Today, I found myself.. (Day 141)

Today, I found myself peeling off as nature meets society in the form of a wobbly showdown.

People Love seeing other People in Pain

WARNING:
This post contains material and images not suitable for the young or those who have just consumed food. The stuns as described in this post are possible only at the discretion of the person attempting it and all related references made to the show/movie "Jackass" solely belongs to the creator and founder of the production. No person, animal or prominent business enterprise were harmed during the production for the content in this post.

(Insert Theme Music Here)

Title Screen and disclaimer of the show/movie "Jackass". I totally dig their symbol.

A total turnoff huh?

A couple of days ago, a bunch of crazy close buds and I decided, "hey, instead of hanging around aimlessly, lets go eat as much food as our stomachs can hold." (Well, it was actually my persistent request).

We headed to Sakae Sushi for a little afternoon buffet which proved worth both the time and money; a rough estimate of $17 for the quantity equivalent to two meals or so.

That, however, wasn't the bottom line.

About three quarters into our meal, we decided to "spice" things up and the kid within us took over. A couple of my friends decided to "dare" the rest of us to undertake and consume a vile concoction of Japanese spices (namely Wasabi and Ginger slices, due to the fact that we were in a Japanese Restaurant at that time).

"Eat this and drinks will be on me."

Awesome. Free drinks. Though consuming the concoction was pointless and somewhat treacherous, I decided to give it a go. The picture above is the result of my 3rd concoction.

Looks horrible doesn't it?

Quite awhile back, I stumbled (or was introduced, more rather) to a series entitled "Jackass" which was broadcast on MTV. It featured a group of daring (and often regarded as "crazy") people who performed crazy and often obscene stunts.

They would do things like riding bicycles up stairways, wear funny costumes down streets and during this particular episode, one of the members of the "crazy family", Steve-O, attempted to swallow a live goldfish down into his stomach which he then proceeded to vomit out, with the fish still alive and swimming. (For those interested, do a search on Youtube for little clips and snippets of various stunts)

From a media business's point of view, Jackass is a genius masterstroke. Mainly due to the fact that it operates on a very simple theory in business; Low costs, High profits.

Why is this so?

A lecturer of mine managed to shed some light on the reason as to why the show was able to do so well;

People Love seeing other People in Pain.

And in retrospect to what he told us, I found truth in that statement which I subject to the human nature. I guess in a way, the human behavior yields humor in seeing other people getting hurt, a satisfaction of sorts.

Yea. As compared to the stuff on Jackass, I'm sure what I pulled off back at the Japanese restaurant is insignificant. But there was one other major difference too.

The people who star in Jackass actually enjoy being there. They enjoy getting hurt, they enjoy doing stuff people would consider stupid and most importantly, they enjoy whatever they're doing.

To them, the greatest reward isn't money, fame or anything physical. It is the satisfaction of being able to complete a stunt and laugh their butts off while doing so.

To the normal majority, it may seem like stupidity but I feel that its something deeper. Its about enjoying something you do and getting a huge laugh out of it. This also constitutes to being different, stepping and standing out and making a point. And for this fact, I admire the guys from Jackass.

Sure life isn't by any means, a joke. But it isn't an emotional void either.

The greatest reward isn't physical and as in my case, I'm sure that without the reward of drinks on the house, I wouldn't even want to consider sampling the concoction. In a way, this is something that the seemingly "crazy" guys from Jackass understand, giving reason to whatever they're doing.

To me, the only thing that replicates such an attitude is the sole reason to the fabrication of my bucketlist, which by the way, is recently updated and can be viewed here, http://metallic-stains.blogspot.com/2008/04/its-like-well-new-goal-in-life.html

The society has a perception that "doing something different and stupid is totally pointless and outcast".

I feel that we should develop our own perceptions and look beyond the surface and be less superficial. Release our filters and stereotypical perceptions as the world should be embraced with its full purpose.

Alright, I'll stop here for now; plenty to digest I'm sure (no pun intended).

Remember to check back soon for updates not forgetting articles. The new semester is about the unfold and personally, there's no better time for it.

Cya'll later.

Pop Culture, Stereotypes and Californication

This picture doesn't belong to me but I thought it would be really interesting to include in today's post due to its relevance.

I came across this picture you see above while surfing for images about stereotypes and pop culture.

I've been thinking about the media's influence on society, both on a negative and positive foundation. Indeed, it is very interesting to fashion and chart societal trends based on the media's influences.

Has our society deteriorated to such a state where trends and routes are charted based on whatever that's coming out of the television channels or radio stations?

To some extent, I believe that the media can be considered a tool to lead as well as to assert certain ideologies into the typical society. The evident presence of "pop culture" is an obvious symptom that the society is very much influenced by the media.

