Celebrate good times, come on!

The deadline for thesis draft submission having passed, I and six of my batchmates celebrated with some videoke. Fun and drink was had by all. Yung iba diyan mukhang may pinaghuhugutan, ang galing pumili ng kakantahin e. :P

As for me, I got pleasantly buzzed and enjoyed myself a lot. Hehe, pasalamat kayo may taga-ubos kayo ng drinks - doble ata yung bayad pag may natira. Not much of a hangover, fortunately, just a slight persistent throbbing of the head.

Up next, Science Camp Part II!

Reports from the front lines - Operation Employment: Commence!

It felt odd to leave the house this morning to take an exam for possible employment. Good thing I'd already experienced the job application process before. I wasn't quite as nervous as I was during my first time.

The exam itself, set for an hour, actually did take me maybe 45-50 minutes. I was going slow and being meticulous since the questions were intentionally quite tricky - both in the reading comprehension (/vocabulary) and the math (/numeracy) portions.

I may have perpetuated the "mayabang na taga-UP" stereotype unwittingly, hahaha. I was in casual clothes, while my three co-applicants (all female), were more or less in smart casual clothes. By casual, I mean a Google t-shirt (that I was shocked to find a small hole in, I love that shirt D:), jeans, and Chucks. Plus, because it was cold in the exam room I was wearing my UP hoodie, zipped up. Finally, during the pre-exam briefing, while the others were silent, I was asking questions such as "Can I take both tests?" (Test engineers had a different test from developers.) 

On a more positive note, though, I enjoyed the test. Hahaha, that's a good sign, right? I found the questions tricky, but not overly so. I guess partially it's just because I haven't taken an exam like that in a long time.

Company A

Exam tomorrow. IT company, sort of notorious for high standards. Applying for software test engineer position. Obviously have no idea what to do, at least it's not a totally unrealistic position like software developer/programmer. Test engineer job description was intriguing enough. Good luck!

Another day, another rejection.

Rejection

Okay, so just for giggles (or, well, somebody emailed me), I applied for another company online, Standard Chartered this time. A lot of them seem to have personality tests and such now, and that segment on this particular application took maybe forty-five minutes. Rejected. At least they tell you right away if you don't have the driven, go-getting, highly motivated, ambitious, energetic, charismatic, persuasive, suave personality that they desire. So much for being honest!

In any case, I'm not entirely sure if this is supposed to be a disappointment. I mean, if they're expecting someone of an entirely different personality, even if I had gotten in by fudging my answers, then I'd have to live up to that other personality, right? No, I'm not sour graping, because honestly I have no idea what working for a bank, let alone Standard Chartered specifically, would be like.

Cafe Breton

Okay, in other news, we'd been hearing good things about the crepes at Cafe Breton, so we went there to try them this afternoon. And they were pretty good, the crepes themselves had just the right texture and amount of resistance. No complaints about their coffee, either. But, I'd stay away until I had disposable income, as crepes and coffee for two came to nearly five hundred bucks.

Gran Torino

Looking around at reviews, a lot of people seem to have liked this Eastwood movie. I guess it does have its charms, the biggest of which is the crotchety old hardass himself. It was entertaining enough to watch him playing a grizzled, embittered war veteran slinging racial epithets left and right, and of course, what's a Clint Eastwood role without a couple of awesome macho showdowns? The slow, measured pace, intended I suppose to lead viewers to get inside the main character's head, was also a refreshing change. For these things and a few others, I think I didn't entirely waste my movie ticket money. 

But I found the movie as a whole, in a word, clunky. (You know, like this haphazard review, but this doesn't really deserve proofreading and editing, does it?) The plot never really comes together smoothly, and what you get is instead a series of events happening one after another. Character development seemed a little forced and unreal. And, oh, the acting, apart from Clint himself, was more or less horrible.

Okay, so bottomline, some things were likeable, but as a whole, clunky clunky clunky.

