You are the Story you Live

ZZ, 18, Media & Comm, blog for SOCM

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Save yourself a penny or two

How many of you all out there actually collect loyalty cards? Let’s face it, who doesn’t like to be rewarded? But then again, the only problem with collecting loyalty cards is that you’ll end up having a fat wallet with TOO MANY cards #firstworldpain. Well, but now you don’t have to worry about something like that anymore with this new app - PERX

Basically perx is a consumer mobile app that acts as a digital stamp card. With over 400 participating merchants - from restaurants to DVD shops to cafe.

Reasons why you should get it now: 

#1 - its FREEEEE and not only that it helps you to organise your cards in one place which is easier to locate and use it anytime, anywhere but make sure that there’s internet! 

#2 - Its as simple as ABC - After you paid, do remember to keep a copy of the receipt. There will be a QR code at the bottom of your receipt, just open your Perx app, click reward and scan it to get the chops! (only take less than a second of your time)

#3 You get really good deal, for example: free 1 item for next visit and $x off the next bill. IT REALLY HELPS YOU TO SAVE A LOT.   

Its available on both ITunes as well as google play store, wait no more, get it now when its still free!

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Sounds like a good way to get people to spend. You don't have to deal with the hassle of collecting cards which means it's environmentally friendly!

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Okay, it seems like this will be the last post for now because I'll be focusing on other CAs and leaving this blog on the back burner.

Today's featured song comes from alt rock/pop punk band The Maine. 'Raining In Paris' is taken off their new EP called 'Imaginary Numbers' which was released last month.

'Raining In Paris' is a laidback, unassuming song with a delicate guitar-and-organ arrangement, which describes the solitary feeling of being in the city of lights.

That's it for me and I hope you enjoyed my posts. Goodbye for now!

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If you listened to pop music of the late '90s and 2000's, it's likely that you would remember names such as Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Spice Girls, T.A.T.U, Pink.

Among those names is M2M, a pop duo consisting of Marit Larsen and Marion Raven, one of the more low-profile pop acts of that era, known for lovey-dovey songs like Don't Say You Love Me, Pretty Boy and The Day You Went Away. The now defunct Norwegian pop group started their career at the age of 14 and have 2 albums under their belt.

Their first album, Shades of Purple, has all the characteristics of a Y2K album - laden with a R&B/dance-pop, guitar-driven sound that's friendly to both Top 40 and AC radio. Despite having mild commercial success internationally, they barely broke into the US market. Their most successful song, Don't Say You Love Me, reached #21 on the US Billboard Hot 100 partly due it being featured in the Pokemon; The First Movie soundtrack.

They then decided to take a more ambitious route on their second album, The Big Room. Ditching the teen pop sound, The Big Room is a departure from their previous album, with full blown live instruments and a new rock sound. Isn't it nice when you hear artistes take back creative control of their music instead of being dictated by producers and labels? Unfortunately, their move wasn't well received by their record label and M2M was thus dropped and disbanded shortly after.

And if you're wondering what happened after they split, well, both Marit  and Marion are currently pursuing their solo careers with moderate success, with Marion going for a hard-rock direction and Marit with a more singer-songwriter approach. Here are some of their recent songs:

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Writing guide 101: News lead vs Magazine leads

Remember when I said how my course expose me to a variety of skills? Here one that I am gona talk about today - WRITING. 

In my course we definitely do a lot of writings, or rather typing since you will be doing it on your laptop. If you ever aspire or is interested to be in the writing industry you definitely need to know some basics techniques that will help you impress your boss. 

#1 What is a news lead? 

News lead is basically a lead paragraph, normally used for more serious articles. It must have 5W1H and to be kept within 35 words or less. 

Example: Singapore - Due to the Great eastern …. will skip three stop along Nicoll Highway towards the city on Sunday morning

#2 What is magazine lead? 

