Does Volcan Know? I Doubt It.

Once upon a time, there was a guy called Volcan who would know when God would suddenly throw fire at the village he so dearly loved. With this amazing power, he saved the villagers countless times, and in return, they hold him in high esteem. A few years later, some villagers found a huge mountain nearby which was so hot it could boil a human alive. They named this oddity Volcanknows, which later came to be known as a volcano. The end. =)

 

Silence After The Crescendo.

CATS has been great so far. I love the idea of creating new things. Ever since i was young, i would watch people make big things out of little stuff. Like bakers baking cakes. I love the idea of creating things out of materials i can easily get hold of, like PAPER! I would try making things i could use out of paper, like: folders, wallets, cd holders, paper dustbins, etc. Origami books helped alot, except that i wasn’t really interested in making structures that would take up space on my desk.

When Lego is not Lego, it is the best toy one can ever have. When i was really young, my dad used to buy Lego for my brother and i to play with. All the blocks were stuffed into a large blue carrier, which looks like a huge lego piece as well. (I still have it with me. xD). We were supposed to make a house with it, as shown in the sticker on the front of the carrier, like the serving suggestions one see on can food tins. Thus, it comes with two asexual humans with interchangeable body parts, umbrellas, a beach chair, and some trees and potted plants. I was intrigued the first time i saw my father finish the structure. It looked exactly like the serving suggestion, from the placement of the windows to the freezed actions of the yellow humans. I loved it so much i did not touch it for days, so as to preserve its state for as long as i could. Which wasn’t very long. Soon, i demolished it and rebuilt the structure. After that, i made houses of other designs. Then, the houses became objects. Soon after, i was making pencil holders out of the Lego. I started with a basic one, and ended with one that could hold all kinds of stationery, which also comes with a card holder and armed with a memo pad. Then i made a ‘ticketing machine’ which uses dominoes as tickets. After which i made a drawer. Serious. I put cards in between the sections so that they would come out more smoothly, because the protruding holes on top of the Lego pieces are obtrusive. One day, i hope to make a massive structure out of unlimited Lego pieces. =)

Some time back, after reading too much logical shit for the O Levels, i decided to write a composition which has got NO logic, NO common sense, and NO meaning. It was hard, seriously. Like going against how my brain was trained to work. This is it:

Lateral Latex.
I was just receiving the bowls of silver hairbands when the redness of the lighthouse caught my delirious moustache.The workers went qwertyuiop before the rest of the toilets caught up with them. They took the lighthouse into their own hair and immediately ate up the gunmen within the shortcake of limited array. The goodies were fabulously attached to limitless beans, bringing upon a sense of nostalgia, pretty associated with happy coupons. The typewriters love coupons. Pungent, they claim the coupons to be. Full of good compass, worth the bag of grass. Again, him see to love would i sometimes. Whimsical fantasy brimming full of marigold. The lollypops woud catch the popcorn and put them into displays full of policemen. The star would love to do a nose job, sponsered by thousands of paperwork and cashiers. The bridge must be high enough, said the star. Thus, the star could reach the moon, or get burnt by the sun. The barbeque is lovely, but the prawns do not enjoy it at all. Too hot, increases global warming. The harvest would be poor, the peoples hair turn into dry hay. The horses no food, for the grass had dried up, and had to resort to eating peoples hair. The people do not like it. Too bald, they said. But cooling whatsoever. So they would listen to their players, or board their fancy yachts that take them too far away into the ocean, and crash into the red lighthouse that caught my delirious moustache when i was just receiving the bowls of silver hairbands.

However, it was really fun writing crap. I love doing stuff like these. It really is therapeutic. Haha!

 

What Attracts My Attention?

What attracts my attention? I might say: Beauty, humour, uniqueness, simplicity(design and context), quality and practicality are the 6 things out of many that would catch my attention.

First things first. Beauty. I have to admit that i am attracted to things that are beautiful, although i know that external beauty is not everything. But, the beauty of a product is very important in catching the eye of people. Thats where packaging design comes in. People want to use beautiful things, no matter the cost. Then again, people want to use beautiful things to make themselves look better so that they can appear more beautiful in the eyes of others.

Humour is next, and its definitely important. Witty one liners would definitely help a lot! Humour is what people find easier to remember; unless in the case of others, remembering grudges are easier. But generally, humour in a product does show some depth.

Uniqueness is more important now than ever before. Women want accessories that are beautiful and can’t be found elsewhere. This is where handmade goods come in. More people are daring enough to set the trend themselves now, compared to the past where people generally wear the same thing. I have seen classmates personalize and customize their bags to show that they are unique individuals. A group of close friends may buy the same bags but each will add more things to alter the look of their bags, making each one different.

