Tyra SMILES

Former supermodel Tyra Banks on the cover of The New York Times Magazine. What do you think ok her pose? I think she looks like Beyonce in Dreamgirls. And that dress is a little too Breakfast at Tiffany's no?

She doesn't really seem to have an expression, neither happy nor sad. I always think models have this "blank" expression when they're posing. But if you look real careful and appreciate the art of taking such a shot, the model's eyes tell it all. Tyra could be considered an expert in this area, hence her title "supermodel". Oculesics are nonverbal meanings conveyed through your eyes. I think Tyra here is playing coy. But if you look at the first picture (a few photos of Tyra), you can see all the different emotions showed through different smiles.

The 1st is the "flirting with the boyfriend" smile. The 2nd is the suprise smile. The 3rd is the smile with eyes only. The 4th is the catalog smile. The 5th is the commercial smile. Lastly its the smiling without the eyes. Like i said, the eyes say it all. You can tell that the last smile isn't as sincere as the 3rd one. And even though Tyra isn't actually smiling in the photo, her eyes are smiling. Now that is art. As she always tell her girls in Top Model, you've got to smile with your eyes! Be FIERCE!

photos from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/01/magazine/01tyra-t.html?pagewanted=10&_r=1

the effect of boredom

shoe heaven and some other photos i browsed upon

credits: http://soonlee.wordpress.com

perception

We’re all guilty of it, judging someone by his/her looks.

We’ve come across people who sit by passageways holding out a tin can. Some of these people may be simply begging for some loose change, however some may be busking for it. Where do we draw the line? It’s easy to think that anyone with some form of collection "cup" for money is a beggar. We are so used to it that sometimes we don’t even bother to look the second time. Completely oblivious that this person might be doing something out of choice. The beggars are doing it for whatever reason which makes them think that they have to resort to such means to make ends meet. The buskers on the other hand are really just doing what I like to call the spreading of love. They come in all forms, singing some karaoke version of a famous ballad, playing the harmonica, the er-hu (this traditional Chinese instrument) etc. Music isn’t the only genre. Most people, including myself, are usually in such a rush they just walk past them. But have you ever stopped and listened to one of these unexpectedly talented people?

I had the chance to do just that. I was waiting at the Bukit Batok Interchange for my bus to come, the usual run-of-the-mill stuff. The passageway linking the train station and the bus interchange is bound to have one or two people either giving out flyers or busking. I normally just glance and walk ahead. But since I was waiting nearby, the sounds form the buskers traveled well. The harmonica was playing some well-known tunes and I found it music to my ears. The music module I’m taking must be taking its toll on me. I never expected to enjoy music from buskers that much. That little experience really brightened up my day.

We can choose the way we want to perceive things, but sometimes its all part of our environment and culture. We can’t help it. All I’m saying is the next time you meet someone new, don’t let stereotypes bombard your way of thinking. Don’t let the perception of one type of humans affect your future perception of other fellow humans. Just like how we shouldn’t let our perception of beggars affect out perception of buskers.

GTA 4 hits US$500 MILLION

That's S$690 million! That's so much more than any Hollywood movie has ever made!

For those who do not know, GTA is all about shooting people. Perfect for those days when you really can't stand you boss and you just want to "kill" him/her. Everyone has one of those days, it may not be your boss. It could be your friend, teacher, even pet, anything. Anything that just happens to get on your nerves!

I remember the last time I got that irritated, I walked around slamming whatever things I could slam. I slammed my bedroom door, my closet door, bathroom door. Basically I tried to vent by making as much noise as I could without actually screaming my lungs out. Now that I've confessed to it and I'm reading what I've just typed out, it sounds really stupid.

Now I turn to a new way of reliefing frustration. I read in an issue of Seventeen magazine that taking deep breathes helps. You inhale deeply and count to four, then you exhale slowly. Slowly reliefing all that anger. But I've come up with my own way too. I simply turn on the radio. Whatever song that's playing i just try and listen, and sing to it. Before you realize it you calm down. That always works for me. What works for you? Comment-on!

Courtesy of http://www.straitstimes.com/ and www.rockstargames.com/grandtheftauto

communication 101

Hello people!
This is my communication 101 blog. Basically it's homework. However, this homework (blog) also happens to be my first b-l-o-g! So if this blog is dull, please understand my lack of IT skills. I don't believe in blogging because I feel it's a committment, and I'm not very good at that. Whenever you post something, people expect so much (that is if people even visit your blog). And when you don't post a new entry every other day, sooner or later your blog just "dies", tragically. Personally it's a chore, but this, I don't have a say. So here is my first blog. Who knows I may eventually get hooked into the blogging world! So comment-on and please don't let this blog die.

Pardon my irrelevant previous post, it was just something i had to say.

What in God's name is that ghastly THING on SJP's head?!? Deciphering Kim's expression is going to be so fun.