I took this personality quiz online to kill my privileged hours of leisure and amused at the result, which claims that I am an introvert - a person of solitary demeanor, lacking interest in the hobnob department where most people are either a narcissist, a pacifist, or a dogmatic fascist - who cares about communism? That I would rather stay at home and read whatever book/e-book I can find.

I do agree that I may share similar traits found in an introvert - I told my sister about it and she, the passionately aggressive little thinker, snapped, "I don't believe in classifying people into stereotypes." I could only snort.  To not want to classify a person, object, or thing is naive. The reason we learn and improve is because we give names and descriptions to everything - from the smallest nucleus, to the biggest star in the universe.

By giving names to things, be they objective or subjective, we learn the rules and the order that the universe laid out for us and we apply it into our lives to survive.

Heck, it's because we discover and give names that we learn to protect ourselves. We learn that this red thing that forever changes shape and burns your skin when in close contact is fire. We should not touch it, but we can use it to cook and be civilized brutes. 

We learn that this blue thing that cannot be contained by our hands - slipping between our fingers; cold when fresh from the river; hot when boiled over the fire is water. We learn that this water has many forms: it makes up the river, the lakes, the brooks, ponds, and the sea. If we fall into it, we could drown so we should learn how to keep our heads above it. And that is how we learn the idea of swimming.

Because we classify fire, water, ice, earth, sky; flu, tuberculosis, turret syndromes, aids; murderers, idiots, maniacs, killers, and so on and so forth, we are able to survive and advance as "Intellectual Beings" - not that we are any different from apes.

Refusing to admit to the habit of classifying things is to adhere to ignorance - you don't want that.

Admittedly, it is exasperating when you're distinguished as a concoction of incompetence and dearth: it brings to question the purpose of your birth. Really, nobody thinks that far when they create a family - couples just want to have a family: you are born to figure out what your "Purpose Driven Life" is, for yourself - nobody plans it because even if your father or mother plans your life for you, in the end, you're the one picking your grave: a rich tomb with a roof and all those pillars and marbled floor, or just thrown in some unknown river where you're found by a police and labeled a John Doe.

I am an introvert, to some extent; I do find myself exhausted when I am surrounded by a lot of people - they drain my energies when I talk to them and sometimes their choice of topic isn't stimulating, they bore me. I don't mind being called an introvert, I won't deny it cause anyway, it's not a bad label.

Labeling yourself help you to cope with yourself - you just have to make sure that's the right label and not just cause you think it's cool. For example, EMOs. Sometimes, by labeling yourself, you learn why you seem different and somehow deal with other people based on what you are.

Now that I know am introvert, I understand why I write more in private than I talk in public: in public, I take time to think - usually ends up not saying anything at all and for that some people found me boring and plain. But online, friends find me somewhat different. I remember one of my Korean friends noted,

"You seem different when you write. Why is that?"

Well, now I know. When you write on paper or online, you have all the time to think and edit what you wrote. You can't edit things in public once you let out your thoughts, so, instead of making a fool of myself, I stay quiet.

In public, I'm mostly labeled as the quiet, well mannered dalaga who is too shy to speak. At home, am labeled as the rude little obnoxious papa's girl. Ha ha ha! Well, at least what happens at home stays at home - better than some people who are given a bad name, albeit a long one.

Some Flips - again the naming - here in Tokyo are labeled as "low class people who are just after your sponsorship". I was approached by these nice and friendly looking couple at work, who insisted that I join them at their church tomorrow morning. I think they are "Born Again Christians" - whatever that means, right? I thought, sure, why not? What have I to lose? I called them this morning to confirm and they asked me questions like,

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Are you married?"

"Have you a permanent residence?"

"I'll introduce you to my nephew! Would you be interested?"

And BOOM! There goes the key word. My aunt warned me against them, but I already told them to expect me. I, honestly, think it's quite natural, I mean, it's not like we've never read these kinds of behavior in books. Remember Pride and Prejudice where the mother tries to marry her daughter to her cousin for prestige and financial support and another to Darcy's best friend, which is by the way, her best incentive? Well, how bad is it really?

I just think that people are afraid of being treated like a stepping stone by people with the "Crab Mentality". Why fear it when you see it? Ignore! You don't have to hate them, just let them be and if you don't want their offers, kindly refuse. In a rudimentary term, "Kick them back down like a good crab". No pressure on yourself or them.

And who knows? Maybe their nephew is handsome. Ha ha ha!