Monday, March 27, 2006

A difficult quiz.

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I am pretty for problem solving and this one is so difficult. It took me five minutes to find the key and another 5 minutes to solve the peoblem.

Quiz:
acts:

1: There are 5 houses in 5 different colours.
2: In each house lives a person with a different nationality.
3: These 5 owners drink a certain beverage, smoke a certain brand of cigar and keep a certain pet.
4: No owners have the same pet, smoke the same brand of cigar or drink the same drink.

Hints: from the following facts, can you determine WHO KEEPS FISH?

1: The Brit lives in a red house.

2: The Swede keeps dogs as pets.

3: The Dane drinks tea.

4: The green house is on the left of the white house.

5: The green house owner drinks coffee.

6: The person who smokes Pall Mall rears birds.

7: The owner of the yellow house smokes Dunhill.

8: The man living in the house right in the centre drinks milk.

9: The Norwegian lives in the first house.

10: The man who smokes Blend lives next to the one who keeps cats.

11: The man who keeps horses lives next to the man who smokes Dunhill.

12: The owner who smokes Blue Master drinks beer.

13: The German smokes Prince.

14: The Norwegian lives next to the blue house.

15: The man who smokes Blend has a neighbour who drinks water.

The key is the colors of the house, which is in the hint. After that, just play around.

The answer is German has the fish.

IQ 131, it is true, haha, I am still all good.

It is not difficult

All you need to do is using a piece of blank paper, Write down the things you did and determine if they are done in good way, or bad way; the problems are because of you or not. Easy, now I found myself back.

Sunday, March 26, 2006

Less is more, or more is more?

As a designer who think "less is more" and always like to symbolize my design, currently I received an assignment, a weird assignment, in which I should break my design reference and design something I think "ugly".

The reason I think it is weird is because that the designer should be always design something based on his or her aesthetic and the design "rules" always be followed.

So I did it and the result is amazing!

I don't like photo collage and don't like to put lots of elements on my design either. But after I tried it, I am kind of love it. Now I totally understand the reason my professor asked us to do such a weird design, in which, I found something in me...

The first one below is the original design, which I did at last semester. If you know something about Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, you should know that his famous pose is sitting on the chair that he designed, with his favorite cigar. I symbolized this pose into my design and the result is quite dynamic.

less is more


The another version - more is more


Which do you prefer?

Saturday, March 25, 2006

New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park

Take a day off from my study and hit south to this historical place, which is one hour driving from Boston.

Parked my car after I saw the building, which I thought should be visitor center. Actually it is city hall and a man asked me if I need help when I was walking away. After heard I was looking for victor center, he directed me the building and invited me to go inside the city hall, and told me that he is the mayor, Scott W. Lang, a lawyer as well.

It is such a pleasure to talk with him while he introduced me the city hall, including his office and the oldest elevator in the United States. And I was pretty shy when his fellows gave me an interview about my travelling experience in the US, I am not good to dealing this kind of stuff and I had the same experience when I was in Koeln, a reporter interviewed me about how did I think about their Prime Minister Schoder.

I was totally released after I left the city hall. The visitor center is quite small and of course I stamp on my national park passport. The grandma lady is very nice and told me all the detail about the places I should go.

Anyway, it's such a nice trip. unfortunately it is cloudy which is not the best time for shooting landscape, but I had a very good time.

Click image to see more photos.



Next week, Cape Cod to go.

Friday, March 24, 2006

Renolds August Corporate Identity-Package design

Finally they are DONE!

Click to see more photos

Saturday, March 18, 2006

Epson Paper Package design

Finished this project and the process to make box is such a pain. It took me almost 6 hours today, but finally it was DONE!

Click to see more photos

Monday, March 13, 2006

Think and do different

Tonight, at the thesis preparation course, the professor first asked us to list the design rules which we learned from the past semester in BU. Here are my list:

1, Less is more
2, Avoid predictable design
3, Make corner breath
4, Contract to create focal point
5, Don't use too many elements in design
6, One element doesn't synchronizes the others
7, Don't make type as graphic
8, Don't use symmetrical design

From my point of view, I only agree the first, and the third one. Actually, there is no certain rules in graphic design, as well as there is no freedom without regulation. Different assignment should have different problem solving method.

Second, he asked us which one in our list makes me pain for limiting my design. What should I say? I guess none of them. If I must list one, it should be "Don't use too many elements in design". I like simplicity, but sometime, the complicity works just fine for some special assignment.

And it is interesting that the next assignment he gave to us, which is chose one design that I don't like, and use the design rule makes me sick to re-design it. It is a weird assignment, but I guess I can get some impact by doing this. Hope I won't get sick for it.

The great design I don't like is Fortunato Depero. His designs are great but definitely not my cup of tea, especially the designs after he changed to futurist. I can read futurist, but that not my vocabulary of design.

So for next couple of weeks, I gonna do something I don't like, and will try my best to do it perfect with the way I don't like. I have to say it again, weird assignment.

Good luck Lin, don't change yourself, LOL.

Saturday, March 11, 2006

Anya is one month old!

