Pkchukiss — Life after NS

Moved - Again

2006-03-23T21:53:00.000+08:00

Sorry to disturb the merry-blogging with a rift in the party, but this blog is moving: again!

http://pkchukiss.sgblogging.com

I still remember my very first blog at tBlog. I later shifted to Blogger because tBlog was getting all annoying with its troubles. Then because I am going to ORD, I started a new blog. Now that Blogger is always suffering from technical problems, I have decided to take the plunge and go with a paid hosting solution!

So, if you guys want to take the plunge too (US$29.40 for the first year if you follow this link and select the basic plan for one year), follow the blue brick road and enter "PIKAPI" as your promo code!

Infantry Scout

2006-03-21T22:57:00.000+08:00

I was quite amazed to find the days fleeting past so quickly! The computer clock shows that it is Tuesday right now, but when I check it again, it surely will show Tuesday again (next week, I mean). Time sort of creeps up on me now that I am having fun at home.

The flab is coming back with a vengance, I am sure of it. Not only does it look more menacing than it ever did, I can't really sit down in a chair comfortably without the announcement of it's presence. And my trip to the swimming pool today actually made me doubt if I am actually actually the "elite of the battalion". I am sure you would be if your belly did heaved a jiggle right when you took off your shirt in the public changing room.

So I went on a binge: an obsession with clocking laps. I swam continuously for more than 16 rounds, which made me quite tired, like a dog running on a treadmill for hours.

So, a dog is a scout? Or are scouts dogs? (Check out results 3 to 8)

By the way, result number 2 does not look very reassuring to me...

Guess who this is?

2006-03-20T17:06:00.000+08:00

If any of you pedophiles would like to contact the boy in those pictures, you may e-mail the address over at the side-bar.

Multi-level Marketing — Part II

2006-03-09T20:44:00.000+08:00

Everyday, I see more and more friends joining multi-level marketing companies without getting a full picture of what these "opportunities" usually entail. I don't claim to be more knowledgeable about this than others, but having actually joined a MLM (that's where my $200 went, as mentioned in the other post), I got a first-hand insight into their tactics.

When you first join the company, the pressure would be upon you to purchase a set. They don't physically pressurise you, but through the talk (complete with plain A4 paper and pen), they would imply the disadvantages of not investing in at least one piece of the product, and using it for yourself.

They seemed to adjust their marketing pitch to your personality. I cannot vouch for this observation, since I did not stay there for long enough to see everything but the recruitment/marketing process. In my case, they told me that all the uplines in the company did purchase a set of the products themselves, regardless of whether they could afford it. It was brutally effective that I forgot about my mother's (and universal law of money) advice: Never spend more than you can afford to, even if it were for investment, never ever go into debt because of it!

Later, one of the uplines sat down with me, and explained to me the different markets for products. There are the hot, warm and cold markets. Cold markets are people that you don't already know yet, warm markets are people who you have gotten into contact with before. And finally, we have the hot market, which as you smart readers would already have realised, are your close friends and relatives.

(Right now, as I am writing this, I have absolutely no idea whether this should be a comfort, or something for me to worry about. Is this a popularity contest here?)

For first timers, you are expected to write down a list of all your contacts, along with their phone numbers, details about their family members, whether they are susceptible to marketing, their personality, salary, and address. From there, your upline would analyse together with you the first targets. From there, you would do either direct marketing (selling to your relatives/friends who can directly afford the product), or recruitment (getting people to join the company under you).

Recruitment is basically initiated from the phone. You pick up the phone, dial your friend/relative's number, and ask them out for lunch. (Hmm... How did that sound so familiar?) During this phone call, you are not allowed to mentioned "MLM, network marketing, opportunity, or anything related." For now, all you are supposed to do is to get the target out for lunch "whether you have to lie to him, or something", one of the senior uplines told me. Surprisingly, right on my first call, my friend called my bluff.

"Eh, you asking me out for lunch. Does it have anything to do with MLM or something?"

"(after a few seconds pause)... NO! Absolutely not! What makes you think that I am involved in MLM?"

"Hmm... Please don't blame me, I have a few friends who I haven't talked to for a long time, and when they all asked me out for lunch, it turned out to be a MLM. I have no interest in it, and I really hope that you are not lying to me."

That set off a trigger. I was about to lie to my friend just so that I could get him down to have lunch with me? I was at the risk of ignoring my conscience! In addition to that, I had not really thought through my feelings: was I interested in doing this in the first place? I remember being bombarded by images and stories of success, money, and cars; so much so that I had not really thought of my interest: Did I really want this to be my vehicle to success? My interest is in an online business, and not this! That tortured me, and I finished the call, extremely shaky.

At this point, I want to point out that MLM is a viable venture. You believe that you can earn money/get rich, but what is important is that you go in with your eyes wide open, especially to the many risks and pitfalls. I realised that my personal values do not align with those of MLM, (perhaps even marketing itself) and that this is probably a mistake making my decision to join purely based on their pitch alone. I don't like having to lie to friends, nor do I like earning money from my friends/relatives through using such tactics.

In short? I don't like the sound of this.

In the end, I bailed out of their program, without giving them any prior notice. After all, they cannot blame me for dodging them, after all the dodgy tactics they have used on me. I stopped answering their calls, promised myself to not join a MLM program again.

Therefore, to all my dear friends out there, if you ever have me in your mind the moment you are asked to do recruitment, I really thank you for remembering me. I understand your sincerity in wanting to show me your opportunity, but after my own personal analysis, I have realised that MLM is not for me, no matter how much it is "the next big thing". I know that your uplines/mentors would ask you to invite me out anyway (that's what mine told me, just before calling a friend who was openly against MLM), but no thanks. Between money and friends, I would choose the latter.

Can Our Young people survive in World War II?

2006-03-02T20:22:00.000+08:00

A small storm is brewing in one of the forum boards that I participate actively in.

One member asked if the young people of our generation are able to survive if everyone were retro-teleported to the war-torn years of 1940s.

