Tribute to the ONE AND ONLY Pop Icon

Remember this picture? This is the classic picture of Michael Jackson’s best selling album, Thriller. It is also the world’s best selling album of all times which has exceeded the sale of more than 100 million copies. Find it unbelievable? Not at all! No other albums have soldn as many copies or even come close to half of what this single “Thriller” album has soldn.

Michael Jackson is definitely one of the world’s CLASSIC. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE in this modern day, should have heard his songs or seen him do his famous “Moonwalk” at least ONCE. If you have not, I would say that you have not lived life to its fullest.

It is not uncommon to see people dancing to Michael Jackson’s songs and imitating his dance moves, especially the Moonwalk. Why is this so? This is because Michael Jackson’s music has reached out to people all over the world. EVERYONE listens to him. Whether you are Chinese, African, American or anyone from any part of the world, you will know of Michael Jackson and will have listened to his music at least once in your lifetime.

People say that media brings us the latest news around the world. I would say that Michael Jackson is MEDIA. Everything he does captures the attention of everyone. His music has reached out to such diverse audiences that it is just impossible to not know who is Michael Jackson.

Michael Jackson’s death has brought grief and devastation to many in the world and it is clear to see that even though he is an African-American, he has brought many people from different parts of the world together as one because of his music. He has also created many miracles which others have not achieved like being the first African-American to appear on MTV channel, holding the world’s record of best selling album of all times, having many hits like “Beat it”, “Thriller”, “Black or White” and “Billie Jean” and creating the Moonwalk dance which he got inspiration from urban moves and also the late French mime master Marcel Marceau. For all these achievements, I can proudly say that he is a LEGEND and one who will live down history and never be forgotten.

MICHAEL JACKSON, THE ONE AND ONLY IRREPLACEABLE KING OF POP. (August 29th 1958 ~ June 25th 2009) 

 

Picture credits to: soompi.com/forums, news.sg.msn.com, michaeljackson official site

Advertising for The Same Product but Different Ways of Presenting It?

McDonald’s is definitely one “brand” that everybody knows and I believe everyone has seen many different advertisements from different countries for McDonald’s whether is it on the internet or on television. But have you ever  noticed the different approaches different countries take to advertise McDonald’s? Take a look at the two advertisements below. One is from India and the other is from the United States. Tell me if you find any differences in the way they are presented.

See the differences? No? Then let me tell you about them. Do you realise for the advertisement from India have very little dialogue compared to the one from the United States? The advertisement from India makes use of the song and the actions and expressions of characters in the advertisement to advertise McDonald’s. Behind the lyrics “And I would do anything for love…” ,and also how the characters in the advertisement fight over the McDonald’s set meal, there are actually hidden meanings, telling the audience how good McDonalds is. The advertisers do not say it out loud how good McDonald’s is but instead, makes clever use of lyrics from a song and also the actions of the characters to bring out the message in a subtle way.

On the other hand, the advertisement from the United States is full of dialogue said by this nerdy-looking guy. He tells how he has become so “sophisticated” and “worldly” after he found out McDonald’s international mug and coffee offer. He goes on introducing the stuff that people can get for just 99 cents with McDonald’s breakfast set and while he is doing the introduction, there are even some words which appeared on the screen saying, “99 cents. Plus tax. A listing of breakfast entrees available at McDonald’s.” Everything is stated out clearly for the audience that McDonald’s meals are cheap and you can even get “good stuff” like the “international mug and coffee” at low price.

Comparing the two advertisements, which do you think is more interesting? For me, I definitely pick the one from India because it conveys its message in a subtle way which allows you to have more space for thinking about what the advertisement is trying to tell us. The advertisement from the United States is definitely a tad too boring for me with all the dialogues. Of course, presenting advertisements in a more creative and subtle way will capture the audience’s attention, however, if it is not done correctly, everything may turn out wrong and audience may get frustrated watching it. Thus, I must say that thinking of ideas to come up with good advertisements which can capture the audience’s attention is definitely not an job and those who did a very good job with it really deserve a thumbs up from everyone.

Video Credits to: Youtube.com

Bizarre food, yummy or just pure disgusting?

Many of us will probably just raise our brows and widen our eyes in horror if we see anything weird or exotic. Especially if it is supposedly EDIBLE. Our first reaction will probably be “Are you sure that’s even food?”

Now, watch the following video and tell me what you think of it?

I have to admit that after watching this, I was feeling pretty faint and ready to puke anytime. I just cannot imagine myself eating a beating heart of a frog which was alive just about a minute ago before it was killed and skinned and made into a meal. I have eaten frog legs before but not in such a gory way. I have to say that this has a lot to do with culture. In Japan, probably eating a frog meal which is done right in front of you is perfectly normal and Japanese can even eat the meal with the frog “looking” at you. To them, it might be a delicacy or just a normal meal to them. But to us, it can be disgusting, horrifying or just pure amazing.

