Welcome to the inside of my mind

come with me and you'll be in a world of pure imagination

[macrolit]

Giveaway Contest: We’re giving away fifteen miniature-sized, vintage paperback classics by Fyodor Dostoevsky, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Thomas Hardy, Edgar Allan Poe, Somerset Maugham, Emily Bronte, and others. Won’t this little collection lovely on your shelf? :D To win these classics, you must: 1) be following macrolit on Tumblr (yes, we will check. :P), and 2) reblog this post. We will choose a random winner on July 15, at which time we’ll start a new giveaway. And yes, we’ll ship to any country. Easy, right? Good luck!

[bunlly]

“Imagine you’re at a party. A guy offers you a drink. You say no. He says ‘Come on, one drink!’ You say ‘no thanks.’ Later, he brings you a soda. ‘I know you said you didn’t want a drink, but I was getting one for myself and you looked thirsty.’ For you to refuse at this point makes you the asshole. He’s just being nice, right? Predators use the social contract and our own good hearts and fear of being rude against us. If you drink the drink, you’re teaching him that it just takes a little persistence on his part to overcome your ‘no.’ If you say ‘Really, I appreciate it, but no thanks’ and put the drink down and walk away from it, you’re the one who looks rude in that moment. But the fact is, you didn’t ask for the drink and you don’t want the drink and you don’t have to drink it just to make some guy feel validated.” —The Art of “No” (Jennifer P.)

[lobbygrl]

I’ve never seen this post with the original caption before. I thought I loved it simply from the photography but the depth of the meaning behind it…. Wow.

[dianne000m]

Stealth Advertising

        “Stealth advertising is a method of advertising in which the consumer is often not consciously aware that she is being subjected to advertising. While some argue that stealth advertising is a deceptive and unethical marketing practice, regulators have generally not pursued companies for engaging in it.” (Study.com)

         As stated from the definition above, we, being the consumers, are often NOT mindful that we are being subjected into advertising. Many companies, especially the huge ones, use this strategy to create interest and excitement that will make consumers more receptive to direct advertising later. This is also the best way to spread a product that has not been widely known or advertised yet.

          Product placement in the films industry is a very common case of stealth advertising. The use of this technique in the movies is very effective since it has a wide range of audience.  Everything shown there can create a huge impact to the viewers, especially if the person is really into the movie and the characters. So if a certain product is shown there, it can even affect the way one looks at that product – either positively or negatively, depending on his/her favorite character. For example, if his/her favorite character seems to like or use a product very often, it will create a tad bit of bias towards that product. He/she will perceive the product as a "good” one just because his/her favorite character does the same. In this way, the company owning that product will be able to earn more money because the movie popularized their product, and this therefore proves the strategy to be very effective. So in short, it is clearly shown that stealth advertising can also shape how a person think of a certain product.

          The pictures above are just some proofs of stealth advertising in movies. In the first picture which came from the movie Terminator 2: Judgment Day, you can witness the Pepsi Cola vending machine behind Arnold Schwarzenegger. But that is not the only scene where the product is present, in fact, there are various references to Pepsi Cola all throughout this movie.

         The next picture is from the movie Zombieland. Of course, who would ever forget the very tragic/romantic search of Tallahassee to his Twinkies?  Rule # 32: Enjoy the Little Things! As a child, I was really curious about the taste of those Twinkies, and if ever I would be able to get one now, I certainly would!

        The last picture is from the movie White House Down. That picture depicts the scene where Jamie Foxx was kicking the antagonist’s head while saying the quote "Get yo’ hands off my Jordans!”. That is considered as one of the funny scenes in the movie, and it will surely make the people remember the shoes worn by him due to the fact the he even emphasized it by saying what kind of shoes he was wearing that time.

        Those instances, though sometimes not very obvious, can be considered as stealth advertising since there are product placements present. They are making the people notice the product, even though it is not directly stated.

        Stealth advertising is a wise strategy, and I think that it’s alright if the companies and other enterprises continue to use this technique. But, it should be done with consideration, meaning, the products that would be shown should not be emphasized more or given more importance than the actual movie or whatever type media used to promote it itself. We cannot blame the companies from doing this since it is an easy and effective way for them to increase their sales, but too much of this can be causing a bit of irritation and annoyance to the consumers, so they should know the correct and appropriate way of doing this type of advertising.

