Understanding Myself

I believe all of us have taken this test at some point of our life before.

Just out of curiosity, I took it again. Right here:
http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes1.htm

If you do take the test, let me know what you got :)

I still remember my result from last time.
And it's amazing that after almost 10 years from the time I last took it. The result is still exactly the same.

Aparently, I'm part of only 1 percent of the world's population.

Mine's: INFP

Introverted

Intuitive

Feeling

Perceiving

And I'm under the category of the "Healer Idealist"

From http://keirsey.com/personality/nfip.html, it simply means:

Healer Idealists are abstract in thought and speech, cooperative in striving for their ends, and investigative and attentive in their interpersonal relations. Healer present a seemingly tranquil, and noticiably pleasant face to the world, and though to all appearances they might seem reserved, and even shy, on the inside they are anything but reserved, having a capacity for caring not always found in other types.

They care deeply-indeed, passionately-about a few special persons or a favorite cause, and their fervent aim is to bring peace and integrity to their loved ones and the world.

Healers have a profound sense of idealism derived from a strong personal morality, and they conceive of the world as an ethical, honorable place. Indeed, to understand Healers, we must understand their idealism as almost boundless and selfless, inspiring them to make extraordinary sacrifices for someone or something they believe in.

The Healer is the Prince or Princess of fairytale, the King's Champion or Defender of the Faith, like Sir Galahad or Joan of Arc. Healers are found in only 1 percent of the general population, although, at times, their idealism leaves them feeling even more isolated from the rest of humanity.

Healers seek unity in their lives, unity of body and mind, emotions and intellect, perhaps because they are likely to have a sense of inner division threaded through their lives, which comes from their often unhappy childhood. Healers live a fantasy-filled childhood, which, unfortunately, is discouraged or even punished by many parents. In a practical-minded family, required by their parents to be sociable and industrious in concrete ways, and also given down-to-earth siblings who conform to these parental expectations, Healers come to see themselves as ugly ducklings.

Other types usually shrug off parental expectations that do not fit them, but not the Healers. Wishing to please their parents and siblings, but not knowing quite how to do it, they try to hide their differences, believing they are bad to be so fanciful, so unlike their more solid brothers and sisters.

They wonder, some of them for the rest of their lives, whether they are OK. They are quite OK, just different from the rest of their family-swans reared in a family of ducks. Even so, to realize and really believe this is not easy for them. Deeply committed to the positive and the good, yet taught to believe there is evil in them, Healers can come to develop a certain fascination with the problem of good and evil, sacred and profane.

Healers are drawn toward purity, but can become engrossed with the profane, continuously on the lookout for the wickedness that lurks within them. Then, when Healers believe thay have yielded to an impure temptation, they may be given to acts of self-sacrifice in atonement. Others seldom detect this inner turmoil, however, for the struggle between good and evil is within the Healer, who does not feel compelled to make the issue public.

Round and round and round

Why do humans like to walk in circles?

Because we never learn?
Because we are too caught up with ourselves?
Or because we try to believe that we are perfect, just as a circle is perfect and without flaws?

We self blame, blame each other, blame a stranger, blame the environment, blame the world, blame the universe.

But why must everything always be about blame?

We get hurt by people, we hurt others as well.

People cause us misery, just as we cause the misery of others.

But why don't we think of how we can make others happy, and they in turn make us happy?

Maybe i'm just philosophical by nature. But I never did think that everything I say is the ultimate truth.

I'm not interested in right or wrongs.
Simply because there is no black or white.

Just as we see the things around us in colour, everything we experience in life is just as subjective.
In short, its always a matter of perspective.

Blame never gets us anywhere. So what if we prove that someone is wrong?
It doesn't make us progress any further, other than the brief moment of self satisfaction.

The world keeps turning.
We should never stop, otherwise we simply fall behind.

Its better to look accept life as it is and adapt; things that have happened in life as a way of helping us grow stronger.

But humans... when do we learn?
Learn to stop blaming yourself, blaming others, blaming a stranger, blaming the environment, blame the world, blame the universe?

What's the point of staying unhappy, if the person who made you unhappy, isn't even feeling miserable?

What's the point of striving for perfection, when every living being, including mother earth itself, is imperfect.

What's the point of fighting over right or wrong, when it's better to cherish life with those you love?

I'm not being self-righteous, I'm not forcing my views onto anyone.
These are just purely my own philosophies of life.

Wallowing in self pity never gets us anywhere.
Neither does unhappiness, for it only eats up the better part of us.

We can fight it.
We can step out of our very own vicious cycles.

Smile, people, smile!

Source of article:
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/273593/1/.html

"Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has called on workers to keep finding new ways to keep the country special and unique.

This is to create prosperity for a new generation of Singaporeans. "

Vagueness as usual...
How exactly does uniqueness of a country make it more prosperous for us or our next generation?
Will it contribute to our individual incomes?

" PM Lee said that Singapore was undergoing a transformation....
Wages too have gone up by nearly five percent - the fastest growth in six years. "

With the recent vast increase in salaries by 20million, how am I not surprised that wage growth is now at its fastest in six years?

I don't see mine, nor the people around me, increasing that much. Is yours?