Pop culture is actually, Popular culture in short and simply put, it refers "contemporary lifestyle and items that are well known and generally accepted" (as cited from dictionary.com). And by the term "generally accepted", I can safely assume that it means "generally accepted" by the society.

An intervention?

Certainly so as the media is the one which defines and tells the society of what's "generally accepted". Things like profanities are often shun upon in society as with certain issues like homosexuality, freedom of speech and even parenting issues.

We see pop cultures everyday, right from the minute you wake up as the radio blares from the kitchen while your mother makes you breakfast till the time comes for bed in the evening, with the late night news flashing images of destruction, chaos and poverty around the world.

We then come to the issue of stereotypes.

This, I feel, is a largely interesting topic to talk about. Especially since there are such a big myriad of different societal stereotypes that at some point their lives, everyone will be classified as a certain stereotype.

Again, we see stereotypes everyday and largely deduced from the way a person carries himself/herself and the general physical appearance as perceived by the general society.

Lets look at a couple of examples to start with;


Case 1: A teenager with streaks of red in his hair standing outside a train station smoking.

Case 2: A blonde having trouble at the counter with her payment causing a huge delay at the lines of a supermarket.

Case 3: A street performer playing the guitar along the underground subway.


I'm sure that most if not all of you have, in some form or another, came across such scenarios.

From the society's viewpoint, the teenager in case 1 would be commonly themed as a "gangster" or an individual with little or no education, someone's who's destined for failure in life. But what if I told you that the person in case 1 was an aspiring and rising young acting talent on the streets of Hollywood?

As with case 2, there is this common stereotype that "all blondes are dumb". But what if I told you that the reason of the delay was due to the lady not being able to find her credit card instead of her wits?

Case 3 is a common scenario. We see someone basking in the underground passageways with his guitar case opened in front of him and we automatically deduce that he's begging for alms. What if that street performer was a rich retiree with nothing more then a deep love for music running in his veins?

We see here that stereotypes are scary as it transforms people into something that they ain't suppose to be.

Personally, I have been the subject of stereotypes, as with my friends and the people around me. I'm sure everyone has been, at some point in their lives.

And I guess that was why the Red Hot Chili Peppers wrote the song "Californication" (as seen/heard here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn28aGYytxs).

This song tells of the media's negative impact on society, which I feel, demonstrates and illustrates the situation perfectly.

Below is one of my favorite lyrical verses of the song;

It's the edge of the world
And all of western civilization
The sun may rise in the East
At least it settles in the final location
It's understood that Hollywood
sells Californication

Pay your surgeon very well
To break the spell of aging
Celebrity skin is this your chin
Or is that war your waging

[Chorus:]
First born unicorn
Hard core soft porn
Dream of Californication
Dream of Californication

There are various issues being talked (or sung, rather) about here. Things like Plastic Surgery, Hollywood and Pornography. The rest of the song talks about other social issues like natural disasters, the credibility of space travel and even teenage pregnancies.

The term Californication derives from California, the State (or was it county, I'll need verification on that) which Hollywood is located at.

I appreciate songs like these with deep meaning embedded in their lyrics though it must be noted that one a musical front, the Red Hot Chili Peppers is an awesome band in itself.

Moving slightly away from that, the new school semester is approaching and it spells a new chapter with newer challenges in the field of media.

I hope to revolutionize the media and its function for the better good. The media is a powerful thing in itself and when harnessed correctly, the possibilities are endless.

I foresee the new semester to be tougher than the previous and with good reason too; life is of course, based off improvements. And only then will we be able to develop further and better.

This will also see a personal challenge for me to juggle both my personal and professional mindset together in a delicate pendulum.

I hope you guys have enjoyed this post as much as I did though I have to admit that its a wee bit wordy for an "update" (but too informal for an article post).

But before I end this post, let me post a question back to you guys;

"Do you think that there should be Stereotypes in Society?"

So yea, just a little something for all of you to chew on and think about. I appreciate feedback so I'd love to hear from all of you!

Remember to check back for updates and article posts as I await the coming of the new semester.

Also, my best of wishes for all those who're en route to taking their major exams (ie. O levels, A levels, PSLE etc).

Cya'll later.

*All references made in this insight post is purely made up and fictional. Resemblances are strictly by coincidence. The owner and its management team does not, in any way, support smoking prior to the references made and hopes that all readers to lead a smoke-free, healthy lifestyle.*

Choice Number 1

"You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours."

The pass couple of days were somewhat inward as well as solitary for me as I dug deep into the uncharted regions of my mind, reflecting on everything that's been going on, everything that has happened, and everything that I foresee happening. To put it simply, I've been doing a thorough overhaul mentally.

I've thought about various issues, not only those related to me personally but also to the society as a whole. I've also come to realize that things aren't always what it turns out to be and that the society has a much stronger foothold on us than we had envisioned it.

A couple of weeks back, I received a call inquiring about my services as a tutor. In a way, I was really excited about taking in another student.