Had dinner and a couple of beers at Chili's afterwards. Food was good enough, and the portions (too) large. Then coffee near one of the performances in the Philippine International Jazz Festival, but unfortunately all the outside tables were taken and we weren't really able to listen. Exciting times.

In other news, I just need to write my abstract and do some final proofreading of my draft. Enough time for that tomorrow morning. (Looking forward to post-draft-deadline-week celebration, guys, okay? :P)

Yes, I can see it...

(From PHD Comics, of course.)

What I have been doing with my time:

Sniffing colored markers! Or, well, wasting them in other ways.

One, two...

...three years. That is all. <3

Everything Is Like Riding a Bicycle.

By which I mean, intuitively at least, does it not seem to you that given enough time, effort (or focus), and motivation, it is quite possible to reach that point of no return, past which an activity, endeavor, or pursuit becomes natural, and hence, though not effortless, much less onerous and much more rewarding? That magic moment like snapping your fingers, after which the flow goes on and on.

Think of academic pursuits, for instance. As an undergraduate, research seems impossibly difficult, esoteric, or downright impenetrable. But with exposure and conscientious practice, it becomes less and less impossible, and more and more fulfilling. 

Or think of creative endeavors. A novice's scribblings would almost certainly not qualify as great work, but with the necessary amount of perseverance and perhaps a certain amount of conviction, the novice will proceed to do creative work of note.

You may protest, "But, physical and other kinds of restrictions exist. There is such a thing as inborn talent, and thus there also is the lack of talent. Exceptional people and achievements are called exceptional for a reason," and, of course, you would be remiss in not noting, "Aren't you just being optimistically deluded about your own capabilities and potential?"

To which I would reply, why, yes, indeed, in a sense, I am just drastically, drastically overestimating myself. Won't you agree that focusing on possibility instead of impossibility is the healthier attitude? Isn't optimism more useful than pessimism, in this sense? 

However, elaborating a little further, taking such an outlook does not equate to being completely naïve. Instead, it just consists of being resilient and confident in oneself in the face of difficult or unfamiliar situations, while at the same time still retaining a good measure of skepticism.

That is, perhaps I should have just let this quote speak for itself:

I’m a pessimist because of intelligence, but an optimist because of will.

- Antonio Gramsci

(Of course, personally, I have quite a ways to go, but it must be hoped that eventually I will get there!)

Tao Te Ching Mad Libs

11. THE UTILITY OF NON-EXISTENCE

Though thirty spokes may form the wheel,
it is the hole within the hub
which gives the wheel utility.

It is not the clay the potter throws,
which gives the pot its usefulness,
but the space within the shape,
from which the pot is made.

Without a door, the room cannot be entered,
and without windows it is dark.

Such is the utility of non-existence.

- from Stan Rosenthal's 1984 translation of the Tao Te Ching

Mad Lib Time!

Though productive work may form an undergraduate thesis, it is the many shiftless days which give the undergraduate perspective.

It is not the "content" the undergraduate fabricates, which gives the undergraduate thesis its value, but the space of possibilities within the words, from which the undergraduate thesis is made.

Without perspective, an undergraduate thesis cannot be let go of, and without detachment it is meaningless.

Such is the rationalization of mediocrity.

For the record, or, a day of some firsts.

First job application rejection received today, in what probably will be a string of such rejections, after all, physics isn't quite the most employable course out there. Maybe a suitable position wasn't available, maybe this, maybe that, but essentially, I suppose, the corporate world isn't exactly  looking for physicists to clasp to its quivering crisis-wracked bosom.

First hat purchased for self: a flat cap in brown faux leather. This is significant, guys, because I have never before worn a hat that suited me, because my head tended to be too big. Baseball caps always looked silly and too small. I even tried wearing bonnets, but they looked silly on me too, in fact they looked more like socks that I mistakenly put on my head, you know? But now, I have greater control over the microclimate of my extremal anterior (that is, cranial) regions, as well as a hat!

More progress!

Major edits of my existing content more or less done. It looks like a thesis now!