Magazine leads consists of a total of 12 leads. Here’s a summarised version of them 12:

#1 Anecdotal lead - short story, personal, no “I”, no 5W1H

#2 Delayed - lead can be 3-6 lines, and you get the statement of what is all about. Used when you want to describe a scene of disasters  

> vital info given quite late in story 

#3 Descriptive - used alot of the word “you”. Be very prescritive

#4 Direct address - is usually giving advice, counselling, “how to”, quite conversation, use the pronoun “you” 

#5 Expression - take a phrase and play with the phrase, a topic of conversation 

#6 Prediction - tends to be used in articles that cover politics and economy 

#7 First person - its about the writer itself, use “I”  

#8 Question - start with a question

#9 Quotation - start with a quote 

#10 Relationship - work better in article/ story how scientific study work/ economy/ programme (a little bit tricky to use, must establish the relationship) ll need to show cause and effect

#11 Surprise - have a twist shock the reader

#12 Summary - more serious story, newspaper based, 5W1h 

#3: Whats the differences between the two leads? 

News leads is more suitable for serious news report for example if you are writing for company like Straits Times, The New York Times. Whereas for Magazine leads you have more freedom and more variety of leads you can choose from to present your article with your readers. News leads have a word limit of 35 words or less but you can write as much as you want for magazine leads. 

Personally I like magazine leads so much more because it allows me to express myself using different methods to communicate and catch my readers’ attention.

Congratulations you are a step nearer to being a journalist, pick up your pen and start writing today! 

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Here's various ways to start on a feature article! At your editor's discretion, of course.

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Tips on how to make a viral video. 

(contrary to popular belief, we don’t have huge Vine followings)

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- What we did for social media class.

What do viral videos have in common? Watch this video to find out!

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Could have been a love story.

As two people use a chat room to have a conversation, their constant erasing and indecisiveness are reminders that self expression should not be suffocated. This conversation could have taken another direction with the right words.

Since we are on the topic of social media, I'd like to share with you this video I came across online. This short 2-minute clip shows how a conversation, which had the potential to make a turn for the better, ended on a mundane note. Both parties were reticent in expressing their thoughts, thus killing an opportunity for the conversation to develop further.

I think that in certain situations, face-to-face interactions would have an advantage over online messaging, in the cases of discussing intimate or serious matters. Communication would be so much easier if everyone could express themselves freely without fear of judgement!

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Here's my obligatory post on my dmc journey so far

"Looking back on when we first met, i cannot escape and i cannot forget"

It's the open house season and it reminds me of when I first joined dmc 2 years ago. I still remember those depressing and anxiety stricken days, having lost almost all hope and surviving O Levels, I managed to pull through and enter poly. I'm surprised that I managed to end up in sp dmc, which I put as my 2nd choice. From there, I joined CASS camp, where I got to know the people who were also in my course, the people who would later end up being in my class and the rest is history.

I definitely learnt a lot of stuff besides studying, such as how people work, managing conflicts between group members and interacting with lecturers. There are many things that I would have changed now that I know how things work here, but life goes on so sometimes you gotta suck it up and treat it as experience.

My initial reason for choosing this course was because I was interested in radio, but I later realised that was only a small component of the course, there are other things like advertising, marketing, video production, designing, researching, analysing consumer behaviour, which make up the other components as well.

Honestly, to thrive in this course, you have to be really sociable and outgoing (and not cold and withdrawn like me) You also have to be adept at working under stress, as there will be many times where you'd have to complete a huge amount of work in a short period of time, especially during submission week.

In 2012

In 2014

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You Need To See This 17-Minute Film Set Entirely On A Teen's Computer Screen

Noah a short film that debuted at the Toronto International FIlm Festival illustrates the flitting attention span and lack of true connection in...

I came across this interesting short film while surfing online. (warning: mildly NSFW) It is filmed entirely on the set of a computer screen, depicting the life of a Noah, teenager. We learn that he has a girlfriend, who he communicates with via Skype and Facebook, and they have a fallout subsequently.

I think this short film is depicts the disconnect between our real lives and digital lives quite accurately. When we go online, we often have several tabs open in our browsers and we are multi-tasking instead of focusing our attention on a single task, more often than not.

Do you find people giving you their full time and attention when you interact with others online, and vice versa?

[follow-yoursweetdreams]

ZZ's Top 100 Songs of 2013

Here’s my top 100 songs of last year (actually there are more than 100; some didn’t make it on the list because I don’t listen to them often). Do you see any of your favourites?

