Just call me Master

I found this old (2006) post that I changed to draft for some reason:

Apparently I am iNTj, which stands for Introverted, iNtuitive, Thinking, Judging. According to Carl Jung, I am a moderately introverted, intuitive thinker, with a distinctly judging personality. Reading further to find out what D Keirsley thinks about this rare subset of the population (less than 1%!), it appears that I am what is called a "Mastermind". ^_^ The whole "NT" group is called the Rationals, which include the Engineer, the Mastermind, the Inventor and the Field Marshal (the first two being introverts and last two being extroverts).

If the Mastermind category fits me best, I am quite self-confident and very judicious, and therefore can be quite decisive (e will laugh/scoff at this...). I can formulate coherent and comprehensive contingency plans. Although not eager to take a leadership role, once in this position, I am highly pragmatic. MM Heiss says that I know what I know, and I know what I don't know. I am both a perfectionist, and realistic. I tend to be even-handed (could this be the Libra factor playing out??) in recognizing the contributions of others, but also recognize and go for opportunities for myself as they are presented. (cool.) Unfortunately (for e), romantic relationships are my Achilles heel, since I have little patience for small talk or flirtation, as well am extremely private in nature.

So four and a half years later, I get the same result of INTJ:

Introverted	Intuitive	Thinking	Judging
89	62	12	67

I really need to work on my extroversion.

It's all very interesting. To read more about iNTjs, you can click here or here. To take the test yourself, click here.

Refresh!

Once again, it's been a while since I've posted anything here, and an even longer time since I've posted anything with real content.
I want to get back into the writing groove, so maybe a resurrection of this weblog will help me to shape my words and phrasing better IRL.

I plan to try to stay apolitical -- goodness knows there's enough politicking heads without my personal opinions thrown into the fray. [Of note: There is a very similarly-named blog with highly-charged content in the political realm. I have zero affiliation with that blog.]

I might cover the interesting sights and sounds of Toronto, cities I have visited, places I have eaten at, cool stuff that I have found online in the form of food, fashion and entertainment, and anything that is of general interest to me: the non-profit sector, the state of Canadian healthcare, social and new media, reading up on personal finance, books I'm reading and whatnot.

Here goes!
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Oldie but Goodie: Thermodynamics

I found this in an old e-mail folder. It amused me then and amused me again today. I first received it in March of 2001, but who knows how long it's been floating around, and who the original author was.

THERMODYNAMICS OF HELL
The following is an actual question given on a University of Washington chemistry mid term. The answer by one student was so "profound" that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet, which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well.

Bonus Question:

Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)?

Below the jump for the kicker:

Trial #1 - Orange

After seeing Alex Noriega's amazing photoshop artwork, I wanted to see if I could try to mimic his drawing using his video as instructions.

But I couldn't.

I did, however, find a tutorial on drawing citrus slices. I just drew an orange slice, but after this a lemon or lime wouldn't be too hard. The tricky part is figuring out how to implement the details. Being solidly familiar with the different filters and their settings would be key to creating original artwork with Photoshop.

My drawing:


The original:


It took me couple hours because I couldn't figure out certain functions and tools. I still can't figure out how to give the slice an Outer Glow, because I can't seem to access the Layer Style Settings. *shrug*

That's all for now. It was fun!

Click here for more Photoshop drawing tutorials.

Tweeted: Toronto Budget 2009

Toronto Mayor Miller's recent Tweet of the evening: "Budget tomorrow:build Toronto during a downturn:preserving and enhancing city services, protecting the most vulnerable, without a deficit."

How do you provide and increase services without a deficit?
In general the answers are to (1) cut back on other programs and/or (2) increase taxes.
I guess today's announcements on all of the new programs are in preparation to justify tomorrow's announcement of #2.

I believe that social services are necessary and important, especially in a large city where there is a diverse population to serve. But! I wonder if all of these proposed programs are actually filling a demand.
re. Establishing an employment resource centre at Metro Hall. There are many many many employment and job training agencies in and around the city. Some are well-run and others - not so much. Why pour money into creating a new entity when there are already many local ones with the same mission?
Ideally the agencies that fund these programs can perform regular and comprehensive evaluations to ensure that the best models continue to receive adequate funding, and the ones that are poorly run either shape up or peter out. When tax dollars - whether federal, provincial or municipal - are used, there definitely needs to be accountability to ensure that waste is minimized.

Maybe the city's role is not to provide the services, but to ensure that the NPOs running them are up to par.

How can this be done without turning every department into a bureaucratic ball of red tape? That's the $8 Billion Dollar Question.

I want City Hall to be smart about tax dollars. Put money into programs that have a specific demand that is not being met, and have a defined metric system to evaluate if funded programs deserve to continue receiving funding. With an anticipated increase on demand of social services, let's make smart investments in our city.

