Pet peeves and changing the world...

One thing I'm starting to enjoy about being in the Human Services department is learning about myself and how certain things affect my interactions with others. Being in the Child and Youth Care program self-reflection is big part of my assignments. Although it may seem lame and for pansies, yes I used that word, it really does make me more aware of myself and how my thoughts affect my life and therefore others.

Today for example I realized that one of my pet peeves are scratchy, phlegmy voices. My family is going through another basic flu or something and their voices can annoy me at times. Uhh it makes me just want to take over their body so I can clear their throat for them. I hear that's bad for you voice, but spit it out already! I now understand the saying "frog in your throat". Ew. So don't talk to me if your voice is like that... Please.

Although I do enjoy learning stuff about myself, self-reflection is not all fine and dandy. You know the famous quote Uncle Ben told Peter Parker in Spider-man "with great power comes great responsibility"? Well I think it's the same kind of idea with self-reflection. It's one thing to realize the things you struggle with and want to change in your life, it's another thing to actually live it.

There's a song by Ingrid Michealson that touches on this. I really like her voice and the repetition of her choruses, and there's this one song in particular that gets me called "Keep breathing". Some of the lines get me however, and it's sad because I know it's true for myself.
In essence the song:

The storm is calming but I don't mind
People are dying, I close my blinds

All that I know is I'm breathing now

I want to change the world, instead I sleep
I want to believe in more than you and me

All that I know is I'm breathing
All I can do is breathing
All we can do is keep breathing now


The youth ministry that I volunteer at has been coming up with these shirts for the past year and a bit. Their main quote is "because I believe the change must begin with me". I have both of the shirts we've come out with and I wear them pretty frequently. Unfortunatly I've forgotten what that quote means, what it stands for and I've found that they've just become other t-shirts in my wardrobe, instead of being reminders of why and how I should live my life. That's pretty lame.

The thing about change is that it's not easy, you have to do something to get there. You can't just stay in your comfort zone and be stuck where you are. From dictionary.com:
"To CHANGE is to make a material difference so that the thing is distinctly different from what it was." I want this to be my standard. To live a life that's different from what mass media and culture says it should be "because I believe the change must begin with me".

But the majority of the time we fail at this. I hate how people say one thing, and live another. One of my professors refered to this as a dissonance in philosophy and practice (life), how they don't connect when they really should. His example was in the Human Services field. He spoke of how it didn't make sense if we as students were studying to become drug and alcohol advisors for youth while we were getting hammered on the weekends ourselves. That spoke to me. But lately it's been challenging me as well. Doing nothing about the things I believe or see as wrong in the world is just as bad. Having certain standards in faith and beliefs while living a life that doesn't reflect them is wrong itself. And I do that lots.

But now no more of that. No more closing my blinds or changing the channel when I see people who are dying and in great need like in Haiti. No more ignoring the hurt, broken and dying. Sometimes it seems pretty dim as far as hope goes. But I won't give up. There is more I can do, more we can do, besides just breathing. There are lots of hurting people in need. You and I have something to offer. Really. Will you BE THE CHANGE you want to see?

If you've made it this far, thanks, and you win a million points from me. I know I write a lot, a bit too much, but this has just been going around in my head for a bit. Don't settle for anything less than your dreams. It takes one person to make a difference and start change. Be that person.


Alexandra of course...

Boyfriend blazers, boyfriend jeans and other trends in culture that remind me I'm single...

I need to find another passtime. It seems that whenever I go out for a drive to "practice" (yea, that's a whole other story) or have some extra time on my hands I end up at the mall. And sure I can say all I want about not spending money and how I'll just be window-shopping, but the truth of the matter is that when I walk out the doors there is some bag in my hand or objects in my purse that required some cash burning (no I don't sneak things in my bag, I just try not to use plastic bags. Be GREEN people!).

