Friday, August 24, 2007
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
A Thousand Marbles
I first heard this 5 or 6 years ago and it's a story that I love so much I want to share it. The original was written by Jeffrey Davis. Since I do not wish to infringe on anyone's copyright, let me encourage you to please click on this link for the simpler version or this one for the version with more ham radio jargon.to be brought to where the story is already published with permission.
If you feel like going out and buying your own thousand marbles... kudos!
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Tuesday, August 14, 2007
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Sunday, August 12, 2007
Marking Time
It's amazing how fast time flies.
Though I feel young still, I know that I am no longer a fresh grad out of college. My appearance may have changed but inside though, I still feel the same, if a bit more comfortable with who I am and more in touch with what I want for myself, my family and for my life.
Unmistakable markers to the passage of time though are my kids. They are indeed growing up fast! One moment they were nothing but armfuls. Now, they are all walking, talking, running, gabbing and utterly delightful beings. Even my youngest strings sentences already. Gone is the baby talk. As he says, he's no longer a baby.
I often find myself thankful for a quiet day. I can now relate to the elders telling us to be quiet. It always feels like the house is full of noise - happy noise but loud sounds nonetheless. It can make one feel like one's head is ringing from the sounds that kids can make. I try to keep in mind though that I will definitely miss those sounds as they grow older. Best to enjoy it now.
What are the kids into now? Art is still something my girl loves. JL sings quite well. Both of them are into Taekwondo now. Our youngest is really into swimming and has no fear. He just jumps in!
Getting them to pose for this pic was fun! Aren't they all so cute? Better sharpen the knives and prepare the shotgun. I'm sure they'll be needed soon based on this pic.
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Sunday, August 12, 2007
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Friday, August 10, 2007
Why Not Romance?
The new authors may be more explicit in their descriptions - but on the whole, the stories are usually good even without the scenes. This is useful for guys who get told by their women that they have no idea what fore play(yes I know there is no space! Just making sure I don't get blocked from my ads by this one word!) is .
Romance....we can never have enough. Why not read some?
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Gin
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Friday, August 10, 2007
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Sunday, August 05, 2007
Stick It
I recently got to watch this movie. Since I've always loved gymnastics, the movie sounded really interesting. Have to rate this movie a 3 though. It's just so so.
It's a typical theme found in American teen movie flicks. Rebel, buck against he system. Find a way to be unique. If you can't beat em, stick it! Don't quit and walk out but stick it. If you don't get my drift, watch the movie.
What they said about gymnastics is very true though. The dedication and hard work required of them in order to get where they are is true of any discipline. We push to excel. That is something everyone admires.
It's a Disney flick. Stars Jeff Bridges and Missy Peregrym. No need to introduce Jeff Bridges. He made his mark a long time ago with movies like Jagged Edge and Mirror Has Two Faces (he has more recent films, of course). If you can't recall Missy Peregrym, she's appeared in Heroes and Smallville.
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Sunday, August 05, 2007
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Saturday, July 21, 2007
Done With Harry Potter, At Last
If you haven't read the book yet, I bet you now wonder if he dies in the story. With so many rumors and versions floating around both on the net and off it, people haven't been sure what to believe. READ IT FOR YOURSELF! I don't post spoilers.
We reserved our copy through PHP (Pinoy Harry Potter) which had a tie up with Fully Booked. The book was in our eager hands the moment the go signal was given at 7am. My LP was very generous and allowed me to read it first. Thanks, sweetie! And yes, it's a good read.
I'm glad that JK Rowling wrote these books. I hope at some point the books can be translated into a TV series or mini series that will then do full justice to the story she wrote. The movie makers tried but it is really hard to capture in a 2 hour film all the nuances of any of the HP books.
JK Rowling, this muggle thanks you for writing the story of Harry Potter. It has made for a number of nights without sleep - when I couldn't put down the book but who cares! I'm glad magic exists somewhere.
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Saturday, July 21, 2007
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Labels: Deathly Hallows, Fully Booked, Harry Potter, harry Potter 7, HP, JK Rowling, PHP
Friday, July 20, 2007
Quiz: Are You A Nerd, Geek or Dork?
Your Score: Joe Normal
39 % Nerd, 43% Geek, 17% Dork
For The Record:
A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia.
A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one.
A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions.
You scored less than half in all three, earning you the title of: Joe Normal.
