October 15, 2006
Quotes and Personality Stuff
I've been saving up these quotes for a while and wanted to share them before they get lost or something...
“There is no abstract art. You must always start with something. Afterward you can remove all traces of reality.”
- Pablo Picasso“Art is a lie that makes us realize truth.”
- Pablo Picasso“You can't run a business without taking risks.”
- Picasso*"Life does not consist mainly, or even largely, consist of facts and happenings. It consists mainly of the storm of thoughts that is forever blowing, through one's head. "
- Mark Twain"Those who abandone their own dreams, will discourage yours"
- Unknown"One man says: I see the light of god shining in you, the other says: all you see is my reflection, you're facing the wrong way"
- my grandpa"I just want to live until I die"
- my grandpa
I've come up with a few quotes of my own, let me know what you think... Maybe one day "pocket" will be known as an ancient and wise philosopher.
“You only have the power to change what you are willing to lose”
- me“The walls we erect to keep others out also keep us in”
- me"Eventually we all lose our lives, we try not to lose the meaning in life"
- me"Veterans Day: I am thankful for the gifts I have been given, by those I never knew, and some who live around me still, that helped me as I grew"
- me"I'm in a struggle with life, and life is winning"
- me"I'm realizing that a part of my paycheck actually goes towards a long term lease on my soul!"
- me"Faith is not a way of dealing with death, it is a way of dealing with life."
- me
...I want to learn from history and I'm trying not to settle for "good enough" in life. I like people in general, it brings me great joy to encourage success and compliment attempts at life... That's why I started aM with Blake and Dillon. My favorite part of life is when I am working on something I enjoy, which probably includes helping a friend. On an athletic note, I love running and jumping and being active like a cheetah (which is my fav animal) I'm an ENFP Myers Briggs - http://www.personalitypage.com/ENFP.html
Portrait of an ENFP - Extraverted iNtuitive Feeling Perceiving
(Extraverted Intuition with Introverted Feeling)
The InspirerAs an ENFP, your primary mode of living is focused externally, where you take things in primarily via your intuition. Your secondary mode is internal, where you deal with things according to how you feel about them, or how they fit in with your personal value system.
ENFPs are warm, enthusiastic people, typically very bright and full of potential. They live in the world of possibilities, and can become very passionate and excited about things. Their enthusiasm lends them the ability to inspire and motivate others, more so than we see in other types. They can talk their way in or out of anything. They love life, seeing it as a special gift, and strive to make the most out of it.
ENFPs have an unusually broad range of skills and talents. They are good at most things which interest them. Project-oriented, they may go through several different careers during their lifetime. To onlookers, the ENFP may seem directionless and without purpose, but ENFPs are actually quite consistent, in that they have a strong sense of values which they live with throughout their lives. Everything that they do must be in line with their values. An ENFP needs to feel that they are living their lives as their true Self, walking in step with what they believe is right. They see meaning in everything, and are on a continuous quest to adapt their lives and values to achieve inner peace. They're constantly aware and somewhat fearful of losing touch with themselves. Since emotional excitement is usually an important part of the ENFP's life, and because they are focused on keeping "centered", the ENFP is usually an intense individual, with highly evolved values.
An ENFP needs to focus on following through with their projects. This can be a problem area for some of these individuals. Unlike other Extraverted types, ENFPs need time alone to center themselves, and make sure they are moving in a direction which is in sync with their values. ENFPs who remain centered will usually be quite successful at their endeavors. Others may fall into the habit of dropping a project when they become excited about a new possibility, and thus they never achieve the great accomplishments which they are capable of achieving.
Most ENFPs have great people skills. They are genuinely warm and interested in people, and place great importance on their inter-personal relationships. ENFPs almost always have a strong need to be liked. Sometimes, especially at a younger age, an ENFP will tend to be "gushy" and insincere, and generally "overdo" in an effort to win acceptance. However, once an ENFP has learned to balance their need to be true to themselves with their need for acceptance, they excel at bringing out the best in others, and are typically well-liked. They have an exceptional ability to intuitively understand a person after a very short period of time, and use their intuition and flexibility to relate to others on their own level.
Because ENFPs live in the world of exciting possibilities, the details of everyday life are seen as trivial drudgery. They place no importance on detailed, maintenance-type tasks, and will frequently remain oblivous to these types of concerns. When they do have to perform these tasks, they do not enjoy themselves. This is a challenging area of life for most ENFPs, and can be frustrating for ENFP's family members.
An ENFP who has "gone wrong" may be quite manipulative - and very good it. The gift of gab which they are blessed with makes it naturally easy for them to get what they want. Most ENFPs will not abuse their abilities, because that would not jive with their value systems.
ENFPs sometimes make serious errors in judgment. They have an amazing ability to intuitively perceive the truth about a person or situation, but when they apply judgment to their perception, they may jump to the wrong conclusions.
