One important proverb i have to keep reminding myself of is, "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't force it to drink". i'd previously used that for when people did me "favours" that i didn't appreciate. in an odd role reversal, i find myself in the doer's role for once.

that's how the post originally started. there's a story behind it, but the relevant content has been removed to avoid further conflict. move along, nothing to see here. please proceed on to the next paragraph.

yesterday was graduate registration. with 4 years of NUS experience under my belt, i didn't repeat my blur freshman mistake of missing my registration date. the process was significantly faster this time round...only 10 to 15 minutes of waiting, then 5 to 10 minutes spent registering. most of the registration time went to the staff photocopying my IC, actually. i now have my shiny new graduate student card! don't like the photo on it, though. should have used another copy of the photo on my undergrad student card. but well...it's not like many people are going to see it, right?

since i was in school, i dropped by the chem office. collecting some forms and stuff aside, i also found out a very important piece of information. my professor isn't teaching advanced organic synthesis this semester! instead, it's being taught by the med chem lecturer from last year. that significantly changes plans. based on this information, i think that i'll skip organic synthesis for now, until another (better) professor takes over...preferably my professor, of course. that leaves my schedule wide open again. after some discussion with my lab seniors and the postgrad chem kids, i think that my 2 modules for this semester will be advanced organic materials and contemporary organometallic chemistry. these are supposedly easy modules, according to my lab seniors. as for the drug discovery module which i planned to take, i think i'll wait for next year, when at least one of my friends may take it as well. that way, i won't die alone if it turns out to be too difficult. this now opens up my schedule for SJI/CJC training on wednesdays, which is quite a big plus point. also, my lab seniors tell me that my professor has assigned me to the new lab. nice coincidence. i had wanted to talk to my professor for a bit, but turns out he'll be away for the whole week. one more week of slacking it is, then.

remember i was talking about blisters a while back? it seems that i'm not suffering from blisters after all. oddly enough, the skin on my soles is just peeling off. there's new skin underneath already, so that's a relief. don't know why this is happening, though. but so far, there's no pain, bleeding, pus or other abnormal phenomena, so i'm not too worried. just a bit curious as to why this would happen.

talking to my postgrad senior is making me more afraid of starting work. i get the impression that grad students really have to work cow work horse throughout their candidature. in fact, his professor (who also does organic) is hinting that his students should spend 12 hours in the lab every day. while i know that long hours are inescapable while doing organic synthesis, 12-hour days might be a bit too much for me to handle. guess i'll see what my professor's expectations are when i meet him next week.

-random thought of the day: Let go of things which are out of your control!-

Registration is tomorrow, and it's a very sharp reminder that school officially starts in 2 weeks. it's good and bad, i think. on one hand, i'm excited to get back into the lab to start work, but the thought of failing reactions is a little off-putting. maybe things will take a turn for the better for grad studies? i can only hope.

just thinking out loud here...grad studies will be quite different from honours year. research will take a bigger part of my time, and have more influence on my appraisal. i guess as a grad student, my professor's expectations will be higher as compared to when i was an honours student. can't take as many days off as i did before, and i'll be arriving earlier, leaving later...maybe even working weekends. but as tough as that may sound, there are easier bits, too. fewer modules (2 per semester on average for the first 2 years or so), for instance. and now that i've got a car, travelling should be less stressful as long as i avoid peak hours.

studies aside, i hope that i'll be able to squeeze in some time for non-academic pursuits. on the list now, i have kata practice, CJC/SJI training (well, more like SJI training due to time constraints), and peer pressure training. the first 2 are once a week, so that's not a big deal. peer pressure training is an interesting concept which my partner thought of. basically, him, me, favourite SJI boy (who i'm supposed to be coaching) and this kid whom my partner's coaching are in a whatsapp group together. every day, my partner will post a list of exercises which we're supposed to do, we do it under timed conditions, and post our results. eventually, i'm supposed to come up with training exercises as well, once i get a better idea of how to tune the workout intensities to appropriate levels.

incidentally, i think this will eventually lead to coach-pooling for our respective kids. this is good because my partner has more experience and is better at devising physical workouts, which is an area in which i am lacking. on my part, what i can do is focus on their mental aspect...though having never talked to him before, i don't know what my partner's kid needs. he seems stable enough, though. the most i can think of is that he might need help for his O-level subjects. maybe there'll be a chance for us to meet up and talk soon.

but anyway. these activities take up 2 nights a week. another 2 nights will be taken up by lectures, and the remaining night will (hopefully) be taken up by my own training at the SRC. thanks to something i posted before (years ago) about exercising more with a car, i'm obligated to carry that out. figure that since i didn't use the sports facilities much as an undergrad, i'd better make up for it in my graduate studies period. i'm just trying to figure out how to fit in workout sessions even on days with lecture. if all goes well, my lecture days will be monday and wednesday. wednesday is fine due to SJI training (though i have to watch my time very carefully), but monday might be a bit troublesome...unless the lecturer ends class early regularly. can't depend on that, though; lecture time is officially 6:00pm to 10:00pm after all.

so let's consolidate everything. monday will probably be a rest day unless i find it in me to get a morning workout in. wednesday's exercise will probably come from SJI training, unless the timing is really too tight...in which case, i might have to do a morning workour as well. that leaves tuesday, thursday and friday for night exercise and kata practice. in a way, this is good because if we should be participating in any upcoming competitions, we can schedule additional practice sessions on the other days. as for saturdays, group meeting kind of rules out the possibility of me going back for training, though i'm planning on trying to go back once a month. have to make some arrangements, though.

nearly forgot to mention. yesterday was my last session with TKGS girl. apart from my reluctance to tutor her once my school starts, i also think she'll do decently for her exams as long as she maintains her studying schedule. at this point in time, my guess for her results is...B3 or A2, provided she doesn't get careless. not saying that she can't get A1, but i don't know. A2 feels like a more comfortable guess.

think i'm all prepared for registration tomorrow, only thing is i can't remember where i put my offer letter. with any luck, it'll be in the car. maybe i should also use the opportunity to visit my professor for a chat, find out what project he has in mind, and whether i can be assigned to the new lab space. other than that, i have to return some library books, and maybe go down to the SJF for a bit if i end up being ahead of schedule. or else, that can be saved for thursday. well, as i'm partial to saying, we'll see how things go.

-random thought of the day: Had a nice, slack weekend.-

Today is the biggest milestone in my blogging life thus far. you see, it was this day, 10 years ago, that a sec 3 cat high kid decided to follow his friend and sign up with blogger, then began writing. admittedly, most of the early posts were poorly-written and rather superficial/shallow. while i may not be a literary genius now, i'd like to think that i've at least improved since then, both in language and content. here, i've written about most of the major events in my life...(the later 3/8 of) secondary school, JC, army, and university, so you can imagine how much sentimental value this blog holds for me. it may not be worth much to other people, but i would be really upset if this got deleted somehow.

in light of this special occasion, i thought that i'd share some statistics with you all. i've been blogging for 10 years, 3 of which (2004, 2008, 2012) were leap years. that makes a total of 3654 days (25 july counts twice). in comparison, i've been alive for 9048 days so far, which means that this blog has existed for 40.4% of my life. assuming my maths is correct, the 50% mark will be on 8 december 2017, which coincidentally is the 11th anniversary of my enlistment! but that's way too far away, even further than my phd graduation (if all goes well). over these 3654 days of blogging, i've written 1278 posts (including this one), making it an average of 0.35 posts per day, or 2.86 days per post. out of the 1278 posts, i have 39 comments, 10 of which are my replies to previously posted comments...ie. only 29 from other people. these other people are mostly family (cousins) and some friends, though there are a couple of comments from people i don't know. average-wise, that works out to 1 comment per 44 posts or so. seems a bit too short, 44 posts. i am fairly confident that i can find 100 consecutive posts without comments, but i can't really be bothered to dig through my archives. i don't dare work out my word count, but at a conservative estimate of 500 words per post, that would mean i've written about 639 000 words. that's worth a novel or two at least, i think.

from the number at the end of the name, this is the 11th incarnation of this blog, as in, there have been 11 templates, working out to about 1 template lasting 1.1 years on average. i used to change templates every 6 months or so, but i guess i got lazy, and there was army, so i didn't really keep my HTML skills polished. those skills were self-taught to begin with, so it's not like i'm some HTML master anyway. which reminds me...maybe i should look into a template change soon. this one has been on for at least 2 years.

as for pageviews, blogger shows that i've had 13700 views. however, this figure is inaccurate for at least 3 reasons. first, blogger only started showing pageviews to the users from may 2007, meaning that 3 years and 10 months' worth of views weren't recorded. second, i read through my archives fairly often, and did so way before the "don't track own pageviews" option was introduced. so, who knows how many pageviews are self-generated, and how many are from legitimate viewers? thirdly, not everyone who comes here is a legitimate viewer. take for instance, those funny data mining sites in russia, ukraine, and other locations where people would be unlikely to access my blog. on the other hand, i apologize to any russian or ukranian readers if my earlier example was wrong. at least the stats show that i have 489 redirects from google, so i think that some people must have chanced upon here while looking for some answers. hope they found what they were looking for.

so, what have i learnt after such a long time of blogging? i guess my most important takeaway is that writing is a very effective form of stress relief for me. while i do believe in talking about my problems, i often find that writing about them is easier, mainly because i don't have to worry about my blog judging me for what i tell it. sure, people will read my post eventually, but somehow, it's easier to write uninterrupted than talk to someone and watch how they react to what you say. not only is it stress relief, writing also allows me to sort my thoughts out and prioritize the mess that's in my head. it also lets me analyze my feelings, and in my opinion, brings some left-brain balance to my right-brainedness...though i'm mildly worried that prolonged blogging might turn me left-brained. but that might be good as well, considering i'm a scientist. i don't know.

had an odd dream this morning. well, 2 dreams, to be exact. first was that my dad dismantled my computer table for some reason. might be because we were scheduled to move house or something. i remember being upset about that, though i can't remember why. might be because he reassembled wrongly later, or that he just left it in a mess. the next dream was even weirder, because i found myself on a date with someone who i don't really know well in actual life (we can be loosely grouped as teammates, but we're actually somewhere between friends and acquaintances). we didn't do much, just took a nighttime stroll around somewhere open-air that was lit up by LED lights. even though it was just aimless walking, i remember feeling happy and content, and generally enjoying myself as we walked. maybe that's why i remember this dream in particular...because i want to have that feeling while not dreaming. funny thing, though. one random detail i remember from the dream is that this person had nice forearms. i don't recall them looking anything out of the ordinary. should confirm that the next time we meet.

think i should go down to the bank tomorrow. the GIRO for the car loan has been rejected, and i have to find out why. at the same time, i need to see if i can set up GIRO for season parking. funny how i've never had any luck with GIRO transactions; my university fees' application didn't go through either. hopefully i'll finally discover what the problem is tomorrow.