[dianne000m]

Aves de Rapiña (Birds of Prey)

Aves de Rapiña (Birds of Prey) is no doubt the most famous editorial in the Philippine’s printed media history. It was penned by the great journalist Fidel Reyes for the popular newspaper El Renacimiento (The Rebirth) on Oct. 30,1908. The said editorial was very controversial since there was a very blunt attack directed to the then Secretary of the Interior Dean C. Worcester although no name was stated. Despite the name being absent, Worcester’s allusion made him file a libel case against the people involved in the said editorial.

The editorial refers to the natural greed and excessive hunger of people for all the things considering that it is for his/her own benefit. It’s in the human nature that people seem to not get contented and always have a thirst for more: more power, more riches, more knowledge, and always more of everything. In order to achieve this, there will always be a competition. People will battle through to achieve their own desires and cravings. There will be a predator and a prey – the ones that were born to devour, and the ones that were born to be eaten and devoured.

In a certain excerpt from the editorial, it was stated that “The eagle, symbolizing liberty and strength, is the bird that has found the most adepts. And men, collectively and individually, have desired to copy and imitate the most rapacious bird in order to triumph in the plundering of their fellow-men. These are men who, besides being eagles, have the characteristics of the vulture, the owl and the vampire.” – The writer used the eagle as the figure of the United States, and certain US colonial government officials were the ones being referred to as the men, who besides being an eagle, have the characteristics of the vulture, the owl and the vampire. Those particular lines show the relationship of the predators and preys in the case stated in the editorial wherein the officials, being the predators, were pretending to be studying the mountain tribes, but in reality were looking for gold deposits in the mountains of Luzon. In this scenario, we were the ones who became their preys. They were manipulating us into thinking that what they were doing was not for their greater benefit, when in reality, it was.

This editorial is considered a classic for the reason that until now, it is still being studied and known by the people. It is one of the famous label cases in history in which until now it’s always being looked back on when speaking of the journalist’s freedom of expressing own opinions.

The main concept of this editorial is still applicable up to this day. Even in our own society, we can witness the various acts of this still being present. One of the most common example is with referral to the politics.  The politicians, as we all might have known, are the devourers, for they prey on the weaker ones to achieve what they have all been longing for, which is to win the position. In a way, they are somehow blinding the people into seeing only their strengths but never their weaknesses. Sometimes, there are even presence of the illegal ways on getting the people’s votes, which is through the act of vote-buying. This inevitable occurrence would never change if we continue to become prey to the predators.

The entirety of this whole incident came from one root: the formation of the editorial published in the newspaper. In my opinion, I believe that it is just right that the writer expressed/stated what he had in mind. Everyone should be given the chance to speak their minds without any restraints but with assurance of making the right choice of words. There have been many cases wherein the concept of having a predator and prey was present, and I believe that this could never be changed for this is embedded to us humans. This could only be mollified if we would always have the right thinking, of raising our voice to protest if needed, of not joining to the wrongdoings of others, and by stopping being a passive human living in this world.    

[dianne000m]

Here is where you can witness the very good-looking face of my beloved classmate. Enjoy my meme! Peace EJ my friend ✌️

[dianne000m]

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

This movie is another masterpiece starred by one of the most famous comedian in our time, Will Ferrell. He once again proved his excellence by showing off his outstanding comedic talent here in this movie. No wonder he’s been anointed as one of the new kings of comedy. But another reason why this movie became successful is that not only did Will Ferrell starred in this movie, but also other exceptional comedians such as Steve Carell - which I may add, also had a notable performance -, Paul Rudd, and David Koechner . This movie is therefore star studded by the funniest actors of today, so it will definitely make you roll on the floor laughing.

