Your Signature Themes
Your Signature Themes
Many years of research conducted by The Gallup Organization suggest that the most effective people are those who understand their strengths and behaviors. These people are best able to develop strategies to meet and exceed the demands of their daily lives, their careers, and their families.
Your Signature Themes report presents your five most dominant themes of talent, in the rank order revealed by your responses to StrengthsFinder. Of the 34 themes measured, these are your “top five.”
Individualization
Your Individualization theme leads you to be intrigued by the unique qualities of each person. You are impatient with generalizations or “types” because you don’t want to obscure what is special and distinct about each person. Instead, you focus on the differences between individuals. You instinctively observe each person’s style, each person’s motivation, how each thinks, and how each builds relationships. You hear the one-of-a-kind stories in each person’s life. This theme explains why you pick your friends just the right birthday gift, why you know that one person prefers praise in public and another detests it, and why you tailor your teaching style to accommodate one person’s need to be shown and another’s desire to “figure it out as I go.” Because you are such a keen observer of other people’s strengths, you can draw out the best in each person. This Individualization theme also helps you build productive teams. While some search around for the perfect team “structure” or “process,” you know instinctively that the secret to great teams is casting by individual strengths so that everyone can do a lot of what they do well.
Arranger
You are a conductor. When faced with a complex situation involving many factors, you enjoy managing all of the variables, aligning and realigning them until you are sure you have arranged them in the most productive configuration possible. In your mind there is nothing special about what you are doing. You are simply trying to figure out the best way to get things done. But others, lacking this theme, will be in awe of your ability. “How can you keep so many things in your head at once?” they will ask. “How can you stay so flexible, so willing to shelve well-laid plans in favor of some brand-new configuration that has just occurred to you?” But you cannot imagine behaving in any other way. You are a shining example of effective flexibility, whether you are changing travel schedules at the last minute because a better fare has popped up or mulling over just the right combination of people and resources to accomplish a new project. From the mundane to the complex, you are always looking for the perfect configuration. Of course, you are at your best in dynamic situations. Confronted with the unexpected, some complain that plans devised with such care cannot be changed, while others take refuge in the existing rules or procedures. You don’t do either. Instead, you jump into the confusion, devising new options, hunting for new paths of least resistance, and figuring out new partnerships—because, after all, there might just be a better way.
Deliberative
You are careful. You are vigilant. You are a private person. You know that the world is an unpredictable place. Everything may seem in order, but beneath the surface you sense the many risks. Rather than denying these risks, you draw each one out into the open. Then each risk can be identified, assessed, and ultimately reduced. Thus, you are a fairly serious person who approaches life with a certain reserve. For example, you like to plan ahead so as to anticipate what might go wrong. You select your friends cautiously and keep your own counsel when the conversation turns to personal matters. You are careful not to give too much praise and recognition, lest it be misconstrued. If some people don’t like you because you are not as effusive as others, then so be it. For you, life is not a popularity contest. Life is something of a minefield. Others can run through it recklessly if they so choose, but you take a different approach. You identify the dangers, weigh their relative impact, and then place your feet deliberately. You walk with care.
Strategic
The Strategic theme enables you to sort through the clutter and find the best route. It is not a skill that can be taught. It is a distinct way of thinking, a special perspective on the world at large. This perspective allows you to see patterns where others simply see complexity. Mindful of these patterns, you play out alternative scenarios, always asking, “What if this happened? Okay, well what if this happened?” This recurring question helps you see around the next corner. There you can evaluate accurately the potential obstacles. Guided by where you see each path leading, you start to make selections. You discard the paths that lead nowhere. You discard the paths that lead straight into resistance. You discard the paths that lead into a fog of confusion. You cull and make selections until you arrive at the chosen path—your strategy. Armed with your strategy, you strike forward. This is your Strategic theme at work: “What if?” Select. Strike.
Relator
Relator describes your attitude toward your relationships. In simple terms, the Relator theme pulls you toward people you already know. You do not necessarily shy away from meeting new people—in fact, you may have other themes that cause you to enjoy the thrill of turning strangers into friends—but you do derive a great deal of pleasure and strength from being around your close friends. You are comfortable with intimacy. Once the initial connection has been made, you deliberately encourage a deepening of the relationship. You want to understand their feelings, their goals, their fears, and their dreams; and you want them to understand yours. You know that this kind of closeness implies a certain amount of risk—you might be taken advantage of—but you are willing to accept that risk. For you a relationship has value only if it is genuine. And the only way to know that is to entrust yourself to the other person. The more you share with each other, the more you risk together. The more you risk together, the more each of you proves your caring is genuine. These are your steps toward real friendship, and you take them willingly.
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HARRO!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Hope you all had an awesome Christmas and New Years! 
