March42012

Friendster… and everything I’ve learned after

I heard from a classmate recently that we are a part of the generation XY. She said we belong to that classification because we we’re there during the transition of the “old school” things to the new “techie” system of today. So we we’re quite a rare bunch she said.

I don’t know if that is true but what I could say is that we we’re there when the internet was first introduced in the country and all Filipinos was like “gaga” over it; fussing about how to use it, how to master it. Yes, we’ve been there.

So I was like around in my third year in high school when I became addicted to the internet. (I could say I still am these days. :p) Friendster was still way up there in the pedestal and it was like a requirement to have that. So yes, I did have a Friendster account.

I do have my own personal account and I have this bogus account on Friendster. Everyone was like doing it. Every single person I know in high school has that so, why not do it? Haha! I guess we were all in that “hiding” stage way back then. Anyways, I was still in high school then and when I look back, all I can do was laugh at how immature I’ve been. Imagine my effort in maintaining two different accounts?! Yes, two different accounts because the other one was definitely not me. Haha.

Later on during my senior year, I realized that having an account not of your own only made me ugly inside. I know part of it was like being “in” or I could always say na, “Uso kasi.” But then again, when you really look into it you can see the “hiding” in there and the pent-up of wanting to be liked or loved or praised. Why would I use other people so I could feel liked or loved? Am I not that good personally? It only made me not want myself and I do not like that at all. So I stopped and deleted my pretentious account.

=)

 

I was also there when Testimonials were a must-have. Do you guys remember that? Geez. It was like a requirement for every Friendster user to have tons and tons of testimonials. Testimonials were like a wall post - sort-of-a comment in Facebook. You have to have your friends put up a testimonial on your account so others could see how loveable you are. Well, I think of it as that. Testimonials are supposed to be good and positive about you. Sometimes it was like a competition or something. The more beautiful your testimonials are, the more friends you have. Even if you don’t know them personally, they are your friends.

I remember having like more or less a thousand friends in Friendster, even if I don’t even know half of them. It was childish if you are gonna ask me but then again, it was a trend back then and being “in” was like part of belonging to something and that kind of feels good inside.

But if being “in-the trend” or being part of the “uso” just so you could feel good inside even if you do not like to do it personally, does not, I tell you, last. Yes you may feel good at the beginning but later on, you will begin to question yourself and doubt your real identity. So why try to hide behind someone’s shadow? We are all different in beautiful ways but all are the same in the end. We live, we die. So why not live the life of your own that God has given you? I swear, it’ll make you better as a person. =)

(Source: iamzee)

March12012

Tumblr: The Easiest Way to Blog

A Journey Across Tumblr

 

“Who in the world does not know of Tumblr?”

Well, for instance my parents; who are not so techie and don’t have a hint on one of the most famous micro-blogging platform and social networking site in the internet world today. So, for all those who are still unaware of the existence of such huge site, then, let me show you around the world of one of my personal favorite sites, Tumblr.

Tumblr is the site where people share what they do, love, find, think and create. It was one of the famous sites in the web that has an approximately 47 million blogs as of last month and has an over a billion posts.

47 million blogs. Wow.  That is quite a number, huh? It only showed how large the whole Tumblr community is and how the number has grown ever since 2007 when it was launched by David Karp, who is the founder and CEO with John Maloney as the president. Tumblr, Inc. owns and operate the site.

With the number of users Tumblr receives each day, with the last survey on July of 2010 revealed that the said site receives as much as 25,000 new users each day, it is indeed that the population of the users are growing because of much popularity and for me, it is but a very user-friendly site.

 Much of its users were teens and college-aged; 50% of its visitors were actually under the age of 25. And compared to Twitter, it has a high retention rate of almost 85%. (For the stats, credits go here. )

Tumblr offers a new whole dimension of personal blogging. For instance, my whole tumblr life has been nothing but awesome.

The site basically caters user-friendly ways of blogging. You can post articles as well as pictures that you can easily edit or change. And then, there is also my favorite, the re-blogging. You can follow lots of blogs over Tumblr and you can easily re-blog them to your own blog. There are measures a person can do when posting something personal so as the copyright of the post remains to the one who original posted it.

