Intrapersonal Discovery at the Intracoastal

I would like to share with you all, a groundbreaking discovery of mine this week while sitting on the Intracoastal Waterway seawall.  Every day I have overlooked such an amazing place to take my thoughts and run with them, sometimes literally, with the many runners along the sidewalk there.  I definitely hit a wall these past days, and I’m thankful that I was able to climb the "wall" and sit upon it this week. 



Sitting on the Seawall at Intracoastal

I'm not saying that the seawall is some magical place. It was just a place, as I walked back from class, where I was able to take two seconds of my day to find peace.  In the midst of the chaotic life, with work, school and relationships, God was giving me a chance to be content.  Really, how difficult should it be to take ten minutes a day to breathe deeply among all the congestion we are surrounded by in life?  I don't find it a coincidence that fall break is coming up Friday for us all to relax after midterms.  As we enjoy wonderful festivities, family and friends, let us break from any burdens or sins hanging us down. 



View of Palm Beach Island

Recently, I have felt a great need to satisfy others around me, like my parents, friends, and professors.  I also have felt like I haven't had time for personal hobbies and interests, or even sleep, all of which keep me from being cranky.  The best ways that I find myself relaxing are through reading, writing and spending time appreciating nature.  Where ever you find tranquility, be it in the company of others or the privacy of your room, I challenge you to increase your flow of life and simply appreciate God’s goodness

   

With that said, I have a short story about being surrounded by God's goodness. 

Last night as I was walking back from a meeting, I passed Christian Sampson, a Sailfish Dinning employee, walking and talking about the Word as always with his Bible.  I said hello and asked him how he was, and his answer touched me when he said "Blessed."  All of a sudden, tears rolled down from my eyes in such gratitude as I walked home. We typically answer that question with "Good." or "Fine, thanks." Christian's genuine response was so real to me.  Whatever is going on in life, through the ups and downs, we really are blessed. 
***
Where do you find tranquility on or near the PBA campus?

Apple Inc. and You

 

With the recent Oct. 5 death of one of Apple Inc.'s cofounders, Steve Jobs, there has been increased awareness and publicity of the American corporation.   As seen in the video above, my interviewees, PBA students Michael and Chris, believe that Apple is dominating the world of consumer electronics.  The symbol and brand awareness is described by one student as “revolutionary.”  The “Apple” symbol is one of the most recognized and persuasive icons in the marketing world. 

Steve Jobs

I also decided to ask two of my professors their opinions of the brand after several situations involving Apple technology in the classroom.  For instance, Dr. Chapman, my Humanities professor, played the 1812 overture by Tchaikovsky on iTunes, but then criticized how iTunes selected the song that would play next, against his will, which he felt disrupted the class.  In a sense, he was talking about how these products seem to think for you.  We also talked about how Steve Jobs had always led a private life, which is ironic because his creations provided the medium for social media use, allowing users to spread personal information with great ease.  

My interest in asking Dr. Wainer, my Mass Media professor was due to his practical approach to Apple products.  His proud possession of an iPhone and MacBook demonstrates how Apple has affected every generation with its quality and simplistic design.   He described Jobs’ private life as a secretive part of his marketing plan of “pulling products out of his hat” leaving the audience with this “magical” aurora, and a new favorite toy.

I am not an avid Apple user because of my loyal PC family.  I feel behind the times when asked to use a friend’s MacBook, and have difficultly navigating it compared to my Acer netbook.  Even though I finally received an iTouch for my birthday last year, I decided against the iPhone this year, and opted for Google’s Android.  

However, problems occur as both a Windows and Apple user.  I was attempting to edit the video for this blog entry on a PC in my work office. The video camera file is an MP4, which isn’t compatible with Windows Movie Maker.  If I owned a MacBook computer, I wouldn’t have this issue as MP4 is compatible with editing products of Apple, like QuickTime. Overall, I believe the need for Apple products is determined by the sole purpose of the use of its software and programs.

What do you think?

Tweet

Not Just Another Campus Club




Leadership exercises/Photo by Tai Cornell

 

I was recently asked in comment on a previous blog entry about activities I’m involved with on campus.  Last semester, I took on the role as an assistant for Impact Leadership Team (ILT). For those who are not familiar with ILT, our goal is to become servant leaders on campus for Christ.  However, I didn’t realize until the end of last semester, there's more to ILT than fun, games and questions.

What stood out to me was the great variety of students chosen to become assistants for the semester. Typically, a club is composed of a group of like-minded people.  That is not the case for ILT. Rather, it is a team composed of a wide variety of leadership styles and opinions.

A positive aspect of recruiting students of various personalities is it brings a large amount of students to our club. However, since ILT acknowledges all different styles of leadership, it's sometimes difficult for the group to agree.  For instance, last semester members claimed they felt left out of the group if the group thought their views were too different.  Ultimately, we made a goal to ensure ILT created a community, which could reach out to all corners and depths of campus. Overall, our differences are what accomplished this task, and set us apart from other clubs.

 
I can honestly say I have become very close friends with peers in ILT, which I wouldn’t have come across in my normal social surroundings, due to different schedules or interests. Not only have the music genres on my iTunes playlist expanded, but so has my heart.  I have been led to Christ stronger through this club, better known as my second family, or as we call it "Ohana."  The very differences that initially kept us apart have helped us challenge or develop our own opinions, and wound up bringing the group together. Good practice for the “real world” after college.

Canoeing trip/Photo by Tai Cornell

If you are interested in Impact Leadership Team, you can meet with us Tuesdays at 11:15 a.m., or Wednesdays at 4 p.m.: pick the day that fits your schedule.  E-mail us at Impact_Leadership_Team@pba.edu to know where we're meeting. 



E-mail us as well about upcoming events, including “Junkbox Wars” this Saturday where we will race cardboard box boats in Towers pool and “Little Smiles” the following Saturday to help out at a fair for terminally ill children, as well as a camping trip in November.

Tweet