Every car needs one

Oh yeah.

I'm so proud I'm Asian

Oh my goodness. How do you play lead and bass and percussion at the same time?

Bystander Effect

On Saturday I was at home getting ready for my fencing competition.

I heard a baby wailing somewhere in my block from my bathroom window.


There's a difference between a baby crying, and a baby screaming.

One is the sound you hear when a baby wants food.
The other is the sound of a baby in pain.


The wail I was hearing was the screaming kind, and it persisted for quite a while.

I was quite distressed.


Here's the thing:

It could well be nothing serious. Maybe it's just a normally noisy baby.

And my intrusion would be awkward. Un-welcomed.

But...

What if one day I read in the papers that someone in my block had abused their child?

How can I live with the knowledge that I heard the screams not just once or twice, but never did anything?


Let's say I decide to act. What should I do? Knock on their door? Call the police?

What would you do?

This made me so sad...

It's like they don't want to live on this planet anymore.

I'm not sure which is worst.

Having Taylor Swift as an ex-girlfriend...

Or having Adele as an ex-girlfriend.


Would you rather your ex trash your house and interrupt your wedding...

Or for her to turn up uninvited at your house after she finds out you've settled down?


On a different note... both of these girls became famous with heartbreak songs.

Now would you rather be the ex she sings about... the one who once dated a superstar and will forever be trolled for giving her up...

Or would you rather she had stayed by your side all the way, but never became a superstar?

This is a cake

As a Sociologist, I see within this cake signs and symbols of cannibalism, objectification of the female body and mass consumption on more than one level.

But I also see a cake and I feel hungry.

Ah, the human condition.

I know I posted this before

But this is the song I talk about in the post below.

Yours faithfully.

Highway run

Into the midnight sun

Wheels go round and round

You're on my mind

I have a calling. And it's to go where few go and to help those that few help. I feel called to go to India to work with the oppressed, and everything that I am and have been seems to be leading me in that direction.

Restless hearts

Sleep alone tonight

I have a struggle though. For my friends know that I, more than most, desire a life partner. And it's true, for the longest time, I have greatly desired a wife.

They say that the road

Ain't no place to start a family

Right down the line it's been you and me

It was the second time my closest friend and I had talked about why we were not together. It was a difficult topic to breach, because it was not easy to find an answer. And if we could not find an answer to why we should not be together... then what? 

We enjoyed each other's company, we got along with each other's friends and family, and our school friends were already teasing us about being together. We were supporting each other personally and were effective in ministering to schoolmates together. So why were we not together?

There was only one thing we lacked: I felt called to go, she didn't.

Right down the line between you and me.

It went right down the line between her and I. But it also went right down the line between my desires and God's desires for my life. I could not have both. If I was to follow God by hitting the road and she was going to stay home, we all know being apart ain't easy on this love affair. At most I would still be but sending all my love along the wire, but not holding her in my arms.

I would be forever "yours faithfully"... Not a loving husband by her side, but the words "yours faithfully" that she reads at the end of all my letters just before I sign off yet again.

Wondering where I am lost without you

It's always hard to give up something you love. It wasn't the first time I had let go of a girl to follow God, but that didn't make it any easier. It's difficult to answer the question of "why am I putting myself through so much pain?" when it presents itself every other night. At times I feel lost... and wish so much for someone to hold and to hold me, but the reason why I'm in pain is the same reason preventing me from finding solace.

I get the joy of rediscovering you

Oh Lord

You stand by me

But God doesn't shortchange. He honors sacrifices in his name, as Matthew 19:29 says. And in giving up on my desires for a wife, I drew ever closer to God and what he desires for me, which satisfies in a way nothing else on earth could. With God I finally find real meaning and purpose in life.

I'm forever yours

Faithfully

This song was on replay on my computer for days at end, not just because it so aptly captured the tension I was facing at the time and put emotions into words, but because it was to me a prayer.

The song is so raw and honest, like the battered and broken heart I was offering to God. I gave him my heart and soul once and for eternity, and seek to live up that promise day by day, faithfully.

Punggol - The Last Haven

In a bustling city like Singapore with its busy streets and tall skyscrapers, it is rare to find a place of quiet tranquility and peace. Punggol is one such place - a small village in the north-east, largely untouched and un-spoilt by the outside world.

Punggol is located on the north-eastern tip of Singapore, and even has its own MRT station. Contrary to popular belief, Puggol is in fact a part of mainland Singapore, and is actually located on the mainland. The perception that Punggol is located off the mainland is often attributed to the misleading MRT system map, which positions Punggol station outside the outline of the Singapore coast.