100. I Will Steal You Back - Jimmy Eat World 99. Slow Me Down - Sara Evans 98. Beach - San Cisco 97. Recovery - Frank Turner 96. Blew My Mind - Dresses 95. Dream Out Loud - Alana lee 94. Gun - CHVRCHES 93. Love Like This - Kodaline 92. Lived A Lie - You Me At Six 91. Chocolate - The 1975 90. Blurred Lines - Robin Thicke ft. T.I. & Pharell Williams 89. Met Before - Chairlift 88. Should’ve Gone To Bed - Plain White Ts 87. Touch - Josh Abott Band 86. The Last Time - Allstar Weekend 85. Candy Store - Faber Drive 84. Safe and Sound - Capital Cities 83. The Way - Ariana Grande 82. Diane Young - Vampire Weekend 81. What If - Five for Fighting 80. Cruise - Florida Georgia Line 79. Lanterns - Birds of Tokyo 78. Closer, Faster - Against The Current 77. Youth - Foxes 76. 给自己 - 光良 75. Miss Atomic Bomb - The Killers 74. Six Degrees of Seperation - The Script 73. Changing of the Seasons - Two Door Cinema Club 72. Radioactive – Imagine Dragons 71. Please Don’t Say You Love Me - Gabrielle Aplin 70. Just Keep Breathing - We The Kings 69. Gone - Kina Grannis 68. Sweater Weather - The Neighbourhood 67. A Love Like War - All Time Low 66. That’s My Jam - Relient K 65. Rock ‘N Roll - Avril Lavigne 64. Too Many Friends - Placebo 63. I Always Liked That - Maria Mena 62. I Like That - Before You Exit 61. Moscow - Autoheart 60. Dear Darling - Olly Murs 59. Waiting For Superman - Daughtry 58. True Love - P!nk ft Lily Allen 57. Young and Beautiful - Lana Del Rey 56. Still In Love - Jason Chen 55. Over You - Cassadee Pope 54. Locked Out Of Heaven - Bruno Mars 53. You Don’t Have The Right to Cry - Kristina Maria 52. Angel Eyes - Love and Theft 51. In A World Like This - Backstreet Boys 50. Gentleman - PSY 49. Wanted - Hunter Hayes 48. Rooftops - Daphne Khoo 47. Can We Dance - The Vamps 46. Troublemaker - Olly Murs 45. Anything - Hedley 44. 22 - Taylor Swift 43. Thrift Shop - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Wanz 42. Applause – Lady Gaga 41. Popular Soh - Mika ft Ariana Grande 40. Cool Kids - Echosmith 39. We Can’t Stop - Miley Cyrus 38. Suit & Tie - Justin Timberlake 37. Heartbreak Coverup - Jesse Labelle 36. Because We Can - Bon Jovi 35. Marry Me - Jason Derulo 34. Here’s To Us - Kevin Rudolf 33. Let It Rain - Eliza Doolittle 32. Heart Attack - Demi Lovato 31. We Own It - 2 Chainz ft Wiz Khalifa 30. Wasting All These Tears - Cassadee Pope 29. I Was A Fool - Tegan and Sara 28. 约定 - 汪东城, 蔡昱佑, 曾沛慈 27. Carry On - Fun 26. Roar – Katy Perry 25. Let Her Go – Passenger 24. 爱情离我一公尺 - 胡夏 23. Once - Emma Stevens 22. Backseat Serenade - All Time Low 21. Wings - Birdy 20. Still Into You - Paramore 19. Just A Fool - Christina Aguilera 18. Clarity – Zedd ft. Foxes 17. Wake Me Up – Avicii 16. Everything Has Changed - Taylor Swift 15. Alone Together - Fall Out Boy 14. Kiss You - One Direction 13. Here’s To Never Growing Up - Avril Lavigne 12. Back Together - Jesse Mccartney 11. Royals – Lorde 10. Counting Stars – OneRepublic 09. Show Me Love - The Wanted 08. Beneath You’re Beautiful - Labrinth 07. My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark - Fall Out Boy 06. Wrecking Ball – Miley Cyrus 05. Learn To Love Again - Lawson 04. Mirrors – Justin Timberlake 03. Demons - Imagine Dragons 02. Closer - Tegan & Sara 01. Just Give Me A Reason – P!nk ft. Nate Reuss Past Year Recap 2010 #10 Teenage Dream - Katy Perry #09 Just The Way You Are - Bruno Mars #08 Perfect - Hedley #07 World Behind My Wall - Tokio Hotel #06 Live Like We’re Dying - Kris Allen #05 The Only Exception - Paramore #04 Club Can’t Handle Me (ft David Guetta) - Flo Rida #03 For Your Entertainment - Adam Lambert #02 Tik Tok - Kesha #01 Dynamite - Taio Cruz 2011 010. Invincible – Hedley 009. Grenade – Bruno Mars 008. Waiting For The End – Linkin Park 007. Back To December – Taylor Swift 006. Sandcastles – Kate Voegele 005. Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO ft Lauren Bennett and GoonRock 004. Coming Home - Diddy-Dirty Money ft Skylar Grey 003. Perfect - Pink 002. For You, and Your Denial - Yellowcard 001. What Are Words - Chris Medina

