﻿<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>ImaChessNut's Xanga</title><link>http://imachessnut.xanga.com/</link><description>Latest Xanga weblog from ImaChessNut</description><language>en-us</language><ttl>60</ttl><image><title>The Weblog Community</title><url>http://s.xanga.com/images/xangalogobutton.gif</url><link>http://imachessnut.xanga.com/</link></image><item><title>Time management</title><link>http://imachessnut.xanga.com/567279805/time-management/</link><guid>http://imachessnut.xanga.com/567279805/time-management/</guid><pubDate>Thu, 01 Feb 2007 22:54:57 GMT</pubDate><description>&lt;i&gt;One day an expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration those students will never forget. As he stood in front of the group of high-powered over-achievers, he said, “Okay, time for a quiz.” He then pulled out a one-gallon wide-mouth mason jar and set it on the table in front of him.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one by one, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, “Is this jar full?” Everyone in the class said, “Yes.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Then he said, “Really?” He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar, causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the space between the big rocks. Then he asked the group once more. “Is this jar full?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;By this time the class was on to him. “Probably not.” one of them answered. “Good!” he replied. He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in the jar and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question. “Is this jar full?” “No!” the class shouted. Once again, he said, “Good!”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then the expert in time management looked at the class and asked, “What is the point of this illustration?” One eager beaver raised his hand and said, “The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard you can always fit some more things in it.” “No”, the speaker replied, “that’s not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is this: If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all. What are the big rocks in your life? Your children, your spouse, your loved ones, your friendships, your education, your dreams, an worthy cause, teaching or mentoring others, doing things that you love, time for yourself, your health. Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first, or you’ll never get them in at all. If you sweat the little stuff (i.e. gravel, the sand) then you’ll fill your life with little things you will never have the real quality time you need to spend on the big, important stuff (the big rocks).”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So, tonight, or in the morning, when you are reflecting on this short story, ask yourself this question: What are the “big rocks” in my life? Then put those in your jar first.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Cited from &lt;a target="_new" href="http://www.clean-funnies.com/html/f1903.htm"&gt;clean-funnies&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For some reason, I kept on thinking about this after I read it. To be honest, I liked the eager beaver's explanation better. "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard you can always fit some more things in it." After thinking, however, maybe fitting everything in isn't really good idea. See the image below for why;)&lt;br&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/6915/84ib5.jpg"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I’m still stuck thinking about my big rocks. I realized that I seriously need to sort out my priorities and keep track of my time, so I am going to start a new experiment. Has anyone noticed that you could spend what you think is 15 minutes doing something, 20 minutes doing something else, and 10 minutes doing a third thing but lose 3 hours in the process. This simply doesn’t make sense to me, but it happens all the time. That’s where this experiment is going to help. In random increments, whenever this crosses my mind, I’m going to log what I’m thinking and what’s going on. Of course I’m going to write down the times for my logs too, so I can see what I’m wasting on the little things that I could be spending on the big rocks. After a couple days of logging, I’ll post my results and analysis.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://clairechiang.net/wordpress/2007/02/01/time-management-how-to-prioritize/" target="_new"&gt;add comment&lt;/a&gt;</description><comments>http://imachessnut.xanga.com/567279805/time-management/#firstcomment</comments></item><item><title>Tuesday, January 30, 2007</title><link>http://imachessnut.xanga.com/566776690/item/</link><guid>http://imachessnut.xanga.com/566776690/item/</guid><pubDate>Tue, 30 Jan 2007 17:45:46 GMT</pubDate><description>&lt;table width=350 align=center border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td bgcolor="#DDDDDD" align=center&gt;&lt;font face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif" style='color:black; font-size: 14pt;'&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You Follow Your Head&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td bgcolor="#EEEEEE"&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;img src="http://images.blogthings.com/doyoufollowyourheadoryourheartquiz/head.jpg" height="100" width="100"&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;You're rational, collected, and logical.&lt;br /&gt;Generally, it takes you quite a while to fall in love.&lt;br /&gt;In fact, you've even been accused of being very picky.&lt;br /&gt;While you're cool, you're not ice cold.&lt;br /&gt;You just know what you want, and don't mind waiting to get it.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.blogthings.com/doyoufollowyourheadoryourheartquiz/" target="_new"&gt;Do You Follow Your Head or Your Heart?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><comments>http://imachessnut.xanga.com/566776690/item/#firstcomment</comments></item><item><title>Monday, January 22, 2007</title><link>http://imachessnut.xanga.com/564744127/item/</link><guid>http://imachessnut.xanga.com/564744127/item/</guid><pubDate>Mon, 22 Jan 2007 03:23:40 GMT</pubDate><description>Stupid fortune cookie message:&lt;br&gt;"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity"&lt;br&gt;Even if this were true, it does not mean that preparation guarantees opportunity.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;</description><comments>http://imachessnut.xanga.com/564744127/item/#firstcomment</comments></item><item><title>Monday, January 15, 2007</title><link>http://imachessnut.xanga.com/563220634/item/</link><guid>http://imachessnut.xanga.com/563220634/item/</guid><pubDate>Mon, 15 Jan 2007 17:09:54 GMT</pubDate><description>Things I managed to do this weekend:&lt;br&gt;pay hostican about $41 to upgrade my account&lt;br&gt;move my wordpress to a paid server (free hosting was driving me crazy)&lt;br&gt;use the $5 off a $5 purchase &lt;a href="http://www.uploading.com/files/VEUHF7SG/5off5.pdf.html" target="_new"&gt;coupon&lt;/a&gt; at Staples twice (I'm going again today. You guys should really check it out.)&lt;br&gt;finish a lastly procrastinated application due today&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;</description><comments>http://imachessnut.xanga.com/563220634/item/#firstcomment</comments></item><item><title>Friday, January 12, 2007</title><link>http://imachessnut.xanga.com/562362563/item/</link><guid>http://imachessnut.xanga.com/562362563/item/</guid><pubDate>Fri, 12 Jan 2007 02:56:38 GMT</pubDate><description>&lt;p&gt;Since I am running out of material today, I'm going to use a filler
that I'm guessing most of you don't care about. I actually paid for a
tickle membership a while ago, and I took about 30 personality tests to
get my one week trial money worth I really don't have anything to
share. This was originally intended to be a personal blog, so I might
as well add some personal information to it.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/9803/bestqualitieslf3.jpg" mce_src="http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/9803/bestqualitieslf3.jpg"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The
main thing that bothered me about this was the fact that the test
didn't think I had a sense of humor. If you ask people who know me
about my sense of humor, I bet you would get very different results.