Interesting question in itself, and something that I am sure even you have a speculation upon.

First thing first, I am really grateful that we are living in relative peace — though we can see from all the news coverage that there remains enclaves of violence and unrest in countries around the world. Naturally, living in an oasis of peace, we can't really feel the pain and suffering of those who remain trapped in the vicious cycles of peaceless living. That's a short-fall that community involvement projects aim to fill.

But that aside, unrest is something that isn't very conducive for people to live in. You cannot be exactly be concentrating on your work in school when you have missiles flying about above your head — and gravity sparing, be grateful that you can even walk a decent distance from your house before being searched by soldiers manning checkpoints.

Anyway, if we were unfortunate enough to be teleported back into 1940s, I am sure that most of the current generation in their teens right now won't survive beyond the first hour. And this has nothing to do with being in the middle of the war.

Imagine living in a world without cellphone coverage, mediocre television set quality, no Internet, absolutely no Playstation or X-Box. A few of my friends have told me that they won't want to live if they can't have their endownments from the technology gods, so that makes 75% of the young generation wiped out.

But on the other hand, we have the young trailblazers: these people are the hidden dragons of the society, rising up to the occassion when situation dictates. Normally, they would lie dormant, quietly going about their daily activities. But when the need arises, just like how the great heroes of that generation were, these people would rise up to the challenge, and lead the charge for peace.

So, can our young people survive in world war 2? Let's just say that we'll perform ok.

The RJC Controversy, a few years down the road

2006-03-02T19:12:00.000+08:00

While going through my old hard disk, I came across one file that many years ago, hit the front pages of the newspapers in Singapore. Ever heard of the RJC GP teacher who publicly reprimanded her student in class? Here is the video again:

View RJC video taken secretly by a student.

When I opened the video file again, I was amazed by my neutral response to it: perhaps all my energy was expended then, in all the furious postings on local online forums?

What about you? Do you still remember this video? What were your feelings and thoughts then?

Network Marketing in Singapore

2006-02-26T13:11:00.000+08:00

This is an unusually long post, because I have spent a long time, $200, and nearly my friends investigating this phenomenon.

There is a worry disturbing my thoughts, and it is not just about money.

Network marketing place themselves as a money-making venture that allows one to "own a business" with relatively low start-up costs. These companies can be selling products ranging from plain tupperware, to expensive massagers. Their business models are all common: to get as many people to join in as distributors, thereby expanding the company's reach and influence through the word of mouth, saving immensely on the costs of traditional advertisement.

I am not against network marketing per se, but I would like to draw any potential wannabe's attention to some important details, that you might have overlooked, and to caution you that a decision to enter network marketing is not one to be made lightly, unlike getting a job.

Over time, as I was in my youth, my friends have asked me to go to no less than 3 different network marketing opportunities. The very first time was during my post-secondary school days. My best buddy called me one day, and asked if I was interested in taking a tour of his company. I was intrigued, since he had not mentioned anything to me earlier (not even to your best friend?), so I agreed.

Dressing in my most indecent (t-shirt, shorts and an extremely run-down pair of sandals, to be exact), I strolled among the massive crowd waiting for the out-ward bound trains to get home. 6 pm, to be exact, and he promised me to have dinner together after he was done with his stuff. Minutes later, he appeared, and we chatted normally, complete with the horseplay and all, until we reached a small entrance in the middle of a long row of refurbished shop-houses.

"This is it," he said, and we entered.

I felt very naked to see many people milling about dressed in ties and long-sleeved shirt, some even complete with jackets. The air-conditioning seemed to have been conditioned to enable them to work with so many layers of clothing, which I really doubt would be their attire if they stepped out of the place, which looks a little bit of a facade. I squirmed (dumb decision not to wear jeans and shoes) and shivered in the artic air.

After chatting with my friend for a while, one of the extremely over-dressed guys came over to us and introduced himself:

"Hi, I am XXX's mentor. Do you know why you are here?"

Completely in the dark, I shook my head, completely dumb-founded.

First, he talked about the weather, how humid it was, and that he could not really take the heat. I shivered in response.

Next, he took out a stack of plain paper, and began to draw on it.

"So, pkchukiss, what do you wish to achieve ten years from now?"

"Erm.. World peace?"

"Ok... World peace, and?"

"Start a business of my own..."

"A business?"

"Yeah."

"Selling what?"

"I don't know. As far as I know, this is still too early to think about what to sell."

"How about money? Do you like money?"

"No."

"You don't like money?"

"No."

"But you use money, right?"

"Yes."

"So you still need money right?"

"I guess you can say that.."

"How about some financial goals?"

"Financial goals, like what kind of stuff you would like to have within the next 5 years?"

"Maybe a small car, and some money."

"How much?"

"Just some savings."

"How much?" (Alright, that sounds pushy, and being the obstinate Ox in the chinese zodiac, Leo sign and Taurus sun sign, I dug in. Funny how much trust I place in unsubstantiated predictions by star-gazers, eh?)

"Tell you for what?"

"So that we can plan your financial goals."

"I don't want to."

"But you will still need it?"

"Not with you."

"Why? I am XXX's friend, and we want to help you!"

I stared back at him.

"Ok, I'll go over the proposal, and you'll see why it is important to plan your financial goals, ok?"

And he went through his speech, which was as standard as what the other 2 companies that came later put me through.

In case you are mistaken: no, network marketing is not something that cannot be done. Indeed, the model of network marketing stemmed from the earlier days, where housewives gather together to share useful products to improve their lives. Companies capitalised on these "auntie gatherings", and enabled these ladies of the house-hold to earn some extra money in their spare time.

The model still survives in some form today. However, it has undergone some additions: the pyramid scheme.

We all know that pyramidal schemes are illegal. They rob from those who enter the scheme late, and those at the very tip get enriched like a reverse funnel, channelling money from the late-comers into their neat little pockets.

The new network marketing companies are those that infuse both elements into their model, which tends to fudge the reality between truth and fiction. Some of them escape the ban on pyramid schemes by proclaiming them to be multi-level marketing companies, which has only recently been made legal.