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So me and some of my friends met up last Sat to record the annual top 100 chart show for 973FM (this is the 2nd year we've done it). It's 8+ hours of awesomeness and craziness as we count down the Top 100 MVs of 2013, from #100 all the way to #1! You can download the podcast by clicking here!

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Everything that we post on social media will leave a footprint, an impression, a reminder of who we are and what we did.

Today, I'll be sharing a video with you about a woman named Amanda who passed away from brain cancer, and the legacy she left behind in the form of her Twitter account which documents her life up till her final days.

Nowadays, we are always cautious about what we post on social media, as we're afraid of any repercussions that ours posts might lead to. On the flip side, what we post will also be what we leave behind. How do you want to be remembered?

Click here to watch the video and read the story behind it.

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Do you use Spotify? Well, great news! Spotify is now available for free on mobile devices. Previously requiring a premium paid subscription, you can now listen to unlimited music on shuffle (for phones) and with no restrictions (for tablets). If you're an avid music fan and always on the lookout for new music, you might want to reconsider using Spotify with the relaxation of new rules.

However, if you ask me, I won't be using Spotify on my phone so much, as I have a limited data plan and it is a battery-consuming app.

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Every boy’s dream is to grow up and wear a suit. For today’s post, we will be talking about formal wear. For guy’s it is pretty simple, WEAR A SUIT. 

Suits are just the epitome of classiness and you just always look good in a suit. Although, i suggest if you have a big budget, try to go a tailor make a suit, because the size definitely plays a big part. To look your best in a suit, firstly get a nice white shirt, black formal pants, nice shoes and of course a nice tie. However, for me, the blazer plays the most important role. If the sizing is not right, it just wont look good. You would want a nicely fitting blazer where the sleeves are not too long that it covers the sleeves of your shirt. What i mean is that your shirt on the inside has to have a longer sleeve than your blazer so that you can see just a bit of white at the end of the blazer. If you have all these you are good to go and impress the ladies.

Just wait for a special occasion and then don’t hesitate grab your suit and GOGOGO!!! 

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Just like JT, with a suit & tie!

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Today's featured song comes from local singer-songwriter Joel Tan, who goes by his stage name. Reminiscent of folk acts such as Mumford and Sons, The Lumineers and Of Monsters and Men, 'Until We Die' is a gentle yet mature tune which speaks of escapism and spending time with our loved ones.

“Taking time out from life with the people you cherish most, and just having a blast,” he said. “The idea of reaching paradise and escapism. Many say that our youth would be the peak of our lives, without consequence or repercussions, or so we hope” - Tan on the song's meaning

The music video for 'Until We Die' has received over 10,000 views on Youtube within 1 week of its release. It has also peaked at #1 on the Singapore iTunes chart and #18 on the 987FM Top 20 Countdown, which is an amazing achievement for a newcomer on the local music scene.

