You've Gotta Hide Your Love Away

Its been a heck of a long time since I actually updated metallic-stains with a real post so here it is! For all you guys out there, tons have been (and still is) happening so here's a little lowdown.

First off, Holidays are here and a much deserved break I supposed. Work has been a real killer this semester, partly due to the extra one week break we had at the start of the school term.

Not that its a bad thing, but the congestion of work during the last few weeks were simply amazing! Nevertheless, a good experience to see the people around me slogging their guts out and giving it their all.

Give yourself a pat on your back!

A whole lot has been going on around me I suppose, throughout duration of absence without a real post and I'm pretty sure you guys wouldn't want to read a 10 page long essay about the past few weeks of my life so I'll save up on that.

I've got a few decisions to make though, and was hoping to seek the opinion of you guys (who still visit metallic-stains, thank you so much).

As you may/may not know, The Beatles Rock Band (the game) will be released 9/9/09. Oh how I would want to get my hands on that sweet thing.

So here's the thing, the platform; Playstation or Xbox?

I'm pretty sure you guys out there have either platforms, and I'm not much of a console game fanatic (or a game fanatic in general, for that matter), so I would like some opinions.

Pricing information would be really awesome too.

So that's that and on a totally random note, the sky's really dark and rain is eminent.

Also, I'll need some comments about the photo below for reasons undisclosed. I'm open to positive and negative comments so feel free to express what you think.

With that, I'll sign off for now. Remember to check back for more updates and posts. With holidays here, who knows what will be up on this space, so keep checking back.

Clarke Quay, Singapore.

*The picture as seen in this post belongs solely to the owner of the blog. No commercial use of the photo is permitted unless specified by the owner.

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Now playing: The Beatles - You've Got To Hide Your Love
via FoxyTunes

That Feeling

Nature at one of its best.

Its been awhile since I've set foot on the island getaway of Singapore, also known as Sentosa. What better way to spend some quality time with your fellow classmates than a day in the great outdoors, by the sea?

Sun, Sea and Coconuts?

Great company and awesome sights (as seen in the photos) can certainly make one's day.

Well the trip made me realize that more often then not, simple pleasures in life are often around oneself; we just have to look around us carefully. Of course, everyone's interpretation of having fun or "chilling out" might differ from another individual, but if its what makes you happy, then hey, its called having fun I guess.

Take myself for example. The past couple of days for me were spent with dear Audrey here. Everywhere I went, she went with me. Yes, she may be a tad quiet but hey, its awesome company to me.

Here She is, just taking a snooze on the bed.

Oh apologies readers, it seems that I've yet to introduce to you guys the newest member of the metallic-stains management team.

Yes, Audrey the camera has been hard at work for many of the pictures you've seen here on metallic-stains and has played a considerable part in the peppering the posts with picture after picture.

Audrey's a Nikon D60 and has only recently joined the metallic-stains management team. Posts from now on will be introduced to her photo taking capabilities so keep a lookout for that.

Moving away from that.

Christmas is finally here! Ho ho ho!

I'm sure many of you guys out there are enjoying and soaking up the festive mood in full swing this very moment and rightly so as well.

A season of giving; the general mood of Christmas which is deeply influenced by the multiple marketing campaigns, I'm sure. But I have to agree that this is a season where one shows appreciation for the people around him/her.

Which was the reason why I chose to make "Christmas Deliveries" on Christmas eve itself.

To me, nothing beats the look on a person's face when he or she receives a present. The feeling of being able to make someone else happy and contented with a little action (or a little gift, for that matter) is simply overwhelming and truly delightful.

I've also noticed a changing trend in my personal mindset.

The me of 10 years ago would be satisfied with the latest toy or game gadget for Christmas but today, I'm more a fan of giving out smiles rather than receiving the latest technological gadget or the most expensive accessory.

I guess its a change we all face at some point in our lives were we feel that giving is much more important as compared to taking.

Interesting isn't it?

Well I managed to squeeze in a little time after my delivery rounds that day and decided to take a walk downtown, with Audrey strapped safely behind me of course.

The feeling, that atmosphere was really different that night as I recall now in retrospect. It was so significant that while I was having a little coffee break down at Starbucks that night, I penned down my thoughts.

Which went something like this;

That Feeling.

