Busy Busy Busy! Vlogging and Self Advocacy

As has become the norm for me, as soon as I published my last post I promptly became so busyand forgetful that I immediately forgot to update this blog for the next three weeks. But I'm finally back! No idea if I'll be back for long, or if I'll just end up disappearing again, but I'm here for now at least.

An Idea!

I say this far too often, but once again, it's been too long since my last blog! I've been busy ok. No, really, since my last blog I've spent half a holiday being 'independent' (ok, so my parents went away and I survived without dying in the house), and a weekend in Scotland with my friends (again, travelling 100 miles on public transport with just my friend and not having some kind of meltdown!) and now I've finished(ish) my UCAS application and I'll be sending it off soon. Ok, that sentence was far too long. But who cares, it was a great week! You know, for someone who dislikes change and is terrified of doing things by myself, I really enjoy doing all these new things... How does that even work? Ideas in the comments!

Anyway, I shall describe that all in more detail at a later date (probably), because right now I have an idea! Ok, it's not technically a new idea, because it was actually the original idea for this blog. I want to make a vlog. That way, I get to say a lot more in less time, with a potentially much larger audience. And you all get to see me, instead of reading my words on a page. I'll still have my blog for the readers here, and all the ideas and advice and things I have about Asperger's and autism, but I really think a vlog could be a great sort of outlet for me. I'm not entirely sure how I'd juggle between the two, but even if I become (even) less active here, I'll at least post all the vlogs. Maybe it would also help people more, actually seeing someone with Asperger's talking, rather than reading their words? I'm not aware of any Aspie vloggers right now, though I'm sure there are some...

Sorry for all the non-ASD related posts recently, but I do use this as a kind of story of my life alongside the advice and things, and there's been a lot going on recently.

See you guys soon (and maybe you'll see me!)

Chris

A Word On Scottish Universities For Those In England

Being in my last year of sixth form college, I'm now nearing completion of my UCAS form, ready for it to be sent off to UCAS for them to apply to my five choices of university. So you'd think that by now, I'd know everything I need to about my choices, right? That's what I thought too, until I visited Glasgow University last weekend.

Glasgow has been one of my choices for a while now, but it's always been sitting under Sheffield, as I consider Sheffield to be as near perfect as I could find for a combination of computer science course, accommodation, city and activities. I also wasn't so keen on studying one subject for the four years in Scotland, rather than three years in England. Except that's not how it works.

It would seem that, at least in my area, the people who advise us college students on university choices seem to have forgotten to explain (or simply don't know) how the Scottish system works. It allows for study of three subjects from the same 'School' (eg. The sciences) in your first year of study, followed by two in the second year, and then your chosen degree subject in more depth for the remaining two years. The final degree subject, other than having to be one of your original three subjects doesn't have to be picked until the end of the second year, allowing for far more flexibility than the 'one subject until the end' system we have in England.

As I've said, I don't know if I didn't find this out because the advisers didn't know themselves, or because they just didn't tell us. I guess I'll find out when I ask after half term. Either way this is a complete game changer. After looking into it, it seems the Scottish system is widely recognised as being superior to ours, and other countries (including the US) have emulated it. (I wouldn't like to speculate, but maybe we weren't told so we wouldn't 'defect' to Scotland? Shh, I didn't say that).

Glasgow is now my first choice for university. It could hardly be anything but, considering the massive flexibility compared to Sheffield, Leeds, and all my other English choices. I have to say, it's not the fault of those unis, they are great, but they can only do so well in an inferior system before they hit a ceiling. The applications process is far better as well, with just one simple change. Instead of looking at my predicted grades and thinking 'based on these (nonexistent, purely predicted, like the weather) grades, he might not make it', and basing their choice on whether to give me an offer on that, Glasgow will instead just make sure I'm studying the right subjects and immediately offer the place, allowing me to achieve (or fail) the grades in my own right, rather than basing their choice on something a computer algorithm came out with.

I don't mean to sound harsh towards the English system, or the staff who didn't tell me about the Scottish system, but it really was almost too late for me to find out. Still, it's sorted now, and hopefully I'll get in. Incidentally, Glasgow is ranked higher than Sheffield. Just saying.

Tall again soon,
Chris

PS. Sorry for the delay. I've written about five halves of posts and been unable to finish them due to a bit of writer's block. And then as you can see I've been busy recently. Hopefully all will be back to normal soon.