A few days back saw the first lesson with my new student (so now I have 2 students, for those of you keeping track at home) and it was, if I may comment, a new experience with regard to my previous student.

Not drawing any comparisons here but I'm really thankful, both from a professional and personal perspective for this new business opportunity. Again, having a new client means, naturally, newer challenges but I'm ready to face them head on.

During the lesson however, came a particular challenge that caught me off guard.

We chanced upon this "multiple choice" vocabulary question, one of those where you have to pick an answer out of the 4 given and write its corresponding number. It went like this;

Question: On Sunday, we went to the library to ____ books

1) Buy
2) Borrow
3) Lend
4) Draw

Well, I'm pretty sure you're sitting there in your chair going "that's easy, the answer's 2".

Yes, that was my presumption too. But sometimes like they say "ignorance is bliss".

"I think the answer is number 1!"

She (my student) then happily scribbled down her answer on the book and gave me a satisfied expression upon doing so.

"that's because sometimes libraries sell books too!"

Buy. Borrow. Yes common sense tells you that you "borrow" books from the library but is "buy" really deemed incorrect?

That was when I started thinking of the article which I posted recently; "Eating at Disambiguation; Agreeing is not Disagreeing". Why can't the answer be choice number 1?

"What if" the library decided to organize a book fare to sell its old books on that particular Sunday which the question was referring to?

I guess in reality, the "politically correct" answer would be option 2 as people NORMALLY borrow and not buy books at the library.

The presence of ambiguity (with huge reference to my article), has indeed elevated this question into a philosophical issue rather than a primary one (first grade) question.

Indeed, I was dumbfounded by the question as well as my student's response. In fact, there was a minute's grace before I gathered my assessment of her answer.

Life catches you unawares on more than one occasion and I guess, this is one such example. Here we see the clash between innocence and ambiguity in society. People automatically assume the norm.

Its like saying,

"Stop ___ on your computer, you've been at it all day!"

The "correct" answer being "playing" but can you entirely say that "working" is "politically incorrect"?

A child's innocence is the result of an unfiltered mind. The child may know of both sides as they're not subjected to typicality as yet.

Oh well.

On to lighter issues.

Sigh.

I have this strange urge to go and adopt a cat (thus the reason for the pictures in this post). I've been a fan of cats (as compared to dogs) for quite sometime now but only recently has this idea resurfaced (yes, I've considered the idea of adoption only to be rejected by my folks).

If only Life was like this.

I would take pictures of stray cats I see on the streets and along with a bunch of friends whom share the similar interest and fondness for cats, talk about them every time the thought pops up.

I sense a trip down to the local pet shelter sometime soon.

I've also decided (more or less) to purchase an iPhone, which will happen sometime soon during the week.

Figured that purchasing an iPhone will speed up my efficiency, both on a professional front as well as on a personal basis. Of course, I took into consideration a load of other factors.

Alright, I'd best get to bed; expected to be up early tomorrow prior to a significant event (which I may or may not update on).

Remember to check back for updates and articles.

Cya'll later.

*All Photos/Pictures used in this post belongs to their respective owners and photographers*

Marketing Life.

Since the crack of dawn, mankind has been pondering over the age old question; the definition of life.

I'm sure that most of you who read my previous entries, updates and articles, have noticed the avid and continual search for this definition.

Everyone has his or her own individualistic view and insight to what life holds and means, which is consequential in itself for that's how it should work out. Simply put, there is no fixed definition for life and what it holds in itself.

The past couple of days were hugely rejuvenating in itself, as it served as an awesome period away from work and a breath of fresh air. No doubt school work has wonders of its own, but it is good to learn outside the typical boundaries of logic and concepts.

And more particularly the discipline of existence and the work of creation.

No doubt I'm looking quite forward to the holidays, largely due to the fact that it'll serve as a good time to restructure (slightly) and strengthen certain aspects of my well being, as well as to further better myself in other aspects.

It will also be a good chance to spend a little time with ourselves and obviously, friends and family. Social interaction is absolutely vital for us, human beings, and I guess that's why government bodies and the world's society accept the fact and existence of holidays and breaks.

Not more than 2 hours ago, I was at the waterfront, by the bay side. Evidently soaking up in the festive mood (of which up till now, I have no answer for the reason of celebration) which included a somewhat impressive display of fireworks, a couple of awesome live performances and large numbers of people massing around for various social interactive purposes.

Well, I'm not really a fan of huge crowds (in terms of moving, pushing and weird characters) and all but I guess a little discomfort now and then makes one stronger.

And I guess events as such serve as a great rally point for people of different orientations and demographics to come together and witness something that we as human beings appreciate visually; in this case, the beauty of the fireworks.

Yet another aspect in life, for beauty and appeal is evident in our daily lives.

