Delirious Liu Xue!

I am sooooo Happie! Yippee!! I want to jump for JOY! I want to shout out LOUD! but I have to act cool, cos I am still in the office ... It seems so surreal that I will be no. 9! Yes! Top 10! It's unbelievable.... six long boring years.... ha! It will pass. Thank You God for this miracle!

Details soon... watch this space!

Nothing good to say, DON'T SAY!!!

Ahhh!!! I want to scream! Nothing good to say, DON'T SAY! That goes for me as well. Please. It is not edifying to tell people that they look bad, once too often. Please. Do not project your perception of yourself on others. Please. If you have nothing good to say, don't say anything.

My resolutions: 1) I don't want to hear anything about the woman in the office anymore. (It's messing up my mind). 2) I will not talk about her anymore. 3) I don't want to gripe about stupid office politics and system anymore.

Career, not Job. Work, not Labour

I want a CAREER, not a job. I need WORK, not labour.

A career suggests progression, incentives, recognition and most importantly, passion. Whereas a job meant something you hold down just to get the money to pay your bills and pass time.

Work involves creativity, as opposed to the daily drudgery of labour. I think it's very cruel to make humans do labour. So mindless and so bo-liao.

Me thinking long and hard (again... have been thinking for years... made many wrong choices in life...) about my career and my work. I want a progressive career and I want creative work. My job is boring ... ...

Anyway, I bettter not digress... bad habit. Check out what the career choices for INFJs entail. Me seriously thinking about doing career counselling for students also, just so that less people would make stupid decisions like the younger me.


Career Choices for INFJs

Whether you're a young adult trying to find your place in the world, or a not-so-young adult (is he refering to me?) trying to find out if you're moving along the right path, it's important to understand yourself and the personality traits which will impact your likeliness to succeed or fail at various careers. It's equally important to understand what is really important to you. When armed with an understanding of your strengths and weaknesses, and an awareness of what you truly value, you are in an excellent position to pick a career which you will find rewarding.

INFJs generally have the following traits:
Intuitively understand people and situations
Idealistic
Highly principled (Yupz!)
Complex and deep (Yupz!)
Natural leaders
Sensitive and compassionate towards people (Maybe a little too over sensitive... not something that I am proud of...)
Service-oriented (Yupz! That's why I love ushering.)
Future-oriented
Value deep, authentic relationships
Reserved about expressing their true selves
Dislike dealing with details unless they enhance or promote their vision (On the contrary, I think I am pretty detailed... or am I merely promoting my vision? haha!)
Constantly seeking meaning and purpose in everything (yupz! which contributes to my constant mental battles about life... which started since secondary school... at that time, as teenager, I could confide in no one about my crazy thoughts. My friends seemed more preoccupied about school and BG relationships. Whereas I was already thinking about "meaning of life"... too precocious a child I was. But... that's where I found my God!)
Creative and visionary
Intense and tightly-wound
Can work logically and rationally - use their intuition to understand the goal and work backwards towards it

The INFJ is a special individual (I is special...) who needs more out of a career than a job. They need to feel as if everything they do in their lives is in sync with their strong value systems - with what they believe to be right. Accordingly, the INFJ should choose a career in which they're able to live their daily lives in accordance with their deeply-held principles, and which supports them in their life quest to be doing something meaningful. Since INFJs have such strong value systems, and persistent intuitive visions which lend them a sense of "knowing", they do best in positions in which they are leaders, rather than followers. Although they can happily follow individuals who are leading in a direction which the INFJ fully supports, they will very unhappy following in any other situation.

The following list of professions is built on our impressions of careers which would be especially suitable for an INFJ. It is meant to be a starting place, rather than an exhaustive list. There are no guarantees that any or all of the careers listed here would be appropriate for you, or that your best career match is among those listed. (Wah, got put disclaimer one ah? "Cover backside" tactic. Haha!)

Possible Career Paths for the INFJ:
Clergy / Religious Work
Teachers
Medical Doctors / Dentists
Alternative Health Care Practitioners, i.e. Chiropractor, Reflexologist
Psychologists
Psychiatrists
Counselors and Social Workers
Musicians and Artists
Photographers
Child Care / Early Childhood Development

okie... more on liuxue's crazy thots to come!

