Spontaneity is our family’s middle name. We are so spontaneous that a simple family lunch out, became an overnight stay at Tagaytay. Whew.
My family and I enjoy travelling so we make sure so travel together at least once or twice a year. Being very busy with work and school, we can only go out of town during the summer or during Christmas, but last Sunday was an exception. With no reservations or plans, whatsoever, we head on over to Tagaytay. We had lunch and went on to look for a place to stay (ooh, that sounds so dramatic. haha!). Apparently, a memo was sent out to the entire Philippine population and we missed it. The memo being let’s go to Tagaytay this weekend. Two hours, three weddings, and countless kwentos later, we finally got ourselves a place to stay. A golf resort club somewhere along Tagaytay became our refuge for that night.
You’d think that a hotel as huge as the place we stayed in would have a decent Wifi connection, right? Wrong. So there I was, with a laptop in tow with no Wifi connection. Woe is me! I thought I’d be able to watch the series I’ve already missed (hello, Youtube.), but to no avail. If this happened two years ago, I would’nt have cared so much, but this is 2009! The era of wireless internet and even portable net connection! I then realized how much the internet has influenced my life. The internet has become such a necessity that I couldn’t imagine life without it. I shop, earn money, watch series, listen to music, all thanks to the internet. Without a doubt, I have now become a part of the internet generation.
Wow, I just wrote another entry about how much I love the internet. See, spontaneity at its finest! 😉
Confessions of a Youtube Addict
Posted on: September 1, 2009
Yes, I confess, I am a Youtube addict. So much so that when my friends ask me what I am doing, they readily give out the answer “Ay o, nagyouyoutube na naman siya o.”
My love affair with Youtube began last year when my family dicovered the joys of having a DSL connection. Everytime I go online, I make sure that I visit my beloved Youtube. At first, I just watched random funny videos, latest music videos, and some vlogs. Fast forward to 2009, Youtube and I have gone to the next level. Not only do I watch random videos, I’ve discovered episodal dramas (with subtitles!) and my current addiction, tutorials! Everything I know about hair curling, make up application, and even piano playing, I owe to the wonder that is Youtube! Thanks to Youtube, I never have to worry about venturing into new territories (curling one’s hair with a flat iron, anyone?). With just one click, new knowledge is gained!
I discovered something new about Youtube during a talk with Ms. Ingrid. She told us how Youtube and Google earns billions of dollars from Youtube addicts like me. She also said that one of the advantage of Youtube is that everyone gets their 15 minutes of fame with just one click. Companies and aspiring politicians can very much attest to this. Nowadays, aside from using the traditional advertising , companies now make use of Youtube to promote their latest products and services. Aspiring politicians, on the other hand, started promoting themselves and their advocacies through short videos. Another feature is that, your video can be seen by anyone from anywhere at anytime! Talk about international stardom.
Sure, I’m a Youtube addict and I refuse any treatment to cure me of this addiction. Oh, my video just finished loading. Here I come oh beloved Youtube! 😛
The Geeks Shall Inherit The (Wiki) Earth: A Reflection Paper on The Wiki Workplace
Posted on: July 26, 2009
Gone are the days when geeks served no other purpose than being the target of the school bully. For today, the geeks rule the online world.
When I first read about the Geek Squad, a service company that aids in anything electronic gadgetry- related, I thought, “Wow, is this like the Glam Squad Tyra Banks usually mention during makeovers?” . But come to think of it, the Geek Squad is somewhat like the Glam Squad, only, am, geekier. Haha! If anything, the squad definitely glammed up the Wiki workplace using their geeky ways.
The Geek Squad basically provides their customers with solutions to malfunctioning gagdets, while catering to inquiries at the same time. Geek and sleek, if you ask me. More than providing services and answering inquiries, the Geek Squad also reel in millions of dollars in income. Thanks to their creative, non-coventional (video games as a way of communicating, anyone?) way of thinking, the Geek Squad now reaps the success they deserve.