Top-right end of the Purple Line, seeming offshore, is Punggol Station. 

The original plan for Punggol back in 1996 was big. Then Prime minister Goh Chok Tong spoke at his National Day Rally about a town for the 21st Century, a new model for housing quality, and the project was named Punggol 21. Thousands of houses would be built, and recreational facilities would spring up to cater for the growing population in Punggol. The building began, but then the 1997 Asian financial crisis hit, and with a decrease in demands for new houses, the building stopped. And having not reached the critical population mass needed to support entertainment centers yet, Punggol was left with plenty of new houses, but little else other than that.

The first settlers came to Punggol no more than 10 years ago. Back then, there was no MRT line, and soft drinks were sold in glass bottles at the only super market in the entire village. The village lacked many of the modern facilities common in other neighborhoods, but people did not complain, spending their time flying kites at the many open fields or trekking in the nearby woods. There was a rustic charm about a village so detached from the rest of the city and so close to nature that soon made the villagers love their land.

A 2-inch cicada found along a corridor in Punggol.

They are responsible for most of the forest's music.

After a series of events that affected Punggol but went unreported in the state media (the village experienced tremors from Indonesia and a major blackout), it became clear that Punggol was a place separated from the rest of Singapore not only by physical distance. They were being overlooked, but the people living in the un-spoilt land were secretly happy that their land would remain untouched by the greed of capitalist society, at least for a period.

Things began to change with the opening of the North-East Line on 20 June 2003. By this time the villagers in Punggol were quite happy to live their lives away from the rest of the island. It took a while before people in Punggol actually started filling the trains to travel out of the village.

Peak hour at Punggol.

Then in September 2004, Punggol Plaza opened. It was the first shopping centre in the whole neighborhood, and was initially heralded as the end of the age of innocence for the village. But somehow the greed and consumerist culture did not take hold in Punggol as it had done elsewhere when a shopping mall opens. A possible factor for this was how the plaza catered to the culture in the village- Stationary shops sold bamboo framed kites, and the plaza was probably the only shopping centre in the whole nation that did not have a fast food joint. As such, villagers were often seen heading to the plaza in their pajamas, some children even carrying their bolsters.

Then in 2007 Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced Punggol 21-Plus. And that was the end of Punggol as we knew it. It was no longer going to be... untouched.

By 2008, KFC opened in Punggol Plaza. In Christmas 2010, Popeyes opened at Punggol waterway. By mid 2011, a second KFC had opened. Then last month... McDonalds opened.

For at least a month before its opening, McDonalds had been publicizing its presence. There has never been major publicity for any of the other fast food joints around Punggol (not counting the road signs that tell us where to find them, but just plain adverts like the one above). They even organized a McDonalds' Punggol-Waterway Run to raise awareness about their arrival, as well as promote a healthy lifestyle that complements the calorie rich diet they provide. Punggol was now being exposed to the outside world.

Punggol McDonalds' opened on 6th December. Soon after, there was a big karaoke competition held just outside its golden arches with a lion dance troupe to grace the occasion. But not everyone was celebrating. Some villagers saw the coming of Ronald McDonald as the end of Punggol's age of innocence and were visibly affected when they walked by the fast food joint.


Does the arrival of McDonalds' really mean that Punggol can no longer live apart from the greed and desires of capitalist society? Or can the locals find a delicate balance between village life and the encroaching urban culture; their Dora the Explorer pajamas and the formalities involved getting dressed to go to McDonalds?

Time will tell, and that telling time has come.

For your reference ladies...

What she said from 4:02 to 4:15 is absolutely true by the way.

The baby Triops

Sadly, my excitement was short-lived.

But life is like that. The good Lord giveth, the good Lord taketh away.

Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Hold on to things loosely.

And thank God for the time given you to love.

I thought Monday was Friday

The first time I went to collect my new passport, I forgot to bring my IC.

And my old passport.


This time, I made sure I remembered to bring the essential documents.

But when it came to signing a declaration of my citizenship, I crossed out the wrong option and declared that I have citizenship in another country.


Once again, my own stupidity baffles me.


I rushed back to school, ran up staircases, printed my notes in a hurry, gobbled down my lunch and burst into the classroom when the lecturer had already started.

Then I stopped.

Why were there other guys here in my Gender in Malay Societies class?

