50 Facts About Me Challenge

So a while back I was tagged by the lovely Keisha and Tanya to do the 50 facts about me challenge. I've been pretty busy recently so I've only just had time to sit down and do it. So here are 50 facts about me, some might be pretty well known whereas others are things that I don't really mention and aren't known by many at all.

1. My full legal name is Alexander James Collwyn Campbell MacKenzie, and I'm not even sure if I've spelt them all right. I go by the name Alex Sykes because part of my family had the name as their maiden name and I think it flows nicer and is a lot easier to pronounce and spell correctly.
2. I'm 5 ft 11 and a lot of the time I wish I was a little shorter. I have weird knees so it's quite difficult sometimes to bend down and grab stuff, despite being very physically fit and good at running I'm awful with anything that involves bending down or squatting.
3. I use music a lot of the time as a way to escape from bad moods and it is true that music is integral in giving happiness. I have a vast amount of music on my iPhone of all genres, and I always have it with me so I can always listen to the music that suits my mood.
4. I have a thing for quite a few celebrities. Beyoncé is an utter babe and I love her as a musician and as a person, I've seen her live before and she was blow away and I would love to go and see her again. Rita Ora is another celebrity who I have the utmost respect for, she's an absolutely lovely person and I think she's absolutely stunning and really cute. Guilty pleasure is Harry Styles as well, I don't really like One Direction's music but I respect them for how far they have come. Harry Styles was born on the same day as me and we're the same height, and he's gorgeous so I like to think I am too because of that, haha!
5. One of my biggest idols and inspirations was Steve Jobs, who founded Apple. Steve Jobs changed the world and went through everything without letting it get the better of him; from companies constantly stealing his ideas and becoming more successful than him for it. Despite all of that Apple has become the most valuable company in the world and is seeing worldwide expansion and massive profit. Even though I didn't know Steve Jobs personally I miss him, he was a modern day genius and it is sad that cancer took him from this world.
6. On that basis I'm a huge Apple fan, not just because of their products but because of their entire company philosophy and ideals. Apple is a company who believes in protecting the environment and its workers. They do a lot in China to try and ensure their workers are looked after, despite the difficulty caused by the poor treatment given by factory management. Apple is also a leader in the field due to the fact they stick to what they develop and do not do the petty and childish thing that Samsung and Microsoft do by bashing the competition at any given basis. Apple invented graphical user interfaces, which is something everyone forgets and gives Microsoft credit for, and Apple invented the modern day smartphone, which is also something that is often forgotten.
7. I'm a buddhist. I found buddhism when I was suffering the worst of my depression (more on that next). I found the teachings of Buddha to be something that I was really interested in, and the ideology of buddhism in general promotes peace and tranquility. Meditation is also something that helps me feel at peace and can remove negative feelings completely and help me have the best sleep ever.
8. I have suffered for as long as I can remember with depression and anxiety. I decided to pluck up the courage and seek support back in 2013, and since then I've come such a long way. It's helped me understand why I have always been terrified of being in public and why I sometimes had suicidal thoughts. From seeking out help over it I am now to this day a sufferer but I do not allow it to get in the way of my life and I find myself feeling a lot more positive on a day to day basis.
9. I have a passion for animals. For as long as I could remember I had a beautiful black and white cat called Fluffs who was always my little angel. She sadly died from lung failure in 2013 and to be honest I have tears in my eyes right now just writing this. I have had my border collie, River, since early 2014 and he has changed my entire families life. He is there for me when I feel upset and comes and cuddles up to me, and he does the cutest things. This has lead to me becoming a volunteer for the Border Collie Trust and on a monthly basis I attend events around the Midlands to raise funding for the beautiful collies that are waiting for their forever home in our kennels.
10. On that basis, since February 2015, I assisted in a business venture by family friend and lead coordinator of volunteers to begin with an expansion plan for a small company called Stan's Pals Ltd. I was appointed as a director when the company became incorporated and I am currently working as a dog walker and developer of our brand new website, which I'm hoping to launch soon.
11. I've always been an overly friendly person, but I'm often misunderstood. I feel happy about myself when I feel as though I have made at least someone feel better on a daily basis. I feel really upset and down if I'm not able to do that, and it's one of my weaknesses. I also become really insulted and hurt if someone says something negative to me when I've done my best to make them feel better about themselves.
12. I struggle to reply to people all the time. I find myself always really busy, even if I'm not doing too much. I was never popular in my schooldays and had only one friend. Now I get a lot of people talking to me on a daily basis as well as quite a few people I class as really good friends. I tend to focus on people I communicate regularly with and then find I don't reply to others until weeks later, which makes me feel bad because I'd hate for people to think I'm ignorant.