PPS. This post was entirely created on my phone, so please forgive the lack of links and creative editing.

Going To Scotland! And A Couple Of Other Things.

The place I'm going to is in this picture

Yup. Title says it all really, need I say more? Alright alright, since this is actually a blog post, I guess I better explain. Me and my friend are going up to see our new Scottish friends, one of whom is in fact his girlfriend. Lucky git. We're going up in a couple of weeks, when it's our half term holiday. It won't be theirs though, which is why we're going a weekend. Just after Halloween in fact, so I'll let you guys work out the dates. I've already said how much I love Scotland, but my friend hasn't so much as set foot North of the border before. This is gonna be interesting.

Panic Stations!

So now I've caught your attention with the title (and the graphic! I'd like to point out I'm not female...), am I in danger? Am I about to hit a big giant problem wall and go splat? Or maybe there's a test coming and I'm completely unprepared? Nope, nothing. But any day could turn into something that feels like that, if the right triggers happen.

Thoughtsplat! #2 - Scotland

Scotland The Brave!

It's been far too long since my last (and first) Thoughtsplat!, but here we are with another one, finally! If you can't remember what a Thoughtsplat! is, or you're new, follow the link above. I think it's probably pretty easy to guess this splat's topic, what with the flag picture and the title. Yes, it's that great country just north of me, Scotland!

World Mental Health Day 2013 - A Little Talk On People's Views

So here I am, sitting watching Waterloo Road, when suddenly I realise, I haven't done a blog today! Now normally, theres nothing wrong with that. But today is World Mental Health Day, and I have to write something at least.

Every year, 1 in 4 people will suffer from some form of mental illness. Some of these are lifetime, like me and others with Asperger's and autism, and some last less time, like depression. But the one thing we all have in common is the feeling of difference. That theres something not quite right, or odd. This is where everyone else comes in. Either people accept the difference, and help them, and learn to understand, or they discriminate. More and more people are choosing to help, but it can still be a problem.

I'm always told that I'm 'brave', because I openly discuss my Asperger's,  and I freely talk about it. But I dont feel brave or courageous because of it. I do it because I want to help others understand, and because it's easier to cope when other people know what I'm dealing with. I'm surrounded by supportive friends and family, many of whom have their own difficulties, and can at least relate to my situation. But a lot of people don't have that luxury. They're around people who either don't understand, or don't want to. I want to live in a world where it doesn't take a 'brave' man to stand and say 'I have autism', or 'I have depression'. A world where all people can just get along, regardless of their mental state. You wouldn't reject a black man for his differences, or person with one leg, would you? And so there is no reason to reject us either.

This is one of the main reasons have this blog, to raise awareness of my particular disorder, and to help everyone understand. I hope that one day, there won't need to be any self-advocates, or demonstrations, or marches, because we will all understand and accept each other. After all, we are all human.

Chris.

Featured Blog - A Quiet Week

Just a quick update today guys, a great blog I've found!

A Quiet Week is a a blog run by a woman called Lori, who was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome a few years ago. Her Dad was also diagnosed, and her son was diagnosed with autism. Her blog aims to share her wisdom, experiences and humour, and there are plenty of all three! Lori shares many of my views on both the positive and negative points of the autism spectrum, though it seems we both seem to whole heartedly step up to the challenges, and roll with the good times.

I'd like to point out one post in particular, How To Be Friends With An Aspie, as an example of just how positive things can be, and to show her great humour and insights. Everything about it is just great. And the main message of it too, is something I'd like to talk about, probably more another day. Friendship really is that important to us. I might not express it the same way as everyone else, I might seem to misunderstand, or put a foot in the wrong place, but it's always my aim to make people happy, and to fully appreciate the wonder that is the people and friends I have around me.

Lori's blog now has a permanent little spot on my Useful Links page, so please, go and check it out.

Chris

PS, I think it's time for another Thoughtsplat soon, seems like a good idea

Back Again - Change And Meeting New People

Alright alright, I've done it again. Promised to start regularly updating, before going silent for several weeks. I'm kicking myself for doing it, but I just feel so busy all the time! I know I'm really probably not as busy as I think I am, but it's really difficult to remember to do everything; I've said before how I have difficulty organising myself. I think I'm starting to get the hang of it! At least I hope I am, I've got two different projects to do this year...

