Those exaggerated TV ads

Last night while watching TV, I was amused with all sorts of propaganda being fed to the viewers during commercial breaks. Some are blatantly exaggerated with characters throwing themselves at the back of a bus and going through a big splash of water, or an actor zipping open his face downwards to reveal another costume, or a man climbing up a mountain of dirty laundry. While we know these are just funny exaggerations and need not be taken seriously, I wonder how it affects the kids watching them.

With so many products on TV clamoring for the attention of consumers - from shampoos, skin whitening lotions, to beverages, burgers and jeans, producing quality merchandise (including product development and research) and providing excellent service should be a company’s priority instead of investing millions on famous personalities for ads. After all, a satisfied customer is worth more than few seconds of hype on TV. Word of mouth marketing is still very much important and the integrity of a company relies much on the satisfaction their clients get.    

Up in arms

Doing something good while enjoying what you do, this is what Switchfoot members are up to with their UP IN ARMS TOUR 2008 which will be featuring a special performance by Athlete. They’re partnering with TWLOHA (To Write Love On Her Arms) which is a non-profit organization focused and devoted to helping those “struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire, and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery.”

TWLOHA’s name is based on the story of a teenage girl who has gone through depression and substance abuse. According to them, “rescue is possible, and (we) are committed to communicating hope to others who know the daily struggle of living in a broken world.” More information about this philanthropic organization can be browsed in their official website. Kudos to Switchfoot members Jon, Tim, Chad, Drew and Jerome for getting involved in a good cause.

Photo credits: www.switchfoot.com 

Cable trouble

Having limited access to the Internet (which means going online at internet cafés for an hour or so) while away from home just made me realize how important it is to my work and communicating with my siblings abroad. Thus, I was so excited to immediately plug in my laptop as soon as I was back to my desk here at home. I didn’t expect that I needed to be more patient with going online since I had trouble connecting to the Internet.

After doing some troubleshooting, checking the network connections and searching for the cause, I found out that the Cat 5 cable from the DSL modem to the hub was defective. We replaced it with another one (thanks Dad!) and finally I was able to connect my laptop to the Internet. Yey!