But what separates us humans from the rest of the animal kingdom is that constant desire to improve our tools of communication. When compared to the elephants in Africa, or the penguins in the Southern Hemisphere, the way they communicate has always been the same. Perhaps, it might be because when men first learnt about communication, and how it could ultimately ease everyday life, there was a desire to further refine it. For example, when the egyptians did their hieroglyphics, they found that it was a way to communicate to more than one person.

In my opinion, the best persuasive communication tool man has created came in the form of music. Music transcends generations, race, culture, gender and practically everything else. Since the creation of music, it always communicated with a purpose and as music evolved, it even begun to shape and change a whole generation’s attitudes or beliefs. Music always had the power, the power to heal, or even persuade.

Perhaps, the most unique thing about music as a persuasive communication tool is that when we bring it into Shannon and Weave’s Mathematical Theory of Communication, there would be hardly any Noise Source in the equation. Sure, that may be the physical form of noise, the radio emitting static noise, the background of a busy cafe as it plays a song. However, if one looks beyond the physical, he will realize that the Information source, goes direct to the transmitter and channel, to the receiver and then to the destination. The amazing thing about it is that unlike the rest of the communication tool, where, the receiver tend to receive a message, music has the ability to let the receiver receive more than one perceived message. Take for example, one can look at John Mayer’s “Belief” about the state of the world out there but someone else would also digest the lyrics and understand the song with what life experiences he has been through. And because everyone’s life experience is different, different parts of the song will stand out to every individual. Perhaps, for guitarists, Mayer’s guitar skills would blow them away.

Someone once told me that what comes from the heart, will reach the heart. It is especially true for music, when a song is being sung, if the musician does it really well, if the audience’s hearts are open, then, that song can be the greatest communication tool ever produced.

The persuasive power of film through stellar performance by actors and actresses are able to bring audience into a journey together with them. Actors and actresses have an important role to play in the sending of the ideological message of the film. Other than fine acting, a good film always use key strategies such as its structure, Mise-En-Scene and editing of sound and lights to help provide a stronger ideological message across to the audience.

Ultimately, the makings of a good film is its ability to capture the attention of the audience the entire time during its airtime, and it leaves the audience thinking (active audience) or feeling good.

Since the beginning of the century, there has been a rise in such films. Films are moving towards those which can tease the audiences’ mind, making them think beyond their imagination, for example, Inception. The final scene of Inception made audience ponder if the main character was yet in another dream. The entire scene also touched on how people could infiltrate others dreams to search for their deepest secrets. This kind of films, though categorized as Science Fiction and action, has been becoming popular in Hollywood. Perhaps this is a sign which indicates that the general intellect level of the audience is getting higher as compared to a decade ago.

Films which portray a savior in its film has also been steadily increasing, almost every year, there would be such a film. From Lord of The Rings to Harry Potter, these films depict a world in peril and its crying need for a savior. Although this sounds really new and fresh to the world, it really isn’t. On the contrary, the oldest book in history has that content in itself. The bible talked about how the world was dirty in sin and how Jesus was sent to die for everyone’s sins. This probably became the inspiration for many Hollywood directors. Granted, the audience has the power to choose whether to reject it, the fact that these films won accolades prove that they still have persuasive power even though the directors probably drew inspiration from the bible.

Call it a subtle invasion of christian values into the world if you want, but such films leave the audience feeling good, making them feel like hope still exists in a world where there is no faith. That is the appeal of films and the mass media. That is the power of persuasive communication.

In any case, most of the serial programs cause audiences to be passive audience instead of being active. They do not make audience think deep. Shows like Gossip Girls glamorizes the use of backstabbing amongst friends. It really can be dangerous especially for younger audience, when their minds are at a stage where it absorbs everything. Perhaps that is the reason why teens are particularly emotional at these age. As compared to the 70s, teens these days get themselves into unnecessary trouble. For example, the recent teen slashing cases in Singapore became a trend. Its might be because teens have adopted a herd mentality. Whatever people do, they follow. With no one telling them the wrong from the right, its really easy falling onto the wrong side.

Serials must move from engaging audience as being passive to active. They must start encoding the right messages in their content, so that even if their audience are passive, they decode the right message.

A step further would be engaging the audience as being audience. That way, the audience would be able to have their opinions, they can either decode it by Preferred reading, Negotiated Reading or Oppositional Reading. Sadly, there aren’t any serials that do the above mentioned.

One can only think of Sesame Street as engaging the audience as active ones. The great thing about Sesame Street is that it is timeless and everyone watches it, even Katy Perry.

