Friday, March 25, 2011

"Let's go to sleep in Paris, wake up in Teikyo. Have a dream in Amsterdam..."

I am having a strong urge to travel. This feeling comes in waves and now I am craving different soil, new fresh air, exotic faces and ancient buildings. I don't mind going back to Amsterdam, Paris, Maastricht, Brussels, Genk or San Salvador. I just really want to go away. I've been looking at pictures of people who are studying abroad this semester and I see places I've been and I miss it so much. I feel like I took my time there for granted. It's hard, however, to fully immerse yourself into a culture and atmosphere when you're visiting five cities in just two measly weeks. I learned the basics of the food, clothing, and architecture, but could I really tell you everything about each city? Probably not. Next time I go abroad I'm going to try and spend more time in each city so I can better understand the lifestyle and culture I am visiting. I don't want to be the typical, ignorant, American tourist that is there to just take pictures, taste their food, and act as if everyone understands English.

Travelling to me holds so much value in my life. It gives me experiences and memories that no one can ever take away from me. Many people prefer spending their money on clothes, technology and frivolous purchases. Don't get me wrong, I have a wish list of materials I want, but when I look at the bigger picture, I would much rather save my money to travel.

Wish List of Places to Visit
  • Switzerland
  • Canada
  • Greece
  • Australia
  • New Zealand
  • Southern Africa
  • Spain
  • Italy
  • Ireland
  • England
  • Phillippines

Okay, that's a pretty long list, but I have time. Just gotta work on getting the resources!

I leave you with this video. My french boyfriend dancing by the Eiffel Tower. I miss you boo....haha sike. (Sorry about the video quality.)

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

The Artist

The past couple of weeks I've become a tad obsessive over the Myers Briggs Type Indicator. If you're unfamiliar with it, it's like a test where your personality is broken into four categories. Within each category are two options. When you're done deciphering what you are, you are left with four letters that tell you everything you need to know about yourself. This may sound a little extreme and unlikely, but I cannot believe how accurate the description of my type is related to me.

Let me break it down for you. My type is ISFP. This stands for Introverted, Sensible, Feeling, and Perceiving. Those that fall under this category are considered The Artist. The description I found on this website fit me like a glove. Now, albeit, some of it was a little off, but for the most part....truth! I'm gonna try and dissect the description, although I wish could copy and paste it all.


They are keenly in tune with the way things look, taste, sound, feel and smell.
This is something I don't even realize I do. When I think about it though, whenever I'm somewhere new or somewhere that I find incredibly fascinating, I enjoy taking a minute to just stop and take in as much information about my surroundings as possible. However, I'm not sure my attention to detail is very strong. Sounds like a contradiction, but makes perfect sense to me.

They have a strong set of values, which they strive to consistently meet in their lives. They need to feel as if they're living their lives in accordance with what they feel is right, and will rebel against anything which conflicts with that goal.
I'd like to believe that I am tolerant and not particularly confrontational. EXCEPT when someone tries to get me to do something against my beliefs or says something to offend my beliefs. Hey listen, you can believe whatever you want, but do not get in the way of what I am doing and do not disrespect my beliefs. I'm known for being quite the firecracker if someone disrespects me.

They're likely to choose jobs and careers which allow them the freedom of working towards the realization of their value-oriented personal goals.
I want to be a kindergarten teacher. Do you know how much you can learn about life from a five year old?

tend to be quiet and reserved, and difficult to get to know well. They hold back their ideas and opinions except from those who they are closest to.
When I first read this I was thinking no way....then I read the second sentence. True!

They are likely to be kind, gentle and sensitive in their dealings with others.
I'm a firm believer in treating other people how you would like to be treated. I also believe that there is so much beyond what a person portrays on the outisde. So when dealing with others, I try to remember to be sensitive in that I do not know all of the facts.

They're likely to be animal lovers, and to have a true appreciation for the beauties of nature.
My favorite colors are blue and green. Blue like the bodies of water and green like the land. I really love trees and stars. My dream is to live in a masterpeace away from the city. Oh yea, and I love my dog. haha

They're original and independent, and need to have personal space...ISFPs have no desire to lead or control others, just as they have no desire to be led or controlled by others. They need space and time alone to evaluate the circumstances of their life against their value system, and are likely to respect other people's needs for the same.
It always sounded so taboo for me to say "I'm just not the leader type". It always seemed like you were either a leader or a follower. It's painful to say, "well, I'm not a leader, so I guess I'm a follower". This description, however, really opened my eyes to the truth. I do not like to lead other people, but I certainly do NOT want to be controlled by anyone. I can make my own decisions and lead myself onto the best paths in my life. It kind of goes back to treating others as I want to be treated. I'm not gonna tell you what to do, but you are definitely not about to tell me what to do. Also, those that know me well, know that I need time to myself. After a while I become so overwhelmed by being in the world and interacting that I just shut down and need to have time to myself. And, indeed, during this time I reflect...on everything.

