Farewell For Now, Facebook

Good evening!

I'm sitting here watching the sun set as I write to you; it's another beautiful pink-purple mix.

While I say goodbye to another day, I feel a sense of overwhelming change come upon me. I'm not sure what the change will bring, how it will alter my life, or even what it is, but my gut is telling me that a new path is starting to unfold before me and that I'm ready to take it. There's something in the breeze that reaffirms this truth. Nature often hands us clues about our lives; if only we would listen once in a while.

To start this new chapter off, I've decided to give good ole Facebook the boot. Like most twenty-somethings, I joined Facebook in order to make friends before the dreaded orientation week at my university. Back then, the site helped you establish contacts with those who would soon be in the same dorm, clubs, or even classes as you. You had to have an official email address hosted by your university to even register. Today, however, the scene has changed. Now relatives, young and old, near and far, are on the site posting new updates about their lives, while companies constantly try to catch my attention with their ads, paid posts, and the like.

Last week I got so sick of logging in for no good reason that I decided to run a personal experiment. I made a vow to myself that as of July 1st, I would no longer log into my account. I won't close my account permanently, I just won't allow myself to log in through my laptop, smartphone, or any other device I find in my hands. My goal is to stay disconnected from the virtual world until September 1st.

I'm looking forward to see how my mentality changes, how much I accomplish with those spare five or ten minutes I currently find myself wasting throughout the day, as well as how many emails I get notifying me of what's going on without me or asking me why I haven't been on in a while.

Ironically enough, a large number of news outlets, including sites such as Today.com and TechCrunch, ran stories on the negative reactions toward Facebook's manipulation of certain users' news feeds today. There have also been numerous videos highlighting the creepy factor of how the site works. One video you most likely watched that went viral under the name "Look Up" focused on social media in general and the influence of our smartphones on our lives. However, let's be clear: I'm not leaving and hoping to run into a future boyfriend because I'm not looking at my Facebook feed on my phone. I'm not taking a hiatus because I don't get as many likes or posts or comments as others. I'm taking a break because I want to see how productive I can be without the distractions, how much I can accomplish just being me in this physical world. I'm closing the door, but not locking it up (yet), in order to get closer to myself.

So follow along as I fight the urge to sign in and see what I discover along the way. Who knows, maybe there really is no way to live without being virtually connected 24/7 these days. Only the next two months will tell!

Until next time,

La petite pamplemousse

Sing Along Sunday: Jump Through June

Geez Louise did June fly by! I'm still trying to swallow the fact that I'm yet again one year older, let alone that it'll be four years this summer since I got my city assignment for my first teaching position in France. Since then, my life mentality has shifted, my naiveté of other cultures has slowly begun to diminish, and my need to please others before myself has certainly changed the most.

I find myself trying to avoid dwelling on the past in order to live in the present, but a look back at past versions of yourself is often necessary to push yourself forward to who you want to be. I spent a lot of this month imaging the future, analyzing the past, and trying to create a vision of who I want to be in order to make this year a successful one. These are a few of the songs I found myself listening to as I did just that.

In order to listen along with the descriptions below, be sure to click on the link. You can also follow me on Spotify by clicking here. Please note, you need a Spotify account in order to access my monthly playlists. I've included both the artists and song titles below, so feel free to listen with another app or music platform if you prefer.

Have a listen before we jump into July!