13. I'm really conscious about my health. I've been exercising daily for many years, even if it's just something small as walking around aimlessly for half an hour. I'm in pretty good shape but I do have a few times where I feel disgusted in my body, but I think this is due to expectations that I'm trying to rush. I want to have a toned body with a slight six pack and bigger biceps and triceps, but I need to realise I can't just get that overnight and to not belittle the progress I've made already.
14. I have an obsession with having my hair big and unique, I love it when my hair turns out great and I hate it when it gets wet or is flat. I have however been trying to improve my general mood by not having it up and going out with it pushed back or in a beanie.
15. I have had a lot of piercings throughout the years. I've had 3 lobes on both of my ears, had angelbites, snakebites and spider bites  I've also had a smiley piercing that got stuck in food and ripped out when I was eating (ouch!). I've removed most and now only have 5 piercings, but they are my favourite to be honest. I have the left of my nose done, snakebites, and both of my nipples done. I took my 18mm stretcher out a month ago and I already miss it, but I don't want it to be healed and be an ugly hole in the future. It's shrinking nicely now but seeing people with stretchers does make me tempted to put mine back in.
16. I had my first tattoo when I was 19. This was a rather large half sleeve tattoo that was made on the basis of my own design. I absolutely love it, and only wish that I could afford to have my other arm done, and also that it was acceptable by most jobs to have visible tattoos so I could have a whole full sleeve.
17. I have a really embarrassing tattoo on one of my right fingers. Me and my friend did it when we were drunk, and all these years later it is just a faded mess on my finger. I'm hoping to eventually have enough disposable money to have a small hieroglyph or my first name is cyrillic script to cover it, which will still mean it is not visible as it only appears when I take photographs, which is one of the main reasons I am embarrassed by it.
18. I've had a lot of body modifications, but my biggest one had to be my nose job, which I had done in 2012. I was told that I may suffer from body dysmorphia disorder, as I never took any photos without covering my nose, and I constantly felt terrified and like I was being stared at whenever I was out in public and people were standing to my side. I had my nose done by one of the top surgeons in London, and he did an amazing job. People often like to bash cosmetic surgery, but my rhinoplasty not only improved my look, but also helped me develop socially and mentally. I am so happy I took the courage to have such a big thing done, and I now show my face in pride and never feel as though I am being analysed in a negative way by anyone I meet.
19. I love technology and I'm sort of a geek for computers. I built my own computer and have upgraded all the internal parts over the years. When I take the side off my computer I am absolutely fascinated in all the components that make up a computer. I'm also good with software, and I want my chosen career to be in software development and engineering. I want to devote my life to being able to work with code and develop amazing software so I may eventually be recognised by Apple and be employed as an iOS Developer.
20. I am an extremely open minded person. I have a lot of friends from many backgrounds and circumstances. One of my best friends is transgender and I love them to bits, I'm fiercely loyal and become extreme angry when someone tries to belittle them for this. I'm also passionate about equality for men and women; equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons; and also believe that people should not be abused over the religion they follow, as it is only extremists who portray Islam in a bad light.
21. I used to have a drink problem, spending about £30-50 a week on alcohol and getting so drunk I couldn't even walk. I've cut down a hell of a lot over the last year, and although I drink a lot occasionally, I really enjoy drinking exotic soft drinks and alcohol free cocktails. The only time I enjoy drinking is when I'm celebrating and in the company of friends.
22. My diet is really strange. I'm picking up the willpower to cut down on fat intake, but I also avoid lactose in certain products, but love it in others. I transitioned to Soya for my coffee and tea this year and I'm enjoying it a lot more than milk. I also use Lacto-free cheese whenever I have a toasty.
23. I am obsessed with herbal teas and tea in general! I get so excited when I can go into the kitchen and make a tea. Sound so typically British.
24. I really want to join the gym, but I really don't fancy going alone.
25. I bought my first ever car outright in December 2014, and now three months later it is completely different to how it was when I got it! I've done extensive modifications in terms of appearance, so it looks identical to the higher end hot hatch of the year; the Ford Fiesta ST.
26. I'm really enjoy classical music and love to watch and listen to friends who play instruments. I find it a really attractive talent.
27. I like to sing in the car when I'm on my own, and I end up screaming to high note songs and I forget that I usually drive with the driver's window down.
28. I want to be really active, but at times I can be extremely lazy. Sometimes I don't get up until midday, although this is a lot better than in the past when I sometimes slept until late afternoon or early evening.
29. I have a sleep problem, which might account to why I feel so drained often. I always try to get eight hours rest every night, but sometimes I cannot for the life of me get to sleep before 2-3AM and this is usually days when I have to be up at 7AM.