ENFPs who have not learned to follow through may have a difficult time remaining happy in marital relationships. Always seeing the possibilities of what could be, they may become bored with what actually is. The strong sense of values will keep many ENFPs dedicated to their relationships. However, ENFPs like a little excitement in their lives, and are best matched with individuals who are comfortable with change and new experiences.
Having an ENFP parent can be a fun-filled experience, but may be stressful at times for children with strong Sensing or Judging tendancies. Such children may see the ENFP parent as inconsistent and difficult to understand, as the children are pulled along in the whirlwind life of the ENFP. Sometimes the ENFP will want to be their child's best friend, and at other times they will play the parental authoritarian. But ENFPs are always consistent in their value systems, which they will impress on their children above all else, along with a basic joy of living.
ENFPs are basically happy people. They may become unhappy when they are confined to strict schedules or mundane tasks. Consequently, ENFPs work best in situations where they have a lot of flexibility, and where they can work with people and ideas. Many go into business for themselves. They have the ability to be quite productive with little supervision, as long as they are excited about what they're doing.
Because they are so alert and sensitive, constantly scanning their environments, ENFPs often suffer from muscle tension. They have a strong need to be independent, and resist being controlled or labelled. They need to maintain control over themselves, but they do not believe in controlling others. Their dislike of dependence and suppression extends to others as well as to themselves.
ENFPs are charming, ingenuous, risk-taking, sensitive, people-oriented individuals with capabilities ranging across a broad spectrum. They have many gifts which they will use to fulfill themselves and those near them, if they are able to remain centered and master the ability of following through.
Jungian functional preference ordering for ENFP:
Dominant: Extraverted Intuition
Auxiliary: Introverted Feeling
Tertiary: Extraverted Thinking
Inferior: Introverted Sensing
Posted by pocket at 02:23 AM | Comments (0)
August 25, 2006
Curve Ball
Life threw me a curve ball today... My consulting workgroup has quarterly meetings/networking events and today was the "fun one" for the year. We had hired a professional adventure company to come in and facilitate a massive GPS aided scavenger hunt, for the entire city of San Francisco! Lots and lots of walking, and then some running, followed by dirty busses and trollies, and more walking.
The scavenger hunt really went in depth with the city and I learned some amazing things as a result. It also gave me a bunch of new ideas for artistic photographs. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera so I'll be back tracking at some point but a few of my friends did take pictures and I'll load them up here on aCore soon.
The curve ball you ask? Well, after the three hour scavenger hunt was finally over we all met back at our building. The networking piece of the event was a free happy hour that was put on at a nice resturaunt a few blocks away. We regrouped at the happy hour and all was good. There was fine wine, fancy cheese (that I can't eat because I'm lactose intollerent) and tiny little grapes with intense flavor. After just a few moments of hanging out and chatting it up, one of the waitresses approached me and said I looked familliar. I agreed with her and we started talking. It didn't take long to figure out that we went to high school together... in Colorado! How crazy to meet someone from that far and long ago, just randomly!
I only got a bit of her story, and it turns out she went strait from high school to London where she traveled all over and then chose San Francisco to take up residence! We didn't get to chat much because our group was really big and she was super busy but what a neat surprise. I gave her my card and I expect to have more details soon :)
Posted by pocket at 11:00 PM | Comments (1)
August 05, 2006
When nature attacks!
There I was, Linda Mar beach, 2pm, beautiful day, and all was right in the world. Hunger drove me to the beachfront Taco Bell where I ordered "the regular" a bean burrito, a taco, and a water. Everything seemed normal until SPLAT. I felt a warm gooey substance on my head like someone had spit on me or something. I looked down to my leg where part of the substance had gone and found it to be bird droppings...
For all you science nuts out there:
"Birds excrete nitrogenous waste products in the form of uric acid in a white semi solid state. This is because birds drink little water and cannot afford to excrete voluminous amounts of urine. Not carrying a big bladder full of urine also cuts down weight which is essential for the evolutionary success of birds which fly. Humans, however excrete nitrogenous waste as urea* which dissolves in urine. Freshwater fishes which absorb lots of water effortlessly through osmosis excrete nitroge-nous waste in the form of ammonia dissolved in plenty of dilute urine."
Well, at first I was a bit bummed but then I remembered one of my favorite new products from aM done by Shibby & Colus the Anatomy of a Sparrow shirt and it made me feel a bit better. I really need to get a camera phone or start taking my minicam around with me because this picture would have been priceless... I actually considered leaving it on my head until I got home so I could take a pic!
Oh well... Next time.
