous HUGE event. A chance to meet my favorite YouTuber.
All of this came out of the blue, a morning that started like all mornings. Had you told me a week ago this would be happening, I would of thought I'd dreampt you telling me. I found my way to the library at school, to work on a Sociology project. We were all working on a powerpoint together on our laptops, we had it mostly finished just were adding the finishing touches for next weeks presentation. I decided to take a peek at Facebook only to find Tyler Oakley posting an event page saying he was coming to Marquette. Marquette, I thought, there's no way he means the University of Marquette in Milwaukee, he probably means Michigan. I looked again it said: "Hey Wisconsin People". Not only was he going to be in Milwaukee, which is close by, the event would be free, you just needed to get a wristband. That morning I was told an event at my church was sold out, so a newly empty night was filled up again.
I posted on Facebook about my excitement and told my mom the news. (I don't think she actually thought I would go.) But when one of your favorite people is only a half hour away, you need to go. (unless its like way expensive, which is why I haven't been at a meet and greet in life until now.) After class was over I went on the event page, and found out that this was a high demand event, and wristbands would probably go fast. My friend and I were originally going to get there at like 6:15, but when I saw how big of a demand it was we got there at 2:00. I kind of dragged her along because she only knew Tyler Oakley a little bit, but she was free and I hadn't seen her in a month. :P A student helped us find the building with the wristband, then we walked around Milwaukee a little bit to pass time.
The two families that had gotten there before us had traveled from Green Bay and Fondulac to be here. I thought when the doors opened everyone would run in, but there was none of that, and like I said we got the best seats in the theatre. Front and center. Perfect view, so when Tyler or Korey would look out they would see me immediately. :P Korey was there too, which is Tyler's best friend from college. They're currently on TV on Fridays for the Amazing Race. Before they came out you could write questions and put them in a question box. I didn't write a question just in case someone would steal my spot. My phone was dying and there was a socket on the front of the stage, so I plugged my phone in. I started a trend because three other people did the same. It was a four-outlet plug. (We all retrieved our phones before Tyler went on).
The Vine: <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Hi Wisconsin, it me. <a href="https://t.co/8DQZi9YaRQ">https://t.co/8DQZi9YaRQ</a></p>— Tyler Oakley (@tyleroakley) <a href="https://twitter.com/tyleroakley/status/723327503885045760">April 22, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
All of this came out of the blue, a morning that started like all mornings. Had you told me a week ago this would be happening, I would of thought I'd dreampt you telling me. I found my way to the library at school, to work on a Sociology project. We were all working on a powerpoint together on our laptops, we had it mostly finished just were adding the finishing touches for next weeks presentation. I decided to take a peek at Facebook only to find Tyler Oakley posting an event page saying he was coming to Marquette. Marquette, I thought, there's no way he means the University of Marquette in Milwaukee, he probably means Michigan. I looked again it said: "Hey Wisconsin People". Not only was he going to be in Milwaukee, which is close by, the event would be free, you just needed to get a wristband. That morning I was told an event at my church was sold out, so a newly empty night was filled up again.
I posted on Facebook about my excitement and told my mom the news. (I don't think she actually thought I would go.) But when one of your favorite people is only a half hour away, you need to go. (unless its like way expensive, which is why I haven't been at a meet and greet in life until now.) After class was over I went on the event page, and found out that this was a high demand event, and wristbands would probably go fast. My friend and I were originally going to get there at like 6:15, but when I saw how big of a demand it was we got there at 2:00. I kind of dragged her along because she only knew Tyler Oakley a little bit, but she was free and I hadn't seen her in a month. :P A student helped us find the building with the wristband, then we walked around Milwaukee a little bit to pass time.
We didn't walk very far, we stopped at the Milwaukee Public Library, and got lunch at Starbucks. On our way to Starbucks we passed the door to the building that Tyler would be at. There was 2 parents and 2 girls waiting at that time. Once we were done with Starbucks, Laurette and I decided to wait with them. They looked to be middle school age, but we were able to talk about a lot of YouTube stuff. We got there around 4ish, and the doors opened at 7, so it was a long wait, but we ended up being 5th and 6th in line and ended up getting the best seats in the theatre, so it was all worth it.
