Well, I was going to use the Skylar Grey song "Coming Home" for my blog title, but thanks to Jeff, he used it first. So, instead, I decided to steal another phrase that all the cool people seem to be using now.
This seems to be all she wrote for my first year of real university. I don't count my year at the UofA being a real year because I really didn't gain or learn anything from my time there other than the fact that it was a mistake to apply. And of course, the year that I took off to work, there was no school at all. I digress.
I guess tonight is my last night here in this spot that I seem to have been stapled in over the last school year. It's definitely been unique, regarding my living situation. For next year, it looks like I've been challenged to go live on residence at the school. So, I'm going to hold my breath and hope for the best because I'm terrified of being around people 24/7. But anyways, I think it will be good and I'll be glad I made the choice because it's what I said from the beginning. So it just means that everything is unfolding now, with everything playing out, and it should be fun.
With school, it was fun. I have to say that if I'm talking just specifically about school and the learning experience, it was great. It was so refreshing to be learning the things that I am most passionate about. To me, it didn't always feel like school - and it shouldn't. It was more like church everyday. And I was absolutely amazed at how I responded to what I learned. I can really understand now why people say that it's most important to get a solid theology base before I want to specify in a specific ministry. It's pretty cool how a lot of our beliefs can be articulated the way that they are. Our beliefs are our beliefs; many of us aren't "advanced" enough to really think about our beliefs and materialize them. Fortunately, I've been "materializing" my faith this past year, and I had a blast doing it.
As for the "life-in-school" experience, I'll admit, was rather forgettable. A large reason for the part is because I just was never at school due to the commute. I never even started attending chapel until the second semester. Another part of it is just because I'm lousy at initiating conversations and making friends. Don't get me wrong, I have made friends; but even then, it was frustrating to be in the situation that I was one (part of the reason I'm moving into res). So I think it is fair to say that my experience with the whole "life on campus" thing was nowhere near what I expected or hoped for. Definitely looking to improve on this next year though.
I think overall speaking, the year was quite legendary. Looking at it now, I don't regret anything because everything that happened did so for a reason, and has led me to being at this particular point that I'm at. I said that I would visit CCBC one last time tonight, and I stuck to my word. I'll admit that I didn't REALLY want to go because I wanted to wind down a bit; but I'm always amazed at the experience whenever I walk out of the church. I probably should've saw it coming, but there was a surprise for me at the end of the night. I decided to join in with the youth for gym night, and when I went downstairs after, there it was: a cake. I honestly did not see it coming, because I really didn't think it was necessary. But regardless of what I think, it happened and I'm grateful.
This CCBC group is really special. I never got a chance to tell them that, but I think anyone in my position would see it. I hope the leaders in the church can see it too. In terms of the closeness of their relationships, it is off the charts. The first step, in my opinion, in building a solid church is by having great relationships within the church. Usually, it starts with great leaders. Even if a large portion of the congregation doesn't have much knowledge about this Christian life or the Bible, it's a starting point to have that deep connection with people in the church where things really start to take off. I see CCBC being at that stage now. And at the end of the day, I'm incredibly grateful that I was included in this church over the last year. Unfortunately, paths lead me to a point where I have to go a different way; but I will be coming back to what I've learned from this church time and time again when I am possibly pastoring my own congregation in the future.
I don't want to go on too much longer because I'm getting sleepy and my shoulder is sore. But as for everything else, my parents will be coming down tomorrow morning. We'll have a brunch together and then after some last bits of packing, will be driving back up to Edmonton.
Looking forward, I desperately need to get a job (hopefully a decent paying one) if I even want to consider coming back down for school in September. Given what I know about myself with regards to job hunting, this will definitely be interesting.
This was all she wrote for year one; but for the rest of my career and life? Not even close.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Through The Phone
Wow. I don't know if I've ever mentioned this, but I hate talking on the phone. I communicate so much better when it is face-to-face then when it is over the phone - especially with people I don't know, or have just met.
I remember my first over-the-phone interview with Athletes In Action a few years ago... Sorry, scratch that. I remember my first phone interview with Urban Promise in grade 12. It was some of the most awkward conversations that I've had. The only thing that was relevant about that phone conversation was after I hung up. I hung up, and I had no idea what I was saying during the whole thing.