25 pages in the body with four chapters so far, 6 pages in two appendices, 4 pages bibliography with 32 references, 5 figures, 1 table.

The goal is to add at least a chapter of more results. I have a week or so. I think it can be done, after all, most of the work that went into this thesis was deadline-induced, anyway. The two chapters of results were from previous years' SPP conferences, and were more or less crammed on the weeks before the respective deadlines. The introductory chapter and putting together, on the other hand, were induced by last week's 20-page deadline. So, yeah, I'm sort of expecting things to happen this week, but even if nothing does, I think what I have is just enough to get by with.

After draft submission comes a month of working/talking with the thesis panel, then the oral defense, then freedom! (Can't wait.)

Progress!

Page count: 23 pages content, 3 pages bibliography.

Things left to do: Finish editing chapter on rational solutions. Finish introductory chapters. Strive to add more content.

Wooooo! (Hopped up on coffee, a little.)

I bet I can call this a (very rough, but) finished draft by tomorrow night.

Wooooo!

(Currently procrastinating/taking a break via The Space Game.)

State of the Momeng address.

Your last semester as a physics undergraduate at the University of the Philippines seems set to be, frankly, quite a shameful one. You did not make any progress on your thesis except the bare minimum necessary, and used only old, insignificant results. This lack of progress is thoroughly unjustifiable. You only had nine units (three of which were for the thesis itself), you had all the time in the world, but you did not accomplish anything.

Yeah, yeah, it's just an undergraduate thesis, right, who cares? Well, here's some news buddy, you should have cared. Guess it's way past that point now, right, with barely a week to the draft deadline? You can't even get yourself to work on it now, can you? Sigh.

Go, take comfort in the fact that in a few weeks' time this will all be over, and, yea, all shall be rejoicing. But let the record show one more instance of disappointment, of procrastination, of, there's no escaping it, failure. Way to go, Momeng.

I need a bonnet.

My shaven head cannot stand the air conditioner's well-intentioned but much too frigid caress. I am reduced to this:

A little something something.

The limit of theory, in a sense.

The events of today:

Let self be dragged back to grade school alma mater by eldest brother to watch nieces' field demonstrations. Through some miscommunication, missed one of them. Had to leave before lunch and the other's demonstration. Alma mater seemed small and dinky. Grade school principal's closing remarks had glaring grammatical errors. Shrugged.

Went to the Novaliches Post Office via a rather circuitous route: Philcoa, SM Fairview, then Nova Bayan. Could've gone straight to Nova Bayan from my area, but it was fun anyway. The Wendy's and French Baker branches at SM Fairview seemed larger than at SM North. Didn't really hang around, though.

Asked for directions without shame. Bus conductor, security guards, etc. Neither got lost nor strayed off the path, fortunately. For some reason, was expecting a big, city-hall-type of affair, but the Novaliches Post Office was a tiny place, hidden among eateries and small commercial spaces. Acquired the thing without fuss.

Completed the circuitous circle by taking an FX down Q. Highway past my area and on to SM North, where some colored markers (toys!) were acquired. Result:

Did some eensy weensy work on the T. Messed about with markers some more, expect more colored doodles in the near future. Got sleepy. Slept.

Random things.

Had lunch today at Perspolis, this Persian place along Katipunan. Fairly okay, but I still prefer Kha's, with its greater authenticity and range of choices. Pricewise, I suppose Perspolis is a little cheaper, but not by too much.

In other food related news, after keeping track of what I've been eating for... five weeks, and striving to eat smaller meals more often, I seem to have lost a little weight! Huzzah. Nothing significant yet, at just five to six pounds over those weeks, but that was achieved without any sort of exercise. Just drinking more water, avoiding junk food and softdrinks, and in general being just a little bit more conscientious about portion size and meat and fat consumption. 

In news related to my scalp, it's odd how much effect shaving off my glorious crown of silken hair has on my temperature. I was actually shivering inside Perspolis, at one point, although to be fair the air conditioner was pointed straight at me (and my poor denuded skull).