Introverted iNtuiting Feeling Judging

Guys! I am currently obssessed about the MBTI test. Here are somethings I found on the net about the INFJ types, i.e. yours truly.... Hey, if any of you, my friends, are interested in taking this profiling test, let me know, no shy k? I have the profiling questions. I really learnt a lot about myself... I am seriously thinking about a career in training or teaching...hmm....


by Joe Butt
Beneath the quiet exterior, INFJs hold deep convictions about the weightier matters of life. Those who are activists -- INFJs gravitate toward such a role -- are there for the cause, not for personal glory or political power.
INFJs are champions of the oppressed and downtrodden. They often are found in the wake of an emergency, rescuing those who are in acute distress. INFJs may fantasize about getting revenge on those who victimize the defenseless. The concept of 'poetic justice' is appealing to the INFJ. (That is why Pastor How's sermon on Mercy and Grace above Justice really zapped me! My fight for justice is my bane... gotto watch it and remember mercy and grace!)
"There's something rotten in Denmark." Accurately suspicious about others' motives (opps! That sounds like me too! that's my deeper darker side... muahahahahaha....), INFJs are not easily led. These are the people that you can rarely fool any of the time. Though affable and sympathetic to most, INFJs are selective about their friends. Such a friendship is a symbiotic bond that transcends mere words.
INFJs have a knack for fluency in language and facility in communication. In addition, nonverbal sensitivity enables the INFJ to know and be known by others intimately.
Writing, counseling, public service and even politics are areas where INFJs frequently find their niche. (Gosh... the career and the interests things really sound like me...)

by Marina Margaret Heiss
INFJs are distinguished by both their complexity of character and the unusual range and depth of their talents. Strongly humanitarian in outlook, INFJs tend to be idealists (that's mua! That's mua!), and because of their J preference for closure and completion, they are generally "doers" as well as dreamers. This rare combination of vision and practicality often results in INFJs taking a disproportionate amount of responsibility in the various causes to which so many of them seem to be drawn.
INFJs are deeply concerned about their relations with individuals as well as the state of humanity at large. They are, in fact, sometimes mistaken for extroverts (yes, yes, yes.... people often think that I am outgoing and extroverted, but seriously, I am not...) because they appear so outgoing and are so genuinely interested in people -- a product of the Feeling function they most readily show to the world. On the contrary, INFJs are true introverts, who can only be emotionally intimate and fulfilled with a chosen few from among their long-term friends, family, or obvious "soul mates." While instinctively courting the personal and organizational demands continually made upon them by others, at intervals INFJs will suddenly withdraw into themselves, sometimes shutting out even their intimates (yup... i do withdraw into myself sometimes... kinda need space to think and recharge) . This apparent paradox is a necessary escape valve for them, providing both time to rebuild their depleted resources and a filter to prevent the emotional overload to which they are so susceptible as inherent "givers." As a pattern of behavior, it is perhaps the most confusing aspect of the enigmatic INFJ character to outsiders, and hence the most often misunderstood -- particularly by those who have little experience with this rare type (this confirms my suspicion that I am a misfit... sometimes I think I am a little schizo... lao gong, are you scared? Muahahahahahaaaaa.........)
Due in part to the unique perspective produced by this alternation between detachment and involvement in the lives of the people around them, INFJs may well have the clearest insights (Fwah! I is clever!) of all the types into the motivations of others, for good and for evil. The most important contributing factor to this uncanny gift, however, are the empathic abilities often found in Fs, which seem to be especially heightened in the INFJ type (possibly by the dominance of the introverted N function).
This empathy can serve as a classic example of the two-edged nature of certain INFJ talents, as it can be strong enough to cause discomfort or pain in negative or stressful situations. More explicit inner conflicts are also not uncommon in INFJs; it is possible to speculate that the causes for some of these may lie in the specific combinations of preferences which define this complex type. For instance, there can sometimes be a "tug-of-war" (see... schizo...) between NF vision and idealism and the J practicality that urges compromise for the sake of achieving the highest priority goals. And the I and J combination, while perhaps enhancing self-awareness, may make it difficult for INFJs to articulate their deepest and most convoluted (er... si mi ah? so cheem...) feelings.
Usually self-expression comes more easily to INFJs on paper, as they tend to have strong writing skills (that's right! INFJs very high in intra-personal and linguistic intelligence one leh!). Since in addition they often possess a strong personal charisma, INFJs are generally well-suited to the "inspirational" professions such as teaching (especially in higher education) (hmm... should I go into this? I mean, I do like the idea very much) and religious leadership. Psychology and counseling are other obvious choices, but overall, INFJs can be exceptionally difficult to pigeonhole by their career paths. Perhaps the best example of this occurs in the technical fields. Many INFJs perceive themselves at a disadvantage when dealing with the mystique and formality of "hard logic" (yah lah... don't ask me to do maths lah... very xiong on my brain...) , and in academic terms this may cause a tendency to gravitate towards the liberal arts rather than the sciences (haha! that's why I did so much better in arts in university) . However, the significant minority of INFJs who do pursue studies and careers in the latter areas tend to be as successful as their T counterparts, as it is *iNtuition* -- the dominant function for the INFJ type -- which governs the ability to understand abstract theory and implement it creatively.
In their own way, INFJs are just as much "systems builders" as are INTJs; the difference lies in that most INFJ "systems" are founded on human beings and human values, rather than information and technology. Their systems may for these reasons be conceptually "blurrier" than analogous NT ones, harder to measure in strict numerical terms, and easier to take for granted -- yet it is these same underlying reasons which make the resulting contributions to society so vital and profound.

