Friday 30 November 2012
My Dream~~
Hahaha I thought is was funny to had to actually talk about a dream I have/had and since its awkward to actually type it.. I decided to make a video~~
5 Miles per Second
This is a blog assignment requested by Mr. Hardip of writing a partly fictional story..
The Prelude
For my whole life I had a secluded upbringing, my father a lawyer was strict and my sisters and I were often kept indoors.. We were not allowed to play with the other kids in the neighborhood. I had only books to accompany me, I loathed my father for the restrain he held on us. I was naturally a bright student and was offered a place of higher education away from home. After much arguments with my father he finally decided to let me go. The freedom I felt could not be described with words. It was like seeing the light or the sky for the first time. It was then I met this man, he called himself Ali. It was fun to have someone that I could actually bond with without my father's meddling. Ali then introduced me to his group of friends, they called themselves "The Brotherhood". The Brotherhood had a leader whom they did not mention, they just referred to him as "The Godfather". They made me feel at home, never did I once feel truly belonged as they made me feel. But to be apart of The Brotherhood was no easy feat. The group demanded absolute loyalty and to prove it, we did dangerous things, some even illegal. My final test of loyalty came to me one day, and it was a task that required my life in exchange for the prosperity of The Brotherhood. I was honored and more than willing to lay down my life for being chosen for such an exalted task. My name is Mehan Atta.
(Tracey's Story) September 9, 2001 9:05am Florida
Young Tracey watched as a man in a suit walked up to the President and whispered in his ear. The President nodded a few times and resumed reading the storybook he was holding aloud to us.
(Jeffrey's Story) September 9, 2001 R.J Junior High School
12-year old Jeffery was call to the principal's office. Thinking he was in it for "Big Time" he followed the Ms. Rosa, the French teacher, to the office. Upon arriving the principal looked at Jeffrey with quiet eyes and shook his head. Ms. Rosa then hurriedly ushered the boy into a car and brought him home.
Mrs. Rosenzweig did not answer the door as she normally would do so Ms. Rosa opened it and went in with Jeffrey. Loud sobs echoed from the living room, Ms. Rosenzweig was there holding 5-year old Rick who looked bewildered at the drama their mother was putting on.
(Rena's Story) September 9, 2001 Acton
Father was shaking even though he was holding both Jamie and I in his arms.
(Tracey's Story) September 16, 2001
Mommy and Daddy brought me here to pray they said. There was a woman holding a picture in a frame, talking about a brave lady. I saw a red-haired girl wearing a black dress, she was holding the hand of a little boy next to her. A big man was standing behind them. His hands were on their shoulders, there were tears silently falling from his eyes.
Next to them, there was a woman who was wailing very loudly while holding two boys.
-10 YEARS LATER-
September 11, 2011
Tracey's Story
Tracey once again attends the September 11 memorial. There was the usual Madeline Amy Sweeney Award presentation for Brave Civilians. Amy Sweeney was a flight attendant aboard Flight 11 during the September 11 attacks. She was credited for bravely informing the authorities of the hijacked plane even through the critical moments. Tracey held the flight attendant in her heart as an idol. The girl with red hair was present again (Rena) , she would always attend the memorial as well. Tracey decided to go talk to her after the memorial.
Rena's Story
Rena hated the memorial. She hated how she had to be in public's eye, how her father would always have to be the one on the stage to present that award. Everyone would just throw them their sympathetic looks but what did they know about the loss that she felt? Jamie was silent as usual.. From that day onward, he refused to speak unless he was addressed. The girl across her was eyeing her in a way that made her feel nervous, Mrs. Rosenzweig from the neighborhood was wailing as usual, her two sons stood silently behind her. "I wished she'd stop that" thought Rena. Mrs. Rosenzweig for all she knew was just being a drama queen, the woman was due to be re-married in January. Rena silently hoped that the memorial would end soon.
Jeffrey's Story
The memorial had its usual bleak atmosphere. Mother was wailing as usual, she always do when Dad is mentioned. Though his mother was getting re-married soon, Jeffrey could not shake off the feeling of unease at his mother's decision. The girl from the neighborhood, Rena was it? was there as well with her younger brother. Her mother who was a flight attendant had been aboard the same flight with his father during the September 11 attacks. Jeffrey also noticed some strange men in suits standing the corner whispering to each other, he dismissed them in a blink of an eye.
Tracey's Story
Tracey approached Rena after the memorial service and introduced herself. She was delighted to finally talk to the daughter of her idol.
Rena's Story
Rena was being constantly bugged by that girl, Tracey who followed her all around since that day at the memorial. Tracey was obsessed with her mother so much it made Rena feel uncomfortable. The last thing she needed right now was a parrot who was constantly reminding her of things she do not want to hear. What's worse its that Jeffrey Rosenzweig the son of the wailing lady seem to have his eyes on her lately as well. It was bad enough already that his mother would frequently come to drop by and have some teary session while talking to her father about her late husband Mr. Rosenzweig. Rena really didn't need all this now in her life.