I need to pick up a thing at the Novaliches Post Office, and shall hie off there tomorrow. I hope I find it, and that I get what I need to get, and that I get back from wherever it is safely and without undue delay.

Success!

Come have a drink, let the afternoon vanish, we'll talk about old times and people we hate 'til the hour is late and we find we have wasted our last reserve...

(April & May, David Fridlund)

Okay, so that was only tangentially related, but what the heck, I really like that part of that song, okay.

I was trying to find more stuff by Fridlund, to no avail. Fortunately, I came across emusic's offer of 25 free tracks, and I was able to sign up using my Unionbank EON debit card! Who'd've thunk, right? I was trying just for the heck of it. (I had already tried my BDO cash card and failed.)

Now I am the proud owner of his solo debut, Amaterasu, and his White Van EP.

Canceled the account right away after that, haha. Didn't want to take any chances of accidentally getting billed as the free trial expired and my subscription changed to a paid one.

That is, in one other word, procrastination. Back to work (ideally), need three more pages by tomorrow.

Shock!

Just a little more procrastination. (Doodles!)

Okay, so there are a lot of new ones up at my tumblr, about ten, I believe. Here are a couple of my favorites:

This last one in particular. (Face copied from the sketch on the Cordilerra mugs, hehe.)

Substance abuse ahoy.

Coffee Abuse Weekend begins with a with two shots of Aeropress concentrate, condensed milk, and lots of ice! (Apparently, this is called Cafe Sua Da, literally coffee milk ice.)

Twenty pages of the thesis due on Monday. I have maybe half that number, but what I currently have is badly in need of editing. Add that to the fact that I'd basically been just sitting on my ass with regards to thesis stuff for this entire semester so far, and that the final deadline for the draft is (effectively, for me and my co-advisees) in two weeks or so! Fun for the whole family.

Too bad, really, for the other things I could have been doing. I could have been taking an employment exam at Meralco tomorrow. I could have been in Subic for the weekend with my brother and his kids. I could have been starting on that Hellsing anime (done with the manga!). 

You know, I could've been (doing) something great, but I ruined it, and instead, what I get is a stressful 48 hours or so in which all the procrastination of the previous months will come back and bite me on my lazy ass.

On the bright side, in a couple of months, this will all be over, and I'll have shiny new worries to think about. And in that golden period between the end of thesis and the graduation ceremony, I foresee a lot of good clean celebratory fun.

Meme time! (25 randomnesses)

Okay, so this has been making the rounds on Facebook, but since I don't check there very often, I didn't notice I'd been tagged until I felt like doing this meme anyway (and checked to see if I was justified, haha). Without further ado, I present to you a twenty-five-item list of things you may or may not care to know about me:

1. Let's start with the easy ones. I was a premature baby, expelled into this world after just seven months in the womb. I weighed only three pounds, could fit inside a shoe box, and had to stay in a hospital incubator for a while. (Morbidity: some of my aunts had apparently already been thinking about making funeral arrangements.)

2. Also, I was born when my mother was already in menopause. You know what they say about premature/menopause babies, right, and we have a double whammy right here!

3. So my siblings are all more than a decade (or fourteen years, to be precise) older than I am.

4. My siblings are all married, with children, and all their children have so far been female. Does this suggest that I am going to be the one to produce the necessary male to perpetuate the Imperio name? PERHAPS.

5. I used to always put "to be the smartest man in the world" as my Ambition on those "autograph books" (or notebooks of random information about people: likes, dislikes, motto, and so on) that were popular for a while when I was in grade school. Must've been the consequence of having confused good performance in school with, you know, intelligence.

6. In high school, a service-mate of mine from Miriam once gave me a heart-shaped box of Ferrero chocolates for Valentine's. Whether this was on a dare, in jest, or as a gesture of heartfelt pity, we will never know.

7. I have lost count of the cellphones I have lost, over the years. The most expensive one being a thirty thousand Samsung sliding camphone unit. (Which by the way was conned from me, but that just means I lost it through stupidity and not plain carelessness.)