And as usual, I began my usual "thought-process" in the midst of my shower awhile back, pondering about the age old question which I started this post with.

I guess this puts truth to the saying "you are what you learn", for I find similarity between life and the aspect of Marketing.

Uh huh. But before you guys (especially to my fellow Media Marketing classmates who want nothing to do with the module, EVER again) navigate away upon reading this segment of the update, hear my rational.

In marketing, we learn things like the marketing mix which are the 4 Ps, segmentation, market research and about the product, place, price and promotion. Simply put, we are taught how to work towards the Needs, Wants and Demands of the consumer.

You may say, where's the link?

Well, I find life similar to marketing, simply due to the fact that Life is full of never ending Needs, Wants and ultimately, Demands.

Literally, it does not make sense, but think of this in a metaphorical sense.

I'd like to view life as a ladder. But in contrast to the commonly known "climbing up the social ladder", my perception of "ladder" is different.

Let me rephrase my quote; I'd like to view life as a never ending ladder.

To me, to live is to improve and work towards something and achieving it. Many have the perception that achieving one's personal legend often means reaching the top of the "ladder", but I somewhat disagree.

Simply due to that fact that the configuration of life in itself makes its fluid and ever moving. And that is simply supplemented by the various needs and wants we have in our path of life, and the pursuit of our personal legend.

When a want is satisfied, another one comes in and slots right in place, and I guess that's what life is about while working towards one's personal legend.

Really interesting stuff, if I may say so. And a little food for thought for you guys, I hope.

And oh yea, I really appreciate the various responses I got for the previous post and naturally, hope to hear more from you guys.

Remember to check back for articles, updates and the lot. Currently, I'm working on a new article, related to my course of study at the moment.

So yea, look out for it and till then.

Cya'll later.

The Price of Emotions; How much are you willing to give?

Price and financial stability has often been of issue during the recent decades of mankind. Probably due to the rising costs of living (as I'm sure all of us are relatively familiar with) or even due to the vast and complex advancements in the societal context.

It is assuring to find out that yes, our society is improving and moving towards the future; who knows what it'll hold for mankind. But are somethings compromised in the process of such "advancements"?

To have the society move forward is one thing while the psychological development of its citizens, is another issue altogether. An issue that is often overlooked by the sociologist of this century.

A slight irony if I may say so, but naturally, it is had to foresee the developments of the human mind, as with the study of psychology; it is a field of mysteries even more complex then logic itself.

So is the human mind evolving as a result of all this?

Certainly, for the mind is designed to evolve as that is the way of nature. It is impossible for mankind to remain stagnant in evolution as that would deem void in the order of survival.

But has this evolution deteriorated our evolution to such an extend that we are purely based off currency and finance? And that our lives are basically circled around what we call, the "Greens"?

A couple of weeks ago before I started my first lesson with my student, my employer (my student's parents, who coincidentally was my ex-table tennis coach) approached me for advice about his child's progress.

I thought to myself, hey I mean this kid's just in primary one (first grade) surely there wouldn't be a need for such intensive materials just yet?

Well I guess this is where the term people coin "parental instincts" come about and my employer appeared rather anxious about his child's academic performance (especially in the English Language).

I suggested the purchase of an English dictionary (largely due to the fact that it would not only be substantial to the child's education but also a long term investment) in response to his enquiry nevertheless as I felt that there was no significant need for "additional materials? aside from the such.

The following week, I came for my routine with the newly bought dictionary, eager to impart what I know about the uses for this "$12.79 heavy-weight" to my student, as well as his parents.

It was really interesting to me personally that my employers would so readily invest in educational gains for their child and this really set me thinking (though I've had been in similar situations in the past with my own parents sparing no expense at my education); I see it in a different viewpoint now.

This may be a natural occurrence, of parents spending and investing what they can into their child's education, but from this derives a precious lesson and leaves much room for thought.

Since our society nowadays revolves around currency and finance, I presume it must be natural that the psychological aspect of mankind overlaps with such "logical entities". But to what extent have our mental state of mind depend on such physical factors?

As seen in the example I've quoted, emotions are shown through gifts and investments. My employer cares for his child and thus entrusted me with the responsibility of purchasing the dictionary.

However, this is where the delicate cradle of balance comes into play; are we over-relying on such physical objects to articulate our emotions?

When it comes to gifts, I'm pretty sure one would often link it to the annually occurrence of one's day of birth, or even the festive event of Christmas, where people exchange presents and the such.

But are physical gifts a good indication of one's emotion to the other?

I personally feel that we live in a materialistic society in itself, where everything circles around money, thus giving existence to terms such as "money is power" or "money makes the world go round" or even "time is money".

It is quite sad that our society has turned towards such a direction where everything is so material based and our human rooted emotions get affected as a result.