More info on the 2009 Budget

IN THE BAG: Hayden-Harnett

Another crazy crazy sale is going on at Hayden-Harnett:



* Images from HaydenHarnett.com
OLGA Bowler in Navy, $330 $82.50
LORCA Turnlock in Bronze Anaconda, $335 $83.75

They are constantly adding new items - and their Sale page doesn't show all of the items on sale, so search around their site!


-----

The Hayden-Harnett Havana hobo measures: 20"L x 14-1/2"H x 4-3/4"D

Q: How much can a Havana hobo hold?

A: A lot.







Outdoor apparel: hat, "cougar" (haha) scarf, gloves
Wallet-y things: wallet, cardholder, keys
Entertainment: Three Cups of Tea book, Nintendo DS, Sansa Clip mp3 player, 2 USB keys
Face+hair stuff: 2 Clinique lipstains, 1 MAC minigloss, 1 chapstick, bottle of Advil, eye drops, hair tie, Sedu Shortier Styler in zebra bag, cosmetic bag holding two large bareMineral jars, bareVitamins Skin Rev-er Upper, a bunch of brushes and more, box of gifted Stila lipglosses, Kleenex pack, sunglass case, a large Bath & Bodyworks tube of lotion
Eats: clementine that I was missing (looks wonky, will still eat), Aero chocolate bar, box of Jelly Bellies
Clothing: set of workout clothes (zip up, tank, capris), change of clothes (tank, jeans)
I forgot to empty out the inside pockets, so my cell phone, case of Altoids, pack of gum, granola bar, and about 5 pens are missing from the pictures.

Usually I don't carry the cosmetic bag, flat iron or change of clothes, but do carry the power cord for my laptop and my P&S camera, so it closes with plenty of room to spare.

I seem to like unpopular items

Carnival Skittles - Limited Edition, DISCONTINUED


Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Squares - DISCONTINUED


Marks & Spencer Shrimp Cocktail Chips - Intermittently available


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Now there are rumours that a new favourite chip brand may be biting the dust:


PC's Smokin' Stampede Chips

Poor Choice of a Title

Auld Lang Syne

Auld lang syne is a Scottish phrase that can be translated to "days gone by".
Syne is pronounced "sign".

Because no one seems to know the actual words to the song as we inebriatedly sing/hum it to celebrate the ushering in of the new year, here is a version thanks to wikipedia:

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old times since ?

CHORUS:
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

And surely you’ll buy your pint cup !
And surely I’ll buy mine !
And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We two have run about the slopes,
and picked the daisies fine ;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,
since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till dine† ;
But seas between us broad have roared
since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

And there’s a hand my trusty friend !
And give us a hand o’ thine !
And we’ll take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

Being Resolute

1. Be kind to myself and take care of myself properly, including working out regularly again.
2. Be brave. Face fears and stop procrastinating.
3. Be less spendthrift. Less shopping and more saving.


Happy New Year! May 2009 bring good tidings.
Be safe, and don't drink and drive!



Homage to Julie Andrews, before I go see the Sound of Music musical!

Where in Toronto?

The R-Word, and the Upside

Although these recessionary times are hitting a lot of businesses hard, some have actually picked up as people turn to cheaper alternatives of spend-spend-spend.

Repair shops, thrift stores, job-counseling and related services (like resume-writing), bookkeeping services, temp and collection agencies are all considered recession-proof. The health-care sector is usually considered resilient, although it was also hit by the downturn in the 80s.

I guess the general theme is that these businesses market themselves as meeting a need, rather than a luxury. Businesses that do not sell their products and services as essential will probably take a hit.

The Harvard Business School offered these eight factors to consider:
1. Research the customer
2. Focus on family values
3. Maintain marketing spending
4. Adjust product portfolios
5. Support distributors
6. Adjust pricing tactics
7. Stress market share
8. Emphasize core values

Marketing Your Way Through A Recession

Vocab Lesson

Capon - castrated male chicken
Chevre - goat
Parmentier - any dish involving potatoes
Verdure - green foliage

Olivia at 53

Where in Toronto?

Happy Halloween!

When I was young, my creative older siblings would make a haunted house in our creepy unfinished basement.

In my memory, the basement ceilings soared up high and the cement floor felt cold and clammy to my bare feet. I always imagined monsters grabbing my ankles between the slats of the basement stairs as I walked down. Lone, bare light bulbs were strewn here and there to casting ominous shadows.
It was the perfect setting for a haunted house.

An obstacle course was laid out: climbing over mountainous boxes (Dad's old stuff that he liked to hoard), under blanket tents (to create an illusion of mystere), beyond crevices which hid hands that grabbed your shoulder as you hurried past. All of this done in near-pitch darkness to a soundtrack of moans, groans, whistling wind and the occasional shriek (on cassette tape).

I wonder if kids do this anymore?


What are you doing for Halloween this year?

Hiatus Over

It's been a while but I'm back.
What do you want to hear about?

My premiere spot of blog

First of all, "Running in circles, chasing tails" is a lyrical quote. Fifty points to the first person to guess Who?!