Tuesday, August 25, 2009

2009.09.25

I'm so obviously putting two-and-two together here...

The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew. - - Abraham Lincoln

... and in rising to this new occasion:

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world... Then, without realizing it, you try to improve yourself at the start of each new day; of course, you achieve quite a lot in the course of time. Anyone can do this, it costs nothing and is certainly very helpful. Whoever doesn't know it must learn and find by experience that a quiet conscience makes one strong. - - Anne Frank

right, exactly - so obviously! ...

...

...

Oh gosh, how I so greatly fear change. What to do, what to do?

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I guess, in fearing changing I attempt being funny... ha.

In all seriousness, though...



If the man who survived four terms as President of America, during the Great Depression... AND World War II... AND suffered from polio (now thought to be Guillain-Barre syndrome)... AND paralysis for the waist down... AND managed to hardly ever be seen in a wheelchair can utter such a statement, why can't I?

...

Monday, August 24, 2009

2009. 08. 24

Today, I had the opportunity to complete the Myers-Brings Type Indicator (MBTI) questionnaire which measure psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions. I saw the test and thought, "Seriously, like this is going to work."

Sure enough, the questionnaire lead to a description that in most ways was pretty darn... . Well, I leave that up to you to decide :D

Drum roll, please.

I am type ESFJ.

HUH?

E = extroverted (as opposed to interverted)
S = sensing (as opposed to intuitive)
F = feeling (as opposed to thinking)
J = judging (as opposed to perceiving)

After completing the test, I was thrown this (rather long) explanation of what should ideally explain who I am. I've attached it below. The decision is your's.

"The Caregiver

As an ESFJ, your primary mode of living is focused externally, where you deal with things according to how you feel about them, or how they fit in with your personal value system. Your secondary mode is internal, where you take things in via your five senses in a literal, concrete fashion.

ESFJs are people persons - they love people. They are warmly interested in others. They use their Sensing and Judging characteristics to gather specific, detailed information about others, and turn this information into supportive judgments. They want to like people, and have a special skill at bringing out the best in others. They are extremely good at reading others, and understanding their point of view. The ESFJ's strong desire to be liked and for everything to be pleasant makes them highly supportive of others. People like to be around ESFJs, because the ESFJ has a special gift of invariably making people feel good about themselves.

The ESFJ takes their responsibilities very seriously, and is very dependable. They value security and stability, and have a strong focus on the details of life. They see before others do what needs to be done, and do whatever it takes to make sure that it gets done. They enjoy these types of tasks, and are extremely good at them.

ESFJs are warm and energetic. They need approval from others to feel good about themselves. They are hurt by indifference and don't understand unkindness. They are very giving people, who get a lot of their personal satisfaction from the happiness of others. They want to be appreciated for who they are, and what they give. They're very sensitive to others, and freely give practical care. ESFJs are such caring individuals, that they sometimes have a hard time seeing or accepting a difficult truth about someone they care about.

With Extraverted Feeling dominating their personality, ESFJs are focused on reading other people. They have a strong need to be liked, and to be in control. They are extremely good at reading others, and often change their own manner to be more pleasing to whoever they're with at the moment.

The ESFJ's value system is defined externally. They usually have very well-formed ideas about the way things should be, and are not shy about expressing these opinions. However, they weigh their values and morals against the world around them, rather than against an internal value system. They may have a strong moral code, but it is defined by the community that they live in, rather than by any strongly felt internal values.

ESFJs who have had the benefit of being raised and surrounded by a strong value system that is ethical and centered around genuine goodness will most likely be the kindest, most generous souls who will gladly give you the shirt off of their back without a second thought. For these individuals, the selfless quality of their personality type is genuine and pure. ESFJs who have not had the advantage of developing their own values by weighing them against a good external value system may develop very questionable values. In such cases, the ESFJ most often genuinely believes in the integrity of their skewed value system. They have no internal understanding of values to set them straight. In weighing their values against our society, they find plenty of support for whatever moral transgression they wish to justify. This type of ESFJ is a dangerous person indeed. Extraverted Feeling drives them to control and manipulate, and their lack of Intuition prevents them from seeing the big picture. They're usually quite popular and good with people, and good at manipulating them. Unlike their ENFJ cousin, they don't have Intuition to help them understand the real consequences of their actions. They are driven to manipulate others to achieve their own ends, yet they believe that they are following a solid moral code of conduct.