8. All of my PE classes in college have been of the lame kind: PE1 (lecture), ten-pin bowling, duck-pin bowling, and scrabble. Physically inept nerd.

9. I have had a paranormal experience, of sorts. This happened when I was in college already, so maybe last year or a couple of years ago. Sitting on a chair in front of the computer in my room, I felt a strange warmth increasingly suffusing my body, while at the same time hearing some creepy mumbling voice(s). It was one of those things that, right before them, you get a mounting feeling of anticipation or foreknowledge. It lasted only for a short while, and nothing of the sort has happened ever again.

10. I am most definitely an introvert, and can only be really comfortable around people I know well (enough). Even then, I find myself needing to withdraw and be alone inside my head from time to time. People who know me should be familiar with these quiet and not-so-quiet phases.

11. In relation to the above, I usually prefer one-on-one conversations, or interacting with a small group of people, to having to be part of a large group.

12. I only learned how to bike last Sunday, January 25, 2009. The blister I got on my right hand from gripping the handlebars too hard is only now scabbing over.

13. I only started to seriously consider (creative) writing as a strong interest or a field to explore and improve my skills in fairly recently, when I was already in college. Of course, I haven't gotten too far yet, but I am aware than I want to at least try to get somewhere, I think. Or maybe realize that I won't be able to go too far, or that I don't have too far to go, and okay I'm losing my point here.

14. I started blogging on Tabulas near the end of my fourth year in high school, January 2004 to be more precise. So I have been blogging, on and off, for more than five years. See where that has gotten me!

15. A few months ago I've begun doodling semi-regularly. It's fun, moderately rewarding for the small amount of effort I have to put in, and it gives me things to fill a tumblr with! Awesome. Maybe someday I'll learn enough from doodling to get better at drawing. Or, like a thousand monkeys, realize the minuscule probability of creating a masterpiece out of sheer luck.

16. I have a fairly high alcohol tolerance. 

17. Only on two occasions have I drunk a little too much. One had me throwing up, while the other had me "passing out" inside a locked bathroom (I was apparently still responding sensibly to people knocking and asking if I was alright, but I didn't remember anything afterward.).

18. I have consumed alcohol in my room, alone. I was curious, okay. Verdict: not really worth it, for me. I guess it was a little easier to fall asleep afterward, but I don't really need the help, yet.

19. Speaking of substance abuse, I think I have recently become dependent on coffee for energy. I'd like to relieve myself of the dependency, but I don't think I can afford to have the withdrawal period right now, with the thesis deadline looming. Maybe afterward.

20. As a kid, I once almost let myself drown. I was conscious that I was about to drown, but somehow laid-back or resigned about the whole thing. Fortunately my brother noticed and pulled me up before I lost consciousness.

21. I am missing one permanent tooth - it had to go because of a painful cavity that was too deep to just fill in. So remember kids, take care of your teeth!

22. I have been keeping track of what I eat for nearly five weeks now, and also trying to eat smaller meals, but more often. I don't know at this stage if it's just wishful thinking, but it seems to be working. I can comfortably tighten my belt a notch further than I used to be able to.

23. Even though I realize that grades aren't always a good measure of understanding, excellence, or intelligence, I still can't shake grade-consciousness. I blame the consistent high grades, always being in the honor section, et cetera. For instance, I still care about what grade I get for Bio 11, even though in the long run, just a passing grade would be enough (it's my only subject left!).

24. I would probably enjoy being in the academe and eventually becoming a professor, but for now I think I'd rather explore my options. However...

25. In the broadest sense, I still don't know what to do with my life. That's probably no surprise!

How to Enjoy a Meal at Yakiniku Senri (or an equivalent yakiniku restaurant)

Bring a group of friends. It's more fun to have a room to yourselves!