With the interview type of environments, I get nervous. I don't get nervous to the point where I don't know what I'm saying in face-to-face interviews. But when it comes to speaking on the phone, I tend to stutter a lot more, talk in circles, and repeat myself a lot. What gives?
I'm not too sure what the impression of me is for the person on the other side of the line whenever I talk to them. I hope I don't come across as someone that I'm not - that's all I ask for. You could say that I'm just giving myself a hard time, but I would say that communication is something I've needed to work on all my life. I'm not exactly crystal clear when I want to present information (why else am I vague all the time when I blog? Haha).
So why have I suddenly brought this up in a blog post? I just got off the phone with a pastor that I could potentially be working with next year and am absolutely disappointed with the way I carried my half of the conversation. Brutal. I am 100% confident that if we had met face-to-face, I would have been a million times better in the interaction. And because I know that there is exactly zero people that want to listen to me rant about how I hate myself for being such a nob throughout asking my questions and not being clear of what exactly it is I want to know, I decided to put it here. Not entirely sure what this will materialize into; but if it's just a chuckle at how lame I am, that's fine.
Anyway, the conversation is done with now and is out of my control. I just hope that this church can come to like me if I can indeed get to work with them next year. First impressions are always so important, so the one I just made better not have been a hideous one.
As far as the practicum goes, I'm not exactly sure what I expect out of it. I have a good feeling that the people that are dealing with me knows what they want me to get out of the thing than I do. But I guess I'll just pray about it and know that God usually opens my heart to something good. I'm definitely really excited to do it though. At the end of the day, I love meeting new people and seeing what God is doing in different communities across the land. Just the thought of all these things can jack me up pretty good.
Onto other things, I wrote my second final today; it sucked. This psychology class just has no amount of care for, in my mind. I have one more on Monday, and then I will be ready to come home after all my practicum things get finalized. So, yes, even though I want to be home earlier, I think it is good that I stay the extra few days so I can get things ready for next Fall.
I am very excited to be coming home! (=
I remember my first over-the-phone interview with Athletes In Action a few years ago... Sorry, scratch that. I remember my first phone interview with Urban Promise in grade 12. It was some of the most awkward conversations that I've had. The only thing that was relevant about that phone conversation was after I hung up. I hung up, and I had no idea what I was saying during the whole thing.
With the interview type of environments, I get nervous. I don't get nervous to the point where I don't know what I'm saying in face-to-face interviews. But when it comes to speaking on the phone, I tend to stutter a lot more, talk in circles, and repeat myself a lot. What gives?
I'm not too sure what the impression of me is for the person on the other side of the line whenever I talk to them. I hope I don't come across as someone that I'm not - that's all I ask for. You could say that I'm just giving myself a hard time, but I would say that communication is something I've needed to work on all my life. I'm not exactly crystal clear when I want to present information (why else am I vague all the time when I blog? Haha).
So why have I suddenly brought this up in a blog post? I just got off the phone with a pastor that I could potentially be working with next year and am absolutely disappointed with the way I carried my half of the conversation. Brutal. I am 100% confident that if we had met face-to-face, I would have been a million times better in the interaction. And because I know that there is exactly zero people that want to listen to me rant about how I hate myself for being such a nob throughout asking my questions and not being clear of what exactly it is I want to know, I decided to put it here. Not entirely sure what this will materialize into; but if it's just a chuckle at how lame I am, that's fine.
Anyway, the conversation is done with now and is out of my control. I just hope that this church can come to like me if I can indeed get to work with them next year. First impressions are always so important, so the one I just made better not have been a hideous one.
As far as the practicum goes, I'm not exactly sure what I expect out of it. I have a good feeling that the people that are dealing with me knows what they want me to get out of the thing than I do. But I guess I'll just pray about it and know that God usually opens my heart to something good. I'm definitely really excited to do it though. At the end of the day, I love meeting new people and seeing what God is doing in different communities across the land. Just the thought of all these things can jack me up pretty good.
Onto other things, I wrote my second final today; it sucked. This psychology class just has no amount of care for, in my mind. I have one more on Monday, and then I will be ready to come home after all my practicum things get finalized. So, yes, even though I want to be home earlier, I think it is good that I stay the extra few days so I can get things ready for next Fall.
