BOOMZ

Ever wondered how much of the message that the media is giving us might not be true?

Remember her?!

hint : BOOMZ/SHINGZ

yes, how can we not know the very famous, or rather infamous person in Singapore, Miss Ris Low.

Recently the local media really focused their attention onto this icon who was to be representing Singapore under the title of "Miss Singapore World". That was soon withdrawl under circumstances that found Miss Ris Low guilty of credit card fraud. At the same time her language use and pronunciation for english words were also under the scrutiny of the public because they felt that with her standard of english, it would not be appropriate for her to be an ambassador of Singapore.

After all the drama, Miss Ris Low was given a chance and placed under probation for her crimes, at the same time she told the public that she was suffering from a bipolar disorder hence that made her commit the crime.

How much of this is actually true?

Take a look at this video. This was the video that got everyone talking about her.
As you can see, her english was pretty bad in this video, creating new lingos that everyone just had to follow. Things like "Boomz" and "Preenz"

Despite these videos and news reports on how bad Miss Ris Low is, is she really as bad as how they portray her to be? Maybe they have taken out the other interlectual parts and only placed in the ugly side of her just to please the target market and attain maximum viewship. Perhaps there is just the other side of her that we all don't know of.

Suddenly everyone just harps on her negative side rather than a balance view on her, and even celebrities start to make spoofs out of her.




Just like this one! (Which I truely like) It was an promotional video for the upcoming comedy Phua Chu Kang.
As you can see, they just had to make fun of Miss Ris Low and adopted her speech.

Everyone now has their opinion of Miss Ris Low tainted, with thanks to the media, but have we all gotten the wrong idea?

One thing's for sure, I still do not see her in any positive light, and that Miss Ris Low seems to be enjoying herself with such media attention, hence appearing on more shows just to add on to the drama.

just like this one!



Good job on her part, just don't come crying when things get out of hand!

Peranakans.

Remember this popular local drama?
of course everyone remembers this. This show that had the highest ratings in recent history, the show that everyone is talking about.


It's none other than "The Little Nyonya"!

Yes yes, I know everyone loves it right?
However, there's one thing I just dont understand.
What exactly is the big hype about this programme that's got everybody talking about it?





The show just basically promotes the almost forgotten culture of these malay influenced chinese people, called Peranakans.


I would have to say that this show has definitely met its objectives of promoting this culture because now, peranakans have become overrated I would say. Thanks to this show, everyone now knows more about its culture and how people of their kind behave. Though this might be a good thing, allowing the culture to be widely known, but the media has been doing too much promoting about this culture that it has become mundane.

After the show was broadcasted, the media suddenly found an importance to follow up by creating other programmes that are inspired by this culture and emphasizing on how traditional this culture can be.

Take for example "Sayang Sayang"

Yes this show, it was aired right after The Little Nyonya. Once again another nyonya inspired programme. I wouldn't deny that I love this show, but because there are just too many nyonya shows that were airing at the same time, it kind of had me wondering if its all just too much.

If its just a taste of the culture, yes, it is actually quite refreshing, but too much of it, just spoils the whole outlook of things. Suddenly everyone in Singapore claim that they have Peranakan blood... and that their grandmother's great grandmother's father's mother was a Peranakan and what not. Also, the kebayas then became the trend that came together as a package with this culture. Suddenly there was this outburst of people wearing this for weddings and celebrations.(my aunt included)

I feel that if you are part of a culture, there's no need to announce to the world that you are one of them. Just because everyone else is doing it does not mean that you need to follow suit. It might be a sudden proud moment for you, just because you've finally found a place where you belong and maybe, just maybe, since that culture has become very popular with everyone, you might actually stand to gain a little more popularity and envy from others. Please, how much of that can you get? Soon everything would be a passe, and life will just return to normal. In the end, what's the whole basis of this hype? It will all be gone within a short span of time.

By the way, it is about time the media should stop emphasizing on the Peranakan culture before it gets too boring for all of us.

Relationships

Ever came across a situation where you think that your parents are being too naggy, being a pain, dont understand you, don't know you, and dont care about you?

I would not deny that I do have my "parent-fit" moment.

At that point of time, you would just think that your parents really don't care about you, and decide irrational decisions that could have been done your way. You yourself know what you are doing, but to them they just think you don't know whats best. There's a point in time where we all think to ourselves "how I wish i am a grown up, then i can make my own decisions without needing approval".

It gets so bad that we think that our parents do not love us as much as they should.What if all of these friction could be reduced by improving on the communication between both parent and child?