As for my Tumblr experience, almost all of my re-blogs and all the blogs I have encountered basically retain the ownership of the one where it was originally posted. You wouldn’t want to go bailing out for plagiarism, right? J It has quite become a rule on Tumblr to always link back to where the post came from. So don’t take the credits of something that is not your own. =)

 

Offerings of Tumblr include: choosing of the theme of your choice to your blog, making your own theme, mobileability, customizing domains, the freedom to post anything under the sun, creating photosets, keeping private posts to yourself, automatically feeding your twitter account with your posts on Tumblr and so much more. For more of the reasons why you’ll surely love Tumblr, click through this link.

 

 

Terms of service apply to this site as well. One who is willing to post on Tumblr shall be willing to comply with this service terms. Here is the link to that.

And the Privacy Policy as well.

So if you are in the rush to go and share on Tumblr, then go baby. I assure you that it’ll be such an amazing thing.

You might be in that “i-don’t-know-what-to-do-here” stage in the beginning but you’ll soon overcome that. Just browse through and you will surely find a blog of your liking to follow. =)

And oh, before anything else, just one word before this ends, ENJOY! 


<3 <3 <3

(Source: iamzee)

10AM

C E N T R U M: Advertising Analysis

(A Group Article)

Centrum?! Honestly speaking I don’t really know anything about centrum, All I know is that this is a Multi-Vitamins. If you ask me what are the multi-vitamins that I know, the first vitamins that would pop-up on my mind would be Centrum, why? blame the advertisements! Almost all of the endorsers of this Vitamins are either WELL KNOWN personality or they are the kind of the people who could define the combination of SEXY AND BEAUTY. If you live in the Philippines and have been watching any local channels lately, you will have heard this type of advertisement for Centrum vitamins at least half a dozen times in the past month. And the one speaking, talking about their dreams in the ads, are personalities like Piolo Locsin, Angel Milby or Sam Pascual, or some other equally expensive artistas that are meant to convince average Filipinos that they should rush out to the nearest botika and buy some Centrum at outrageous prices. Most of the advertisement tag lines are like this the ad contained images of active people, which, presumably, are intended encourage viewers to associate taking Centrum with health and vigor. After mentioning that Centrum’s was formulated to take advantage of scientific knowledge, the narrator added: “Unlock energy. Strengthen immunity.” I believe these phrases were intended to suggest that taking Centrum will make people more energetic and more resistant to disease. Vitamins and minerals are needed to metabolize foods and to maintain body immunity. However, the ad is fraudulent because the diet of the average viewer contains sufficient nutrients needed to do these things. Taking extra Centrum will not make people more vigorous or increase general immunity. The advertisements of Centrum claim that the key is a well-balanced diet. As nutritional professionals, you know better than anyone that the best nutritional strategy for promoting good health is to eat a wide variety of foods. Another is that Centrum can help bridge the gap between what your patients should eat and what they actually do eat. Some people have dietary restrictions that make it difficult to eat a well-balanced diet, such as being a vegetarian, lactose intolerant, or on a low-calorie diet. This statement is true but misleading. If a diet is inadequate, taking a supplement will improve overall nutrient intake. However, supplements will not correct a diet that is low in fiber or missing the large variety of phytochemicals found in fruits and vegetables. The best way to correct an inadequate diet is through dietary modification. Others may try to eat right, but fall short because of today’s busy lifestyles. Centrum provides the most up-to-date nutritional support, with the complete range of important vitamins and minerals like the complete antioxidant group, B vitamins such as folic acid and critical minerals like calcium. Next to that is that the makers of Centrum recognize that a complete multivitamin—like a healthful diet—should also be well balanced. Our ongoing commitment to research in nutritional science ensures that Centrum provides the right nutrients in the right amounts, at levels that don’t exceed the RDA. Centrum’s formula is indeed rational and well-balanced. The fact that the amounts don’t exceed the RDA is good. Centrum Senior, which contains half as much iron, is a better formula for people over 50. Chain drugstores sell similar formulations that cost about half as much. Most of the people who consume this multi-vitamin are most likely to be very much a firm believer in the power of vitamin supplements which are bursting with disease-fighting antioxidants as well as vitamins, minerals and other health protecting ingredients to prevent diseases like Common Colds, Tubercolosis, and Osteoporosis. They even say that an independent study confirmed that taking Centrum significantly elevated blood serum levels for a number of vitamins and minerals. This study published in the Journal of American College of Nutrition, (2003; 22(2): 124-132) showed that after taking Centrum, the participants showed significantly elevated micronutrient levels in their blood. In other words, the vitamins and minerals in the Centrum tablet were absorbed, hence, showed up in the blood of the participant. Furthermore, Centrum is the most widely used multivitamin in scientific research. This is a testament to how widely Centrum products are respected by the scientific community.

