Formula One Fever!

This is an advertisement for Mercedes Benz which I feel clearly plays with the rivalries between Spanish driver, Fernando Alonso and British driver, Lewis Hamilton. It which shows the competitiveness between drivers in Formula One (F1).






In the first three seconds of the advertisement, it shows two F1 cars racing neck and neck until the finish with viewers not knowing which driver winning till the scene in which the cars return to the pit garage. From Hamilton’s body language, better known as kinesics, we know that he won as he waved to Alonso with an air of smugness. After which, the director uses oculesics for the portrayal of Alonso’s emotions with Alonso rolling his eyes upon seeing Hamilton’s wave. I feel that this was a very good way of portraying Alonso’s emotions as the driver was wearing a helmet and the director uses the only feature which can be seen, the eyes.

Further on in the advertisement, the director continually uses both kinesics and oculesics to portray the drivers’ emotions in the various scenes. From the scene which Hamilton was captivated by the woman walking down the street and cannot take his eyes off her, to the one where Alonso was tapping his hotel card on his hand and repeatedly pressing the lift to get away from Hamilton quickly are some of the non-verbal tools used.

Indeed, this is a light hearted advertisement which is not marred by the various scandals that have hurt the image of the sport. From the “spygate” to the “liegate” and recently, the “crashgate” saga, F1 has become more of a circus rather than a sport. Therefore, this advertisement shows that competition between teams and drivers in F1 should be healthy and teams should not resort to unethical ways to score their win.

Also, the advertisement gives as an idea of the amount of dedication and discipline each driver has from the vigorous training in the advertisement. And even though the advertisement was a rather fun one to watch, we must not fail to recognize that F1 remains a very dangerous sport and the drivers are always risking their lives at every race.

Last but not least,

I HOPE THAT THE SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX THIS WEEKEND WILL BE A SUCCESS!

Less than perfect?? PERFECT!

When one thinks of fashion, tall thin women with flawless complexion and perfect hair and makeup usually comes into mind. This is because we usually associate fashion to the models we see on the various forms of the mass media such as on the television and in magazines. This is due to the selection process where the stimuli selects information due to the frequency of thin models we see on fashion programmes in the media. Thus, we are influenced by the media and the perception we have of beautiful people are the perfect people we see in the media.

However, recently in an American magazine glamour, it published an article with a photo of a nude model which was unlike any of the typical stick-thin women one associates modeling with. Instead, the model was a woman with bigger thighs and also, a fleshier stomach. The article was well received by the public and many gave positive feedbacks about showing a woman who was comfortable in her own skin despite not looking like any of the usual models we commonly see in the media.

"Anyone who thinks that this model is unhealthy should have their head examined. She's tall, has an athletic build and a bit of a tummy. End of story,"

"A real woman who looks like a person,"

These feedbacks showed that people are becoming more receptive of the less than perfect models as they know at the back of their minds, that this is what women in real life look like. This would set a good example for girls who in their bid to seek for that perfect model looking figure, develop eating disorders. Despite the increase in eating disorder rates, we must also not fail to recognize that obesity rates have also been increasing due to the affluent lifestyle of people.

Therefore we must maintain a healthy lifestyle of eating right and exercising so as to not stray to the two extremes. But most importantly, we must be confident in our own skin and be proud of what we have.

MORE REAL WOMEN ON THE MAGAZINES PLEASE!

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/lifestylenews/view/1002565/1/.html

English Standards

In The Sunday Times main paper dated 13th September 2009, it has been brought up that the standard of English in Singapore has been falling. Various reasons have been mentioned to account for the falling standards.

Firstly, the wide range of languages used here can account for the fall in English standards. As Ms Laraine Bamrah quoted, “ Singaporeans’ exposure to several languages results in breadth, but the richness and depth acquired in any one language is compromised.” This is especially true in a multi-cultural society like Singapore. As a result, the use of English is usually compromised.

Also, the use of various communication mediums has also affected the standard of English. As quoted from the text, “Ironically, the standard has fallen with greater connectivity with the world.” This is especially true as seen from the wide use of short forms in communication mediums such as MSN messenger (transactional model) and forums (interactive models) where language is not moderated. Thus, habitual users of these various mediums will find themselves exposed to improper English. Also, the use of SMS has also affected the standard of English. This is because in order to fit the 160word limit of each message, users will find means and ways of summarizing their message mostly, by shortening the originally intended word so that the meaning of the message is not lost. The prevalent use of short forms may consequently, compromise the spelling standard of the users.

I personally feel that the exposure students have in presentation skills is limited. This is because presentation skills are not emphasized on in the primary and secondary level. Thus, when students reach tertiary level education, they often find themselves struggling to present themselves due to weak verbal skills, which may lead to low self-esteem. Furthermore, classroom lessons are usually one-sided with the teacher speaking and the passive students accepting whatever the teacher is saying. This shows one form of linear communication. Thus, students who are not trained from a young age to verbalise their thoughts will have difficulties expressing themselves in the future.

Therefore, I feel that improving English standards should be done from a young age. As Mr Matthew Ong said, “Teachers need to equip young learners with a solid foundation and the courage to speak well.” Changes to the education systems such as grading class participation and emphasizing on project presentation starting from the primary levels could help to equip students with greater presentation skill and thus, improve overall English standards as they can communicate more effectively thus boosting confidence.