30. I have pretty poor eyesight at times, yet I have 20:20 vision when tested with my contacts in, but I still find myself struggling to make out people if they're not that close to me.
31. When I was a child I decided to try and walk across the kitchen counter, unfortunately I stood on a sheet of paper and cracked my head open on the kitchen floor. I still have some small scars in places around my hair that show.
32. It sounds sad but I treat my iPhone like it is literally my offspring. I treat my iPhone like a child and always buy the best screen protectors for both the front and back of the phone and replace them often. Despite the fact I change iPhone every year I am proud to own one and it is always with me.
33. I love driving and passed my driving test when I was only four months in to being seventeen. I have had two incidents where my car has been damaged, and both of these weren't my fault. I have definitely noticed over the years how careless drivers can be and this has resulted in me adapting better to other people's mistakes.
34. I've been growing my hair for a long time. I used to have it bright red in 2011/2012 and I lost my entire fringe and a lot of the length from the rest of it. It's growing extremely well and I'm happy with the length and volume I can get from it nowadays.
35. I'm a very neutral person in terms of design preference. I absolutely LOVE black and white! For technology I will always buy the darkest option; such as Space Grey with my Apple products, but when it comes to cars and clothing I always choose white. When I designed my room I also had a mix and match of black and white colour schemes, and I feel so comfortable when I'm surrounded by this scheme.
36. I study law at University, but anyone who has known me a while probably wonders why as I have an amazing ability with technology. When I was about ten I used to go on my dad's old CRT Dell system, and I used to amaze him (and annoy!) by the way I ended up modifying Windows system files and writing up code. I'll be completing my Law degree and then jumping straight on to a Computer Science degree for the next three years.
37. My parents were told they were unlikely to ever have children, and that they were becoming too old to have children. They often tell me that I am a miracle child.
38. I've always lived in Swadlincote, but I've travelled a lot through the train network and by car. I've been to a lot more places in the UK when compared to my parents. 
39. My parents took me on many holidays, and I think my first holiday was when I was 1 or 2 and it was to Corfu.
40. My parents own a house in Spain, which I helped them decide on. I haven't been abroad for years though, as I find it stressful to fly and I prefer the quiet time I can get on my own at home.
41. I really like taking selfies when I feel I look nice, but most of the time I end up taking about 50 photos and then only like one or two...
42. I used to have swimming lessons when I was a young child, and I have about 20 badges for different swimming awards. Apparently I'm a really strong swimmer. 
43. I can be so clumsy sometimes, in the past I've left my phone in a supermarket (luckily some kind old lady caught up to me and gave it me), I've driven off with a Costa coffee on my room and reversed to have it splatter down my windscreen, and I've walked into lampposts and glass patio doors because I tend to drift off into my own reality sometimes.
44. I can drink loads of spirits and not even feel remotely drunk, yet if I drink a few glasses of wine or cider it'll hit me within a few minutes!
45. I've spent years making myself comfortable with how I look and the person I am, I used to hate myself and I used to hate how I look. I feel like I've come a long way and I'm extremely happy with the person I am today.
46. I absolutely love candles. If I can have candles on then I will, scented are my favourite! If I have a bath I tend to have a range of different candles with different smells, which most people found overpowering, but I personally find it so tranquil and I feel totally relaxed!
47. I'm really forgiving of people, mainly because I don't like people disliking me or disliking people myself. I'm extremely easygoing and laid back and I want my life to be as stress-free and no conflict as much as possible, however if someone really upsets my family or friends then I can become an absolute bitch and can be violent.
48. I really like family time, as long as it's in moderation. I'm really happy that my family eats around a table on the sofa and we watch a lot of the same programmes. We have a lot of intellectual conversations and my parents are interested in a few things that I am interested in but with different opinions and views, making for heated debated sometimes.
49. I'm extremely romantic, or I would be if I had someone to be romantic with. My idea of a perfect night is cuddling up with someone I really like in bed watching a horror, having cute kisses at unexpected times, going for cute dates to restaurants and the cinema, and just in general being affectionate and feeling like someone truly cares for me. I have close relationships with some of my friends and I enjoy doing these things with them if I know they won't take it in the wrong way.
50. I'm really fussy about grammar and English. I get really annoyed for little reason if I see something small that has a grammatical mistake in, despite the fact my grammar isn't always perfect in itself. I have noticed some mistakes and the use of the wrong 'your/you're' on my university website and I have made complaints in the past.

So there you go, I would tag others to do this, but I don't particularly know anyone else who has a blog and hasn't already done it. I hope whoever reads this at least feels that some of these facts are interesting. Thanks for taking your time to read them!