All ESFJs have a natural tendency to want to control their environment. Their dominant function demands structure and organization, and seeks closure. ESFJs are most comfortable with structured environments. They're not likely to enjoy having to do things which involve abstract, theoretical concepts, or impersonal analysis. They do enjoy creating order and structure, and are very good at tasks which require these kinds of skills. ESFJs should be careful about controling people in their lives who do not wish to be controlled.

ESFJs respect and believe in the laws and rules of authority, and believe that others should do so as well. They're traditional, and prefer to do things in the established way, rather than venturing into unchartered territory. Their need for security drives their ready acceptance and adherence to the policies of the established system. This tendency may cause them to sometimes blindly accept rules without questioning or understanding them.

An ESFJ who has developed in a less than ideal way may be prone to being quite insecure, and focus all of their attention on pleasing others. He or she might also be very controling, or overly sensitive, imagining bad intentions when there weren't any.

ESFJs incorporate many of the traits that are associated with women in our society. However, male ESFJs will usually not appear feminine at all. On the contrary, ESFJs are typically quite conscious about gender roles and will be most comfortable playing a role that suits their gender in our society. Male ESFJs will be quite masculine (albeit sensitive when you get to know them), and female ESFJs will be very feminine.

The bottom line being:

ESFJs at their best are warm, sympathetic, helpful, cooperative, tactful, down-to-earth, practical, thorough, consistent, organized, enthusiastic, and energetic. They enjoy tradition and security, and will seek stable lives that are rich in contact with friends and family."

Really, I am?

Your thoughts are great appreciated :)

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

2009. 08. 19

My sincere apologies for the lengthy absence.

Much has taken place, but little is worth mentioning:

I traveled to Europe for seven weeks at the end of April, largely, to attend my now-Godson's baptism, and returned just in the knick of time to attend my BSc. graduation. Since, I've received word that I've been accepted into the MSc(OT) programs at UToronto, UWesternOntario, QueensU, and McMasterU. I'm happy to announce that I've chosen UWesternOntario. Since making this life-decision, I've leased an apartment, moved many of my things in and am making the permanent move, Gucia in tow, 23 August - in three days.

Now that we've all reached the same page, we can proceed to the interesting stuff...

Today, leg-lenthinging surgery. (Information from: http://www.limblengthening.com/aboutll.html).

Limb lengthening is possible and has been performed successfully for about 50 years in Kurgan, Russia. Gavriil A. Ilizarov developed the concept in 1951 after seeing many WWII veterans who had leg fractures that had not healed (non-unions).

Ilizarov first developed an external fixation frame that was placed around the leg. Knowing that compression of the fracture would help stimulate bone healing, he built a frame that had this capacity. He instructed a patient to gradually compress the non-union by turning a rod. However, the patient turned the rod the wrong way and caused distraction (separation) of the fracture. Ilizarov noticed that new bone had formed in the gap between the bone ends. This was the beginning of much research and development that showed that limb lengthening was possible, safe and effective.

Limb lengthening and reconstruction techniques can be used to replace missing bone and lengthen and/ or straighten deformed bone segments. The procedures may be performed on both children and adults who have limb length discrepancies due to birth defects, diseases or injuries. The limb lengthening and deformity correction process works on the principle of distraction osteogenesis. This is a revolutionary concept that reverses the long-held belief that bone cannot be regenerated. In this process, a bone that has been cut during surgery can be gradually distracted (pulled apart), leading to new bone formation (osteogenesis) at the site of the lengthening. In this way, bone segments can be lengthened by 15 to 100 percent of their original length. The regenerated bone is normal and does not wear out. The muscles, nerves and blood vessels grow in response to the slow stretch like they do during a growth spurt or in pregnancy.

Obviously such a surgery, although surely quite painful, can drastically change a life, physically and emotionally. Here is an example:



Here's is a video brought to you by the Associated Press, using the same procedure for cosmetic purposes:




Your thoughts?