This is what we call ethnocentrism, a term we use to describe how we judge other people’s culture using our own culture as the basic standard.  This is perfectly normal and almost everybody does that because it is a natural reaction. It is very hard to control a feeling which you feel strongly about and most people will just express what they feel very naturally without thinking. That is why I, and even some of you, reacted so strongly to what was shown in the video. 

Of course, there are some not-so-bizarre food in Japan which is very well-liked in Singapore such as sushi, ramen and many other delicious food. These food has been instilled into part of our Singapore culture and many love them. It can be pretty contradictive to how we reacted to the food we have seen earlier, but that is the fact. We learn to embrace part of a culture of another country but there are still parts which we reject.

And talking about ethnocentrism previously. Look at this video below and see the reaction of the host towards durians.

Now you tell me about professionalism. Oh well, I guess this is inevitable. How much can one person take even if he tries to be as neutral as possible towards every culture?

Video Credits to: Youtube.com

The Blind Date Game

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_JwB-vSK5k&feature=related

In this video, it is shown that the group of people have gathered together because of one similar motive/reason, and that is for the blind date session. The couple has invited their friends to their house in order to allow them to mingle and get to know each other better.

At the start of the blind date session, the participants of the blind date had one awkward greeting with one another with the cue by the female host. We can see that they are pretty uncomfortable with one another because they do not know one another(they know one another only through TV appearances since all of them are celebrities). To try to get rid of awkwardness, the host begins the event with a dinner where all of them can sit down and talk to get to know each other better.

In the midst of dinner, the participants were asked to choose their preferences of the opposite sex. From this, we can most probably see that their choices are mainly based on the other party’s physical appearance since they do not know one another well enough just by that one simple meal as they did not reveal much of themselves due to the fact that it is just the first meeting. Also, we can conclude from this that physical appearance plays a big role in relationship especially at the beginning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4wBMbnoGWI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CogH6zHr3i0&feature=related

The whole blind date event proceeds with the male host singing and the female host dancing to the song to get the atmosphere to be more light-hearted. The guests also get to sing with one another so that they can interact more closely. And following after is the part where the female guests were supposed to teach the male guests a part of their song’s dance routine and also a game playing session.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WftFMUZ976A

At the end of all the activities, the participants were asked to choose once again to see who their final choice is. And we can see that there are slight changes made compared to the first time when they were asked to choose. That is because they have gotten to know one another better through the different activities. And this time round, their choice is done based on how they have interact with one another during the activities. It might also be that they have found common interest in each other to let them persist or change their choice.

As we can see, even though the main characters were the participants of the blind date, the hosts engage in all the activities as well. They play a very important  role in the blind dating event as their guests are dependent on them to keep the whole event going smoothly without any awkwardness. Of course, the hosts are also reliant of their guests to participate actively in whatever activities there are so that the event will be a success. Therefore, we can say that whether it is the hosts or the guests, they are all interdependent on one another. If any of them decides to back out of the event or not participate actively in anything, there will not even be a possible blind date going on.

So the main point is, REMEMBER, if you ever go for a blind date or any other activities, participate actively! Team work is very important when there is a group activity going on.

Video Credits to: Youtube.com

The Silent Classic

I am sure everyone knows who Charlie Chaplin is. He is the famous silent comedian whom has left a very deep impression in many hearts. Actually, I would say that famous is not substantial enough to describe him. He is a all-time classic.

I am pretty sure quite a number of you or most of you have watched a couple of his works before if not short clips of him in the silent movies. And I am sure that everyone of you who watched his videos will say that his moves and expressions are more exaggerated than of the usual dramas and movies we watch. But why is that? That’s because he needs to bring out the thoughts in him without having to say a single word. He needs to express his feelings through only his actions thus, he needs to exaggerate his actions to allow audience to understand him.

From the clip above, you can see that Charlie Chaplin is trying to avoid being caught by some guards. As shown, he made use of the mirror maze which created confusion to prevent himself from getting caught. It is very interesting to see how everyone reacted when they first went into the mirror maze. Even without any words said, we can see through the actions and reactions that they were insecure and confused because of the various images that they see in the different mirrors. And also, even without any words said, they can make the people watching the video laugh through their comical reactions.

In our daily lives, we are very used to having to say out what we want and we sometimes neglect the fact that we too, use actions at times to express ourselves. For example, when we see somebody that we know at a far distance, we will use our hands to wave to them to say hi or if we want to ask them to come over, we will make movements to indicate them to walk over to us. This are very straightforward signals and we know them without needing others to tell us what they mean.

I think conveying messages clearly through words are very important but being able to convey messages through even just our actions is just pure genius. And I think Charlie Chaplin had done a wonderful job with it. His actions has proven to be bigger than words. What do you think?