Those who have good senses of humor themselves think I have a great
sense of humor while those who are more serious find me dull.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Quality #1: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;Independence&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Quality Description&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
Being highly independent means liking to do things 
on one's own and being naturally self-sufficient. Independent people are as a 
whole more determined than most and tend to have higher intelligence. However, 
it is also true that one can be independent without having high determination or 
intelligence and vice-versa. Another thing most highly independent people have 
in common is that they can possess a greater sense of integrity than many people 
around them do. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;i&gt;Your Score&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
You received a score of 100 out of 
100 on this dimension. This indicates that compared with other people who took 
Tickle's test you have relatively higher level of confidence. 
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;i&gt;Relevant Question&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
Here's a question that was used to assess 
how independent you are. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;span class="qualitiesquest"&gt;You decide you'd 
like to take a photography class, so you: &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;A. Ask a friend to take it 
with you&lt;br&gt;B. Sign up, but only if a friend will take it with you &lt;br&gt;C. Enroll 
by yourself &lt;br&gt;D. Only do it if you can do it by yourself&lt;/span&gt; &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
Those 
people who are more independent were most likely to answer C, "Enroll by 
yourself," followed by D. Those less likely to be independent are those who said 
they would only sign up if a friend will take it with them. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;geckopastefix&gt;&lt;/geckopastefix&gt;&lt;geckopastefix&gt;&lt;/geckopastefix&gt;&lt;b&gt;Quality #2: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;Intelligence&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Quality Description&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
People scoring high in 
            intelligence are more likely to be unique. Higher intelligence 
            offers greater possibilities in terms of how someone is likely to 
            interpret the world. In addition, intelligent people are typically 
            more able to articulate themselves well and to have high integrity. 
            &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;i&gt;Your Score&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
You received a score of 100 out of 100 
            on this dimension, indicating that compared with other people who 
            took Tickle's test, you have relatively higher intelligence. 
            &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;i&gt;Relevant Question&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
The following question was one 
            used to gauge your level of intelligence. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;span class="qualitiesquest"&gt;Are you ever the only person in the room who 
            gets subtle jokes? &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;A. Yes, often&lt;br&gt;B. Yes, 
            occasionally&lt;br&gt;C. Sometimes&lt;br&gt;D. No, never&lt;/span&gt; &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
People 
            of higher intelligence are more likely to get subtle jokes. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br&gt;
&lt;b&gt;Quality #3: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;Easygoing&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Quality Description&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
Being high in this quality 
            means that someone is relatively calm, that the ups and downs in 
            life don't tend to send them over the edge. Easygoing people are 
            usually more tolerant than others are and can be hesitant to judge 
            other people's actions. Rather than doubt the people around them, 
            they tend to give them slack when they need it. In addition, 
            easygoing people are usually down-to-earth types that don't seek 
            fancy material things. It's possible to be materialistic and 
            easygoing at the same time, but that combination is the exception 
            and not the rule. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;i&gt;Your Score&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
You received a score 
            of 90 out of 100 on this dimension, suggesting that you are 
            relatively more easygoing than others who took Tickle's test. 
            &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;i&gt;Most Relevant Questions&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
Here's one of the 
            questions Tickle posed to assess how easygoing you are. 
            &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;span class="qualitiesquest"&gt;You're late for a movie that 
            you've been dying to see and your date is dragging their heels. What 
            do you do? &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;A. I verbally encourage them to get moving&lt;br&gt;B. 