1. "Something's Got A Hold On Me" by Etta James: Most people recognize the first twenty seconds of this song because of Avicii's "Levels remix." Although I admit to signing that section as loud as I possibly can when his remix comes on the radio, the other two minutes and thirty seconds of the original song are what really get me grooving.
2. "Waves - Robin Schulz Radio Edit" by Mr. Probz: The repetitive beat in this song soothes my soul much like the physical waves of any beach.
3. "Stone Rollin'" by Raphael Saadiq: Step, tap, stir. Step, tap, stir, twirl. You'll catch me doing circles around myself while cooking to this one.
4. "Cut Your Teeth- Kygo Remix" by Kyla La Grange: As an aspiring bellydancer, I've been using this song to help with isolations, external hip circles, mayas, and shimmies.
5. "Say You'll Be There" by MO: An amazing cover of one of my favorite Spice Girls songs. This version sounds more dreamy and gives the lyrics a different vibe.
6. "Without Me" by Fantasia, Kelly Rowland, and Missy Elliott: I have heard this song on the radio dozens of times, but never had my phone close enough to use the app Shazam to figure out who was singing the first bit. What a wonderful, powerful trio of female artists.
7. "Gotta Work" by Amerie: This has always been one of my pump up jams to keep myself strong, centered, and working on what I truly want from my life.
8. "V.S.O.P" by K. Michelle: This lady always seems to have drama, but she also always gets me up dancing. Just wait for what I'm talking about; it happens right before the one minute mark.
9. "Get Free" by Major Lazer featuring Amber Coffman: For some odd reason, I'm just discovering this song. The lyrics, the vibe, the voice: woo-ee!
10. "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" by Gladys Knight & The Pips: I was in a Motown mood the second half of the month and had to include this one. What a classic!
11. "jasmine (demo)" by Jai Paul: This song was included on a CD mix my sister made for me. I've been listening to it on my drive to work ever since: no AC, windows all the way down, hair getting tangled the whole way there.
12. "Stay Ready (What A Life) by Jhene Aiko featuring Kendrick Lamar: Jhene's single, "The Worst," is all over the radio these days. This song deserves so much more national attention; although, admittedly, I'd love to keep it to myself.
13. "Jerk Ribs" by Kelis: She's moved from milkshakes to jerk ribs and the vibe is unbelievably groovy and, in my opinion, more natural for her voice. I'm loving her new CD, especially the songs that involve whistles!
14. "Be My Man" by Asa: Break out your tambourine again! I found this artist through Indila, a French singer I follow and who I mentioned in my last post.
15. "Upside Down" by Paloma Faith: A great, upbeat song that sounds like it should come out of a random jukebox in the middle of a city park.
16. "Kukere" by Iyanya: This was my wake up song last summer. I was all about the African playlists on 8tracks. I can't seem to get it out of my head a year later.
17. "Sing" by Ed Sheeran: I know, I know...what is this guy doing on one of my lists? I hit fast forward on every song I ever hear by him, but I'm guilty as charged of loving his latest single. I blame the catchy beat and refrain on Pharrell. The puppets that were in this music video, though, Lord that was freaky.
18. "Sweet About Me" by Gabriella Cilmi: I rediscovered this song when I popped an old summer CD mix in my car the other day. My Swedish coworkers sure knew what good music was all about, and, I'm sure still do.
19. "Back In The World" by David Gray: I'm so happy that David has a new CD out there this year; I wasn't a big fan of his last one. He's one of those artists I associate with a certain season. While I tend to only listen to him in that in between summer and fall time, this song was really calling to me this month.
20. "Hide" by Little May: Little May is an Australian trio of lovely ladies who follow up on every tweet of praise they receive. I reached out to them after listening to this song dozens of times a day for two weeks straight. Check out their music video for this song, as they're not yet on Spotify. I'm in love with what they did in this music video, especially the dance circle.
21. "Nirvana" by Sam Smith: This guy's voice is like buttercream icing: so damn smooth and sugary. While the acoustic version is worth a listen as well, something about the last twenty seconds of this song makes my heart skip a beat every time I listen to it.
22. "Try A Little Tenderness" by Otis Redding: Watching one of my studio's teachers perform a bellydance solo to this made me add this classic to the end of this month's list. The bellydance show included Korean pop, Bollywood music, and even old 1920s jazz. Creativity, emotions, and expression were abound that night.

There you have it folks! One more day and we're officially half way through 2014. Can you believe it? I certainly am struggling to accept how fast time is passing this year.

I'll be writing more frequently as I'll be doing a mini experiment the remainder of the summer. Stay tuned for the next post to learn more!

As always, have a wonderful week and stay true to you!

Bisous,

La petite pamplemousse