The story is based on a true story –though not exactly everything-, and basically revolves about the struggle of a woman to shine in a male-dominated society. Will Ferrell plays the main character named Ron Burgundy, a top-rated anchorman at channel 4. He reigns supreme over a posse of men who comprise his “news team”. They always work and play together, with him always leading the way. Everything was going perfectly for them until the arrival of Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate), a feisty, aspiring female who is very determined to achieve her dreams of becoming an anchor despite the knowledge of having a male-dominated society. Of course, the men greeted her arrival by showing their dominance. They planned of bedding her, and she falls prey to Ron, who instantly captured her heart. They were in love and things happened. She wanted to keep their relationship private for her to be taken seriously, but knowing Ron, it was impossible to happen.

The chaos started when Baxter, Ron’s beloved pet dog, was “killed” by the cameo of the character played by Jack Black. Because of that incident, Ron was very much affected so it took him quite a while to go to his work. So, while he was having all the drama on the phone, the news was about to start so someone had to take over his place. That person was Veronica. Her performance was instantly noticed and liked by the people who watched, and she was overjoyed by it. Right after she finished her last line, Ron arrived looking such a mess. She told him everything that happened thinking that he would also be happy for her and support her. But unfortunately, he didn’t. In fact, he even felt betrayed by her. So because of that, their competition began and grew even stronger and stronger. Ron even got fired at one point, until a very special event for the news field happened.

When the panda was about to give birth, all the competing news team from different channels attempted to have a perfect capture of the situation, but Veronica got in trouble by falling into the bear pit without everyone on her team knowing so their boss was forced to call Ron again. But when he arrived, he saw what happened to Veronica so he had to make a choice of whether to save her or take the chance of reporting again. And guess what, despite of all the things that happened between them, he chose the former. But instead of saving her, more mischief happened when he awakened the hibernating bears. They were close to their imminent death until Baxter, their saviour, arrived. All the while that Ron thought him dead, he was all completely alive. Then after Baxter handled the whole incident, Ron and Veronica were able to rekindle their relationship and because of that, they shared the same seat of being the lead anchor in the news team.

So, the moral of the story? NEVER give up your dreams. Before, women were considered inferior to men so their talents were not noticed and appreciated by many. But because Veronica didn’t give up her dreams, she then became the first anchorwoman in history. This movie, as viewed by other people, may be filled with nonsense, adult, violent scenes, but I personally liked it. It isn’t like the other very disappointing movies such as Movie 43 which is, by the way, also filled by awesome star studded cast where you can really get nothing out of. This movie is one with a funny plot where we can still have something to learn after watching it.

[dianne000m]

My thoughts on AlDub

Well, what can I say? Not really an Aldub fan here! Hahaha! But of course, I still tried my best to somehow watch the Saturday episode (although I only watched it today, thanks, technology).

So what were the things that I liked and did not like? There were quite a few things for both, but first, I just want to share the thought that had been on my mind for quite a while now. Though I’m trying my best not to, I can’t help but wonder why many of us Filipinos like to watch these kinds of shows. I don’t mean to offend anybody, (and all that I’m about to say are only based on my opinion) but I personally think that almost all of their plots are somewhat very similar and cliche, and because of those, they are not very enjoyable to watch anymore. I mean, we always watch the same thing over and over again, there’s nothing new. And if you go to the other channel, you’ll be watching Ms. Pastillas which is basically the same thing as AlDub, except the girl there is searching for “her perfect man”. It all revolves on the same thing, which is LOVE. Hay, I guess Filipinos really enjoy everything if it involves love, happy endings, super cheesy kilig moments and such, eh? C'mon people is that really all that we want? When will we chaaange?!?!

So yeah, enough of this rant, let’s now look at the positive side of the show. And since I’m not very familiar with AlDub, like I said earlier, and the only episode that I’ve watched was the Saturday episode, I’ll be more specific and tell what I liked on that particular episode only. Okay so basically, that episode revolves about Yaya Dub and her three lolas leaving their mansion because it was taken from them. And despite that terrible happening, they still managed to smile, look at the brighter side, and be optimistic. Of course, they were sad, but what I really liked was how they tried to cheer each other up even though all of them were lonely. Yaya Dub also said that everything will be okay as long as they’re together, which shows how we Filipinos value and show importance to our families. I think this is also one of the reasons why lots of people like this show. It has different moral lessons that are applicable to real life. It is also humorous and a feel good watch, so if they want to relax during their break from work or something, they would watch this.