All of them promise visions of wealth, and buckets of money. They draw you diagrams of money growing exponentially with more downlines (people who you join under you).

It isn't all a lie. What they proposed do actually come true — if you ever reach those levels they tell you, which if looking at those university students struggling is any indication, is going to take some really lot of work. However, looking at what you stand to lose in the process, many people falter, and fall out of the schemes, which in turn leads to free money for those companies.

What do you stand to lose?

Relationship: Your friends and relatives' trust.

As a network marketer, you fudge the truth to get them down to the company to hear their pitch, sometimes even to the extent of lying. This isn't really good for the relationship between both of you.

You will also be using tactics to manipulate, and target your own friends and relatives, to bring them closer to closing the deal. Your mentor might also resort to lying to create false impressions to incentivise you to join the company, which is rather pretentious.

The end result: Your friends avoid you like plaque after your sales pitch. Sure, you meet new friends over at the company, but do you really regard them as friends, or fellow opportunity grabbers? Consider: would you trust a group of people who lie to their own relatives and friends to be there for you when you are down and out?
You will end up spending your spare time at the company, pulling in new recruits. You will create a profile of all your contacts, classifying them into whether they are susceptible to influence (easy to close), or rich (a better target to close the sale). Then you call your prospects, with an excuse of "visiting them". That is, if you can bear saying that excuse, with your product demo and brochure in the sales kit in your hand.
You end up putting money up-front: of what use is a sales pitch if you cannot be a personal testimonial to the product's effectiveness? You would have to buy one set yourself, which depending on the product, could cost you from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. If your mentor (upline) pays for you, that makes you even more indebted to him, and be obliged to work in the company, even if you sincerely are not interested.

I still remember how I still joined one scheme even though I was not interested in doing network marketing. These companies try to make you think that you have to do it, even if you hate the idea. They encourage you to try it out.

The bottom line is, humans don't last doing things they dislike. If you won't even be interested in the project, why waste effort, time, money on something that hurts your personal relationship with others? Its obvious that these companies don't sincerely have your interests at heart when they insist that you join them. The adage still rings true: Follow your passion, and the rest will take care of itself. I dare say BadAunt is a really good example: her passion is in teaching, and now she leads a far happier life than if she were doing what she actually disliked. Isn't it true?

Religious Caricatures, and Freedom of Expression

2006-02-11T21:23:00.000+08:00

Indeed, the recent caricatures of the Muslim icon have raised heckles around the world, both in the Islamic world, and in the countries that do have true freedom of speech.

As this commentary provided by a local newspaper in Singapore shows, the world is actually far from being tolerant to criticisms and being made fun of. It is a classical situation: If someone writes an article that puts a particular religion under the harsh glare of the spotlight, surely its angry supporters would go all out in arms to put down the author.

But where do we actually draw the line? A thin thread separates satire, and being defamatory; of which individuals themselves are split accordance to their actual tolerance levels. Some might be able to laugh along with a piece on the cliches of their own life, but to others, it is a sacred line, which when crossed, would mean war.

For now, let's just say that Islam as a religion, is inherently less tolerant to dissent, and satire. See how Malays who have renounced Islam in Malaysia find themselves still subjected to an Islamic funeral even after their deaths, and it is apparent that the cartoon isn't going to go down well with the devout Islamic countries around the world.

And Islam is not alone in the field of intolerance. Christianity, and Catholicism are examples of religion that are intolerant towards dissent. For example, Christians believe that non-believers in Jesus would all eventually burn in hell. Extremist strains of Buddhist followers even resort to militancy to impose their laws upon unwilling followers. (Note: I raise these examples not as a criticism of any religion in particular; but to illustrate the current status of the world.)

On the other side, we have people who believe strongly in the freedom of speech, and in the absolute right in expressing them, regardless of the feelings of others. While this is desirable in itself, in no way does the use/abuse of this right serve the world, unless we exercise self-restraint in our words. Yet we see people engaging in hate speech, writing disparaging comments on others, just because "they can".

Of course, the world could choose to side with either one: impose laws similar to that found in Singapore to make religious criticisms illegal, or a compulsory freedom of speech clause to allow people to speak their minds.

But would either way work? I seriously doubt so.

Crippling free speech in any way will most definitely handicap the openness of any given country. Where this is applicable, it is almost inevitable that this same country would find it easier to implement more controls over people's freedom. Like what most law systems go, this is a classic case of a "landmark ruling". Since lawmakers claim to act for the good of the people, they can make the most ridiculous claims, yet pass the muster of scrutiny. Already, the US of A is slipping into this dangerous "Singaporean-ism", with George W. Bush's trumpeting of blatant privacy invasion measures, without proper check and balances.

On the other hand, allowing the freedom of speech would only embolden the outspoken antagonists — people who are out against a certain religion to carry out a legalised hate campaign, to the extreme disadvantage of the victimised.

The bottom line is that nobody has a good answer for the delicate balance between allowing people to speak their mind freely, and maintaining the dignity of religion free from criticism. The solution is for the people themselves to exercise their right to expression with the justification of promoting harmony between different groups. This means determining when something is definitely purely offensive, and avoiding it, and reserving criticisms for constructive ones.

Given the fact that we keep reading about Islamic suicide bombers running rampant in the world, if you ask me whether the Danish cartoon is justified, I would most definitely say: yes. The caricature illustrates the irony of the Islamic majority — slow to condemn their extremist brethren, yet swift in hammering outsider opinion.

Technorati Tags: Jyllands-Posten, Caricatures

Being nice versus standing up for yourself

2006-02-05T20:59:00.000+08:00

Once upon a time, we were all little babies, with little awareness of the world, except the small confines of our comfortable cots, along with that comforting pillow, or soft toy (more or less, depending on your tendency to stuff your face in them).

... And babies we were. We didn't mince our vocals whenever we needed something.

