Scream TV Series

Recently, I watched this new MTV series called Scream which is based on the Scream movie franchise. When the trailer was first released, there were a lot of negative criticisms ranging from people saying that "it's gonna suck" and that "they're never going to watch it". Well guess what? When the first episode was released, a lot of people were saying the premise and pilot were quite good and couldn't wait to watch more of it. Of course, from its first ep, there were negative reviews as well but overall it was a good first impression.

For me, since I mentioned that I got really addicted to it, of course I enjoyed it! Just like the Scream movies, the tv series retained that killer donned in the black costume and a creepy mask. Also, since it's the modern age, not only did the killer used phone calls to communicate but also text messages which raise the suspense factor.

So, the story is about this high school girl named Emma Duval who gets harassed by an unknown caller and had the people being killed around her. At first I found Emma a bit annoying because she would just go off on her own and leave herself and others in jeopardy by being separated. But as the show progresses, she proved to be a strong and brave female lead. The killer obviously does not care about her welfare since the killer ruthlessly left her guilty for the deaths of her close friends and the events of episode 7 left her completely traumatized. I really felt bad for her because the killer targeted her because her mother was involved in the Brandon James case years ago.

Currently, two episodes are left before the killer(s) is/are eventually revealed and I have some confident guesses who they are in my head. The good news is that this show is renewed for the second season so clearly either the mystery of Brandon James has a continuation or there'll be a brand new mystery altogether in the new season.

Journal #4: ESL 407

As my module has come to an end after eleven weeks, I am going to consolidate what I learnt during my module and the flaws and improvements I have made.

I have consistently scored good marks and grades throughout my module.

Firstly, I learnt how to do critical reading. This skill is useful as I am able to retract the main idea being conveyed by the writer from chunks of words. I have to read through the text thrice - first to skim, second is to annotate and third to evaluate. Every text in my module has thesis and main points.

Secondly, we did a number of essays - illustrative, division-classification, process analysis and compare-contrast argument-persuasion. Except for process analysis, we always did outlines of each essay and present them to class to get criticisms from the professor and class. After that, we did the full essay draft for our peers to review and to address any uncertainties that we had. Finally, we handed in the final essay with the cover page attached.

Thirdly, we learnt grammar like sentence structure, logical fallacies and some more that I couldn't remember. We also did four journals which I enjoyed doing because they helped me consolidate my thoughts about a certain issue and organize them well in my writing.

These are the strengths and weaknesses of my essays and journals:

(+)
clear structure and thesis
structure is relevant and justification is relevant
journal #3 an interesting topic
(-)
more examples to explain how and why (more details)
last body para to cohere with assertion in conclusion to give more clarity (ambiguity has to be eliminated)
grammar editing
but journal #3 could be better if the response were more succinct

All in all, I really learnt a lot from this module and I benefit a lot from it. Thank you professor K for being a patient guide throughout the module and for helping me improve. ^_^

"Who Are You?" Review

Summary: A 16-episode KDrama about a female police officer (Yang Si-On) who woke up from a 6-year coma with the ability to see ghosts after touching objects that were sentimental to the people before they died. After waking up from her coma, she was transferred to the Lost and Found department in the police division where she met her colleague, Cha Gun Woo (Taecyeon). Although reluctant at first, Si-On uses her newfound ability to find closure for the spirits and find the culprits who killed them with her colleague Gun Woo.

Personal thoughts: Admittedly, I watched this drama because of Taecyeon. Truthfully, his acting in this drama is not that good and I find Gun Woo to be similar to his personality in real life. I find the acting of the female lead and the second male lead quite good, acting-wise and I feel that they have better chemistry then between the female lead and Taecyeon's character. Acting aside, I find the main storyline quite good and it kept my interest in the show but once it concluded, the show became boring to me. The suspense and mystery was really well done in my opinion, keeping me on my toes on what is going to happen next. I feel the last episode unnecessary in my opinion, at least the second half of it. And the ending is quite anti-climatic when it is implied that Gun Woo can see ghosts after waking up from his coma. The show then ended with a mysterious mirror that is believed to be of sentimental value.

Final Rating: 7.5/10
Overall, I enjoyed the show. I really love the mystery and the unexpected twists here and there. I personally find the romantic moments between Gun Woo and Si On quite awkward to watch though I'm not sure whether it was due to their lack of chemistry or because most romantic scenes make me cringe in general. But I don't think it's the latter because I enjoy watching the romantic scenes from the movie Enchanted. I find Si On's actions quite irritating at times because she could be quite stubborn at times and putting herself and others in danger but mostly, other people get harmed in the process rather than her. Since she's the main character, obviously she would be immune to getting killed and hurt and I hate it when this happens. The ending seems to allude that there's going to be a sequel in the future. For me, the story wrapped up itself really nicely as the true bad guys were caught. I'm uncertain what's going to be the new story if there is a sequel but if it's interesting, I won't mind watching it all the way to the end.