-random thought of the day: Where did all that time go?-

Summer break ends in about 2.5 weeks, which also means school starts in less than a month. some (well, most, actually) of my grad student friends have already gone back to their respective labs to start work early. makes me feel like a huge slacker, but i'm not too hung up over that. the thought of 4 years of more or less non-stop work once i get started makes me want to start as late as possible. i do have to arrange a day to talk to my professor, though...i think i'm quite possibly the only grad student who has no idea about my project, or where i'll be working. probably will try to see him next monday, when i have to go to school for the grad student registration thing. which reminds me...i have to print the relevant forms by this weekend. considering it's only wednesday, i'm still making very good time.

grading for the SJI/CJC white belts was on saturday. their throws weren't perfect, and i don't really blame them for it. on a whole, their breakfalls were decent enough though, for which i'm grateful. however, there were a few kids who couldn't do a proper rolling breakfall. not sure whether it's a confidence issue or a physical limitation. troubleshooting rolling breakfalls is actually more difficult than troubleshooting throws for me. think i have to come up with a new way to teach it. got an idea already...now i just have to test it to see if it's feasible.

had kata practice (kata training sounds weird to me) on monday. my uke role for katame no kata is more or less ok...have the sequence down, and can remember the escapes. just have to make it look more convincing and dynamic, and work on my flexibility for those over-the-shoulder rolls. my tori role, however, is still extremely rough. i have the basic idea of how to react to my partner's escapes, but the feeling of ceremony/ritual is not there at all. then again, that day was only my second time, and we didn't really focus on the proper transitions between holds, so that's kind of expected. there was progress, though, as we moved on the the chokes part as well. out of the 3 sets of techniques (holds, chokes, locks), i think that the chokes set is the easiest. have one minor thing to clarify next session, and that is if i'm pressing too hard on my partner's collarbones while trying to stabilize myself. even if there are issues, i don't foresee a major problem in rectifying them.

i also tried the fourth set of nage no kata (front sacrifice techniques) under the supervision of singapore's best nage no kata pair. since that was my first time doing it, i didn't really expect much (any) praise. turns out that i'm a lot worse than i'd have thought. my partner did tell me the key points previously, but i guess they kind of slipped my mind during the execution. anyway, i hope now that i've got professional guidance and first hand experience of how the techniques should feel like, i should be better next time. and let's not forget that i still have to revise the first 3 sets, and learn the last set (side sacrifice techniques) as well. suddenly, i'm grateful that i'm starting my preparation for grading almost a year in advance, and even more so that i have friends with the relevant expertise who are happy (or at least willing) to help me along the way. just the kata alone is intimidating enough.

it was an interesting experience to see how another pair practises and improves their kata. after a run, they talk about what they think went wrong, and how possibly to improve it. that's normal/expected; my partner and i do that too. what surprised me was how detailed they were! they actually gave percentages, like "i felt only 60% pulling power" for example. for my partner and i, we don't go into that much detail. probably the most we say is, "that escape felt a little weird. maybe we need more space between us" or whatever the proposed solution may be. on the other hand though, i'm not sure that their method would work for us. different kata, after all.

yesterday, i found out that even more not-so-nice (but true) things about me (specifically, my judo) have been spreading behind my back. that made me quite upset, not because i can't handle what was said. i'm upset because the people who have been saying these things didn't tell me personally. while i would like to maintain friendly relations with everyone in the judo world, it doesn't seem likely or possible now. guess it's best for me to retreat into SJI/CJC, and continue to practise kata at the SJF. you know, i wonder if i'm being too sensitive about this, or taking it too hard. after all, i am only accountable to myself, right?

oh. i got the car's owner's manual. i am ridiculously impressed! despite being branded as a luxury car, the manual for the camry just came as-is in the glove compartment. the honda's manual came in its own leather holder/case! very very positive first impression. that somewhat made up for the fact that the manual was kind of a generic one, for the 1.6L, 1.8L, and 2.0L versions, european and other configurations. at least it was informative enough. while driving back yesterday, i noticed that my stereo was stuck, as in, i can't choose playlists, or even skip tracks. hope that it's a temporary problem that has fixed itself by now.

-random thought of the day: Very significant day tomorrow!-

Not going to blog about what's been going on in this post. for a change, i'm doing massive copy-and-pasting. it's those personality profile things. over about 8 years (from the time i first tried the test until now), i have remained an INFP, and my traits are as follows (credits to http://www.16personalities.com):

General Description
INFP personalities are usually perceived as calm, reserved or even shy. However, such an exterior can be deceptive – even though INFPs can be somewhat cautions, their inner flame and passion is not something to be taken lightly. People with this personality type are really affectionate, a trait not often seen in other types. This compassion can be really fervent and long-lasting – but the INFP will use it quite cautiously, directing their energies towards a few selected people or a worthy cause. Idealism is the banner of INFP personalities – and they are proud of it. Unfortunately, it also means that INFPs can often feel misunderstood and isolated, as they are relatively rare (only 4.3% of U.S. population).

People with the INFP personality type have a clear sense of honour, which inspires and motivates them. If someone wants to get to know an INFP, it is crucial to know what drives them, to understand their chosen cause. INFPs seek harmony in their lives and the surrounding environment, often feeling dejected because of all the bad things happening in the world and trying hard to create something positive. People with this personality type tend to see things and actions from the idealistic perspective, rather than the prism of logic. They respond to beauty, morality, virtue rather than utility, effectiveness or value.

INFPs can easily speak in metaphors and parables, and they also have an amazing gift of creating and interpreting symbols – for this reason, INFPs often find it natural to write and enjoy poetry. This personality type does not worship logic, unlike the NT types – from their viewpoint, logic is not always necessary. It is also likely that an INFP will not enjoy hypothetical or never-ending discussions.

INFPs may also often retreat into their “hermit” state (this personality type can easily switch between the two states), withdrawing from the world and getting lost in their deep thoughts – their partner may then need to spend quite a lot of effort to energize and “awaken” the INFP.

INFPs have the trait common among NF types – their aptitude for foreign languages is unmatched. INFPs also often become great writers and actors, as they can easily reflect and convey their own personalities using the fictional characters. Generally speaking, people with this personality type are extremely creative, innovative and goal-oriented – they can be great advocates for causes they truly believe in.

Finally, most INFPs have the ability to notice even the slightest hint of good in other people. In INFP eyes, even the most revolting person will have something worthy of respect or, at the very least, sympathy.

Strengths & Weaknesses
INFP strengths
Passionate and energetic. INFPs tend to be very energetic when it comes to causes they believe in and are willing to fight for. They may be quiet and even shy in public, but their passion should not be underestimated.

Very creative. INFP personalities find it easy to interpret signs and hidden meanings – furthermore, their well-developed intuition has no difficulties connecting the dots and coming up with interesting, unusual ideas.

Open-minded and flexible. INFPs dislike being constrained by rules and do not seek to impose them on others. They tend to be fairly liberal, open-minded individuals, as long as their principles and ideas are not being challenged.

Idealistic. INFPs are perhaps the most idealistic of all personality types, believing that people are inherently good and everyone should do their best to fight evil and injustice in the world.

Seek and value harmony. INFPs do not want to dominate and work hard to ensure that everyone’s opinion is valued and heard.

Can be very dedicated and hard-working. As mentioned above, INFP personalities are both very passionate and idealistic. Not surprisingly, they can also be unbelievably dedicated to their chosen cause or an organization. It is unlikely that an INFP will give up simply because everyone else has abandoned the cause or it is getting difficult to keep going.

INFP weaknesses
Too altruistic. INFPs may be so focused on doing good things and helping other people that they may neglect their own needs. Alternatively, they may fight for their chosen cause ignoring everything else in life.

Dislike dealing with data. INFP personalities are very much in tune with emotions and morality, but they are likely to have difficulties when it comes to dealing with facts and data, e.g. analyzing connections or finding discrepancies.

Difficult to get to know. People with the INFP personality type tend to be private, reserved individuals. They are also likely to be quite self-conscious.

Take many things personally. INFPs cherish their ideals and find it very difficult to accept criticism, taking such comments very personally. They also tend to avoid conflict situations, always looking for a solution that satisfies everybody.