This is not to say that you don't have some Nerd, Geek or Dork inside of you--we all do, and you can see the percentages you have right above. This is just to say that none of those qualities stand out so much as to define you. Sure, you enjoy an episode of Star Trek now and again, and yeah, you kinda enjoyed a few classes back in the day. And, once in a while, you stumble while walking down the street even though there was nothing there to cause you to trip. But, for the most part, you look and act fairly typically, and aren't much of an outcast.
I'd say there's a fair chance someone asked you to take this test. In any event, fairly normal.
Congratulations!
If you enjoyed this test, I would love the feedback!
Also, you might want to check out some of my other tests if you're interested in any of the following:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Professional Wrestling
Love & Sexuality
America/Politics
Thanks Again! -- THE NERD? GEEK? OR DORK? TEST
| Link: The Nerd? Geek? or Dork? Test written by donathos on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test |
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Friday, July 20, 2007
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Thursday, July 12, 2007
MSG - A Slow Poison
The food additive MSG (MonoSodium Glutamate) is a slow poison. MSG hides behind 25 or more names, such as "Natural Flavoring." MSG is even in your favorite coffee from Tim Horton's and other brand-name coffee shops.
I wondered if there could be an actual chemical causing the massive obesity epidemic, and so did a friend of mine, John Erb. He was a research assistant at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, and spent years working for the government. He made an amazing discovery while going through scientific journals for a book he was writing called The Slow Poisoning of America. In hundreds of studies around the world, scientists were creating obese mice and rats to use in diet or diabetes test studies. No strain of rat or mice is naturally obese, so scientists have to create them. They make these creatures morbidly obese by injecting them with MSG when they are first born. The MSG triples the amount of insulin the pancreas creates, causing rats (and perhaps humans) to become obese. They even have a name for the fat rodents they create: "MSG-Treated Rats."
When I heard this, I was shock ed. I went into my kitchen and checked the cupboards and the refrigerator. MSG was in everything -- the Campbell's soups, the Hostess Doritos, the Lays flavored potato chips, Top Ramen, Betty Crocker Hamburger Helper, Heinz canned gravy, Swanson frozen prepared meals, and Kraft salad dressings, especially the "healthy low-fat" ones. The items that didn't have MSG marked on the product label had something called Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein," which is just another name for Monosodium Glutamate. It was shocking to see just how many of the foods we feed our children everyday are filled with this stuff. MSG is hidden under many different names in order to fool those who read the ingredient list, so that they don't catch on. (Other names for MSG are "Accent, "Ajinomoto," "Natural Meat Tenderizer," etc.)
But it didn't stop there. When our family went out to eat, we started asking at the restaurants what menu items contained MSG. Many employees, even the managers, swore they didn't use MSG. But when we ask for the ingredient list, which they grudgingly provided, sure enough, MSG and Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein were everywhere. Burger King, McDonald's, Wendy's, Taco Bell, every restaurant -- even the sit-down eateries like TGIF, Chili's, Applebee's, and Denny's -- use MSG in abundance. Kentucky Fried Chicken seemed to be the WORST offender: MSG was in every chicken dish, salad dressing. and gravy. No wonder I loved to eat that coating on the skin -- their secret spice was MSG!
So why is MSG in so may of the foods we eat? Is it a preservative, or a vitamin? Not according to my friend John Erb. In his book, The Slow Poisoning of America, he said that MSG is added to food for the addictive effect it has on the human body. Even the propaganda website sponsored by the food manufacturers lobby group supporting MSG explains that the reason they add it to food is to make people eat more. A study of the elderly showed that older people eat more of the foods that it is added to. The Glutamate Association lobbying group says eating more is a benefit to the elderly, but what does it do to the rest of us? "Betcha can't eat [just] one," takes on a whole new meaning where MSG is concerned! And we wonder why the nation is overweight!
The MSG manufacturers themselves admit that it addicts people to their products. It makes people choose their product over others, and makes people eat more of it than they would if MSG wasn't added. Since its introduction into the American food supply fifty years ago, MSG has been added in larger and larger doses to the pre-packaged meals, soups, snacks, and fast foods we are tempted to eat everyday. The FDA has set no limits on how much of it can be added to food. They claim it's safe to eat in any amount. But how can they claim it's safe when there are hundreds of scientific studies with titles like these:
- "The monosodium glutamate (MSG) obese rat as a model for the study of exercise in obesity." Gobatto CA, Mello MA, Souza CT, Ribeiro IA. Res Commun Mol Pathol Pharmacol. 2002.
- "Adrenalectomy abolishes the food-induced hypothalamic serotonin release in both normal and monosodium glutamate-obese rats." Guimaraes RB, Telles MM, Coelho VB, Mori C, Nascimento CM, Ribeiro. Brain Res Bull. 2002 Aug.