Copyright © 1996-2005 by Marina Margaret Heiss and Joe Butt

Vision with Action can Change the World!

Had a busy week last week... busy, but exciting. Went for a three day train-the-trainers course at IPAM. It was fantastic! I learnt so much and made some new friends. I learnt techniques on training in front of a group of people, whether adults or youth or children. Fasinating. I learnt about fillers, energizers, warm-ups, ice-breakers... I learnt about models of learning and the 7 intelligence and I did many many profiling tests - MBTI, FIRO-B, Learning styles, team compatibility... etc... So, I am a INFJ - Intraverted, Intuitive, Feeling and Judging. INFJs only make up 1% of the population. Ha! I am rare! No wonder sometimes, I feel like a misfit. Maybe to many people, I may not seem to be introverted, but guys, really lah, I am... I need to rest to recharge, not go out and chiong... so friends, now you know why I dont quite like pubbing? So noisy and so smelly, got smoke and drunkards and vomit all around, some more must pay money to buy coke? are you kidding? what's so good about that? Pubbing sounds really silly to me. I digressed. Anyway, where was I? oh, yup, I learnt so much. I am quite intrigued by HRD, not HRM. I think HRM is quite boring, but HRS sounds interesting... Am wondering, should I take up a course in HRD? After all, in the vision which I wrote down during the course, I wrote "Help People to Realise their Potential to be Great". I like how that sounds. Hmm... got to pray and ask God for a direction. Oh, then, if I am right, isn't image consulting part of HRD? Ha! I like it! More than that, I like the fact that God is adding stuff to my vision.

Visions... I was troubled recently by that. I asked God and my CGLs... is it ok not to have a vision? cant I just live my life and do my best in whatever comes into my path? Well... God gave me the answer... The course reminded me of what Pastor How spoke about last time about visions... Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is passing time. Vision with action can change the world! Wow! I will continue to seek my God about this vision and in time, and fast time, I know He will complete this vision...

Sometimes, I sit quietly and I think. I am so loved! yes, I am. I have friends who care about my job interviews. I have a great church, where I have the privilege to serve. I have a wonderful lao gong. I have great leaders in church who always have to listen to my whining and especially, my recent whining about not having a vision. I have 2 wonderful pastors. In all my years as a Christian, I never had such wonderful pastors who cared personally for me. And I have good parents. I have many blessings lah. And I still want more.

okie. Me going to run 10km. Go to be fit... never passed any of my fitness test from primary 4 to JC 2... hmmm... wonder if I am fitter than last time... you know wat? I think I am. hehe...

Mass EXODUS!! Mass EXODUS!!

Aiyah... when's it my turn?

ok, what's with the commotion on exodus-ing... This afternoon, the news came that 2 more officers from my department resigned! Ah!! Last week, there was one, and today, there are 2 more! All in all, there are 8 officers in my small lil' department who called it quits! And I am not one of them! What's worse? With the 2 resignations, one whole section became empty! The mad man got posted out with his fave officer, and the 3 remaining officers resigned! All that is left is the PA. I was so evil... when the news came, I laughed. Not just a small sweet smirking kind of laugh. I laughed, with my mouth wide open, my eyes wide open, my teeth showing... I hope my nostrils were not flared opened though... Eee... imagine the sight... Some of my kakis in the office were also laughing along with me... I know lah, we like so evil like that right? but ah... the problems in the office were there for years, we know it, the bosses know it, but they pretend they don't know it... anyway... God, when's it my turn? My kakis are vying for the 9th and 10th position, i.e. the next persons to resign... The job's too mundane for me... I feel so underemployed... wah, so hao lian! haha! But seriously lah, I know I can do much more!