            I stand impatiently at the door, putting silent pressure on them to 
            finish up&lt;br&gt;C. I chill out for a while and don't worry about 
            getting there on time &lt;br&gt;D. I do whatever I can to help them get 
            ready faster&lt;/span&gt; &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
People who are the most easygoing 
            usually pick C, "I chill out for a while and don't worry about 
            getting there on time." They are &lt;i&gt;least&lt;/i&gt; likely to answer B, "I 
            stand impatiently at the door, putting silent pressure on them to 
            finish up." People who answer B are communicating both impatience 
            and disapproval. In addition, because they don't explicitly state 
            their feelings, their date, has to try to read their mind. Usually 
            this kind of passive communication occurs when a person is stressed 
            out and doesn't know how to release steam or verbalize their 
            feelings when they're feeling bad. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;geckopastefix&gt;&lt;/geckopastefix&gt;&lt;geckopastefix&gt;&lt;/geckopastefix&gt;&lt;geckopastefix&gt;&lt;/geckopastefix&gt;&lt;geckopastefix&gt;&lt;/geckopastefix&gt;&lt;b&gt;Quality #4: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;Determination&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Quality Description&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
Scoring highly on this quality 
            indicates a strong ambition in life — the kind of drive that makes a 
            person determined to reach the goals they set for themselves. People 
            high in determination are more likely to make decisions easily and 
            to have a strong sense of themselves. These types are normally 
            slightly independent. They also often look past the superficial side 
            of life, making them more down to earth than many people. 
            &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;i&gt;Your Score&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
You received a score of 87 out of 100 
            on this dimension. This result indicates that you are relatively 
            more determined than most. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;i&gt;Relevant 
            Question&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
Here's a question that helped assess how determined 
            you are. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;span class="qualitiesquest"&gt;What does a ladder most 
            remind you of? &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;A. The hierarchical structure of this 
            society&lt;br&gt;B. Painting houses&lt;br&gt;C. Climbing the corporate 
            ladder&lt;br&gt;D. Reaching for the sky&lt;br&gt;E. Superstitions&lt;br&gt;F. A 
            potential lawsuit if it's on my property&lt;/span&gt; &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
Those who 
            answered C, or "Climbing the corporate ladder," are more determined 
            than those who gave any of the other answers. When presented with 
            this image most people who are highly determined see the ladder as a 
            means to complete their next goal, and even if they aren't entirely 
            career oriented, they usually see this response as the most obvious 
            answer to the question. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Quality #5: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;Compassion&lt;/b&gt; &lt;br&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;geckopastefix&gt;&lt;/geckopastefix&gt;&lt;geckopastefix&gt;&lt;/geckopastefix&gt;&lt;geckopastefix&gt;&lt;/geckopastefix&gt;&lt;i&gt;Quality Description&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
Being high in compassion 
            indicates a great level of empathy toward others, kindness, and 
            thoughtfulness. People who score highly on this quality often are 
            more affectionate than others are. They also generally feel that 
            they have high values. This quality of compassion tends to come out 
            most strongly in relationships and can be felt as warmth toward a 
            significant other or concern about that person's feelings and 
            general welfare. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;i&gt;Your Score&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
You received a score 
            of 67 out of 100 on this dimension. Your score indicates that in 
            general you're relatively more compassionate than people who took 
            Tickle's test. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;i&gt;Relevant Question&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
Here is one of 
            the questions Tickle used to assess how compassionate you are: 
            &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;span class="qualitiesquest"&gt;When I'm around someone who is 
            expressing a strong emotion: &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;A. I can feel that emotion 
            too&lt;br&gt;B. I try to be supportive&lt;br&gt;C. I try to get them to 
            stop&lt;/span&gt; &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
Those who answered that they try to get the 
            person to stop are scored as the least compassionate, and those who 
            answered that they can feel the emotion too are scored as being most 
            compassionate. The responses were ranked this way because when a 
            person expresses a strong emotion, they usually feel better when 
            they're allowed to express it, rather than being encouraged to 
            suppress it. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My thoughts: Am I actually compassionate?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Quality #6: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;Reliability&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Quality Description&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
Being high in this quality 
            indicates exceptional integrity. People who score high in 
            reliability are more likely than others to keep their word. They're 
            also likely to have solid values that they stick by even when times 
            get difficult. Generally speaking, this is the kind of person you 
            can really count on. They are also, as a whole, more honest than 
            most. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;i&gt;Your Score&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
You received a score of 65 out of 
            100 on this dimension. This indicates being relatively more 
            reliable. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;i&gt;Most Relevant Questions&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
Here's an 
            example question that was used to determine how reliable you are. 
            &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;span class="qualitiesquest"&gt;If challenged, which of these 
            things would you give up &lt;i&gt;last&lt;/i&gt;? &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;A. My integrity&lt;br&gt;B. 