Thoughtsplat! #1 - The Friendship Algorithm

Todays Thoughsplat! involves these guys :D

So, today is the wonderful and clearly super awesome release of my new series of posts called Thoughtsplat! (The exclamation mark doesn't end the sentence, it's part of the name. Just saying. This full stop after the brackets will end the sentence. Look, this one. No, that one, right there --->). I've explained a little about it before in my last post, but I think I better explain it more here.

Thoughtsplat! is a series in which I show you the kind of thought processes that go on in my head, by taking a single thought, either a random thought passing through my mind, or a specific topic, and follow that thread through until I decide to stop, at which point you'll see just how crazy and off topic I can get. Having said that, when I have a lot of time it can be great for intellectualising and thinking through of problems! Some solutions just sort of fly out of nowhere! But mostly it's just fun. Anyway, let us begin!

Back To College! Let's Get Organised!

First off, sorry guys! And welcome to any new readers! It's been so long since my last post, but I've been so busy doing this, that and the other, and getting ready to go back to college. That's the non compulsory sixth form style post high school education for age 16+ in the UK, not university, for you Americans out there. That comes next year ;)

So, hopefully I'll be posting more regularly now that I have a timetable to work with, so I can structure my days and not just decide 'nah, another day' all the time. Routine's a big thing with Asperger's! I'll try to stick to a similar posting schedule to the one I was using, posting every day or two at around 7pm GMT, give or take a couple of hours. Now, it might not work at all, and there's a chance that I'll just give up, or be too stressed too work, or any number of things. But I hope that the thought of helping you all out, and having a place to just drop my thoughts, will be enough to keep me coming back.

I think I'll be starting a 'Thoughtsplat' series of articles too, where I start with a single thought and follow it through, taking the thought wherever it goes. It's a good way of showing how my mind works (and how easily distracted I am!) I might come up with other series' too, when I think of them. But, until then, bye guys!

See you again soon,

Chris

Elementary My Dear Watson - Intellectualising

Image courtesy of the BBC

Before I start, no, this isn't going to be an article about whether Sherlock Holmes would have AS or not. There are plenty of articles all over the place about this already. Still, it might be interesting to tackle this another time. No, this post is about the other bit of the title, intellectualising, and what it entails.

Having A Break :D

The Colosseum

So, I've mentioned before that one of the best ways of escaping stress for me is to sink into a fantasy. Well, even better than that is going on holiday somewhere where I can be doing activities with friends and not have to care about things like college and social stress and other things like that. And that's exactly what I got in July, when I went to Rome on a cultural trip with a group from college, including some of my best friends. It was one of the best experiences I've had in a long time, and if I could go again tomorrow I would.

Okay, I admit this blog post is basically an excuse to post some amazing pictures that I took in Rome, because I love photography. It's become one of my hobbies recently, and it's a pretty good stress relief by itself. Again, seems pretty common among autists. Anyway, click read more for a few pictures!

Look At Me When I'm Talking! - Eye Contact

Image © Taylorinchains.deviantart.com

Quite a frequent 'problem' with autists this one. Not looking at people's eyes when they're talking. There are a lot of reasons for this, but I think the most important one for me is just how awkward it feels when I look at a stranger's eyes. I don't really look 'into' their eyes, since I don't seem to see anything there.

FIRST ON GOOGLE :D

We did it guys! When typing in the name of my blog on google, I'm now the top result! I didn't think I'd make it this far in less than a month...

Here's to many more awesome viewers and followers, and a lot more posts to come :D

See you guys soon,
Chris

Beautiful Detail - Noticing Life's Little Things

I often think that ASDs are portrayed in such a negative light. Everyone, including a lot of charities, seems to focus on the bad. The communication difficulties, the hypersensitivity, the effect on families (I had to link Autism Speaks somewhere, they spend far too much time showing autism as a totally negative 'disease'). But there are positives too. This article lists a lot of the advantages of Asperger's Syndrome. Today I'd like to focus on one part; the attention to detail.

We're What? A What? - Extremely Offensive Article

So, today I was going to post an article about the beauty of noticing all the little details in life. And then I came across this. I just can't write about anything else until I've mentioned it. This is an article linking autistic males with an increased chance of being pedophiles. It, without any evidence, claims autistic adults are stuck with a prepubescent sexuality which leads them to seek out child pornography online. I'm sorry, but what? Would you like to be any more offensive? But there's more.

