Sunday, August 30, 2009

The future of Riverdale's pals.

Archie has chosen Veronica, the spoilt brat, as his bride. Many readers have expressed strong disapproval about it. I am no exception, judging from my description of her. 99% of the readers, to be exact, question his choice.

Veronica gives the impression of infidelity and condescending insensitivity. If Archie marries Betty, she will get over her sadness rather quickly, sulking for a week at the most. Once she sees a handsome guy, she will forget all about Archie and pursue this new attraction. She treats Archie as a prize which she just wants to compete for with Betty. She is rich and which guy wouldn't fall at her feet with such looks as she has?

Betty, on the other hand, my heroine, is a sweet and thoughtful lass. She has always been there for Archie. She really likes Archie. She is understandably heartbroken at this news. So what if it happens in real life with Brad Pitt? This is fiction. It should not mirror reality. This is not the 19th century, where realism dominates literature.

I echo Mr Tom Michael who said that Archie may marry Betty. I hope he breaks his proposal to Veronica before the wedding, after realising Betty is the true one for him. After all, there are still 2 weeks to it!

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

CNN's article on FB

The CNN website featured an article on FB users. It is very interesting, since I'm an avid user. I must log on to FB at least once a day, to check on my virtual farms and to discover God's daily message to me. I did the accompanying quiz and found out that I'm a popular user with interesting updates :)

I love updating my status with little sharings on my life(which aren't too personal and don't incite a bombardment of comments) or interesting sayings/truths. It is a form of sharing and exchanging lifestyles as well as thoughts. At the same time, it is strange to see status updates that have to do with the activities done in private. Has the delight in sharing gone beyond reasonable boundaries? There is actually a website that allows lame status updates from FB to be posted there. It is for the sake of humour and the origins of the updates are kept anonymous, but I don't intend to mock my acquaintances with such updates.

I have some thoughts on the annoying types of users as mentioned in the article, even though I am aware that some readers may be offended. There are some status updates that are too private but there are some others that are merely tools to gain attention from others on oneself. Some people use the chance to boast about the people in their lives. It is repulsive instead of interesting. I do have a blog as well but I've labelled it as my website. Thus, people can choose to visit it or not. They are not thrown with repetitive notifications that I have one.

Some people really do have many friends and that is their perogative. I have a self-made rule of not adding people I don't personally know to my list, even if we have mutual friends. I don't wish to add people just to boost my friend list. Some people add me to their list but don't contact me after that. I don't see the point in even adding me in the first place. I am just added to boost their list. I would rather be ignored.

Bad English irritates me. It is an occupational hazard. Hence I get extremely annoyed when comments on my status updates are riddled with excruciatingly horrid grammar mistakes to the extent that I don't comprehend at all what the gist of the comments is about. It worsens things when there is a blatant misinterpretation of my status updates and this misinterpretation continues despite hints.

A spam of comments and gift applications also turn me off, especially when it is from the same person. Sometimes I resort to ignoring them when I am notified. If I feel like it, I check only the first and last comments. It gets tedious accepting every gift and replying to every comment. This applies to quizzes or group invitations too. It gets annoying when I've clearly done the quiz and the results have been posted on my profile.

Perhaps I may be seen as a crank; someone who complains about things observed, in the status updates. It is my way of getting pent-up feelings out at that moment. I may also be seen as an obscurist, but it is deliberate to be seen as this. I do practise crypticism when the updates are referring to certain people on FB. I am only direct when my patience has crossed the line.

It is a real fear that certain indecent photos of oneself may be posted on FB by others, but I have nothing to hide. I am aware that potential employers browse FB. I'm not omitting any negative truths about myself though. My conscience is really clear.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

NDP Pole Acrobats

This group of performers has been sorely criticized for their sleazy acts. Their acts originate from strip clubs and some members of the public feel that the acts are unsuitable for such a national occasion.

I too, am against the act if it is done in its original setting. However, I look at it with new eyes this time. The moves done by the performers are truly acrobatic in nature. There is no indication of sexuality involved. The performers' explanation of their choice of outfit is also satisfactory. It is for practical purposes rather than any other. Since the moves have been revamped for this national occasion, in order to showcase our country's excellence in the sports arena, there is no reason why this particular performance should be frowned upon.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Human relations

An article on how parents can instill in their children a desire to obey, is also relevant to teachers. The solution is to develop a loving relationship with the children. However, it seems to harbour manipulative purposes. In developing a relationship, sincerity is the essence and not personal gain.

This can be carried forward to spousal relationships as well. Obedience is not obtained with imposed control and forced gain for personal satisfaction. It is done so out of a genuine desire for love and the welfare of the other person.

Sunday, August 2, 2009

DJ Soo's departure from radio

There are conflicting reasons for her departure from 98.7FM. In her FB profile, she wrote that she had been criticized for her bad language skills and lack of an American accent. What is the logic behind the craze for an American accent?! Does having one make a person seem "cool"? We are not an American state. Not having this accent does not determine our lack of identity as a Singaporean. If it is because of the former reason, that is indeed an occupational hazard, though her colleague said that she had no problem with that.

At the same time, that does not warrant a resignation from her. Perhaps there were other reasons that led to it as well. According to her superior, her show had to be cancelled due to poor listenership rates. She could have been deployed to other duties. A resignation does not seem to justify as a response to this phenomenon.

Her superior, who is Daniel Ong, was queried on this matter. He did deploy her to another post but she rejected it. He also clarified that her flaw was that she lacked accurate pronunciation of foreign artistes' names as well as a smooth flow in hosting her show. There was nothing about speaking with a particular accent. She did not deny the former, incidentally. Her fellow colleagues had also been asked to help her improve in that aspect. This is contradictory when one recalls the earlier article on this whole matter. Her colleague had said her language skills posed no problem. Was it an attempt to conceal the truth before this matter became official? I wonder...

Daniel Ong also stated that she had been asked to improve on her grammar and diction. This definitely presents doubts towards her ability as a deejay. Contrary to what her colleague Vernon A said, being one is not just possessing personality but having basic language skills too. I agree with her superior. Broken and improper English will cause people not to understand the way she speaks. Soo Wei claimed that the listenership rates had been increasing but her superior claimed otherwise. Who is right? Is she trying to salvage her wounded pride or is he trying to quell the reality of things?

She told the reporter that viewers have been nice to her despite her poor language skills. Is she hinting at the fact that they overlook her flaw and look to who she really is? Her job requires her to possess such skills, so as her superior, Daniel Ong is not doing the wrong thing. Her plan to explore teaching is laughable. She will need to brush up on her language in preparation for that. I'm a teacher, by the way. If she did not possess such skills as a deejay, she will not be able to fulfill the higher expectation on her, if she becomes a teacher. Leonard Soosay's comment on how little our local accent is valued due to the issue over her pronunciation, is controversial. What has pronunciation to do with the Singlish accent? The focus is on her basic language skills, not on the way she sounds when she speaks English. Her final response to her superior's comments was that she did not want to refute them. I wonder if it is because she knows he was speaking the truth.

Victor Khoo the ventriloquist wrote in to comment on this issue. He mentioned proper diction and grammar, as well as accurate pronunciation of artistes' names, as one of the main factors deejays must possess. They are sorely missing in Soo's case. Is it a wonder then that she was asked to stop being one?