Video Credits to: Youtube.com

HEY! Where’s My _______?

I am sure many of you know Korea’s infamous F3 members Lee Minho, Kim Joon and Kim Hyun Joong if you have watched the drama Boys Over Flowers. But before you get excited over their pictures and start gushing about how good looking they are in the pictures, tell me what do you think they are endorsing here?

Some designers’ clothes? Good guess but try again.

They are actually doing a photoshoot for Samsung Haptic Anycall phone. Don’t be shocked. Because this is the truth. Many of you will be asking, “WHERE IS THE PHONE?” since the main focus should be on the phone and not the people themselves. Let me tell you, it’s right there in the very first picture in the hands of the two models.

I am very sure many of you have the same reaction as I did when I first know that this photoshoot is for the endorsement of a handphone. It seems so ridiculous that the main focus (the phone) of the photoshoot is barely even there.

I think it’s really ironic that the main feature of the photoshoot has become an accessory/ornament which does not even capture people’s attention if there is no mention of it. The main purpose of this photoshoot is to actually help make the sales of the Samsung phone better but to me, it seems that they are trying to sell the models’ faces instead.

All three of them, Lee Minho,Kim Joon and Kim Hyun Joong have been endorsing quite a number of products after the success of the drama, Boys Over Flowers. So does this mean that the supposed Samsung Haptic Anycall phone photoshoot is just another excuse to help raise their popularity and not to help with the sales of the phone itself? Or maybe it’s just a way to “attract the attention” of the crowd since the models are such well-known figures now? Oh well, if the reason is the latter then I would just have to say that they have “drawn attention” to the wrong thing because the main attraction has faded into the background to “help compliment the supporting lead”.  Remember? This photoshoot is selling Samsung phone and not the actors’ faces.

This is not the first advertisement I have seen which focuses more on the celebrities’ faces instead of the products. I am sure quite a number of you have seen such advertisements or commercials before as well. If you haven’t seen any before, try looking around you. Whether it’s on television, posters or flyers, you are bound to find one.;)

 

Pictures in the courtesy of:  http://www.allkpop.com/index.php/full_story/boys_over_flowers…again/

Singapore sucks?! What do you think?

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_371801.html?vgnmr=1

I recently read this article on straitstimes.com which led me to wonder, is Singapore really that bad to the extend that  there is even a Singapore Sucks! group on Facebook which mainly consists of Singaporeans? (I checked up the group on Facebook and it has 700++ members!!!) I mean, if even we Singaporeans think that of our own country, then what do foreigners think about us?

This particular article is actually motivated by the recent criticism that famous action actor, Jackie Chan, had on Singaporeans having no self-respect, because we dispose chewing gum without having concerns about our environment, causing the ban of chewing gum by the government. 

So is it true that we have no self-respect as mentioned by Jackie Chan or do we have too much self-respect that we deny others respect like what Mr Kalif Rashid mentioned in the article? In my opinion, it’s both. We do things (e.g. sticking chewing gums onto tables or chairs instead of throwing them into the rubbish bin) that we, ourselves, cannot tolerate. I have seen quite a number of such cases (not only the inconsiderate manner of disposing chewing gums) and it is really ironic. We are disgusted by people who do things that we cannot stand but “unconsciously”, we do those things ourselves as well.

So what is it that caused people to have such a bad perception on Singapore? This is not the first time Singapore has been criticized and I am sure we, as Singaporeans, have alot of responsibility in giving others such perceptions.

As we all know, people’s point of views on things can be influenced in many ways. They can be influenced by the environment, upbringing and many other factors. The perception that Singapore has given foreigners is definitely not  formed within one or two days and our attitude and the way we do things are crucial factors which that allowed others to form such thoughts about us. So what exactly have we Singaporeans done which has allowed foreigners to have such negative thoughts about Singapore?

It is most probably the unfriendliness which many youngsters here often show. They always give people the impression that they are in a bad mood because they always have their headphones on when they are on the streets and when you smile at them, you wll most probably receive a glare or they will just roll their eyes at you and turn away. But in fact, they are just lazy to bother about you. They find it troublesome to even make contact with people, especially strangers.  Sometimes when you ask them for help, they will just pretend not to hear even if they are not listening to any music, and walk away without even looking at you. 

Also, people who have not been to Singapore get comments from others who have been here and they start forming their own perceptions through the things that they have heard. Often, the “truth” is not always true for all situations but once ideas and thoughts have been formed in people’s minds, it is hard to change their mindsets.

Stereotyping starts on first impression, whether is it by seeing or hearing. We often deny the fact that we stereotype on first impression but it’s a fact that is there. I wouldn’t say that Singapore is all that bad to such an extreme but as a Singaporean and living in Singapore for the past twenty-one years, I have to admit that we do have some bad points as well. So what can we do to salvage a good image of Singapore? I guess that’s a question we really need to ponder over.