I am very excited to be coming home! (=
Monday, April 18, 2011
Characters
My first year of classes are done with! Well, they have been for a few days now. First off, I realized that the blog list I have that's to the side isn't updating when people on Blogger write a new blog. Strange. So if I miss your new blog post, I am sorry. Haha, not like it matters though, right?
I have been blogging mostly about some pretty material things over the last year; things like what I'm learning in school, how I'm getting used to living away from family, etc., but I don't think I've really talked too much about my own growth as a person.
There's a couple ways to look at how I've progressed this year, I think. From my standpoint, I think I've learned how to articulate myself much better. In a sense, my "abilities" are becoming much more refined. When there is a picture in my head, I'm able to get it out much better than I used to. I also think I've matured in a way that I have taken a look at myself from a third person view. Some time over the course of this year, I've really thought about the person that I project myself as. Indirectly, it's been influenced by quite a lot of exterior things. I've come to know some people that just give me a great vibe about who they are. And since I have always been a person about inspiration, I'm going to take a lot of these things that I like and apply it to my own life. It has always been a strength (or weakness, depending on how you put it) of mine to be able to pick out people that have an influence on me, and then model myself after those positive aspects. To kind of sum it all up, I've really worked on the person that I project myself to be; whether it is through talking, postures, or whatever else that you see based on appearance, I have, in some way or another, taken a look at it. This is all a result of some pretty early realizations that I discovered early into the year when I found out what a bad influence I can be. I remember reading a Mother Teresa book where she said you have to be open to humiliation in order to encounter humility. I thought that there was nothing that could be truer than what she said; and I guess that is what happened.
Switching to the other standpoint, I find some pretty funny things. First of all, I'm still really dumb; I have way too much to learn, and I don't even think I'm at the level of knowledge that I was supposed to attain this year. But even on brief trips back to Edmonton, or through different chats with people I've had at church in Calgary, I've gotten comments about how I've become "so wise" or "so mature." For the first couple times that I heard it, I am pretty sure I laughed. I thought that there was no way, even if I did become wiser or more mature, that the difference would be so noticeable. In fact, I hadn't even though I was any different until more recently. Based on some of the conversations I've had, people are always using the words like "deep" or "hardcore" or whatever. I think it's funny because I'm always like that. But if we look back to my view on the year, I feel like I'm beginning to better articulate myself which probably means that all my "deep" or "wise" thoughts come out better.
Or, it could all be irrelevant and none of anything I just typed is true. Instead, it is because people have started to notice me now. I've never (at least in my opinion) really stood out above or below everyone else. I always thought I fit into the status quo pretty well. So, now that I'm one of those people that have "moved out to go to school" and more specifically to become a pastor, people start noticing me and my actions. So as people begin to notice, all my blog posts, rants, and conversations have suddenly materialized into actual... material. Because when people read my blog or talk to me, they're unconsciously thinking, "this guy's gonna become a pastor; maybe I can get something useful from him." Everyone's a critic right? But who knows, stranger things have happened. I know this is really stretching it because I'm letting my imagination run wild right now, but it isn't without merit. I've mentioned many times that people I have never even seen or talked to have somehow found out who I am and what I'm doing in Calgary; so in that sense, I am being noticed.
And because I'm a thinker, I know that I am reading way too much into this whole situation. Admittedly, it's a lot of fun to imagine. If you don't know, I think in pictures. With each of the scenarios, I've somehow translated the images in my head into the words on this computer screen. If all went well, and assuming that you think in pictures too, then you'll have a similar picture in your head to the one that is in mine.
Different views, and nothing unanimous: this has been a pretty common theme in the things I learn in school. On a side note, I also love to draw parallels and comparisons, which I am doing right now. A lot of intra-Christian beliefs differ from interpretation from the Bible. Groups of people become separated; and thus, we have the diversity of the different types of believers today. In both my situation and the Christian situation, even though there are these interpretation differences, the reason they exist at all is because of the same thing. For me, it is because I have grown and become more mature, regardless of how and in what aspects. For Christianity, it is because God gave us his Word, and the fact that everything is happening to ultimately restore the creation order.
Yeah, I know.
I have been blogging mostly about some pretty material things over the last year; things like what I'm learning in school, how I'm getting used to living away from family, etc., but I don't think I've really talked too much about my own growth as a person.