May be too idealistic. INFP personalities are prone to being too dreamy and idealistic, especially when it comes to romantic relationships. They may idealize – or even idolize – their partner, forgetting that no one is perfect.

Impractical. INFPs do not really see practical things as important. They may even forget to eat and drink if they are doing something that excites and motivates them.

Relationships
INFP personalities are extremely loyal and faithful. They are romantic idealists who can spend an extraordinary amount of time daydreaming about the perfect relationship, where harmony and warmth are abundant. Looking for a dating partner or nurturing an existing relationship is always one of the key goals for an INFP and this pure passion is one of their most attractive traits.

One of the main issues faced by INFPs is that they gravitate towards putting their partners on an imaginary pedestal, both when they are still dating and even later in the relationship. In other words, INFPs tend to idealize and romanticize their (sometimes long-awaited) partners, assigning them unrealistic traits. This happens because INFPs are often so focused on the ideals of romance and love that when love finally knocks on their door, it becomes difficult to separate imagination from reality.

That being said, this is not necessarily a bad thing, provided that the INFP is mature enough to recognize and address these tendencies. As their imagination is so rich and vivid, INFPs can always come up with new ways to surprise their partner and improve the relationship. This is especially useful when the INFP is dating. However, they should make sure that this does not become an obstacle or a burden – not many types can cope with the unrelenting stream of INFP’s ideas, especially if the relationship is still in its early stages. The INFP will do their best to help their partner grow and develop, although this may not always be appreciated.

INFP’s love is deep and sincere, manifesting in unrelenting support and affection. People with this personality type will also do everything they can to avoid conflict, which can also contribute to the stability of the relationship. As long as their partner is willing to reciprocate and make conscious efforts to resolve disagreements calmly and peacefully, the INFP’s love will endure all tests of time. It is doubtful that someone with the INFP personality type will be jealous or overbearing – quite the opposite, an INFP is likely to trust their partner and respect their independence.

Despite their best efforts, the INFP’s opposition to any kind of criticism or conflict can cause problems in their relationships. This is especially relevant if their partner has strong T or J traits as these traits inevitably push them towards rational, impersonal comments or conclusions and the INFP may find it very difficult to examine those ideas objectively without internalizing them and thinking that something must be their fault. INFPs are prone to reacting to stressful situations very emotionally, as if their entire value system is being threatened – they may also resort to guilt-tripping or irrational accusations. It is really important for INFPs to develop their ability to take criticism calmly and objectively. INFPs’ imagination can easily come up with many different negative ideas and assumptions – this should be prevented at all costs.

When it comes to intimacy, INFPs are more likely to focus on satisfying the needs of their dating or long-term partner, as opposed to putting their own pleasure first. People with this personality type will not rush to sexual intimacy – they will study their dating partner, get to know them really well and only then consider moving on to the next stage of the relationship. That being said, INFPs are likely to get a lot of pleasure from intimacy as sexual acts will give them an excellent opportunity to express their love.

Recommended partners: ENFJ and ENTJ types.

Friendships
INFP personalities are quite difficult to get to know. Even their closest friends may often find it tricky to convince the INFP to open up and reveal their feelings – casual acquaintances will not get anywhere close to their inner self. People with this personality type do not care much about how many friends they have got; the quality of those friendships is far more important.

INFP friends are exceptionally loyal and supportive. They are also good at recognizing other people’s emotional states and feelings, and this trait allows INFPs to be very sensitive and insightful. That being said, people with this personality type are likely to be quite private when it comes to their own feelings – again, INFPs do not feel comfortable revealing their sensitive inner core to people they do not know well.

INFP friends are likely to be intense, passionate and idealistic individuals – the quiet and relaxed exterior of an INFP can be deceiving. On the other hand, most INFPs need a lot of “alone time” as well and this enigmatic trait can sometimes confuse even their closest friends.

INFPs are usually very good at reading other people’s motives and have no difficulties filtering out the suspicious individuals. However, if the INFP friend decides to open up and start trusting the other person, they will be able to form a very strong and stable relationship. It should also be noted that INFPs feel great respect for people with similar principles and values – these notions are extremely dear to people with this personality type.

INFP personalities will probably feel most comfortable among friends belonging to other Feeling (F) types. The rationality and perceived “coldness” of Thinking (T) types may be threatening to them, while Judging (J) types may appear too decisive and rigid. This does not mean that an INFP will be unable to communicate with these personalities on a professional level, but it is quite unlikely that they will become close friends.

Parenthood (in the unlikely event kids come my way)
INFP personalities tend to be very warm, supportive and open-minded parents. Their children will rarely, if ever, see them angry or depressed – INFPs seek harmony within the family and do their best to shield their closest ones from the evils of the world. People with this personality type are very affectionate and dedicated, which makes them excellent parents.

INFP parents are likely to try very hard to be good role models for their children. There are few things more important for an INFP than making sure that their children understand the importance of having strong principles and morals. However, people with this personality type are also likely to be quite strict when it comes to defending those principles – even though INFP parents tend to be open-minded and relaxed, they will not tolerate any breaches of their value system.

Parents with the INFP personality type see it as their duty to inspire and motivate their children, encouraging them to grow and develop. INFPs will also do their best to grow together with them – the intuition and sensitivity that all INFPs share will make it easy and natural for them. That being said, INFP parents may have difficulties creating a structured environment for their children and may need their partner’s help in this area.

Careers
There are few personality types whose typical careers are more consistent than those of INFPs. On the other hand, INFP personality traits tend to be very diverse and strongly expressed, and this affects INFP careers as well – we will give some tips and ideas in this article, but please feel free to leave a comment below. We will do our best to incorporate your ideas and suggestions.

To begin with, most INFPs have strong principles and internal values. People with this personality type do not tire in defending ideas they hold dear and they are very devoted to both individuals and causes. This trait is the core focus of some of the best INFP careers – for instance, INFPs tend to be brilliant writers and they can be extremely persuasive when writing about a cause that they consider important. It goes without saying that some of the greatest writers were or are INFPs – this personality type is unmatched when it comes to writing skills. If you are an INFP and such a career interests you – by all means, give it a try, especially since internet gives you an excellent platform. You will likely be pleasantly surprised.

Next, the INFP personality type is one of the very few types whose ideal career list includes service-oriented roles. INFPs are sincerely interested in other people and, for better or for worse, tend to put their wishes above their own. Combined with creativeness, this personality trait makes INFPs skillful counsellors, social workers or psychologists. Some other typical careers make excellent use of such personality characteristics as well – many INFPs can be found in academia or other related professions.

INFPs are very growth-oriented, but they are also highly sensitive and very vulnerable to criticism. This is further complicated by their tendency to work alone – INFPs do not usually feel too comfortable in careers that are typically associated with stressful or teamwork-oriented environments. Some of the best INFP careers turn this trait into a great advantage – for instance, INFPs can be truly inspiring religious workers, musicians or personal coaches. These careers tend to be very individualistic and require a lot of personal effort – this would make most INFPs quite happy.

Overall, the INFP personality type is very rare, complex and enigmatic – INFPs seek careers that are more than just jobs. People with this personality type need to know that what they do strongly resonates with their internal values and core principles. As already mentioned, there are quite a few careers highly suitable for INFPs – they simply need to find a worthy cause.

At Work
Most personality types tend to be easily recognizable in the workplace, especially if their role involves many diverse tasks. INFPs, on the other hand, can often conceal their traits very well, hiding their true feelings and principles behind an inconspicuous exterior. This article should help you understand how people with the INFP personality type behave in the professional environment.

INFP colleagues
- Seek harmony and cooperation in the workplace
- Very pleasant and friendly, but also comparatively shy and reserved – INFPs may have some difficulties fitting in if their colleagues’ personalities are significantly different
- Dislike hypothetical brainstorming sessions or technical discussions
- Likely to maintain a psychological distance from their colleagues
- Dislike communicating via phone and loathe interrupting calls
- Will do everything they can to avoid conflict at work – INFPs feel extremely uncomfortable in situations where they need to choose which side to support

INFP managers
- Flexible and open-minded
 -Likely to become very emotional in stressful situations – though INFPs will also be able to hide this from other people
- Respect every subordinate, doing their best to support and motivate the team
- May find it very difficult to discipline or criticize somebody in the workplace
- Like delegating responsibilities to trusted subordinates
- Very goal-oriented
- Highly intuitive listeners – INFPs can easily sense the change of mood in the team
- Prefer flat hierarchies and do not see themselves as stereotypical managers

INFP subordinates
- Can function very well both alone and in the team environment
- Respond to moral and emotional arguments rather than cold rationalizations
- Cannot stand routine work or bureaucracy
- May make factual or logical mistakes, but are great at dealing with people
- Strongly opposed to “Nothing personal, just business” type of thinking at work
- Extremely dedicated and committed, especially if their efforts are recognized by the management
- Very vulnerable to criticism and take critical comments personally

for my reference, here's something for ENFJ people:

General Description
Representing approximately 2 percent of all people, people with the ENFJ personality type tend to be very influential, often without making any conscious efforts to increase their influence. ENFJs are genuinely interested in other people and radiate authenticity, concern and altruism – not surprisingly, those who surround the ENFJ usually find them very inspiring and likeable.