            My pride&lt;br&gt;C. My compassion&lt;/span&gt; &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
Those who answered 
            &lt;i&gt;integrity&lt;/i&gt; are viewed the most reliable, and those who 
            answered &lt;i&gt;pride&lt;/i&gt; tend to be the least reliable. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br&gt;
&lt;b&gt;Quality #7: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;Optimism&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Quality Description&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
Being high in optimism 
            indicates that when a person looks into the future, they see good 
            things to come. People with an abundance of this quality usually 
            feel safe as they move through life because they can see the 
            positive side of what they encounter. Believing that things turn out 
            well may be something experience has taught them. It may also simply 
            be in their nature to feel this way. Generally highly optimistic 
            people love life and are happy. They can also have a unique edge to 
            them due to feeling more secure than most. In addition, optimists 
            can love a great conversation and be slightly more ambitious in 
            their life goals than the people around them. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;i&gt;Your 
            Score&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
You received a score of 51 out of 100 on this 
            dimension. This score indicates that you're relatively more 
            optimistic than the majority of test takers. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;i&gt;Relevant 
            Question&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
Here's a question that was used to determine how 
            optimistic you are. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;span class="qualitiesquest"&gt;If you decide 
            to reach a particularly important but difficult long-term goal, what 
            are the chances you'll follow through? &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;A. Small chance&lt;br&gt;B. 
            About 50/50&lt;br&gt;C. I'd probably reach it&lt;br&gt;D. Unless my goal 
            changed, I'd definitely reach it&lt;br&gt;E. I never go back; I'd 
            definitely reach it&lt;/span&gt; &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
The responses associated with 
            highest optimism are the two answers that contain the phrase, "I'd 
            definitely reach it," choices D and E. This is true because 
            optimistic people believe in their ability to finish what they set 
            out to do. When optimists look to the future, they see positive 
            things and picture themselves in positive situations, including 
            reaching the goals that are important to them. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My thoughts: So, I'm a little pessimistic at times. I try to prepare for the worst, but I still secretly hope for the best.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Quality #8: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;Romanticism&lt;/b&gt; &lt;br&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;geckopastefix&gt;&lt;/geckopastefix&gt;&lt;geckopastefix&gt;&lt;/geckopastefix&gt;&lt;geckopastefix&gt;&lt;/geckopastefix&gt;&lt;geckopastefix&gt;&lt;/geckopastefix&gt;&lt;geckopastefix&gt;&lt;/geckopastefix&gt;&lt;i&gt;Quality Description&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
Being high on this quality 
            indicates a tendency to romanticize life and to fully enjoy the 
            romantic aspects of intimate relationships. When a highly romantic 
            person makes a step forward in a relationship, it typically has both 
            significance and flair. High romance is associated with both highly 
            affectionate behavior and a strongly passionate nature. Romantic 
            people are usually thoughtful, compassionate, and sexy. Also, 
            perhaps because of their sometimes-dreamy nature, people high in 
            this quality tend to be optimistic about what life will bring. 
            &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;i&gt;Your Score&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
You received a score of 45 out of 100 
            on this dimension. Your result indicates that you're slightly less 
            romantic than others who took Tickle's test. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;i&gt;Relevant 
            Question&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
Here's one of the questions Tickle used to determine 
            how romantic you are. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;span class="qualitiesquest"&gt;Of these 
            qualities, which is the most important to share with a lover? 
            &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;A. Respect&lt;br&gt;B. Passion&lt;br&gt;C. Happiness&lt;br&gt;D. 
            Compassion&lt;/span&gt; &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
Those who ranked as the most romantic gave 
            the answer, "Passion." &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Quality #9: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;Communication&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Quality Description&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
Being a strong communicator 
            indicates an above-average ability to articulate ideas and feelings. 
            People high in this quality tend to enjoy the act of communicating 
            and can appreciate their own skill at it. Crafting a graceful phrase 
            or telling an engaging tale are the kinds of talents that strong 
            communicators are likely to be known for. Many people high in this 
            quality also love to talk. Perhaps due to all of these skills, being 
            high in this dimension is usually associated with a reasonably high 
            level of confidence, intelligence, and decisiveness. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;i&gt;Your 
            Score&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
You received a score of out of 100 on this dimension, 
            indicating that you are skilled in the art of communication than the 
            majority of Tickle's test takers. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;i&gt;Relevant 
            Question&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
Here's one question that was used to measure your 
            skills as a communicator. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;span class="qualitiesquest"&gt;You 
            look across the dinner table and realize that your date has food 
            stuck to their chin. You: &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;A. Reach over and clean it off for 
            them &lt;br&gt;B. Use hand gestures and nonverbal communication to let 
            them know the food is there&lt;br&gt;C. Ask them whether you have anything 
            on your face in the hopes that they'll ask the same thing back to 
            you &lt;br&gt;D. Ignore it &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
People who are strong 
            communicators would answer A, B, or D. Statement C is very passive 
            and requires that the person being addressed do a lot of 
            interpreting; not the choice a strong communicator would make. 
            Option D, while it may seem like an answer for a non-communicator 
            actually does communicate a strong idea ("I'm not going to tell you 
            about the food on your chin"). Therefore, answer options A, B, and D 
            clearly communicate something, even if that "something" is to do 
            nothing at all. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;geckopastefix&gt;&lt;/geckopastefix&gt;&lt;geckopastefix&gt;&lt;/geckopastefix&gt;&lt;geckopastefix&gt;&lt;/geckopastefix&gt;&lt;b&gt;Quality #10: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;Honesty&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Quality Description&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
Being perfectly honest means 
            telling the whole truth, even if it hurts. Most people bend the 
            truth some of the time. People high on this scale are relatively 
            less likely to tell a lie than others. Honest people tend to be 
            happier, healthier people with strong values in general. They look 
            to the future with hope and tend to be optimistic, believing that 
            things will turn out well. They can also be slightly more 
            down-to-earth. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;i&gt;Your Score&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
You received a score of 
            42 out of 100 on this dimension. This indicates that you are 
            slightly less honest than other Tickle test takers. 
