Megan Fox Site: September 2010

Blood Type and Your Personality- Is There a Relation?

Ever wondered why some of us are sociable and the rest are introvert? Ever given a thought on what makes people react differently in the same situation? Ever pondered what exactly determines our personality? Well, a very popular and interesting Japanese belief says that our blood type determines our personality.

For Japanese, blood is definitely thicker than water!

Furukawa Takeji (1891-1940), a doctor, was the one who proposed the idea that there is a relation between the personality and the blood type. Quite amusingly, the idea was prompted by the West. The people in the West thought that the Asians are closely related to the animals as most of the Asians and animals share the same B-type blood. Thus, they are the inferior race. This prompted a great deal of research on blood psychology, particularly in Japan. It gave birth to a new idea of blood type-personality. Studies were carried out to know how the blood type can affect various areas of our lives; including career, relationships and leisure.

When in Japan, follow the blood!

In the absence of any concrete proof, the scientific community dismisses the concept of blood type-based personality. However, this doesn’t stop the Japanese to follow the blood. Companies in Japan even divide the work force based on their blood type. It is rumored that during the World War II, the Imperial Army of Japan formed battle groups on the basis of blood type. This method is also adapted by the schools for better teaching techniques. Dating services use blood groups to check the compatibility.

So, what’s your personality?

Type O- The Warrior
Positives: Loyal, Leadership, Passionate, Trend-setter, Self-confident, Independent
Negatives: Over-ambitious, Vain, Jealous
The famous Os: John Lennon, Queen Elizabeth II, Elvis Presley, Paul Newman

Type A- The Farmer
Positives: Patient, Calm, Sensitive, Responsible
Negatives: Stubborn, Over-cautious, Restless
The famous As: George Bush Senior, Adolf Hitler, Britney Spears, Ringo Starr

Type B- The Hunter
Positives: Individualist, Strong, Optimistic, Creative, Flexible
Negatives: Rebellious, Wild, Unpredictable
The famous Bs: Paul McCartney, Akira Kurosawa, Leonardo Di Caprio, Jack Nicholson

Type AB- The Humanist
Positives: Controlled, Rational, Popular, Sociable
Negatives: Standoffish, Critical, Indecisive
The famous ABs: John F Kennedy, Mick Jaggar, Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Chan

With whom are you compatible?

Type A with A and AB
Type B with B and AB
Type AB with A, B, AB and O
Type O with O and AB

What Your Car Says About You

Young men drive Camaros, soccer moms drive minivans, and rich snobs drive Bentleys. We usually associate a certain type of car with a certain type of person, but do we really know who’s behind the wheel? After all, our perception of a car is largely based on how it was marketed—Volvos for safety, Porsches for speed. But it can be tough to decipher whether people buy a car because they think it will make them out to be something they are or may not be, or because the same group of people always buy the same type of car. That’s because psychographics—grouping customers according to beliefs and attitudes and selling them products to fit their group—is at play.

So what does your car say about you? What is that SUV driver really supposed to be like? Here’s a clue.

Small Car: Prius, Honda Civic, Smart Car

According to a study by researchers at UC Davis, small car drivers are more pro-environmental and prefer higher density neighborhoods than drivers of others types of cars. This isn’t surprising; if you live in a big city, it’s simply easier to park with a small car and if you’re concerned about the environment, you’ll want something that’s more fuel-efficient. Small car drivers, unlike other categories of drivers, don’t necessarily see their cars as a ticket to freedom. They aren’t workaholics or status seekers who try to display wealth. They want to lessen their impact on the earth and have a reliable car—and find a parking spot.

Mid-Sized Car: Chevrolet Sedan

The authors of the study found that “mid-sized car drivers have no distinct travel attitude, personality, lifestyle, mobility, or travel-liking characteristics.” Ouch! Does that mean they’re totally boring? Maybe, or maybe just pragmatic, or maybe they got their cars as a hand-me-down. The owners were more likely to be female and homemakers; they also had higher incomes.

If you’re driving an American-made sedan, you might belong to the group psychographers call “belongers.” That’s those who need to belong to a group, are very nationalistic, and don’t like change. The stereotype of this person is someone who lives in an average town in the Midwest. When not driving a sedan, they may also be in a U.S.-made pickup or station wagon.

Luxury Cars: Cadillac, Lexus

Those who drive luxury cars are—no surprise—status seekers; they also are more apt to drive long distances. Men and older or retired people are more likely to drive luxury cars. In particular, luxury car drivers are over-represented among highly-educated and higher-income people.