After reading about the Geek Squad and other companies’ success stories, I was inspired by the fact that these companies earned their success by thinking out of the box. Using innovative and creative thinking, they were able to do what other companies can only dream of doing. These companies tailored their tactics and strategies to their needs, and not after some other company’s situation. Peering and cooperative was valued without comprising the importance of the employees’ individuality.
The geeks have definitely gone a long way since giving their lunch money to the resident bullies, for now, they make millions just by being their naturally geeky selves. As one funny, but seemingly true quote says, “Never make fun of the geeks, one day they will be your boss.” Be afraid school bullies, be very afraid.
And I Vlog You So.
Posted on: July 26, 2009
Yes, it’s a cheesy title, I know, and yes, it’s inspired by the latest Sam-Bea-Derek starrer. Trust me when I say I will make a connection out of the title and my entry. Haha!
In compliance with the whole new social media lessons we’ve been having in 152, we were tasked to make a vlog (video blog) that will tackle the communication evolution. I’ve never made a vlog before but I’ve seen a couple of interesting vlogs so I was pretty excited about doing one. Add to the fact that this will be our nameless group’s very first bonding activity, which made doing the vlog all the more exciting. Hopefully my former groupmates will be reading this heartwarming entry of mine. Haha! Anyway, we had a meeting/ brainstorming session as regards the flow and the coverage of our vlog. Once we were settled with the contents, we immediately went to shooting the vlog.
We shot the vlog at my house and we basically had to make do with whatever communication evolution material we can find. We were quite skeptical with how our vlog would turn out, since we just shot random scenes and hoped we can make sense out of it. During the presentation, my groupmates and I were all feeling loopy since we saw how the other groups’ vlogs were. Fortunately, Sir was quite happy with our seemingly unique vlog because it had a dramatic touch to it, all props to our supremo, Arvin. Haha! It was interesting how a variety of vlogs were made with just one topic. Makes me wonder how I’ll be able to do my very own vlog. Hmmm.
Now as for the connection part between the title and my entry, there isn’t any. Haha! But it did catch your attention, right? 😛
Be The Taller Penguin
Posted on: July 5, 2009
I love penguins, I always have, so imagine my surprise when penguins were used as a metaphor in one of our 152 discussions. Sheer happiness, I tell you.
Last meeting, we had a discussion about how social media changed the way we see things. “Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything,” an assigned reading was the very basis of our class discussion. The article basically tackled, well, how mass collaboration in the online world changed everything. Part of the discussion dwelled on the four principles of Wikinomics- openness, peering, sharing, and acting globally. Though these principles are based on a business setting, I feel that they can also be applied in real life.
1. Being Open
In a business setting, being open means accepting the changes that the scientific and technological advances bring about and using these changes to better serve your clients. In the real world, it’s pretty much the same. You adjust to the changes that life throws your way and try out new things you’ve never done before. Sure, it might be quite different at first, but being open allows you to explore an entirely different world and entirely different experiences, changing the way you see things.
2. Peering
Mass collaboration is nothing without, well, a mass to collaborate with. The same goes in life; we cannot do it on our own. As much as we love being independent and all, we need each other in order to function well.
3. Sharing
“Share everything.” This, according to Robert Fulghum (author of All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten), is one of the most basic principles we learn in kindergarten and yet many seem to forget how important sharing is. Back then, companies were skeptical about the idea of sharing their knowledge and information to other companies due to the fear of losing business opponents. Now, companies know better than to keep vital information to themselves, they’ve learned to share what they have with other companies, and to work together to serve their loyal clients andto gain profit. Now if only people in the real world learn from their business counterparts. 😉
4. Acting Globally
This, my friends, is where the adorable penguins come in. Sir Barry used penguins as a metaphor for people and companies, who should aim for something greater than what they already have. He said that should everyone be a penguin, you stand out by being the taller penguin. Simply put, think and act big. To quote Mr. Donald Trump, the most successful business man in the world, if you’re going to think anyway, you might as well think big. Don’t limit yourself to what you can do, go out there and find out the million other things you can do! I’m beginning to sound like an annoying cheerleader, I know, but it’s true, when everyone else is thinking and acting big, then think and act bigger.