I just got back from holidays this week and in brief, it was an epic intense 6 weeks. I made heaps of awesome new friends from around the world, ate some mind-boggling delicacies and did some amazing things! I’m so grateful for all the people that made it happen 
Here’s a quick peek on how I spent my birthday. A very memorable 20th Birthday
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Tags: 20th birthday, happy new year
BORED
I am so over this last exam, can’t wait til I’m finished at 5pm tomorrow. I’m no where near ready but I don’t care anymore. I’ve been procrastinating by doing some last minute prep before I leave the country. I went to see the dentist, returned all my library book at MQ, got extra contact lenses, cancelled my phone contract which expires on the 1st and scheduled a transfer to prepay, did some last minute gardening and checked my flights… only to notice that my connect flight on Thurs morning from TPE-HKG has been CANCELLED.
Just flat out CANCELLED, they put me on a flight 1 hr later which luckily is not a big deal for me but if I had to be somewhere I’d be peed off. I now have to spend an extra hour at TPE airport cause my flight leaves at 8am instead of 7am. I called up to ask what for an explanation “It’s been cancelled.//Do you know why?//Because the system says so”
Great, also been procrastinating by reading up China Airline’s horrible safety record and watching clips like these
Ack! 
—
One day I’ll have a completely normal semester where I won’t have to either: work, overload on subjects or go to summer school. One day…
Overloading is death.
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dural road trip
Yes that’s a right a ROAD TRIP to Dural because it’s so freaking far away! But wait? What’s that you ask? Where on earth is Dural? Well that’s a very good question because archaeologists have long debated the existence of such a fabled abode much like the Lost City of Atlantis but more like the the Lost Dwelling of Dural. According to reputable source, Wikipedia, Dural lies nestled amongst the equally mystical Arcadia, Glenhaven and Middle Dural – wait what? There’s a Middle Dural? Then what the heck is Dural Dural? Double Dural? Dural Proper? Dural dural dural dural….
But yes the prospect of studying for my last exam next Tuesday today was so positively laughable that I spontaneously decided to launch an expedition, a trek, an exploration to the fabled domain of Dural. I think this 3 week exam period thing has gotten to me…
Anyway back to my expedition I decided to go to Dural today to do a nursery run. Yes, a nursery run. What? You’ve never heard of it before? Well you’re probably not the only because I haven’t either. Regardless, I proudly proclaim that terminology as my creation as of Friday 25th November 2011. Get into it guys – it’s gonna be big.
Let me explain; I love going to Dural because it has a number of good nurseries and garden centres all pretty next much lined next to each other. I hate Dural because it’s so ridiculously far away from me. It takes a good 30 mins one way to get there from my house. If you’re coming up from New Line Rd there are literally a dozen of home farms/nurseries lined up against the road each with their own hand painted signs saying “Plants for sale, parking this way!” It’s a bit strange to think this is still part of Sydney because it has the homey country feel.
Stop 1: Bunnings
Coming up along New Line Rd, the first big shop you’ll see will be on your right – Mitre 10 which I usually skip because I’m more of a Bunnings person. (Come on - lowest prices are just the beginning, who can resist that marketing?) So I usually drive a few hundred metres until I reach the big round about and turn right and enter my home away from home – Bunnings Warehouse. In terms of Bunnings, it’s a pretty sizeable one not as big as the newly opened Chatswood store but probably a bit bigger or en par with the North Parramatta and Lidcombe stores. Carlingford doesn’t count – it’s not even a real store. So yes today I found myself in Bunnings, naturally drawn to the gardening section where I spotted some REDUCED TO CLEAR $2 Osteospermum Voltage plants from $8 which was clearly a no brainer in my mind. To be honest I don’t really even like the look of the yellow flowers that much because it reminds me too much of fireweed and fireweed brings up repressed memories of year 8 AG with Mrs Roberts (we were forced to weed a whole paddock of fireweed and in reward we were each given a single orange) But it was only $2!! And I really can’t say no to a bargain 
Also in my shopping basket today was a stunning red carnation-looking plant. I’m not sure what it’s called because the label just said “Sensation Range” but yes that was another impulsive $7. Oh I should probably say, the aim of my nursery run today was to find some English Lavender and only Lavender. Quite clearly I had failed at my first stop – entered the store intent on finding some English Lav and exited with 2 extra plants but such is life. I did however find lots of French Dentata Lavender but that’s not what I was looking for so it was off to stop 2: Hargraves! But before I left I couldn’t resist a photo opportunity so here is me with a shopping trolley.
Stop 2: Hargraves
If you get back on New Line Rd and drive up for another 5 mins, on the left you’ll see a cheery road sign with “Hargraves Nurseryland” There’s parking inside and usually it’s so you can just drive into their driveway without a problem. The website says Hargraves is a family run business and has been there since the 1970s – wow! – so they must be doing something right. I really like Hargraves because they have a really wide variety of plants and things and usually have a a couple of good specials! If you’re a club member you get a free gift on your birthday as well, I was pretty annoyed at myself because I forgot to bring mine today. Grr!