 

(Source: iamzee)

9AM
1AM

theimages:

Owl Babies, Elle Michalka

February282012

Media System: A Complex Look On the Media System of South Korea and the Philippines

 (A Group Article)

What comes to mind when you hear the word South Korea? It’s probably all those all-time famous Koreanovelas that has hit the airwaves of the Philippines way back in the 2003 I guess. Koreanovelas are now a major market in the Philippines today.; with its popularity growing each and every year.

Well apparently, the media system in the Philippines is not different with South Korea. Only, there is this distinct difference.

I can’t tell you everything and I can’t speak for the whole of the Korean media system but might as well try. So here it is.

Overview of the Media System in South Korea

South Korea is a country situated along the southern part of the Korean Peninsula, with China and Japan as its closest neighboring countries. And by all means, South Korea is media rich country.

 South Korean media is relatively composing of various types of communication, such as television, radio, newspapers, magazines, cinema and the internet-based websites. In many ways, it has been proven that South Korean media industry has been a good ground for profit. The literacy rate in the country is transparently high, with about 98-99% at the very least. These literate and educated people of South Korea, with the abundance of its economy, support and consume both the traditional media as well as the rapidly advancing new media.

As of 2002, this country of over forty-seven million people had as many as 116 daily newspapers, with the top three of its national dailies boasting circulation of more than two million copies each. Television is ubiquitous, too, with two national networks, over forty cable channels, and a digital satellite broadcasting service offering seventy-four channels. Additionally, some 6,500 periodicals—2,000 weeklies, 3,300 monthlies and 1,200 quarterlies—bombard the media market, each targeting its own share in the general as well as segmented audiences. Credits

Nevertheless, the country is still supporting and using the technological media of today. The degree of availability of such techies was equal to those industrialized countries of the world. According to research and studies, there is a high rise in the number of internet users in the country. The country ranked third in the world’s most number of internet users. Almost 79% of the families own a computer and 94% are using the internet. Many businesses in Korea are utilizing the internet for services such as news, social media, shopping, banking, games, and educational content.

What is good about the country is that the internet is free and everyone can have access to it.

The media system has gotten a long way from its early beginnings to what is now considered as one of the most productive and rich media system in the world.

During the colonial period, the Governor-General of Korea assumed direct control of the press along with other public institutions. Following the March 1st Movement in 1919, the colonial government loosened their overt control over cultural activities and permitted several Korean newspapers to function while maintaining some behind-the-scenes direction over politically sensitive topics. Following the period of 1945 to 1948, which saw a burgeoning of newspapers and periodicals of every description as well as occasional censorship of the media, almost all subsequent South Korean governments have at times attempted to control the media.

After decades of state control and heavy censorship, the South Korean press (in print, on television, and online) is experiencing a period of relative freedom. The repressive Basic Press Law was repealed in 1987, and since 1990 the television market has expanded significantly. Whereas in 1980 there were only 28 national newspapers, today there are 122. In 2002, satellite broadcasting brought multi-channel commercial television to homes across South Korea. According to most outside observers, political discourse is unrestricted in South Korea; however, persistent concerns are worth noting.

Credits

Press laws, press freedom, and all other legal provisions relevant to the media stem from the Korean Constitution, which is somewhat unique in its stipulation of basic principles on press freedom. Article 21 of the Constitution clearly specifies that all citizens shall have the rights to free press and free speech and that censorship or prior approval of such rights shall not be practiced. However, the same article contains a couple of additional clauses that puts a limit to the scope of press freedom. The third clause states that standards for press, broadcasting, and press agencies’ facilities shall be stipulated by law. The fourth clause specifies that the press and publications shall not encroach upon individuals’ honor or rights nor shall they violate the prevailing public morality or societal ethical norms. This clause further states that citizens may request remedy to the damages inflicted upon their refutation and rights by the press or publications.

In other words, the press freedom in Korea is not an absolute freedom; it is a freedom to be practiced “responsibly,” or the press should pay for its “irresponsible” practices under a constitutional provision. This constitutional stipulation is noted for its specificity in legislating the scope of press freedom and in codifying the concept of social responsibility of the press. In line with this constitutional mandate, various procedural laws have been enacted, the most prominent of such laws are the Registration of Periodicals Act and the Integrated Broadcasting Act. The Fourth Clause provision above has been implemented with the establishment of a “press arbitration commission” which is the first stop for filing complaints against the press before proceeding to the court.

