the right mood.

Hobbes
Do you have an idea for your project yet?

Calvin
No, I'm waiting for inspiration.
You can't just turn on creativity like a faucet.
You have to be in the right mood.

Hobbes
What mood is that?

Calvin
Last-minute panic.

[via]

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. 

Rather, in humility lift others up above yourselves, 

not looking to your own interests 

but each of you to the interests of the others.

Philippians 2:3

It's Friday evening, and if my quick calculation is anything to go by, this is approximately the 1,805th Friday of my life. Wow, that's a lot of Fridays. And by statistics, I should have another 1,805 more to go. This is, after all, mid-life. But that sounds nice. To have close to two thousand Fridays more to enjoy. Close to two thousand more weekends in my life.

I was born on a Monday. I can't remember if I was an AM child, or a PM child. AM if I'm not mistaken (no idea how I ended up such a night owl!). So I came into this world wailing and flailing about, just as everyone was dreading the start of the week. I'm assuming of course, this aversion to Monday has been around for at least that long. Or was that another time that people lived in?

I'm waiting for traffic to ease up before heading home. Pleased with the predictability. Looking out through the slit between the window and blinds to a hazy view of the city; thought that it's not unlike peering into my mind. Wondering why the rain didn't wash away the blanket of dust.

I think I'm gonna take a quick shut eye (yes, in the office). Happy weekend! :)

my Myer-Briggs profile

Another personality profile! What did I say, I like finding out and reading more about myself.. don't you? :)

So here's my Myer-Briggs profile. I don't think there's one type indicator that describes me to the T, but this one comes close enough. If you're interested to know what you are, take a test here and then check out the explanation here.

The Artist (ISFP)
Introverted - Sensing - Feeling - Perceiving

As an ISFP, your primary mode of living is focused internally, where you deal with things according to how you feel about them, or how they fit into your value system. Your secondary mode is external, where you take things in via your five sense in a literal, concrete fashion.

ISFPs live in the world of sensation possibilities. They are keenly in tune with the way things look, taste, sound, feel and smell. They have a strong aesthetic appreciation for art, and are likely to be artists in some form, because they are unusually gifted at creating and composing things which will strongly affect the senses. They have a strong set of values, which they strive to consistently meet in their lives. They need to feel as if they're living their lives in accordance with what they feel is right, and will rebel against anything which conflicts with that goal. They're likely to choose jobs and careers which allow them the freedom of working towards the realization of their value-oriented personal goals.

ISFPs tend to be quiet and reserved, and difficult to get to know well. They hold back their ideas and opinions except from those who they are closest to. They are likely to be kind, gentle and sensitive in their dealings with others. They are interested in contributing to people's sense of well-being and happiness, and will put a great deal of effort and energy into tasks which they believe in.

ISFPs have a strong affinity for aesthetics and beauty. They're likely to be animal lovers, and to have a true appreciation for the beauties of nature. They're original and independent, and need to have personal space. They value people who take the time to understand the ISFP, and who support the ISFP in pursuing their goals in their own, unique way. People who don't know them well may see their unique way of life as a sign of carefree light-heartedness, but the ISFP actually takes life very seriously, constantly gathering specific information and shifting it through their value systems, in search for clarification and underlying meaning.

ISFPs are action-oriented individuals. They are "doers", and are usually uncomfortable with theorizing concepts and ideas, unless they see a practical application. They learn best in a "hands-on" environment, and consequently may become easily bored with the traditional teaching methods, which emphasize abstract thinking. They do not like impersonal analysis, and are uncomfortable with the idea of making decisions based strictly on logic. Their strong value systems demand that decisions are evaluated against their subjective beliefs, rather than against some objective rules or laws.

ISFPs are extremely perceptive and aware of others. They constantly gather specific information about people, and seek to discover what it means. They are usually penetratingly accurate in their perceptions of others.

ISFPs are warm and sympathetic. They genuinely care about people, and are strongly service-oriented in their desire to please. They have an unusually deep well of caring for those who are close to them, and are likely to show their love through actions, rather than words.

ISFPs have no desire to lead or control others, just as they have no desire to be led or controlled by others. They need space and time alone to evaluate the circumstances of their life against their value system, and are likely to respect other people's needs for the same.

The ISFP is likely to not give themself enough credit for the things which they do extremely well. Their strong value systems can lead them to be intensely perfectionist, and cause them to judge themselves with unneccesary harshness.

The ISFP has many special gifts for the world, especially in the areas of creating artistic sensation, and selflessly serving others. Life is not likely to be extremely easy for the ISFP, because they take life so seriously, but they have the tools to make their lives and the lives of those close to them richly rewarding experiences.