If it's your first time, try a variety of meats. Some excellent choices would be beef (karubi cut being one of the fattier and hence tastier), beef tongue (grilled tongue has a different texture from stewed or boiled tongue), and cuttlefish. (By that last sentence, I really mean: these were what we tried. We ended up ordering another plate of the karubi because it was so tasty.)

Personally, I found that the meats, sliced as thinly as they are, do not need to cook for very long. Especially if you prefer your meat a little rarer than usual. Set the fire as high as it can go, then just sear each piece on both sides. Dip in soy sauce, lemon juice, miso sauce, or a mixture of the three.

Kimchi is a great accompaniment to grilled meats, and itself can be heated on the grill, where it will pick up some of the meats' flavor.

Imported Japanese beers in the form of Asahi and Kirin are available, if a bit pricey. (They are much more flavorful than local beers, that's for sure.) They also have the traditional sake, of course.

Since it was the first time for most of us there, we didn't bother ordering anything that didn't need to be cooked on the grill, because, you know, what would be the point? But they also have a good selection of the usual Japanese suspects: sushi, sashimi, tempura, ramen, etc.

Last note: they open at 11am, then close for two hours at 3 to 5pm, then are open again until 5 in the morning. We were unlucky enough to have arrived there squarely in the middle of their break, and had to kill some time before we could actually eat.

Marker doodles

I've been using index cards instead of a scratch pad, and apart from being a couple of degrees more purely white, they're also thicker and able to handle more ink. Tried using my markers again, to fair results, I mean, for me:

Today's dump

Okay, so to be honest, right now I have quite low levels of enthusiasm and energy. 

I blame the disappointing sarswela we walked out of. The music was fine, but the actors should have had better, clearer diction. It made the dialogue that much harder to make out, in addition to the fact that it was in somewhat dated Filipino. 

So, personal verdict: waste of time. Should have gone home earlier.

At least I am deriving some entertainment from the Hellsing manga right now, as I procrastinate on my thesis and miscellaneous other things. 

Our ACLE today was about vampires, and basically we just showed clips of various appearances of the vampire character in different media and series, then one of our CL majors, Abby, did a slideshow comparing some of these incarnations to each other and to the original Eastern European myth. 

One of the clips we showed was from the Hellsing anime, and it was gory and fun so here I am, not getting any work done. 

Can't Touch This!

(collaborative doodle)

Some projections, flow charts.

Guns, Germs, and Steel

Essential idea: many biogeographical factors conspired to make the pace of the development of human civilization significantly faster on the Eurasian continent than on others (America, sub-Saharan Africa, Australia, and so on). This broad pattern resulted in Eurasian dominance for most of recorded history.

Very many details are given in support of this basic argument. Food production is discussed, as is the domestication of plants and animals, the diffusion of culture and technology, the complexification of societies, and so on. Admittedly, I am no expert on these matters, but as a scientifically-minded and interested party, consider me convinced. Although, perhaps there is a whiff of suspiciousness at how neatly everything seems to tie together, with almost no details given that would lead to conclusions contradictory to the desired ones. Without knowing more about the subject matter, though, that's just being paranoid.

I think that this kind of very big picture, very integrative thinking is refreshing and admirable, something to aspire to someday be able to do.

Five years later. (PS. Getting Things Done FAST)