"

Title: "That Feeling"

Wrapper after Wrapper, bag after bag, its that time of the year again. To some, a hassle, to others, a joy.

And to a small other group, a significance.

You see smiles everyday but the smiles you see during this season are truly memorable. "Here, I made this for you", might not seem like much, but it can certainly light up one's day.

Nature finds substitutes well; while others on the other side of the world cope with snowflakes, we take out out umbrellas and hoodies.

A worthy substitute?

Nothing beats this feeling. The feeling of light drizzle against your skin, the feeling of having everything you need on your back, the feeling of unrivaled freedom.

With church bells chiming in the background to familiar Christmas melodies and the soft gentle wind blowing at your cheeks, one certainly feels and hopes that life is a dream and everyday should be as such.

As you settle down for a coffee, you stop and reminisce on the day long gone and the days soon to come. Surely nothing would be able to replace such a setting, will it?

Slowly, you take a sip of coffee. Its aroma pervades through your senses and your breath is coated with a deep flavor of roast.

Time seemingly stops as you gaze far but you stop, and started thinking again.

A soft Christmas tune plays in your head, reminding you of the occasion, such a celebrated even this is; minute by minute, the day approaches.

Santa will be proud of you today, as you are with yourself for joy and smiles are spread. A feeling unrivaled.

But wait, is everything done?

You glance around you and something serves as a reminder of an uncompleted task. Your focus shifts away and you start thinking about your family and friends.

What are they doing? Are they happy?

You sense the evident mood amongst the people around you and its hard not to get affected. Amidst casual conversations are hints of Christmas being distributed here and there.

This atmosphere is infectious, in a good way of course. It makes you want to stand up and proclaim, sing and dance, jump and scream.

Interestingly, you check your phone, take your camera out and snapped a couple of shots. This is the moment when you wished that life was like this everyday, every time.

With everyone happy, you wished that everyday was Christmas.

"Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year."

"

Over a slow cup of coffee, I penned the above down based on my mood, feelings and my observations around me at that time. Hope you guys enjoyed that little "narrative".

Its interesting what the season of Christmas means to each and everyone of us. So let me post this question to you readers out there;

"What does Christmas mean to you?"

Well for me, as I've mentioned, Christmas means being able to bring happiness to the people around me and seeing them contented and happy. Christmas also means making myself happy and positive and also an assurance that there is still hope and reason to smile at the end of the day.

Hope and a reason to Smile is what keeps this star shining.

Cliche stuff I know but I'm pretty sure the words "Christmas" and "Happiness" ain't exactly that far off for one encompasses the other and vice versa.

So yea, I really look forward to your responses and comments about the post and the question. Remember to check back for updates as the year 2009 looms upon us!

In the meantime, stay safe and happy and if you drink, don't drive.

And oh yea, from all of us here at metallic-stains, have a Happy and Brilliant Christmas!

Cya'll later.

"A very merry Christmas"

*Use of pictures from this post without the management team's approval or notice will result in undesirable consequences. Please, amidst the festive season stay safe, play it safe and live well.*

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Song of the Post


Now playing: John Lennon - Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
via FoxyTunes

All I want for Christmas is my two cents worth

The quiet and empty streets where Solace and Tranquility is evident.

The long awaited term break is finally here and quite honestly, never a better time. As much as I enjoy the daily pressures of school work and assignments, the break will serve as an ideal period to rest the tired bones.

In retrospect, the term was filled with a rich variation of activities; assignments, school work, late nights and other commitments.

To sum it up in a nutshell, it was a real difference as compared to previous semesters. A myriad of assignments and expectations supplemented the time during the term, making it a real challenge as well as an ideal learning process within.

However, I would like to talk about one particular assignment which I thoroughly enjoyed, and one of my favorites to date in terms of the process and final product.

Disturbing, ain't it?

I'm pretty sure that, to many of you out there, lugging through town at the wee hours of the morning isn't exactly a norm for an assignment. But that was exactly what we did.

Basically, the assignment circled around nation building targeted at the youths of the nation and what we were expected to do was a simple photo montage of various pictures which depicted the group's interpretation of the theme.

Sounds juicy doesn't it?

Our group decided to do something a little different and thus had to go around in search of "empty" shots. The only way to do it? The wee hours of the morning.

So where are You?