ENFJs are usually very charismatic and eloquent, finding it natural and easy to communicate their ideas and opinions, especially in person. It does not really matter whether they are presenting cold facts or expressing raging emotions, the ENFJ will not be afraid to stand up and speak, regardless of the audience. This is one of the reasons why ENFJs can be so convincing and mesmerizing when they speak – they instinctively know how to combine passion and rational arguments, drawing the audience’s attention and reaching every mind. People with this personality type can be great leaders – and they do not necessarily have to get into politics to make a difference. An ENFJ teacher or a coach can have a strong positive effect on many people’s lives as well.

ENFJ personalities are very intuitive. They find it easy to sense other people’s motives and find connections between seemingly unrelated events. ENFJs also tend to be quite good at analyzing their own feelings and questioning them if necessary. On the other hand, such intuitiveness and sensitivity can also cause significant difficulties for people with this personality type – they may be too altruistic and empathic, getting too involved in other people’s problems, and then finding it difficult to detach and stop worrying. In extreme cases, this can even affect the ENFJs’ perception of themselves.

ENFJs are optimistic idealists, often trusting other people more than they should – although this usually turns out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. As already mentioned above, ENFJs can be very convincing and inspiring. People are drawn towards strong personalities and the ENFJ’s charisma can often be a uniting and motivating factor.

Strengths & Weaknesses
ENFJ strengths
Very charismatic. ENFJ personalities are charming and popular – they instinctively know how to attract and keep people’s attention, as well as communicate with them effectively.

Altruistic. ENFJs are warm and selfless, always willing to help other people. They are idealists, motivated by the idea of doing something good for the world.

Skilled imitators. ENFJs find it very easy to notice what drives, motivates and worries other people, and are instinctively able to adjust their own manners and arguments accordingly.

Natural leaders. ENFJ personalities do not seek to dominate or direct, but people are attracted to their charisma and eloquence – unsurprisingly, ENFJs usually end up being very popular and rarely have any difficulties getting to leadership positions.

Tolerant. People with this personality type tend to be open-minded and accepting, willing to consider competing ideas as long as they do not contradict their inner principles. ENFJs can easily get along with most other types.

Reliable. ENFJs work hard for causes they consider important – if their role excites and motivates them, an ENFJ can be very patient and reliable.

ENFJ weaknesses
Sometimes too selfless. ENFJs may often take on too much work or get deeply involved in other people’s problems, trying too hard to not offend or disappoint anybody.

Very idealistic. People with this personality type can often be too idealistic or even naïve, believing that everyone is good natured and cares about principles that are important to the ENFJ.

Often too sensitive. Deep down, ENFJs are sensitive and emotional individuals who can get hurt and disappointed very easily. They may also worry too much about other people’s feelings and well-being.

Vulnerable to criticism. ENFJ personalities have a strong inner core of principles and values, and they can get very hurt if someone criticizes them. ENFJs may also have difficulties reacting calmly to general criticism and negativity.

May find it difficult to make tough decisions. Due to their altruism and sensitivity, ENFJs are likely to struggle with decisions involving hard choices – they may waver between different options, unable to stop thinking about all the possible consequences.

Highly fluctuating self-esteem. ENFJs’ self-esteem depends on whether they are able to live up to their ideals and fulfill their goals, while at the same time making sure that everyone around them is happy. If the ENFJ’s ideas are being constantly criticized or they are unable to help people close to them, their self-confidence is likely to plummet.

Relationships
ENFJ personalities take dating and relationships very seriously – their dedication and passion are really admirable. This shows even in early dating phases – people with this type are prepared to put a lot of time and effort into fostering their romantic relationships. First of all, ENFJs pay a lot of attention to their partners’ needs and desires. Second, they do not shy away from commitments or obligations, doing their best to connect with their partners. Finally, ENFJs do everything they can to feel the pulse of the relationship – they will occasionally ask their partner if everything is fine, whether they need anything else etc. If there are any concerns at all, the ENFJ will rush to resolve the potential issue as soon as possible.

ENFJs take their obligations very seriously and are likely to do everything to create and maintain a solid relationship. Unfortunately, this is also one of the main ENFJ weaknesses – due to their extraordinary emotional investment in dating and romantic relationships in general, ENFJs are likely to feel a huge sense of guilt and betrayal if the relationship (even if they were still dating) fails. However, this is unlikely to crush the ENFJ.

From the standpoint of sexual intimacy, ENFJs tend to be very passionate and dedicated lovers, doing their best to make sure that their partner is feeling happy. That being said, their J trait is likely to introduce a bit of routine and predictability (which may actually be a stabilizing factor) into their sexual life.

ENFJ personalities loathe conflicts and criticism, especially when it comes to dating and romantic relationships. They will do everything to escape tense situations, including sacrificing their own principles – this can easily lead to resentment and difficulties later on, once both partners realize that the problem has not gone anywhere.

ENFJs should also learn to pay more attention to their own needs and express them clearly, especially while they are still dating. People with this personality type do not need much to feel happy – however, it is crucial that the ENFJ receives some praise and visible affection as well. Otherwise, such a situation can easily disrupt the balance in the relationship or be seen as insecurity by their dating partners.

Preferred partners: INFP and INTP types.

Friendships
ENFJ friends are known for their warmth and kindness. People with this personality type enjoy connecting with others and getting to know them well – most ENFJs find it easy to communicate even with individuals who do not share any of their traits or ideas. That being said, ENFJ personalities can be quite selective when it comes to picking their closest friends – they value authenticity and sincerity, and do not open up to each and every one of their acquaintances.

Despite belonging to the Feeling (F) group, ENFJ friends are also able to dish out criticism where necessary. This is not something that ENFJs enjoy, but they can be quite decisive and judgmental if the situation demands. Generally, though, ENFJ personalities tend to be very tactful and kind, even to the point of being too sweet. It is difficult not to enjoy being with an ENFJ friend – they may be a bit too inflexible sometimes, but their energy and sincerity are very disarming.

ENFJs are likely to be somewhat idealistic when it comes to making friends – they want to be the best friends imaginable. Such an approach is certainly commendable, but people with the ENFJ personality type need to make sure that their enthusiasm is not stifling the other person. ENFJ friends tend to be very supportive, cheerful and passionate – but not every personality type can cope with this. ENFJs should not take this personally.

ENFJ personalities are both able and willing to work on their friendships, placing them very high on their priority list. ENFJs take pleasure in helping people discover their strengths and passions, and then supporting them along the way. This is not entirely altruistic as the ENFJ will also likely expect their friend to return the favor when an opportunity presents itself – however, ENFJ friends will definitely be highly valued and respected.

ENFJs are most likely to surround themselves with friends who share their NF traits as this gives them an excellent opportunity to discuss ideas that other personality types may deem too idealistic. However, ENFJs tend to be quite open-minded in this respect and will rarely have major difficulties relating to different types, as long as the other person does not criticize their principles.

Parenthood
ENFJ personalities tend to be inspiring, warm and very dedicated parents. They will try very hard to make sure that their children have strong value systems and grow up to be responsible adults. ENFJ parents are also likely to have very high standards, encouraging their children to be the best they can be, while also remembering to listen to their hearts.

ENFJ parents are likely to be very caring and nurturing. They will surround their children with love, warmth and encouragement, always doing their best to create a safe and conflict-free environment for them to grow in. However, this can cause issues once their children reach adolescence – should they wish to rebel against the authority of their parents, as many teenagers do, the ENFJ will likely feel hurt and unloved.

That being said, ENFJs’ intuition, energy and sense of humour will help them a lot in such situations. People with the ENFJ personality type may be inflexible or even manipulative in some cases, but their genuine warmth and care will certainly be remembered and appreciated by their children.

Careers
Most typical ENFJ careers have share one key attribute – they focus on making other people happy. ENFJs are usually very warm, sociable and altruistic and they have many viable choices when it comes to choosing the career that is best for them. We will list some of the most common roles below, but please feel free to drop us a message if you have any comments or ideas.

Let us start examining ENFJ career choices by stating the somewhat-obvious fact that ENFJs are sincerely interested in other people and try to do their best to help them. On top of this, people with the ENFJ personality type tend to have extraordinary social and networking skills – it is quite common for an ENFJ to be “that person who knows everybody”. ENFJs truly shine in customer-facing careers or roles where they need to be dealing with other people on a daily basis – they can be brilliant sales representatives, consultants or HR administrators.

Next, ENFJs are usually quite sensitive and even somewhat idealistic. This is a double-edged sword, as the same sensitivity draws ENFJs towards careers that reward high emotional intelligence; on the other hand, ENFJs are very vulnerable to criticism and should stay away from stressful careers. Some of the ENFJ careers to avoid – finance (especially stock trading), police, corporate management, emergency personnel, medicine or military.

People with this personality type are also really creative, organized and honest – this makes them excellent psychologists, event coordinators or politicians (there are some honest politicians in the world!). Also, one of the best ENFJ careers can be found in writing – but ENFJs tend to approach this from a journalistic rather than book-writing perspective as such a career allows them to leverage their people skills.

Finally, ENFJs love new challenges and the thrill they get from helping other people. Consequently, many ENFJs are found in “altruistic” careers, e.g. social or religious work, teaching or counselling. However, it should also be noted that ENFJs need constant approval from other people in order to feel satisfied and happy – if this is not forthcoming, the ENFJ may burn out very quickly and move to another career path or project.

At Work
People with the ENFJ personality type are warm, charismatic and very social individuals. They tend to do very well in many diverse roles, regardless of seniority. Furthermore, ENFJs seem to be able to get people to like them wherever they go – this is usually one of the main reasons behind the ENFJs’ success.