Five years ago (February 2004): Advanced Big 30 Personality Test Results Sociability ||||||||||||||| 50% Gregariousness |||||||||||||||||| 58% Assertiveness |||||||||||| 38% Activity Level |||||||||||||||||| 54% Excitement-Seeking |||||||||||||||||| 54% Enthusiasm ||||||||||||||||||||| 70% Extroversion |||||||||||||||||| 54% Trust ||||||||||||||||||||| 66% Morality |||||||||||||||||| 54% Altruism |||||||||||||||||| 58% Cooperation ||||||||||||||||||||| 62% Modesty ||||||||||||||||||||| 62% Sympathy ||||||||||||||||||||| 66% Friendliness ||||||||||||||||||||| 61% Competence |||||||||||||||||| 54% Neatness ||||||||||||||||||||| 62% Dutifulness |||||||||||||||||| 58% Achievement ||||||||||||||| 42% Self-Discipline ||||||||| 30% Cautiousness |||||||||||||||||| 54% Orderliness ||||||||||||||| 50% Anxiety ||||||||||||||||||||| 70% Anger ||||||||||||||| 42% Depression |||||||||||||||||| 54% Self-Consciousness |||||||||||||||||||||||| 74% Impulsiveness |||||||||||||||||| 54% Vulnerability ||||||||||||||||||||| 66% Emotional Stability |||||||||||| 40% Imagination |||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 82% Artistic Interests |||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 86% Emotionality |||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 86% Adventurousness ||||||||||||||||||||| 70% Intellect |||||||||||||||||||||||| 74% Liberalism ||||||||||||||||||||| 70% Openmindedness |||||||||||||||||||||||| 78%

Today (February 2009): Advanced Big 30 Personality Test Results Sociability ||| 9% Aggressiveness |||||||||||||||||||||||| 72% Assertiveness ||||||||| 27% Activity Level |||||||||||| 33% Excitement-Seeking ||| 5% Enthusiasm |||||||||||||||||| 60% Extroversion |||||||||||| 34% Trust |||||||||||| 40% Morality ||||||||||||||||||||| 67% Altruism ||| 4% Cooperation |||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 89% Modesty |||||||||||||||||| 57% Sympathy ||||||||| 22% Accommodation ||||||||||||||| 46% Confidence |||||| 14% Neatness |||||| 16% Dutifulness |||||||||||| 33% Achievement |||||| 16% Self-Discipline ||||||||| 21% Cautiousness ||||||||||||||||||||| 62% Orderliness ||||||||| 27% Anxiety |||||||||||||||||| 59% Volatility ||||||||||||||| 49% Depression |||||||||||||||||| 55% Self-Consciousness |||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 82% Impulsiveness ||||||||||||||| 47% Vulnerability |||||||||||||||||||||||| 78% Emotional Stability |||||||||||| 39% Imagination ||||||||||||||||||||| 62% Artistic Interests |||||||||||||||||||||||| 75% Introspection ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 95% Adventurousness |||||||||||| 39% Intellect |||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 84% Liberalism |||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 82% Openmindedness |||||||||||||||||||||||| 72% Take Free Advanced Big 30 Personality Test personality tests by similarminds.com

Summary:

Extroversion 54% -> 34%

Friendliness 61% -> 46%

Orderliness 50% -> 27%

Emotional Stability 40% -> 39%

Openmindedness 78% -> 72%

Hum. I can't say that it's particularly accurate in reflecting the changes that college has wrought in me. If you'll notice, the first three percentages above moved away from near the middle, 50%, to lower values. When in fact I would say that these three should have increased a little over the past five years.

Perhaps this just reflects a greater self-awareness; back then, I might have been just reluctant to admit that I wasn't as extroverted, friendly, or orderly as I thought I ought to be! Maybe they seemed rather more desirable to my younger self than they do now, to me.

Other weird details:

Sociability 50% -> 9%

Gregariousness 58% -> Aggressiveness 72%

Excitement-seeking 54% -> 5%

Neatness 62% -> 16%

Altruism 58% -> 4%

Adventurousness 70% -> 39%

So, yeah, closer inspection seems to indicate that this latest set of results is rather more inaccurate than I was expecting it to be. Maybe I'm not in a typical frame of mind right now, etc, etc.

In other news, although I was listening to Getting Things Done Fast almost the whole day, I didn't really get anything done except for some raket work. To be fair, though, what David Allen is saying makes a lot of sense, but right now I realize that I may have just been procrastinating with some "productivity porn". We'll see, we'll see, maybe I'll get around to implementing his Getting Things Done system in some form or other eventually (ZTD or Zen to Done is a rather appealing simplification, for example).

Just in case anyone else is interested:

Here's a download link for an audio copy of Feynman's What Do You Care What Other People Think?

Enjoy!