Also, Mondays are really really blue... I mean, Mondays are a great contrast to Sundays. Sundays are so exciting, fun and motivating. I go to my exciting and happening church on Sundays and I laugh, I cry, I sing, I have great friends, I meet with God, I immerse in His presence... get so high... then *poof*... here comes the prick to burst my happy bubble...mondays... this morning, I walked into my section, walked to my huge cubicle, switched on my radio, switched on my pc... and sighed... the office is so deadly quiet... my team mates are so quiet... I mean, they are nice people, really. But they are just not loud enough... they are sweet and passive... but I am loud and chor-lor. aiyoh... torture ah.. I must remember to pray before I start work. That way, I know that God is with me. Sometimes, my ex-colleague (the no.2 to quit this year), my favourite loud-mouth Jen Jen, will sms me or call me to check if I am still alive... hee... so sweet of her. I really missed Jen Jen... I can hear her before I see her. She's the live wire. Anyway... enough of this griping... I know God has great plans for me. No way is He going to let His child rot in a boring place.

Wear Green Day was only partially successful. Charlene went on MC; Joyce went on urgent leave; Eileen forgot to wear green (wah, that one must da pi gu le)... the best is Ah Guay... she wore a lime green suit. Fwah! If the mad man saw, he will be very unhappy... hahahahaha!!!!

ok, ok, I hope I wont write about the mad man again.

tata! Me going to watch a little TV to make myself really sleepy.

Ah Lian in Green on Monday!

Aha! My dear "wild flowers" friend commented that I sound like an "Ah lian" in my blog! yes! that's right! I am very the lian! I lurvvee it! Lian lian lah! Being lian is good mah, many people can identify with me mah. Haha! Hmmm... it takes one Lian to know another Lian... haha!! gotcha Wild Flowers! But ah, I is an "Ang Mo lian", cos ah, my Chi-na very problematic. I had Chinese tuition from pri. 2 to JC 2... but ah, in the end, still fail. Poor mum, spent so much money on tuition for me. So the sub-point is... Mothers, don't waste money on tuition... hahahaha... wah, I write like that will "shoot dao4 heng3 duo1 ren2"!

Anyway... yes, the issue in this entry is tomorrow is "Wear Green Day"!! Woo Hoo!! Ok, as promised, I am going to explain, albeit briefly, what this green thing is all about... here goes... There is one mad man (Note: I am not a diplomat so no apologies) in my office who doesnt like green, in particular, lime green... and he will be posted out tomorrow, 14 Aug 06... and we are rejoicing! He is quite a terror in the office... so to celebrate his demise... oops... freudien slip... I mean... his departure... we, my colleagues, are wearing green!! Woah! anything green is fine, as long as there is green.

alright, gotta go... gotta plan my wardrobe for green day!

Watch this space for more... Ta!

Hello friend, I is not very the "eng" ok?

As with the title.... I is not very the "eng" ok? ok, ok, write proper England... eh? I meant "English". I am a busy person, so I do not have as much free time as I would like to have to spend more time with my old friends. From Mondays to Fridays, I spend most of the day working. Then after work, I have to buy groceries, go jogging (got to get fit for the StanChart run in Dec!), wash clothes, check emails, read... etc. etc. etc. Then on tuesday nights, I have to go to my mum's place for dinner... got to try to go regularly lah... my poor mum, now that my brother and my sis-in-law are in Shanghai, she will surely feel a little sad... so got to go regularly lah... Then got to go to my in-law's place once a week also. Then of cos, I have to go to church!! yay! I know I sound mad, but I really like to go to church... so ah, back to why I am blogging about this "eng" thing... I received an sms from my dear old friend that she "can see that I am very free" ... wei! I reiterate, I is not ENG! One of the reasons for starting this blog was really to keep in touch with my old friends, whom I can't meet as often as I want to. Plus plus plus... I write fast ok? it only takes me about 20 minutes to complete an entry. Oooohhh.... this Liu Xue so defensive one ah? cheh!

Hmm... the lao gong just asked me "Darling, are you attracted to a sexy voice?"... I gave him that "huh?" look... I am thinking "xiao lah, i blogging lah"... He just attended a course and the trainer said that it is sad in Singapore that our education system did not focus on voice training... well... that's true... I am not sure what it means to "project your voice"... huh? Anyway, am I attracted to a sexy voice? erh... I don't know man... I mean, it's nice to listen to a sexy voice, in contrast to a dull, monotonous voice. Anyway...

Oh, btw... the JUMBO crabs were fantastic! Absolutely loved the black pepper crab! The claws were as huge as Chee Yong's palms and he used all his fingers, together with the palm, to eat the claw! haha! And of cos, I love the company - Seah, Alicia, Martin, Mae-Ann, Patrick, Carol, the Lao Gong and ... little Eugene joined us for a while also.

oh... next monday is "wear green day"... explain later... my turn to bathe... *peace out*

What's with the "Liu Xue"?