Jeffrey's Story
Jeffrey had been quietly investigating the men in suits from that day. He noticed somehow that they were often around Rena. He had been wanting to talk to her about it, to see if they were some people her father knew. But unfortunately he was always getting the cold shoulder from her. "Teenage brat" he muttered to himself.
CROSSROADS
Jeffrey's Story
After much digging, Jeffrey discovers that the men the suits are members of the al-Qaeda group and their plans is to teach the family of the flight attendant, Amy Sweeney for revealing the description of the hijacker that lead the U.S authorities to discover their involvement. Jeffrey was about to warn Rena but he was too late.
Rena's Story
Some weird men appear and kidnapped Tracey. After a surprising turn of events, Rena then discovers the objective of the suited men from Jeffrey. Now they must work together in order to save Tracey before the kidnappers find out that they have made a mistake.
WORD FROM THE SCRIPTWRITER
Hahaha yes, you all probably would of guess by now.. my story takes its hold based on the September 11 attacks. Basically what happen was that the members of the al-Qaeda group lead by Osama bin Ladin hijacked some aircrafts and crashed them into the World Trade Center, The Pentagon, Shanksville (original target was the United States Capitol Building but the passengers on board put up a really tough fight against the hijackers)
The story of Madeline Amy Sweeney is true and so is the death of Mrs. Rosenzweig's husband. The names of their children have been altered and also their affiliations with each other. The President was indeed at an elementary school in Florida when the events unfolded. The hijacker Mehan Atta is also a real. His real name is Muhammad Atta and can be searched on Google.
Disclaimer : This story is partly fictional and it is by no means a reliable source of information.
The Prelude
For my whole life I had a secluded upbringing, my father a lawyer was strict and my sisters and I were often kept indoors.. We were not allowed to play with the other kids in the neighborhood. I had only books to accompany me, I loathed my father for the restrain he held on us. I was naturally a bright student and was offered a place of higher education away from home. After much arguments with my father he finally decided to let me go. The freedom I felt could not be described with words. It was like seeing the light or the sky for the first time. It was then I met this man, he called himself Ali. It was fun to have someone that I could actually bond with without my father's meddling. Ali then introduced me to his group of friends, they called themselves "The Brotherhood". The Brotherhood had a leader whom they did not mention, they just referred to him as "The Godfather". They made me feel at home, never did I once feel truly belonged as they made me feel. But to be apart of The Brotherhood was no easy feat. The group demanded absolute loyalty and to prove it, we did dangerous things, some even illegal. My final test of loyalty came to me one day, and it was a task that required my life in exchange for the prosperity of The Brotherhood. I was honored and more than willing to lay down my life for being chosen for such an exalted task. My name is Mehan Atta.
(Tracey's Story) September 9, 2001 9:05am Florida
Young Tracey watched as a man in a suit walked up to the President and whispered in his ear. The President nodded a few times and resumed reading the storybook he was holding aloud to us.
(Jeffrey's Story) September 9, 2001 R.J Junior High School
12-year old Jeffery was call to the principal's office. Thinking he was in it for "Big Time" he followed the Ms. Rosa, the French teacher, to the office. Upon arriving the principal looked at Jeffrey with quiet eyes and shook his head. Ms. Rosa then hurriedly ushered the boy into a car and brought him home.
Mrs. Rosenzweig did not answer the door as she normally would do so Ms. Rosa opened it and went in with Jeffrey. Loud sobs echoed from the living room, Ms. Rosenzweig was there holding 5-year old Rick who looked bewildered at the drama their mother was putting on.
(Rena's Story) September 9, 2001 Acton
Father was shaking even though he was holding both Jamie and I in his arms.
(Tracey's Story) September 16, 2001
Mommy and Daddy brought me here to pray they said. There was a woman holding a picture in a frame, talking about a brave lady. I saw a red-haired girl wearing a black dress, she was holding the hand of a little boy next to her. A big man was standing behind them. His hands were on their shoulders, there were tears silently falling from his eyes.
Next to them, there was a woman who was wailing very loudly while holding two boys.
-10 YEARS LATER-
September 11, 2011
Tracey's Story
Tracey once again attends the September 11 memorial. There was the usual Madeline Amy Sweeney Award presentation for Brave Civilians. Amy Sweeney was a flight attendant aboard Flight 11 during the September 11 attacks. She was credited for bravely informing the authorities of the hijacked plane even through the critical moments. Tracey held the flight attendant in her heart as an idol. The girl with red hair was present again (Rena) , she would always attend the memorial as well. Tracey decided to go talk to her after the memorial.