I quickly dashed out as the class erupted in laugher.

What had happened? I was here on the right day at the right classroom. How did I end up crashing the wrong class?

Oh.

I was an hour early.


Once again, my own stupidity baffles me.

2nd Lessons for 2012: Learn to laugh at life

All images from www.despair.com.

In a sociological perspective, why did Marianne spend 10 months Africa?

After graduating from Meridian Junior College in 2009 (and picking up the Student of the Year award), 19 year old Marianne Hui took a path less travelled- instead of entering university the following year, she spent 10 months in Africa working with orphans, HIV/AIDS sufferers, and abandoned babies. In a society of steep competition, where anyone who falls behind in the rat race is frowned upon, Marianne’s trip was seen not just as an act of great compassion, but great bravery.

“I think the only thing that people were concerned about, it wasn’t really 

much of a concern for me, was whether I would find it a challenge to be 

a year behind my peers by putting off school for one year.”

Marianne’s trip to Africa can be seen as brave from several perspectives. Other than challenging the social norm of what a normal Junior College student does after the “A” level examinations (especially one who did well), she also challenged gender norms, and had to sacrifice many of the luxuries that Singaporeans take for granted, such as Wi-Fi.

“Much of the time I didn’t have access to the internet, which meant that 

I did not have access to emails, to Facebook, to Skype… which meant 

that I could not keep in contact with people at home like my family or 

my boyfriend at the time and even other friends. And when I was in 

Zambia, even my phone wasn’t working, so I was totally cut off. At 

times it was hard, but it was actually better that way, so that I could 

fully experience what it was like to be away and just learn live in the 

community there, rather than being pulled back by the desire to be 

home, that would keep me from enjoying my time there more.”

While the experience above is a stark contrast from the rest of her female peers, it was not that far from what the boys Marianne’s age were going through in the army. Not having Internet access, being in a new environment, at times being totally cut off from family and friends, and falling behind the girls their age academically were things common to all boys coming out of Junior College and serving in the army. Yet while Marianne’s experience was not a unique one, it was deemed as brave because it was not something she was forced to do, unlike the boys, but rather done out of choice. In fact the boys who had to give up the same could appreciate her sacrifices even more, and respected her for what she chose to forgo.

To understand why Marianne went to Africa, it is important to look into the social factors that influenced her decision. The first of which was her involvement with religious organizations. Marianne was a devout Christian who had been serving in her church for years. As a result, her life values and priorities were not totally in sync as that of Singapore’s secular society. Capitalist economy advocates striving after material wealth, but Marianne was looking for more intangible goals in life thus her decision to go to Africa. When asked what she was hoping to get out of the trip, she answered, “Spiritual growth and a direction in knowing what to study and also what I would eventually do with my life. And just to find a new family that shared the same love for God.” This was a stark contrast to the Singaporean dream of prosperity.

“To go was just the conviction in my heart that I could not ignore; 

The knowledge that God was calling me, and I acted on it.”

While the spiritual nature of the “calling” that Marianne received was not something that can be easily explained sociologically, the social factors that allowed her to carry through the decision were much more visible. The biggest factor that influenced the decision and the act of her going was probably that of her family background.

“My dad’s a pastor and a missionary, he met my mom in Operation 

Mobilization (a Christian missions organization), the organization I that 

I joined. My dad currently works there as well- my mom too… So 

generally my whole family is very involved in missions; very supportive.”

While Marianne’s actions were at odds with societal values, they were much more in line with her family’s value system. And having interest in a similar cause as her parents allowed her to tap into what Bourdieu (1983) refers to as the Social Capital of her parents: She had a wide range of resources available through her parents who were members of this international organization (Operation Mobilization, or OM). Marianne eventually signed up for a program run by OM and “they handled everything pretty much; Accommodation, food, programs, communication, finance…” This made the entire preparation process much simpler and the trip more feasible than if she had planned it on her own.

“People in church are extremely supportive of my parents, the work 

that they’ve been doing. I think they saw it as legitimate when their 

daughter wanted to go and they sent me with the same amount of 

support that they did (with) my parents.”

The position of Marianne’s parents in the eyes of her church also contributed to her Social Capital, which in this case translated into crucial financial support: “The church covered almost all of what (Marianne) needed to raise in order to be able to go.” Finances were a major hurdle in the process of preparing to go to Africa, as her family (being missionaries) was not wealthy, the trip would cost a lot of money, and she would have to forgo a scholarship just to go on the trip. The Social Capital generated by her parents’ service to the church thus translated into much needed financial resources for Marianne.