There's a couple ways to look at how I've progressed this year, I think. From my standpoint, I think I've learned how to articulate myself much better. In a sense, my "abilities" are becoming much more refined. When there is a picture in my head, I'm able to get it out much better than I used to. I also think I've matured in a way that I have taken a look at myself from a third person view. Some time over the course of this year, I've really thought about the person that I project myself as. Indirectly, it's been influenced by quite a lot of exterior things. I've come to know some people that just give me a great vibe about who they are. And since I have always been a person about inspiration, I'm going to take a lot of these things that I like and apply it to my own life. It has always been a strength (or weakness, depending on how you put it) of mine to be able to pick out people that have an influence on me, and then model myself after those positive aspects. To kind of sum it all up, I've really worked on the person that I project myself to be; whether it is through talking, postures, or whatever else that you see based on appearance, I have, in some way or another, taken a look at it. This is all a result of some pretty early realizations that I discovered early into the year when I found out what a bad influence I can be. I remember reading a Mother Teresa book where she said you have to be open to humiliation in order to encounter humility. I thought that there was nothing that could be truer than what she said; and I guess that is what happened.
Switching to the other standpoint, I find some pretty funny things. First of all, I'm still really dumb; I have way too much to learn, and I don't even think I'm at the level of knowledge that I was supposed to attain this year. But even on brief trips back to Edmonton, or through different chats with people I've had at church in Calgary, I've gotten comments about how I've become "so wise" or "so mature." For the first couple times that I heard it, I am pretty sure I laughed. I thought that there was no way, even if I did become wiser or more mature, that the difference would be so noticeable. In fact, I hadn't even though I was any different until more recently. Based on some of the conversations I've had, people are always using the words like "deep" or "hardcore" or whatever. I think it's funny because I'm always like that. But if we look back to my view on the year, I feel like I'm beginning to better articulate myself which probably means that all my "deep" or "wise" thoughts come out better.
Or, it could all be irrelevant and none of anything I just typed is true. Instead, it is because people have started to notice me now. I've never (at least in my opinion) really stood out above or below everyone else. I always thought I fit into the status quo pretty well. So, now that I'm one of those people that have "moved out to go to school" and more specifically to become a pastor, people start noticing me and my actions. So as people begin to notice, all my blog posts, rants, and conversations have suddenly materialized into actual... material. Because when people read my blog or talk to me, they're unconsciously thinking, "this guy's gonna become a pastor; maybe I can get something useful from him." Everyone's a critic right? But who knows, stranger things have happened. I know this is really stretching it because I'm letting my imagination run wild right now, but it isn't without merit. I've mentioned many times that people I have never even seen or talked to have somehow found out who I am and what I'm doing in Calgary; so in that sense, I am being noticed.
And because I'm a thinker, I know that I am reading way too much into this whole situation. Admittedly, it's a lot of fun to imagine. If you don't know, I think in pictures. With each of the scenarios, I've somehow translated the images in my head into the words on this computer screen. If all went well, and assuming that you think in pictures too, then you'll have a similar picture in your head to the one that is in mine.
Different views, and nothing unanimous: this has been a pretty common theme in the things I learn in school. On a side note, I also love to draw parallels and comparisons, which I am doing right now. A lot of intra-Christian beliefs differ from interpretation from the Bible. Groups of people become separated; and thus, we have the diversity of the different types of believers today. In both my situation and the Christian situation, even though there are these interpretation differences, the reason they exist at all is because of the same thing. For me, it is because I have grown and become more mature, regardless of how and in what aspects. For Christianity, it is because God gave us his Word, and the fact that everything is happening to ultimately restore the creation order.
Yeah, I know.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Wrapping Up
I realized that the post I wrote a couple days ago didn't actually update a whole lot other than whining about gas prices and Bible studies. So, I decided to "take a break" and write.
I reeled in a couple scholarships last week, albeit not the biggest - any amount will help, actually - and it was pretty cool. I guess when you have a small school, they will actually have a chapel dedicated to listing every scholarship and everyone who's won them. The amount I got will help me pay for almost one course, so that is almost one course that I don't have to pay for!