ISFPs are extremely perceptive and aware of others. They constantly gather specific information about people, and seek to discover what it means. They are usually penetratingly accurate in their perceptions of others.
I spend a lot of time reflecting about other people. I often think why someone is the way they are. I don't want to come to a quick judgement about someone without thinking of all the possibilities. This might seem like extreme judging, but to me, it's my way of understanding other people. It's not easy to do this, but it's what's fair. I think people often make quick judgements about me since I'm usually quiet at first. If people took time to understand me, their opinions might change. And not to toot my own horn, but it's true, my perceptions of others usually turn out to be true.

They are "doers", and are usually uncomfortable with theorizing concepts and ideas, unless they see a practical application. They learn best in a "hands-on" environment, and consequently may become easily bored with the traditional teaching methods, which emphasize abstract thinking.
Okay....so true. This explains why I ALWAYS tune out listening to history. My retainment of Bible stories and anything history related is shamefully low. I can't help it! I wasn't there and I have trouble relating it to the present! Zzzz.....

They genuinely care about people, and are strongly service-oriented in their desire to please. They have an unusually deep well of caring for those who are close to them, and are likely to show their love through actions, rather than words.
I'm working on my communication skills, but I just feel like if I show my love and care through actions, it will make so much more of a difference.

People who don't know them well may see their unique way of life as a sign of carefree light-heartedness
I'm not sure how many people actually think that about me, but I know my Dad probably does. What he doesn't understand is that I put a lot of thought into everything I do. When I put my mind to a goal that I feel strongly about, you better bet your bottom dollar and I'm going to reach it no matter what. It may seem like I do not consider the future, but the consequences I'm reaching for are just different than the ones others would like to see.

The only thing I interpreted oddly in this description is "ISFPs have a strong affinity for aesthetics and beauty". For some reason, this just sounded like I'm superficial. Hopefully, this is meant in a different way because.... well, I'm not superficial, I promise!




So....I was supposed to synthesize the description, but I pretty much copy and pasted the entire thing. If you actually read the entire thing, you are obviously a gem in my life. I encourage everyone to take the test and read your description!.....and then tell me what you get!


The test I used:
http://similarminds.com/jung.html

Then read your description here:
http://www.personalitypage.com/html/high-level.html


I would love to add a picture or some thought-provoking quote....but I need to sleep and I think there is enough to stimulate your brain in this one post.


-Love Melina Sabrina

Monday, March 14, 2011

Laugh a little more

Either people take life situations too seriously or I take them too lightly. Either everyone is too miserable or I am catching everyone on a bad day. I know today is Monday and it's usually everyone's least favorite day of the week, but it's not just today that I am noticing this. I am still going to use today for examples fresh in my memory. In my biology lab, we went outside for a nice nature walk or at least I thought it was. The sun was shining and the weather was sweet. We're following our T.A. who, I'll admit, is really hard to understand, but everyone kept throwing out negative comments about how no one could hear her and no one knew what to do. I really wanted to tell everyone to hush hush and stop stressing because everything we needed to do was already set up in class. Instead, I tried throwing out a light, sarcastic, but funny, "hey guys, it's all about the learning experience duhh". Only one girl laughed with me while everyone else glared. The laugh's on them though because while they're miserable, I'm enjoying every minute. As we were walking, the biggest jerk in the class thought he would be cool by hitting one of the branches of a tree. That idiot. A big cloud of pollen fell on him. I laughed so hard.

As I was walking back from lab, I saw this old guy in a white pick-up truck dancing to Shakira's Loca. Either people were trying to avoid eye contact or just thought he was weird because no one was laughing. It totally brightened up my day and I giggled as I walked by.


My point is, everyone is caught up in joining the majority of the miserable, negative people. Everyone should lighten up and laugh more often. It will make you feel better. The more positive you think (whether you believe it or not), the better you will feel. I say this from experience. It may seem like I'm laughing at people, but I'm trying to laugh WITH people. I mean, I know when it's appropriate to laugh so as to not make people feel bad, but a lot of the time it's okay to laugh with people. Shoot, I laugh at myself all of the time.


Call me crazy, but I really feel that laughing, or even smiling is good for the soul. So join me in my crazy state of mind and enjoy everything in life.


"Life is, but a joke and the laugh's on you. That's funny, right?"