Rena's Story
Rena hated the memorial. She hated how she had to be in public's eye, how her father would always have to be the one on the stage to present that award. Everyone would just throw them their sympathetic looks but what did they know about the loss that she felt? Jamie was silent as usual.. From that day onward, he refused to speak unless he was addressed. The girl across her was eyeing her in a way that made her feel nervous, Mrs. Rosenzweig from the neighborhood was wailing as usual, her two sons stood silently behind her. "I wished she'd stop that" thought Rena. Mrs. Rosenzweig for all she knew was just being a drama queen, the woman was due to be re-married in January. Rena silently hoped that the memorial would end soon.
Jeffrey's Story
The memorial had its usual bleak atmosphere. Mother was wailing as usual, she always do when Dad is mentioned. Though his mother was getting re-married soon, Jeffrey could not shake off the feeling of unease at his mother's decision. The girl from the neighborhood, Rena was it? was there as well with her younger brother. Her mother who was a flight attendant had been aboard the same flight with his father during the September 11 attacks. Jeffrey also noticed some strange men in suits standing the corner whispering to each other, he dismissed them in a blink of an eye.
Tracey's Story
Tracey approached Rena after the memorial service and introduced herself. She was delighted to finally talk to the daughter of her idol.
Rena's Story
Rena was being constantly bugged by that girl, Tracey who followed her all around since that day at the memorial. Tracey was obsessed with her mother so much it made Rena feel uncomfortable. The last thing she needed right now was a parrot who was constantly reminding her of things she do not want to hear. What's worse its that Jeffrey Rosenzweig the son of the wailing lady seem to have his eyes on her lately as well. It was bad enough already that his mother would frequently come to drop by and have some teary session while talking to her father about her late husband Mr. Rosenzweig. Rena really didn't need all this now in her life.
Jeffrey's Story
Jeffrey had been quietly investigating the men in suits from that day. He noticed somehow that they were often around Rena. He had been wanting to talk to her about it, to see if they were some people her father knew. But unfortunately he was always getting the cold shoulder from her. "Teenage brat" he muttered to himself.
CROSSROADS
Jeffrey's Story
After much digging, Jeffrey discovers that the men the suits are members of the al-Qaeda group and their plans is to teach the family of the flight attendant, Amy Sweeney for revealing the description of the hijacker that lead the U.S authorities to discover their involvement. Jeffrey was about to warn Rena but he was too late.
Rena's Story
Some weird men appear and kidnapped Tracey. After a surprising turn of events, Rena then discovers the objective of the suited men from Jeffrey. Now they must work together in order to save Tracey before the kidnappers find out that they have made a mistake.
WORD FROM THE SCRIPTWRITER
Hahaha yes, you all probably would of guess by now.. my story takes its hold based on the September 11 attacks. Basically what happen was that the members of the al-Qaeda group lead by Osama bin Ladin hijacked some aircrafts and crashed them into the World Trade Center, The Pentagon, Shanksville (original target was the United States Capitol Building but the passengers on board put up a really tough fight against the hijackers)
The story of Madeline Amy Sweeney is true and so is the death of Mrs. Rosenzweig's husband. The names of their children have been altered and also their affiliations with each other. The President was indeed at an elementary school in Florida when the events unfolded. The hijacker Mehan Atta is also a real. His real name is Muhammad Atta and can be searched on Google.
Disclaimer : This story is partly fictional and it is by no means a reliable source of information.
Thursday 29 November 2012
An escape that will cost
From the Books lecture by Mr.Hardip Singh
Books are defined as the least "mass" of the mass media but has profound cultural impact on society and is among the oldest and most enduring of mass media. Ever wondered why?
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Books are defined as the least "mass" of the mass media but has profound cultural impact on society and is among the oldest and most enduring of mass media. Ever wondered why?
Well for most of my part, I think books still survive due to the fact most fiction readers read for escapism. I started reading at a very young age because of depression. My primary school years weren't the most joyful times.. I was often isolated by others because I was "different" my teachers were not at all helpful, instead they often practiced favouritism among the students. The clever, witty one were preferred and the quiet and not so intelligent ones were treated as "naughty".
So I begun reading to avoid the world. It wasn't very long before I found a particular genre that held my attention till today. FANTASY. It's name said it all. A place where one can run away to, a different time, a different world, a different dimension. I became addicted to reading fantasy books and lived through the characters. Imagining how they would react to situations and what they would say to other were my past day dreams.. Among my all time favourites are Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, Ranger's Apprentice, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Belgariad and it's sequel The Mallorean and etc.