- "Obesity induced by neonatal monosodium glutamate treatment in spontaneously hypertensive rats: An animal model of multiple risk factors." Iwase M, Yamamoto M, Iino K, Ichikawa K, Shinohara N, Yoshinari Fujishima. Hypertens Res. 1998 Mar.
- "Hypothalamic lesion induced by injection of monosodium glutamate in suckling period and subsequent development of obesity." Tanaka K, Shimada M, Nakao K Kusunoki. Exp Neurol. 1978 Oct. No, the date of that last study was not a typo; it was published in 1978.
Both the "medical research community" and "food manufacturers" have known about the side effects of MSG for decades. Many more of the studies mentioned in John Erb's book link MSG to diabetes, migraines and headaches, autism, ADHD, and even Alzheimer's. So what can we do to stop the food manufactures from dumping this fattening and addictive MSG into our food supply and causing the obesity epidemic we now see? Several months ago, John Erb took his book and his concerns to one of the highest government health officials in Canada. While he was sitting in the government office, the official told him, "Sure, I know how bad MSG is. I wouldn't touch the stuff." But this top-level government official refuses to tell the public what he knows. The big media doesn't want to tell the public either, fearing issues with their advertisers. It seems that the fallout on the fast food industry may hurt their profit margin. The food producers and restaurants have been addicting us to their products for years, and now we are paying the price for it.
Our children should not be cursed with obesity caused by an addictive food additive. But what can I do about it? I'm just one voice! What can I do to stop th poisoning of our children, while our governments are insuring financial protection for the industry that is poisoning us? This message is going out to everyone I know in an attempt to tell you the truth that the corporate-owned politicians and media won't tell you.
The best way you can help to save yourself and your children from this drug-induced epidemic is to forward this article to everyone. With any luck, it will circle the globe before politicians can pass the legislation protecting those who are poisoning us. The food industry learned a lot from the tobacco industry. Imagine if big tobacco had a bill like this in place before someone blew the whistle on nicotine?
If you are one of the few who can still believe that MSG is good for us and you don't believe what John Erb has to say, see for yourself. Go to the National Library of Medicine at < http://www.pubmed. com./> www.pubmed.com. Type in the words "MSG Obese" and read a few of the 115 medical studies that appear. We the public do not want to be rats in one giant experiment, and we do not approve of food that makes us into a nation of obese, lethargic, addicted sheep, feeding the food industry's bottom line while waiting for the heart transplant, the diabetic-induced amputation, blindness, or other obesity-induced, life-threatening disorders. With your help we can put an end to this poison. Do your part in sending this message out by word of mouth, e-mail, or by distribution of this printout to your friends all over the world and stop this "Slow Poisoning of Mankind" by the packaged food industry. Blowing the whistle on MSG is our responsibility, so get the word out.
< http://www.thinksca pes.com/The_ Erb_report_ on_MSG_to_ the_WHO.pdf > http://www.thinksca pes.com/The_ Erb_report_ on_MSG_to_ the_WHO.pdf
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Thursday, July 12, 2007
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Tuesday, July 10, 2007
My Bluetooth Is Dead!
It is so annoying. My bluetooth dongle is no longer working. Just when I have stuff to send using the device, it has conked out. While it isn't exactly an expensive item, I still would rather not have to spend on getting a new one.
What can I do? Fall back on the older methods,
- Infrared
- send by MMS
- use a card reader
- My infrared is not working either
- MMS costs :(
- have to go hunt for my card reader - but this option may just work
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Gin
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Tuesday, July 10, 2007
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Friday, July 06, 2007
Is He A Great Writer?

How do you know if an author is a good one? Does the book have to have found profound meaning? Do they have to annoy you? Some would say that yes, an author is a good one as long as they can engage your emotions. Personally though, that would not be enough.
A great author is one who can not only stir the emotions, they can touch your heart with their words. Yes, they can make you laugh and cry, but the scenes are remembered long after they have read the article or book - some carry it for years. The emotion does not carry a distaste for the author (should the reader disagree), but simply be for the image he has crafted with his words.
A great author can have their readers so engrossed in what they are reading that they find themselves laughing out loud, whether or not they are alone. They can truly make one forget where they are and capture the imagination.
Does there have to be a deep message, a profound lesson imparted? There is always a lesson but it would depend on the reader which one they perceive and pick up. Every human encounter written, even imaginary ones, are chock full of life lessons. We take away what we need. Each time we read that same book we'll get a different idea.