Anyways, technically speaking, all my assignments are done for the year. Because of some inconvenience, there is still one paper that is lingering around; it is a group paper, and there is not too much that I can actually do while I wait. So with that said, I just hope to goodness that I can actually hand some sort of final product in on Wednesday because I really don't want to have to think about this paper anymore. The thing about group papers is that if one person slacks, the group goes nowhere. I don't want to blame my group members, but I was kind of hoping that the paper would be done before the weekend.
Aside from that, all I've got to do is decide on a church I want to work at for the next school year. I'm not actually sure how long the process will take because I waited so long to actually phone churches. But it seemed that our entire group hadn't done it either. Heh. And when I finally decided to phone up a few churches today, no one was available. Is it just me, or do all pastors take Mondays off? I'd personally pick Tuesday, but that's just me. Well, I have a good idea of what church I want, so I'll just have to try to work it out in the next couple weeks.
With my finals, I have three. They are decently spread out, so I will have good time to study for them. The only thing that seems a bit ironic is that my last exam is on Easter Monday. Yeah, I go to a Bible college, and we have to write an exam on Easter Monday. *Insert sarcastic smile* Given my failure of an effort in course work this term, I am actually in an okay position with my grades. Of course, getting a "B" on certain papers will upset me; but I guess once a B's student, always a B's student. So I should be in okay shape as I head into the finals.
Finally, the wonders of looking for a summer job. I haven't started looking yet. I find it funny that one of the goals I made this year was to be more driven; and although I have improved in some areas, there are still those other things that when I think about it, I just want to crawl into my bed and hide. I don't like applying for jobs, what can I say? Hopefully I can get to it soon!
Other than that, it looks like I'll be moving back to Edmonton on the last day of April. I'll take a few days after my last exam to evaluate the year and pack up. Then, on Saturday, I'll be making the drive back up! My parents said they want to have lunch with the family that I live with, which I think is a nice gesture because I don't want to finish my exam and then just jet back up. That's a bit of a jerk move.
So, until then...
I reeled in a couple scholarships last week, albeit not the biggest - any amount will help, actually - and it was pretty cool. I guess when you have a small school, they will actually have a chapel dedicated to listing every scholarship and everyone who's won them. The amount I got will help me pay for almost one course, so that is almost one course that I don't have to pay for!
Anyways, technically speaking, all my assignments are done for the year. Because of some inconvenience, there is still one paper that is lingering around; it is a group paper, and there is not too much that I can actually do while I wait. So with that said, I just hope to goodness that I can actually hand some sort of final product in on Wednesday because I really don't want to have to think about this paper anymore. The thing about group papers is that if one person slacks, the group goes nowhere. I don't want to blame my group members, but I was kind of hoping that the paper would be done before the weekend.
Aside from that, all I've got to do is decide on a church I want to work at for the next school year. I'm not actually sure how long the process will take because I waited so long to actually phone churches. But it seemed that our entire group hadn't done it either. Heh. And when I finally decided to phone up a few churches today, no one was available. Is it just me, or do all pastors take Mondays off? I'd personally pick Tuesday, but that's just me. Well, I have a good idea of what church I want, so I'll just have to try to work it out in the next couple weeks.
With my finals, I have three. They are decently spread out, so I will have good time to study for them. The only thing that seems a bit ironic is that my last exam is on Easter Monday. Yeah, I go to a Bible college, and we have to write an exam on Easter Monday. *Insert sarcastic smile* Given my failure of an effort in course work this term, I am actually in an okay position with my grades. Of course, getting a "B" on certain papers will upset me; but I guess once a B's student, always a B's student. So I should be in okay shape as I head into the finals.
Finally, the wonders of looking for a summer job. I haven't started looking yet. I find it funny that one of the goals I made this year was to be more driven; and although I have improved in some areas, there are still those other things that when I think about it, I just want to crawl into my bed and hide. I don't like applying for jobs, what can I say? Hopefully I can get to it soon!
Other than that, it looks like I'll be moving back to Edmonton on the last day of April. I'll take a few days after my last exam to evaluate the year and pack up. Then, on Saturday, I'll be making the drive back up! My parents said they want to have lunch with the family that I live with, which I think is a nice gesture because I don't want to finish my exam and then just jet back up. That's a bit of a jerk move.
So, until then...