There’s no censorship of the press and there’s no government agency doing media control per se. Yet, in Korea, the will of the president, often termed “imperial,” permeates the culture of the newsroom in one way or another. In President Kim’s case, his reconciliation policy toward North Korea is a case in point. For this, no media in Korea call North Korea communist. It is just North Korea. Its leader, Kim Jong-il, is not called a dictator; instead he is called “chairman.” Refugees from North Korea, increasing in number in the 2000s, are being treated somewhat lightly in the Korean press; for one, President Kim’s government doesn’t want to make a big deal about it for fear of offending the North Korean leadership. 
Credits.


As of today, there has been a growth of many Koreanovelas. And to this, the media system in Korea is truly booming and has affected many countries across the Asian region.

One can get a lot of the Korean system and culture, the way of life, the people, and the whole place by just watching such show. For me, it is an integration of both media and tourism. The media is boosting, the tourism is also boosting. What a good idea, right?

 

Overview of the Media System in the Philippines

Mass media in the Philippines has proved it growth overtime. It has also been known to have had a strong influence in the unfolding of the country’s history.

Currently, there are several types of mass communications media in the country: printbroadcasting (which includes radio and television), cinemamusic through CDs and cassettes, and the internet. These types of mass communications are peopled by dedicated professionals and entertainers who also comprise the backbone of Philippine media and entertainment. Also, media and entertainment people have put up several organizations meant to safeguard or promote the interests of Philippine media and the audience it serves.

Today, most of the media is owned by corporations which earn their revenues through advertising and sales. However, Philippine media has also been known for its activism and nationalism, especially at times when the country needed it.

Media has a tripartite role in Philippine society: political, economic, and social. It is the political aspect that media satisfies when it disseminates information, creates and reflects public opinion, and serves as as a watchdog on government. This role is mostly carried out by the different news and public information media forms, both in print and broadcasting, through the varied journalists, reporters and broadcasters of Philippine media.

Link. 

In many diverse ways, the Philippine media has proved to be, for me, a complex yet growing industry. Well maybe because everything that is still growing is still showing its own complexity. And I think every form of media, in any country, is complex.

Why’d I say complex? There are factors for that.

I’ve been living in the Philippines for almost all my life. I’ve seen it changed over time. In some ways, it has improved. But still the fact remains that the Philippines is still lagging behind the advances of the world.

The press media, though it is free from any constraint in the government, is still experiencing extra-judiciary killings and the government has proved inadequate in solving such cases.

Advertising has been one of the major livelihoods of private corporations who own much of the many media stations in the country. And for such, sometimes content is being put to jeopardy. Just so revenue is expected, some will do anything, even to produce non-sensical shows so they could profit from it.

I am not saying everyone in the media system in the Philippines do it. Because I know a few who still hold on to what they believe as freedom of expression and precisely giving the public what they truly deserve. But from what I have seen and observe, there are those who would do anything for profit or money. And for that, I am disappointed.

 

 

The diverse ways the Philippine media system is different from the South Korean media is relatively point out in this article. Well in ways I wish this could’ve helped us better understand the complexities of two different and varied form of media system.

 

(Draft)

(Source: iamzee)

February172012

Wii U

Discover a wealth of exciting new ways to enjoy home entertainment with Wii U, an upcoming video game console by Nintendo, and is the successor to the Wii. The system was unveiled during Nintendo’s press conference at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2011 on June 7, 2011, and is expected to be released in the holiday season of 2012 in North America, Europe, and Japan. The console has been described as belonging to the eighth generation of video game consoles. 
With a revolutionary new touch screen controller, precision motion controls, and full HD graphics, a whole new world of play styles and gaming possibilities is on the horizon. The time is coming to truly expand your idea about what a game console is - and can be. The system includes the new Wii U console and amazing new controller.


The Wii U is Nintendo’s sixth home console and the first Nintendo console to produce 1080p high-definition graphics. The controller allows a player to continue a gaming session by displaying the game even when the television is off. The system will be fully backwards compatible with Wii, and Wii U games can support compatibility with Wii peripherals, such as the Wii Remote, Wii MotionPlus, and Wii Balance Board. It will not be backwards compatible with Nintendo GameCube media or peripherals.

