People Watching
One of the things I seem to do frequently is observe people’s behavior. It’s not as though I set out to do such a thing, but if I’m waiting on a line or sitting down and having a meal, the hamsters inside my head have to move continuously in their wheels. I know, I know, I never said I was normal!
My guess it’s my desire to understand WHY people do certain things and what the underlying factor that would act as a catalyst for their actions, good or bad.
So I sit (or stand) and observe their behavior. Nothing’s documented, just noted mentally and filed away in a dark corner. It may be used in a conversation or an email or it may never be revisited again and left to dust.
Part of this mental exercise also partakes my personal understanding of the broad concepts and theoretical discussions held in work or school. Like a scientist, there is a need to have usable facts and substantial evidence to back up any theory. I have my own personal theories and I’ll relay them as soon as I isolate a specific or generic incident to substantiate my claims.
Just like that freshman paper on Asian-American assimilation. It was too new, too raw to be introduced, but timing is everything. When I delivered the finalized copy of my paper, Amy Tan had stirred up some public interest on the topic with the “Joy Luck Club”. Although my professors had trashed the topic and accused me of plagiarism, the school later commended on my efforts as being “innovative” and “brilliant”. See what an all-girl school does for geeks like me?
Whatever. I was always the one who embarked and tackled on difficult topics not because I was smart (no, not really), but due to my INTEREST. Common subjects were always the talk of the town and were frequently documented. Most of the subjects I chose had the least amount of printed material or general interest and always required extra work. Instead of writing about the life of William Shakespeare, I researched and crafted a paper about the Elizabethan era. Instead of writing a book report on a stupid Judy Blume novel in the 9th grade, I wrote about “Sybil” and her multiple personalities.
Interestingly enough, you would think that my teachers would encourage me to continue this sort of writing, yes? No. Not at all. I defied the norm, forced them work for their salaries and made the popular kids look like stale cream puffs. I was bestowed with the most unfortunate luck of having assholian teachers and there was nowhere to go but down. But it didn’t deter me. Not one bit.
So I continued my merry way of being unique (and loud) and applying what I’ve seen to what I’ve learned in the past. Unconsciously, I began profiling people and pegging them in categories based on their speech, attitudes and mannerisms. As I grew older, this ability helped me deal with certain individuals at work and speculate their motives.
I speculate because a part of me wants to know WHY. Their actions may not mean much, but again, there’s an underlying cause down there. For example, Lisa had perfectly manicured nails even though she had a bit of financial drought at the time. She wasn’t the vain type, so why was she so frivolous? She wasn't. The poor girl worked 60 hour weeks, got her ass sued over the sale of her house, had no time for herself, and desperately needed pampering to ensure her sanity. Yes, it’s the little things that add up to a much bigger picture than what you see on the surface.
A few years ago, I took an online course which determined what my learning style was and how to overcome my weaknesses in the financial arena. This life-changing lesson shed a new light on what I was observing all of these years and brought it to a whole new level. As a Project Manager, I needed to identify the people who could help me and who could not. It made so much sense to me because I now understood how to reach out someone who didn’t understand the material or to buy into my enhancement project.
It amazes some people how accurate I could be when I start to dissect their individual attributes. They think I’m psychic, but all the while, all it comes from plain observation.
I never knew my observations were called people-watching until I read a quote from Roland Orzabal about one of his songs. I always thought it meant scoping out someone in the dating scene!
Interestingly enough, I don’t do this to my friends or family. For whatever the reason, this only applies to people outside of my personal circle so I would know how to conduct myself w/o looking like some asshole (bottom line: I'm an asshole amongs friends and family! ROFL).
I can easily identify which categories my brother belongs and classify his weaknesses, but I don’t. If I have to give him constructive advice, then I’ll manipulate the comments to benefit him somehow.
Sometimes I let a few slip because I tend to get short-sighted. Since I couldn’t observe the individuals from afar, I will miss those obvious indicators that tell me much more than what comes out of their mouths.