ENFJ colleagues
- Cooperative, always eager to assist
- Very tolerant and open-minded
- Sensitive and intuitive
- Willing to express their opinion
- Find it easy to relate to other colleagues
- Seek win-win situations
- May be prone to taking on their colleagues’ problems

ENFJ managers
- Very charismatic
- Pay a lot of attention to their subordinates’ needs
- Great communicators
- Able to easily inspire other people
- Good at recognizing other people’s motives
- May be manipulative in some situations

ENFJ subordinates
- May get overworked if they receive too many requests for assistance
- Can cope with multiple tasks and responsibilities
- May underestimate their own capabilities
- Very reliable, loyal and hard-working
- Quick learners
- Vulnerable to conflicts and criticism at work

while i do have other stuff to say, this post is probably already long enough. so i'll save it for a subsequent post.

-random thought of the day: Guess why I put ENFJ up as well!-

Blisters are something to which i'm not very susceptible. even during route marches in army, i usually came away unscathed, or had a few small blisters at most. that's why i was surprised to discover a huge blister on the upper second-sixth of my left sole, in line with my first 2 toes. yes, it's that big. can't remember doing any activities which would cause me to rub against the affected area either. the most likely thing that would cause this blister would be judo training, where i was walking barefoot around CJC and SJF. thing is, i didn't do any high-speed, high-friction exercises, nor did i notice any blisters right after the training sessions. odd. well, what's done is done. guess i'll have to wait until it heals. for my previous blisters, i've always peeled the dead skin off, then bore with the pain when putting pressure or water on the affected area. this time, i'm going to try something which i heard from someone (forgot exactly who), and that is to make a small hole, drain the liquid, and leave the skin on until new skin forms...though i don't know how long that will take.

surprisingly, kata training went pretty well yesterday. granted that we took it slow, and only worked on the first out of 3 sets. but that's like half of the kata's content, so i still feel pretty good about it. main achievements are working out an alternative series of escapes for the fourth hold, and getting me familiarized with the tori role, which i'll need for the next grading. it's quite a lot to remember, but i think with enough practice, it'll sink in in good time. we also made plans to begin my training in the last 2 sets of nage no kata. my partner made it sound easy, but if my previous experience is anything to go by, "easy" would be one of the last few words to describe kata. one of the topics brought up in our post-training chat was the idea of going to the kodokan as a team, and should we be lucky enough, getting certification to teach kata. if we should somehow get it, there is a possibility that we may be excused from performing kata during the grading itself. i'm not too concerned about the certification, though. at my level, i don't foresee myself getting it...though it would be a huge bonus and morale booster if it somehow landed in my hands.

while driving around these few days, i found myself wishing that i had the opportunity to learn more about car maintenance in school. you see, now that i'm fully responsible for a car, i find that there are a fair number of things i don't know, or am not entirely sure about. things like when to replace/top up the coolant, wiper fluid, and various other things which go on out of the driver's sight. i mean, i'll know when to do those 2 things, because the engine will overheat and the wiper nozzles won't spray water respectively. but by that time, it would probably be too late, and at least for the coolant, it would cause the car some harm. think i should check with the mechanics at my next servicing. speaking of servicing, i did an ownership transfer of the car with honda. seems like their system is separate from the LTA. anyway, i found out that the previous owner paid for an extra servicing due when the car hit 130 000km. this servicing is actually mine now, and will be due in slightly less than 4000km. the cost of transferring that servicing to me was $50, $53.50 after GST. still more worthwhile than paying for the same servicing myself, which would have cost upwards of $200. so in a way, i guess i saved another $150 on the cost of the car. always feels good to know that you paid less than you actually did.

in preparation for beginning serious training, i went to get my knee looked at. didn't go to the usual east coast TCM clinic this time, though. although they're good friends with my aunt, i find them to be a bit...ok, a lot on the pricey side. after taking to facebook for recommendations, i decided to go with my secondary schoolmate's mother, who runs a clinic in hougang. the preliminary measurements were quite standard...pulse, blood pressure, and looking at my tongue. i know it's a common practice in TCM, but i really have no idea what they're looking for. tongues in general look the same to me. but i suppose that's why i'm not majoring in TCM. the diagnosis was that i injured a muscle and/or a tendon, and not a ligament like i'd feared. what a relief! treatment involved electro-acupuncture and a massage. have i mentioned that i HATE needles? and guess what? i don't particularly care for electricity either. combining them was horrifying. as usual, my coping mechanism involved not looking at the needles in my leg, and trying to think of other more pleasant things...like wisdom tooth extraction, or being uke for 5 consecutive kata runs. the massage was nice though. not nice as in "feels good", but nice as in it hurt like hell, but left me feeling a lot better. funny how i can withstand this kind and magnitude of pain, but can't bear the thought of being poked by needles. the injury was at my right calf, between the back and outer side of the leg, so that's where the massage focused on. until today, i didn't believe it was possible to induce muscle ache without strain or exercise. as you can probably guess, i was proven totally wrong. even now, 7 hours after the massage, my leg is still aching! it's a nice ache, though. hopefully today's session improves my range of motion somewhat. i'd like to do a proper kneeling bow tomorrow.

generally, i don't approve of double standards. and at the same time, i can understand why they exist. being an asian country with a predominantly-asian population, certain asian values are still practised in singapore. one of these is perhaps best translated as "relations"; looking after people in "your group" first, and only considering "outsiders" if there's anything left over. i will admit that i myself am guilty of giving and receiving this kind of treatment as well, though only for small things like lending chemicals to the chem kids before considering other students not in my lab...not for anything i would deem as major. naturally, i don't expect people i don't know well to look out for me, though it would be a pleasant surprise. even then, it doesn't feel nice to be excluded from preferential treatment. the reason this topic is coming up now is because i recently got wind of something like this going on in the judo world. while i am a little annoyed (i asked and didn't get it), i can understand why i was rejected. after all, the other person is closer than me to the person giving the favour. sorry i can't be any more specific, but i really don't want to create a scene, nor get people in trouble unnecessarily.

there's grading for the white belts tomorrow, so i expect training will be a little slacker. might even end early. i guess that's good as well, since it means we have more time to practise kata. also, i think tomorrow will be the most mental-intensive session for me, as my partner has agreed to tailor-make fitness training plans for both favourite SJI boy and myself. seeing as i'm coaching, i have to be aware of, if not familiar with, the diagnostic tests and evaluation criteria. might be good to better understand my own capabilities as well.

-random thought of the day: Don't like leaving the front door open.-

Commencement was this past monday. as the name implies, it's more of a start than an end. for me (and a few other chem kids) at least, it signals the start of 4 years of grad study. that could be why i wasn't feeling as happy or as emotional. i mean, sure, i'm happy to have got my bachelor's, but the thought that i'm basically only halfway there does kind of remind me that i shouldn't be TOO happy. nevertheless, graduating from NUS is a milestone, and i'm proud that i've managed not to mess up my university life too much.

the ceremony itself was kind of boring, frankly. once again, could be because i'm facing 4 more years. some of the other people did funny stuff on stage, like dancing off, taking self-shots with the dean, popping a party popper, and taking a big bow after receiving the certificate (my friend!). the entertainment somewhat helped with the length of the whole thing. maybe i'll think of something for phd commencement...though i might be expected to behave with a bit more dignity by then. claimed my fluffy NUS lion as well, plus one more mini-lion from the physical chem lab, so now i've got 3 lions and a fox. still don't regret anything.

one of my friends (a current phd student) told me that my professor has recently been given some additional lab space in another block, in the same corridor as him. before coming to know of this, i was actually wondering how my professor would fit so many new people into our current (already-cramped) lab. that friend told me to ask my professor to assign me to the new lab space, so that he could look out for me a bit, which i think would be extremely useful since i'm a new phd student. it may not seem like much to other people, but it's quite significant to me, and i appreciate this gesture a lot. it's what's called "yi qi" in chinese. not sure if there's a single-word equivalent in english...the closest i can think of is "honour"...though honour sounds a bit too serious. maybe the singlish interpretation of "brother" would work better. you know, i actually would go to greater lengths to help the chem kids than some of the people i've known since secondary school and JC. guess the lesson here is that duration alone does not determine the quality of a friendship. speaking of friendships, a few of the chem kids and that senior are due for a guild house session soon. from past experience, guild house = male bonding. looking forward to it.

had a pretty long talk with favourite SJI boy earlier. like i mentioned previously, i think getting to know him better (and for him to know me better as well) would help improve our dynamic. so we asked questions back and forth, and i found out some things i could use to modify my approach to him. clearly, i'm not as good as i would like, because i may have told him a little bit too much about my coaching style and the little psychological tricks which i'm using. it's not that i shouldn't have told him...rather, i shouldn't have told him now. you see, my objective is for him to be self-sufficient, in the sense that he won't have to rely on me for coaching when he's older (ideally by J2). so i'll be passing him all my coaching tricks sooner or later...just that later is probably the better option. shouldn't be too hard on myself...after all, he's the first one to whom i'm giving my full attention and focus. live and learn, i guess. i'm sure i'll get better as time goes by.

during the drive home, he said something that struck a note in me. it went something like, "if your technique could be like [name of national athlete], you would be the one-stop solution to my problems". it's slightly paraphrased, but that's the gist of it. after hearing that, i wasn't angry; i have no right to be because what he said was true. i am not as strong as i should be. can't really put my finger on it...it's not really a positive or negative feeling. "weird" would be the closest that i can come to describing it, though even that isn't completely accurate. but it did make me motivated to train harder. which i will work into my schedule somehow. guess the person you hear advice and similar stuff from matters too.