March 12, my first nephew, Anya is one month old now. I feel so sorry that I can't hold her in my hand to love her. I am such a guy loves kids so much, especially this girl.

Look the picture, she looks exactly like my younger when he was a baby boy. And my first notice is her fingers, they are long and thin, which belong to a pianist. It's a smart choice that I didn't sell my piano when I left China.

Another year to go. After that, the time I finish my study, I will go back to China to see her and my brother's family. Can't wait for that day.

Strange, I feel a little tired now. Not mentally, am tired of moving around? don't know. I need a cure.

Check more photos of Anya and my brother's family by clicking here.

Friday, March 03, 2006

Portrait of an ENFJ, The Giver.

I took a test today and here is the result.
..............................................................
Strength of the preferences:
Extroverted: 1%
Intuitive: 25%
Feeling: 12%
Judging: 33%

ENFJ Relationships
ENFJs put a lot of effort and enthusiasm into their relationships. To some extent, the ENFJ defines themself by the closeness and authenticity of their personal relationships, and are therefore highly invested in the business of relationships. They have very good people skills, and are affectionate and considerate. They are warmly affirming and nurturing. The excel at bringing out the best in others, and warmly supporting them. They want responding affirmation from their relationships, although they have a problem asking for it. When a situation calls for it, the ENFJ will become very sharp and critical. After having made their point, they will return to their natural, warm selves. They may have a tendency to "smother" their loved ones, but are generally highly valued for their genuine warmth and caring natures.

ENFJ Strengths
Most ENFJs will exhibit the following strengths with regards to relationship issues:
Good verbal communication skills
Very perceptive about people's thoughts and motives
Motivational, inspirational; bring out the best in others
Warmly affectionate and affirming
Fun to be with - lively sense of humor, dramatic, energetic, optimistic
Good money skills
Able to "move on" after a love relationship has failed (although they blame themselves)
Loyal and committed - they want lifelong relationships
Strive for "win-win" situations
Driven to meet other's needs

ENFJ Weaknesses
Most ENFJs will exhibit the following weaknesses with regards to relationships issues:
Tendency to be smothering and over-protective
Tendency to be controling and/or manipulative
Don't pay enough attention to their own needs
Tend to be critical of opinions and attitudes which don't match their own
Sometimes unaware of social appropriateness or protocol
Extremely sensitive to conflict, with a tendency to sweep things under the rug as an avoidance tactic
Tendency to blame themselves when things go wrong, and not give themselves credit when things go right
Their sharply defined value systems make them unbending in some areas
They may be so attuned to what is socially accepted or expected that they're unable to assess whether something is "right" or "wrong" outside of what their social circle expects.

ENFJs as Lovers
"To love means to open ourselves to the negative as well as the positive - to grief, sorrow, and disappointment as well as to joy, fulfillment, and an intensity of consciousness we did not know was possible before."
-- Rollo May


ENFJs make warm, committed lovers who are willing to go to great lengths for the sake of "The Relationship". They're totally dedicated to the relationship, and to their partner, and have a special skill for warmth and affirmation which brings out the best in their mates. They take their commitments seriously, and are likely to put forth a lot of effort into making a relationship work once they have commited themselves to it. In the event that a relationship fails, the ENFJ will feel a lot of guilt, and take on blame for the failure, but they will move on with their lives with relative ease, without looking backwards.
Since relationships are central to the ENFJ's life, they will be very "hands on" and involved with their intimate relationships. They may be in the habit of constantly asking their partner how they're doing, what they're feeling, etc. This behavior may be a bit smothering, but it also supports a strong awareness of the health (or illness) of the relationship.

Sexually, the ENFJ looks forward to intimacy as an opportunity to express love and caring. The ENFJ is generally very interested in the happiness and satisfaction of their partner. Because they achieve much of their personal satisfaction from making others happy, they're likely to be skilled lovers. Like other Judgers, the ENFJ is likely to follow a schedule for intimacy, and may be prone to becoming routinized. For the ENFJ, the most important aspect of a sexual encounter is the affirmation of love and affection.

Although the ENFJ will probably not ask for it, they need to be given sweet words and loving affirmation. Since they are so externally focused on serving people, they do not always pay attention to their own needs. Since much of their personal satisfaction comes from bringing happiness to others, they're able to ignore their own needs and still be happy much more easily than other types. However, if they focus entirely on giving without doing some taking, they may find themselves in an unhealthy, unbalanced relationship. They need to work on being aware of their needs, and being OK with verbalizing those needs to their partners.

A problem area for ENFJs in relationships is their very serious dislike of conflict. ENFJs will prefer to brush issues under the rug rather than confront them head-on, if there is likely to be a conflict. They are also likely to "give in" easily in conflict situations, just to end the conflict. They might agree to something which goes against their values just to end the uncomfortable situation. In such cases, the problem is extended and will return at a later time. The ENFJ needs to realize that the world will not end if there is a disagreement, and that dealing with things immediately initiates closure. Ignoring issues will not make them go away.

In general, the ENFJ is intensely and enthusiastically involved in their personal relationships. They bring fun and warmth into the equation, and are willing to work hard to make things work.