I find the term "diamonds are a girl's best friend" disturbing to a certain degree (though I understand that term is a metaphoric statement, depending on the situation) especially in a relationship context. If diamonds are a girl's "best friend" then what does her partner stand for? Hopefully not her "piggy bank" I hope.

Some people of our modern dive straight into material pleasures and are enticed by them, especially the younger generation. Take a quick walk down the streets of the busiest shopping districts and I'm sure you'll see teenagers by the truckload, browsing through the various "material indulgences" up for grabs.

But is a physical gift the best form to emphasize your emotions? Must we really purchase that elusive diamond necklace or that expensive bag just to show that we care?

I surely hope not, for I feel that emotions yield no stable logic but yet, flows in the human mind as free as water. Nobody can put a price on emotions such as care, concern, sacrifice and most importantly, love.

Embrace emotions to people or vice versa, for only in its purest form, will its true meaning surface and take purpose.

However, do not misunderstand me. Like how a parent is willing to spend and invest for his child's education, spending is justified, only to a certain extend. Overdoing it however, will deem superficial and in truth, pointless.

Emotions come from your heart and soul and not from your wallet. Even if you're not able to afford a simple gift due to financial constrains, a little action is not only the best way to express but is also the most apporiate one, in my opinion.

They say that "its the thought that counts" and I for one, am in favour of that statement as to convey your emotion, it is what you think and the "thought"; the physical object being a substantive.

So as we speak, is our society plunging deeper and deeper into the depths of the cold and harsh reality that is in the figures of our bank account?

I sure hope not. From the latest fashion trends to the complex gizmos of the future, society is going further and further into development.

But let us not forget what keeps us sane, our emotions, for it is what keeps us human and intact (refer to article, "Emotions; A Flaw in the Human Design?").

No one can put a price tag on emotions and no matter how much our society moves ahead of us, let us hope that some primitive traits in the human design will remain the same for a long time to come as I do not see an alternative to our current predicament.

So the next time when you're pondering about what to get for a friend, your children, your family members or that special someone, always put in retrospect that no matter how much one spends, the thing that will be remembered isn't that unique "only one in the world" jewelry or that custom made music player that has 200GB of storage space, but the "thought" that was considered when making the decision to purchase and doing it.

To actually give thought to a particular event and to take action for it is the greatest form to demonstrate the inner emotions.

Emotions are priceless, treasure and savour them.

Interestingly Interesting Interest

Just a quick update on the progress of my interesting research for my personal project. Observations for the first addition is more or less done and I'll probably post up by Friday or so. I've observed some interesting details; its well worth the wait. Hang in there my readers!

School was pretty interesting today, I guess; everyone got a little taste of the professional life.

One ICA (or two for that matter) ends while another is about to start. Looking forward to 0621's ICA2. Its gonna be interesting.

The book I'm reading now's pretty interesting too. Surprisingly, its perceptions of life and motivations and dreams are similar of that of my personal ideas. Interesting is it not?

Uh okay, lets see. Time for a little random thought:


Imagine if the world without the word "Interesting". The single most general descriptive word would be obsolete.


"What an (interesting) dress"
"Thats an (interesting) piece of art"
"(Interesting), we should talk more about this over lunch"
"The movie was (interesting) but I felt that the shots could be better"
"You're an (interesting) person indeed"

Similarly, the simple term "Interest" can be used to form a complete sentence with its variations.


eg. "Interestingly interesting interest"

But imagine if someone came up to you and said something like that. Okayy...


So yea, there you go. I'll post my (interesting) article soon, have faith, its (interesting) work in progress. Till then, stay golden.


Cya'll Later.

*Pardon my repeatitive purpose here. I'm trying to bring the issue concerning the overusage of certain words in the society, Interesting being one example*

Observation; The Art of Reading your Environment like a Book.

Today's a fruitful day for me personally, of details which I'll go through later in the article.

Humans are sensory creatures, and this leaves much to debate about. We are gifted with five sense, namely touch, hearing, taste, smell and of course, sight.

They say that we often rely too much on a particular sense and research has shown that the sense of sight, especially, is the most heavily relied on, except maybe for certain individuals (the blind for example).

Is this considered a weakness? By relying too much on a particular sense, are we somewhat applying immunity to our consciences and filtering what we perceive in the world?

The sense of sight, is heavily relied on. For those who doubt this statement (or claim, more rather), do a little experiment and contemplate the results; Blindfold yourself for an entire day and try to live your life normally as you would with sight.

In common cases, normal people who attempt the above experiment will face difficulty in carrying out their daily activities as we humans, rely alot on sight. People get disorientated without sight and that's not a big surprise at all.

"Never judge a book by its cover". I'm sure most if not all of you have heard of this saying. This is played around the over-reliance of the sense of sight, so much so that the "book" is judged by its exterior appearance, its "cover" rather than its contents and ideas.