Well, if the above is TL;DR for you, here's the summary of an ISFP's traits (I've highlighted the traits I know to be true):

• Keen awareness of their environment (on the contrary, I think I'm quite oblivious to my surrounding)
• Live in the present moment
• Enjoy a slower pace - they like to take time to savor the present moment (mm I guess so?)
• Dislike dealing with theory or abstract thought, unless they see a practical application
• Faithful and loyal to people and ideas which are important to them
• Individualistic, having no desire to lead or follow
• Take things seriously, although they frequently appear not to (I'm not sure about this)
• Special bond with children and animals (hahahahahhahah, sorry to disappoint!)
• Quiet and reserved, except with people they know extremely well
• Trusting, sensitive, and kind
• Service-oriented; they're driven to help others (erm...)
• Extremely well-developed appreciation for aesthetic beauty (I won't say "extremely" but yeah, I like beautiful things)
• Likely to be original and unconventional (me? haha i wish!)
• Learn best with hands-on training
• Hate being confined to strict schedules and regimens
• Need space and freedom to do things their own way
• Dislike mundane, routine tasks, but will perform them if necessary

wiki n00b

I created my first Wikipedia page today w00t! ^__^

On a whim, I joined Wiki yesterday, and dabbled by editing a couple of entries (specifically, the last sentence here and this). I had actually wanted to edit Leehom's entry to add that bit about his Oxford Union speech (how he was the first Chinese pop singer to speak there), but apparently his page is semi-protected (because he's really popular = prone to vandalism)(inaccessible to me because I'm newly registered), so I went to potter about in the bios of the next two famous people I know something about: Brendan and David.

Today, I thought I'd go a step further, sooo.. ta-dah! I created a page for David's new album here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hello_Goodbye_(album)

I would like to add more things to the page, but erm, I can't find much more news about the album in English, so the page is pretty sparse. Still, it was a good practice for me. :)

btw, a trivia bit: as you know, I'm a huge fan and user of Wikipedia (who isn't?) and Quora, and what does these two sites have in common? Jimmy Wales! Jimmy is of course the founder of Wiki and also an advisor and small time (his words) investor in Quora.

update 26-Jul: yay, I finally got access to add in that line in Leehom's profile. *beams*

update 2-Aug: I've been making more edits to Leehom's profile. Check them out on this revision history page, for amendments done under my handle sillellis ;)

this week's top six

1. being away in Miri - super hectic week, but really enjoyed being away and being alone (whenever I had the time to).
2. finished reading a book. reckoned i haven't done so in months so yay!
3. sleeping in til noon on Saturday.
4. reunion with ex-colleagues.
5. this documentary about Calvin and Hobbes.
6. this interview with Brendan Buckley.

heroes unrivaled.

This song is probably the epitome of Leehom's chinked out style. It has a great mix of rock, hip hop and Beijing opera, and was sung in English, Mandarin and a smack of Cantonese, with two singers, one Beijing opera master.. all that in one song! The chinaman in me will surely agree that it's great value for money haha!

One of my first few impressions of this song came from this music video from his Music Man concert (which imho is better than the official MV)(sorry Leehom, but I think many of your MVs aren't very interesting), and I was pretty blown away. I've replayed this song in my car so many times to learn to sing all its parts. Super love it! :D

Before I start, the title of the song is 蓋世英雄 which literally translates to Unrivaled/Matchless Hero, but Leehom chose to translate it as Heroes of the Earth, and the heroes he referred to were the musical masters that he looked up to. On to the song now...



#5 蓋世英雄

Yo come on come on come on
大家一起說一次　蓋世英雄到來
Homeboy Production　力宏　項羽　My homboy Jin
Yo come on come on come on
Everyone say it together now　"The heroes of the earth are here"
Homeboy Production　Leehom　Xiang Yu　My homboy Jin

迫不及待看見我的未來(看見我的)　對什麼都看開
蓋世英雄真的到來(蓋世英雄到來)
迫不及待看見我的未來(看見我的)　對什麼都期待
蓋世英雄站上舞台(世界是舞台)
Eagerly awaiting my future, I'm open to anything
The heroes of the earth are really coming
Eagerly awaiting my future, I'm anticipating everything
The heroes of the earth are taking to the stage

我出門了載四個哥兒們兒們　鍍鉻輪框24吋
今晚我的目的明確　帶Chinked-out到全世界
加入了京劇(jingju)崑曲(kunqu)　Hip-hop進入新的格局 (geju)
新的突破　新的曲風　才有新的蓋世英雄
I'm out with my four homies, (cruising in) 24-inch chrome rims
Tonight my purpose is clear: to introduce chinked-out to the whole world
Mixing in Beijing opera and kunqu, hip hop's entering a new structure
New breakthrough, new style, only then there will be heroes of earth

把收音機開最大聲　聽見的聲音又是武生
道白的共鳴又最流行　要模仿他　真的不容易
他的唱法獨一無二　這種藝術屬一屬二
希望幫助全世界的華人　唱出大家的心聲(我們大家的心聲)
Crank up the volume of your radio, what you hear is the sound of martial arts coming to life
The resonance of the operatic lines is again all the rage, and it's no mean feat to be mimicked
The way it's sung is unequalled, this form of art ranks top
I hope it would help all the Chinese around the world in singing out their hearts' contents

霸氣傲中原　王者揚烽煙
力拔山河天　宏威征凱旋
(Beijing opera line)(I have no idea what they mean, so I got the translation from here:)
The tyrant’s pride takes the field, the ruler raises the signal fire
Pulling at the homeland, the heroes risk prestige to attack and return triumphantly

迫不及待看見我的未來　對什麼都看開
蓋世英雄真的到來 (蓋世英雄到來)
迫不及待看見我的未來　對什麼都期待　蓋世英雄站上舞台
(呦　一位蓋世英雄要上台了　歐陽靖你在哪兒　All yours, baby)
Eagerly awaiting to see my future, I'm open to anything
The heroes of the earth are really coming
Eagerly awaiting my future, I'm anticipating everything
The heroes of the earth are taking to the stage
(A hero is now taking to the stage: Ouyang Jin, where are you?)