This is a sound clip taken from the previous american show, "The fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Rapping about how parents just dont understand.

Parents Just Dont Understand - DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince

The Asians are brought up with the culture of strict parenting, for instance when a parent decides, the child has to abide.

However, I feel that parents should start communicating with their children more in order to avoid such friction. Communication goes a long way, with communication there is a better understanding of the situation and the child could grasp the fact of why his/her parent is going against her idea. Explaining works, it is better than just scolding the child and expecting them to know the logic and the rationality of your actions.

Talking about situations before the child raises it would also help prepare the child on how to look at such situations and to consider the right decision.

A little bit of trust would also do the job, as everyone needs to go through a littl experimenting. Without experimenting, the child will never what it is like to experience situations. For example, clubbing. In most of our parents mind, it is the taboo word. To them its like taking drugs, or being wasted, or even being a delinquent. However, clubbing might not be as bad as they perceive. Letting the child experience it at least once would be good. At the same time it would be good for parents to talk them through and allow them to understand the advantages and disadvantages of it. The more parents resist the child's request, the more the child wants to rebel. When that happens, "parent-fit" comes into the picture. Parents should always have a little faith and trust with the child, by judging their character. When the child realises that their parents trust them, they would try to stick within boundaries. It is like reverse psychology in a way.

Increase the communication, reduce the friction! Families can get together better that way!

Entry 5 - Networking

Remember the times when we were young and facebook, twitter, IRC, blogs and what nots did not exist to our knowledge and the only thing we knew about was the TELEPHONE?

The world has really came a long way from a simple telephone to the many internet based communications available for us now. The question is, is it really as beneficial as we think it is?

Facebook, Msn, Blogs, and Twitter, it is a very good way to get some social networking, you can make friends with people you've never met, or you can enhance your friendship with someone you've just bumped into once. It's like a dream, a magical device that helps you overcome your weakness by hiding behind a screen.

Yes I don't deny that all of these wonderful inventions and creations have been very "life enriching" for me. I've made more friends and got to know others better. However with so much time spent on the computer, I have naturally forgotten how nice it is to spend time outdoors. I have forgotten that outdoor activities and social events like gatherings are actually a form of social networking too! At the same time I have been neglecting my family due to this compulsive internet usage. Gone were the days where watching tv or having dinners together were simple yet enjoyable.

However benficial these online social networking programmes are, sometimes problems do exist using these programmes. When we are talking through a screen, we would not know the tone of the person you are conversing with. The real thoughts and feelings might have been misintepreted by other party, thus leading to misunderstandings and broken friendships. In the end, how many real friends have you made through these programmes? Not many, I would say. Many would just be your everyday-on-the-surface-friends.

All these could be avoidable if everyone were to just conversed face-to-face or via telephone. I would give anything to be able to go back to the times where the telephone was my only way to get connected with my friends when I am not with them. Though it might not be as fun filled as what the online programmes offer, but at least I am able to hear the thoughts and feelings of my friends in real tone; through a closer communication method.

4th post

Guys - I'm sure there are times when you are found left on the streets waiting for your female partners to turn up, and they are always, constantly late for an appointment.

Ladies - You always find yourself getting up extra early just to prepare yourself to face and greet the entire world.

If you still don't get what I am hinting, I'm actually talking about make up.

Yes, the things that most girls and a very tiny fraction of guys put on their faces.

Is it really a necessity?

Before and after of a person who has done up her make up. These enhanced in physical appearance in the girls does it really increase the kind of relationship that you would have with the guys?

Some of my friends find it impossible to leave the house without make up, being afraid that it might be very embarrassing for them, meeting people in their original form. It is to the extent of make up being part of their life, part of their routine and part of the schedule. They are just willing to fork out extra beauty sleep or time to make themselves be the most outstanding person on the street, most of the time, being late for appointments.

Is it really worth it? I guess you can say so in a certain way. It might not in the 1970s, but human thinking has evoluted in many ways. Men now a days tend to be very superficial. Yes, you might say you men are NOT superficial, but you cannot deny the fact that many of you decrease your personal proximity with the girl if you find her more appealing in appearance wise. The more men yearn for beautiful ladies on the street, the more women have to spend their preciously earned money and time on these beauty secrets.

So men, if you find yourself waiting for your female companions on the streets again, you ought to be waiting! After spending so much time and money just to try to impress you and gain a favourable impression, you should treat her dinner as well! :)

Entry 2.