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Most famous for their songs 'Kiss Me Slowly' and 'Forever and Always', pop rock band Parachute are back with a new song titled 'Can't Help'. In a move to differentiate themselves, Parachute's new album incorporates synthesisers designed to get your get your head bopping. I think 'Can't Help' sounds like the band took a leaf out of The Wanted's book. What do you think?

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Hello everyone! How have your holidays been so far? Today, I'll be posting what my favourite radio stations and programmes are!

987FM - I've been listening to this station since 2006 - way back when I was in Primary 5. Back then, I did not know much of music websites, and I turned to radio for new music every week. I fiddled with the hi-fi set at home and happened to tune into this station. Over the years, 987 has gone through plenty of changes and I've heard DJs come and go, which really upset me. Currently, my favourite shows on the station are 'The Man Show' and 'The Edge'.

Introduced in Nov 2010, 'The Man Show' is known for being a 'Bieber-free' zone and plays only Rock & Pop Punk music, a genre that many Top 40 stations label as 'dying'. It airs on Sundays, from 5-6pm.

'The Edge' is one of the few radio shows that managed to survive all the revamps & reshuffles and is still airing up till today. The show mainly features Alternative and Indie music from up-'n-coming artists that have yet to make a breakthrough on the mainstream music scene. It airs on Sundays, from 10-11pm.

Class 95 - I started listening to this station in August 2011, when I grew frustrated with 987's programming, such as the scrapping of specialty shows and the mundane music selection. I was pleasantly surprised that the station plays both the latest hits as well as classics from the previous eras. Earlier, I had the impression that Adult Contemporary stations were boring and only played music from the '80s. Currently, my favourite shows on the station are 'Audio Lite' and the 'Weekend Special'.

'Audio Lite' airs on weekdays, 8-9pm. It plays acoustic versions of hit songs and is relaxing to listen to, especially after an exhausting day at school/work. The show is preceded by 'Love Songs' from 9pm-1am, which nicely continues the trend of ballads & downtempo songs.

The Class 95 'Weekend Special' airs from Sat 6am to Sun 11:59pm. A different theme is featured every week, ranging from Rock and R&B to Y2K and '90s music. Compared to the weekday programming, the Weekend Special carries a distinctive sound and feel. I've also discovered several new songs that I've not heard of elsewhere.

Y.E.S. 933FM - I do not listen to this station often as I tend to gravitate towards english rather than chinese music as the former tends to be more varied in terms of genres. One show I'd listen to when I tune in is the 醉心龙虎榜 on Fridays from 8-10pm, where the station counts down the top 20 hits of the week. I find that the hosts for this show are more professional and informative, compared to its 987 counterpart.

[oceanbarking]

Visit Original Link

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2013 is the year where we saw the breakthrough of several alternative/indie acts, such as HAIM, CHVRCHES, MS MR, Passenger, Lorde, BΔSTILLE, Frank Turner etc. One act that caught my attention and I've grown particularly fond of is Tegan and Sara. They are a pair of twins from Canada and they've been writing their own songs since 1997. Out of the 7 studio albums they've released, their latest album, Heartthrob, is the most commercially successful to date, earning them the #1 spot for the first time on the US Alternative Albums chart and #2 on the Canadian Albums chart. Honestly speaking, I didn't know of Tegan and Sara until a local radio station added one of their songs into the playlist. Here's how Tegan described Closer, one of their breakthrough singles, during an interview with Rolling Stone magazine in September 2012: "Although I do imagine that this would be an okay song to make out to, all I intended was to write something sweet that reminded the listener of a time before complicated relationships, drama and heartbreak. I was writing about my youth, a time when we got closer by linking arms and walking down our school hallway, or talked all night on the telephone about every thought or experience we'd ever had. It wasn't necessarily even about hooking up or admitting your feelings back then. In fact, that rarely happened. It was the anticipation of something maybe happening that was truly exciting and satisfying. We were perpetually getting closer, yet we rarely got physical with one another, if ever. These relationships existed in a state of sexual and physical ambiguity." The version that I uploaded in this post is a special stripped down version of the original, titled the Super Jorge mix. The synthesisers are removed and the guitars are amplified, turning it from synthpop into a rock song. It's pretty cool!