A twenty three year old has got guilty pleasures in watching Sesame Street. When a child watches Sesame Street, he takes its content in as preferred reading. The adult however may agree or disagrees with what Elmo is singing with regards to saving water. Of course there definitely others who hates Jim Henson’s creation.

How many more timeless classics can the world create? One where it is able to transcend age and capture the hearts of everyone. The world needs to step out of the chains of Hollywood and its makings before we can change the moral erosion of the teens.

My team came out with a couple of ideas, but narrowed down to one. Our concept revolved around a very singaporean take on eight different issues in Singapore, namely, Kiasuism, Education, Social Media, Merit System, security, censorship, singlish and Foreign talent. We wanted to engage the audience with these issues. so we portrayed a different side of every issue and got the audience to break the fences they usually sat on. We used T-shirts to portray the eight different issues of our Motherland. Its quite a pity that time was a constraint because we could have sold the tops to see which side of which issue actually struck a heart with the audience.

i’d LOVE to go into the details of the project, but it will bore the hell out of anyone. so i’ve attached links to a supplementary video we did for the project. and of course, a making of and compilation of spoofs and bloopers.

all in all, its been an awesome time with these fifteen people i worked with. from the people who handled the packaging, to the people doing the video, and the whole conceptual development, everyone kew their roles, everyone knew that it was up to them to stand in the gap, and no one else was going to stand up for them. whenever they saw some other “department” of people in need, they helped, they stood in, they made the difference. i learnt a lot in this project, apart from the technical skills itself. i learnt not to judge a book by its cover, when we first came together, we had a different perception on each other. i was thought to be an all boys school kid. others were thought to be lazy. but we quickly threw those perceptions out and worked. and after the end of it, i think our idea was great, our execution was awesome. because everyone played the same game.

can this project be better? sure it cane, with more time, with more money, with greater printing experience and guidance, sure we can. but as of now, i’d say we’ve put in our best foot forward and im impressed with these people whom i worked with. To Ahmad, Azhar, Hansel, Azri, fadz, Lili, Sarah, Jiayi, Gwen, Jacky, Lynette, Carlsson, Yazid and Seph, you guys made me see what a great team is all about, the essence of a good team is passion for what you do, mutual respect for each other, standing in the gap for those times when the others were in need and believing that the idea was good and sticking to it even when we doubted ourselves.

i officially started school two, coming to three months back. its been really awesome. i think this one year will be a milestone year in my life. i am learning, but above and beyond that, i am forging friendships which i think will last long. i guess my experience working in We! Interactive has helped me tremendously in my route towards my goals in school. i thank the people who have sown into my life.

School has made me see a new perpective on life. i believe everyone has the ability and knowingly or unknowingly, he/she plants seeds into other people’s life. What they can choose however, is whether they choose to sow good seeds or bad seeds into others’ lives. you sow lies, fake personalities and gossip, you reap an image of lies, fake personalities and gossip in your mind (and more importantly, others’ minds too.) But if you sow a positive image unto others, if you lift them up when they are down, if you start being yourself, start getting real, you actually create a positive image unto people’s minds. and all that popularity and fame will come to you. Chasing after superficial things like popularity, fame, they all fade sooner or later. it will be but just a figment of one’s imagination. but if one causes a positive change into someone’s life, he plants an idealogy into his thoughts. He makes the person think, and change for the better.

in everything we do, do it with passion, do it with love. hard work pays off. last minute work doesnt, and never will pay off. keep a good attitude, never lie. lying covers up the truth, the more you lie, the truth gets covered deeper and deeper. one day it might get covered so deep, its difficult to dig out even when you want to. “feeling awkward” is but just a feeling. push it aside. do something great. we fall hard, or excel, at least we tried.

i leave everyone with this tune i heard.. (omg, i can go on and on about how good this piece is. the guitar is simple and good, olivia sings perfectly…)

Some say love, it is a river
That drowns the tender reed
Some say love, it is a razor
That leaves your soul to bleed
Some say love, it is a hunger
An endless aching need
I say love, it is a flower
And you, its only seed

When the night has been too lonely
And the road has been too long
And you think that love is only
for the lucky and the strong
Just remember in the winter
Far beneath the bitter snow
Lies the seed
That with the sun’s love, in the spring
Becomes the rose

someone told me, the difference between trying and failing, and not trying and failing is that at least you get something out of it when you try. failing doesnt mean the end of the world. i think everyone knows that failing is part and parcel of life. but a lot of people don’t seem to want to take out the pint where they learn. tonight i figured out that to be successful, to even suceed in one idea of yours, it will take 999 crappy ideas before you can come out with one good idea.