Here's a picture of us waiting outside. The weather was really nice actually, so we weren't miserable. I posted this exact picture on Twitter and Tyler favorited it, while we were waiting outside. While we were waiting a random Red Bull car pulled over and gave everyone a free can of red bull. I'm currently unsure what to do with it, so it's in my fridge. :P An hour before the show the volunteers hung up a poster of Tyler Oakley which I took a picture with, as you do.
The chairs are where they were sat. When they got on stage, they picked questions to answer from the Question Box, and went on little rants on things, and sassed each other on stage. Tyler talked about what he originally went to college for, what job he would be doing if he wasn't on YouTube (McDonalds for the free food), details on the Amazing Race, a strange road trip, etc. He ended by taking a Vine of the theatre which I'm in, which I'll leave a link at the end. (I can clearly be seen, I'm wearing a black shirt, with white lettering).
I wasn't so lucky when it came to the Meet and Greet, as I ended up being one of the last people in line, same with the family from Fondulac/Green Bay who had gotten to the theatre first. (I guess that's what you get for getting front row seats. I still got to meet him, it took an hour an a half of waiting in line, but would of taken longer had it been an actual meet and greet. At this one he was just signing books, you couldn't take pictures with him or hug him unfortunately. Had that been the case they might of cut the line off due to time constraints and I wouldn't have met him but I did. The weird part was I wasn't nervous. I guess his videos do really make it seem like you are a close friend of his. It was difficult to choose what to say since you are only given 10 seconds to talk to Tyler. I wanted to make a lasting impression out of the thousand people, but instead I introduced myself, told him he was my favorite YouTuber, and that his outfit was very cute, and asked for a handshake since hugs weren't a thing. His hands are very soft. He thanked me, and said he'd see me really soon. (He also said I had a cute shirt, it was one of his merch shirts that isn't printed anymore) Which I hope is a true statement (the see you really soon), maybe another random event will show up out of the blue again. I think I'll try and tweet him more so he'll remember me, since he stalks his own Twitter/Tumblr feed all the time.
The girl behind me was able to get a signature from Korey. Korey stayed backstage while Tyler was signing unfortunately, but she asked for him, and he actually came out. When we exited the building a girl told me how she was embarrassed because during her 10 second talk with Tyler she blew it on a Knock-Knock joke. I think that's a good way to leave a lasting impression though. It made him laugh too.
It was a miracle of a night, and I'm so blessed. It's so weird watching his YouTube videos or The Amazing Race and just noting Wow I talked to him in person.
The Vine: <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Hi Wisconsin, it me. <a href="https://t.co/8DQZi9YaRQ">https://t.co/8DQZi9YaRQ</a></p>— Tyler Oakley (@tyleroakley) <a href="https://twitter.com/tyleroakley/status/723327503885045760">April 22, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Sunday, April 17, 2016
Lovely Springy Days
The last few days in the life of Alex have been really lovely, both weather-wise and in happiness levels, so I thought I'd share with you guys the adventures I had over the last few days.
Thursday: After classes I got to spend time with one of the families from Living Light (my church). A family of seven. Five kids and two parents, although the oldest child wasn't there. The children ranged from age 5 to age 16.
We started off by having a lovely dinner of Thai food, and a salad. The kids preferred pork sandwiches with no salads :P. (Except for the 5 year old, Simeon who kept asking if he could have more leaves.) The food was really great. During dinner we talked about my plans for summer, how the School of Leadership is going for them, etc. After dinner I got to feed their guinea pigs. Guinea pigs make the cutest sounds. I then got to play some of them in Star Wars monopoly, unfortunately I didn't win. In the game you buy planets, and whoever buys the most planets, wins the game. Hanging out with people from the church is always so great. They're my family.