( This is the 1st of a 5-part series book )
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Belgariad
The fantasy books that made my top list ALL had a very common factor. The story would always begin with a protagonist who is "nobody" and as the story unfolds he would turn out to be a "chosen one" who would save others. Its not a big surprise why I favour this genre now isn't it? These books gave me an alternate reality to live in where everything would always be on "my side" but the effects of its addiction were a big price to pay. I begun skipping school just to lock myself up in my room to read. From daybreak to wee hours of the night. I talked to nobody and zoned out from the world.
It took awhile for me to kick that habit and revert back to reality around me. I realized then I was missing out of the really fun things in life. But those days will always be a part of me now..
Nevertheless there are irreplaceable things that I learnt from these books and the most important is ANYBODY CAN BE SOMEBODY.
\
The book of all Trades
From the Magazine lecture by Mr. Hardip Singh
Picked up a magazine lately? Tell me what you see... models, gadgets, articles, reviews, horoscopes, advice columns and so on!! No wonder its such a joy to read a magazine :)
Though its sad to say I'm not much of a magazine fan... (wait wait wait!!) BUT when I reached the age of 10, I begin reading this Malay magazine which was translated version of some weekly manga(s) (japanese cartoon) Hahaha I know I shared this in class but lets hear the full story kays? ;)
Well truth to be told is I already had a love for japanese animation since I was about 5 years old.. I remember watching stuff like Slam Dunk, Ayashi No Ceres, Samurai X, Rave and many others more on TV. Then came the dark ages when my TV went to the Lord and my siblings and I were stranded with no entertainment outlet... Internet didn't come to us till I was like 14 years old and so in between that gap of 4 years from when I was 10 to 14, my brothers and I found.... KREKO!!
This magazine was like "the holy book" during those dark ages. I can still recall how my brothers and I would race to be the first person to get the latest issue (sibling rivalry as usual :P) and the one who got it first would be the spoiler and tell what happen in the latest chapters to other and we'd have a "I'll tear that damn thing when he's not looking" moment.
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Though that "holy book" was the cause of the many wars that happened, the one thing it had encouraged me to do was to pick up manga styled drawing :) Yup you read right! I USED to be that anime chick who'd draw made-up characters on the back of my exam papers to pass time... ( I have no idea why do they still give us 2 hours and 30 mins for Bahasa Melayu paper =.=)
I'm not much of an artist and since its been a LONG while since I have the leisure time of drawing it was really one of the best periods of my life being so engrossed in the world where dreams came true ;)
Picked up a magazine lately? Tell me what you see... models, gadgets, articles, reviews, horoscopes, advice columns and so on!! No wonder its such a joy to read a magazine :)
Though its sad to say I'm not much of a magazine fan... (wait wait wait!!) BUT when I reached the age of 10, I begin reading this Malay magazine which was translated version of some weekly manga(s) (japanese cartoon) Hahaha I know I shared this in class but lets hear the full story kays? ;)
Well truth to be told is I already had a love for japanese animation since I was about 5 years old.. I remember watching stuff like Slam Dunk, Ayashi No Ceres, Samurai X, Rave and many others more on TV. Then came the dark ages when my TV went to the Lord and my siblings and I were stranded with no entertainment outlet... Internet didn't come to us till I was like 14 years old and so in between that gap of 4 years from when I was 10 to 14, my brothers and I found.... KREKO!!
This magazine was like "the holy book" during those dark ages. I can still recall how my brothers and I would race to be the first person to get the latest issue (sibling rivalry as usual :P) and the one who got it first would be the spoiler and tell what happen in the latest chapters to other and we'd have a "I'll tear that damn thing when he's not looking" moment.
Though that "holy book" was the cause of the many wars that happened, the one thing it had encouraged me to do was to pick up manga styled drawing :) Yup you read right! I USED to be that anime chick who'd draw made-up characters on the back of my exam papers to pass time... ( I have no idea why do they still give us 2 hours and 30 mins for Bahasa Melayu paper =.=)
I'm not much of an artist and since its been a LONG while since I have the leisure time of drawing it was really one of the best periods of my life being so engrossed in the world where dreams came true ;)
Saturday 24 November 2012
Angle of angles
From the Camera Angle Shots lecture by Mr. Hardip Singh
They say a picture speaks a thousand words. Every stroke a story, every detail a meaning, and every dot a purpose. So yea this is basically a blog post on a few angles though my eyes...
What do you think about this picture?
Now what do you think about this picture?
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They say a picture speaks a thousand words. Every stroke a story, every detail a meaning, and every dot a purpose. So yea this is basically a blog post on a few angles though my eyes...
What do you think about this picture?
