Apple.

This time, the topic’s gonna be on product placement and branding.

I’ve really got to start the ball by mentioning the Apple IPod. C’mon, you know it, i know it. It’s a piece of ingenuity and the pioneer in the art of portable music players. But how did it get this way? Was it based on the sole desire of the vast majority of people to get something that is innovative and creative? I beg to differ. The selling point of the IPod is how it is actually sold into homes and the hands of buyers by the simple approach of the media and of course the awe of Steve Jobs.

Not putting Jobs or Macintosh down. I really admire the way they sell their products to thousands upon thousands of people that believe that Apple, or Macintosh, has the best selling equipment. However, there are several controversies that the IPod is not the ultimate portable music device.

Going back to the 2001 Macintosh Conference,birth place of the first ever IPod. It had a 5.5 hour life span, could hold a thousand songs and could only be charged by Firewire, an Apple invention. The speech was a success not because Jobs held up the perfect portable media player. It was simply in the way he built up the IPod and placed it in a place so far off from the other alternatives that they could barely smell the IPod smoke. The IPod was not only a music player. It was meant to be a profit earner. You’re going to say, how can a company not want to make profit. Precisely! Apple has made millions upon millions thanks to their beloved IPod.

How did Macintosh go that far with the IPod? It all was held up on two simple facts. Product awareness and product placement. Making sure that everyone knew what an IPod is was the most important part of the Apple invasion. They had adverts, reviews online and in magazines,some of which are now legendary, for example the hit with the U2 track, “Vertigo”. I’m sure that if you mention that song to someone who doesn’t listen to U2, the person is going to go, “oh, that IPod advertisement!”. It’s so true that how much a company spends is how much they are going to get their products sold. Look at Macdonalds for another example. Billions, mind you, BILLIONS are spent on their advertising campaigns. They have TV shows, partys in the restaurant and so many gimmicks. A waste of money? NO. By judging at the amount of profit and revenue they make annually, i’m sad to say that Macdonalds is making the big bucks.

Back to Macintosh now. Have you realised that almost any music player or earphones in any of the movies, commercials, tv series etc. are all IPods? You’ve never seen a Hollywood film with Creative players being thrown around, or ran with a couple of superstars? It’s always the Apple IPod. This is called product placement. If Apple is able to make sure that every single superstar carries an IPod with them, they can be certain that the IPods will sell like pancakes.No doubt that the public will view the IPod as luxury items, as items that stars will carry. This common desire, the deep yearning to be like a superstar or at least of superstar status draws them out to buy an IPod.This is the way companies work the public to get their products. Place high value on their products, yet sell it for a cheaper price because that selling price is leaps and bounds over the cost price, ever since IPods were Made In China.

The trap of commercialism is very very dangerous. IPods are just IPods. It’s a matter of personal opinion and personal preference. No way can Apple shove an IPod into your pockets. They would not want to harm consumer rights and their opposition’s rights. Fighting a law suit is much worse than persuading the general mass public to buy your products.

Definitely a thought worth thinking when you are shopping next time.
Phua.

Photography at it’s best.

I know i know, photography again. But c’mon, a nice photo makes one smile, especially for me.

Punggol and Chinatown was my last venture!(This is gonna be a photo heavy post)

Ah, there’s more at so enjoy!

Olympia Mania

BAH!!?!?!?

Exciting news, my dear friends.

CALVIN PHUA is officially ANTI DIGITAL.

I know about the cost and stuff, but the real experience of photography is in the film, to me at least. The digital aspect is convenient. But why have form but no functionality?

I know i’ll get flamed and i’ll get praised for this decision. Pro film and pro digital people don’t mix. haha.

On the other hand, for those collectors.I’ve found an old Olympus OM-1n which was my uncle’s. It’s mine for the time being. It’s mint cause it was time capsuled in my uncle’s cupboard. It’s lovely and here’s a picture of it’s awe.

TAKE THAT! Not bad eh. I guess i should join the photography club in school.

Freedom Song.

What is freedom?

Freedom is a many faced figure to many people of different aspects of life.

To a man on the street, freedom is the right to have a house deed in his name.

To the crminal, freedom is getting out of his jail cell.