Food: cry.
Wet diapers/soiled them for the umpteenth time of the day: cry.
Felt burping: cry.
Felt hot: cry.
Felt like crying: ... (you get the idea.)

Basically, our lives revolved around demanding for our caregivers to satisfy our little demands (need I add that we did it without even letting them know specifically what's wrong?).

But as we grow up, our parents instill in us the need to be considerate for others in our thoughts and actions: so much so that over time, some of us develop such a knack for caring about others that we sometimes forget to look out for ourselves.

Don't be mistaken: the world is largely a selfish place, composed of entire industries committed to catering to the big "I"; yet there exist people who are almost permanent "agreeables" — people who don't seem to get angry no matter how hard you try to irritate or insult.

These people are the "nice" people.

Nice people are not necessarily without their own needs: They still have their own worries to conquer; their own needs to satisfy. Yet, through some choice of theirs, they decide to put other people's interests above theirs.

The reasons may vary wildly: Some might feel that they are undeserving of fulfilling their own interests; others might be extremely eager to please others (and in so, sacrifice their own personal character). But one trait identifies them all: they are nice, perhaps all too nice.

I consider myself to be a nice person: for some reason, I tend to put people's worries above mine; and probably for this reason, I am a perpetual "Yes" man, changing my conversations with different people as I meet them.

I have my own opinions: but I don't really voice them out once I realise that the other party holds the exact opposite opinion: whether that is an expression for the loathe of conflict, or simply just a matter of the lack of confidence in my opinion, I have yet to find out. But being too nice is already costing me a lot in terms of my mental health.

I am tired of people tramping on top of me; making decisions in mutual projects without discussion. While I am agreeable to most proposals, even if it runs contrary to my original thread of thought, that doesn't mean that anybody should run over my top and make decisions without consulting me.

To put it nicely (yes, "nice" again), it isn't really respectful to me as an individual.

I have not brought the matter to my project mates' attentions yet, but I really hope that this blog post hits them before I actually get around to doing so; for in my "niceity", I find it really tough to put this across to them without hurting their feelings.

Yet this cannot be put off for much too longer: each time the matter is aggrieved, the discomfort builds up; and nothing can stand being built up for long. The pent up pressure can only accumulate, and when the container fails:... we all know what happens.

That has already happened to me and my platoon mates on our first trip to Taiwan. As they can testify, I did something really outside my normal behaviour; and in doing so, shocked some people who really thought that I could actually "keep it all in".

On the bright side, I came across a book written specially for "nice" people. The author wrote about how nice people put off communicating with others their feelings, and in so, are accomplices in perpetuating actions that irritate themselves. Meanwhile, the aggressor goes along, merrily blessed in his ignorance to continue his actions: until the aggrieved explodes, in a gory-filled confrontation.

Looks like I have got some conversations to hold.

Shin Splint

2006-02-04T13:33:00.000+08:00

Finally, after having to bear with the dull pain in my shins for more than 3 months, the x-ray finally revealed the true cause of my suffering: Shin Splint, known in the medical community as medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS).

This is characterised by a pain that develops when you start running, disappear for a while when you are running, and then comes back with a vengence after you finish running.

Here are some more additional details on shin splints.

The MO has given me 1 month's excuse from physical training; hopefully the stress will heal by itself.

Meanwhile, my body is busy merging the muscles into the one giant lump that it once was.

Chinese New Year

2006-01-30T00:46:00.000+08:00

Do you get the feeling that Chinese New Year has turned into some sort of a meaningless gathering for relatives to drop by, run through the motions of asking after each other (sometimes with such lack of interest that it makes the entire exercise an oxymoron, if not an outright farce)?

I didn't notice it the previous year or so, but these few Chinese New Years, I've noticed the glaring hole amongst the polite conversation: cousins who say "Hi", and remain silent for the rest of the entire visit.

The silence made me uncomfortable, and I decided to put some of the shows that I downloaded from the Internet on to kill the discomfort (terrestrial television at this time of the year is so dull, it just exacberates the scary silence).

The laughter that results is a welcome relief, though I know that it is one of the worst kind of ice-breakers ever available. Anything that breaks the monotony would work fine. Plus, it gave me a chance to put my new computer through its paces.

But have we all drifted so far apart from each other that possibly, the only glue holding the entire visit up is my dear grandmother, who happens to be living with us.

I still remember being the second youngest along Father's side of the family (Brother is the youngest). I remember having sustained conversations with my aunts and uncles.

Come to think of it, all went downhill the year I got my very first computer...

Happy Chinese New Year

2006-01-29T10:12:00.000+08:00

To everyone out there, I wish you a Happy Chinese New Year!

How do you intend to do your visit rounds? (That sounds so doctor-like.)

Talking about Sleep again...

2006-01-22T00:51:00.000+08:00

Heeding Badaunt's admonishments to humbly associate my vulnerable physical body with adequate rest, I have come to a very logical conclusion that to wake up at 10 am among the bright sun would enable me to sleep at 1 am in the morning, and get 9 hours of sleep sandwiched in between.

"Absolute rubbish," my mother chided after listening to my reasoning.

She believes that the body should be resting through the crucial times of 11 pm to 2 am, because that is when the body is actively going through self-renewal. Miss that timing, and you will find yourself with less energy.

Both of them have valid points. The human body certainly can't go without sufficient sleep, and the quality of sleep impacts upon the important operations of our body during the day. The results of 1 am retirement are shocking. I have rarely appetite for breakfast, compared to in the past of forced sleep regimentation in camp where we have to be knocked out by 10.30 pm.

One of my collegues in my office told me something about reduced insulin production if we were to skip meals. So, now I try not to skip breakfast: my father is slightly diabetic, and that makes it down as a family history. I am at risk.

For my sake, my beloved mother has came out of her bedroom to urge me to retire. Finally, I shall take her advice after taking so long to understand her.

IPIP-NEO Personality test

2006-01-22T00:42:00.000+08:00

I find the below report an rather accurate description about my personality. Perhaps it is due to the large number of questions that the test poses to remove the posibility of cheating?