My lecturer told us in class that when shooting a scene like this one should leave some space in front of the runner so that it won't look like he'll "HIT" that imaginary wall of emptiness in the front. (Well not to argue with my lecturer cause he DOES have a point from the view he has on the picture... Now this is my view >.<) I basically think that picture without the space in front of the runner has a meaning by itself... and how I deciphered it was easy... To me this a picture of accomplishment. Its a picture of a runner who has finished the long race and he is headed toward an END. While looking at the picture it was so natural for me to focus on that "space" behind the runner and see the story of that particular space. That space behind him signifies how far he had come, the distance he conquered, the legacy left behind. And then still preserving he is heading on to the FINISH line. (That apparent blank space)
Now what do you think about this picture?
If you thought the word "beginning" the I say you thought right.. To every end there was always a beginning, and to every beginning a dream of an end. (For elaboration sake I'll explain :P) as what we (or should I say I?) observed just now the meaning of the space in the picture and how it is the major part of the story that is told in the picture. This picture, it shows us/me a race that is YET to be ran, it brings us the picture of a runner, young, eager, impatient.... hmmm lets make it more close-to-heart a TEENAGER young, eager, impatient to live his life. We see him in high spirits moving ever forward to experience the life he has in front of him.
Now take a look at the final picture
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You'll probably be able to guess by now (I guess :P) This is the sad part when you are in the middle of life running, but the end does not seem near and the the beginning seems far.. You have been running and you've lost track of the importance of why you are running. Everything just feels like another load of burden and you and you've lost the joy of living life.... Don't worry, though the race is still long. Don't give up, because your reward will be great. Don't say "it's enough!!, because at the end you will wish you had given more..
So just to summarize things... I really hope you all have understood the message I was trying to get across... (IF you didn't you can go flush your head down the toilet bowl... hahaha no just kidding :P ) Well basically what I'm trying to say here is EVERY ANGLE has its meaning, though it may not "LOOK" nice but, look deeper cause there will always be a story to tell when you discover it.
And DO NOT give in because at the end of your race your reward will definitely be GREAT :)
Thursday 27 September 2012
Newspaper? Why Not?
From the Newspaper lecture by Mr. Hardip Singh
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newspaper
Living in the tech-savvy century I always thought of newspapers as a dying trend. Well much to my short-sightedness my lecturer proved me wrong. If there was anything the newspapers are doing its probably being more trendy.
You while being bombarded by all the information we can get through the net, it has dawned on me that do we ever question the credibility of the information we get online? If anything, it was probably blamed for the spreading of misleading news. And that is where we turn to good old print news. You see in the internet everyone just post the links of their sources to their statement and the people of the link then post their own link of information and the chain goes on. I know the saying "if the wind doesn't blow. the tress would not sway" but this is ridiculous.
So halleluyah for newspapers and their fact-checking staff you rock!!
So if anybody ask newspaper? Why not?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newspaper
Living in the tech-savvy century I always thought of newspapers as a dying trend. Well much to my short-sightedness my lecturer proved me wrong. If there was anything the newspapers are doing its probably being more trendy.
You while being bombarded by all the information we can get through the net, it has dawned on me that do we ever question the credibility of the information we get online? If anything, it was probably blamed for the spreading of misleading news. And that is where we turn to good old print news. You see in the internet everyone just post the links of their sources to their statement and the people of the link then post their own link of information and the chain goes on. I know the saying "if the wind doesn't blow. the tress would not sway" but this is ridiculous.
So halleluyah for newspapers and their fact-checking staff you rock!!
So if anybody ask newspaper? Why not?
Taboo-ed
From the board game Taboo conducted in our Media Appreciation class
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Yup people we played this in class one day because our lecturer said most of us have trouble channeling our deeper thoughts. And you know what? After playing the game I couldn't help but question " Am I also one of them" oh joy!! and all hell broke loose after that. Haha...
Well *ahem* just a small reminder it WAS my first time. A very lame defense but yes I have a slow mind and it takes awhile to channel my thoughts properly because it is always haywire all of the time. In any case it WAS a fun game!! I mean literally :) almost like Charade but this time using words instead.
Crazy stuff I can tell you. I'm like 'flabberghasted' at how some of my classmates are so quick!! Lots of yelling in the class and boy, what an experience. Definitely a great way to have fun at the same time LEARNING to channel your thoughts in a more defined manner. Although I'd admit I'll probably have a long way to go because I'm not used to controlling adrenaline and end up panicking most of the time. Haha.. so much for the cool and composed look I try to wear all the time =.= guess it'll take a few more years to perfect.
Yup people we played this in class one day because our lecturer said most of us have trouble channeling our deeper thoughts. And you know what? After playing the game I couldn't help but question " Am I also one of them" oh joy!! and all hell broke loose after that. Haha...
Well *ahem* just a small reminder it WAS my first time. A very lame defense but yes I have a slow mind and it takes awhile to channel my thoughts properly because it is always haywire all of the time. In any case it WAS a fun game!! I mean literally :) almost like Charade but this time using words instead.