The console was first conceived in 2008, after Nintendo recognized several limitations and challenges with the Wii, such as the general public perception that the system catered primarily for a “casual” audience. With Wii U, Nintendo explicitly wishes to lure “core” gamers back. Game designer Shigeru Miyamoto admitted that the lack of HD and limited network infrastructure for the Wii also contributed to the system being regarded in a separate class to its competitors’ systems, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It was decided that a new console would have to be made to accommodate significant structural changes.
Within the company, there was much debate over the idea for the new console, and the project was scrapped and restarted several times. The concept of a touchscreen embedded within the controller was originally inspired by the blue light on the Wii that illuminates to indicate new messages. Miyamoto and his team wanted to include a small screen to provide game feedback and status messages to players (in similar vein to the VMU for Sega’s Dreamcast). Much later in development, this was expanded to a full screen that could display the game being played in its entirety, a concept which was suggested but not financially viable earlier in the project.

According to Nintendo President Satoru Iwata, “Wii U redefines the structure of home entertainment by fundamentally changing how the TV, the game console and the Internet function and interact together,” he continues, “The experience enabled by Wii U and its new controller takes players deeper into their games, while reaching out wider than ever before to be inviting to all kinds of gamers.”

Wii U combines motion-sensing gameplay with the ability to support full HD graphics. Each Wii U console will be paired with a new groundbreaking controller, with its 6.2-inch wide screen. Previously, video games played on a home consoles have been confined to the TV and offered identical viewpoints to each player in a multiplayer environment. The Wii U controller enhances that experience with different viewpoints available in-game and in differing games/game situations. Also, watching TV and playing console games have been completely separate experiences. The new controller removes these boundaries, creating a more dynamic and fluid gaming and entertainment experience. Examples of this new functionality include:
Within Single Player Games:
• While in-game the new controller can display information on its screen that does not appear on the TV
• The information and viewpoint can also change in the new controller based on the orientation of its gyroscope
Within Multiplayer Games:
• The player using the new controller can have a different experience than those looking at the TV creating a wider variety of competitive and cooperative opportunities
The Wii U captures the imagination regarding what gamers believe a game console should be and can be.
Wii U Product Description
• The controller allows a player to continue a gaming session by displaying the game on the display at any time without the need of a TV. The system will be fully backwards compatible with Wii and games offered through Wii U will support compatibility with Wii peripherals, such as the Wii Remote, Wii MotionPlus, and Wii Balance Board. However, it is important to note that the Wii U will not be backward compatible with Nintendo GameCube media or peripherals.
• Ports and peripheral capabilities: SD memory card slot (supports SDHC cards), USB 2.0 ports (2 at front of console, 2 at rear), Sensor Bar power port, “AV Multi Out” port supporting composite video and HDMI 1.4 out port.
• Controller: Built-in 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis gyroscope, Speakers and Microphone, Front-facing camera, IR Sensor strip, 6.2 inch (15.7 cm) 854×480 FWVGA 16:9 resistive touchscreen, Two Circle Pads and one D-pad, Stylus Select, Start, Home and Power buttons, A/B/X/Y face buttons, L/R bumper buttons and ZL/ZR trigger buttons, Controller sync button and Bluetooth.
• Note: The Wii U is compatible with the Wii Remote, Wii Nunchuck, Wii Classic Controller, and the Wii Balance Board.
• Video: 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p or 480i, standard 4:3 and 16:9 anamorphic widescreen “AV Multi Out” port supporting composite video, YPBPR component video, S-Video (NTSC consoles only), RGB SCART (PAL consoles only) and D-Terminal (Japan only), HDMI 1.4 out port supporting stereoscopic 3D images.
The Wii U is seen as an exciting successor to the five year old Wii and is the eighth generation Nintendo console.
 