Sure it was tiring but the end product was, to me personally, well worth the effort as we got the shots we wanted, which conveyed the effect and atmosphere that we intended to portray.

An abstract 4/6 of the Drool Bits Team.

Take a look at our final product for this assignment and feel free to give me your feedback and comments. The members of Drool Bits Productions look forward to these responses.



Moving away from that now.

Christmas is around the corner, but with a difference. The global financial crisis has indeed affected the bulk of consumers, both in physical spending power as well as psychological security.

Take a quick walk down down and you'll see that companies are doing their best to entice the wary consumers this festive season. From vivid decorations to "too-good-to-be-true" promotions, manufacturers and companies are going all out to get the sales they project for the period.

Marketers are truly put to the test.

I was in town recently and quite honestly, didn't understand the severity of the crisis until I began to observe what was actually happening.

The moment I stepped onto the cobbled sidewalks of the infamous shopping belt of Singapore, Christmas songs sung by a choir, filled the air with joy, hope and happiness; a typical Christmas scene, in short.

Little did I realize at that time that the source of the music wasn't from an actual Christmas choir but from multiple speakers planted onto the Christmas decorations which dotted the shopping belt.

I've also noticed the abundance of salvation army stands set up at regular intervals along the belt, with distinct bells to attract the public's graze and hopefully, with a few dollars to spare.

Few donated, partly due to the financial crisis but also partly due to the controversial charity fraud incident which happened a while back; trust amongst the people have yet to be earned.

Consumers are more wary about their spending ability due to the financial situation.

Certainly, the current crisis has put a drape on the festive atmosphere and rightly so. With higher demands of living, it isn't exactly easy to get by these days.

And on to more lighthearted content.

I've noticed quite a number of "Christmas Lists" springing up amongst the other blogs and pages which I visited and thought it would be interesting to do a personal list for myself.

So Here goes;

Christmas List 101

(non-material items)
1. Happiness
2. Emotional Stability
3. Health
4. An end to suffering everywhere
5. To build and bond with friends and family
6. A clearer mind in preparation for the new year ahead
7. People around me to be satisfied with their lives
8. Freedom

Cliche as it may seem, I feel very strongly about the above aspects as that is what really matters to us as human beings in essence.

However, here's the more material list, for good measure;

(material)
1. Nikon D60 (or something along those lines)
2. A decent Drum kit (but not really due to space constrains)
3. I can't really think of anything else
4. Oh yea here's one, Cowbells (for my Welcome to the Jungle drum cover)

Just for the record, number 1 on the material list is already in acquisition as I'm currently saving up/working and also, striking a compromise with my Dad (who is mildly interested in the product himself) for a decent entry grade DSLR.

I'm still open for comments as to which model I should get so feel free to supplement me with advice and feedback.

As for number 2 and 4, I'm sure Santa would have his work cut out lugging around a 5 piece drum kit on board his little reindeer cart thing, so I'll work towards a solution to purchase it myself, a long term thing though.

I have hopes for Christmas as with everyone else. A season for giving, as they call it but most importantly, a season to be jolly.

The family's Christmas tree still lies packed in the storage room since last year and quite honestly, I'm not too sure myself if it's gonna be out this time.

Be sure to check back for updates this festive season. Everyone might be on holiday, but here at metallic-stains, we work while on holiday.

So buckle up your coats, ready your wellingtons and dig up those ear muffs as Christmas is upon us.

Let us smile for all that's worth.

Happy Christmas! (in advance)

Cya'll later.

*All the images, pictures and video as seen in this post here on metallic-stains is the result of an affiliation between Drool Bits Productions and the management team of metallic-stains.blogspot.com. Usage of material or content from this post without the knowledge of either Drool Bits Productions or the metallic-stains management team is at the user's risk and legal action may be taken depending on the consequence. The people at Drool Bits Productions and metallic-stains.blogspot.com wishes everyone a safe and happy holiday.

"Your Crazy Kitten Smile"
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Song of the Post


Now playing: Radiohead - True Love Waits
via FoxyTunes

Entrusting Responsibilities

Look who's here.

Its been a hectic week on the books as the term starts (it actually started last week, but I guess it kicked into a higher gear this week).

Day by day, work is evident in the lives of students and I guess we're by far, no exception as media students. But since its the end of the week, I've decided to do a little update. I apologize for the inactivity in terms of updates and articles due to obvious reasons as such.