That is a metaphoric saying, yes. But in a way, it does hold some truth to our daily lives. More often then not, sight is used or rather, misused in our daily lives and this is especially evident in terms of human relations.

It is proven that people tend to favour better looking things or objects, or in the human relation's case, people, as compared to their counterparts.

It is rather disturbing that our society relies so much on visual appearance nowadays. This is so impactful that even the fate of business deals or competitions can be decided and swayed based on the visual appeal of the person.

It can thus be said that sight is a powerful thing as it fabricates our thoughts and perceptions about the environment around us. Your eyes, or I would rather call, "Windows to the World" is the medium and the source that brings about your vision and sight and with those, your perception of the world.

And that brings me to the main emphasis of this article; the Power of Observation.

"an act or instance of regarding attentively or watching" (as cited from dictionary.com)

In a theoretical way, yes. But I feel that there is much more then meets the eye then "attentively" and "watching".

Indeed, observation, simply put is just "watching attentively" but let us look at a more psychological aspect of the concept of observation.

To observe, is to learn and to find out. This is where the "watching" part comes in. It remains largely unnoticed but as one observes a particular incident, setting, or even a particular person, your subconscious mind creates an mental image in the head and this is when an impression is created, an impression of a place, an impression of a person etc.

This is just a general concept in your head, and to gain a more detailed insight on a particular observation, and this is where the "attentively" part comes in. By paying close attention to the fine and precise details of a matter, one will be able to gain a insightful observation to the things around them.

Mind you, this is not easy to master. Observation is tedious process, as I've found out, a couple of hours back.

I set myself a task to observe two specific places in the country (of which I will not specifically mention due to various reasons), largely to the benefit of a project that I was supposed to take on.

I've never thought observation was an easy thing to do probably because I one who will struggle for action if I judge an environment too mundane for my liking.

However recently, under the influence of my father, I've slowly interest myself in the art of observation. The myriad of people expressions and the various significant incidents that you see on this blog itself are so called "products" of my observations.

So why is observation so hard? "Attentively Watching" something doesn't sound as hard as say, Learning Spanish, or is it?

We are brought up in a society as such that people do not normally observe their surroundings closely, especially the Asian society as such. Thus I feel that in a way, Observation is to a large number of people, a social faux pas.

Is observing really something that makes you different? (refer to Article, Differentiation; not your Average Math Question)

During my period of observation, I've personally noted no less then 7 different individuals throwing weird glances and looks at me as I sit on benches or even stand in a corner with my notebook, scribbling furiously as I pen down my thoughts about my observation.

The society is a discreet one indeed and I'm sure the core reason in their response is that they are not used to this kind of action. People are not used to other people observing them (or just that they seem to) thus get uncomfortable.

They were not the only ones feeling uncomfortable though. I endured glance after glance and stayed focused on my task at hand. It somehow dawned on me that the society isn't one that encourages observation.

The constant hunger to improve time and time again and the motivation to better ourselves. That is how our society is turning out nowadays. As a result, the stress factor eats into people's lives and thus they develop a kind of "immunity" to observe interesting details of everyday life. They hardly have the time to take a step back and look at the lighter side of life and they hardly have time to observe.

Tragic, this is. For the great demands of our society takes a toll on its people adversely; it is evident even as you walk along the streets.

Many do not see the benefits of observation, though its a highly subjective result. It personally interests me to observe my environment. It keeps me in check and also allows me to see the other side that the world and life itself has to offer.

I don't want to numb myself to the variety this world has to offer and I feel that we shouldn't let certain social faux pases of the society hold us down.

Human beings have been in the never ending quest of more knowledge and I feel that environment observation is part of that quest for knowledge. A daunting task it is, to observe successfully but why shouldn't we?

So the next time you see someone with a pen and a notebook jotting down notes in a corner in any particular setting, think of him not as a social faux pas or a weirdo but a person who's observing and reading his environment and surroundings in detail.

The Evolution of Survival; The Minimalistic Way of Life and Subjective Demands.

Term breaks are finally here and that means its time for a good rest, as well as a couple of article catching up.

Dinner today was great; Subway with the family (as usual) at a quiet outlet (awesome-ness). That was complimented with a nice walk to digest the food as well as a trip to the supermarket around my estate thereafter for we had to get some supplies.

The "Frozen" section of the supermarket has been a personal favorite of mine when I was young, partly due to the temperature and partly due to the variety of food that is usually found there; I was fascinated by the feasibility of keeping food fresh in low temperatures.

I observed the people in the supermarket as much as I do with the products and the selling concept. What is it that makes people come back again and again to the supermarket to restock their supplies?

It voices down basically to the most fundamental concept of life; Survival.

I derived that these people in the supermarket (including myself), are here because they see it as a necessity, as a NEED, which is in this case, to buy food and other daily objects that they NEED to survive.