This report compares pkchukiss from the country Singapore to other men of traditional college age. (The name used in this report is either a nickname chosen by the person taking the test, or, if a valid nickname was not chosen, a random nickname generated by the program.)

This report estimates the individual's level on each of the five broad personality domains of the Five-Factor Model. The description of each one of the five broad domains is followed by a more detailed description of personality according to the six subdomains that comprise each domain.

A note on terminology. Personality traits describe, relative to other people, the frequency or intensity of a person's feelings, thoughts, or behaviors. Possession of a trait is therefore a matter of degree. We might describe two individuals as extraverts, but still see one as more extraverted than the other. This report uses expressions such as "extravert" or "high in extraversion" to describe someone who is likely to be seen by others as relatively extraverted. The computer program that generates this report classifies you as low, average, or high in a trait according to whether your score is approximately in the lowest 30%, middle 40%, or highest 30% of scores obtained by people of your sex and roughly your age. Your numerical scores are reported and graphed as percentile estimates. For example, a score of "60" means that your level on that trait is estimated to be higher than 60% of persons of your sex and age.

Please keep in mind that "low," "average," and "high" scores on a personality test are neither absolutely good nor bad. A particular level on any trait will probably be neutral or irrelevant for a great many activites, be helpful for accomplishing some things, and detrimental for accomplishing other things. As with any personality inventory, scores and descriptions can only approximate an individual's actual personality. High and low score descriptions are usually accurate, but average scores close to the low or high boundaries might misclassify you as only average. On each set of six subdomain scales it is somewhat uncommon but certainly possible to score high in some of the subdomains and low in the others. In such cases more attention should be paid to the subdomain scores than to the broad domain score. Questions about the accuracy of your results are best resolved by showing your report to people who know you well.

John A. Johnson wrote descriptions of the five domains and thirty subdomains. These descriptions are based on an extensive reading of the scientific literature on personality measurement.

Extraversion

Extraversion is marked by pronounced engagement with the external world. Extraverts enjoy being with people, are full of energy, and often experience positive emotions. They tend to be enthusiastic, action-oriented, individuals who are likely to say "Yes!" or "Let's go!" to opportunities for excitement. In groups they like to talk, assert themselves, and draw attention to themselves.

Introverts lack the exuberance, energy, and activity levels of extraverts. They tend to be quiet, low-key, deliberate, and disengaged from the social world. Their lack of social involvement should not be interpreted as shyness or depression; the introvert simply needs less stimulation than an extravert and prefers to be alone. The independence and reserve of the introvert is sometimes mistaken as unfriendliness or arrogance. In reality, an introvert who scores high on the agreeableness dimension will not seek others out but will be quite pleasant when approached.

Domain/Facet........... Score
EXTRAVERSION...............73
..Friendliness.............63
..Gregariousness...........77
..Assertiveness............35
..Activity Level...........58
..Excitement-Seeking.......75
..Cheerfulness.............87

Your score on Extraversion is high, indicating you are sociable, outgoing, energetic, and lively. You prefer to be around people much of the time.

Extraversion Facets

• Friendliness. Friendly people genuinely like other people and openly demonstrate positive feelings toward others. They make friends quickly and it is easy for them to form close, intimate relationships. Low scorers on Friendliness are not necessarily cold and hostile, but they do not reach out to others and are perceived as distant and reserved. Your level of friendliness is average.

• Gregariousness. Gregarious people find the company of others pleasantly stimulating and rewarding. They enjoy the excitement of crowds. Low scorers tend to feel overwhelmed by, and therefore actively avoid, large crowds. They do not necessarily dislike being with people sometimes, but their need for privacy and time to themselves is much greater than for individuals who score high on this scale. Your level of gregariousness is high.

• Assertiveness. High scorers Assertiveness like to speak out, take charge, and direct the activities of others. They tend to be leaders in groups. Low scorers tend not to talk much and let others control the activities of groups. Your level of assertiveness is average.

• Activity Level. Active individuals lead fast-paced, busy lives. They move about quickly, energetically, and vigorously, and they are involved in many activities. People who score low on this scale follow a slower and more leisurely, relaxed pace. Your activity level is average.

• Excitement-Seeking. High scorers on this scale are easily bored without high levels of stimulation. They love bright lights and hustle and bustle. They are likely to take risks and seek thrills. Low scorers are overwhelmed by noise and commotion and are adverse to thrill-seeking. Your level of excitement-seeking is high.

• Cheerfulness. This scale measures positive mood and feelings, not negative emotions (which are a part of the Neuroticism domain). Persons who score high on this scale typically experience a range of positive feelings, including happiness, enthusiasm, optimism, and joy. Low scorers are not as prone to such energetic, high spirits. Your level of positive emotions is high.

Agreeableness

Agreeableness reflects individual differences in concern with cooperation and social harmony. Agreeable individuals value getting along with others. They are therefore considerate, friendly, generous, helpful, and willing to compromise their interests with others'. Agreeable people also have an optimistic view of human nature. They believe people are basically honest, decent, and trustworthy.

Disagreeable individuals place self-interest above getting along with others. They are generally unconcerned with others' well-being, and therefore are unlikely to extend themselves for other people. Sometimes their skepticism about others' motives causes them to be suspicious, unfriendly, and uncooperative.

Agreeableness is obviously advantageous for attaining and maintaining popularity. Agreeable people are better liked than disagreeable people. On the other hand, agreeableness is not useful in situations that require tough or absolute objective decisions. Disagreeable people can make excellent scientists, critics, or soldiers.

Domain/Facet........... Score
AGREEABLENESS..............82
..Trust....................89
..Morality.................56
..Altruism.................86
..Cooperation..............82
..Modesty..................49
..Sympathy.................65

Your high level of Agreeableness indicates a strong interest in others' needs and well-being. You are pleasant, sympathetic, and cooperative.

Agreeableness Facets

• Trust. A person with high trust assumes that most people are fair, honest, and have good intentions. Persons low in trust see others as selfish, devious, and potentially dangerous. Your level of trust is high.