Journal #2: Relationships

Sometimes, I think to myself: are romantic relationships important? Well, obviously yes but what I mean is that is it necessary to have one when you have a degree with 2 more years to complete? Recently, my friend has been telling me when I am actually going to search for a prospective lifelong companion since my answer to his question is always: I'm not searching for one.

For me, I'm not really ready for a relationship. Truthfully, I've never had a boyfriend before. I had only crushes here and there that were not serious to the point where I thought to myself: "I want to be with him". Enough about me...now moving on to the real topic where I voice out my personal thoughts about romantic relationships in general.

Obviously since I am 'inexperienced', I would probably be sputtering out nonsense that only people who have romantic partners would understand. Basically, I know that being a couple means to enjoy each other's company unconditionally and having someone who actually understands you in a very deep and personal level. I know that showing each other love is important. It can be done through words and actions. Of course positive words and actions with positive repercussions and intentions. Not harming the other or stripping the other of independence, all in the name of 'love'. So, I don't get why some couples tend to be shameless and shower each other with 'love' so blatantly in public. Like holding hands. Is it really necessary? Whenever I see couples hold hands, refusing to let go at all, I find it extremely annoying and clingy. Not only are they blocking other people's paths, it just shows how dependent they are of the other and I feel that this is not good. If you guys truly love each other, you can separate from each other for a brief moment, believing that the other will always stay by your side since you guys are damn near to each other. Yes, I am referring to the couples who hold hands while ordering food and climbing up the stairs.

At the same time, it's not my place to rant since I've never been in a relationship before so maybe I won't understand the intense need for this closeness. It's not that I don't want to be in a relationship. I just want a meaningful first relationship which will hopefully be the last one and lead to lifelong marriage. Hopefully, I'll find my true love who will meet all my expectations.

Journal #3: Are Endings Always Satisfying?

I don't think my second journal should be uploaded as it contains some sensitive issues and may offend some parties. So, I will be writing a new 'Journal #2' to replace it.

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Recently, I watched this Korean drama special called ‘Your Noir’. A young man named Hyung Joo was requested by his mob boss to get closer to the wife (Ihyeon) of Prosecutor Han whose interference had been putting a halt on the mob’s activities after finding out that the wife was actually Hyung Joo’s former high school teacher. Unknowing to the boss, Hyung Joo had feelings for the teacher and his feelings were so strong that he offered her lifetime protection and even wanted to kill her husband so that she would be free from his abuse permanently. In the end, Hyung Joo was killed by his mob after his actions spurred by his feelings for his teacher had endangered the mob even more.

I actually liked the ending of this story. It was not too tragic like Romeo and Juliet for instance and at the same time, it avoided the happy ending route which most dramas went with. It just showed that the world would not stop for the romance between two people to develop and this is a realistic stance. There would always be external forces present to interfere with the romance. I think this ending is a refreshing change from endings from most stories. To me, unrealistic happy endings totally ruin the movie or show, especially when I am heavily invested on the story. Unsatisfying endings would often make me frustrated for days as I find it incredibly stupid when stories develop in a promising direction only to culminate in a silly ending. To me, endings are the most important factor in all stories and are the part of the story people anticipate and expect the most. In this drama special, the tragic and abrupt ending fit with the context of the story as mobs are unforgivable and ruthless when one of their members betray the mission that was given to them. While the ending made sense, I still find it to end on a bad note since Ihyeon would continue to suffer more beatings from her abusive husband with no hope of escaping that torture. My ideal ending would be for Hyung Joo to be able to fulfil his promise of killing Ihyeon’s husband and eventually eloping with her to another country while evading his mob.

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FYI: This drama can be easily found in YouTube under KBSWorldTV channel. The lead role was played by Hwang Chansung from 2PM, a.k.a. my bias from that group :) He's a really great actor who expresses emotions well, particularly using his eyes and I hope he will have lead roles in more mainstream and better dramas in the future.

Journal #1: Body Modifications - Pain or Gain?

For my module, I also did four journals. 

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In the Decorated Body, France Borel discusses about the human body being a product of culture and not of nature. She asserts that the purpose of altering our bodies is to follow social norms so that we can be embraced by our society. She provides that for years, the practice of scarring or applying tattoos on children’s bodies was an indication of their rites of passage and milestones in their lives. She also brings up ancient examples like how young Chinese girls had their feet intentionally deformed by binding to guarantee their matrimonial success. She adds that having such body modifications like tattooing and scarring is a way of asserting your individuality and raise cohesiveness within a group. Finally, she concludes that transforming your appearance like shaving and applying makeup is also a form of body decoration so to put it simply, we all have been modifying our bodies without realizing it.