Crazy stuff I can tell you. I'm like 'flabberghasted' at how some of my classmates are so quick!! Lots of yelling in the class and boy, what an experience. Definitely a great way to have fun at the same time LEARNING to channel your thoughts in a more defined manner. Although I'd admit I'll probably have a long way to go because I'm not used to controlling adrenaline and end up panicking most of the time. Haha.. so much for the cool and composed look I try to wear all the time =.= guess it'll take a few more years to perfect.
Killing Softly
From the Mass Communications (media) Theories II lecture by Mr.Hardip Singh
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George Gerbner was the founder of the Cultivation Theory which investigates the effects of long-term television viewing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultivation_theory
It was based on his research that mothers are wary of how much television their kids watch and to us a real pain in the neck. But there are some resounding truths in this study which I agree to. The fact that we wouldn't know what affects us until we've seen it and the fact that what we see is all stored in the subconscious part of our mind slowly forming out train of thoughts without us realizing it.
Not just television but I think media as a whole is part of the blame. Nowadays we see more depressed and troubled kids with issues of self-esteem, addiction, bad influence and the list goes on and on. The question is what happened to these kids? Forget peer pressure and all those teenage rebellious stage but focus on the sole source of the problem. The media.
Why I say the media?
Have you ever seen a plump model on a fashion magazine with wrinkles or maybe a bit of zits? Well, I can tell you that I have yet to see one. So far every model we can think or is portrayed to us as flawless beautiful women that all men want and "if every men wants those type of women who wants me?" is the question most teenage girls struggle with.
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George Gerbner was the founder of the Cultivation Theory which investigates the effects of long-term television viewing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultivation_theory
It was based on his research that mothers are wary of how much television their kids watch and to us a real pain in the neck. But there are some resounding truths in this study which I agree to. The fact that we wouldn't know what affects us until we've seen it and the fact that what we see is all stored in the subconscious part of our mind slowly forming out train of thoughts without us realizing it.
Not just television but I think media as a whole is part of the blame. Nowadays we see more depressed and troubled kids with issues of self-esteem, addiction, bad influence and the list goes on and on. The question is what happened to these kids? Forget peer pressure and all those teenage rebellious stage but focus on the sole source of the problem. The media.
Why I say the media?
Have you ever seen a plump model on a fashion magazine with wrinkles or maybe a bit of zits? Well, I can tell you that I have yet to see one. So far every model we can think or is portrayed to us as flawless beautiful women that all men want and "if every men wants those type of women who wants me?" is the question most teenage girls struggle with.
And sadly most of them arrive at the same conclusion. Plastic surgery, nose job, eyebrow picking, bust enhancement and all sorts of modifications. The result? the death of a normal teenage girl and the birth of a copycat with self-esteem issues.
There are so many more examples I could mention but in case of sensitivity I choose not to because the point I am trying to make here is "Is the future of our children not as important to us as how much we can sell"?
Some might argue with the "It makes them develop better thinking abilities". You know what I say? Cognitive Dissonance. How can they choose when the world has already chosen for them?
What's for Dinner?
From the movie Delicatessen (a review)
A young man named Louison arrives seeking a job at a quiet apartment building seeking a job. The landlord Clapet and the tenants welcomed him into their humble abode but seem to keep a distance from him. But fortunately Louison is able to win some of their hearts over at the same time making the situation even more complicated. Spring begun blooming when Louison meets Julie Clapet and form a sort of friendship with him but Julie always looks uncomfortable when she gets close to Louison. Is it just mere shyness? Julie's father is not pleased at her decision and their relationship is further strained. The tenants of the building are hovering around waiting for something. Julie is torn in between but does what she believes is right to do even if it meant seeking help from feared 'Undergroundners'. Everybody is tensed and Louison is trying to figure out why so. Starring Dominique Pinon as Louison, Marie-Laure Dougnac as Julie Clapet and Jean-Claude Dreyfus as Clapet.
What is the secret?
It Was Probably Sour Anyway
From the Limited Effects Theory lecture by Mr.Hardip Singh
Remember the fable by Aesop? The one about the Fox trying to get some grapes but in the end it was too high for him to reach so he gave up and contented himself by saying the grapes were probably sour anyways. My dear readers that is what we will be discussing today. The Cognitive Dissonance Theory.
Okay, so probably not grapes but did you ever buy something you did not need and when you reached home just said "oh well, I might need it someday" and God knows where you placed it till now?
Why did you say such a line? To comfort yourself even though you know you were wrong? Is it better to deceive oneself to feel better? Would you rather not know the real consequences of your actions? Would you really just sugar coat it?
Well maybe at the moment since its just about you, you might say "well hell, yeah! its my **** life so I can do what I'm **** pleased to do!!" So lets take it away from you. What would happen if a government did this?