To an O’ level student, freedom is completing his or her papers as soon as possible.

Freedom is an opinionated view, usually biased towards the party involved. Freedom usually occurs in the head first, as a thought, a thought where the best situation happens to the person. The person believes that he has freedom by doing this act. This belief will then trigger an action, one where the person believes will grant him his so desired freedom.

But what is freedom really all about? To me, it is the true liberation of fears, which will lead to the releasing of potential in anyone or anything. If a person has “freedom”, it doesn’t mean that that person can do anything he or she wants/likes. That person has freedom when his or her fears are lifted away. The potential that is inside everybody is the main source of that fear. We are fearful only of ourselves. So fearful that we do not do things that ought to be done. We also create a boundary and limit ourselves to the amount of work we can do. This is surprising true when it comes to sports.

Have you ever worked out in a gym alone, by yourself? You’ll usually find the session unfullfilling and will go home, begging for more of a kick out of the two hours wasted. If you take a closer look at it..when we’re alone and by ourselves, we set a limit on ourselves. We need a constant push, in the form of a personal trainer or your closest friends. No matter what, to achieve a perserverance of high quality, we humans must be encouraged.

Also, have you ever told yourself that you’ll lose this amount of weight in this designated timeframe? This kind of plans will not usually come to pass until you, yourself,will sacrifise your lifestyle and eating habits. Experts would be that pushing force in this equation.

As i pen down these examples, i have a vague idea of what you think freedom is. It is truly the sensibility, knowledge and total faith in yourself, the desire to prove that you are either right or should be listened to. In all, freedom is a choice you must make. No one stands on earth today without a choice made on them.

No matter how far you go in life, freedom will be a big issue. Freedom from the work crisis, freedom from the liberation of conforming to the normal. Freedom is not as easily gained as it is thought of. You have to know what to do in order to gain freedom.

Freedom is part of a prompt testing of God, or any other higher force you believe in. Freedom, or the desire to be free is planted into every single thing that is living. Your willingness to fight for that freedom is the test score of the test. The
more willing, the higher the test score.

If you are looking for freedom, first thing you should do is not to be normal. I’m not telling you to do stupid things, but i am illustrating the fact that only unique people change the world. What good would a person be if everyone was exactly like him?Would it be logical that someone can change the world just by being normal and average?

Freedom comes from being the odd one out. You can’t maintain your pride while seeking freedom. No man has ever been proud to say, “I am free”, unless he has worked hard for it, so much so that he had to humble himself in front of others.

Liberation is a step towards freedom. If you learn how to get yourself liberated from your situations, problems and every fear, you’ll be a free man. You’ll be so filled with freedom that you don’t want it anymore.

Therefore, no matter what happens, i choose freedom. Why be stuck in the normal, boring and mundane society that we live in now? Freedom should be sought and it will be, as soon as you have the desire to be liberated.

Freedom is in your hands.
Phua.

Beast.

I’ve watched iron man. Bad show i guess. i was chatting with a few friends about the show then we suddenly began to talk about homosexuals and the gay scene.

Did you realise how Iron Man flies? He puts his hands to his side and begin his “propulsion”. Cool as it may sound, it looks MEGA GAY.Seriously, if you see me the next time, i’ll show it to you, just ask.

Speaking of gays. Did you know that power rangers were racist? C’mon, black ranger is African american, yellow ranger is a Chinese girl. Pink ranger was the dumb blonde and the leader, red ranger, was a pure, red necked, american.

KKK extinct? Kiss my ass.

Too many people with turbans are caught on a plane. “this is for your safety” you say. I was on a plane to london when our plane was stopped for 2 hours just because this suspected terrorist had to be detained and interviewed, sadly, those english and chinese people could not leave the plane as we were suspected “accomplices”. So sorry BA. I will never take a plane from your company again. That incident just destroyed your image. DEATH!

For those who are disappointed with the absence of my usual long and whiny posts. I’m sorry. Please approach me seperately and i’ll tell you more stories.

Saturated?Unsaturated?

Have you ever thought what’s on a mind of a sixteen year old, living in Singapore?
DISCLAIMER: this might seem to refer to teenagers nowadays, but any coincidences or references are purely fictional.