What happens when you say or do something in a moment of folly, and you dont mean what you said or done, and suddenly the world just misunderstands you and labels you something unpleasant.

Things like that happens a lot in the media scene.

Recently there was an episode like this in Korea.

It was announced that the leader of the local popular boy group "2PM" would be resigning from the group, due to negative comments by netizens regarding a statement he made years ago.

This is JaeBum, leader of boy group, 2PM (LOOK AT THAT WASHBOARD ABS! (: )

What happened was that Jaebum was raised in America ever since young and he only returned back to Korea in 2005, to complete his high school education. During his stay in Korea, he posted some offending comments about korea on his myspace page. This happened 4 years ago, yet netizens had to dig his page up and slammed him on the comments made so long ago.

This is a screenshot on what he wrote 4 years ago on his Myspace page

Offensive? yes of course, but that was before he got famous, yet people had to criticize him for a mistake done so long ago. Currently, he is only 22 years old, which makes him only 18 years old when he made the comment. How many 18 year olds would actually be think of being responsible for what they write online? Many do not even know that it might be offensive to others, thinking that things would not be in the spotlight. For Park JaeBum, he just ran out of luck.

Poor JaeBum has to return to America because of this silly mistake made in a moment of folly.

Another incident happened at the recent MTV Video Music Awards.

Apart from the Kanye West incident where he caught everybody by surprise by going up on stage and grabbing Taylor Swift's microphone, saying that Beyonce deserve the award instead of Taylor.

Here's a picture of Kanye West snatching Taylor Swift's Microphone.

He regretted his actions after that. People said that he was drunk when he went on stage as his whole body reeked of alcohol and many of his pictures showed him holding to a bottle of liquor. Apparently he called Taylor a few days later to apologise for his misconduct.

Another incident that happened that on that very event was Lil' Mama going onto stage while Jay-z and Alicia Keys were performing their segment on stage.

Image can be seen in this video, with Lil' Mama getting on stage with them.

Music Code Provided by MusicVideolife.com

Lil Mama soon apologised for her inappropriate behaviour. Everyone labelled her as "attention-seeker". Apparently, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys felt that by coming on stage it is actually a sign of disrespect and that it would be better if she had done all the admiration off stage.

In her apology statement, Lil Mama then said that she did not have any intentions of disrespecting the two, and that she was too overwhelm with excitement towards the two icons singing about New York, and in that moment, she went on stage to join them.

Were they all Clowns? or just simply Misunderstood?

So the next time before you do or say something, think about the consequences first.

it's time.

Recently, I have been losing most of my male-friends to the army.
Just yesterday another batch of them bid farewell to the outside world and went into their new "homeland", Tekong, to spend the next 3 months.

Before enlistment, all of them were whining about how bad it is going to be, how torturous things are inside, and paranoia that goes something like "my friend's friend said that the camp is very 'dirty'... etc..." Also, having meals as if it is their last, trying to enjoy every single day of their freedom and making use of their remaining days to the fullest.

Being aware of the bad circumstances they would face, they mentally prepared themselves, coaxing each other that it is going to be tough, so they would just have to EMBRACE what was to hit them.

Perception of the army, is it that bad?

Take a look at this clip, the local comedy movie, "Army Daze", screened in 1996. Memorable, and it gave an exaggerated view of how typical Singaporeans would handle the first 3 months in Basic Military Training. (I loved the show)

The funny thing about all the 'hoo-haa' about entering the army, all the worries, the paranoia and everything else was that all these might have been for nothing!

Evidently, it could be seen on the faces of all the newly 'P-O-P' (passing out parade) boys/men.

After the army, they just would not stop talking about army.

"hey, which batch were you from?"

"Are you from the commandos?"

"The 24km road march was a killer!"

.

.

.

From what I noticed, army had really provided them with lots of benefits instead.

(no, i'm not speaking for the government)

Just by looking at their physiques, they are already looking much fitter than before!

Like typical Singaporean girls would say, "SO MAN-LY!"

Apart from that, the friends they made in their army companies would also be affectionately recognized as 'brothers' after having to sweat it out together for so long.

There are many other things that they've gained apart from the ones mentioned above, like gaining an unforgetable experience that would most likely be told to generations to come.

The horror that they had been anticipating became something beneficial for them in many ways and i'm sure that they have enjoyed the some parts of the process at some point.

So wait then, why was the initial perception of army even bad in the first place?

Well, you wouldn't know until you've experienced it.

That's something that I guess I won't be finding out.

for the sake of communications.