also, i kind of found out that some seniors my age don't have a high opinion of me. it's ok. i know that in terms of judo, i don't deserve a high opinion. that's why i'm fond of saying that my black belt isn't a big deal. honestly, both my strength/power and technique are lacking. the saving grace i have is that i can spot others' mistakes, and have a reasonably good head for techniques and kata. at this point, i should state that i don't know the specifics of why they have issues with me. could be because i (unintentionally) offended them, or they don't like the way i do some stuff, or they feel that i'm not of the same calibre as they are. those are the only 3 possibly logical reasons that come to mind. regardless, i'm standing by my newton's third law method of dealing with other people. unless i have concrete proof, or see first-hand that they have done something that's bad for me, i'll still consider them my friends.

it's this kind of complicated relations that makes me want to minimize my human contact. wouldn't the world be better if you could just go up to someone and say, "i don't like you, and here's why," followed by a list of well thought-out, fully substantiated reasons. and in response, the recipient of the feedback wouldn't get (unduly) angry, and instead, say something like, "thank you for bringing this to my attention. i'll work on the things you have pointed out" instead. life would be so much less complicated and annoying, don't you think? if only people could be more straightforward with each other, but with consideration for each others' feelings, too.

sitting in the car and thinking is oddly nice. think it was because i did it at night, so it was nice and cool. would hate to sit in the car just after it's baked by the sun. but i digress. not sure why thinking in the car is "better" than any other random place...maybe because i feel safe and isolated, allowing me to really be one-on-one with my thoughts. it isn't just the civic, i've enjoyed solo thinking time in the camry as well. not so much for the nissan...don't know why. maybe because i didn't really have much to think about while driving it. somehow, i foresee a lot of time spent thinking in the honda. might end up being good for my heart/soul.

remember how often i lament about not having someone to talk to? today's happenings just got me wondering - might favourite SJI boy be the one i've been waiting for? at this point in time, i am reserving judgement. sure he's mature and reasonably easy to talk to, but i cannot let myself forget that he's only FOURTEEN. i shouldn't burden him with things that he doesn't need to know, or is better off not knowing. burden aside, knowing too much about me might affect the coach-athlete balance (positively or negatively is another issue). am i getting desperate? well, we'll see how future conversations go. i'm actually surprised that he has the potential to be someone to whom i can open up somewhat fully. but still, there was a pretty good point which he raised. we've only known each other for less than 2 years of meeting only on training days (and even then, not all of them). our current level of trust in each other is already way above expectations. in retrospect, it sounds a bit like we're in a relationship. well, we sort of are, but not in the romantic sort of way. i guess there are times in all relationships where it's better to take things slowly. seems to me like this is one of those times. must remind myself that there's no rush, and that neither of us are going anywhere (i hope), so it's ok for plans to take a little longer to fall into place.

meeting my kata partner for training tomorrow. wonder how much i've deproved. actually, i'm not even sure that i remember the escapes for the last 2 holds. will probably take it easy for the first 2 runs or so, then if all goes well, try to smoothen things out and make it look better in subsequent runs. hopefully things will go well enough, and my partner won't be too frustrated with me.

-random thought of the day: Still feeling weird from the conversation.-

Recent events have caused me to examine my personal relationships again. seems like i'm doing this a lot in july. must be because i'm too free. but before i go into that, let's talk about what happened to the car on friday. i took it to the honda body repair shop and paint centre (or something like that) in ubi, and got the nice staff there to take a look at it. 2 options were presented to me after the preliminary diagnosis: glue the protruding part back into place (free, takes minutes), or remove and refit the whole bumper ($80, takes hours). after a more detailed inspection by the technicians in the workshop, i was advised to go with option 1. you see, the it turns out that the front bumper had been involved in some minor collisions previously. probably not due to accidents, but minor things maybe like brushing a kerb, or hitting a barrier while parking. anyway, this has resulted in the front bumper becoming elongated, and thus not a good fit to the front of the car. the service guy even showed me gaps between the bumper and the headlight, when they should have been seamlessly aligned. since refitting the bumper would not guarantee that it would solve the problem, and driving around like this doesn't affect the car's performance anyway, i decided to just save myself the $80. the ideal solution would have been to replace the bumper, but at $900, that doesn't come cheap. so the current plan is to drive more carefully, and if that piece should pop out again, i'll just go down to ubi to get it fixed. the bumper change will only happen when there's a real need (like if the bumper suddenly falls off or something), or if another vehicle hits it. that way, i can claim the costs from the other driver's insurance!

i don't quite know how to word this next part properly. do you ever notice that your mental picture of someone can get distorted if you haven't seen them for a while? hope i'm not the only one that experiences this. anyway, i recently met someone whom i haven't seen in like, a year or so. i guess that in the time we haven't seen each other, my mind kind of made this person out to be something else. seeing this person today kind of set everything in perspective again, and i found myself wondering, 'what possessed me to think that?' in my mind, my opinion of this person was elevated much higher than what it should have been...and interacting with this person again brought the image crashing down. it's good, i guess, so i'm not chasing after anything unrealistic. while i know that i should stop thinking along this line, and focus my efforts somewhere else, it's not easy to put that into practice.

although writing this is easy now, i had a horrible emo moment last night. well, maybe not moment. try hour. had to sort out all my thoughts and objectively decide on a good course of action. wasn't easy. what made it worse is that i think my emotional baggage has been building up for a while now. at the risk of sounding needy, i would really appreciate having someone i'm comfortable enough with to talk to. i've been telling some of the kids that it's not good to keep to yourself. guess i should take my own advice.

favourite SJI boy was frustrated about not being able to throw certain seniors who went back for training. i (still) feel that his expectations of himself are too high. but i don't want to trivialize this. after all, i'm willing to bet that anyone who's serious about whatever they do will have experienced frustration at not being able to outperform other people. it's just the degree of his frustration is a little too high. i will readily declare that he's good for his age...and i bet he knows it, too. the thing is that he sometimes forgets the "for his age" part. guess i have to remind him more frequently that we are seniors for a reason, and that not being able to throw us nicely is nothing to be ashamed of, or frustrated about. should follow up with him this coming wednesday.

next big event: commencement tomorrow! still a little unsure of how everything's going to go down. i'd thought of wearing a grey shirt and light blue tie, but something tells me to go get a white shirt instead. considering the ceremony's due to start at 8:00pm, i'd say that i have more than enough time tomorrow.

-random thought of the day: Don't feel like doing anything today.-

While getting out of the car yesterday, i noticed that one of the panels near the passenger-side headlight had been dislocated from its original position by a few cm. i think it happened when i got too near a kerb while driving around ubi. major heart pain! on the bright side, it's purely cosmetic, and not really that noticeable unless you pay attention. still bugs me to no end, though. i guess what i can do for the time being is try to ignore it, and push it back into place if it comes out too much. the next servicing's about 5000km away, which means it'll be a few more months before i send it to the workshop. i suppose that if it gets REALLY unbearable, i can send it it first just to fix that problem, followed by regular servicing later.

since school will be starting in a couple of weeks, i went to look at the module listings. this academic year, i think most of the good modules are only offered in semester 1. based on the list i saw, i'm interested to take advanced organic synthesis, and emerging concepts in drug discovery. the former because i think it's taught by my professor (and it's organic synthesis), the latter because there's no final exam. other modules under consideration are topics in environmental chemistry (smoky module), and contemporary organometallic chemistry (some interest). problem is, the 6 modules being offered are offered at the same time over 3 days every week (2 per day), which means that every module clashes with something else. for instance, environment clashes with organic synthesis, which means i probably won't be taking the former. thankfully, my first 2 choices don't clash, so that should work out nicely. a minor issue here is that organic synthesis is scheduled for wednesdays, 6:00pm to 10:00pm, meaning that i'll have to leave SJI/CJC training early (around 5:30pm to be safe). based on the way the training time is divided at the moment, it seems i'll be interacting with SJI a lot more than CJC. not that i mind, but it's a bit...odd.

the real problem comes in if i include japanese 5, whose lecture time is wednesdays, 4:00pm to 6:00pm. assuming, for argument's sake, that my professor lets me take it in the first place, this means i can't go back for training at all. i mean, why bother going down for only half an hour? going for saturday training is out of the question too, because of group meeting (though i'm working on something there). it's quite frustrating, especially now that i have more reason to attend the training sessions. then again, i may not take japanese 5 after all, even if my professor allows it. you see, for the first time since i took japanese 1 and 2, the department decided to let the lecturers follow up to the next-higher module...which means that japanese 5 this coming semester will be taught by last semester's japanese 4 lecturer, and i don't quite fancy learning japanese under him. making this decision is tough, because this time, it seems that the coursework is easier (blogging and interaction with japanese visitors as opposed to that damned japanese 4 project), not to mention the additional draw of not having final exams. probably the best thing for me to do now is to talk to my professor. for all i know, the decision will be taken out of my hands.

being too free has caused me to start thinking too much again. super bad for health! i've been thinking about 2 separate issues. the first should not be a surprise if you've been reading long enough, seeing as it's something that's more or less constantly on my mind, even when i'm not this free. it's about interpersonal relations, and my somewhat lack thereof. i honestly think it's bugging me more than it should, because that aside, almost everything else in my life is working in my favour (for now). admittedly, i haven't been looking hard (if at all), but i kind of believe that things will happen when they happen. maybe i should be more proactive? on a kind-of related note, that someone and i are on somewhat cordial speaking terms again. as mentioned previously, our friendship will never be what it was previously, but i'm happy to see that some repair work has taken place. still, i shouldn't brood about this too much.