Sustenance, or more commonly termed, Food and water, is a very basic need of not only human beings but living creatures. in general. Without these physical needs, existence will not be possible for the body functions on these to work.

However, I begin to contrast the differences between our mode of physical survival needs now and in the ancient past. Our need for survival has indeed changed but is it for the better or the worse?

In ancient cave-men times, people had to hunt for their food. It wasn't easy, for some hunts would end in vain and they would return empty handed and would have to go hungry.

In contrast, currency has brought about convince to the people of the world today. From an literal sense, obtaining currency may seem like a "hunt" and it is but there is no doubt about the convince we the people of today have as compared to the people of hundreds and thousands of years ago.

For instance, a person living hundreds of years ago might have to milk a cow for milk. And now? All we have to do is to walk into your local provision shop to get all the "milking of a cow" in one carton; its that much simple.

We can thus say the need for survival has changed, for when one society changes and develops, so does the need or rather the mode of survival, as seen in the example above.

As society advances, trends in the market follow. Fresh and new marketing strategies are constantly implemented to cope with the rising demands of customers' varying needs.

Imagery is very important when marketing your product as successful branding will result in the consumer remembering the product the moment he sees something related to the said product.

However, recent trends in the market include packaging and customization. With the society's evolution, people pay closer attention to the packaging details as after all, human beings are more visually oriented beings.

This is evident, as I survey the supermarket and its products in the frozen section. We have what marketers call "shelf talkers" where they'll persuade consumers to purchase products and try to win them over. Flashy packaging, large fonts and unique containers surround me as I walk and browse through the groceries.

Is this how far our evolution for survival has preceded?

It is a marvel, really, to see, study and compare the growth of our medium and source of survival. However, with the advancement of society comes variety and choices and in cruel business terms, competition. Marketers have to come up with fresh new concepts in order to attract consumers.

As we develop, we'll naturally ask for more and more to satisfy our growing desire for higher standards of living and higher levels of satisfaction. Alot of emphasis is put on convince, especially food, which as mentioned, is essential for survival. What this means is that preparation of food is easier and faster. A quick browse through the section reveals a whole selection of "instant" food, all with just a microwave button away.

Convince food is controversial in recent periods due to its health benefits; there has been alot of debate surrounding the harms of consuming such products. Certainly, convince comes with a price.

This is inevitable for different people have different demands to their terms of survival.

The Evolution of our survival reflects on the society that we're living in. It is the need that spurs the people I observed in the supermarket.

So Lets just take a step back, and think about the magnitude of our evolution as human beings. And if we were to evolve further, what would become of us? Will we be eating out of infra-red waves or blue tooth signals?

I sure hope not, though someday, the time will come for the due advancements as that is the way of life; we constantly improve ourselves and our society, vice versa.

Thus be it frozen chicken wings, instant pizzas to raw meat or milk freshly obtained from a cow, the evolution of survival is no doubt in the balance and in action in our society, though they share the same purpose ultimately.

So let us define our way of living as only with that, can we fully chart our evolution and look back at our growth.

Differentiation; Not Your Average Math Question.

(A response to http://afrotoast.blogspot.com/, check it out)

As mentioned, this article is dedicated to a request from afrotoast, a friend of mine.

Since I had nothing else but (school) work on my mind these few days (refer to the previous post for details), I'll conjure an article up within 30 minutes or so.

Incoming Wall of text; you have been warned.

Our society has it in such a way that when an individual is adversely different in a certain way or manner, other people will tend to look at him or her differently. This is what we call a generalisation or the more commonly used term, stereotyping.

"A simplified and standardized conception or image invested with special meaning and held in common by members of a group" (as cited from dictionary.com) defines the term "stereotype".

But what does stereotyping got to do with being different in the society?

As mentioned earlier, the act of stereotyping or generalisation is very often used when someone tries to stand out in a crowd. Obviously, this is very situational in a sense that you doing something perfectly normal in a set group may seem like taboo in another group.

Stereotyping is used to treat people acting differently in a group due to the fact that we as humans have this "oh that person is so different from the rest of us, so he must be a weird-do thus lets stay away from him" mentality. You can't say that you've never ever encountered a situation like that ever before haven't you?

This is harsh but its evident and happening in our world as we speak. Its due to this type of stereotyping that actually discourages creativity and discourages people to go "beyond their limits".

What is it with our modern society that condemns such individuals with stereotypical equations? Is it wrong to afterall, be different?

I personally believe that everyone, and I really mean everyone, at some point in their lives, will develop an urge to be different in a way or another; superficially or otherwise. This is largely due to the fact that when you're in a group, you want to stand out from the mass of other people and thus the only way to stand out is to portray yourself differently.

Notice that this can work both ways; positively and negatively.

The effects of both ways elaborated are rather straightforward as standing out from the crowd would either mean you're exceptionally good versus the person that gets left out or gets picked the last at football games.