My guess it’s my desire to understand WHY people do certain things and what the underlying factor that would act as a catalyst for their actions, good or bad.
So I sit (or stand) and observe their behavior. Nothing’s documented, just noted mentally and filed away in a dark corner. It may be used in a conversation or an email or it may never be revisited again and left to dust.
Part of this mental exercise also partakes my personal understanding of the broad concepts and theoretical discussions held in work or school. Like a scientist, there is a need to have usable facts and substantial evidence to back up any theory. I have my own personal theories and I’ll relay them as soon as I isolate a specific or generic incident to substantiate my claims.
Just like that freshman paper on Asian-American assimilation. It was too new, too raw to be introduced, but timing is everything. When I delivered the finalized copy of my paper, Amy Tan had stirred up some public interest on the topic with the “Joy Luck Club”. Although my professors had trashed the topic and accused me of plagiarism, the school later commended on my efforts as being “innovative” and “brilliant”. See what an all-girl school does for geeks like me?
Whatever. I was always the one who embarked and tackled on difficult topics not because I was smart (no, not really), but due to my INTEREST. Common subjects were always the talk of the town and were frequently documented. Most of the subjects I chose had the least amount of printed material or general interest and always required extra work. Instead of writing about the life of William Shakespeare, I researched and crafted a paper about the Elizabethan era. Instead of writing a book report on a stupid Judy Blume novel in the 9th grade, I wrote about “Sybil” and her multiple personalities.
Interestingly enough, you would think that my teachers would encourage me to continue this sort of writing, yes? No. Not at all. I defied the norm, forced them work for their salaries and made the popular kids look like stale cream puffs. I was bestowed with the most unfortunate luck of having assholian teachers and there was nowhere to go but down. But it didn’t deter me. Not one bit.
So I continued my merry way of being unique (and loud) and applying what I’ve seen to what I’ve learned in the past. Unconsciously, I began profiling people and pegging them in categories based on their speech, attitudes and mannerisms. As I grew older, this ability helped me deal with certain individuals at work and speculate their motives.
I speculate because a part of me wants to know WHY. Their actions may not mean much, but again, there’s an underlying cause down there. For example, Lisa had perfectly manicured nails even though she had a bit of financial drought at the time. She wasn’t the vain type, so why was she so frivolous? She wasn't. The poor girl worked 60 hour weeks, got her ass sued over the sale of her house, had no time for herself, and desperately needed pampering to ensure her sanity. Yes, it’s the little things that add up to a much bigger picture than what you see on the surface.
A few years ago, I took an online course which determined what my learning style was and how to overcome my weaknesses in the financial arena. This life-changing lesson shed a new light on what I was observing all of these years and brought it to a whole new level. As a Project Manager, I needed to identify the people who could help me and who could not. It made so much sense to me because I now understood how to reach out someone who didn’t understand the material or to buy into my enhancement project.
It amazes some people how accurate I could be when I start to dissect their individual attributes. They think I’m psychic, but all the while, all it comes from plain observation.
I never knew my observations were called people-watching until I read a quote from Roland Orzabal about one of his songs. I always thought it meant scoping out someone in the dating scene!
Interestingly enough, I don’t do this to my friends or family. For whatever the reason, this only applies to people outside of my personal circle so I would know how to conduct myself w/o looking like some asshole (bottom line: I'm an asshole amongs friends and family! ROFL).
I can easily identify which categories my brother belongs and classify his weaknesses, but I don’t. If I have to give him constructive advice, then I’ll manipulate the comments to benefit him somehow.
Sometimes I let a few slip because I tend to get short-sighted. Since I couldn’t observe the individuals from afar, I will miss those obvious indicators that tell me much more than what comes out of their mouths.
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always keep your nails well manicured. your hands are the first thing people notice about you and they speak volumes about you. A smart French manicure will take you places.