'Mr Lee said, "The most important signal is the unionists are smiling. That means everything is all right. So there is growing confidence and buzz in Singapore." '

How come I don't see the uncle clearing tables at the foodcourt; or the auntie scouting bins and tables for used drink cans; or the security guard left alone in a building at night; or even the many people I see on the way to work everyday.... smiling?

Ohhh... maybe it's just because we aren't represented by unions.
Darn, just our luck.
But we don't matter, because the PM says that everything is alright.

" Mr Lee stressed that the good news was a result of the government taking a long term view of what needs to be done, in the best interest of the people. "

And the best solution?? 2% GST increase! pay increase for the hardworking govt who are slogging for the lazy citizens. Thats why public assistance is just $290: because if you give the people too much, they won't work hard enough for themselves.

Yes, we ought to be touched.... all only for the best interest of the people =)

" Another area that needs to be looked into is wage reform."

You said it! I'm all ears....

" Mr Lee said, "We must try hard to get our wage structure right, bring the ratio down, make it job-based, competency-based, performance-based. What are you delivering, how capable are you, what responsibility do you carry. Move towards (the) paying rate for the job. "

Hmm... based on this theory, I'm gonna demand for a huge increase in my pay tomorrow, because the PM said so.

If I didnt' take on this job, I could have been a senior employee in a stat board with not just high pay but also fat bonuses and plenty of staff benefits.

And I shouldn't have to settle for working so many hours overtime, sacrificing public holidays and weekends, at no extra pay!

"The aim is to ensure that low-wage workers save for their CPF....

This is to encourage people to contribute to their Medisave and be entitled to a lucky draw. "

In this other article, we are told this

"Seng Han Thong, Assistant Secretary-General, National Trades Union Congress, said, "For low-wage workers, what they need is money in cash. So we want to get them to save for Medisave. At the same time, if you save more, you have more chances to get cash, to top up your Medisave, why not? "

You are right that low wage workers need cash. But they need cash that is absolute.
Not giving cash for a chance to get more cash.
And Medisave... aren't there many criterias that one has to meet before he/she can make use of medisave?
Apparently, if you don't fall under the 4 major illness specified by the committee, then just forget the fact that you even have money inside your medisave.

'Mr Lee said, "Singaporeans love lucky draws. So why not have a small lucky draw; if you pay your Medisave on time, then you can be eligible for (a) lucky draw and there is a prize. So everybody is happy. We get a small flutter. We are not encouraging gambling but (there is) no harm having a bit of fun..." '

Our PM understands us so well, doesn't he =)
Having fun is so much more important than paying daily bills; more important than paying for your transport to work everyday; more important than ensuring you have enough in your moveable savings to use in any emergencies.

Truly, we are a unique country.

Women, don't complain!

How is it that I can read this piece of news up and down, left and right...
And still feel that its not going anywhere, nor are any true issues being addressed by the speaker at all.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/273256/1/.html

" The 1,700 people present at the dinner were told that the overall higher employment rate of seniors in recent years owes much to the rise in the employment of female workers."

Note, that we are not told next how a correlation between the rise in employment of female workers and a higher employment rate of seniors, can exist.

I would surely like to know this enlightening fact...
But perhaps, the reporter was confused too?

"But, Mr Lim said, the employment rate of women would soon hit a ceiling if the problems they face are not resolved"

Yup, for sure! So how will they be resolved?

"Many females today are better educated. Without children, they are high- performing individuals. Their employers expect the same level of performance, after the children come along. They themselves are unprepared to lower performance and adjust to lower jobs with lower pay. If fathers take their share of the duty, it will help," added Mr Lim.

Oh, you mean that once they have children, their performance as an individual drops?
Yes, if fathers take their share of the duty, it helps.. but it involves more.

What are employers doing for these women? What can the govt do, to make it more favourable for these women to continue to be 'high-performing individuals'?

Wasn't it govt-initiative to encourage more educated women to have children, so that we can not only counter an aging population (Mr Wang enlightens us on this myth) but also maintain the 'intelligent' gene pool that our MM always places so much emphasis on.

After all, women need to have children so that the country doesn't have to be so bo-bian and rely on FT you know...

But no! The country needs them to do their part as women (who asked us to be born as lowly women) and give birth to more babies, but don't blame the govt when you can't get a job after having a baby. Because you should learn how to lower yourself and be willing to accept lower pay.

"Mr Lim said if the employment rate of seniors is to be raised, more must be done to help younger women stay in the work force because if they drop out, getting them back will be difficult. "

Ok, we got it already that more must be done. So what will be done?

"Mr Lim also spent much time discussing the challenges of helping older workers stay employed. "

Oh, you mean that's all that will be covered on the topic of women when the headline states this:
Govt to help raise employment rate of women: Lim Boon Heng

And as all good obedient media should do, the story ends off with something more cheery (unlike women and older people not being able to stay employed who we cannot help if they don't learn how to be more flexible and accept lower pay because they aren't like the top men in govt)

"At the dinner, Mr Lim, who was the former secretary general of NTUC, received the Distinguished Comrade of Labour Award for his outstanding contributions to the labour force"