Day 6 - Doctor WHO?

Since I have buried myself within the online community that is YouTube, I've run into a plethora of YouTubers obsessed with the show Doctor Who. I consider myself to be one of those people. Although, I'm not as caught up as I could be. I did buy a shirt though. haha.

I discovered Doctor Who last summer and I immediately fell in love with the series. I of course, did not go all the way back to the black-and-white ages, but rather stuck to the more modern episodes.

Doctor Who is a British science fiction television program. The show is basically about the adventures of a mysterious, time traveling alien known as The Doctor. With his TARDIS and companions, he travels through time and space, faces a variety of foes and saves civilizations, helping people and righting wrongs. [This explanation, not my own. That of wikipedia. But it did an awfully good job].

I've been pretty much spending all of my time so far this summer [when I'm not working or Skyping] catching up to the current series. I'm almost there! But it was brought to my attention that I missed out on various Christmas specials along the way. Thanks, Netflix.

I would desperately love to be The Doctor's next companion because I mean who wouldn't want the ability to travel through all of space and time. And I mean have you seen the man. With each regeneration he gets even more attractive! Especially Mr. David Tennant. He can be my Doctor any day!

But anyways this was just a drawn out explanation of why tonight's blog will be EXTRA short and lacking of content.

BECAUSE I LOVE DOCTOR WHO AND I MUST CATCH UP!


Allons-y! ;]

Day 5 - I want to travel!

Today, I had a Skype call with two of my good friends, Lizzie and Samuel. Lizzie is from Florida and Samuel is from England. We were discussing and getting excited about the plans for VidCon at the end of this next month.

This conversation naturally sparked up talk of what we will do, what we will see, and what we'll eat, which also led into another about where we're from especially Samuel. Lizzie and I, having grown up in America, definitely want to travel the world and see all of the places outside of the United States. England being a very large one.

Everything across the pond seems so enchanting. Big Ben, Stonehenge, The Eiffel Tower, The Colosseum, Sydney Opera House and so many more glorious, awe-inspiring landmarks and landscapes.

I'm a junior in college and currently live in southern California. At this moment I need to either study abroad or save up lots of money in order to get myself across the Atlantic. But I feel like I'm not going to be getting there any time soon. At least not until after graduation, and even then, I have no idea how I'll get there.

I think for the most part I'd rather just get myself out of my comfort zone. Out of where I know. Over winter break, I flew across the country to Albany, NY and stayed with friends in New York and Pennsylvania, and I honestly had the time of my life. There was so much new and unknown. And it was quiet lovely.

I want more of it! I want to be able to just go and not have to worry about everything else. I want to learn the stories behind why that house is missing a window, and who carved their initials into that tree. I want stories to tell and share. I want to experience what I never thought possible. I want more leisure and play time to find out what everything means.

I luckily was able to experience some of that in the first half of May. Women's Choir tour took me on so many adventures, through so many states in the span of two weeks. I felt like each night was a new story, a new family, and a new song to sing. I'm really going to miss that.

Day 4 - The Internet isn't so scary

I was taught the Internet was a scary place. That I shouldn't share any of my information with anyone. And if I did, I needed to be VERY careful. But it seems that as I grew up, things changed. Social networking sites changed that. These sites wanted you to talk about yourself. To share your information with others, and to socialize with friends, family, and even strangers.

When I made my YouTube account back in July of 2006, I had no intention of using it for more than hosting my Jonas Brother's Contest video entry. Once I lost the contest, I expected the account to go unused for the rest of its existence.

However, considering it's now 2011, nearly six years later, the account is still in good use for the most part. (Except for the fact it has almost been a month since I posted my last video. I should really get on that). Regardless the account is still alive and kicking.

I never thought that account would lead me anywhere. Video Blogging? Me? Camera? Talking? Naah. That's not my thing. I'm a writer. If I'm going to be blogging it might as well be through writing. But that's not entirely the case. I mean, I'm blogging right now, but that's not the point. Vlogging should not have been my thing, but it's become a large part of my life.