and when that idea comes, i wont want to share it with the whole world. because the world is like an idea eating monster thats constantly hungry. you share your idea, 7 out of 10 people will tell you its terrible. 2 out of ten wont even bother commenting, only 1 will be interested in it. only one will have enough faith in you to tell you, “hey, that was a good idea. i believe in you” and that one, will be someone close to you, someone who understands you. thats your friend.

its easy to put someone down. its easy to tell him that his idea sucks. it easy to tell someone, “dude, sure cannot one, you sure will cui one”. being honest is good. but there’s an art to being honest, and bringing your point across nicely.

i say we should stop doing these put people down nonsense. start understanding that failures are part of life, AND learn from our failures.

we need to learn to be empty cups that have got no perspectives on anything. once we have a perception on something, our vision tunnels and we lose out the big picture.

having said that, i’ve been feeling a little lousy today. i dont know if it is because i think i am a horrible guitar teacher, who cannot understand what he says half the time, or is it because i spent the entire day trying to solve a bug that really didnt come out as a bug, or is it because i show two faces of myself and nothing good comes out of them.

one side of me always is ready to listen when people really need a listening ear. this side of me will do anything for anyone. this side of me really believes that i cant change the world, but i can change the the people around me. this side of me believes in the power of confession, and that in every bad, there will be a good. this side of me believes that i will do well in life, find someone i’d really fancy, serve God and continue doing awesome kickass stuff in the design industry.

but it seems that everything i do returns as void. i try to teach, but i get terrible at teaching. i want to do great design, but i get frustrated when i stumble on a road block. frustrated because i feel i lack the skills to do better. everyone sees me as a nice friend, but i dont want to remain as a nice friend when i hit 30. dont tell me the fuckshit about someone coming to me one day. i personally think its insensitive and its like telling a mum who just had a miscarriage “you can try again”.
the truth is, yes, you CAN try for a baby again. but you cannot make it up for the heartbreak for a life that was lost.
the truth is, yes, you CAN find someone else, but you cannot try to cover the fact that it sucks.

im at this stage where i continue doing something and i risk losing everything i have. but if i dont do it, i’ll be telling God, “hey, look. it doesn work. what you said just doesnt work.” and its like telling God He’s powerless. I need to see a miracle, just to remind myself that God is real.
i want to believe that God is real, but i cant now. i want to know that God is real, but i dont know if He is now.

sometimes, being the bad guy is good. you get away with it. you do something, people dont like it, and you couldnt care less what they think about you.

work
feb wasnt as fast paced as january, but i think i learnt a lot in february. i got screwed by my creative director countless of times and at times i really thought i wasnt suited for the design industry. even now, i still think i am not. but i figured out that in life, no one is really suited to do something. no one came onto the earth with all the talent in the world to be awesome in his/her field of expertise. what matters most is whether one has the drive to learn constantly (in fact, daily) or, just stay where you are. thats why in every industry we work in, we can find people who excel in what they do, and people who just, live by. i guess people have to learn that learning is actually an everyday thing. its just like chasing a girl, you learn something about her everyday, and even if you have gotten her, you still learn something about her everyday.

on that note, i would informally say that my bosses have decided to shift. i will not tell where is it at yet, but its exciting, just like the church building. we went to view the units today and i think its really nice. time for company barbecues and if you’re feeling fat, you can always go gyming.

Guitar Lessons
i find that i am actually a very bad teacher. i go to class prepared, but as soon as i open my mouth to speak, i forget what i want to say completely. im glad my students are learning but i feel that i can push my students better. if my students do well, i will just feel like my job teaching them the guit done. i dont think im doing it for money, i just find joy in teaching.

as for my personal learning path, i think that i need to set aside more time to practice my scales and songs. i listen to rock riffs and intros and get intimidated by them. its time i stop belittling myself.

Friends
it has been an emotional month this year for a lot of people around me. i found out that emotions, are really infectious, it gets to people very easily. when someone is down, his spirit will just pull the entire atmosphere down. im not saying no one should be sad. if no one is supposed to be sad, then God wouldnt have made this emotion called “sad”.

i’ve been doing a self check recently and realized ive changed in certain ways, for one, i couldnt care less what people think of me anymore. i say what i want to say, and sometimes, it gets to them. im not trying to be a jackass but i feel that i havent been letting much of my opinions heard the past 22 years of my life so its time i changed it.

i think that there are a lot of broken hearts out there. they dont need a solution, because deep in their hearts, they know what they should do, all they need, is a listening ear, a heart that doesnt judge and a look that says, “i feel you”.

absoluteReally Awesome,
Andy