• Morality. High scorers on this scale see no need for pretense or manipulation when dealing with others and are therefore candid, frank, and sincere. Low scorers believe that a certain amount of deception in social relationships is necessary. People find it relatively easy to relate to the straightforward high-scorers on this scale. They generally find it more difficult to relate to the unstraightforward low-scorers on this scale. It should be made clear that low scorers are not unprincipled or immoral; they are simply more guarded and less willing to openly reveal the whole truth. Your level of morality is average.

• Altruism. Altruistic people find helping other people genuinely rewarding. Consequently, they are generally willing to assist those who are in need. Altruistic people find that doing things for others is a form of self-fulfillment rather than self-sacrifice. Low scorers on this scale do not particularly like helping those in need. Requests for help feel like an imposition rather than an opportunity for self-fulfillment. Your level of altruism is high.

• Cooperation. Individuals who score high on this scale dislike confrontations. They are perfectly willing to compromise or to deny their own needs in order to get along with others. Those who score low on this scale are more likely to intimidate others to get their way. Your level of compliance is high.

• Modesty. High scorers on this scale do not like to claim that they are better than other people. In some cases this attitude may derive from low self-confidence or self-esteem. Nonetheless, some people with high self-esteem find immodesty unseemly. Those who are willing to describe themselves as superior tend to be seen as disagreeably arrogant by other people. Your level of modesty is average.

• Sympathy. People who score high on this scale are tenderhearted and compassionate. They feel the pain of others vicariously and are easily moved to pity. Low scorers are not affected strongly by human suffering. They pride themselves on making objective judgments based on reason. They are more concerned with truth and impartial justice than with mercy. Your level of tender-mindedness is average.

Conscientiousness

Conscientiousness concerns the way in which we control, regulate, and direct our impulses. Impulses are not inherently bad; occasionally time constraints require a snap decision, and acting on our first impulse can be an effective response. Also, in times of play rather than work, acting spontaneously and impulsively can be fun. Impulsive individuals can be seen by others as colorful, fun-to-be-with, and zany.

Nonetheless, acting on impulse can lead to trouble in a number of ways. Some impulses are antisocial. Uncontrolled antisocial acts not only harm other members of society, but also can result in retribution toward the perpetrator of such impulsive acts. Another problem with impulsive acts is that they often produce immediate rewards but undesirable, long-term consequences. Examples include excessive socializing that leads to being fired from one's job, hurling an insult that causes the breakup of an important relationship, or using pleasure-inducing drugs that eventually destroy one's health.

Impulsive behavior, even when not seriously destructive, diminishes a person's effectiveness in significant ways. Acting impulsively disallows contemplating alternative courses of action, some of which would have been wiser than the impulsive choice. Impulsivity also sidetracks people during projects that require organized sequences of steps or stages. Accomplishments of an impulsive person are therefore small, scattered, and inconsistent.

A hallmark of intelligence, what potentially separates human beings from earlier life forms, is the ability to think about future consequences before acting on an impulse. Intelligent activity involves contemplation of long-range goals, organizing and planning routes to these goals, and persisting toward one's goals in the face of short-lived impulses to the contrary. The idea that intelligence involves impulse control is nicely captured by the term prudence, an alternative label for the Conscientiousness domain. Prudent means both wise and cautious. Persons who score high on the Conscientiousness scale are, in fact, perceived by others as intelligent.

The benefits of high conscientiousness are obvious. Conscientious individuals avoid trouble and achieve high levels of success through purposeful planning and persistence. They are also positively regarded by others as intelligent and reliable. On the negative side, they can be compulsive perfectionists and workaholics. Furthermore, extremely conscientious individuals might be regarded as stuffy and boring. Unconscientious people may be criticized for their unreliability, lack of ambition, and failure to stay within the lines, but they will experience many short-lived pleasures and they will never be called stuffy.

Domain/Facet........... Score
CONSCIENTIOUSNESS..........83
..Self-Efficacy............72
..Orderliness..............52
..Dutifulness..............78
..Achievement-Striving.....93
..Self-Discipline..........85
..Cautiousness.............60

Your score on Conscientiousness is high. This means you set clear goals and pursue them with determination. People regard you as reliable and hard-working.

Conscientiousness Facets

• Self-Efficacy. Self-Efficacy describes confidence in one's ability to accomplish things. High scorers believe they have the intelligence (common sense), drive, and self-control necessary for achieving success. Low scorers do not feel effective, and may have a sense that they are not in control of their lives. Your level of self-efficacy is high.

• Orderliness. Persons with high scores on orderliness are well-organized. They like to live according to routines and schedules. They keep lists and make plans. Low scorers tend to be disorganized and scattered. Your level of orderliness is average.

• Dutifulness. This scale reflects the strength of a person's sense of duty and obligation. Those who score high on this scale have a strong sense of moral obligation. Low scorers find contracts, rules, and regulations overly confining. They are likely to be seen as unreliable or even irresponsible. Your level of dutifulness is high.

• Achievement-Striving. Individuals who score high on this scale strive hard to achieve excellence. Their drive to be recognized as successful keeps them on track toward their lofty goals. They often have a strong sense of direction in life, but extremely high scores may be too single-minded and obsessed with their work. Low scorers are content to get by with a minimal amount of work, and might be seen by others as lazy. Your level of achievement striving is high.

• Self-Discipline. Self-discipline-what many people call will-power-refers to the ability to persist at difficult or unpleasant tasks until they are completed. People who possess high self-discipline are able to overcome reluctance to begin tasks and stay on track despite distractions. Those with low self-discipline procrastinate and show poor follow-through, often failing to complete tasks-even tasks they want very much to complete. Your level of self-discipline is high.

• Cautiousness. Cautiousness describes the disposition to think through possibilities before acting. High scorers on the Cautiousness scale take their time when making decisions. Low scorers often say or do first thing that comes to mind without deliberating alternatives and the probable consequences of those alternatives. Your level of cautiousness is average.