Posted by pocket at 04:16 PM | Comments (0)
July 23, 2005
GTA San Andreas... America has mixed up values
How can such a violent game with outright criminal activity and simulated violence and killing (which are very adult) be outcast for having a few simple sex games... which are also adult? You see, no real nudity is shown and these scenes can only be found by hacking into the software so it isn't like kids are going to get at it anyways, plus, this game is rated M for mature by the ESRB and one would hope that parents are avoiding games like this for kids who "can't handle sex". For the love of god, what has this world come to? What about "make love not war" what about the fact that all of us exist because of sex? What the heck is wrong with our parents and the government?T his is such an over reaction by the American Public... and that is precicely why it works so well for viral marketing. Yes, I am an American... proud? Not right now...
Posted by pocket at 09:42 PM | Comments (0)
May 30, 2005
Is it Human to Unwant Others?
This realization has been slowly building inside of me. People, even nice good people, put others down and compare them as objects would be. This is done on a regular basis. There always seems to be something negative one person can say about another. I believe there are two types of putdowns, the first one is where you put yourself down because that is what you were trained to do by your friends and family (we usually ignore bullies). The second is when our family and friends put us down and limit our potential by defining us.
Time for a story: Today I met a family friend of my mother who has a young son. The boy was young enough that his voice still sounded like a girl and he clung all over his mother for attention and affection. The mother, unfortunately, never wanted the kid (as my mother later told me) and has since separated from the man who helped her get the child in the first place. I watched her push the kid away many times as he reached out to her and I saw her making faces of disgust and embarrassment as the child was rejected. How completely terrible? At least put the kid up for adoption or have an abortion or something! The problem is, she would never choose what was right for the child; she would be too self conscious to risk alienating herself from society and her friends to admit she had screwed up and ask for help. Society is a lot like our family and friends, it guides our minds into entrapment and we torture others with our problems instead of admitting they are our own.
Some people don't believe in abortion, okay thats fine with me, I respect your beliefs. I ask you to consider acknowledging the murders of fully functioning empowered adults by unaborted unwanted children. I believe that is precisely what happens when children are raised by parents who hate them (and tell them so on a regular basis through verbal and body language) and all the kid has is TV and reckless friends, drugs and alcohol to turn to. The kid grows up and shoots his classmates, he or she resorts to violence and hatred towards others (because that is all they have been given from their own parents). We are all capable of amazing things and it is sad to see that potential to amaze acted out in such terrible ways. Maybe it adds contrast to the adult lives of the rest of us "normals" but the contrast usually comes in the flavor crimson red.
My story doesn't stop there, even though that is the most drastic and immediate example. Each day I see and hear people around me naming other people, defining them into their current state, trapping them. Is it necessary for all of us to be the same? We all know it is a blessing to have diversity among our fellows because it helps round out our shortcomings (at which point we can feel perfect about ourselves and put others down). Isn't it sad that instead of appreciating our construction worker friends, and our young pregnant friends, those who dropped out to pursue their own path or join the military, isn't it sad that we cast them away? I admit I have almost forgotten my shortcomings as they were beaten into me by my peers in middle school. At least in middle school we all felt equal externally, while a select few suffered domestic abuse and mental suffocation. Just as we cast others away, we are casting a part of ourselves away; we are limiting our own potential to follow our hearts in new directions. We set up fences around ourselves and end up avoiding the potential for greatness out of fear for being called a hypocrite. Yes, a hypocrite... That is a powerful word isn't it? Kind of sounds like "Flip Flopper" and we all know the effects that word had on John Kerry during the elections. Hypocrite, it is quite possible the worst thing anyone could be called, it makes you human.
It truly is human to unwant others, even ourselves. My goal isn't to flood this post with negativity, just ask others to recognize their inner human and forgive it for being such a piece of shit. Yes, a bit extreme, I know... The next time you feel trapped, or maybe you are trapping others by talking behind their back (really trapping the people you are talking with, reminding them of what will happen behind their backs), just reread this post please. One of my good friends believes people are part animal and part angel, forgive yourself for all of the terrible things you feel and do. Make a mental change.
Encourage those around you for what you like about them, not the things you dislike. Everyone has potential to be great when encouraged. Don't let negative encouragement guide them astray. Don't let them hate themselves and shoot your kids at school, don't let them hate in groups and blow up our busses or our buildings, don't let them hate the way they were treated. Don't let them feel like you... As we encourage others we set ourselves free to encourage ourselves.
I want to contrast the writings above by explaining that I do not believe all people are equal, nor should they be treated as such. If someone earns a black eye, let them wear it. Be the one to offer a better way. Remind yourself that everyone can be happy, that is the only thing we all have equally in common. Different things make different people happy, money, attention, solitude... let them have it and do not feel ashamed to be richer or poorer. For sickness and in health we will always have the potential to encourage those around us.
Posted by pocket at 10:04 PM | Comments (0)