second issue started during a whatsapp conversation with my cousin. he was telling me that he and his girlfriend applied for a house together. that led to a discussion of future plans, and along the way, i realized that i'm getting old! just think about it; i'll be 25 in october. that's like 5 more years to 30! and thanks to NS, i'm not even done studying yet. actually, that's not entirely fair. even without NS, i'd still only be halfway through with phd. anyway, i'm just wondering about the future. like what job i'll end up in, when i'll be able to move out and be completely financially independent, whether plan japan will work out, and other such issues. of course, you might think that such worry is pointless, and my rational side would agree with you. after all, who knows what the future holds? for all i know, i could come up with a cure for some fatal disease and be set for life. or, i could end up getting poisoned by the chemicals i work with every day. it's hard to say, really...though if you ask me now, the latter scenario seems more plausible *touch wood*. for now, i'm taking comfort in a quote i read somewhere...probably from one of my facebook friends. it says, "when you really want something to happen, the whole universe conspires so that your wish comes true". i don't know if things really work this way or not, though my experiences throughout honours year seems to lend credibility to this quote. nevertheless, it certainly is comforting to think that in a cosmic sort of way, you aren't entirely alone in trying to achieve your goals.

you know what? that bumper thing is really getting on my nerves. think i'll call the honda people tomorrow to arrange something. hopefully i can get it done within a day. tomorrow would be ideal, since it seems that the chem kids meet-up isn't gathering enough momentum to take off. worst come to worst is i'll do it next week, depending on how things go. hopefully i can get it fixed ASAP.

-random thought of the day: Should start area cleaning.-

Monitor issues still aren't solved, but they've taken a turn for the better. yesterday, i brought the monitor down to the viewsonic service centre, just to assure myself that it was working. the nice technician there confirmed that it worked fine. still couldn't get my dual-screen display, so i called them for on-site servicing, which they obliged to. the guy came this morning, and after fiddling around with safe mode for a bit, the display somehow switched to my bigger monitor, leaving the other monitor dead. based on all the observations so far, i've concluded that it's not a problem with the monitors or cables. that leaves either the graphics card, or a software issue. if it's the former, i can sort of understand, because i haven't cleaned the interior of my computer for a while. as for software, the last thing i installed was my network printer drivers and scanning software, i think. that shouldn't affect my graphics, right? whatever the case, i think i should take my computer apart and give it a good clean/vacuum within this week, before i get too busy. also, i should probably readjust the position of things on my computer table. i think i may have pulled a few wires too tight while reaching back to change the cables around.

i also should mention that the blogger tech people removed that stupid title requirement. though you don't see any major change, believe me...it's so much better to be able to write and publish from the comfort of my desktop, instead of typing on my phone or using the blogger app. so, THANK YOU blogger people, for solving this relatively minor problem in just 5 days, despite having much bigger problems to work on as well. i really do appreciate it.

had my first "real" drive in the civic yesterday. took my monitor to the service centre and back (as you know already), then went around to do some shopping. had 2 main items on my mind...shoes and car accessories. shoes is quite self-explanatory, so i won't say much more. for car accessories, i was looking for an ERP IU shield, a phone charger, and those S-hooks which can be hung behind the front seats and used to hold plastic bags and stuff. went to turf city first, because i remembered that the giant there had a small section for car stuff. second reason was also because it's close to queensway. in the end, i might as well not have gone, because they only sold stuff like polish, mini vacuum cleaners, and things that i didn't need. next was queensway, where i bought another pair of brown shoes. the nice shop owner told me that this new pair would last longer. we'll see about that. the old ones lasted for a year and a bit, so if these last beyond year 2 of phd studies, i think that i'll be happy enough.

the next location for car accessories was autobacs. to my surprise, there are now 3 outlets across singapore. the one in bukit batok (which was the only one i knew about previously), one in ubi, and one in loyang. not wanting to go any further west, i decided to go to the one in ubi. my phone GPS app directed me to the back of the building, and it took me a couple of circles around the block to find the entrance. once inside, i got the all the stuff i wanted, except for the ERP shield. they didn't have one with "honda" printed on it. so, i called the supplier, who coincidentally lives in bishan as well. he even recommended one with both "honda" and "civic" printed on! i met up with him later that night to get it directly. so nice of him. i realize that in retrospect, getting a shield that specifically says "civic" might not be good. what if i change to another model of honda, or another brand completely? but that's not important now, and won't be important for the next 4 years. in addition to that, i also got a phone holder for when i'm using my phone as a GPS. decided to get one that's secured by clips to the air-con, instead of the more traditional adhesive-based ones. figure that there'll be less problem trying to remove it in the future.

while i was there, i asked the audio people about my stereo system you see, i had discovered what i thought was an iphone charging cable in the glove compartment. short sidetrack. i got the name after googling for what to call it. i'd previously thought that the glove compartment referred to the smaller compartment(s) on the driver's side. anyway...thinking that it was a charging cable, i thought i could buy one less car accessory. but upon closer inspection of my stereo, i saw that it had an indicator for "ipod". naturally, i plugged my phone in to see what that cable was for. turns out that it was for connecting my phone (or an ipod) to the stereo. so that's one problem solved, and i don't have to burn CDs. however, a new problem was created, in that the cable can't charge my phone. that's what i asked the autobacs audio staff about. they told me that my particular brand of stereo (alpine) doesn't support charging at all, which kind of sucked. and i think that the stereo was one of the older models, since the connection was done through the charging port, instead of the earphone port. only way to solve the problem is to change the stereo. while i can probably afford it, i'm not too inclined towards that option. too much hassle. looks like i'm stuck with either listening or charging at any given time, not both. shouldn't be a big deal, i think. at least i still have the radio as a backup.

searching the internet can really turn up the most unexpected things. background: the one thing i realize that the civic is lacking is a time display. as such, i have to rely on the stereo's clock to tell me when i'm legally obliged to have my headlights on, or whether i'll be late for anything. problem is that that clock is off by about 4 hours. despite trying everything i could think of to set it, i just couldn't figure it out! so, i came home and googled for the stereo's user manual...and actually found it. maybe i should save it to my phone as well...or not. the instructions are kind of easy.

plans for the next few days include going down to school to get a status letter. unlike what a similar term means in the army, a status letter just shows that i was a student from this time to that time. i wouldn't request something like that for no reason; that's something my dad needs for the HDB application. at the same time, i may be able to pass my friend a chemical he needs...but we'll see how that goes. after that, training! i think i should start giving favourite SJI boy judo homework. have to start building up his mental ability. just not sure where to start. now that i think of it, i should find out more about him. seems to me like i only know about his judo life and his problems. not healthy. other than that, i think i've mentioned the other significant events in the previous post already, so i won't bore you here.

-random thought of the day: Wanted to blog about something philosophical...just can't remember what it is.-

Sucks that i'm getting an attack of "grass is always greener" syndrome one day before collecting the car. main reason is that i was thinking ahead to may 2017, when the COE will expire. seems that unless i change cars sometime between now and then, i'll be car-less for a bit. but that's according to current plans, where i'll be going to japan in july or so for JET program or other work. of course, it goes without saying that plans may change in future, so i'm probably worrying for nothing. while i still sort of wish that i'd got a later-registered car (like the honda city, whose registration expires 4 months later), i can definitely live with my current decision. after all, I'M GETTING A CAR! it actually still feels quite surreal, though i expect that i'll be forced to believe it during the collection tomorrow.

that was written last night, but i kind of forgot to publish it. anyway, it's too late to regret now, because i took over the car earlier today! it handles pretty well, and i quite enjoy driving it. still trying to adjust everything to my liking, and break some of the habits acquired while driving the nissan, like lifting off the accelerator during the change between first and second gears. with the more constant driving exposure that i should get, i'm confident that it'll be relatively easy. i think here would be a good point for me to remind myself that despite having access to a car, i don't HAVE to drive it every day, or to every single place i go. for instance, i'll still be walking or taking public transport when going to pick up groceries or whatever nearby, or when it'll be difficult to find parking at my destination. of course, the usual rules of no drunk driving and being careful on the road continue to apply.

along with that good news came a bit of odd news...or rather, something odd happened. my monitor died! well, not really died; that's the long story short. the long story is that it can be detected while booting up, but it can't display anything from the windows login screen onwards. at first, i thought it might be a problem with the cables, but switching the inputs around showed that that wasn't the case. lucky i decided to set up a dual-screen display earlier this year, so the spare parts for testing were easily available. my next solution was to update my graphics card driver...which didn't work either. that leaves me with one last guess, which is that somehow, the monitor isn't detecting the input properly. quite odd for it to happen so suddenly. i was using it happily up till 2:00pm or so. the problem started when i came back at around 6:00pm. well, there's not much i can do since it's a sunday, so i'm going to wait until tomorrow to give the nice viewsonic people a call. i remember registering the monitor when i bought it (though there was no record on the website), and i hope it's still under warranty. looks like my first drive in my car (still sounds weird, saying it) will be to get my monitor fixed/replaced. if i do that early enough, it might even be possible for me to drop by queensway to get shoes.

on a more positive note, tuition with TKGS girl turned out pretty good. she seems to be remembering the stuff we went through, and generally seems less blur about things. only issue is she still takes a while to figure out (and even then, sometimes incorrectly) where to put the electrons in redox half-equations. nevertheless, i think she'll manage even without me. right now, the plan is to hopefully finish organic with her in the next 2 weeks, then have a last recap session before i begin school.

it occurred to me that as of today, there are only 4 more weeks until i have to start school. the actual time's a bit less, though, due to the need for registration, signing up for classes, and other admin stuff. better enjoy while i can. thankfully, next week's events are looking fun. training as usual (i get to drive!), meeting the chem kids on friday for dinner and drinks, and a research group lunch on saturday. i'm just wondering how to arrange saturday. the lunch actually overlaps with training, which kind of sucks. maybe i'll go late for lunch, or leave training early...or both.

