POST 3

This week in class, we have been talking about non verbal cues. Just the other day my friend and I had a little disagreement in regard to our youth group's bulletin. Everyone else was fine with it, but she was trying to push for a change in fonts. Even though she said 'it's ok, let's just go print it', the tone of a voice made it obvious she really was not happy about it because she said it softly and she looked away after that. This is linked to paralinguistics and osculesics. After having comms class then i realised that there were indeed theories behind that, and not just because I know her inside out that's why I could figure out her true feelings when the rest did not really notice.

Recently I have been watching a serial called Yamada Taro Monogatari and in it, something caught my attention to do for this comms blog. I think for those who want to view it might have to download veoh tv to watch it. http://www.veoh.com/videos/v812039sHFY6R3S

At 45:30, the scene started outside the Principal's office and the sound of porcelain/glass shaking. Turns out that this guy was "talking down" on the teacher and she being scared, was trembling with a cup in her hand. She just sat there looking straight, not daring to look at him. This, I learnt was a type of non verbal cue, Kinesics and under the category of affect display. This lets the observer, like me sense her anxiety and nervousness she has around that guy who is her senior. This is shown throughout the rest of the series, i think, because I have not finished it yet.

But through all these i never knew that we really rely a lot on non verbal cues to interpret how other people feel and what they really mean when they say something.

By the way, sorry for the format the post is in. I think it is due to the comic I posted so no matter how I tried to space and paragraph it around, it did not work out. I'm a html noob, so pardon me. If the comic is too small to be seen, this is the url. http://www.gocomics.com/foxtrot/2008/05/25/

Post 2

Every week I log onto blogger and I seriously crack my head trying to think of a media text to use. This time round I will use a comic that should be quite familiar to all of us, especially if we read The Straits Times.

The comic, Foxtrot, is about a typical American family and as I was flipping through the papers I realised how unconsciously, I was influenced by these societal stereotypes.

This week I will only focus on one of the characters, the younger brother, Jason. He is the clever, studious, "nerdy" one. For those who are not familiar with the comic strip, I believe it is not hard to guess that he is as described above.

Firstly due to the spectacles that seem to be so thick that we cannot see his eyes gives us the impression of a bookworm. Secondly, in the last picture, there pasted on his wall are tests that have grades of A+++++ and other A pluses. Thirdly, the fact that his friend and him were talking about George Lucas and Steven Spielberg that produce the rather "geek-flick" genre of movies such as Star Wars, Jurassic Park, E.T, just to name a few.

With all these types of stereotyping and prototypes gathered from either personal experience or from other media texts aided with verbal and non-verbal cues, we start to interpret it subconsciously, ending up with a closure that he is the nerd/genius in the family.

After learning more about the theory of communication, there is actually so many theories behind the things we think are common-sensical. It kind of irritates me that I am starting to evaluate things such as comics, but none-the-less, it makes me feel a tad bit more intellectual.

post 1

The China Earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Ritcher Scale, sent shockwaves across the world. I honestly had a shock that the Earthquake of such magnitude happened and of all times occuring slightly more than a week after Cyclone Nargis. Watching the news on tvmobile or on Channel News Asia just portrayed a very grim outlook of death and towards the hope of finding survivors under the rubble. But in The Sunday Times, World section, the article heading, "I had to save myself" really caught my attention. After being trapped under the debris and rubble for about 100 hours, Mr Peng Zhijun was rescued on Friday, still conscious with a sober state of mind, that to me is a miracle.

Firstly, his determination and will to live really touched me. From the point of the Earthquake to his rescue, he made the decision to stay alive, no matter what. His 'never say die' attitude is so prominent and overwhelming. He searched for 'potential food-sources' which ended up being cigarettes and a few paper napkins and drinking his own urine from his shoe just to ensure survival.

Secondly, that he could even manage a 'twist' for the cameras despite all that he has been through is so impressive and something that we should all emulate. And no, I do not mean to be trapped under rubble for 5 days just so that we can pose for the camera, but the spirit of positivity and of hope.

To still be able to think of the best of things despite his dire situation makes me feel guilty of all the complaints listed in my mental list whilst sitting on my bed typing away on the laptop in an air conditioned room. If I were in his shoes, I would have lost all hope and desire to live. Seeing his attitude towards this whole ordeal has taught me, or rather changed my attitude towards all the smaller problems in life, be it quarrels with parents, squabbles with friends or that I cannot seem to raise my GPA to a 3.6. It all boils down to the attitude we adopt. With a stinking attitude nothing can be accomplished. But with one of perserverance, desire and hope, things can be achieved, even in the worst of circumstances.