“I think because my parents are missionaries, I’ve grown up having 

a positive impression of missions. And them being supportive about 

this helped a lot. I might not have been able to go had they not been 

supportive or I might have given up trying to go if they haven’t been 

so supportive.”

Unlike most Singaporean parents who would discourage their children from taking time off school, Marianne’s parents gave her a level of support that encouraged her to make such a trip. In fact, the destination “eventually became Africa when (Marianne’s) dad suggested the training program which was apparently really good as a foundation for spiritual life and also for life in general.” This further shows the extent of their support for her- her dad was the one who suggested where to go.

“It was going to Africa – It was unfamiliar, it wasn’t like Cambodia or 

India or somewhere in Asia, but it was Africa- a continent that we 

don’t often hear about other than that there are famished children 

dying of starvation.”

Given her family background, it is logical that Marianne ultimately chose to go to Africa. A continent commonly associated with hunger, poverty and danger, anyone who goes there is generally seen as altruistic. If Marianne had gone to another developing country like Cambodia or India, she would still need to qualify that she was going to help the poor rather than holiday. But going to Africa required no such explanation; people assumed she was like Bono. This could be a form of social reproduction of her parents position in society- Marianne would now be seen as doing the same altruistic things her parents do, and thus attaining the same kind of Social Capital (in terms of social position and networks) that they had attained in their years of serving the church and the Christian organization OM.

The 10 months Marianne spent in Africa were seen by most as brave, particularly because it was so different from what any other 19 year-old girl living in Singapore would do.

“The pace is such that it’s very hard to slow down or to break out of 

the norm. People are so caught up with the competitiveness of life 

from the time you are a student up to when you’re working, just a 

competition to be on top and anything that can threaten that is seen 

as just not a priority.”

In analyzing Marianne’s act from a sociological perspective, it is clear that she was acting in line with the priorities of her religious family culture, which had greater impact on her than Singapore culture. Having been born abroad and spending the first few years of her life on the mission field with her parents, the influence of her family’s culture seemed to outweigh that of the culture she was in. Thus though it is difficult to understand her spiritual “calling” to do the brave act, we can understand how her social position helped make it a reality.

References:

Bourdieu, Pierre. (1983). "Ökonomisches Kapital, kulturelles Kapital, soziales Kapital" in Soziale Ungleichheiten (Soziale Welt, Sonderheft 2), edited by Reinhard Kreckel. Goettingen: Otto Schartz & Co. pp. 183–98. Translated by Richard Nice.

Captions

Saw this at a toy shop:

Loved the caption:

Fact.

The Des-er-Dawn Monster

I had to wait until after Christmas to post this.


You see I bought pets last year.

But they were not... normal pets.

Here was my chat log from the day I hatched them:

17 minutes later...

17 days later...

Well let's just say they grew up well:

That's right. The ancient Kabuto fossils were resurrected to life and I had some awesome pets.

These Triops were absolutely fascinating to watch. They breathed through their legs so they wold keep needing to swim around, and their many legs would move in a mesmerizing wave pattern.

Too bad you can't see that here in a static picture.

Look at the two tails in the Triops above. It has a damaged shorter one, but it would be as good as new once it undergoes it's next moult.

That's right, they shed their outer skin like how crabs and prawns do. And because of that they double in size every day for the initial period of their lives. It's mind-blowing.

Above is the final picture I took of the 3 adults together. (One later got caught in my pump.) The one lying upside down is not dead. They tend to swim to the surface upside down to let their legs feel for food, and when they find it they hold on to the food, and because they stop paddling as much, they sink to the bottom while chewing on their pellets.

They were so weird! But these guys were so fascinating I could watch them for hours.

Alas, they do have short life-spans, and in a month's time my tank had run its course and the Triops were dead. It was quite sad, for these guys gave me so much entertainment.

Anyway, I had a water plant in the water so I did not throw out the water as I felt bad killing the plant. (I know right? But it has life too. These people who only eat vegetables are cruel. Plants did no harm, unlike meat animals, so how can we eat them! But I digress.)

I checked the water for mosquitoes every day. It was after all, stagnant. And a week or so later, I found something wriggling in the water and got ready to throw out the water.


But it wasn't a mosquito larva. Against all odds, one baby had just hatched!

The circle of life had continued!

Sungha like you

Upcoming...

Marianne has just launched her book.

I think it's about time for me to put up my essay on my sister's bravery.