            &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;i&gt;Relevant Question&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
Here's a question that was used 
            to assess your level of honesty. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;span class="qualitiesquest"&gt;Your friend Joe always complains that he can't 
            get a date. You know that it's because of his body odor, but he 
            doesn't. What would you say? &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;A. I'd mention that it could be 
            because he has body odor &lt;br&gt;B. I'd tell him that the women he asked 
            out were too picky&lt;br&gt;C. I'd give him very subtle hints that he 
            could improve his hygiene&lt;br&gt;D. Nothing, I'd try to get other people 
            to tell him the truth &lt;br&gt;E. Nothing, he'll figure it out on his own 
            &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
Those people who are most honest are more likely to 
            answer A, saying that they would mention his body odor. This is the 
            most straightforward and honest way to communicate something 
            difficult. Often, this kind of open communication is experienced by 
            the other person as respectful and not as an affront. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br&gt;
&lt;b&gt;Quality #11: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;Confidence&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Quality Description&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
Scoring highly on this quality 
            indicates that you are confident in life. People with high 
            confidence are more likely than most to believe in themselves and to 
            feel that they are strong, secure, intelligent, and sexy. In fact, 
            all of the qualities that people can tend to feel insecure or uneasy 
            about, confident types tend to feel positive about and secure in. In 
            addition to these strengths, confident people are more likely to be 
            articulate, somewhat optimistic, and unique. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;i&gt;Your 
            Score&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
You received a score of 39 out of 100 on this dimension 
            indicating that you have slightly less confidence than many of the 
            people who took Tickle's test. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;i&gt;Relevant 
            Question&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
Here's a question Tickle used to determine your 
            level of confidence. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;span class="qualitiesquest"&gt;You're 
            meeting a friend for lunch in an hour and the two of you can't 
            decide where to eat. How do you select a restaurant? &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;A. Pick 
            one arbitrarily &lt;br&gt;B. Try to guess where my friend would want to 
            eat&lt;br&gt;C. Wait for my friend to choose &lt;br&gt;D. Suggest a new place 
            neither of us has been &lt;br&gt;E. Hint at where I want to go 
            &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
High confidence is associated with the answers, "Pick 
            one arbitrarily" and "Suggest a new place neither of us have been." 
            Both are more active approaches. They also require that the person 
            answering have enough confidence to decide for both parties or at 
            least to select a good possibility and not be too afraid to share 
            it. Hinting, guessing, and waiting indicate a less certain approach, 
            which is usually associated with somewhat lower confidence. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Quality #12: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;Stability&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Quality Description&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
Being high in this quality 
            indicates emotional and psychological stability. Normally, high 
            stability scores indicate a high level of general happiness, a 
            general sense of security, and solid confidence. Often, those who 
            are highly stable are financially stable, as well. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;i&gt;Your 
            Score&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
You received a score of 30 out of 100 on this 
            dimension. This score indicates having a slightly lower level of 
            stability compared to others. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;i&gt;Relevant 
            Question&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
Here is an example of the questions Tickle used to 
            assess how stable you are. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;span class="qualitiesquest"&gt;If you 
            were to draw your feelings, they would be the shape of: &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;A. A 
            flat line&lt;br&gt;B. Valleys and peaks&lt;br&gt;C. A slight squiggle&lt;br&gt;D. A 
            four-year-old's scribbles&lt;/span&gt; &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
Those who are most stable 
            tend to say that their feelings are the shape of a slight squiggle. 
            Those who said that their feelings are the shape of a 
            four-year-old's scribbles were ranked as being the least stable. The 
            other two responses were in between; valleys and peaks suggest the 
            potential for mood swings and a flat line indicates being relatively 
            cut off from one's feelings. Either of these answers could be 
            associated with a lower level of stability. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Quality #13: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;Creativity&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Quality Description&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
Being high in creativity 
            indicates a high level of imagination and innovation and usually is 
            associated with a very unique personality. In addition, individuals 
            who score highly on this dimension are normally quite intelligent. 
            The stereotype of the highly creative person is one who is intense 
            and passionate. Tickle's research generally backed up this 
            preconception, finding that creativity does indeed tend to coexist 
            with a passionate nature. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;i&gt;Your Score&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
You received 
            a score of 17 out of 100 on this dimension, indicating that you are 
            slightly less creative than most. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;i&gt;Relevant 
            Question&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
Here's a question that was used to determine how 
            creative you are. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;span class="qualitiesquest"&gt;If you had to 
            write a paper, which of these would you choose? &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;A. A 10-page 
            autobiographical sketch&lt;br&gt;B. A 20-page fictional story&lt;br&gt;C. A 
            5-page research report&lt;br&gt;D. Paraphrasing a chapter of a book in 
            5-10 pages&lt;/span&gt; &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
Those who said they'd most prefer to write 
            a 20-page fictional story gave the most creativity-oriented answer. 