The mind of a teenager is filled with thoughts. It can be filled with so many things that at one time, their brains are dealing with at least 15 thoughts! Not healthy for a student who’s only responsibility is to study hard and do well for their exams.

How hard is it for a person how is say, 15 to 16 to handle stressful situations is one of the greatest fears in their lifes. However hard they seem to avoid this, there’s always an extra responsibility that, usually, their parents give to them. This duty, whatever it may be is either given to them consciously or sub-consciously.

Whatever the cause, we’ve gotta to realise that this is not just an extra “small” and “easy-to-handle” situation. The parents have to realise that not every child will grow up to be like them. Hence, the “faith” they put in their son/daughter should not be an amount in which they themselves cannot handle. It’s just stupid if you chuck a matter into a child’s hand when you, an adult, can’t handle it in the first place.

For those who don’t agree with me, all I can say is that you’re not seeking the teenagers point of view. How on earth is someone half your age supposed to cope with things that are meant to be for their elders to worry about? What’s more, additional stress and pressure will be added when they don’t hit the criteria for “maturity” in their parent’s eyes. This added pressure will not deem them any favors in their exams. No doubt, they should be allowed to focus, allowed to be freed in their thoughts and emotions, at least until they are rid of their study obligations.

I’m not defending the youths of today’s society. I am begging for parents to make the right choices, make the wise decisions. The right step will give you stress, no doubt. But look ahead and press on, for your children’s future is at hand.

To stress or not to stress? Ask yourselves.

Phua.

Slogans and their retail value.

Did you know that many of our beloved brands are heavy advertisers of their own products? It’s a little rhethorical but yes, companies don’t just make products for the fun of it, they want to make profits!(Who doesn’t want to make money nowadays?)

I love observing examples of a person’s daily life, filled with slogan after slogan. “Just do it, Nothing is impossible” are just examples of what people are facing everyday.

But are these things more than a slogan? More than that, are they just very smart marketing tactics? Do they
have the power to influence someone to buy or at least promote their products?

Nike. Everyone loves have a pair of sneakers from there. Well, it may be a personal choice, but I do not really like Nike sneakers. It’s overrated. The important point, however, is to realise Nike’s amazing marketing skills. They have had the slogan “Just Do It” for centuries now, it’s so cliche and boring. So typical and predictable. You might think this way. But before Nike was born, no one dared to put slogans on and enforce them to such an extent.

Nike really emphasize their point when they have used the slogan to the point of negative impact. The “just do it, live today” craze probably came to the surface after Nike released their campaign. Nike’s clear stand was against it, but when they saw that people were endorsing throwing away their money in return for possessions, Nike got pretty happy, and wealthy too. The side effects of this “revolution” of “live now, spend now than spend it for your funeral” mindset has placed an extremely high tension environment in our modern society, one where every man is for himself, one where selfishness and greed proclaim their authority.

No matter what happens, people will be this way. People are creatures of habit and their habits will not die down so easily. Unless, they are properly alerted to the situation. Unless someone makes a stand and says, “This is enough!”. Nothing will change unless we, the makers of our own rise and fall, decide to change.

Our very decisions hang in the balance of whether society will continue to live in this very age, the age of greed and pride. The very Singaporean way to say this is that we will always remain “kiam siap” and “kia su” and obviously, “kia si”. It’s not official, but Singapore has become a prime example of a society based on habit. The old cultures, traditions and thoughts are kept in a way that sometimes calls for violence, political tension and much to our despair, internal meltdown. The latter of the situations may not be that imminent but trust me, if we decide not to change society, we will experience it one day.

What do I mean by the people keeping old cultures etc.? This is so very typical, especially from a Singaporean.”Must be Multi-racial!, Must uphold Racial Harmony!”. Let me rebuke this matter. What can I say about this?

The economy is very largely based on the Western countries. More recently, China and India have emerged as the bull market’s leaders. The wealth is coming to Asia. But the thing that saddens me is that most of the time, Westerners prefer not to trade with the whole of Asia but only to a certain few “partners” that they have. How did they get these partners you might ask? This is a good example of being able to adapt to any situation. No doubt, China and India have strong cultural backgrounds. Their ideas and philosophies have a long, deep ancestry. But look at them today? China and India have broken into the American market by the very things they swore not to do, according to their cultural beliefs and religions. China is opening up large amounts of land, agriculture, mass media and so on and so forth to America. This is an act that you’ll never see Mao or any of his followers do. This is an extreme cultural change that many Chinese reject, until they see the benefits of the American “power”.

