Abstract vs Concrete thinkers

1) To some extent, concrete and abstract are domain specific. For example, for a mathematician, concepts like exponent and equation are second nature and relatively concrete in their meaning. However, that same mathematician might find concepts like value as used in political economy to be quite abstract.

2) The ability to think concretely and abstractly is also associated with the ability to transfer what is learned from one context to another. For example, a student who is a reasonably abstract thinker might learn the organization of an essay in English class and then transfer that learning to her writing in social studies class. In contrast, a concrete thinker might need to be specifically taught in both classes.

3) Abstraction is a relative concept, related to the age of the child. For a two year old, “the day after tomorrow” is a highly abstract concept. For a college student, the day after tomorrow is relatively concrete, as opposed to highly abstract ideas like Heisenberg’s Indeterminancy Principle.

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points taken: There are no absolutes. Abstract/concrete thinkers aren't abstract/concrete thinkers in all situations, they're just mostly abstract/concrete. Though I must say I'm mostly abstract and people sometimes.. don't understand what I am talking about.

http://www.projectlearnet.org/tutorials/concrete_vs_abstract_thinking.html

still at the stage of not wanting to write everything here.

I found this article quite useful in the understanding of abstract vs concrete thinking.

Never imagined it'd hurt a little. Slow, seeping kind of pain that reaches your core as time trickles by. Now bury it

- and add on more weight to it. Let the earth cover the murk and dream you will close your eyes before they burst.

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Arctic Monkeys - Suck it and see

Meg & Dia - Rebecca

Mozella - Freezing

I like these.

I don't want march to arrive. I want to hide away from everyone but I can't.

It's been almost 3 days since the end of the A's, and I'm feeling extremely unproductive (two days of going out and a day of arranging music. 18629 more files to look through, extremely mundane but of great priority). I have a movie list, a list of books to read, a list of songs to download, classes to sign up for, information to look for... I don't even know where to begin.

So I consulted (my best friend) Google regarding thought processes because I haven't figured out what to do first (in dire need of a schedule). Because I find it strange that people say I'm good at problem solving while my often non-linear style of thinking might suggest I'm not too logical.. (?) Aren't the two supposed to come together? Or non-linear thinking does not equate to being illogical?

dumping ground for random thoughts:

I think I should put a quota on the number of movies I watch.

Sarah told me about Derren brown yesterday.

Feeling a little frustrated that words are not coming to me yet, I feel so emotionally disconnected from myself these days. It's been months since I allowed myself to really "listen to my heart". (with the exception of negative thoughts regarding the examinations, which were too difficult to push away).

These days, I keep catching myself feeling too 'lazy' to think. Then I realised it was cause I was afraid to. By that, I mean I'm always making value judgements of myself and end up running away from problems just cause I feel the first step wasn't good enough to bring me to the next few steps/a conclusion. I think if this goes on I might really become dumb. I hate these value judgements I make, they're so bloody irritating.

I have no idea why I'm feeling extremely guilty for being self-absorbed here when this is a blog. Hahha like a B-log, a brain log.

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Sorry I haven't been replying to texts/messages. I'm honestly a little too used to staying alone at home.

Looking through my photos and realising I'll have no memories of my life from September - November 2011 because there aren't any photos at all. There'll be a time lapse, as though the year of 2011 was only a few months short.

I'm afraid to like/love someone. I can't be myself when i do, due to all the expectations i place on myself and on them. The only way to not do so is to make them a little less important in your life, until nature takes its course and allow them into your life again. But as friends, which is nice too. Hahaha sometimes i think i'll never get married.

ok don't. let. your. emotions. take. control.

Feel like crying every time I think of my econs paper. I'm reading the chapter on globalization for geog now and I get reminded of market structures whenever I see the words 'deregulation' 'product efficiency' 'competition'. It really angers me that my efforts didn't get translated onto the script, they decided to mix the chapters up in one question. And I'm angry with myself for not choosing the other question. Just cause...

I'm angry, angry, angry, angry with.. I don't know what. I'm afraid. That I'd screw up the two subjects I'm supposed to do well in. No wait I think I've screwed them up already. Geog was worse. And it was actually much worse than econs because i made a terrible decision at that time. I don't even want to explain further. Have a 10 mark question that'll haunt me for the rest of my life. Goodbye. Not forgetting another essay question for geog. Goodbye.

Hah I'm ranting. Goodbye.

But I'm more attracted to the weaker side of people, not their strong, confident side.

Because it makes me feel like I can communicate with them.

19 years of my life I've been blindfolded, dipping my hands into a bag. A bag of talents, abilities. Or you can just call them 'skills'. Each time I draw something out, I play with it for awhile and sometimes, a gust of wind comes by and knocks it down.

My mind tells me, your hands are not strong enough to protect it, let it slip, try something else. So I draw something else out of the bag and the same thing happens. Sometimes, I think: life'll be much easier if I could just grab onto ONE thing and be good at it, and be terrible at everything else. not to be 'relatively okay/good' in a few things. But the problem's just with the mind which tells me to let go of anything that doesn't jump out at me. (they call it 'talent') A thought driven by the fear of not being exceptional even after you've tried.

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Many things slip past our fingers, and there is a sense of self-worth tagged to it, a continuous assessment of ourselves. Those assessments don't make you stronger, they weaken you. But how do you get rid of them? You know you have things in your hands, but you say 'not enough, not enough', and the fear springs up, making you lose everything you have.