-random thought of the day: Aching a little from yesterday's training.-

As a follow-up/modification to my workaround from the previous post, i'm typing this post with a dummy title, then saving the draft, deleting the title from my phone, and seeing if it will publish. can't think of a reason why it would fail. while it's better than typing everything out on my phone, there's still an extra step. hope that even this will not be required within the coming month.

considering that the last post was made early this morning, i don't really have much to say...just wanted to elaborate a bit on the whole car-buying process. hopefully this will help prospective buyers. also, bear in mind that i'm no expert, and this is in fact my first purchase. i did my research with sgcarmart, which (i think) is the most frequently-updated car listings site in singapore. there's another website, stcars, which isn't updated as often, and gave me false hope that a few jazzes were still available. after narrowing it down to about 10 cars, i spoke to my dad and we started eliminating. our filters were (in rough order of importance): accidents, date registered, number of previous owners, mileage, engine capacity, colour. then, i called the dealers/owners to find out more about the cars. in particular, i found out more about the items which the dealers filled in with "-" on the website. most of it was pretty routine conversation, but i was particularly impressed with 2 dealers. one of them actually SMSed me after our conversation to thank me for my interest in the car. this was good because it made me remember him and his number, and gave me a very positive impression. the second dealer called me to try to set up a viewing date, which i thought was nice as well. unfortunately, i had already decided on the civic. felt quite bad turning him down, actually. of course, keep checking the listings as long as you haven't decided on a car yet. who knows? something else may turn up, or you may find that a car you previously rejected has some redeeming qualities.

after deciding on the civic, i called the dealer to arrange for a viewing. upon meeting face-to-face, my dad did most of the negotiations. i think having an older person (someone of greater or equal age to the dealer if possible) is an advantage. it helped that our dealer was young, too. if i had to guess, i'd say that he's +-3 years from me. when viewing the car, check for any bumps, dents, scratches or other imperfections, for both the exterior and interior. check that the boot closes nicely, tyres still have sufficiently deep treads, and that the registered mileage matches, or is at least close to, the advertised value. i'd say up to +250km is acceptable. after all, the dealer has to drive it around for refuelling and viewing (if you've agreed to meet elsewhere). but that also depends how much time has passed since the car was advertised and when you're viewing it. always ask for a test drive. if it feels awkward, that's probably because you haven't adjusted the seat/mirrors/steering wheel to you liking. i didn't worry that much about that on my test drive. instead, i focused on how smoothly the car changed gears, how effective the brakes were, and whether i could get used to the car's dimensions. my dad, however, focused more on the car's performance at high speeds, flooring the accelerator and bringing it up to about 90km/h. i think both are important...just that i was quite reluctant to go at high speeds for a car that isn't mine (yet!). after finding the car you like, going through the paperwork should be easy enough, so i won't talk about it here.

the experience was, overall, a positive one for me. just that our dealer was a little blur and somewhat informal. not that i mind the informality too much, considering that he's about my age, and we went about the deal in a friend-friend manner for the most part. the blurness got a little annoying, though. like, i can tell him we'll be meeting at 3:00pm, then he'll SMS me later to ask the time again. doesn't he scroll up? well, at least i have unlimited SMSes. actually, this makes me think about service standards in singapore in general. japan has definitely spoiled me as far as expectations of service go. in japan, the service staff are literally at your beck and call...not that i would abuse that or anything. understandably, i can't expect singapore to have the exact same standard as japan (absence of keigo in singapore being a major factor), but i would at least appreciate it if the staff were a bit more formal and humble/apologetic. for instance, when i was collecting my commencement stuff, the person at the counter (a girl about university-going age...think she was doing it part-time) couldn't find my name in the list. before going to find help, she told me, "you wait ah...". so unprofessional, can!? definitely bad impression right there. i wouldn't have minded if an auntie were to tell me that, as an auntie would be more senior in terms of age. but even for the girl in question, i wasn't expecting a super-polite reply. in fact, i would have been happy with a "please wait for a while", even better if she'd added "i'm sorry" before that. plus, it was like she didn't know what she was doing/supposed to do! this is despite us not being the first to collect the stuff. though fair enough, that could have been her first shift. nevertheless, that still doesn't excuse her way of speaking.

nothing major happened today, except that i got a haircut and applied for car insurance. well, it was mostly my dad for the second bit. i had hoped that the application would go smoothly, but i saw a couple of errors in the proposal which the agent sent. first, she used my dad's number as mine. to think i even included my number in the email! second more serious thing was that she calculated my license pass date wrong. july 2013 - 3 years and 9 months = october 2009, not sometime in 2010. i think she just saw the 3 years and forgot that we're not 9 months into the year yet. the reason this is more serious is because an earlier pass date could make my premium turn for the lower, which is a good thing from my point of view. bugger is that today's friday, so we have to wait until monday to see how that affects anything. hopefully car collection on sunday still goes through.

with regards to the haircut, i think that with me wanting (and partially being forced) to go into serious training, keeping long hair wouldn't be advisable. plus, my hair was long enough that i was beginning to have to arrange it before sleeping, which is actually quite annoying. so, i went back to the hairdresser from 5 months ago, and got my hair butchered. the length is reminiscent of army days, which is seriously taking a lot of getting used to, especially after 2 years or so of long hair. but i'll live. the stylist was saying that my scalp was oily. personally, i find it to be about average...though i guess i should trust her experience. she advised me to change shampoo, and i think i'll look into that...once this current bottle runs out.

if everything goes according to plan, tomorrow will be the last time in a while for me to drive my dad's car. i would have liked to have it for both events (CJC/SJI training and tuition), but he's got some work to do in the morning. at least i can use it to get to TKGS girl's place. speaking of which, i wonder how her standard will be? and of course, i'll tell her parents that i will probably not continue after july. or maybe we can arrange a once per fortnight thing. that might be better...or i can just stop completely. somehow, the latter option still sounds better to me. we'll see what happens tomorrow.

Can't get to sleep. Think it's because too many things have happened over a relatively short time interval, and I can't blog from my desktop. Apparently, blogger's publishing system became unstable on Tuesday, so they applied a fix. A side-effect of the fix was that post titles became mandatory. If you look back on all 1200+ posts I have, not a single one is titled. See the problem? I've expressed my dissatisfaction with this development, and I hope that the relevant people fix it soon. For now, the only satisfactory workaround I've discovered is to blog from the blogger iPhone app, which explains why this post is nice and capitalized in the appropriate places. Hopefully I won't have to keep this up for long.

Major events that have happened in the last few days: car, collecting commencement stuff, nus medical checkup, my decision. The checkup was normal...faster than when I was an undergrad, if memory serves. Got everything done in about 2 hours, no major problems with my health, thankfully.

Earlier, I had posted that collecting the commencement stuff was the same day as the medical checkup. That was an error on my part. I had scheduled the checkup on Tuesday afternoon, in the off-chance that there would be training on Monday. Turns out that there wasn't. Net result is I made an extra wasted trip to and from nus. With me not having concession, and not being able to buy concession any more, it hurts the wallet somewhat. Can't wait to start earning money. Oh. After collecting the stuff, I had to navigate through a pretty long course of salespeople. They were trying to sell things like graduation photos, degree scroll plaque-ifing, and some nus merchandise. And I got a stuffed nus lion. I'm sorry...I'm partial to lions. So with my current Madagascar lion and the Japanese fox, I have 3 stuffed toys...and I regret nothing.

Going back for training was good, though there was a slight downer. The CJC coach really isn't keen on taking me on as an assistant, even though I told him that I wasn't expecting to be paid. Well, he has his ways of doing things, I guess. At least he still welcomes me as a senior, so that's good. Watching the kids, I think a few of the J1s and sec 1s have potential. We'll see if I can develop on that.

About the international kata championships, I've decided to give it a miss. Something tells me that it was the right decision, but a small part of me still can't help but feel like giving it a try. Well...no worries. Other opportunities will come along.

Now, for what I think is the most exciting news. We confirmed a car! Interestingly though, it's not one of the 4 models I was telling you all about. Instead, we decided on a 1.6L black Honda civic. Despite being a 6 year-old car, the interior still looks practically new! It handled ok too...main problems I foresee are getting used to the larger turning radius and smaller steering wheel size. But I figure it'll be ok. After all, I drove a Camry before. If all goes well, and it passes the evaluation, I could have it by this coming Sunday!! Of all the possible reasons for my insomnia tonight, it's most probably this one.

Tomorrow will probably be slack (only thing to is go get a haircut and maybe shoes), but the weekend looks packed. CJC training on Saturday morning, plus tuition with TKGS girl in the afternoon. Then, possibly collecting the car on Sunday(!), and meeting someone whom I haven't met for about 2 years. Then, it's back to slacking next week. The only major thing to do is probably apply for season parking passes (home and school), and set up my nus graduate ID/email...though I may be able to do that tomorrow as well. Hopefully now that I've got all this out of my system, sleep will come a little easier. 

<div align="center><u>-Random thought of the day: Does HTML work in the app post editor?</u></div>