India, on the other hand, have always been very reluctant to open up trades in fear of the West breaking their religious roots. This day, however, Hollywood has indian-born film stars as well as a thriving trade business with India. No matter how you see it, there is no denying the economic growth they have enjoyed.

However, some laws should clearly be set. Boundaries must be made to ensure that the party involved in the trade does not get bullied and disrespected. America has been very careful so far as not to go and insult the Chinese or Indians in a way that will affect their economic ties. This is also a very good idea as this will strengthen diplomatic ties within the trading nations.

Clearly, nobody wants to see a failing economy. Nobody wants to live in poverty and suffering. So, if we must change society in Singapore to experience great growth as a nation, I believe that we should go all out to change it, making sure that everyone’s welfare is not compromised due to disrespect. The supposedly insulted parties should also understand the other party’s seemingly disrespectful views if the views can change the very situation they are in.

Therefore, we must strive to seek a balance in life and understand what and why something is said.

Phua.

For those that have survived this post. I salute you with this picture!

Takeaway

Have you ever felt that you are going to fail? Feared the very swift destruction of the very thing you call life? Have you ever thought to yourself, “were my parents to blame?”. “Was the way my parents ‘protected’ me the starting block for my rebellion, the one thing my parents dread?”

Is the Nature Versus Nurture issue still a big problem in your life? Do you truly understand the reasons behind teenage angst and anxiety?

Many parents have, over the generations, protected their young. These acts were simply “acts of love and mercy”, a given for a child’s parents. However, the parents never know this but the way they treat their child in the early development stage is crucial to their future. The parents should be informed about the risks of committing soul piercing acts on the children. These acts may consist of divorce, abuse and the mistreating of their very own flesh and blood. Some parents may argue that they are looking out for their children. But these parents never figure out the significance of the behaviour they have instilled in their children. Most children who live in bad conditions are the ones who will end up as the “baddies” of our generation. Examples of these children are Hilter, Mussolini and many others. The common factor between the first two examples is that they have changed the face of the world in their time. Unfortunately the change was negative.

The other point of view is that the Nurture process is the main cause of juvenile delinquents. This is especially true to me, as I have witnessed many cases with my own two eyes. The challenging part about this aspect is the unpredictability that the external factors will bring. The nurture process involves friends that are either good or bad in nature. If you end up with a person of good nature, you’ll turn out good. And the result is the same likewise. This “Nurture” aspect is more believable as the factors cannot be controlled. And uncontrolled circumstances makes the case seem more realistic.THE RIPPLE EFFECT (and it’s links to Nature vs Nurture)

You’ve gotta know that whatever a person does has a ripple effect. If you pick out a book at the new book store, you’ll probably see at least two people being interested in the exact same book. You’ll never notice but the power of influence is always readily available in you, waiting for the perfect opportunity to either express positive views or the opposite. If a crook has a ripple effect, the amount of copycat burglars will be so huge that the neighbourhood will turn into a wasteland. This will cause a chain reaction that will start from the burglar and then to the shop keeper. The shopkeeper, being robbed, will look for revenue in cheating elderly ladies of their pension money. These ladies will then incur thousands upon thousands of debt on their children. These children, being parents, and bankrupt, will not provide a proper education to their children and under the right circumstances, the cycle will repeat with the children robbing anything in plain sight.

Yes, the example drawn maybe a little exaggerated but I find real meaning in the phrase, “Your friends make you who you are”. It’s so true that the Nurture effect has a large influence. However, everything on Earth is always balanced. For example, the crook might not have stolen anything if he wasn’t born into a poor family. This proves the “Nature” point, a poor and lousy background. The “Nurture” point can be proven when suddenly the boy is pressured to steal a quick fix at the local 7-11, sparking off a theft spree. This might have all happened because of the boy’s peers.

No matter which angle you analyse it from, you will see that the two are closely linked and every case must be handled personally.

Nature or Nurture?You decide.
Phua.