For some reason, this week seemed to creep pass noticeably slower as compared to previous weeks, though it may not necessarily be a bad thing. I can confidently say that I've acquired new information and knowledge about the media industry as well as management, throughout the week and in substantial amounts too.

Really awesome stuff, I must say.

Management might come as instinctive to some but in actual fact, there are logical explanations to different levels, roles and methods of management. I shan't drone on about the details about the topic (largely due to the specific but lengthy specifics) but I'm really sure that the knowledge and skills acquired will be useful for a media practitioner.

Life is about improvement and changes. And this is something that I adhere and believe with details that will only make sense to me.

My recent Wednesdays and Thursdays afternoons were spent in the library, partly to pass time (before procceding for my tuition classes) and my casual browsing drew my attention to another book by Paulo Coelho.

Well as I've mentioned in my previous entries, articles with reference and responses, Paulo Coelho was the author behind the magic of the inspirational novel, "The Alchemist". Its a book that I highly suggest and recommend reading.

The new entity that I found was entitled "The Fifth Mountain".

Details are sparse for now (as I've borrowed the book for about 3 days and have not completed it as yet) but "The Fifth Mountain" has relations and links drawn with key concepts mentioned in "The Alchemist", which revolved around the concept of achieving one's personal legend.

So far, it has been a promising read and I'll try to talk about the aspects and my personal insights in entries to come so check back for more detail on that.

I've been also thinking about ways to amplify my teaching and communication methods towards the two students which I'm currently tutoring, in various subjects. Though people would typically subject younger kids to be "easier to teach" I feel the contrary to an extent.

In tutoring children, especially younger ones, I personally feel that communication is vital for comprehension as well as conversation. Talking to the kid may well be more effective then doing boring worksheets on the black and white simply due to the short attention span of such individuals, but again, this is viewed with much subjectivity.

Roughly 4 weeks ago, I decided to test out a technique in hopes of rectifying and improvement of communication between my student and I. And also in doing so, fully maximizing the time spend during class and discussions.

Due to his active persona and mischievous outlook, I made a deal with him; behave well during class as well as doing his homework properly and he'll be rewarded at the end of 3 weeks.

Though control in him was rather excruciating at times (getting him to stop jumping all around the place and such), I managed to induce an improvement in terms of homework submission and in-class behavior.

Thus, giving credit to the statement that "Humans are motivated through rewards".

This week, I rewarded him for his efforts. There weren't any sweet or chocolate wrappers in my bag that day as I lugged my way to my destination. I had bought something so simple yet powerful and was really eager to give it to him.

"What do you think I got for you?"

"I don't know? *inserts random naughty laughter here*"

A ruffle of shopping bags later, a pen lay neatly on the table. I decided to reward him with the powerful gift of responsibility.

Many people are afraid to entrust their children with responsibilities at an early age, and understandably so due to the immaturity of such individuals. But I feel that this should be reconsidered and reaccessed. We shouldn't let the fear elude our purposes.

"By giving you this pen, I want you to use it to do your assignments, neatly."

From a human behavioral perspective, we are weird creatures as we'll always be responsible for things people trust us with. Which was substantiated by my student's handwriting at the end of the lesson; he made it an effort to write neatly with his new "responsibility".

Personally, I was really satisfied by my student's reaction and performance. But more importantly, I would like to hear from you guys, my readers and thus I post this question to all of you;

"Do you think it is appropriate to entrust responsibilities in order for change and improvement to eventuate?"

Really looking forward to all of your responses and comments. I could use a couple of suggestions on handling and teaching young kids too so keep those comments coming.

Be sure to check back for updates and article posts though the frequency may come a wee bit slower; I apologize for that.

Alright but before I go, I'd like to share a song with all of you, my valued readers:

"Dear God- Avenged Sevenfold"

Yea, I don't really do this often but in light of the band, Avenged Sevenfold's local gig here in Singapore, I thought it would be nice to feature this personal favorite of mine. The lyrical content was one of the highlights of the song that really drew me in. (You might have to click on the picture to view it in a higher resolution, I apologize about the size and all)

Alright, I'll end here for, its late and time for a little snooze. Hope you guys enjoyed this little update and till then.

Cya'll later.

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Now playing: Avenged Sevenfold - Dear God
via FoxyTunes

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.*