ENFJs as Friends
ENFJs are warm, sociable people who are keenly in tune with other people's feelings and perspectives. They enjoy supporting and bringing out the best in others. They are energetic and fun to be with. They seek authenticity in their close relationships, and are very sensitive to the needs of others. All of these characteristics make the ENFJ valued by their peers as a warm, supportive and giving friend.

ENFJs are interested in all sorts of people, and are likely to be able to understand and relate to all of the personality types. The will excel at getting along with all sorts of people when the situation demands that they do so. However, they will not choose to spend their personal time around all of the types. They may resist spending a lot of time with Sensing Perceiving types, whose carefree "live for the moment" attitude may conflict with the ENFJ's strongly held value system. When seeking companionship that is not romantic, ENFJs will be drawn to other Feelers who have similar values and ideas. Since they live in a people-oriented world, they are not comfortable with objective judgments which do not consider people issues. Consequently, ENFJs are not likely to have close friendships with strong Thinking types. They will be likely to especially enjoy the company of other iNtuitive Feelers, as well as Sensing Judgers.

ENFJ type description by D.Keirsey
The Portrait of the Teacher Idealist (eNFj)

The Idealists called Teachers are abstract in their thought and speech, cooperative in their style of achieving goals, and directive and extraverted in their interpersonal relations. Learning in the young has to be beckoned forth, teased out from its hiding place, or, as suggested by the word "education," it has to be "educed." by an individual with educative capabilities. Such a one is the eNFj, thus rightly called the educative mentor or Teacher for short. The Teacher is especially capable of educing or calling forth those inner potentials each learner possesses. Even as children the Teachers may attract a gathering of other children ready to follow their lead in play or work. And they lead without seeming to do so.

Teachers expect the very best of those around them, and this expectation, usually expressed as enthusiastic encouragement, motivates action in others and the desire to live up to their expectations. Teachers have the charming characteristic of taking for granted that their expectations will be met, their implicit commands obeyed, never doubting that people will want to do what they suggest. And, more often than not, people do, because this type has extraordinary charisma.

The Teachers are found in no more than 2 or 3 percent of the population. They like to have things settled and arranged. They prefer to plan both work and social engagements ahead of time and tend to be absolutely reliable in honoring these commitments. At the same time, Teachers are very much at home in complex situations which require the juggling of much data with little pre-planning. An experienced Teacher group leader can dream up, effortlessly, and almost endlessly, activities for groups to engage in, and stimulating roles for members of the group to play. In some Teachers, inspired by the responsiveness of their students or followers, this can amount to genius which other types find hard to emulate. Such ability to preside without planning reminds us somewhat of an Provider, but the latter acts more as a master of ceremonies than as a leader of groups. Providers are natural hosts and hostesses, making sure that each guest is well looked after at social gatherings, or that the right things are expressed on traditional occasions, such as weddings, funerals, graduations, and the like. In much the same way, Teachers value harmonious human relations about all else, can handle people with charm and concern, and are usually popular wherever they are. But Teachers are not so much social as educational leaders, interested primarily in the personal growth and development of others, and less in attending to their social needs.

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Story telling 2

Anniversary, husband spent lots of time for trying to find a right gift is the best for her, his lover. At that day, he is so that he finds that she didn't give him anything.

And thing happens:

1, His wife told him that she was so busy as he can see in the passing days so that she didn't have anytime to buy him a gift. But the idea is always stay in her mind and she will give him one after she got time. Husband totally understand. Both of them are happy then.

2, After couples days, seeing there is no reaction, he asked his wife that if she forgot their anniversary. Wife says yes she did and apology for that and promise it won't happen anymore. Husband totally understand. Both of them are happy then.

3, After couples days, seeing there is no reaction, he asked his wife that if she forgot their anniversary. Wife says she didn't but was too busy to buy the gift. Husband wondered why she just can't tell him so that he can understand, but saying nothing makes him sad. Wife says husband is selfish for just thinking about himself. Both of them are sad.

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Story telling

Standing there and waiting for quite long, the guy finally see a taxi stopping in front of him, while he is waving his hand. Surprisingly, he finds that it is not a regular Ford yellow cab, but exactly his favorite car. He walks close to the cab and tells the driver to where he wants to go. But disappointed by told that this cab is on call and person who made the reservation is coming.

Saw his blue face, the driver kindly tells him that sometime her clients won't come and therefore, she will be glad to take him to the place he wants to go. The guy is already waiting for hours and it is a Saturday raining night, all taxi are full filled customs and the guy can see nothing but hopeless.

Ending:
1, He is like this cab so much that he makes the decision. He won't wave his hands any more, let fate makes the decision that if her client will come, or not. Maybe he will lost chances to catch an empty cab and goes back home. But he prefer the one he has chosen.

2, He is standing beside the cab, waving his hands to any cab passing by to see if he can catch another chance, while he prays her clients change his, or her mind for not going.

3, With least expect, he walks to the way home, waving his hand to any taxi passing by. He believes that if that taxi couldn't get the client, the driver will come to catch him, unless there is someone else is waiting beside it.