We got back on the water-taxi to Michigan Avenue, then took a bus to the Lincoln Park Zoo. It's a free zoo right by Lake Michigan, with an amazing view of the buildings in Chicago.
Thursday: After classes I got to spend time with one of the families from Living Light (my church). A family of seven. Five kids and two parents, although the oldest child wasn't there. The children ranged from age 5 to age 16.
We started off by having a lovely dinner of Thai food, and a salad. The kids preferred pork sandwiches with no salads :P. (Except for the 5 year old, Simeon who kept asking if he could have more leaves.) The food was really great. During dinner we talked about my plans for summer, how the School of Leadership is going for them, etc. After dinner I got to feed their guinea pigs. Guinea pigs make the cutest sounds. I then got to play some of them in Star Wars monopoly, unfortunately I didn't win. In the game you buy planets, and whoever buys the most planets, wins the game. Hanging out with people from the church is always so great. They're my family.
Friday: My roommate, Korah who is from China hadn't gotten a chance to see Lake Michigan yet, so I took her to the boardwalk in Kenosha. The other times we have had free time, have been too cold to go, but Friday was perfect. We took pictures of the awesome sight, hopped a long the rocks on the shoreline, and threw rocks into the water.
After that we walked over to the Kenosha Public Museum. It's a cute little museum that is free for people to go to. A little girl drew me a picture of a dinosaur :P. After exploring the museum we went to a Kenosha beach so we could touch the water safely. It's still freezing cold if you were wondering :p. We then walked up to Carthage and I showed her some of the buildings. We finished off our adventure by visiting all the dogs in the dog park at Petrifying Springs Park, which is definitely one of my favorite things to do, since they are my favorite animal and I often miss my dog at home. More and more dogs came as we sat in the park. Whenever a new dog would arrive all the dogs would run over by them, and then they'd all play together, literally seven dogs running together and playing. Why can't humans be friends that fast?
Saturday: All the exchange students were emailed about taking a possible trip to Chicago for the day, since it was such a nice day. Me and my roommate were the only ones to accept the invitation, and took the train down to Chicago at 8:30 in the morning. We arrived at the Chicago train station at 10:20 then set out for our adventure. First taking a trip to Chinatown via water taxi to buy Gynsing, which Korah's grandparents wanted her to buy. One of the volunteers for the Parkside International program acted like our tour guide because one of the apartments she owns is located in Chicago. The store that we went to, to buy Gynsing was owned by a cat.
For lunch we ate at a traditional Chinese restaurant, and I got to try all different kinds of food. The Parkside International Organization volunteer was also Chinese, so she was excited to watch me try the foods as well. They were both amazed at how well I could use chopsticks, I never once felt like I needed a fork. :)
We got back on the water-taxi to Michigan Avenue, then took a bus to the Lincoln Park Zoo. It's a free zoo right by Lake Michigan, with an amazing view of the buildings in Chicago.
We had to rush to the train station after the zoo, so we wouldn't miss the train back to Kenosha. We didn't know on Saturdays there's two more trains that go to Kenosha. On Sundays the 4:30 train is the last one from Chicago. We could have stayed longer, but by this time my feet were hurting anyway. When we got back to Kenosha, I took Korah to Wendy's for dinner and Frostys.
Sunday, April 10, 2016
15 Days Without Social Media
For this month I decided I would give up social media, giving up such websites as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Tumblr. I spend hours and hours on these websites, and I think that they are wasting too much of my time, which I could spend doing something else more helpful for my life. It would also stop the spread of negativity that the website causes, mostly Facebook. I spend the majority of my free time sleeping or on these websites, so with this month I ask the question What can I be doing with my life instead? I uninstalled all the shortcuts on my phone to get to these websites so I wouldn't be tempted to tap on them.
