Friday, August 28, 2015

Confessions of an INFJ

This is kind of random, but I've been talking to a few INFJs lately (we make up just 1 percent of the population), and it's been so nice to find people who get you, get your weirdness, and are coasting right on your wavelength.



Some common things INFJs hear are:

"You hardly ever go out!"

"Man, you're boring."

"Why don't you ever want to do anything?"

"Are these the few friends you have?"

And really, it's not like that.

It's not that we hate company; we just need time to be alone every day. It's how we recharge.


It's not that we don't want to spend time with you; we just don't need to be with you all the time. Some space and distance isn't a bad thing. 

It's not that we hate going out; we just need a purpose for doing that. I've found myself aimlessly wandering the streets just because I went out for the sake of going out. But it felt completely meaningless and unstimulating. I've got more things to do at home - blog, read, write, scroll through Tumblr...

It's not that our social circle is small; it's just that want to focus more on every person in our lives. We regard personal relationships very seriously, so we want to know that the people around us are worth spending time and energy and effort on if we're going to invest so much emotion in them.

It's not that we don't want to open up to you; it's just hard for us to lay ourselves bare to someone who might decide not to care and/or walk out of your life the next minute, or after they realise what a neurotic bag of weirdness we are.


Sometimes, I wish I didn't feel so much, and am able to get over the hurt after listening to a song or something.

Sometimes, I wish I didn't over analyse things to death, or wear myself thin worrying about every little thing.

Sometimes, I wish I were an ENFP, so maybe things would be easier. I would find it easier to fit in, move on faster from things that bum me out, and internalise my emotions less.

But thank goodness for other INFJs. ENFPs may be super fun to hang out with, but I think at the end of the day it's the INFJs who really get you.

Fellow INFJs, do you feel lonely in a crowded world?

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

kicking off august with a bang

Been crazy busy at work last week with the setting up of our magazine community, so here's a quick update of what August has been like so far:

 Saw the derp lord, who was in town promoting his new movie:




Dove headlong into a book sale:



Met up with old friends:



 Got into the mood for the nation's 50th anniversary:


Then joined 200,000 people around the bay area to watch the National Day Parade:

The weather was breezy and cool - perfect for a parade.

The grounds were hella muddy where we were, but who cared really?

  




The Black Knights - or, as my friend Melissa put it, the lead guitarists of the Singapore Armed Forces.

The crowd was definitely left gaping in awe.

What's a parade without some fireworks to top it off?











It was one of those you-had-to-be-there kind of moments. Having so many people around you singing along to the National Day songs you learned (way back) in school, the camaraderie and feeling of togetherness was so palpable I couldn't help but tear up. I had already gotten emotional at this video tribute to the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew earlier on:


But when everyone sang along to the NDP classic, Home, in unison the floodgates broke loose. I sang with tears streaming down my face, and found that I wasn't the only one. This girl my age next to me was in the same state. It's funny how emotional you become, standing in the midst of such an outpouring of love and pride and gratitude for a country.



 How has YOUR August been so far? :0)