Alright. What's with the name "Liu Xue"? Sounds so Chi-na hor? Here's the story... a few weeks ago, Emmanuel and I went to watch the STOMP roadshow, cos I got the sms telling me that I had a chance to win that Opel car. The famous blogger, Xiaxue, was there as well. In a stroke of ingenuity, Emmanuel turned to me and said "Darling, why don't you start a blog called Liu Xue?"... It was funny, well, at least to me... We were bored to death waiting and waiting for a "maybe my name will be called for the lucky draw"... well... of cos got no chance lah! So, we were bored, and we entertained ourselves with slapstick jokes and Emmanuel, with his creative slapstick humour, came up with a "Liu Xue", since my surname is Liu and it sounds real bloody with the "xue". I actually like the name a lot... and since I have been wanting to blog since last year, and since I like the idea of writing, ok lah, I toyed with the "Liu Xue" blog for a while... and... yesterday, on National Day, 9 Aug 2006, "Liu Xue 77" was born. Thanks to Xiaxue's presence which inspired my lao gong's slapstick creativity!

Last night, when I was writing my very first entry into this "liu xue" blog, the half-asleep Emmanuel, who was "pretending" to be reading (hahahahaha), asked me "Darling, why you suddenly want to start a blog?" Aiyoh, darling, where got "suddenly", I always like to write mah. Dont you know the writer in me? aiyoh... plus, I have so many opinions and *ahem* wisdom, must share mah. Actually ah, I just want to "hiao" lah.... hahahahaha!!! Plus plus plus, it's a great avenue to showcase my lao gong's slapstick humour and my *ahem* awesome writing skills... see, no problems with self esteem!

But really lah, I also want to let some of my close friends, such as Geri, Emily, Wynne, and many many others, into my current life... I mean, it's quite sad to lose touch with friends whom I was once so close to. But bo bian, life in Singapore very hectic... But I am grateful for technology lah, can blog, can msn, can sms, can skype. I love technology man! Gives me so much options in life.

hmm.... Emmanuel is seated on the bed, holding a book in his hands and "reading" with his eyes closed... hmm... such prowess! hahahaha!!!

Alright, time to hit the bed and snuggle with my boo-boo (my faithful and smelly bolster). Tomolo we are having CRAB and seafood at Jumbo for dinner! AH!! *slurp*

Happie 10th Anniversary to my Pastors!

Today, my church, Heart of God Church, celebrated Pastor How's and Pastor Lia's 10th anniversary of pastoring in church! The youths organised everything. I am so impressed!! There were lots of great videos (my fave was the oily body video!) and great testimonies... Emmanuel and I were invited to share in the celebration... I thought that it would be an afternoon of fun... and yes, it was! but I really was't expecting to cry... but I was so touched by all the videos and all the testimonies... I tried very hard not to cry... but how to? I got a headache from controlling my tears... hahahaha.... always happens to me when I go to church services and church functions... plus the presence of God is always so strong in Heart of God church. I was especially touched by the testimonies about how Pastor Lia brought the youths shopping and how to groom themselves like cutting nails and putting on make up! so cool!! I am so envious also! I so wished I was a youth in Heart of God church. Think I will just want to hang out with my Pastors all the time! I was really very very touched with how Pastors bought cool clothes for the youths and how they love the youths in practical ways. I remembered that as a teenager (I just turned 29 btw and I am still young!), I had only 1 "giordano blue" jeans, 1 polo shirt, 1 bermudas, 1 sandals, 1 sport shoes, my brother's super oversized t-shirts and my school uniform. So, when I started attending church at an Anglican church during my JC days, I had to alternate between the jeans and the berms and the polo shirt and my brother's t-shirts... I really look like a geek... wait... let me rephrase... I was a geek... I think I still am... plus my hair... ahh!! my hair... it was a mess, a wiry bush! I felt so ugly... it din helped that I had very very low self esteem... sigh... So... back to the testimonies about Pastors... I can totally understand why the youths love Pastors so much! They said they love you... and they showed that they love you... It's so touching!

Oh! One of my favourite thing about the youths is that they liked to say that they are "handsome" and "good looking". I love it! Emmanuel and I often say the same things about ourselves. We are not thick-skinned. We just believe it. Hehehe....

Okie... time to go sleep... got to work tomolo...

Love God, Love Emmanuel, Love my sweet Tango, my neurotic Prissy and my fat Nini.