Some days I feel I'm going nowhere. There is a wide gap between expectations and reality. Where did such sky-high expectations come from? Some people focus on reality and try to lower their expectations to narrow the gap. they get stronger each day. Some focus on what they can do and work hard on meeting their expectations.

Some focus on expectations and fear the reality. A wreck at the end of the day, because no matter how many times they tell you 'I think you'll be fine', that 'potential' always gets converted to fear, a sense of insignificance. Potential? Potential in what? Obviously this fear in me is too strong, because even after much improvement it's still as strong as ever. Stubborn root. .

We're rarely too weak (in our abilities). Just too bloody weak in the mind, or too afraid. I am a resident of my mind, not this world. I think they call it self-absorption.

Time is like butter, it slips away from your fingers. I lost control today.

Completely lost control
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Haven't done anything since I got home after the maths paper 7 hours ago. My brain is tired. And it died on me a little. I didn't tell anyone it died on me cause that might sound like a bloody excuse. But it isn't really an excuse. Because I tried. Well, in the short 3 hours in the freezing classroom.

My (personality) isn't a conducive environment for maths (haha, personality as an environment). Meaning, I don't think the phrase 'my (brain) isn't a conducive environment or wired for maths/any subject' is entirely true. (The words 'brain' and 'wired' makes it sound like nothing can be changed). If personalities can change, so can our 'abilities'. Maybe it's also got to do with the way we choose to pick up information.

I don't like using formulas to do things cause the answer I always get when I ask 'why', is that 'you don't have to know these, just apply the formula'. I can't memorise things because I refuse to remember anything unless I can understand the full picture, but the textbook only requires half the picture sometimes, etc. Too bad, I just can't do these subjects properly (at this point in time). But it's okay.

Maybe all subjects have the potential to be truly, absolutely beautiful. Even artists can love maths/physics, but it HAS to be taught in a way that suits the person's style of thinking, personality. Some people figure out that (certain) way to learn, on their own. Perhaps that's when they're 'naturally' good at that area/field/subject, or it matched their taste when they first got in touch with it. Or many other reasons which I have yet to discover.

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Feel like my brain/personality is not "naturally" shaped for this system (meaning, the A's) and it takes time for someone to change. It's not just about understanding the words you read (which is the part of studying that's so wonderful). There are the linear thoughts, structure, form of application.. and then my terrible tendencies to read too much into simple questions and confuse myself. But I just really hate to think this is impossible for me so.. I'm gonna read something after this.

Actually, I kind of like how it's making me slightly more clear and structured. (Shh, I said 'slightly'.) Don't mind going through this a bizillion times till I get it, and gain a new skill. Then I can choose to use the newly acquired structures or my messy thinking style (that comes in the form of pictures) as and when I like.

'writing helps you find yourself'. Nobody said it has to be 'good writing'. Should've written this earlier, all the wasted time before this.. (Note to self: rewatch sarah kay's speech soon)

Lastly, I kind of like how I don't know who the hell is reading and who is not. There's the freedom to say anything because there isn't a specific audience, while knowing at the same time that they're not entirely bottled up thoughts.

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"And when at last you find someone to whom you feel you can pour out your soul, you stop in shock at the words you utter— they are so rusty, so ugly, so meaningless and feeble from being kept in the small cramped dark inside you so long."
— Sylvia Plath


Got this from my friend (she doesn't really know I took this. Hi now you do, if you're reading this)

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Read it a minute after I thought, 'actually I kind of enjoy locking myself up this year it's not that painful, really'. I don't think I want to pour my soul out after the exams. It must be rather filthy, full of self-centered crap. Gross.

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And what is 'confidence'. Is it to have the confidence that you'll achieve that dream of yours? or is it the confidence that no matter what happens, you are who you are, you are special in your own way, and that not succeeding in one area doesn't mean you're a failure in life?

Maybe it's not confidence I have, I've just come to place of acceptance.

But sometimes I think acceptance is a form of escapism. It's like saying 'it's ok you're like that, don't be too harsh on yourself'. Then you stop trying too hard. I don't think nothing's ever impossible for anyone as long as they keep trying. But what's the point of trying so hard at something you're not naturally good at? (Or am I already tending towards escapism and laziness and what not?)

That thought kind of made me lose my drive. Which is why I'm suspecting it might be escapism under the facade of 'acceptance'.
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Shirin Neshat:

http://www.womenwithoutmenfilm.com/

if only i could write an essay all about honour killings.

Upon more research, I realised that art emotionally tied to issues are obviously more impactful for me, as opposed to those with impressive aesthetic qualities or even brilliance and originality.

well honestly, looking up for content last minute isn't going to be too useful and productive so i'll stop here. the 4 hours just whizzed past. Now why does time pass by so slowly when I'm doing mathematics.

Lesson learnt: it's a blessing to have a school to go to, and teachers to turn to. Teachers are mirrors. And I feel like I'm in a room without one. Not to the extent of being in a dark room of course.

There are certain things beyond the textbook you can't learn on your own. In the context of exams where there are certain requirements to questions. it'll be helpful to have someone to tell you where you've gone wrong.

Will forget about this and move on. Though I must say it really sucks to know that you're not as fine as you actually think you are.

"Forget about it. Just move on."

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Oh god this is so sickening and demoralising can I just rely on my brain on those days and try to relax now. There are close to 20 bloody schools with their papers screaming "I am going to eat you up". Took close to 3 hours to relax cause my brain was in knots and couldn't function at all. Ok bye.

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