Simplicity is next on the line; as simple things are better remembered by people. Simplicity can be used in two things: Simplicity in Context and Simplicity in Design. An advertisement, for example, which is complex and long might make people avoid it rather than take their time to figure out what the ad is trying to say. A simple and straightforward ad will, however, bring peoples’ attention to it immediately. And as it takes little effort to understand the message of the ad, the general public will find the ad more endearing. Simple designs are easier to remember, as i have said before. Its easier to remember pictures, and even more so when the pictures are simple and easy to digest at one look. Design, on the other hand, is not only about pictures and art. Design is the main key, a tool to solve problems. That is why design is very important in catching people’s attention – it catches their need.

Next, there is quality. People like authentic stuff, the goods with the real thing. People respect workmen who put all of their heart and soul into the making of something. For example, food. Chefs in dramas are told to pay attention to each and every ingredient. There must be care in the cooking and the procedures must be done well and accurately. After that, the finishing product must look good and appetizing. That is, in dramas which feature fine chefs from fine restaurants. I am guessing its the same everywhere. Once a person performs his art with pride, there would definitely be quality in the product. This also brings the cost of the product up, along with the trust of the consumers. Perhaps this is what makes a label branded.

Last of all, there is practicality. If something is beautiful and eye catching and all that, but one is unable to bring it to use or even to fruition, then the object will only remain as an object.

 

What Makes Presentations Engaging?

This is probably a question that i really have to have an answer for, as a film maker in making. What would capture the attention of the audience? What would make them stay interested throughout the movie? A movie is similar to a powerpoint presentation in a way. A movie is a presentation of a film maker’s effort.

So, what keeps me engaged in a movie? Suspense? A fantastic character? A great plot? Good visual elements? The information that i (as well as the character or protagonist) want to get? Awesome script? A favourite actress? Or maybe its a combination.

However, a movie is different from a powerpoint presentation (or any others) in the sense that a presentation has to be clear so that the audience will understand. A movie might be artistic and abstract, as the main point is not for the audience to understand everything in one screening, but to present a story in a different way ( to introduce another perspective in looking at things; for example the film Memento ). But in a presentation, everything has to be super duper clear.

But won’t this be boring? How would i engage my audience while giving a presentation? What is it that they want? I think the main factor is to keep everything short. Really short; but clear, with sufficient examples and elaboration. If i were to tell them a long long story, they would definitely fall asleep or get distracted. A bit of humour might help, which is what my lecturers often do in a bid to make lectures more bearable, which works to a certain extent. Visually, i hate to see a lot of words on a slide. It gives me the impression that there is a lot to absorb, and that turns me off especially if its about a subject that i have absolutely no interest in. I wonder if a little background music would help to bring up a certain atmosphere, or if it might be too distractive.

Oh i just thought of something. A podcast might be interesting!

 

Free Writing

Virtual War.

A war, no matter how big the scale, can be brought by just two people. Is this true?

I was thinking of the purpose of war. Isn’t it just to see who is stronger? Why must a war involve so many people? With current technologies, can we just have a virtual war if one is badly needed? With this, the damages that a war would cause will be minimized. To make the war more true to reality, both parties could obtain virtual money that is compliant with the global economy, and they can only have as much as their country could afford. The money could then be used to buy artillery, soldiers and the what-nots. Then, they fight virtually, and no one will be harmed in the process.

We fought in war games so many times before. Why can’t these be an alternative to physical war? We could bring war to a different context. After all, who wants war? What i fear more is not the production of military weapons, but the research and creation of biological weapons.

We really should learn to communicate on a much larger scale.

The OSIM iGallop.

This product has certainly been ‘blacklisted’ by many people, because of the ‘wrong’ image that advertisements have put across. To be frank, when i read an advertisement of this product in the newspaper, i was very sure that there are many benefits to be gained from using this product. I thought many people would like it; but with the wrong move by the company, perhaps potential customers were put off.

I asked myself; why were they put off? If they were sure of the benefits of the product, why didn’t they buy it? It led me to think how people are more conscious about the views of others than their own. But thats another matter.

What got me to talk about this again today, is a Panasonic advertisement for their recent production, The Core Trainer. Just one look and you know its a rip off of the iGallop. I am curious, as to why they would do something like that, after what happened with the iGallop. Are they that confident that the same concept would attract the crowd? I have no idea, but i think i should go check out the sales figures of the iGallop before making any more assumptions.

 

Ideas and Objects

What are your favourite ideas?
How did you come up with them?

What are my favourite ideas? I like ideas that are wild and crazy and at the same time, practical and achievable. One can come up with the craziest idea that would wow peoples’ heads off, but it will still come to nought if its not realised.