Day 1: Before starting the fast I watched an hour long YouTube video, once that was over my fast started. I went out to hang out with one of my friends soon after in downtown Kenosha. We went to a coffee shop, and we were able to talk the whole time with neither of us touching our phones apart to check what time it was. My friend picked up her phone to go on a website, but quickly put it down, and thought about what she was doing. I set a kind of example for her. An hour and a half talking at the coffee shop passed very quickly. We then walked down to the Kenosha Harbor. I was tempted to post on Facebook that I had been to the coffee shop with my friend. We took several pictures by Lake Michigan and of us by Lake Michigan, and I really wanted to post those pictures. That night I was looking up how they filmed "Homeward Bound" and almost clicked on the Facebook icon. Afterwards I watched "The Best of Me" on Netflix. I read a book, and studied the Bible. As I was lying in bed ready to fall asleep, I had a hard time, because usually I would scroll through my phone until I was too tired, but I couldn't do that.
Day 2: I drove home for Spring Break, and had to listen to the radio, as my iPod was dead, and I couldn't listen to my music from YouTube. I knew Spring Break would be hard, as there is a lot of free time. So it is hard finding things to do. Instead of social media I am reading "God's Lavishing Grace" (It's a great book so far, I would highly recommend) reviewing my church notes, watching TV, and coloring, as well as typing this to pass time. I'm hoping I'll be able to find more and more things to do throughout this month. My phone still has reminders from YouTube whenever one of the YouTubers I'm subscribed to makes a new video, so that's been a hard thing. Also the thought of what if I have a Facebook message I haven't responded to, which there most likely isn't or if there is, it's not important. I have found that I barely look at my phone, or go on my computer. Right now it really feels like I won't be able to do this, but I know that I absolutely can. As the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is within me. I also know of some of my friends who have done the "Daniel Fast" in the past which is 33 days of cutting out a ton of things out of your diet, and being able to eat a select few things, and the last week going completely without food. This too me seems more challenging then what I'm doing, but I hope one day I'll do the Daniel Fast as well.
Day 4: Today I went to Hobby Lobby with my mom as well as to lunch. We looked around Hobby Lobby for something that could occupy some of my time. I found wooden crosses I could paint, and stamp with different verses, and crosses. I'm thinking of maybe trying to relearn guitar or working on my postage stamp collection again that I used to do. (I have drawers and drawers full of postage stamps and stamp collecting tools). I'm worried about taking my guitar to college though as I wouldn't want it to be stolen. After lunch I took a small nap, then wrote down some information I had compiled from my book "God's Lavish Grace." I also made a blogpost comparing a child's drawing to our life with God as Christians. I thought I would feel inspired to make more posts, but couldn't put together enough information to make a good post. I haven't worked on the wooden crosses but hopefully tomorrow. I haven't looked at my phone barely at all today. Not looking at your phone very much makes the battery stay incredibly long, I don't think I've charged my phone in 2 days. I also studied for my Psychology exam next Tuesday. I am beginning to miss watching my favorite YouTubers though. To pass time I did a lot of coloring. I've noticed at night my mind has been rushing the last 2 days with a million thoughts. I don't know if it's because of the social media fast or being home. I do definitely find myself spending time soaking in God and his teachings which is great. I've also felt more at peace, and less stressed. It has now been 80 hours without social media.
Day 7: Today is the last day of Spring Break which also happens to be Easter. The relatives on my mom's side of the family came to visit, so I was focused on talking with them. :) Even though I didn't get to see any of my Slinger friends over break, I got to see a lot of my relatives! I hope my dog will be okay he was breathing hard this morning. After everyone left the Easter gathering, I took a small nap on the couch, then got all my stuff together to leave for Parkside. A feeling of sadness has come over me now that I am back at Parkside, I'll definitely miss my parents and home-cooked meals. To pass time at Parkside I unpacked, did homework I had procrastinated on, and watched "Holy Ghost Reborn." I have now started reading "The Lion and the Lamb 2"
Instead of posting a daily feelings journal I thought I would post some activities I've done instead of going on social media.