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Almost There
Oh man, the end is in sight! Quite ironic that in two of my classes, eschatology is the last thing we study before the year is over. Technically, I'm done all my course work; there is just one final thing I need to put together and then it's done! After that, I'll probably need to start studying for my finals. Luckily, I only have three to write. Hopefully I put in the effort to get to be able to hit my expectations. Writing exams have never been my thing; I've relied on my writing strengths to get by a lot of the time.
The weather is also ballistic. It can go for a week where it looks like Spring is really here. Then suddenly there will be a snow fall dump. I think it's already happened a couple times. Judging by the weather network, it looks like the next week is all sunny. Hopefully, it stays that way. I'm also thankful that my car seems to be running pretty well. At the moment, it has clocked over 222 000km. I'm always paranoid when I get to speeds higher than 80km, because I never know if the engine will suddenly decide to blow up or something. But, I have learned to be thankful each time the car gets me somewhere. It's so much better to be driving, even with the gas prices hitting close to $1.20/L. So, unless it drops back close to the $1.00 mark, which I don't see happening, I'm going to limit myself to $30.00 each time I go to fill up. I'm poor enough as it is.
Bible study with the boys was tonight too - well, technically last night now. It's funny that whenever the topic of "failure" comes up, people are a ton more reserved about speaking up. I don't really blame them, but it's always interesting to see who is open and who isn't. Since I only help with Bible studies, there are always interesting discussions that come up. I do my best to give my answer, but I can never fully explain to the boys what they want to know. I think they ask some great questions, and it just reiterates the reason for why we live. I could just say that "this is why we live" for every answer, but they won't like it. Fact of the matter though, is that it's the truth. We live to search these answers so we can gain better knowledge of... well, everything. Although I think wanting to know is good, I always find that there is a potential danger where the desire to want to know overshadows everything else. We want to know so badly that we forget the reason for why we want to know. Eventually, we might want to know for the sake of knowing, which isn't very good. I'm still learning, and just because I'm in Bible college doesn't mean I'm a step above in any way. It just means I want to take these questions that I have, and make it a living to learn more. Sounds ironic, doesn't it?
Anyways, I think I'll take this weekend to rest up, then start studying for my three finals on Monday. Just a couple more weeks and it's time to pack up again!
The weather is also ballistic. It can go for a week where it looks like Spring is really here. Then suddenly there will be a snow fall dump. I think it's already happened a couple times. Judging by the weather network, it looks like the next week is all sunny. Hopefully, it stays that way. I'm also thankful that my car seems to be running pretty well. At the moment, it has clocked over 222 000km. I'm always paranoid when I get to speeds higher than 80km, because I never know if the engine will suddenly decide to blow up or something. But, I have learned to be thankful each time the car gets me somewhere. It's so much better to be driving, even with the gas prices hitting close to $1.20/L. So, unless it drops back close to the $1.00 mark, which I don't see happening, I'm going to limit myself to $30.00 each time I go to fill up. I'm poor enough as it is.
Bible study with the boys was tonight too - well, technically last night now. It's funny that whenever the topic of "failure" comes up, people are a ton more reserved about speaking up. I don't really blame them, but it's always interesting to see who is open and who isn't. Since I only help with Bible studies, there are always interesting discussions that come up. I do my best to give my answer, but I can never fully explain to the boys what they want to know. I think they ask some great questions, and it just reiterates the reason for why we live. I could just say that "this is why we live" for every answer, but they won't like it. Fact of the matter though, is that it's the truth. We live to search these answers so we can gain better knowledge of... well, everything. Although I think wanting to know is good, I always find that there is a potential danger where the desire to want to know overshadows everything else. We want to know so badly that we forget the reason for why we want to know. Eventually, we might want to know for the sake of knowing, which isn't very good. I'm still learning, and just because I'm in Bible college doesn't mean I'm a step above in any way. It just means I want to take these questions that I have, and make it a living to learn more. Sounds ironic, doesn't it?
Anyways, I think I'll take this weekend to rest up, then start studying for my three finals on Monday. Just a couple more weeks and it's time to pack up again!
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Where Is the Love?
Something dawned on me over the last couple of days. Yesterday, as we all know it, was April fools' day. And from the incredibly bad attempts at playing a joke to some pretty slick ones, I was thoroughly entertained throughout the day. Some time during the morning, I thought to myself: today wouldn't be complete if I didn't pull a couple of jokes. Given my immaturity and childish personality, I would be very upset at myself if I didn't end the day knowing I tricked a few people.