I do come up with odd thoughts now and then, which i put on my blog. They are mostly weird things put together. I enjoy defying conventions and rules already set. Why can’t things be like this? Why not like that? I love poking at the borders. I usually get my ideas from inspirations, and my inspirations from the things around me. Through observing people and happenings, i would suddenly get inspired. I may overhear someone’s conversation and get something, or i may listen to a piece of music and come up with something. But there is one thing im very sure of – i can’t come up with something if i were to be stressed.

How it (an item) makes you think.

Many things make me think. However, not all things make me think. I admit, sadly, that i tend to ignore the common things that i see everyday. Its usually the new and outrageous that catch my attention and thoughts. For example, i see a chocolate packaging from Japan ( i LOVE things from Japan because of their fine design. ) which is really very nicely designed, and i would think things like: Why would they take this particular design? Who is their target audience? Does this packaging make up alot of the cost? Why would they want to spend the money? Did i buy this chocolate brand because of the packaging (yes)? Is this very useful in attracting customers? Is it wasted if it were to be thrown away? How did they come up with this design? etc, etc, etc.
I love to dismantle objects too. Like paper cups. Talking about paper cups, i still feel very impressed that water can be made portable by containing them in cans and cups that are thrown away later. Therefore, i like to imagine water being packed into a can and sealed, or put into a paper cup and covered. And brought around. I have no idea why but the idea of having drinks in a compact object is very very impressive. I dismantle objects so as to find out how they are made. And, i love texture. I always keep a look out for the packaging of food stuffs because they are always ingenious. And the design is not only nice; they serve a purpose.

Another thing that i like to do – create something out of a piece of paper, without external tools. Thats why im very attracted to origami; i can create! I tried making paper wallets, paper cd-covers, paper cups and bowls, things that i can use. The possibilities are endless!

 

Doing Something New

I always feel very comfortable having a fixed routine, because all is set and i wouldn’t have to keep considering the minor things that i have to do. Thus, i tend to stick into my comfort zone, where i am able to predict more accurately whats going to happen. It’s also easier to plan my time. Just recently, however, i got more open to the idea of doing something new, trying alternatives.

I worked as a promoter in last semester’s vacation break, which was something i have never tried before. It wasn’t very fun, really, but i’m glad i tried. After work, i usually got home taking the train, from Orchard Mrt to Bukit Batok. Then i tried walking to Somerset Mrt to see if the train’s any emptier from there. This were all okay, since i was only taking the Mrt, because after that i suddenly had the urge to take the bus home. I know that there are a couple of straight buses from my house to my workplace, but i couldn’t find the bus stop. So after work one day, i walked around looking for the bus stop. It was successful and i took the right bus home. After that, i tried the other buses to check out the duration for each journey. Had i not decided to try something new, i would most probably be stuck in the train after work everyday.

Theres another thing i did. It was more reckless and if i were given another chance, i wouldn’t do it again. I went to Macritchie, wanting to look for the Shinto Shrine. It was a mess. The trek trough Singapore’s rainforest, the rain, the mud, the mosquitoes.. and the failure. Cause we took the wrong path. I went home in a mess. That was an experience, but a scary one.

In the past couple of weeks, i watched two movies that i wouldnt watch usually. They are Planet Terror and Little Children. I couldnt believe it but i enjoyed them totally!

Cheerleading is something new to me too. However, im not enjoying it as much as the others are. Im afraid of the stunts!

I strike a balance between doing new things and sticking to my old regime. It is so that i am able to gain more control over what happens. But doing something new once in awhile is definitely inspiring!

 

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What Was The Last Creative Thing You Did?

Perhaps, the last creative thing that i did was Free Writing in Written Communication. Free Writing is a tool that we could use to find a topic to write about for an essay. We pick a random topic to write about, like ‘Weird Things About Me’. Not bothering about our grammar or vocabulary, or spelling or punctuation, we just wrote what we thought, without any filter.

For example: At the moment, i do not have any idea which weird thing about me is fun to write about. I have too many weird things about me that i can write on. So, i am brain dead now. Lets see, maybe i can write on my handwriting, cause they tend to be inconsistent. Okay, here goes. The weirdest thing about me is that i do not have any standard handwriting. The reasons why this is so can be because of the paper i use, the pen i use, the environment, and the type of table..

Then, we highlight the interesting topics mentioned (i have highlighted four), choose one (for example Brain Dead) , and talk about it in another essay. Then, in the other essay, we may repeat the same process over again!

Yay.

I like this tool because its really comfortable to use, and its inspiring too. Weee!

 

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