Neuroticism

Freud originally used the term neurosis to describe a condition marked by mental distress, emotional suffering, and an inability to cope effectively with the normal demands of life. He suggested that everyone shows some signs of neurosis, but that we differ in our degree of suffering and our specific symptoms of distress. Today neuroticism refers to the tendency to experience negative feelings. Those who score high on Neuroticism may experience primarily one specific negative feeling such as anxiety, anger, or depression, but are likely to experience several of these emotions. People high in neuroticism are emotionally reactive. They respond emotionally to events that would not affect most people, and their reactions tend to be more intense than normal. They are more likely to interpret ordinary situations as threatening, and minor frustrations as hopelessly difficult. Their negative emotional reactions tend to persist for unusually long periods of time, which means they are often in a bad mood. These problems in emotional regulation can diminish a neurotic's ability to think clearly, make decisions, and cope effectively with stress.

At the other end of the scale, individuals who score low in neuroticism are less easily upset and are less emotionally reactive. They tend to be calm, emotionally stable, and free from persistent negative feelings. Freedom from negative feelings does not mean that low scorers experience a lot of positive feelings; frequency of positive emotions is a component of the Extraversion domain.

Domain/Facet........... Score

NEUROTICISM................71
..Anxiety..................93
..Anger....................42
..Depression...............53
..Self-Consciousness.......62
..Immoderation.............85
..Vulnerability............55

Your score on Neuroticism is high, indicating that you are easily upset, even by what most people consider the normal demands of living. People consider you to be sensitive and emotional.

Neuroticism Facets

• Anxiety. The "fight-or-flight" system of the brain of anxious individuals is too easily and too often engaged. Therefore, people who are high in anxiety often feel like something dangerous is about to happen. They may be afraid of specific situations or be just generally fearful. They feel tense, jittery, and nervous. Persons low in Anxiety are generally calm and fearless. Your level of anxiety is high.

• Anger. Persons who score high in Anger feel enraged when things do not go their way. They are sensitive about being treated fairly and feel resentful and bitter when they feel they are being cheated. This scale measures the tendency to feel angry; whether or not the person expresses annoyance and hostility depends on the individual's level on Agreeableness. Low scorers do not get angry often or easily. Your level of anger is average.

• Depression. This scale measures the tendency to feel sad, dejected, and discouraged. High scorers lack energy and have difficult initiating activities. Low scorers tend to be free from these depressive feelings. Your level of depression is average.

• Self-Consciousness. Self-conscious individuals are sensitive about what others think of them. Their concern about rejection and ridicule cause them to feel shy and uncomfortable abound others. They are easily embarrassed and often feel ashamed. Their fears that others will criticize or make fun of them are exaggerated and unrealistic, but their awkwardness and discomfort may make these fears a self-fulfilling prophecy. Low scorers, in contrast, do not suffer from the mistaken impression that everyone is watching and judging them. They do not feel nervous in social situations. Your level or self-consciousness is average.

• Immoderation. Immoderate individuals feel strong cravings and urges that they have difficulty resisting. They tend to be oriented toward short-term pleasures and rewards rather than long- term consequences. Low scorers do not experience strong, irresistible cravings and consequently do not find themselves tempted to overindulge. Your level of immoderation is high.

• Vulnerability. High scorers on Vulnerability experience panic, confusion, and helplessness when under pressure or stress. Low scorers feel more poised, confident, and clear-thinking when stressed. Your level of vulnerability is average.

Openness to Experience

Openness to Experience describes a dimension of cognitive style that distinguishes imaginative, creative people from down-to-earth, conventional people. Open people are intellectually curious, appreciative of art, and sensitive to beauty. They tend to be, compared to closed people, more aware of their feelings. They tend to think and act in individualistic and nonconforming ways. Intellectuals typically score high on Openness to Experience; consequently, this factor has also been called Culture or Intellect. Nonetheless, Intellect is probably best regarded as one aspect of openness to experience. Scores on Openness to Experience are only modestly related to years of education and scores on standard intelligent tests.

Another characteristic of the open cognitive style is a facility for thinking in symbols and abstractions far removed from concrete experience. Depending on the individual's specific intellectual abilities, this symbolic cognition may take the form of mathematical, logical, or geometric thinking, artistic and metaphorical use of language, music composition or performance, or one of the many visual or performing arts. People with low scores on openness to experience tend to have narrow, common interests. They prefer the plain, straightforward, and obvious over the complex, ambiguous, and subtle. They may regard the arts and sciences with suspicion, regarding these endeavors as abstruse or of no practical use. Closed people prefer familiarity over novelty; they are conservative and resistant to change.

Openness is often presented as healthier or more mature by psychologists, who are often themselves open to experience. However, open and closed styles of thinking are useful in different environments. The intellectual style of the open person may serve a professor well, but research has shown that closed thinking is related to superior job performance in police work, sales, and a number of service occupations.

Domain/Facet........... Score
OPENNESS TO EXPERIENCE.....74
..Imagination..............62
..Artistic Interests.......43
..Emotionality.............59
..Adventurousness..........57
..Intellect................84
..Liberalism...............84

Your score on Openness to Experience is high, indicating you enjoy novelty, variety, and change. You are curious, imaginative, and creative.

Openness Facets

• Imagination. To imaginative individuals, the real world is often too plain and ordinary. High scorers on this scale use fantasy as a way of creating a richer, more interesting world. Low scorers are on this scale are more oriented to facts than fantasy. Your level of imagination is average.

• Artistic Interests. High scorers on this scale love beauty, both in art and in nature. They become easily involved and absorbed in artistic and natural events. They are not necessarily artistically trained nor talented, although many will be. The defining features of this scale are interest in, and appreciation of natural and artificial beauty. Low scorers lack aesthetic sensitivity and interest in the arts. Your level of artistic interests is average.

• Emotionality. Persons high on Emotionality have good access to and awareness of their own feelings. Low scorers are less aware of their feelings and tend not to express their emotions openly. Your level of emotionality is average.