Wii U Console Technical Features
• Approximately 1.8 inches tall, 6.8 inches wide and 10.5 inches long.
• New Controller: Approximately 5.3 inches high, 0.9 inches deep (not including buttons and other projections) and 9.0 inches long.
• The new controller incorporates a 6.2-inch, 16:9 touch screen and traditional button controls, including two analog Circle Pads. This combination removes the traditional barriers between games, players and the TV by creating a second window for the video game.
• The rechargeable controller includes a Power button, Home button, +Control Pad, A/B/X/Y buttons, L/R buttons and ZL/ZR buttons.
• Controller also includes a built-in accelerometer and gyroscope, rumble feature, camera, a microphone, stereo speakers, a sensor strip and a stylus.
• The rechargeable controller includes a Power button, Home button, +Control Pad, A/B/X/Y buttons, L/R buttons and ZL/ZR buttons. This combination removes the traditional barriers between games, players and the TV by creating a second window into the video game world.
• Other: Controls up to four Wii Remote (or Wii Remote Plus) controllers can be connected at once. The new console supports all Wii controllers and input devices, including the Nunchuk controller, Classic Controller, Classic Controller Pro and Wii Balance Board.
• A single self-loading media bay will play 12-centimeter proprietary high-density optical discs for the new console, as well as 12-centimeter Wii optical discs.
• Video Output:Supports 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p and 480i. Compatible cables include HDMI, component, S-video and composite.
• Audio Output:Uses AV Multi Out connector. Six-channel PCM linear output through HDMI.
• Storage:The console will have internal flash memory, as well as the option to expand its memory using either an SD memory card or an external USB hard disk drive.
• CPU:IBM Power-based multi-core microprocessor.
• AMD Radeon-based High Definition GPU.
• Other:Four USB 2.0 connector slots are included. The new console is backward compatible with Wii games and Wii accessories.
• Audio “AV Multi Out” port. Six-channel PCM linear output through HDMI
• Wii U does not have Blu-Ray or DVD playback capability

Company reps recognized that the public was frustrated with the limitations and challenges experienced with the Nintendo Wii and set up to change consumers perception of the console as something that basically catered to the casual gaming participant, not hardcore gamers.
The Wii U is Nintendo’s effort to lure back core gamers to their console and games. Because of the lack of HD and limited network infrastructure, these weaknesses contributed to Nintendo’s Wii console not being highly regarded as a gaming system. This perception resulted in the Wii being regarded as being in a different class of gaming systems when compared to competitors.

 

(Source: )

February102012

Ninety-nine Point Five

99.5 RT: The Best Music on the Planet

Before 99.5 RT, there was 99.5 Hit FM

I was in high school then when a good friend and classmate introduced me to the station. It was still called 99.5 Hit FM back in 2007. And I swear. I instantly got hooked. I love the songs they play. I love the radio programs. I love the DJs. =)

Hit then caters a different genre of music that I find “perfect” for my sense of musicality. It plays randomly famous songs as well as not-so-famous-but-still-awesome songs. I don’t know what’s with them but I totally adore all the programs and even the DJs.

What is even great about the station is that it offers new forms of programs that certainly entertain the listeners. Well, as for me they have.

But I guess I don’t speak for everyone else. And my taste on radio listening doesn’t blend with the large number of listeners in the country that is why I guess Hit FM left the radio world in 2008;  just a year after it was formed. Maybe the whole network was still experimenting by that time. Trying to decide what kind of listeners would they cater and what type of songs do Filipinos these days would like to listen to. Campus Radio I think, took its turn by that year.

You see, after Hit was gone in the air, I rarely listen to the radio anymore. Campus was way boring for me. And yes, I miss the 99.5 Hit FM. I miss the Homerun with Winner and Lellie, which is my ever all-time-favorite radio show up until now even though it’s not around anymore. I miss the Brewrats. Although it was still there in Campus, I lost all appetite for listening after Hit signed off air.

What I love about Hit then was its format of uninterrupted music, just like the format of the current RT but was way content-driven.

I listen to almost all the programs there. And I kind of love the songs that became a hit during the time when 99.5 Hit FM was still around. Well, apparently I still have a dose of the songs they played back then. Some of them I still have on my playlist today.

All the DJs of Hit was called the Hit Squad; Lellie being my most favorite.


The end of Hit FM

99.5 Hit FM signed off for the last time on Holy Wednesday, March 19, 2008. Some Hit FM jocks later moved to Jam 88.3 and Magic 89.9. The last song “Nice to Know You” by Incubuswas played before the holy week. 

Campus took its turn of broadcasting in March 23, 2008.

And then, I don’t listen to the radio anymore.

 

RT Today

Dwrt-fm, known as 99.5 RT is a radio station owned and operated by Real Radio Network Inc. in the Philippines. It is located at Unit 906-B, Paragon Plaza Building, EDSA corner Reliance St, Mandaluyong City and its transmitter is at Palos Verdes Executive Village, Brgy. Seven Hills, Sumulong Highway, Antipolo City, Rizal, sharing the same site of 93.9 iFM. 99.5 RT is a 24-hour operating station except on Mondays where it signs-off at midnight, and except Holy Week of each year where it signs-off at midnight of Maundy Thursday and lasts until 5:30 am of Easter Sunday.