            The next most creative group was people who answered that they'd 
            choose to write a 10-page autobiographical sketch. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;geckopastefix&gt;&lt;/geckopastefix&gt;&lt;geckopastefix&gt;&lt;/geckopastefix&gt;&lt;geckopastefix&gt;&lt;/geckopastefix&gt;&lt;geckopastefix&gt;&lt;/geckopastefix&gt;&lt;geckopastefix&gt;&lt;/geckopastefix&gt;&lt;geckopastefix&gt;&lt;/geckopastefix&gt;&lt;geckopastefix&gt;&lt;/geckopastefix&gt;&lt;geckopastefix&gt;&lt;/geckopastefix&gt;&lt;b&gt;Quality #14: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;Humor&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Quality Description&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
People who are high in this 
            quality typically get most jokes — even when the joke is on them. 
            Not surprisingly, people high in humor are likely to be known as the 
            funny ones among their crowds. Also notable is that it takes a good 
            deal of intelligence to be humorous. So while most funny people are 
            smart, not all smart people are funny. Overall, there aren't many 
            other traits typical of people with a great sense of humor. This is 
            a unique quality that stands separate from the rest. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;i&gt;Your 
            Score&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
You received a score of 7 out of 100 on this dimension, 
            meaning that your sense of humor appears to be slightly less 
            compared to that of others. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;i&gt;Relevant 
            Question&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
Here's a question that was used to assess how 
            humorous you are. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;span class="qualitiesquest"&gt;After seeing a 
            good comedy, you're the one: &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;A. Holding your stomach from 
            laughing so hard &lt;br&gt;B. In a light mood from having so much fun 
            &lt;br&gt;C. Quietly thinking back on the humorous dialogue &lt;br&gt;D. Talking 
            about all the funny things the actors said&lt;/span&gt; &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
Those who 
            are highly humorous are most likely to answer A, "Holding your 
            stomach from laughing so hard." They are least likely to give the 
            answers B or C, which are about being in a light mood and quietly 
            thinking through what was said. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Quality #15: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt;Adventurousness&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Quality Description&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
Scoring highly on this quality 
            indicates that a person is willing to seek out new experiences and 
            may even occasionally go out on a limb to try new things. In this 
            way, adventurous types seem to feel that although change can be 
            risky, or even scary at times, it can also be exhilarating. People 
            high in this quality tend to live by the motto, "Nothing ventured, 
            nothing gained." Research indicates that adventurous people are 
            generally happier than their less adventurous counterparts. In 
            addition, they tend to have a love for life, feel secure, and be 
            determined to reach their goals. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;i&gt;Your Score&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
You 
            received a score of 3 out of 100 on this dimension. Your score ranks 
            you as being slightly less adventurous than others who took Tickle's 
            test. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;i&gt;Relevant Question&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;
Here's one question that 
            Tickle used to determine how adventurous you are. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;span class="qualitiesquest"&gt;While out with friends you suggest something 
            you can all do together, but they turn you down. What's the most 
            likely reason? &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;A. They'd rather do something more 
            exciting&lt;br&gt;B. They're afraid you'll get them in trouble &lt;br&gt;C. 
            They're too tired &lt;br&gt;D. They'd like to do something new for a 
            change &lt;br&gt;E. They refuse to do something that ridiculous&lt;/span&gt; 
            &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
Those who answer that they're afraid you'll get them in 
            trouble or that they won't do something that ridiculous are more 
            likely to be highly adventurous. It's interesting to note that 
            people who are adventurous often encounter social pressure to tone 
            it down. However, when two adventurous people meet, the world 
            becomes full of possibilities that they can explore together.&lt;geckopastefix&gt;&lt;/geckopastefix&gt;&lt;geckopastefix&gt;&lt;/geckopastefix&gt;&lt;geckopastefix&gt;&lt;/geckopastefix&gt;&lt;geckopastefix&gt;&lt;/geckopastefix&gt; &lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;a href="http://clairechiang.net/wordpress/?p=43" target="_new"&gt;&lt;br&gt;add comment&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;</description><comments>http://imachessnut.xanga.com/562362563/item/#firstcomment</comments></item><item><title>Monday, January 08, 2007</title><link>http://imachessnut.xanga.com/561449652/item/</link><guid>http://imachessnut.xanga.com/561449652/item/</guid><pubDate>Mon, 08 Jan 2007 02:53:04 GMT</pubDate><description>&lt;p&gt;Some of the more advanced code from this quiz isn't compatible with
blogs. I'll just post screenshots of my results. If anyone wants to
take it, then it's at http://www.4degreez.com/misc/dante-inferno-test.mv&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;center&gt;&lt;img src="http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k53/ccclaireee333/blog/dante1.png" mce_src="http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k53/ccclaireee333/blog/dante1.png" width="500"&gt;&lt;br&gt;
&lt;img src="http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k53/ccclaireee333/blog/dante2.png" mce_src="http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k53/ccclaireee333/blog/dante2.png"&gt; &lt;/center&gt;&lt;br&gt;
I'm not that bad of a person, am I? I got much better of a score than I
was expecting, because I really thought I was more guilty than Level 1
where there is supposedly no punishment. What I'm kind of worried
about, however, is level 8 of hell. My score also seems to be high in
that area, so does that mean I would end up here? Who am I kidding
anyway? Dante's Inferno was simply made up by Dante Alighieri. Why do
so many people actually believe in this place that he just created?