(I got an A for it, thankfully.)


In 1500 words, I tried to answer this question:

In a sociological perspective, why did Marianne spend 10 months Africa?

In other words:

Without talking about God, 

 objectively explain why Marianne spent 10 months in Africa.

I'll tell you...

It was a tough essay to write.

I'll post it up this coming Wednesday.

What I hope to do by the end of this year.

Spot the Differences

There are at least 23.

The tragedy of cross-referencing love song lyrics

Nevermind, I'll find someone like you.

-Adele

Her lyrics are so sad because we all know from other singers that it's impossible to do what she said.

I've looked for love in stranger places

but never found someone like you.

-Melee

I could search the whole world over, until my life is through,

but I know I'll never find another you.

-The Seekers

Gender in Malay Societies

I ran down the corridor to my classroom.

AS1, 02-01.

It was a weird location.

"What is this place!!!" I screamed as I flew down the alley, but my voice echoed back to none but me.

There were no humans in this entire floor of the building.


I reached my classroom, and there were spider web threads on my face.

I kid you not.


I sat down in the classroom and removed my specs to clean off the web.

When I put my specs back on, I was startled.

Looking around quickly at all my classmates, I loudly asked,

"Where are all the guys!?!"


17 students taking this module.

16 girls.


This was going to be an interesting semester.

And I was going to make the best use of it.


I turned around to the girl behind me and introduced myself.

"Hi, I'm Justin," I said.

She giggled, then there was an awkward silence.

Finally she smiled and said, "I'm Justina"


When the teacher asked a question, no one answered.

She looked at her class roster that had our faces printed on it.

"I'm going to start calling names," she threatened, "although all of you seem to look the same in these small pictures."


I was the first to answer.

"You must be Justin," she responded.

"How did you guess?" I replied.

You'll never guess what I did on the last day of 2011...

Alright, alright; It wasn't all that bad.

See? I'm smiling.

And I was happy cuz that was the day I ticked off one of my life's goals.

To all my secret keepers,

Or to anyone who wants to be my secret keeper...

I need a sign to notify you guys of something major happening in my life.

A code word perhaps, that the moment I say, you shall know that I have something important to tell you.

The code word must be something rather... uncommon, so I won't accidentally use it, but not to the extent that it is suspicious.


Alright. My codeword will be: "Strawberry Shortcake".


So the moment you hear me say it, it means that you, as one of my closer friends who hold me accountable in life, should approach me whenever you can because there has been some major development in my life that I need to update you about.


Now...

To all of you who do not know the significance of the 18th of November 2011...

Strawberry Shortcake.

Singapore Film

We have hope.

I was randomly surfing through YouTube when I found these local and notable 3 minute short films:



Nice huh! I love the soundtrack.

This one is cool in its cinematography too:



Ah but if you only have time for one, you must watch this one.

You'll understand when you watch it.



These videos might be up only till the 20th so... don't miss it please.

Especially the last one.

My problem the past 2 nights.

Marxist View of the World

El Empleo / The Employment from opusBou on Vimeo.

The first lesson of 2012 is to learn to laugh at ourselves:

Sniff...

I am an Introvert

If you really want to understand me better, you need to understand what it means to be an introvert, and this article that I'm taking from this link explains that quite well.

Instead of explaining what introverts are, explains what introverts are not.

I'll tell you how much I match up to each section.

Here are a few common misconceptions about Introverts:

Myth #1 – Introverts don’t like to talk.

This is not true. Introverts just don’t talk unless they have something to say. 

They hate small talk. Get an introvert talking about something they are 

interested in, and they won’t shut up for days.

This is true. Ask me to talk or write about politics and I will struggle for days and nights. Ask me to talk or write an essay on Pokémon and I overshoot the word limit by 1000 words.

Myth #2 – Introverts are shy.

Shyness has nothing to do with being an Introvert. 

Introverts are not necessarily afraid of people. What they need is a reason 

to interact. They don’t interact for the sake of interacting. If you want to 

talk to an Introvert, just start talking. Don’t worry about being polite.

It's tiring for me to interact. I sometimes ask why I am friends with someone and when it's difficult to answer that question, I find it difficult to meet with the person.

Myth #3 – Introverts are rude.

Introverts often don’t see a reason for beating around the bush with 

social pleasantries. They want everyone to just be real and honest. 

Unfortunately, this is not acceptable in most settings, so Introverts can feel 

a lot of pressure to fit in, which they find exhausting.