It took its turn on air just after Campus FM signed off on August 14 in 2008. On September 1, 2008 at 6 a.m., after two weeks of automated music programming, the station resumed its broadcast under the reinstated name 99.5 RT. Joshua Z was the first DJ to go on board that morning, followed by other jocks who have worked with the frequency’s three incarnations (mostly from the RT roster and HiT and one from Campus). The station initially reused its old and familiar slogan, “The Rhythm Of The City”. The playlist is more progressive and experimental, attempting to sound like RT’s first Iteration. The deejays have a collective tone similar to parent station, Magic 89.9, due to the use of Tagalog-English or “Taglish” during live spiels.

They also introduced its 2nd slogan, from 2009 - 2010, dubbing the station as playing “The Best Music on the Planet”, which is now used in sister station in Davao, 105.9 Mix FM. For every Summer, it brought back the “Red Hot Radio” slogan, which was originally used from 1983 - 1988. Since 2010, they launched The Farm, an on air training program for the beginner jocks.

Since October 2010, RT began to play some Modern Rock music, earning its 3rd slogan, “The Drive”, after the Sunday night-only program of the same name. It was a call for the demise of NU 107, which happened a month later. Ironically, they rarely play some songs from the late 90s and early 2000s, which are usually heard on 24K Weekend. However, CHR is still retained as its initial format. In June 2011, RT dropped “The Drive” in favor of its previous slogan “The Best Music on the Planet”, as an attempt to bring back RT’s old image.

Credits.

I may not be a totally die-hard fan of RT but I was there when it was still known as 99.5 Hit FM. So I could probably say that I’ve been quite a “listener” for years now. Though I don’t get to listen to RT all the time, I still save the frequency on my phone’s FM radio as my number one choice. J

 

 

 

 

(Source: iamzee)

February32012

Life is the ultimate work of art

Vicky Christina Barcelona: Film Analysis



“I feel like there are so many emotions inside me and I have to let it out.”

This is just one of the lines from the movie that instantly caught me.

I’ve always been that type of person ever since. When watching movies or TV series or listening to songs or reading books and other reading materials, what I get to absorb all the time are the lines or the words used in the particular medium. I’m actually a “word” person and the more the words in a film for example fits together to create a wonderful meaning, the more beautiful it becomes to me. Or sometimes, even simple lines can really get to me. I think that depends on what I am feeling at the moment. Or my “connection” to what the particular medium is saying or relating to me. I’ve always been a fan of words and the way they create that complex connection with someone just fascinates me.

I think that is a vital reason why I took an instant liking to the film Vicky Christina Barcelona.

Vicky Christina Barcelona is an indie-film written and directed by Woody Allen. Allen is a renowned American screenwriter and director and has been known for his works that revolves around the heavy theme of literature, philosophy and sexuality.

Those themes were quite present in Vicky Christina Barcelona.

The film showcased three of the most beautiful faces in Hollywood. Well for me they are. The casting was perfect because Allen chose three pretty artists; Penelope Cruz, being so gorgeously hot when she enters a scene and makes Scarlett Johansson, seductive golden-haired with ample cleavage and all, look plain and the hunky “romantico” type Javier Bardem (Romantico because I would always remember him in this film as someone who I can consider as a passionate, deep kind of person who is very much locked to his emotions and his other character in Love in the Time of Cholera. I don’t know but I could sense something “romantic” and “suave” in his voice. It kinda allures women in a different way. Oh, well. Whatever.). Rebecca Hall is also good on this film but I personally do not like her. Or I guess her character in the story. Haha.

Vicky Christina Barcelona is a movie set in the lovely town of Barcelona in Spain where Vicky (Rebecca) together with her best friend Christina (Scarlett) decided to spend the summer. There, they get to meet a handsome, artist / painter Juan Antonio (Javier).

Vicky and Christina, both characters that one could easily predict, were coming from two opposite side. Though best friends since college, they agree on almost everything except for the concept of love. Vicky is a bright and cautious girl who values relationship and commitment more than anything. While Christina, on the other hand, is a sexually adventurous lady, an artist and an alluring passionate person, who knows what she doesn’t want in a relationship which Vicky values the most. And then they meet Juan Antonio and that is basically how the story revolved, with the involvement of Maria Elena (Penelope) in the story as the weird, crazy but very daunting and beautiful ex-wife of Juan Antonio.