&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://clairechiang.net/wordpress/?p=30" target="_new"&gt;add comment&lt;/a&gt;</description><comments>http://imachessnut.xanga.com/561449652/item/#firstcomment</comments></item><item><title>My Expertise?</title><link>http://imachessnut.xanga.com/561047921/my-expertise/</link><guid>http://imachessnut.xanga.com/561047921/my-expertise/</guid><pubDate>Sat, 06 Jan 2007 04:23:22 GMT</pubDate><description>&lt;p&gt;I think I may have discovered a new expertise. Not actually new, but newly discovered. I happen to be pretty good at getting banned from various online communities without doing anything &lt;em&gt;too&lt;/em&gt; abusive. I think I'm the best at causing the least trouble possible anywhere but still getting banned. Here are some examples:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Today I got banned from betlik forums. Hopefully it's actually a suspension, because when I logged in, they said I was banned until January 16. Apparently they regarded 30% of my posts as spam, but I truly didn't say any more than I would in any normal discussions. The only times I reiterated myself were when people asked for information and I thought it would be rude to ignore them. Maybe I did post a little too much, considering they were paying us BK$ for posting. They probably didn't want to give me so much in a short period of time.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Recently, I also managed to get myself banned from stage6, although I have to admit that what I did may have been a little bit wrong, but it's easy to do much worse. I'm such a hypocrite. I wrote an article on  &lt;a href="http://clairechiang.net/wordpress/?p=17" target="_blank"&gt;why hotlinking was unethical&lt;/a&gt;, but I chose to hotlink to my stage6 video without giving them credit in any way, because I don't have bandwidth for large videos. I thought the amount that I was using would be negligible, because they are so large, but I guess they hate hotlinking too.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A few weeks back, I also managed to get myself banned from afterdawn forums, because I linked to a tutorial on my site when I was trying to show somebody how to do something. Apparently, it's against their policy to post external links. &lt;br /&gt;If I had known about that rule, I wouldn't have joined their forum in the first place, because not wanting external links is a true sign of selfishness. The reason they don't want external links is because it slightly hurts their SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to have more outgoing links than incoming links.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;I also managed to get banned from FICS (Free Internet Chess Server) for something as simple as creating a duplicate account. I didn't like my old handle, so I decided to abandon it and create a new one. They really hate dupes, so they decided to lock both of my accounts without warning. I really wasn't causing any trouble there, but I still managed to get banned.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wow, I'm good! If anyone wants any tips in getting banned without doing something highly unethical, then just ask me. I'll probably think of something.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://clairechiang.net/wordpress/?p=37" target="_new"&gt;add comment&lt;/a&gt;</description><comments>http://imachessnut.xanga.com/561047921/my-expertise/#firstcomment</comments></item><item><title>Wednesday, January 03, 2007</title><link>http://imachessnut.xanga.com/560406537/item/</link><guid>http://imachessnut.xanga.com/560406537/item/</guid><pubDate>Wed, 03 Jan 2007 07:08:56 GMT</pubDate><description>So, I wasted a lot of time working on a Rubik's cube tonight. Now I'm kind of stuck. Anyone good at these and want to show me the last couple steps?&lt;br&gt;Here's where I was:&lt;br&gt;&lt;img width=200 src="http://wm21.inbox.com/thumbs/1b2_3c58a_65b9b227_tn.jpg.thumb"&gt;&lt;img width=200 src="http://wm21.inbox.com/thumbs/1b1_3c58b_14153567_tn.jpg.thumb"&gt;&lt;img width=200 src="http://wm21.inbox.com/thumbs/1b0_3c58c_cbc538a7_tn.jpg.thumb"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;So, I got to this pretty little thing with a nice complete white base, the bottom two rows of everything else, and a cross on the top. Then, I got to a confusing step and kind of messed my cube up and started panicking.&lt;br&gt;I played around with it, and I got something weird, but it still looks semi-close to how it's supposed to:&lt;br&gt;&lt;img width=200 src="http://wm21.inbox.com/thumbs/1b3_3c589_ae9aebe_tn.jpg.thumb"&gt;&lt;img width=200 src="http://wm21.inbox.com/thumbs/1b4_3c588_aa8568f8_tn.jpg.thumb"&gt;&lt;img width=200 src="http://wm21.inbox.com/thumbs/1b5_3c587_f2d56536_tn.jpg.thumb"&gt;&lt;br&gt;This kind of looks closer now, but I'm only more confused. Anyone want to help before I ruin it and have to start all over?</description><comments>http://imachessnut.xanga.com/560406537/item/#firstcomment</comments></item><item><title>Monday, January 01, 2007</title><link>http://imachessnut.xanga.com/559932590/item/</link><guid>http://imachessnut.xanga.com/559932590/item/</guid><pubDate>Mon, 01 Jan 2007 08:03:41 GMT</pubDate><description>&lt;center&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Recent Photos&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img width="500" src="http://wm21.inbox.com/thumbs/1aa_3c592_a49f6e65_tn.jpg.thumb" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Katnerine giving Jasmine a piggy back ride&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img width="500" src="http://wm21.inbox.com/thumbs/1a9_3c593_4b9c783c_tn.jpg.thumb" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That grumpy looking man is my dad. Seeing him with an alcoholic drink is a rare sight.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img width="500" src="http://wm21.inbox.com/thumbs/199_3c5a3_5b5e3bbc_tn.jpg.thumb" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We got out an old play tent and my sister has been sleeping in it at night for no reason whatsoever. We also managed to get Vanilla in there for a while.