I now have friends in numerous places around the world. Me? How did this even happen? Honestly, I have no idea. I don't know why currently 337 even care about what I have to say. But I think of it as an accomplishment. I never thought I was going to break 10 let alone 300, but it happened.

And I'm glad. Some of my closest friends I've met through the Internet. My best friend lives in Northern California. I just got home from hanging out with a friend that lives 40 minutes away. We live 40 minutes apart, and without meeting on YouTube I doubt we'd even know who the other is. I visited friends I made in New York and Pennsylvania over winter break. And a whole lot of us from various parts of the world will be getting together at the end of July in LA to hangout with one another at VidCon.

I'm not sure what exactly got me into this whole vlogging deal. But whatever it was, I'm so grateful. Because without it, I wouldn't have the beautiful life I'm currently living. So much influence from all aspects of life, and I just adore it. :]

Day 3 - Too connected?

I have Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Dailybooth, Etsy, Tumblr, Skype, Hulu, etc. The list of social networking/ Internet sites I currently am a member of goes on and on, sometimes I cannot even remember them all and just tack on an etc. at the end to describe that.

And I mean I love these sites, they help me stay connected to the world. Which as a journalist I need to be. But sometimes I wonder if I am too connected. I feel like if someone decided to launch an experiment of the best way to get ahold of me, they would not even need my cell phone number to accomplish this.

Now most of the time this does not bother me at all. I have an iPhone 4 which gives me access to all of these sites 24/7. If someone comments on my Facebook wall, I know the second it has been posted. If someone tweets at me, I get a text message and a twitter notification. If someone comments on a video I made, I get an email. Everything is connected to that silly, little device.

This makes me feel like I should take a step back. Maybe reevaluate my connections. Should I make it harder for someone to grab my attention?

I should make people dig deeper to get to know the real me. But I don't put all my information out there. I don't consider everyone who follows me on Twitter or is friends with me on Facebook, etc. one of my close friends. My close friends are the ones who talk to me on a daily basis. Who go around my tweets and status updates. The ones who actually converse and interact with me.

Is my Internet usage ridiculously out of control? I don't think so. I don't spend ALL of my time browsing the Internet. Should I make friends with people through the Internet? Of course, I know so much more than I did before I made a YouTube account.

I like being connected to everything. But when the power goes out, and my battery dies, what will I do?

Many of my friends have said I couldn't survive without my cell phone. I don't think I'm too addicted. But maybe I am . . .I don't think it's entirely a bad thing. I like to think myself well-informed.

Am I kidding myself?

Day 2 - Silence is Golden, Seriously

According to dictionary.com, silence is the absence of any sound or noise; stillness.

You might like silence, I know I do. Noise distracts me and keeps me from focusing on the task that needs to be completed. Now this isn't entirely true, noise can also keep me occupied in other situations. Such as getting to know others or just having a nice conversation in between classes, so on and so forth.

But when I need to study, silence is great. I can deal with silence. Silence helps me reflect, recollect my thoughts, and concentrate. Which is good for me.

HOWEVER, I don't know about you, but even though I enjoy silence now and again, I pretty much hate it. Now I don't want to get all contradictory on myself here now, but silence is not my friend. Especially when it takes place between myself and others. To put it simply silence stresses me out.

I am a naturally shy person around people I don't know. My close friends don't recall this upon meeting me, but once they introduce me to their friends they soon realize it as the truth. I am one shy girl and I feel like that makes me socially awkward.

I mean I know how to communicate and carry my way through a conversation. I'm a Journalism and Media major for Pete's sake. I NEED to know how to communicate. However, when it's not related to Journalism or my job in any way and flip like a fish out of water.

Communication is difficult for me because I convey myself best through the written word. I mean can't you tell? My blog is entertaining! At least I hope it is . . . ha.

But returning to the stress of silence issue, I can't handle it. When there is an "awkward silence" if you will, my mind is driven crazy. What do I talk about? What do I say? What are they thinking? Am I too boring for them to talk to? Do they not like me? Is our conversation irrelevant to them? And the list of questions goes on and on.