But should people let the society dictate the way their lives should be led and lived?

I think not.

I'm sure I've mentioned in my previous blog entries that it is always good to "get out of your comfort zones" and "go over your personal limit" as it often reaps unexpected results, so as long as one doesn't overdo it. When you live in a society and are part of it, it is very much likely that you as an individual will get influence at how the way things work throughout the society and naturally, you'll not even think about distinguishing yourself as peer pressure is an element and you're not comfortable to being treated differently.

But lets face it realistically, who likes being treated differently? I'm sure and assume that everyone wants to be treated as an equal in society and nothing less and to be totally honest, I'm not even sure myself if I can personally withstand being treated as a lesser in society; its not that simple and easy to get by.

This is also the reason why racism is such a controversial topic in the world as it talks about the different in skin colour and the inequality faced. I'll not go into explicit detail due to the controversy (as mentioned) but i feel that people shouldn't be judged based on their skin colour and race; its just not fair.

Coming back on topic, certain aspects of being different from the masses are critical in understanding human behaviour and actions (some of which I've already elaborated on).

In a way, we say everyone is different. That claim holds a certain degree of truth as yes, we are very different living beings individually due to a number of aspects, like the way we think for instance, but what if the way people think about a certain subject is altered by the way the society is structured and worked? Aren't we all the same and back to square one?

No, I have my own belief that everyone is different in their own special way no matter how much influence and grip the society has on them. In a sense, every living organism on the planet is different; even twins share distinct differences, be it mentally or physically.

Being different doesn't always have to be an outright action or having a distinct personality so as long as we believe that we're all unique.

So the next time you feel left out and ostracized in a group remember that you're afterall, you and no one will be able to replace that no matter how different or similar you are as compared to the rest of the group.

And thus, the next time you smile at a stranger and the person looks at you funny, think not of it as a social faux pas, but as a step towards a different and more enriching life.

Sympathy Or Tissue Packets; What Are You Selling?

Woke up slightly earlier today as parents wanted to have lunch out. We decided to go all the way to Tiong Bahru Market to have our lunch, largely due to the fact that both of them craved for the famous vegetarian store there - a personal family favorite.

We arrived just in time for lunch and soon placed our orders. We had identical servings of vegetarian food; a combination of bee hoon, noodles and an assortment of vegetarian products.

Now, I've heard from my Father that the place is not only famous for its food but also for its abundance of "street sellers" going from table to table, selling packet tissues. Personally I've seen people like that going around in various places and often, they're either disabled or have a certain degree of impairment.
True enough, throughout our lunch there, we encountered not one but two separate groups of these "sellers". One of which consisted of a blind man and a lady, both elderly and frail looking.

I look at them and it baffles me greatly. Are they here to do a simple business of selling tissue packets or are they indirectly begging?

I feel and strongly believe that every human is kind by nature. The human mind thus works in a way that when we see someone that's either less fortunate or in a dire state of life, emotions stir. Emotions such as pity and compassion comes into play and the next natural reaction is that subconsciously, we will find ourselves wanting to help and give assistance to these poor folk.
So what we have here on our hands must surely be a masterstroke in business, an awesome way to earn money, a marketing marvel; to tap into the human mind's weakness. Or is it?

I've seen many advertisements or campaigns that use this "flaw" in the human mind as a catalyst to fuel and elaborate certain points. But let us take a small step back; are these "street sellers" really sinister business men that are out there just for your money?

No.

In the past, the people I see out there on the streets selling tissue packets have often reminded me of the beggars on the television and in a sense yes, they share a similarity as both parties are ultimately trying to meet end's meet.

In our society of controversy, we have been "brain-washed" to see these people in a different light. Nowadays, people see beggars and no, the first thing they do isn't to search for spare change but to doubt their authenticity. So what happens is that people dismiss the compassion and pity they have in their minds and dismiss the idea of helping a person in need.

Yes, there have been various scams from sly businessmen to use the weakness of humans to their advantage but let us not forget that there are still less fortunate people out there in our society.

So as I look at these people going from table to table selling tissue packets (largely to no avail), I begin to search and look for the compassion and pity that our society filtered away in me. No, though not all of them are like that, these people are in genuine need of help and assistance. They hobble round just to make end's meets, selling simple tissue packets.

To me, they're just doing an honest business to cope with the demands of life. I'm sure that they harbour no malicious intent. I'd like to think of it in such a way that they're trying their best to give back and not ask from society.

I feel that the higher authorities should do something and give these genuine cases their due amount of assistance. Its no doubt that we live in a demanding society, but what about people less fortunate? Life must be really hard for them.

Be it Sympathy or Tissue Packets, I'm sure by the end of the day it all depends mainly on the perspective of how you view the matter.

So let us open up these "filters" and see the world with an open mind. Only then, will we find the true meaning in our lives.