Dark Garden

Friday, November 14, 2008

BSC workshop today was obsolete. And I can't believe I was late for something I shouldn't even have gone for. On the plus side, I had a great time catching up with Kevin, Ming, Zheng Yi, Cao and all. And this new friend I made called Han Loong! He added me on facebook! I had so much fun today speaking French to him. And him Malay to me! What a lovely toy I toyed with. Although I apologise for the immaturity but simple verbosity it seems wouldn't have gotten his attention. Oh and I showcased YIM Possible! So that's one against Vernon! And I'll be working on another song soon! Tried singing Parle a ma main with Ming but it's just too fast.

Here are my StrengthsQuest results:

Strategic

The Strategic theme is a distinct way of thinking that allows one to seek out the best route among clutter. This perspective allows one to see patterns where most others cannot and constantly plays out potential and alternative scenarios to anticipate whatever obstacles they may face. One then eliminates each undesirable option until the best one remains and then follows it.

*Don't be afraid to be different
*Be creative in your studying
*Do more than is expected
*Seek a leadership role???
*Participate in research
*Search for ways to express your creative thinking
*Work backwards from your goal

Intellection

You like to think. You like mental activity. This need for mental activity may be focused; for example, you may be trying to solve a problem or develop an idea or understand another person’s feelings. The exact focus will depend on your other strengths. On the other hand, this mental activity may very well lack focus. The theme of Intellection does not dictate what you are thinking about; it simply describes that you like to think. You are the kind of person who enjoys your time alone because it is your time for musing and reflection. You are introspective. In a sense you are your own best companion, as you pose yourself questions and try out answers on yourself to see how they sound. This introspection may lead you to a slight sense of discontent as you compare what you are actually doing with all the thoughts and ideas that your mind conceives. Or this introspection may tend toward more pragmatic matters such as the events of the day or a conversation that you plan to have later. Wherever it leads you, this mental hum is one of the constants of your life.

*Take Philosophy, Literature or Psychology
*Schedule time for thinking
*Keep a journal and write REGULARLY
*Talk to people with same interests
*Research subjects that intrigue me
*Read and collect books that interest you
*Study to understand and learn, NOT MEMORISE
*Think and plan before an assignment

Input

You are inquisitive. You collect things. You might collect information—words, facts, books, and quotations—or you might collect tangible objects such as butterflies, baseball cards, porcelain dolls, or sepia photographs. Whatever you collect, you collect it because it interests you. And yours is the kind of mind that finds so many things interesting. The world is exciting precisely because of its infinite variety and complexity. If you read a great deal, it is not necessarily to refine your theories but, rather, to add more information to your archives. If you like to travel, it is because each new location offers novel artifacts and facts. These can be acquired and then stored away. Why are they worth storing? At the time of storing it is often hard to say exactly when or why you might need them, but who knows when they might become useful? With all those possible uses in mind, you really don’t feel comfortable throwing anything away. So you keep acquiring and compiling and filing stuff away. It’s interesting. It keeps your mind fresh. And perhaps one day some of it will prove valuable.

*Devise a system for storing and easily locating the information you gather
*Save notes to create a personal library
*Schedule time looking up information that goes beyond classes
*Prioritise the most critical information to study
*Collect as much information as you can about your interests
*Select classes that broaden your general knowledge base

Individualisation

Your Individualization theme leads you to be intrigued by the unique qualities of each person. You are impatient with generalizations or “types” because you don’t want to obscure what is special and distinct about each person. Instead, you focus on the differences between individuals. You instinctively observe each person’s style, each person’s motivation, how each thinks, and how each builds relationships. Because you are such a keen observer of other people’s strengths, you can draw out the best in each person. This Individualization theme also helps you build productive teams. While some search around for the perfect team “structure” or “process,” you know instinctively that the secret to great teams is casting by individual strengths so that everyone can do a lot of what they do well.

*Read about people
*Take note of how authors set up uniqueness of different characters when reading
*Constantly observe people around
*Keep a journal about specific observations of people
*Establish study groups with people with a wide range of talents and perspectives

Ideation

You are fascinated by ideas. What is an idea? An idea is a concept, the best explanation of the most events. You are delighted when you discover beneath the complex surface an elegantly simple concept to explain why things are the way they are. An idea is a connection. Yours is the kind of mind that is always looking for connections, and so you are intrigued when seemingly disparate phenomena can be linked by an obscure connection. An idea is a new perspective on familiar challenges. You revel in taking the world we all know and turning it around so we can view it from a strange but strangely enlightening angle. You love all these ideas because they are profound, because they are novel, because they are clarifying, because they are contrary, because they are bizarre. For all these reasons you derive a jolt of energy whenever a new idea occurs to you. Others may label you creative or original or conceptual or even smart. Perhaps you are all of these. Who can be sure? What you are sure of is that ideas are thrilling. And on most days this is enough.

*Role in a group is to brainstorm and explore new possibilities
*Keep an "idea journal"
*Find a partner who would enjoy implementing your ideas
*Avoid environments with routine
*Surround yourself with friends that listen as well as probe
*Choose creative projects rather than just exams and papers

*

I'd say I've quite a healthy mix. Which means I'm missing the other more...sociable qualities. And the important one Focus. Empathy...Restorative...Harmony. I'm missing all these abstract qualities and having these 5 rather technical themes. Can't say it's bad though.

He's right. Just because I'm around different people doesn't mean I'm a different person. Perhaps the accent...Or even the mannerisms. But...I won't truly laugh at something I don't find funny...

And the question he posed still haunts me.

I may just go insane with the obsession about the answer.

Dark Memories[10:51 PM]

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