I remembered that a while back, I was watching a video of guy that I absolutely admire. I admire him for his personality, the way he carries himself. He suddenly got onto the topic of sending yourself emails. I know we all do it, whether it's transferring files or whatever. This guy made a suggestion to anyone that sends themselves emails to write a comment, something along the lines of: "you rock." So that later when you opened the email and read the comment, it would make you "teehee." I thought it was the funniest thing I had heard all day; but when I returned to think about this some time later, I found that what he said had so much merit.
Anyways, as I cave in and open my bottle of coke because I was craving it so badly, here's how it related to my April fools. I found a couple of really gullible people, and I decided to tell them something to make them really happy or excited. Of course, I had to find what the person liked in order to come up with a fake story - not a lie, an imaginary story. Haha. So, as a result, it worked. Even though eventually they found out I was just kidding, they would have to admit that throughout the day they were happy because they read what I wrote.
And then it expands even further! Bringing the email thing and the April fools together and the way I feel towards certain things at the moment, it could be something pretty cool... or creepy. In a lot of places that I'm looking, people seem so depressed! Prayer requests are all about how this suck and that sucks, people are driving like animals, and people rarely smile at the store. Everyone, especially students, are so not happy now, that it feels like if they could wake up and be told that they are super cool would brighten up a day by a ton. Maybe it's just me, but I'd think it'd make people friendlier. For me, I'm going to try to incorporate little subtle comments in all my emails or messages to lighten things up.
I feel like a lot of us just need a little love and a reminder that we live life as a community of fellowship and we're never on our own. So to whoever comes across this, just want to let you know that you're awesome for having taken the time out to read my blog!
Credits to the following that have contributed to the thoughts that materialized into this post:
I remembered that a while back, I was watching a video of guy that I absolutely admire. I admire him for his personality, the way he carries himself. He suddenly got onto the topic of sending yourself emails. I know we all do it, whether it's transferring files or whatever. This guy made a suggestion to anyone that sends themselves emails to write a comment, something along the lines of: "you rock." So that later when you opened the email and read the comment, it would make you "teehee." I thought it was the funniest thing I had heard all day; but when I returned to think about this some time later, I found that what he said had so much merit.
Anyways, as I cave in and open my bottle of coke because I was craving it so badly, here's how it related to my April fools. I found a couple of really gullible people, and I decided to tell them something to make them really happy or excited. Of course, I had to find what the person liked in order to come up with a fake story - not a lie, an imaginary story. Haha. So, as a result, it worked. Even though eventually they found out I was just kidding, they would have to admit that throughout the day they were happy because they read what I wrote.
And then it expands even further! Bringing the email thing and the April fools together and the way I feel towards certain things at the moment, it could be something pretty cool... or creepy. In a lot of places that I'm looking, people seem so depressed! Prayer requests are all about how this suck and that sucks, people are driving like animals, and people rarely smile at the store. Everyone, especially students, are so not happy now, that it feels like if they could wake up and be told that they are super cool would brighten up a day by a ton. Maybe it's just me, but I'd think it'd make people friendlier. For me, I'm going to try to incorporate little subtle comments in all my emails or messages to lighten things up.
I feel like a lot of us just need a little love and a reminder that we live life as a community of fellowship and we're never on our own. So to whoever comes across this, just want to let you know that you're awesome for having taken the time out to read my blog!
Credits to the following that have contributed to the thoughts that materialized into this post:
- http://yourjoyologist.com/ - I recently discovered the thing of "joyology", and I think it's the most awesome job ever. This is a specific one I found, and by reading through some of the things on that site, it's pretty cool.
- 101.5 Cool Radio. - I listen to them every morning, and they're one of the better radio stations in Calgary. After a weekend of grey and depressive weather, the sun came out one morning. One of the hosts talked about how everyone will be so much friendlier that day because the sun was out. One of the better mornings I've had after listening to that.
- Sean [day9] Plott - The man that told everyone to tell ourselves how cool we are when we send ourselves emails. Definitely one of the classier people I have come to know.
- Dave Brotherton - One of my profs that said we should wake up every morning with the attitude of "I woke up today because God wants to tell me something cool."
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