For my dislikes? I think I already wrote most of it above, but I just want to add a few things more. Haha! So first of all, let’s face it, everything is scripted and not real. So I wouldn’t want to be indulged in something that isn’t real and take much of my time. I mean I fan girl over different people too, but I guess they’re different from them? (lol I guess all I want to say is that I don’t really feel the kilig in them). Another is that there were so many pick-up lines, which I find really corny, to be honest… And lastly, why do they lip sync every once in a while? (Dubsmash?) - I think some of those are not necessary anymore and doesn’t need to be put there.

Soo that’s it! I don’t how to end this stuff but yeah.. Again, I’m sorry if I offended anybody!! Those are just my opinions only! Feel free to disagree with me!!

Also, If you read this far.. Wow why? Bored ka noh? Hahaha! Unless you’re my teacher!! Loooool teehee

[dianne000m]

Survey...

In all honesty, I was not really looking forward in conducting this survey. One reason for that is because I’m not really used to interact with people much older than me. Because of that, I was a bit nervous and uncomfortable. Another reason is because I just don’t really go out that much. In my free time, I’d rather stay at home, rest, and have quality time with my family than go outside and do things that you usually do outside. I find it more fun to just chill and relax at home. But, because of this task, I knew I had to try my best to be somewhat sociable and outgoing, for I have at least four or five subjects at stake for this! But also because of this experience, I was also able to realize a lot of things.

In conducting the survey, I personally thought that it would really be easy since we only had to ask few questions to the homeowners. The questions being really easy too added strength to my assumption. Because of those, I was really confident that we would be able to accomplish this task fast enough, and that we would be one of the pairs to finish early. That was what I thought until we started interviewing the homeowners.

On our first house, I and my partner Shane Baral were warmly accommodated by the person we interviewed. She was friendly and kind to us, so I thought it would be a smooth flow. But the bad luck started when we went to our second house, because since then, we mostly got rejected by the people there. The following houses that we also went through were vacant, or there was no one at home that time. Yes, there might be many houses in our street (Oceanside), but during the day the people living there were mostly at work. That was what the guard told us, by the way. We met him while he was roaming around the street and asked us what we were doing. He was kind enough to tell us that information, and for telling us that we should go until the end of the street.

As we continued, I think there were three people who rejected us, all of them were housemaids. For a strange reason, all their explanations were similar! They all said that they were just new and have only been working there for two weeks, which were really unusual. We also encountered one that cannot speak Tagalog well. I think she is Bisaya because of the way she speaks. She was really trying hard, though unfortunately, we really cannot understand each other so we just said thank you and moved on.  We also interviewed one who rejected us at first, but agreed the second time. When we went to the house in front of him, I think he felt guilty so he called us and now agreed to answer the survey which was funny.

Overall, I cannot say that I enjoyed this activity, but it was a really helpful experience for us to be ready in the near future. I think the factors that made this activity more difficult to accomplish were the fact that it was too hot during the time we conducted it. Another is because most of the people during that time were maybe at work or asleep, so they were not able to accommodate us. But still, after conducting this survey, it felt really good knowing that we accomplished what was assigned to us. I realized that we cannot expect all people to be approachable and friendly. All of us are different in our own unique way, so we just have to live with that and adapt with that.

[dianne000m]

E-tech (Reflection)

ICT or information and communications technology affects our everyday lives. It might appear unrecognizable, but it springs on even just the simplest things we do, like using our tablets, cellphones, telephones, radio, computers, etc. It influences our everyday lives.

As teenagers, our generation is shaped by the influence of different social medias. Almost all of us have accounts on Facebook and other social networking sites, blogging sites, etc. So because of that, we need to be cautious and wary on people that we do not know personally. We must also be aware of the of the different netiquettes to help us stay safe online.

Our generation is the hope of the future. We must take advantage of the things we have now and do something that is worthwhile and noble to make our future brighter. Use ICT as a platform for change to make a better world possible.

[dianne000m]

Para Sa Akin - Sitti

I love this song! It has a nice tune and it helps me relax :) A feel good music :)

[dianne000m]

Blog vs. Social Media and their Pros and Cons

This is just a schoolwork our teacher gave us. It had to be a blog.... \(._.)/