Yes, do you picture it? A corrupt government trying to cover up its corrupt actions under false pretenses so that they will not be subjected to the fiery arrows from the people. A statement to blind you so that you will be oblivious to their nasty deeds.
Not feeling so good right now? okay maybe just maybe you might also fall into the group of people that says "I don't care about politics", what would you do if it was one of your family members or close friend who did that to you? Say he/she did something behind your back that was so obvious and tried to cover up by telling you that he/she did it for some other 'greater good' but you could prove the bluff anytime?
Apparently this is what leads us to this study. To me, I'd just say social cognition is a LIE. It's just some pretty made up fantasy made for not taking the blame. It's what some people deem as a 'white lie'. Its just by all means wrong.
So the next time you catch yourself trying to 'pretty up the situation', ask yourself, are you doing any good deceiving yourself and probably some other people? Is self satisfaction better than the truth? Would THIS not affect your judgement of things in the near future? Will you always have to be a LIAR?
Drama Into Real Life
From the Writing a Review lecture by Mr.Hardip Singh
The thought of writing this review came to my mind sort of by chance because our lecturer said don't write a review on 'normal' stuff so yea, I decided to write a review of Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart's relationship in contrast of their Twilight characters Bella and Edward.
Okay I suppose it's best we start from the beginning..
Have you noticed? It was probably due to the fact that Robert and Kristen was working together in the vampire romance movie Twilight that they started dating? Funny too how close they are to their characters that their actions that reflect the behaviour of Bella and Edward are also portray in their everyday lives.
Bella the normal chick meets Edward the dashing vampire whom everybody knows and who all girls have fantasies about. Flash to reality- Kristen who was just a small time actress which nobody noticed meets Robert the famous for playing Cedric Diggory (character in J.K Rowling's Harry Potter series) and who fangirls are crazy about.
Bella and Edward starts dating despite the disagreements from friends and family. Reality check-Kristen and Robert came out that they we actually dating and shocked some people, but others thought it was predictable considering how intimate they were on set.
Okay this one is a bit of different, Edward left Bella to protect her, Bella escapes loneliness by seeing Jacob (not so much of cheating because Edward told her to be happy by all means when he left but it was still being unfaithful to her promise) Back to reality- Kristen Steward cheats on Robert Pattinson while shooting her Snow White and the Huntsman with her director Rupert Sanders who is already married and father to a daughter.
And the all hell broke lose blah blah blah... Edward decides he can't live without Bella and he returns to her side. Reality check again- Robert forgives Kristen and they are now back together. according to the sources it said that the couple could not live without each other.
Yes and so is happily ever after made, but with a condition!! Edward made a milestone for Bella to be his life-long partner by setting the rule marriage first. To reality once again- Robert agrees to take Kristen back into his life with the condition that she has to commit to their relationship by vowing at the altar.
So what do you think we should expect next from the couple? Baby? Well that is not much of my concern but instead I'm really interested in the coincidence of the fictional story plot and the real life happenings. Was Kristen Stewart not able to break herself out of being Bella? Or is she using Bella's character to find hers? Or maybe she was using Bella as a guideline to her own life? Well whatever that question was it was partially cleared from my conscience when I happened to stumble across this article
That was in Kristen Steward's words folks.. But what do you think?
Tuesday 25 September 2012
When Games and Fantasy Collide
From the Genre lecture by Mr. Hardip Singh
Ever felt frustrated when you read a really good book but the character just always seem to piss you off with their crappy decisions? Ever wished you could just jump into the story and give them a piece of your own mind? Ever said " if I was the hero I'd be so much better than that coward?" Well.... ever heard of a gamebook?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamebook
I remember reading my first gamebook when i was like 10 years old because I couldn't find anything to read and LO BEHOLD I stumbled across my brother's "Escape from Tenopia" series. I was reluctant to read it if I remember correctly, because I was afraid I'd just kill my character. (very lame I know but I did managed kill him countless of times before finishing the story) It was fairly a simple story of some guy whose spaceship crashed on a foreign planet and he has to find a way to get back to his own planet. During this game the character has to make some life threatening decision like whether to trust some bunch of creatures and follow them or little decisions like should he take a nap or eat some rations.
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Ever felt frustrated when you read a really good book but the character just always seem to piss you off with their crappy decisions? Ever wished you could just jump into the story and give them a piece of your own mind? Ever said " if I was the hero I'd be so much better than that coward?" Well.... ever heard of a gamebook?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamebook
I remember reading my first gamebook when i was like 10 years old because I couldn't find anything to read and LO BEHOLD I stumbled across my brother's "Escape from Tenopia" series. I was reluctant to read it if I remember correctly, because I was afraid I'd just kill my character. (very lame I know but I did managed kill him countless of times before finishing the story) It was fairly a simple story of some guy whose spaceship crashed on a foreign planet and he has to find a way to get back to his own planet. During this game the character has to make some life threatening decision like whether to trust some bunch of creatures and follow them or little decisions like should he take a nap or eat some rations.