Painting
Day 1: Before starting the fast I watched an hour long YouTube video, once that was over my fast started. I went out to hang out with one of my friends soon after in downtown Kenosha. We went to a coffee shop, and we were able to talk the whole time with neither of us touching our phones apart to check what time it was. My friend picked up her phone to go on a website, but quickly put it down, and thought about what she was doing. I set a kind of example for her. An hour and a half talking at the coffee shop passed very quickly. We then walked down to the Kenosha Harbor. I was tempted to post on Facebook that I had been to the coffee shop with my friend. We took several pictures by Lake Michigan and of us by Lake Michigan, and I really wanted to post those pictures. That night I was looking up how they filmed "Homeward Bound" and almost clicked on the Facebook icon. Afterwards I watched "The Best of Me" on Netflix. I read a book, and studied the Bible. As I was lying in bed ready to fall asleep, I had a hard time, because usually I would scroll through my phone until I was too tired, but I couldn't do that.
Day 2: I drove home for Spring Break, and had to listen to the radio, as my iPod was dead, and I couldn't listen to my music from YouTube. I knew Spring Break would be hard, as there is a lot of free time. So it is hard finding things to do. Instead of social media I am reading "God's Lavishing Grace" (It's a great book so far, I would highly recommend) reviewing my church notes, watching TV, and coloring, as well as typing this to pass time. I'm hoping I'll be able to find more and more things to do throughout this month. My phone still has reminders from YouTube whenever one of the YouTubers I'm subscribed to makes a new video, so that's been a hard thing. Also the thought of what if I have a Facebook message I haven't responded to, which there most likely isn't or if there is, it's not important. I have found that I barely look at my phone, or go on my computer. Right now it really feels like I won't be able to do this, but I know that I absolutely can. As the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is within me. I also know of some of my friends who have done the "Daniel Fast" in the past which is 33 days of cutting out a ton of things out of your diet, and being able to eat a select few things, and the last week going completely without food. This too me seems more challenging then what I'm doing, but I hope one day I'll do the Daniel Fast as well.
Day 3: I've noticed the time I usually spent doing things online I've replaced with thinking about Godly things, and my life as a Christian. I no longer think constantly about YouTubers lives, or details of gossip posted on Facebook. This morning I went grocery shopping with my mom then went to breakfast with my mom and grandma afterwards. After breakfast I took a small nap, and watched a recording of the modern version of the passion done by Tyler Perry with my mom. Afterwards I had questions about what they had portrayed in the film, and looked those questions up. I also watched TV, read God's Lavishing Grace, as well as Isaiah in "The Bible" and colored in my coloring book as a way to pass time. When I was typing one of the faith questions I noticed myself begin typing Facebook in the search bar, but stopped myself before I got there. I was not so lucky later tonight when I was looking up info about the Beatles after watching a documentary about "John Lennon" It turns out my phone was logged into my Facebook, and by tapping on Google Chrome it took me to Facebook. I however immediately logged out before checking anything. I did see I had 3 unread messages and 24 notifications. It's now been almost 55 hours without social media.
Day 4: Today I went to Hobby Lobby with my mom as well as to lunch. We looked around Hobby Lobby for something that could occupy some of my time. I found wooden crosses I could paint, and stamp with different verses, and crosses. I'm thinking of maybe trying to relearn guitar or working on my postage stamp collection again that I used to do. (I have drawers and drawers full of postage stamps and stamp collecting tools). I'm worried about taking my guitar to college though as I wouldn't want it to be stolen. After lunch I took a small nap, then wrote down some information I had compiled from my book "God's Lavish Grace." I also made a blogpost comparing a child's drawing to our life with God as Christians. I thought I would feel inspired to make more posts, but couldn't put together enough information to make a good post. I haven't worked on the wooden crosses but hopefully tomorrow. I haven't looked at my phone barely at all today. Not looking at your phone very much makes the battery stay incredibly long, I don't think I've charged my phone in 2 days. I also studied for my Psychology exam next Tuesday. I am beginning to miss watching my favorite YouTubers though. To pass time I did a lot of coloring. I've noticed at night my mind has been rushing the last 2 days with a million thoughts. I don't know if it's because of the social media fast or being home. I do definitely find myself spending time soaking in God and his teachings which is great. I've also felt more at peace, and less stressed. It has now been 80 hours without social media.