• Adventurousness. High scorers on adventurousness are eager to try new activities, travel to foreign lands, and experience different things. They find familiarity and routine boring, and will take a new route home just because it is different. Low scorers tend to feel uncomfortable with change and prefer familiar routines. Your level of adventurousness is average.

• Intellect. Intellect and artistic interests are the two most important, central aspects of openness to experience. High scorers on Intellect love to play with ideas. They are open-minded to new and unusual ideas, and like to debate intellectual issues. They enjoy riddles, puzzles, and brain teasers. Low scorers on Intellect prefer dealing with either people or things rather than ideas. They regard intellectual exercises as a waste of time. Intellect should not be equated with intelligence. Intellect is an intellectual style, not an intellectual ability, although high scorers on Intellect score slightly higher than low-Intellect individuals on standardized intelligence tests. Your level of intellect is high.

• Liberalism. Psychological liberalism refers to a readiness to challenge authority, convention, and traditional values. In its most extreme form, psychological liberalism can even represent outright hostility toward rules, sympathy for law-breakers, and love of ambiguity, chaos, and disorder. Psychological conservatives prefer the security and stability brought by conformity to tradition. Psychological liberalism and conservatism are not identical to political affiliation, but certainly incline individuals toward certain political parties. Your level of liberalism is high.

Note: The report sent to your computer screen upon the completion of the IPIP-NEO is only a temporary web page. When you exit your web browser you will not be able to return to this URL to re-access your report. No copies of the report are sent to anyone. If you want a permanent copy of the report, you must save the web page to your hard drive or a diskette, and/or print the report while you are still viewing it in your web browser. If you choose to save your report, naming it with an .htm extension (example: Myreport.htm) as you save it may help you to read it into a web browser later.

Technorati Tags: Personality Test, IPIP-NEO, Psychology,

Don't play Dare with things beyond your control

2006-01-17T20:41:00.000+08:00

The weather played Dare with me today, and it won.

At around 3pm, I took a look outside my window to see menacing dark clouds already gathered about 3km above the ground in the horizon — and I chose to laze around on my bed. (The merits of having afternoon naps are still debatable, but meanwhile, my past-time from camp still rules my roost).

Then as the inevitable 4 pm came about, I decided to take action, as what those motivation books have always drawled on and on about. The clouds came swiftly just as I reached the bus stop. It was a "Detour" — a choice between two tasks, each with its pros and cons.

First: Go home. The weather looks like it could diahrea for another 3 more days.
Second: Press on. As Napolean Hill mentioned in his book, "Think and Grow Rich", the sucessful always make their mind quick, and are slow to change them.

The bus arrived at this time, so I decide to go with Napolean, in the valiant hope that the weather would hold until I finished my swim.

No such luck. The moment the bus moved out of the bus stop, heavy droplets started pelting down mercilessly upon the roof of the bus (and my heart, which sank).

Well, so much so for procrastination.

I stayed on the bus all the way to the interchange to make the return trip without getting wet.

The moment I got on that bus, the rain started to slow, and eventually stopped when I reached my starting point.

Moral of the story? Don't play Dare with things beyond your control, because you really are not in control!

Technorati Tags: Rain, Weather

Slimming Products

2006-01-17T14:29:00.000+08:00

You know how it is that our television sets and newspapers are all inundated with fat advertisements advertising slimming products: Fiona Xie (a local artiste employed with the local television monopoly) cut-outs fronting stores selling slimming products.

Logic would have dictated that slimming products would have rendered fitness equipments obsolete the moment they were introduced: that is, if they had actually worked!

Often, the advertisements in the newspapers and commercials all come tagged with a minute line of text conspicuously hidden in the bottom left-hand corner. They usually read, "works only with a sensible diet and exercise regime".

Sensible diet? How do we define what is "sensible"? Drinking some nasty tasting formula mixed with water for meal-time? Perhaps they really meant that dieters should exercise regularly along with their products.

But doesn't that defeat the purpose of slimming products? They are supposed to be helping you slim down without effort on your part, are they not? (And I am going to strangulate myself if I use another rhetorical question for the rest of this post.)

In actual fact, it has already been proven that the most effective way to achieve a healthy body (including slimming down that spare tyre around your waist) is to get off your butt, and move it!

Slimming products are mere gimmicks: their functionality is totally latched upon your exercise regime, and have absolutely no effect upon your body. Short of the well-documented placebo effect, of course.

I'll just use plain water as my placebo, thank you very much. It works well, and contains actual benefits to the body!

Kenny Sia runs a parody upon weight loss advertisements

Technorati Tags: Weight Loss, Fraud, Quackery, Singapore

Haro Singapore!: Remove Evil toxins through your feet

2006-01-17T12:09:00.000+08:00

Link: Haro Singapore!: Evil toxins shit thru feet

(For visitors who have never ever visited Singapore: We have many portable markets called "pasar malam", where ordinary folk would set up stalls hawking various wares from CDs, t-shirts to fortune telling services and sure-strike lottery numbers. The stall holders are rarely regulated, making it a unique eco-economy on its own.)

Sausage from Haro Singapore! records the flakiness of the quackery behind a particular service that promises to "remove the toxins through the feet". The stall holders also put out brackish water as proof of their "effectiveness".

Our brave Sausage challenges their claims with an experiment.

Now, I really wonder, just how many Chemistry students have fallen for this scheme?

Technorati Tags: Quackery, Pasar Malam, Singapore

Pioneering Post

2006-01-16T21:39:00.000+08:00

Like what they all (who are the "they"?) like to say, "You need to always plan for your future".

Which is a truth that nobody can deny: we don't want to be caught with our pants down when the future is upon us. Which brings us to the reason I have created a new blog. When I turn Operationally Ready in April (to all my friends overseas, this marks my end of active national service), the other blog won't seem really relevant, since my National Service would from that point onwards consist of annual in-camp trainings, which themselves are confined to one or two episodes of a few days' stint.

This is where the meat on the bone is. Chew on this.