It's not just the spending money part that gets me though. It's the trends that are coming up and the terms they use for these new must-have wardrobe pieces. Yes, I am talking about the boyfriend blazer, which I am actually so into, and boyfriend jeans, the whole adrogynous look. There seems to be little distinction between girl and guy fashions. IT'S INSANE! But maybe I'm biased. Not just because more than half the guys out there can pull off the skinny jean or them v-necks better than I can, but it all reminds me that I'm single.

I have a headache right now and it got me thinking of that song Ingrid Michealson sings. "Your head is aching, I'll make it better". And I just thought that I have no one to sing that song to me. Yes, emo time with Alexandra. Excuse me while I go write a poem about it.

That's better. Ha, no but seriously. It's a smart marketing strategy. Targetting the single and naive ladies, selling this piece of clothing to replace the role of a man in their lives, my life. I don't see any girlfriend jeans... or maybe I do... haha.

Nontheless I guess that proves someone's not ready for a relationship. I mean if you're basing your whole worth on some guy to fulfill you, then maybe a relationship isn't something you should be looking for. The way I see it, personally I'd rather be confident in who I am as a person, single and all, before I get myself into a relationship. They're both ways, give and
take. If I'm being needy all the time requiring validation then I'm puting little into the relationship and taking so much. That's where relationships fail, or so I've seen.

So for now I'll take a boyfriend blazer or two, not because of the name but because I'm digging the style. And to all the single ladies: now put your hands up... in the air and wave 'em like you just don't care!

I thought that was clever... Haha. Yup single life can be awesomely amusing, and awkward. No, just me? Well, I'll take it!


Alexandra of course... XD

Hello world, this is me

So I am a chicken. I started this back in, oh who knows when. I believe I wrote my very first blog and got it out there, but after a day or too chickened out and deleted it. However with the new year Ithough t why not start it up again?

I don't know why I'm so scared of posting or leaving things I write up... I guess it's just so easy for me to write, in a personal way, that when I start thinking about who might see it I end up freaking myself out. But I'm going to work on that this year. Is this one of my New year's resolutions? More like goal of my life. That goes with less procrastination, reading more, staying on top of homework, waking up earlier, budgeting... oh the list goes on. Ha.

You'd think that since I'm a college student I'd be all about voicing myself and sticking up for what I believe. Well, to tell the truth, I like the idea but I'm working on actually living up to it. I'm not the avid activist kind of student, I mean I was even a college drop out last year after my first year as a social sciences wanderer. Tangent? I think not. It just all explains why I've decided to take this opportunity to make some inniative for change at the beginning of this fresh new year of 2010.

So let's be brave and honest and put it all out on the table.

Hi, I'm Alexandra if you didn't know. I go to college part-time and work as a nanny on my off days, or whenever it works. I'm into tea, acoustic guitars, chill music, man glasses, aquiring books that I will read in the far future, Jane Austen, musicals, and informercials. I'm such a dabbler in my hobbies, jumping from one to the other then back, and therefore don't develop any of them very far. These include sewing, painting, playing guitar, knitting and making vidoes.

I'm Canadian and full-blooded Filipino. Yes, I do have the best of both worlds and am glad for it. I've been very blessed so far with the life I've been given and I can't wait for this year to start rolling. Well it already has, hasn't? I'm excited for the year ahead and what's to come. I can feel change coming and the arrival of 2010 has just made it that much more exciting!

So what to expect? Well I was also inspired by my friend Shayne who started this 365 Project where she's going to take a picture every day of the year. I've also seen other examples on YouTube of people making a video every day for 2009, SOTC365 was the guy I followed. This has inspired a new trend in that world. It's pretty amazing. Not just the fact that these people are sharing parts of their life, but also the fact that you actually do so a change in them by the end. A change in editing skills, more creative ideas, gain of camera/lighting knowledge, and an overall change in character.

And what are my hopes for this? Well I don't plan to write every day, but at least once a week. I do get these ideas at night, start them in my head, and get mad at myself for not writing them down and sharing with others. I know I'm not the most amazing writer and I'm young at my opinions, but I believe everyone has a story to tell that's worth hearing. So I'll share bits of mine.

Happy New Year and welcome to the year 2010! It will be a good one!


Alexandra of course...