(This is one of the Escape series I read)
So yea, its not easy being a hero in the story, I can tell you that I managed to kill mine several times and starting over again from the beginning of the story. (you can always cheat by checking what your decision will lead you to by flipping to the other pages and choosing the best route :P) But it was really worth the fight I'd say because at the end (when I finally managed to finish the story without killing him) it felt like I had read more than one book and there was that nostalgic feeling of triumph. (like yeah!!! I'm the boss)
Yup yup :) so you are interested here's a list of popular adventure gamebooks
And for girls there are also those romance gamebooks are well!! The one I tried was about a normal girl who has to make decision to see which guy she ends up with at the end of the story.. There's her complicated status with her current boyfriend, a guy you will meet if you join the science subject, a guy who dislikes you if you join the automobile subject or a secret admirer. Yes!! its all about the choices and which guy you end up with thingy and if happily ever after exists for you (just so that you'll know I ended up with the secret admirer :P)
(I'm not sure if this was the one I read but its probably the same series/author)
Well that's about it. You should really try reading one adventure or romance it doesn't count because it really something beyond your normal fiction books and it packs a great experience >.< so do read one!!
Thursday 20 September 2012
Silent Destruction
From the movie Baraka
During one of our media appreciation classes, we were required to watch a movie called "Baraka" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baraka_(film) . What struck me most about the film about the was though it was close to a silent movie (there was some annoying disturbance thanks speaker settings I think was wrong cause some of the sounds were screeching in my ears) was the volcanoes in the movie. Brilliant idea that was because it just about summarizes the movie of Baraka which shows how humans destroy nature because of their selfish nature. The volcanoes showed me (I think) the doom of humanity for destroying mother earth. It was silent (the volcano)but it was so obvious that great mountain of destruction was watching over the humans from its great height above. When it erupted I "felt" its anger towards the ways of men just exploded and it was punishing mankind with its burning lava. Now the "dawn" hit in me the face when i realized that according to the Bible the punishment for "the unrepentant" is an eternity doomed in the "lake of fire". Lava=Lake of fire. Scary.
Monday 3 September 2012
Behind Images
From the Semiotics lecture by Mr. Hardip Singh
Hang on a second, what were you thinking just a moment ago?
The 'science of signs' is the crazy stuff you have in your mind when you see simply just a normal normal apple but to you its represents other things. Doctor? Steve Jobs? Adam and Eve? Many of us have our own interpretation of things, what freedom means to you will be different from what it means to me. Take the apple for example, to me its an annoying thing to see because I have my mother who nags at me all the time at home to eat more vitamins. It means having to hear her fussing over my daily diet and how important my health is, blah blah blah... so conclusion an apple reminds me of my dear mother. How about you? what does the apple mean to you?
Hang on a second, what were you thinking just a moment ago?
The 'science of signs' is the crazy stuff you have in your mind when you see simply just a normal normal apple but to you its represents other things. Doctor? Steve Jobs? Adam and Eve? Many of us have our own interpretation of things, what freedom means to you will be different from what it means to me. Take the apple for example, to me its an annoying thing to see because I have my mother who nags at me all the time at home to eat more vitamins. It means having to hear her fussing over my daily diet and how important my health is, blah blah blah... so conclusion an apple reminds me of my dear mother. How about you? what does the apple mean to you?
Hidden Powers
From the Media Literacy lecture by Mr.Hardip Singh
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be God? to be able to able to shape a person's future, to create his world? Well, you want to know the catch? You can. Just by writing. Imagine every journalist, every writer has the power to influence each and every one of us without us even knowing it... How sure are you that the person you are right now isn't there because of something you read or saw before? How sure are you that the decisions you make isn't based on anything else but yourself? see what I mean? That my friends, is the power of the pen. Its something so simple, so insignificant we forget the wonders mere words can do to us. But as Spiderman said 'With great power comes greater responsibilities'.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be God? to be able to able to shape a person's future, to create his world? Well, you want to know the catch? You can. Just by writing. Imagine every journalist, every writer has the power to influence each and every one of us without us even knowing it... How sure are you that the person you are right now isn't there because of something you read or saw before? How sure are you that the decisions you make isn't based on anything else but yourself? see what I mean? That my friends, is the power of the pen. Its something so simple, so insignificant we forget the wonders mere words can do to us. But as Spiderman said 'With great power comes greater responsibilities'.
Tuesday 14 August 2012
New Blog!!
Yay... I have a new blog thanks to my media appreciation lecturer.. Yup folks this is an assignment :( but hey!! that does'nt mean it wont be HAPPENING ;) so stay tuned folks!! and see if I survive this trial of life >.<
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