What triggered this post? You guessed it! Someone thought there was something wrong with me because I was laughing so hard from the book I was reading. So if you don't want to be mistaken for a nut case, don't forget to lock the door so you can laugh your head off and they can't spoil the mood.
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Gin
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Friday, July 06, 2007
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Friday, March 03, 2006
How openminded are you
| You Are 72% Open Minded |
You are a very open minded person, but you're also well grounded. Tolerant and flexible, you appreciate most lifestyles and viewpoints. But you also know where you stand firm, and you can draw that line. You're open to considering every possibility - but in the end, you stand true to yourself. |
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Gin
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Friday, March 03, 2006
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Monday, January 23, 2006
What Kind of Soul Are You?
| You Are a Dreaming Soul |
Your vivid emotions and imagination takes you away from this world So much so that you tend to live in your head most of the time You have great dreams and ambitions that could be the envy of all... But for you, following through with your dreams is a bit difficult You are charming, endearing, and people tend to love you. Forgiving and tolerant, you see the world through rose colored glasses. Underneath it all, you have a ton of passion that you hide from others. Always hopeful, you tend to expect positive outcomes in your life. Souls you are most compatible with: Newborn Soul, Prophet Soul, and Traveler Soul |
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Gin
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Monday, January 23, 2006
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Friday, January 06, 2006
The Question and An Answer
I have been working for a long time. And yes...I feel tired. I have been at the point, for some time, where seeing the sun shining is enough for me to start praying, "Oh Lord, help me get through the day".It's not even that I have a bad job or work for a bad company. On the contrary, the company is good, my boss is a nice person and the job is...well, challenging is the adjective that comes to mind.
As part of my job, I do a lot of research. So there I was sitting, researching, trying to find an idea that would work for my product, to help attract more people to it. I stumbled on a site that answered, not the question I was looking to get a reply to but one that has been buzzing around in my head for so long. The Question: What should I do with my life?
Discontent with a life that seems to be humdrum and difficult, alternately worried over financials and tired from trying to make work work for me, this article touched me. I know there are others like me who have been trying to figure out what next. Please bear with me and take the time to read this interesting article called, "What Should I Do With My Life" by Po Bronson.
I have forgotten how to dream...or did I ever learn how? But this article still nailed on the head why I felt there was no point in dreaming. Practicals first, I need money (survival). And apparently, smarts can't answer the question or there'd be a whole lot of happy people around me because I know so many smart people.
I think the following quote is why my life partner is a successful person. He has answered and continues to be, everyday, as this portion says,:
I struggled with this myself, but not until I had listened to hundreds of others did the pattern make itself shockingly clear. What am I good at? is the wrong starting point. People who attempt to deduce an answer usually end up mistaking intensity for passion. To the heart, they are vastly different. Intensity comes across as a pale busyness , while passion is meaningful and fulfilling. A simple test: Is your choice something that will stimulate you for a year or something that you can be passionate about for 10 years? This test is tougher than it seems on paper.
In the past decade, the work world has become a battleground for the struggle between the boring and the stimulating. The emphasis on intensity has seeped into our value system. We still cling to the idea that work should not only be challenging and meaningful -- but also invigorating and entertaining. But really, work should be like life: sometimes fun, sometimes moving, often frustrating, and defined by meaningful events. Those who have found their place don't talk about how exciting and challenging and stimulating their work is. Their language invokes a different troika: meaningful, significant, fulfilling. And they rarely ever talk about work without weaving in their personal history.
Have I found it...I know I'm a step closer in the right direction.
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Friday, January 06, 2006
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Thursday, January 05, 2006
Latest Blogthing
| You Have a Melancholic Temperament |
Introspective and reflective, you think about everything and anything. You are a soft-hearted daydreamer. You long for your ideal life. You love silence and solitude. Everyday life is usually too chaotic for you. Given enough time alone, it's easy for you to find inner peace. You tend to be spiritual, having found your own meaning of life. Wise and patient, you can help people through difficult times. At your worst, you brood and sulk. Your negative thoughts can trap you. You are reserved and withdrawn. This makes it hard to connect to others. You tend to over think small things, making decisions difficult. |
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Gin
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Thursday, January 05, 2006
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Monday, December 19, 2005
What Movie Is Your Christmas Most Like
| Your Christmas is Most Like: Miracle on 34th Street |
Sweet and caring, Christmas is about helping for you. While Santa may not exist, you try to share his spirit. |
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Gin
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Monday, December 19, 2005
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Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Which Reindeer Are You?
| You Are Prancer |
You are the perfect reindeer, with perfect hooves and perfect flying form. Why You're Naughty: Because you're Santa's pet, and you won't let anyone show you up. Why You're Nice: You have the softest fur and the sweetest carrot breath. |
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Gin
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Tuesday, December 13, 2005
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Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Celebrations
I am one of those people who absolutely loves my birthday. It is important to me. It is important to me to get to celebrate it even in as simple a way as ice cream and cake (yummy!). This year, I had 3 celebrations for it, which were all great!