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img width="500" src="http://wm21.inbox.com/thumbs/1a6_3c596_c1596db6_tn.jpg.thumb" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Confetti!&lt;/center&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;img width="500" src="http://wm21.inbox.com/thumbs/1a7_3c595_4e7531b4_tn.jpg.thumb" /&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;center&gt;Confetti is still good. Even if it ruins the food&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ok, a little flashback to Christmas&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img width="500" src="http://wm21.inbox.com/thumbs/193_3c5a9_5911cfbc_tt.jpg.thumb" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This would be the table at my grandpa's house.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img width="500" src="http://wm21.inbox.com/thumbs/123_3c619_581a344_tn.jpg.thumb" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Grr I could almost say my house was clean. The stupid red piano cloth had to ruin everything.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img width="500" src="http://wm21.inbox.com/thumbs/125_3c617_a26ccc_tn.jpg.thumb" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is where I live. My family has somewhat of a Christmas spirit&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img width="500" src="http://wm21.inbox.com/thumbs/195_3c5a7_7c9dc7b4_tn.jpg.thumb" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That horrible TV stuff. &lt;/center&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://clairechiang.net/wordpress/?p=28" target="_new"&gt;add comment&lt;/a&gt;</description><comments>http://imachessnut.xanga.com/559932590/item/#firstcomment</comments></item><item><title>Sunday, December 31, 2006</title><link>http://imachessnut.xanga.com/559805471/item/</link><guid>http://imachessnut.xanga.com/559805471/item/</guid><pubDate>Sun, 31 Dec 2006 19:07:51 GMT</pubDate><description>&lt;p&gt;1. Be able to keep the computer off at least until it cools down completely before turning it on and wasting time again (exceptions would be using it for and only for productive work)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;2. When my parents yell at me, instead of tuning them out or yelling back insisting that they're wrong, I should at least consider what they're trying to say. Furthermore, actually be able to consider any advice that people give me.&lt;br /&gt;3. No more than one blog post per day unless I start writing for pay per post a few months later (they only want blogs that are at least 3 months old).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;4. A full workout twice a week consisting of at least 30 minutes of cardio work and 6 different weight training machines.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;5. Read at least two newpaper or magazine articles per day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;6. No more &lt;em&gt;internal explosions&lt;/em&gt; caused by idiots who are not worth it anyway. For those of you who don't know, I often explode internally but try not to act like it when idiots arouse me. After this happens, I'm unable to focus for hours and sometimes inexplicably act strangely.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table width="350" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" border="0" align="center"&gt;    &lt;tr&gt;        &lt;td bgcolor="#dddddd" align="center"&gt;&lt;font face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif" style="color: black; font-size: 14pt"&gt; &lt;strong&gt;You Probably Won't Keep Your New Year's Resolution&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;    &lt;/tr&gt;    &lt;tr&gt;        &lt;td bgcolor="#eeeeee"&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;img width="100" height="100" src="http://images.blogthings.com/willyoukeepyournewyearsresolutionquiz/notkeep.jpg" /&gt;&lt;/center&gt; &lt;font color="#000000"&gt; Something isn't quite right with the resolution you've selected. Maybe it's time for a different one? &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;    &lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.blogthings.com/willyoukeepyournewyearsresolutionquiz/" target="_new"&gt;Will You Keep Your New Year's Resolution?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sigh...where's my motivation? I seem to enjoy things that don't matter at all but are equally or more tedious than things that mattered. For example, I would rather blog nonsense than work on my college applications that are due like tomorrow. Most of my material is in submittable condition, but I would still like to make everything better.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With my normal New Year's Resolutions, I make one comprimise after another and eventually end up the way I started. I really think spending too much time on the internet is directly linked to laziness. Since I got addicted to chess-live (do I have to mention that previous rant post again?), I've been getting addicted to various time wasters on the internet. Now that I'm not logging on there anymore, it's getting a little bit better, but I'm still spending a couple hours a day on the internet. That's really not too bad compared to my average of 6 hours per day a while ago. What I really need is an attitude adjustment, but it probably won't matter much anymore next year, because college applications will already be done. Senior year is officially over after first semester.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I need to prove this blogthing and myself wrong, which brings me to my final resolution: I need to be able to trust myself and have confidence in my own decisions. Maybe I can't get anything done, because internally, I always have doubts about myself.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;a href="http://clairechiang.net/wordpress/?p=28" target="_new"&gt;Add Comment&lt;/a&gt;</description><comments>http://imachessnut.xanga.com/559805471/item/#firstcomment</comments></item></channel></rss>