"We've invested in a celebrity"

"We invested in an international celebrity. You shouldn't miss out on noticing in our ad that we invested in an international celebrity. It's okay if you don't know who they are because we'll tell you their details. Because you should know that we have invested in an international celebrity."

Jokes apart, it does intrigue me as to why several brands specify details about the celebrity they have signed up for their campaign - as in the above example. Is it about 'respecting a label irrespective of the person who holds it'? Or something else?

Meanwhile, for Vitagen Singapore

Good to see another idea coming to life - "Temptations are your best friends"

What is normal?

That it’s completely normal to be looking into your phone or tablet screen all the time isn’t something I was used to seeing until I moved to Singapore. It took me a while before I started to acknowledge it as acceptable/ normal behaviour.

However, the discomfort remained. Often triggered by certain kind of occurrences: commuters on trains standing frozen with their gadgets so as to block the way for others, standing with focus on their phones without realizing the empty seats right next to them, running into people while walking with the gaze fixed on the screen, etc.

While all of these are annoying, they weren't reason enough for me to write about.

However, an incident in the train this morning compels me to write.

It was like any other usual day with a train full of people looking into their own screens until one of the girls sitting across looked up and towards my direction. After a momentary pause, she seemed to seemed to look astonished about the fact that that I wasn’t doing one of the two things I should be doing in the train – (1) stare into my devise or (2) doze off.

Has looking up/ around become abnormal/ inappropriate social behaviour? Have we reached a stage where its wrong not to staring into our own devises in a public place but looking around instead?

It is possible that I misread/ over-read her expressions. However, if my hypothesis is true, then its not a pleasant indicator. 

Image from: http://news.xin.msn.com/en/singapore/free-mrt-travel-for-early-birds-3

Advertising

It's that time of year again when many agencies suddenly begin to care about forgotten social issues, ads with the smallest of logo units are released in unheard media publications, brands develop avatars far removed from what they have during the rest of the year, copy turns smarter and more often than not layered, some careers are made, trips are planned, drinks poured, scandals, etc; till the cycle repeats itself next year. #Advertising #MadMen #MadIndustry 

How do I look?

Nothing compares ‘meeting someone in person’. It isn’t always possible, especially in today’s times.

However, what is truly different in the modern times is ‘meeting someone but not-in-person’. We now meet a lot more people – but only through our eyes or ears.

Examples:

1. Phone calls  of any kind where we can hear people (these days we can see them as well)
2. Pictures – when we meet people through the eyes only (especially on social media these days)
3. We also meet people while watching televisions shows, movies, online videos, etc. – through these two senses

This would definitely have had far-reaching implications on humankind – a small part of which I would like to discuss here.

‘The increasing role of these two senses on how we look at others and want to be seen’

These not-in-person meetings are incomplete and hence insufficient to truly meet and understand a person. Yet, we have started to completely believe in these incomplete encounters; thereby increasing the importance of being seen or heard in a certain way.

At some point in history, it probably did not matter as much.

Nowadays, only a rare few would consider questions like, “How do I look?” and “How does he/ she look?” as unimportant. 

To pee in my own personal pot

I did this last night when I finally had a pot I could call my own. It seemed like a significant progression in life as it had taken me 13 months of living in Singapore before I could rent a space I wouldn't need to share. Its amazing how life-stages can sometimes be measured using scales that are nowhere related to it.

It is also interesting how I ended up comparing an act with absolute meaninglessness as 'peeing' within a broader context of how the space you're able to rent out reflects on your life stage. While the former remains independant of all expernal factors, us associating it with the latter makes it a reason for meditation/ celebration (in my case). 

Visuals

Eyes were shut. The word 'mentally' passed by. I saw how the fourth finger pressed uncomfortably against the keyboard twice for 'll'. The point of view made my fingers look huge and the effort equally taxing. Almost feared a fracture of the bone.

Then the index finger followed to type the 'I'. The jump was uncomfortable. Like certain notes on the keyboard. Felt some familiarity.

'Intelligence' passed by next. The same feelings swept the mind. Found this word dirty. Always felt it was show off word. Type it, but never play it.

'Entally' passed by next. Was I looking for words rhyming? I wasn't. But they just kept occurring. The visual was of the yellow and red buses in Calcutta. Withy the name 'Entally' painted in red on all sides. Used to think of it as some downmarket place. And so I always wanted to visit it. I did perhaps. Don't think there is any place in Cal I didn't.

And rushes of walking along in search of meanings. Seemed so meaningful. Is so meaningless. Not really. Still breathes in some corner. Never to be lived again. Never want to. But they never die either.