First, my family had me come over for dinner the Sunday before my day. My mom cooked a great pork dish in cream and there was barbecue and butter rice and salad. Yum yum!
Then on Monday, I met up with some friends. Supposedly, we were just going to watch some discs together. Of course, they had already hidden (with the help of "the flash") a cake, flowers and a home made greeting card. They brought everything out at just a few minutes before midnight, so I was with good friends just as my birthday came around.
Of course, my life partner also wanted to celebrate my birthday with a special dinner. So he invited some of our closest friends to join us and eat out. It was wonderful to just sit and eat and chat and laugh and laugh and laugh over dinner and coffee.
Truly my birthday is special, and I am very blessed in my friends. I realy appreciate evryone's thougtfullness and their staying up so late to celebrate with me, even though we all had work in the morning. To: mom and dad, Pao, Myna, Ian, Maricia, Neil, Benny, Dek, Mai, Icheb, MP, Duds and Hec, thank you for my "parties". To everyone who greeted by phone, text and email, thank you for remembering.
I wonder what my birthday celebration will be like next year?
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Gin
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Wednesday, December 07, 2005
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Thursday, December 01, 2005
Blog Component Quiz
If I Were a Blog Component, I would be the TRACKBACK.
I like to socialize and communicate, but also keep a distance.Which Blog Component Are You?
Take This Blog Quiz at About Web Logs!
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Gin
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Thursday, December 01, 2005
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Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Learning the Ropes
I never really thought about what went into getting any event off the ground. I always knew it would be a major undertaking. Still, I never thought there was so much to know before we could start negotiating.
My mind is whirling with the number of things I need to pound into my thick skull in order to be able to give everybody what they want so that we get what we want. And boy does everybody want something!
The art of negotiation....the art of war.... I must read that book tonight....
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Gin
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Tuesday, November 08, 2005
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Monday, October 24, 2005
Whole lot of testing going on
| The Liberal Beauty You scored 78 looks, 70 personality, 23 politics, and 71 sex drive! |
You're beautiful, you have a great personality, and youre highly sexual. You're a liberal with your views and you don't put morals before everything. You're probably a great wife or girlfriend, and you know how to make sure that the ones you love are happy. You're probably fun in a conversation and I'm sure that you are as loveable as you are beautiful.
The Music (Rock That Is) Test http://www.okcupid.com/tests/take?testid=8460139144648302003 The One Question Test http://www.okcupid.com/tests/take?testid=10194224782000446693 |
| |
| Link: The What Kind of Girl are You Test written by ramonaaronperez on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test |
| Gust ~ 51% Water ~ 66% Wind ~ 29% Earth ~ 59% Fire ~ |
| I want to live where the sky is big
|
| |
My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
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| Link: The Elemental Balance Test written by Nitsuki on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test |
| Your brain: 120% interpersonal, 60% visual, 120% verbal, and 100% mathematical! |
| Congratulations on being 400% smart! Actually, on my test, everyone is. The above score breaks down what kind of thinking you most enjoy doing. A score above 100% means you use that kind of thinking more than average, and a score below 100% means you use it less. It says nothing about how good you are at any one, just how interested you are in each, relatively. A substantial difference in scores between two people means, conclusively, that they are different kinds of thinkers. Matching Summary: Each of us has different tastes. Still, I offer the following advice, which I think is obvious:
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My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
|
| Link: The 4-Variable IQ Test written by chriscoyne on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the 32-Type Dating Test |
| Humble Body 57% mind-love and 40% body-love! |
| That's right! You are physically humble! In my opinion, humility is a great virtue. Regardless of the true state of your body, you don't consider yourself superior to others. Even if you are totally hot. Humble individuals are most likely to recongnize flaws in themselves and therefore are best equipped for improvement. The smiley face in the below graph indicates where you lie, in a 2-D measure of self-love. I'm continually adjusting the cutoffs. What this means: a "normal" says you really are around the average, and a "cocky" says you really are cockier than most other people. Based on some real-world testing, I have some final advice:
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My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
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| Link: The How Much Do You Love Yourself Test written by chicken_pot_pie on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test |
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Monday, October 24, 2005
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