There goes your weekly dose of anggeholic, co-penguins. Now, how to be the taller penguin? Hmmm. 😉
“It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity. “-Albert Einstein
Back then, the internet served no other purpose for me other than a research tool. As a kid growing up in the internet generation, this says a lot. Did I tell you that this was way back then?
Now, though the internet is still a research tool for me, it has definitely upped its position in my list of my basic needs in life. Guilty as charged, the once apprehensive internet user is no more. I cannot imagine going through a day without going online. So much so that my daily life consists of watching videos on Youtube, “researching” through Google, and socializing through Plurk. The internet and I have become good friends now, you see. But I am not alone on this, for millions have also discovered the wonders of the World Wide Web.
Students, office employees, and most especially, companies have started to take notice of the changes the internet brought with it since its debut in the 1990s. Before this, the world lived a much simpler life. Students go to the libraries and spend hours researching on a subject, office employees manually doing all the work, and companies spending millions on print, radio, and TV ads. Obviously, this is not the case in the present time. Students no longer spend time at the libraries, they go online instead. Office employees don’t work as much anymore, thanks to the help of technology. Companies still spend millions on advertisements, but have now ventured into online ads, which are seemingly more effective than the traditional forms of advertising.
Companies benefit the most from the internet. A huge chunk of a company’s success can be attributed to how many people recognize its brands. Thanks to the internet, more and more people became aware of different products and different companies. A simple click on an ad means millions of earnings for a company. This is ultimately the reason why most businesses choose to go online. Cheap and convenient but still amounts to millions of income, you can’t argue with that.
Experts say that because of the internet, time and distance are not a hindrance to communication anymore. The internet made the world a relatively smaller place through connecting anyone, anywhere, at any time. I’d have to agree on that one, but personally, I think the internet somehow “disconnected” people on a more personal basis. People no longer spend time with each other, knowing they could always be connected by the internet. I am guilty of this, people who I don’t really talk to in person are actually my good ”friends” online. Also, I spend relatively less time with my family because I am busy surfing the internet. But it dawned on me that the blame is not entirely on the internet, but also on us, the netizens, as well. The internet only serves its purpose, we are responsible for whatever fault internet apparently has. Let us keep in mind that while the internet did make everything so convenient, how we utilize it is still up to us.
Disconnecting while connecting, it’s interesting how the internet made everything so simple and so complex at the same time.
Hello rainbow of chaos!
Posted on: June 24, 2009
Hello WordPress mates! 🙂
B-log. Bloog. Blog. These were just some of my brilliant pronunciations of the word blog. Stupid, I know. Haha! Blogging and I had our first encounter on the year 2003. Back then, I just started learning about the world that is the internet. I didn’t really have any idea what blogging is, but thanks to tech-savvy friends, I was able to put up my very own site. Having a blog is somewhat like having a diary, the only difference is that everyone gets to read it. During the first few entries, I was trying so hard not to share too much, thus I ended up with too stiff and too boring entries.
Fast forward to the year 2009, gone was the seemingly shy (!) and formal blogger. I started writing about really personal things and some really random ones. I can say that blogging has helped me through a lot. In fact, I’ve blogged about some things that no one in my family even knew of. Haha! I’ve become so engrossed in it that I even made a speech about the joys of blogging during my Comm III class.
Now, I am venturing into another world, the academic blogging and I don’t know what to make of it. Haha! Part of our Orcom 152 requirements is to put up a blog solely dedicated to discussing anything and everything that pertains to new social media. I’m not that knowledgeable as regards new social media so I’m pretty excited about how the course will progress.
So there, hopefully I’ll be able to make substantial entries next time. Haha! 🙂
we all live in a rainbow of chaos. 