Prices here are standard I think as far as nurseries go – everything’s at a premium over your discount hardware stores like Bunnings but you can sometimes pick up a few bargains here and there in the Specials section. They’re running a 50% birthday sale on at the moment so that’s worth checking out if you’re thinking of doing some shopping although it ends by the end of Nov.
As luck would have it, there was a special Lavender sale! All lavender was on sale for $3.50 each – they were pretty mature and established as well so all in all a pretty good bargain. The only thing was, most of them were French (damn those French) but I did manage to find one English amongst the tangle of stalks. It’s not the most healthy looking of plants but with some TLC I’m sure it’ll come back and for $3.50 it’s a steal!
Oh the symbolism! A Kangaroo statue surrounded by Kangaroo Paws!
This is me being viciously attacked by a snake. You can never be too careful around the garden!
With my lavender in the boot it was off to stop 3: Swanes.
Stop 3: Swanes
Swanes! You might have seen or heard of Swanes before because there’s a branch in Carlingford on Marsden Rd near school but that’s tiny compared to the one in Dural. The Dural one is mammoth in comparison, it’s got a little cafe, it’s own “available for wedding hire” rose garden with roses dating back to 1997, a trade centre and the commercial nursery. Swanes’s speciality are roses so if you’re looking for that particular rose Swanes’s should definitely be your first stop. I will warn you, it is quite pricey but that’s to be expected.
I wasn’t really interested in the Roses today but I did notice this one and couldn’t help but snap a picture.
OOooooOOOOOoooooooOOOOooOOOOOOooooooo!
I really liked how they planted their tomatoes! I’ve seen this done with bales of mulch before but it never occured to me you could do the same with a bag of potting mix. I’m definitely gonna give this a try next year.
And just in case you need a refreshment, pop over to the “Geranium Bar” and help yourself to some fresh Geraniums.
This is C with the stunningly expensive standard Roses. There’s almost $3000 worth of roses in this picture, believe it or not each of those standards cost $950 each!
I actually did find some English lav here but it was too expensive for my liking. It was $15 each and they didn’t look very mature so I gave it a pass. I bought an English lav last week at Bunnings Chatswood for $10 and that was good size so I wasn’t willing to pay an extra $5 for a plant that was half the size.
Stop 4: Flower Power Glenhaven
The last stop for today, I’d never been to a Flower Power before because there’s none near me. They all seem to be out in the western suburbs or in obscure locations like Glenhaven (well from my perspective). It’s a bit strange because in addition to the nursery, they also sell outdoor homewares (think Freedom Furniture) such as cushions and candles, have a ridiculously priced cafe but perhaps most surprising is the fact that they sell…SPAS?! I don’t understand how that works. I guess if there are people in the Hills with lots of money and heaps of room in their backyards to install spas, it works but I still find it strange. Anyway, they didn’t have any English Lav either! Only French which was a bit of a bummer but no matter because I was getting quite hungry. We met up with A & Q and drove to Castle Towers for Malaysian.
Lunch: Taste of Malaya
We ordered 4 dishes (3 lunch specials and something off the menu) + Jasmine tea. The portions were disappointingly small but maybe I’ve just become accustomed to the massive portions they serve inside Pitt Street Arcade which if you haven’t been before, I would strongly recommend! It’s underneath the Town Hall Woolworths on the Pitt Street side and down some stairs. Try the Hanianese Chicken Rice! It’s amazing!
Anyway that was my production day of procrastination. I feel satisfied
Although the study guilt is slowly creeping in now…
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1 2 GO!
One to go! Finished German for the year today, the exam was pretty fair I thought. The writing tasks were basically replicas of our previous assignments but the grammar was a bit more difficult. There was one question where I literally lol-ed at myself (yes I’m weird) because the answer was so bleedingly obviously wrong but I couldn’t think of anything else, I wrote down “Schieten” which pretty much reads as “shit”. Oh well.
I always cut it fine for time before exams but today was ridiculously close. My exam started at 1:20, I left the house at just after 1pm and…I RAN and by that I mean I felt like I was doing the 1.6km again. I don’t think I’ve pushed myself that much since City2Surf. Got to uni in 5 mins thankfully but then because I don’t usually go to Macq besides my one room, had no idea where the heck C10A. Ended up at U-Bar?! (uni bar) Panicked a bit and then went back downstairs and followed my gut feeling. Saw a whole lot of asians holding pencil cases so followed them up some stairs and bingo!
The exam room was already full of Asians sitting their Econometrics exam and then there were the 4 of us sitting our “Advanced German II”. I was seat 196. Aside: does any uni besides Macq pre-assign seat numbers?
2 hours later. Pens down, papers collected, examiner booms “you may leave” and everyone gets up and the room is suddenly filled with multilingual babble, well that’s a bit of stretch; it was Mandarin, Cantonese and Korean. Tried speaking a few words to my classmates after the exam but was overwhelmed by surrounding Asianess. Strangest exam experience ever.
Ok brain feels deep fried again. Mmm fried chicken.
Dural road trip tomorrow.
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