However, as I'm writing this I am currently sitting through a silent conversation. I hear my fingers typing away at the keyboard and I can hear my good friend, Ev's clicks of his mouse on the other side of our silent Skype call.

I mention this because it's a remarkable thing. Ev and I discussed a photograph I posted on my tumblr a couple days ago. The photograph reads "True friendship comes when the silence between two people is comfortable."

Now this is a curious case. Because it caused me to realize, I don't have a problem with silence between my close friends and I. Silence can be okay. Silence does not need to be filled with meaningful conversations when the two or more parties don't require it.

My best friend Natalie and I spend hours on Skype calls doing homework and even surfing the web in silence. Sometimes we don't even realize it. Numerous times I have gotten up from my desk without even notifying her of my absence and gotten a sandwich or blow dried my hair. And we don't think it's weird in the slightest, we are just so comfortable with one another that the silence doesn't bother us at all.

And because of this I can say that I enjoy having Ev on a silent Skype call as I type this blog and I don't feel the least bit awkward. And I can name quite a few others who I do the exact same thing with. These people are my good friends, and I wouldn't have a better silence with anyone else. :)

Operation: Blog Every Day In June

I really finished school for the summer back in the end of April, but Women's Choir consumed my life for two weeks starting the day after graduation. As of last Tuesday, I was released for my practically 4 months of summer vacation. Woot! Woot!

For the last two previous summers I have worked customer service at my father's print shop. However, this summer I am taking a different route. Instead of answering phones and dealing with rude customers, I'm working web for the newspaper at the university I attend.

Seeing as I'll only be working Mondays and Wednesdays, I've found myself in a bit of a slump. I have a plethora of time on my hands. And while I enjoy this, I also loathe it. It's great when my friends decide to plan a spontaneous beach trip or just want to hang out and watch movies. However, the other 85% of the time I have nothing.

I feel like I should dedicate this time to more things than just staying up late, sleeping in, and watching the entire series collection of various interesting shows. I've looked and contemplated on what to do with myself, and I feel like one of those projects should be getting back into writing. And seeing as I am a bit of a social networking fiend, I think the best way to do so, is just to blog every day in June.

Now this could go further, maybe even blog every day, summer 2011. But I feel like I just need to take baby steps at the moment. Although, I won't be busy, I can guarantee excuses will be made to why I shouldn't blog. And that is not where I want to end up.

So here's to blogging every day in June. *raises water bottle full of water* [I'm nineteen, chillax] ;)

Step it up, Sharayah!

I already made a vlog about what I will talk about here, but this blog post is going more in depth because I need some perspective.

Well, Spring semester, I will not let you defeat me. However, as of right now you have the upper hand, I will admit this, but I will prevail. . .at least I hope so.

I'm finding with each semester I grab more responsibility and then proceed to wind up performing a balancing act. For the most part I've succeed. Yes, there have been some times where I felt like things weren't going to come through, but I've always seemed to find a way to come through unscathed.

I seem to be in a predicament at the moment. Education for Extinction. A book I must read for my Minorities in America class and produce a book report by 11 a.m. Thursday morning.

I am not half way through this book, and it's Monday night.

WHY DID I PROCRASTINATE. . .AGAIN!?

I don't understand why I do this to myself? I always end up failing to do something and then paying for it later. I have no idea how I will manage to finish this book, and write a 5 page book report. But I'm praying that by some miracle I will actually manage to get this done.

I also have a short story due next Wednesday, which isn't going to get written by itself.

A test for MIA to study for, which I know will just be so fun to get through.

As well as a grip of assignments to catch up on for newspaper, because being and editor and taking the class makes it harder to handle when you aren't in class half the time.

Not to mention a bazillion other things that need to get done before I leave for Women's Choir tour May 8.

Oh joy, April, you will be fun. >.<

I'm probably overreacting just a tad, but this is seriously stressing me out, especially since I could have avoided this.

Nice going, Sharayah.