In psychographic lingo, the “achievers”—profit-oriented workaholics who like being independent—are also likely to drive luxury cars and/or sports cars.

Sports Cars: BMW, Porsches
Those who are adventure seekers (even if they never get out of the car) drive sports cars. They’re not calm and are more likely than average to have a college degree. Surprisingly, based on the cost of most sports cars, they were more likely to have lower incomes. Some of these may fall into the category of “emulator”—younger, financially unstable, low self-esteem people who buy flashy cars that aren’t true sports or luxury cars to try to emulate achievers.

Minivan/Van
In the study, minivan drivers tended to be calm and weren’t loners. (Who would buy such a big car just for themselves?) They enjoyed traveling in their car; they were more likely to live in the suburbs, be females, homemakers, and aged forty-one to sixty-four, and surprise surprise, have children.

Pickup
In the study, pickup drivers don’t like high-density living situations and are more likely to be dissatisfied with their lives. They tend to be workaholics, have lower education, be full-time employees, have service related jobs, and be middle-income.

SUV
It’s not surprising that people who favored larger cars were less environmentally-minded. SUV drivers, in particular, also liked to travel short distances in their cars. They were more likely to be suburbanites, aged forty or younger. The drivers came from larger households that were more likely to have children.

Not only might the type of car you drive say something about you, so does the color. According to a survey done in Great Britain, certain colors indicate certain personalities. Here are some generalities:

Black: aggressive personality, rebel

Silver: cool, calm, may be a loner

Green: reactive

Yellow: idealistic

Blue: introspective, reflective, and cautious

Red: someone who is full of energy and pizzazz

White: status seekers, gregarious

Cream: contained and controlled

Whether we choose cars for how we want others to perceive us, or if we are simply concerned with price and function, what we drive can send some serious messages

Hobo Symbols

Such a Friendly Squirrel

Photographer Justin Minns has saved a squirrel when it fell down the tree and broke its leg. He took care of the animal, and now the squirrel lives in his house together with his cat. The saved pet freely walks around the house and steals snacks.

1. Everything has begun with a jar with nuts.

2. It was not difficult to get inside the house.

3. Now it’s time to roll the jar and get the nuts.

4. Well, some nuts don’t wanna leave their “home”.

5. Now I can take some snacks with me…

6. … and be careful when passing by the security guard.

7. Hooray!

What the NZ Earthquake did to University of Canterbury Closure

Top 9 ways to get happy in the next 30 minutes

In the next half hour, tackle as many of the following suggestions as possible. Not only will these tasks themselves increase your happiness, but the mere fact that you've achieved some concrete goals will boost your mood.

1. Raise your activity level to pump up your energy. If you're on the phone, stand up and pace. Walk to a coworker's office instead of sending an e-mail. Put more energy into your voice. Take a brisk 10-minute walk. Even better...

2. Take a walk outside. Research suggests that light stimulates brain chemicals that improve mood. For an extra boost, get your sunlight first thing in the morning.

3. Reach out. Send an e-mail to a friend you haven't seen in a while, or reach out to someone new. Having close bonds with other people is one of the most important keys to happiness. When you act in a friendly way, not only will others feel more friendly toward you, but you'll also strengthen your feelings of friendliness for other people.

4. Rid yourself of a nagging task. Deal with that insurance problem, purchase something you need, or make that long-postponed appointment with the dentist. Crossing an irksome chore off your to-do list will give you a rush of elation.

5. Create a more serene environment. Outer order contributes to inner peace, so spend some time organizing bills and tackling the piles in the kitchen. A large stack of little tasks can feel overwhelming, but often just a few minutes of work can make a sizable dent. Set the timer for 10 minutes and see what you can do.

6. Do a good deed. Introduce two people by e-mail, take a minute to pass along useful information, or deliver some gratifying praise. In fact, you can also...

7. Save someone's life. Sign up to be an organ donor, and remember to tell your family about your decision. Do good, feel good―it really works!

8. Act happy. Fake it 'til you feel it. Research shows that even an artificially induced smile boosts your mood. And if you're smiling, other people will perceive you as being friendlier and more approachable. There's no need to walk around in a constant state of worry.

9. Learn something new. Think of a subject that you wish you knew more about and spend 15 minutes on the Internet reading about it, or go to a bookstore and buy a book about it. But be honest! Pick a topic that really interests you, not something you think you "should" or "need to" learn about.