Day 5: When I checked my email this morning, there was an email from Facebook trying to guilt me into going back to the website saying "A lot has happened since you last logged in." It also listed that I had 44 new notifications, and 5 unread messages. It makes me wonder who those 5 messages are from. Do they know I left Facebook for the month, or do they think I'm ignoring them right now. Is it important information, or just a "Hey Alex". I wonder if Facebook will keep persisting on giving me this information throughout this month. Today I began painting the wooden crosses I got yesterday. The ones I've done so far, have turned out cool! I charged my phone in the early afternoon, it is now evening and my phone is at 94%. Shows how much less I have used it then usual. It would usually be around 60ish% by now. I'm starting to feel the effects of being off social media. I'm currently in a place of boredom, that social media used to be able to mask. It's now been a little under 100 hours without social media. Brother and his wife came over to help pass time, and after they left watched "Jesus" the movie on TV. It was kind of cringe because it had some false teachings about Jesus's life to make the film more interesting, but it also taught me to listen closely to teachings to pick out false facts that may appear. It's the end of the night now, and I just got another email from Facebook saying I now have 53 notifications, but still 5 messages. I typed up another blogpost on cool places I've been.
Day 6: Today was very lazy. I think Facebook is probably going to email me each day now, as they did this morning, again. 62 notifications and 5 messages. Today I finished "God's Lavish Grace", and watched "Finger of God" as well as making a blogpost about the places I would like to go in the future. I'll probably add more places to that in the future. I got more crosses painted as well. I like to go on YouTube when I'm anxious, but had to find something else to cope. Its been about 151 hours now.
Day 7: Today is the last day of Spring Break which also happens to be Easter. The relatives on my mom's side of the family came to visit, so I was focused on talking with them. :) Even though I didn't get to see any of my Slinger friends over break, I got to see a lot of my relatives! I hope my dog will be okay he was breathing hard this morning. After everyone left the Easter gathering, I took a small nap on the couch, then got all my stuff together to leave for Parkside. A feeling of sadness has come over me now that I am back at Parkside, I'll definitely miss my parents and home-cooked meals. To pass time at Parkside I unpacked, did homework I had procrastinated on, and watched "Holy Ghost Reborn." I have now started reading "The Lion and the Lamb 2"
3/31/16
I went on Facebook, but it was an emergency. I have no other contact with my roommate then through going online, and I had dropped my room keys somewhere on campus. No one had turned them in yet, so I needed to use my roommates keys to get into my apartment. She's Chinese so she has no phone she can text or call from. So I have been on Facebook for about 5 minutes out of the total 151 hours I have been off of social media. I also decided to use YouTube to listen to worship music.
Instead of posting a daily feelings journal I thought I would post some activities I've done instead of going on social media.
Painting
Getting Coffee with Friends
Laser Tag
Reading
Coloring
Playing Pool
Watching Movies
Worship
Prayer
Walking by Lake Michigan
Writing
Blogging
So I only made it 15 days, realizing that social media is very important to the life of a college student in some forms. I am using social media way less than I used to now though, as I have put restrictions on how much I go on each website per day.
Facebook: occasionally log in
Tumblr: 15 minutes
Youtube= 3 videos per day
I've noticed that since adding Tumblr back into my life, I actually think about YouTubers more than I should. In the time I was fasting from Tumblr I thought about God instead. So that's one con of being back on social media. Facebook also comes really in handy for organizing times to hang out with people from like church (that's what I use it most for.) Also my roommate doesn't have a working American cellphone, so Facebook is the only way she can contact me about things. When using social media less, you see more of the world. You find more joy. Less stress. Less jealousy, More time. It's also been great not having Facebook Messenger, people need to actually reach out to me in different ways and have more important messages. Not small talk. There's no time for that, I want to get to know people, what their passions are. Without using social media, you find out who you really are, not who you think you are, or the version of yourself you've created.
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