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On many counts, I am exceptionally pleased that I have a Type A personality.

People with Type A personalities are known to be go-getters, and are seriously driven for success. Unfortunately, they can also come across as being highly-competitive – although it is an apparent necessity in today’s fast-paced world. They have extremely high tolerances for stress and pressure, which puts them one leg up above the rest because they are able to press on much longer.

But, it is also no secret that Type A people can end up being highly unhappy people (since they are very rarely satisfied). Plus, although it may seem at first that Type A people are pretty invincible against crumbling under stress and pressure – when they eventually do give in, they fall. Very hard.

The first time I discovered I have a Type A personality was way back in 2005. However, I did another online quiz out of curiosity and that seems to have changed.

Type A Personality test – my results.

Now, I am somewhere in the middle – or so the above quiz says. But I do see many signs of the Type A personality I’ve mentioned so much about manifesting like whoa on a day to day basis, particularly the past three weeks.

Most dominant is my attitude towards work. I set expectations on what I want to accomplish and complete by the end of each day, and I do everything within my means to meet those expectations, or even exceed them if possible. Assuming that I sought to complete tasks A, B and C by the end of the day, completing what I had set out to do puts my mind at ease – although I am largely indifferent or just a little bit happy. Doing all that, including tasks D and E will give me inexplicable pleasure.

But.

If I complete only tasks A and B and miss out C, I torture myself mentally. Not consciously, though – it happens without me realizing it. But seriously, dude – when I bash myself up mentally, I really mean a good, solid mental bashing.

It doesn’t help that I also have generally high expectations about myself on top of work. So, if I happen to miss the mark on any particular day, hoo boy! It doesn’t matter about environmental factors, or if anything major had happened in recent days that caused me to miss the mark. If I miss the mark, I miss the mark. (And generally, I pretty much pride myself in being able to get things done despite it all.)

Recently, I am falling short of my own expectations way too much. I have leftover tasks at the end of quite a number of days which accumulates, leaving my to-do list seemingly never-ending. I admit, loads of stuff have been happening lately (mostly health-related), but I don’t like to use it as a reason and pretty much chucked it out of the window as an excuse.

As a result, I’ve been mentally bashing myself up like crazy. Feeling as if I’m letting other people down only forms part of the reason. The most part is because I disappointed myself.

It’s damn bloody unhealthy, I know. But it’s difficult to stop.

My mind has been trained to think this way for the longest time, and old habits die hard.

It is amazing how I allow me to feel so bad about myself even without even receiving a telling-to. (And I know at this point, most of my closest friends who are reading this will be nodding their heads in agreement.)

If the above sounds seriously wacko to you and you are a Type-A personality, then I must say something is seriously wrong (with me, that is). If you have ways on preventing your Type-A alter-ego from taking you over, please share … because I think I seriously need it at the moment!

After my appointment at the cardiologist’s earlier in the day, I set off for some scenic exploration in the western parts of Singapore yesterday, particularly Hindhede Nature Park and Little Gui Lin 小桂林.

Major thanks to the mum for driving me around. Recent health events left me with sliiiiiight physical limitations but I wanted to be up and about anyway, so yay! Thankfully, the scenic spots we explored today were pretty accessible without too much exertion as well.

The weather was pretty awesome for photography. Clear blue skies with little white fluffy clouds to add some character and variation to the captures. A little too warm for my liking, though – but this is Singapore and I am a Singaporean (who is unfortunately, still yearning a little too much for cold weather) – so I’d better get used to this all over again.

We stumbled upon the Hindhede Nature Park by mistake, actually. En route to Little Gui Lin 小桂林, we made a wrong turn and while trying to right that wrong, somehow spotted a sign leading to Hindhede Nature Park and decided to take a look around.

Hindhede Quarry.

The Hindhede Quarry was located within the Hindhede Nature Park. A mere ten minute walk along a wooden boardwalk would easily take you there. There were a couple of little huts along the way (mmm, picnic!), and quite a few playground fixtures (which I soooo wanted to play on, but nearly impossible with a DSLR dangling from my neck).

The lookout point overlooking the quarry was quiet. It helped that it was a weekday and barely a soul was there. (So I could enjoy the view and take my time without any kids and families ruining the atmosphere. Heh.)

Hindhede Quarry, with satellite towers in the background.

I was looking around for a boardwalk that takes you right next to the water’s edge but there was none. It would be really great if we could get up close and personal with the rock formations at the quarry too. Mmm, ideas for boardwalk extensions, anyone?

There were a few more quarries in the vicinity but I’d leave those for another time, as they involved longer treks. Oh, and yes – keep a lookout for some squirrel sightings as you walk on the boardwalk! I spotted this really adorable fella, but it scooted away and eluded me when I tried to photograph it. :(

Little Gui Lin 小桂林 was just a short drive away from Hindhede Nature Park. (You know, judging by the maps in the street directory, I’ve decided that people living in the western area of Singapore are really, really lucky because they have loads of nature spots in that area to unwind. The eastern park – where I live – has barely anything.)

Rock formations at Little Gui Lin 小桂林.

Little Gui Lin 小桂林 is actually really, really pretty. However, being located right next to a built-up housing estate takes some of the beauty away. Facing the lake, the sound of engines rumbling from the cars and buses on the main road directly behind is clearly audible – which is really a pity. Ah, well. Ear plugs should work, huh?

Oh, there is a school directly beside Little Gui Lin 小桂林 as well, which means dating students were aplenty, not to mention groups of rowdy students just looking for a place to hang out. But they were mostly confined towards the far corner of the park, so it wasn’t too bad.

Hello there!

Strolled around for a bit, and found a couple of really awesome hiding spots (which were unfortunately, already occupied by dating couples so I’ll try my luck again next time). The park isn’t that big, so it should be a pretty friendly place to explore. There used to be a hiking trail lurking around somewhere but I heard that it was closed a few years’ back because of landslides (!!!).

Guilin Park, with condominiums playing peekaboo in the distance.

Note: The condominiums you see in the picture are located a couple of streets away. Whereas directly in front of that lake (and the rock formation) were several high-density housing blocks.

Yeah, like I said – I really envy the people living in the immediate vicinity of Little Gui Lin 小桂林. Imagine waking up to a view like this every single day. I guess having a scenic spot so close to a housing estate has its pros and cons.

The place is really accessible as well. There’s a bus stop just in front of it, and it is a mere five-minute walk from the train station. Or perhaps I shouldn’t rave too much about how accessible it is before the place starts to get overly crowded. Hmm.

Would most definitely continue poking around the various scenic spots in Singapore. Perhaps one or two a week – sounds like a good plan, no? And yeah, to also return to those I’ve already visited to satisfy my shutterbug urges.

(The above exploration only took slightly less than two hours. I couldn’t exert myself too much at the moment, but managed to see a lot despite it all. (; Having a car – and a mum willing to drive you – really helps. But … I want to head back again to have a thorough walk around in a few weeks. Who’s in?)