skysenshi.com

I actually missed the 4th session because I was having disturbing backaches that kept me from turning my neck (can’t drive), which later caused me to nurse a fever. Was told that this was caused by the way I sit in front of a computer. In any case, I was able to download the readings and PowerPoint presentation. The gist of which is: “Maturity is defined by the way you ‘transact’ with people.”

This is so much like marketing. Sometimes, when you need to sell a product or persuade people to use whatever it is you’re endorsing, you actually make them respond to what they need in a more positive light. The old way of selling, say, beauty products is to make you look ugly so that you’d purchase these things. The new way of selling something is to make you feel that you’re perfectly all right as you are, but to maintain your natural beauty, you need these products. (The dynamics of stroking, hehe, in this case…the ego.)

There was also this discussion about the different kinds of information you process in the different stages of life: (1) Parent, (2) Adult, (3) Child. A thought entered my mind regarding something that my parents taught me as a child: Never have leftovers on your plate. While I was growing up, I believed that leaving leftovers on your plate is a sin, especially when there are people growing hungry in Somalia. So even if I am close to throwing up, I really finish whatever’s on my plate. It was only as I was reaching adulthood that I learned how to partition my food, like for instance, getting bits and pieces from buffet dinners (and not getting rice) and just coming back for the dishes I like. I was never taught that I should get small portions if I’m not sure of the dish; I only adjusted my eating habits as I became an adult.

I realize later on that much of my dealings with people is similar to the way I adjusted my eating habits. My mom used to say that I should stay away from children she considers to be “bad influences”. I kind of ditched that way of thinking when I grew up because I realize that there will always be “bad influences.” You don’t think of them as “bad influences” but probably collective “works in progress.” Now, the challenge here is to not stay away from “bad influences” but to actually influence or persuade them into adopting better habits either by way of example or by the respectful way you deal with them. It still could be considered as some form of marketing, though.

+ – + – +

Because my professor, Sir Jerald, urged that we take the right-brain-left-brain test (see previous entry), I took another one. This one’s more detailed and is somewhat more accurate than my [9 left / 9 right] results that still say I’m left-brained. ^^ I now understand why the test I took earlier said that I’m left-brained and right-brained at the same time.

Anyhoo, I got this more detailed test off: http://memoryedge.com/brain.html

Results:
auditory 40%
visual 60%
left brain 70%
right brain 30%

Beatrice, you are strongly left-hemisphere dominant and show somewhat of a preference for visual learning, a positive combination of styles.

Your left-hemisphere dominance imples that you are strongly organized, logical and detail-oriented. Visual preference indicates that you learn in an active, simultaneous and multidimensional fashion.

With this pattern, you would likely be good in fields such as engineering, architecture, drafting, computer graphics and the like. It is likely that you will find situations which demand auditory processing somewhat frustrating unless you can impose your own structures and categories while processing it.

Another possible barrier to using your talents to the fullest may be the excess attention that you can tend to give details in your day-to-day operations and learning. You can acknowledge the existence of “the bigger picture” but concentrate on the details and expect that the picture will emerge from the details themselves.

You strive towards goals and this, coupled with the active nature of your learning preference, creates a sense of you being “driven.” Your tolerance of ambiguity is, at times, in conflict with your preference for the straight path and directness in everything. You tend to be as impatient with yourself as you are with others.

You have enough auditory learning capability to somewhat balance your more natural chaotic learning style. It is likely that you “slide into” the more sequential auditory learning mode when you get frustrated with the amount of input to be processed.

You are somewhat likely to be driven and distracted, but you have some capability for articulating and visualizing goals, which helps to reduce frustration. You can listen to others, but not without occasional agitation. There are times when your left hemisphere cannot categorize your learnings and place them in context, because that is the domain of the right hemisphere.