I'm here let's go　
Yo it's Jin and Leehom, it feels good to be home　
I've got the skills to be known so Imma chill on my throne　
yes, I keeps it blazing from Shanghai out to Beijing
stop in Taiwan back to Hong Kong where they start doing they thing
this is something special, my culture's is so contagious
they wanna know about us, we been around for ages
a couple thousand years, a bunch of pioneers
just artists and scholars making noise, it was loud and clear
hey yo, the future's here, the revolution's near
Jin's got the solution for the pollution in your ear
switch it up:

唔使問　你實同意　做英雄　係唔容易
(不用問　你得同意　做英雄　是不容易)
But yo, you ain't gotta take it from me
Just listen close to 李老師
Don't bother asking, you'll surely agree, that it's not easy being a hero
But yo, you ain't gotta take it from me
Just listen close to Teacher Li

(Repeat Beijing opera lines and chorus)

to the hamsterball!

I don't agree with everything here (e.g. i don't see extroverts as obnoxious predators out to steal my energy juice)(i really don't like the tone of that), but I'd say that this chart is essentially me. I don't usually announce my introversion publicly because people tend to attach some weird pride to it (see snide comment above about extroverts)(or maybe I'm just mis-reading them), but I think it's okay to do it here on my personal blog. :)

As I grow older, the more reclusive I get. I'm okay with it, except for the part where I think some people might expect differently (of course the expectations are purely in my head, for now). And honestly, I think my introversion is a huge hindrance to my assimilation at the new church. So I struggle with that. I feel bad. There, I've finally admitted it.

[via]

collapsible lung

This is a good, nay, GREAT year, and I say that because most of my favorite bands and singers have been or are releasing new albums! OH JOYYYYYYY!!!! :D

I've just downloaded Relient K's Collapsible Lung, which is my third full album purchase this year, after Khalil Fong's Back to Wonderland and David Tao's recent Hello Goodbye.

I don't really need to say that I love this album right? I'm a good if not die-hard fan.. so of course it's good hahaha! But really, I'm lovin' the upbeat melodies of Don't Blink, Lost Boy, Collapsible Lung and That's My Jam (all of which were previously released on youtube). And everything else are sounding good too. ^_^ I haven't checked the lyrics yet, so I could be wrong in saying that some of the witticism and word play they are known for aren't so prominent this time around (first impression). Mattie has always have a way with words which was how I got hooked with a punk rock band that has apparently gone pop (M has said that their next album will be rock if not punk rock :) I've also read that songs that reflect their Christian faith are not found, so I thought that's quite a bummer cos those that they have written have always been my favorites :(

With that too, I can't shake off the sadness for the departure of their drummer EL right before the album was released, and the news of the other two members (bassist JW and guitarist JS) not joining in the tour. I don't know what that's all about, and maybe in not knowing I tend to imagine the worst. M, this had better not be your doing! :(

anyways, after this, I'll be anticipating Switchfoot's Fading West which is coming out soon (there's an album AND a movie, omg so much awesomeness!) and Leehom's in the studio between his movie takes recording for a new album. this fangirl cannot ask for moar.. MOARRRRR!! hehehe.. sorry for my state of delirium.. wait, I'm not sorry. I'm soooo excited I can't sit still.

a good year indeed.


#update: love the pop rock tunes, but the lyrics quality leaves much to be desired. i think M could do so, so much better. because he has done it before. i am disappoint. i'm enjoying the album without listening to the words. which isn't cool in my book. not cool at all. :(

have I ever mentioned that I enjoy doing personality tests? :D well, i kinda do, and well, this is a somewhat accurate portrait of me. this is from a test called the Leonard Personality Inventory. it's not available online, so I didn't really take the test. i just read through the manual, and figured out that I'm what they called a CREATIVE ERROR BUSTER. haha! sounds like the poorer sister of the Mythbuster.

Strengths

• must always do things correctly
• will do things accurately
• sets high internal standards for themselves
• cautious
• likes to be precise
• has a strong sense of commitment and duty
• thinks carefully before making a decision
• does not liked to be rushed into decisions
• persisists on a task until completed
• does not like to be pushy
• is loyal
• is very concerned for the welfare of others
• tries to live in harmony with others
• imaginative
• artistic

Potential weaknesses

• tends to worry easily
• may be too inward looking
• not flexible enough
• may be shy, prefers to be a loner
• needs constant assurance and encouragement
• tends to be indecisive
• quite easily feel anxious and troubled
• has good ideas but not confident enough to convince others
• may get disappointed easily