Higher Ranking :D

I'm even higher on Google now! Look at me, Mr Popular, I'm second already! Hopefully all the people reading this take something away, and learn more about ASDs, and understand a little more than they did.

See you guys soon!

Chris

The Happy Place - Stress Relief Fantasy

Well, having typed out the title of this post, I have to admit, it does look a bit like I'm about to mention drugs... Trust me, I'm not! No drugs for me, my brain is messed up enough as it is. I'm not one for drugs at all, whether legal or illegal. That includes mood altering ones like Ritalin. I think I'd rather deal with my problems myself, rather than having them dumbed by drugs. But anyway, that's beside the point. This post is about one of the best coping strategies I've found for dealing with stress of everyday life. Hiding in fantasies!

Visible On Google!

If you type in the name of the blog on Google now, I'm the fifth result! I just had to share this :D

Thanks for all the views so far guy, keep it up!

Chris

The Long And Short Of It - Memory

People are always telling me how good my memory is. To an extent they're right. I point out things that happened years ago, and everyone struggles to remember what I'm going on about. I remember conversations word for word, and massive strings of information, as long as I'm interested. But it's a bit of a double edged sword.

New Page Up!

I've finally got round to creating the What Are ASDs? page! It has a lot of information that you guys should hopefully find useful in understanding what Autism Spectrum Disorders are and how they affect people. It's got a couple of links on it too. I highly recommend the one near the bottom that links to Tony Attwood's advantages of having Asperger's.

That page has taken me a pretty long time to write, so I hope you guys like it!

I'll be back with another post soon,

Chris

Thinkety Think Think

I have a problem. At least, at the moment it's a problem. Tomorrow it could be just what I need. Or it could be a crisis, or just a bit meh. But right now, it's a problem.

I don't stop thinking. It's a common trait in Asperger's and autism, to get lost in a fantasy world of thoughts. But it gets a little out of hand sometimes, especially when combined with an obsession. It never really gets mentioned, because of course it's silent, and to be completely honest a lot of autistics, myself included, think it's normal, because of course we don't know any different. We've lived our entire lives with our perceptions and thoughts, we honestly have no idea neurotypicals don't spend all their time thinking. (Neurotypical is a term used to describe people with 'normal' brain function. I use it because to call it normal implies there is only one correct mental state, the 'normal' one, and I don't think that's right)

So Much To Say, So Much To Do!

I was trying to get to sleep last night, and all I could think of was how much I have to say on this blog!

There's explaining all the symptoms, social interactions, difficulties, how they affect me, how they apply to other people, how other people view autism, the list goes on and on. And then there's all the things I actually have to do this summer, keeping up with the step up work for college, trying to find voluntary work, and a part time job. It's just so hard to keep it all organised, and even to think straight in my own head. So then I thought, why not make that the focus of this post.

A Proper Welcome

Hello again!

Okay, I missed my target of getting this post up yesterday, but I did manage to post the About Me page, which is sort of a similar thing to this post. What can I say, I was busy. I went to the Wetlands Centre with my Dad, took some photos, had a barbecue with friends, transferred some music... I should stop now, this isn't a diary.

So what is it? Other than just a blog? Well, it's (mostly) a blog about my thoughts on and experiences of living with Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism (according to the DSM-V Diagnostic Manual, it's no longer a separate disorder, but more on that another time). I was diagnosed around ten years ago, and for a lot of that time I had a psychologist. Though, as I was so young at the time, around 7 when diagnosed, I didn't really understand what was happening, or why I was different.

Welcome! Sort of.

Welcome, ye denizens of the internet!
The first blog will be a short one, as it's currently stupid o'clock in the morning here, and I don't have too much to say. In fact, I'm not even going to talk about myself until the first full blog post when I explain the purpose of this blog, and all that jazz. I'll be doing all that tomorrow (today? It's after midnight...), and then we'll be rolling!
In the meantime, I have Twitter if you're interested (not that anyone will actually see this blog yet). My handle is @raz0rscythe

I shall be seeing you all soon!*
Chris

*that is a blatant lie, I can't see through my screen. But still.