Social pleasantries don't come naturally to me. I need to consciously do it. It is great for a while, but it really does get tiring to behave in a certain way. I'm not talking about acting for a few days, just acting for a few hours will drain me out.

Myth #4 – Introverts don’t like people.

On the contrary, Introverts intensely value the few friends they have. 

They can count their close friends on one hand. If you are lucky enough for an 

introvert to consider you a friend, you probably have a loyal ally for life. Once you 

have earned their respect as being a person of substance, you’re in.

Definitely true. When I ask myself why I'm friends someone, the long list of answers that I have for my closer friends will always give me a reason to pursue these relationships.

Myth #5 – Introverts don’t like to go out in public.

Nonsense. Introverts just don’t like to go out in public FOR AS LONG. 

They also like to avoid the complications that are involved in public activities. 

They take in data and experiences very quickly, and as a result, don’t need to 

be there for long to “get it.” They’re ready to go home, recharge, and
process it all. In fact, recharging is absolutely crucial for Introverts.

I can't stay in a party for long before getting totally drained and shutting down. It's happened several times at noisy parties my friends brought me to, and they start getting worried for me, thinking I was sick because I suddenly went quiet. 

Myth #6 – Introverts always want to be alone.

Introverts are perfectly comfortable with their own thoughts. They think a lot. 

They daydream. They like to have problems to work on, puzzles to solve. 

But they can also get incredibly lonely if they don’t have anyone to share 

their discoveries with. They crave an authentic and sincere 

connection with ONE PERSON at a time.

Leave me alone with my thoughts and I'll soon be able to come up with wonderful stories to tell you, of stars and trees, of owls and dreams and traveling. But leave me alone with my stories and I get lost in my own thoughts and dreams, which can sometimes be very realistic. This is why I need and treasure so much my close friends who know me well enough that I can share the deep and personal thoughts I have with. I take extra effort over years just to built those few friendships.

Myth #7 – Introverts are weird.

Introverts are often individualists. They don’t follow the crowd. 

They’d prefer to be valued for their novel ways of living. They think for 

themselves and because of that, they often challenge the norm. 

They don’t make most decisions based on what is popular or trendy.

Er... Yes I am what Amanda calls, "unstandard". I'm so weird they have to come up with a word outside of the English language just to describe me. I think the explanation is true, but the conclusion is opposite. Introverts like me are weird. But try not to see it as a bad thing. Think of it as being more... "unstandard"

Myth #8 – Introverts are aloof nerds.

Introverts are people who primarily look inward, paying close 

attention to their thoughts and emotions. It’s not that they are incapable of 

paying attention to what is going on around them, it’s just that their inner 

world is much more stimulating and rewarding to them.

I'm very sensitive to emotional cues and read into the little things, which means it doesn't take a lot to get me emotional. I cried once during Lilo & Stitch, twice during Tangled, and wept my eyes out reading the final episode of the graphic novel series I followed called "Y:The Last Man". And that is just the fictional world. The real world and the human complexity sometimes overloads my brain to the extent that it's a mess I cannot appreciate.

Myth #9 – Introverts don’t know how to relax and have fun.

Introverts typically relax at home or in nature, not in busy public places. 

Introverts are not thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies. If there is too much 

talking and noise going on, they shut down. Their brains are too sensitive 

to the neurotransmitter called Dopamine. Introverts and Extroverts have 

different dominant neuro-pathways. Just look it up.

I love to walk in the forest, close to nature, especially at night when I'm totally alone. That's when I meet God and come back refreshed and inspired.

Myth #10 – Introverts can fix themselves and become Extroverts.

A world without Introverts would be a world with few scientists, musicians, 

artists, poets, filmmakers, doctors, mathematicians, writers, and philosophers. 

That being said, there are still plenty of techniques an Extrovert can learn in 

order to interact with Introverts. (Yes, I reversed these two terms on purpose 

to show you how biased our society is.) Introverts cannot “fix themselves” 

and deserve respect for their natural temperament and contributions to the 

human race. In fact, one study (Silverman, 1986) showed that the 

percentage of Introverts increases with IQ.

Hey, shouldn't you be the one fixing yourself to be like me? Heh I'm kidding. Introversion and Extraversion are biological. It's based on our brain structure. So let's learn to live with each other. I can't do things the way most people do them and I'm sorry because it's just not in my nature. But if you give me the freedom to roam and do things my way, I can give you much more than you expect.

This Magician's Good