The movie is a simple story of sexuality, art, literature and I could say passion as well. The movie is not something as complicated as any other movie out there but what I like about it is the fact that in an eccentric way, I can relate to Christina. I don’t know if that is a bad thing. But with me being honest to myself, I can see myself in her; in ways though not totally like her.

The movie is executed in a simple manner though I know there are some weak points in it. Like for example, who the hell is the narrator, right? What is his connection to the film? And why the heck does Vicky studies Catalan identity when she can’t even speak Spanish in the first place? But those are just points that I would like to point out.

Vicky Christina Barcelona is an acclaimed award-winning piece for me. It has captured something inside me that made me think and ask myself, am I what I really am?

It is nothing but moving. It has created a whole new perspective of how passion, emotions and feelings can be so moving. 

Kudos, VCB! =)


(Source: iamzee)

10AM

Kaleldo / Summer Heat


Kaleldo is an internationally-acclaimed independent film made by no less than the genius Brillante Mendoza.

Mendoza has actually been making big names in the international film community by his unique works that represented a way of the Filipino living that has captured praises from all over the globe. He was winning and bagging awards, but sadly, his own people can’t even accept his works.

What I personally like about the film is the fact that it showed and represented the way of life of the Pampangeneos. It was kind of good to hear Kapampangan in the film though I personally cannot understand could it be not for the subtitle. But I don’t know. I could feel something within me that actually feels proud to hear that from a film that is known internationally.

The actress and actors were all good; lke I was a thumbs-up of it. All were professionals. I even had a liking of Chery Pie Picache because she portrayed a lesbian, which she really did well. Juliana Palermo was also a convincing “stupid” or “pindangga” as what her sister called her. Johnny Delgado was also a pro. It showed how much he has been a veteran actor. He easily portrayed a strict father to his three daughters.

I don’t want to spoil you guys. But I suggest you watch it. It is a really good film.

Here’s a treat:

The story is set in Guagua, Pampanga a decade after the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo which ravaged the province with lahar. It follows the lives of Rodolfo “Mang Rudy” Manansala, a woodcarver, and his three daughters and their relationships with the people close to them in the span of seven summers. Grace, the youngest daughter, marries the mama’s boy Conrad, and has to face the reality of leaving the ancestral house, to which she is deeply rooted, to go and live with her in-laws. Much against her will, to the point of staging a escape, she yields to the dictates of tradition. Yet she manages to cope up with married life, and on the fourth year of her marriage gets pregnant with her second child. Lourdes, the middle daughter and married to the weakling Andy Pineda with whom she has a daughter, goes into an illicit affair with a bank manager, for which reason Mang Rudy succumbs to a heart attack and becomes bedridden. For a while numbed by the infidelity of his wife, Andy later realizes his insignificance and retaliates by beating up and nearly killing Lourdes. Lourdes atones for her guilt by ministering to Andy’s wounds after he joins the rituals of the flagellants during the Holy Week. However, they both decide to separate. Jess, the eldest daughter, is a lesbian whose bitter luck in life is being unwanted by her own father. Yet she serves Mang Rudy to the hilt after he gets bedridden and makes the common sense of allowing her girlfriend Rowena to move in at the Manansala house, not so much for their own convenience as lovers but for Rowena to help in looking after Mang Rudy and in helping out with the household chores. But when a conflict arises between Lourdes and Rowena, Mang Rudy sends Rowena away. A year later, Mang Rudy succumbs to a second attack and when he dies several months later, Rowena sets foot on the ancestral house once more to pay her last respects. At the wake, Rowena comes to the realization that, like Andy, she never belonged and finally decides to leave Jess. Rowena realigns herself with normal procedures by getting married while Jess, along with her sisters, moves on with life. The story is told in three segments, with each segment told from the point of view of the three daughters. Attached to each segment are social occasion popularly observed in the Philippines, with a symbolic motif for each, represented by the elements sun, fire, water, air, blood, moon and earth. With Rowena’s wedding at the end of the film, as in Grace’s wedding at the start, a full cycle of life transpired. Written by Viva


Source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0757898/plotsummary

(Source: iamzee)

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