I feel that most of France’s arguments are not convincing and not current. For example, she only brings up third-world examples where body modifications are pre-requisites for matrimonial success. Also, the examples given date back to the eighteenth century so her examples are not current and representative of the modern era. I feel that the transition from the seventh paragraph to the eighth paragraph is not smooth as the eighth paragraph totally breaks the flow of her argument. I think she could have added elaborated on her point by giving modern examples like the rising trend of plastic surgery in 2009 and people tend to go to such extremes to achieve social acceptance. However, I agree with her revelation at the end where she concludes that we as humans constantly alter our appearance to meet our individual expectations on looking our best. This new perspective really gives light to the overarching topic as it is relevant.

Essay #3: Impact of Korean Wave on Korea

Third essay and it is a compare-contrast essay.

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          In just the first half of 2015 alone, popular K-pop groups like Big Bang, Super Junior and A-Pink held their concert tour here in Singapore. This accurately depicts how the Korean Wave has transcended national borders and has attained massive popularity outside its own home country. Jang et al explored the relationships between the spread of the Korean Wave and political and social changes in a global perspective, and even offered their own recommendations in Korean Wave as Tool for Korea's New Cultural Diplomacy that was published in Scientific Research in 2012. On the other hand, Lee analysed the Korean Wave and its implications for cultural influence on neighbouring countries and explored how national identity impacts framing processes related to media coverage and public response in The Korean Wave: The Seoul of Asia in The Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications in 2011. Jang et al and Lee share the same perspective on the Korean Wave being an important tool in enhancing Korea’s national image and improving relations with other countries such as China and Japan. However, they have conflicting views on the recommendations on using the Korean Wave as a form of cultural diplomacy.

            Firstly, Jang et al and Lee agree that the Korean Wave is a useful tool in enhancing Korea’s national image. Both pointed out that the Korean Wave has helped to improve perceptions of Korea around the world which led to an enhancement of Korea’s national image. However, the authors have a different view on the appeal of the Korean Wave. Jang et al (2012) claimed that the cultural hybridity of the Korean Wave is the main marketable factor as credited by Korean scholars (p. 201) whereas Lee (2011) argued that the Korean Wave is attractive due to its Korean culture alone as a result of a process called nation branding which means “a field of theory and practice which aims to measure, build and manage the reputation of countries” according to Coltman (as cited in Lee, 2011, p. 89). Lee (2011) then continued to add that the popularity of the Korean Wave was due to the “close cultural proximity and affinity” shared between Korea and other Asian countries and thus “function as an effective bridge or buffer between West and Asia” (as cited in Lee, 2011, p. 86). This means that other Asian countries find the Korean culture appealing because it is relatable and similar to their own cultures. That said, I agree with Jang et al’s view more because from my own observations, the Korean Wave is indeed influenced by Western culture and this cultural hybridity may be the strongest reason for its massive international success. Hence, I agree with Jang et al’s view on the Korean Wave being a useful tool in enhancing Korea’s national image as it is more accurate and representative.

            Secondly, Jang et al and Lee agree that the Korean Wave has helped to improve relations with other countries particularly China and Japan. Lee (2011) pointed out that China is Korea’s third largest trading partner and China was ranked number one in Korea’s annual foreign trade as according to the official ROK statistics published in 2004 as provided by Yang (as cited in Lee, 2011, p. 88). This shows how the Korean Wave facilitates the improvement of diplomatic relations between Korea and China. On the other hand, while Japan has taken an interest in Korean culture, there was no mention of diplomatic efforts between the two countries. For Jang et al (2012), they highlighted that the close relationship between Korea and China is due to shared interests and pasts as they both oppose the North Korean nuclear crisis and were both invaded by Japan in the past as noted by Cai (cited in Jang et al, 2012, p. 201). Since Korea has more things in common with China than Japan, Korea is thus closer to China than Japan. While both Jang et al and Lee provided consistent views about Korea being closer to China but a bit distant from Japan, I agree with Lee’s view more because she brought up the point about China being a niche market for Korean culture and this effectively showed that the diplomatic efforts between Korea and China have really progressed. As such, I find Lee’s view more convincing in showing that the Korean Wave has helped to improve relations between Korea and China and Japan.

            However, Jang et al and Lee disagree on the recommendations on using the Korean Wave as a form of cultural diplomacy. Jang et al (2012) gave numerous suggestions on how to improve the effectiveness of the Korean Wave as a policy tool for Korea’s cultural diplomacy. They suggested for the Korean culture to spread naturally as advised by Lee (as cited in Jang et al, 2012, p. 201). Also, the aim of the cultural diplomacy initiative should be to strengthen and maintain relations with other countries by fixing any existing misstatements and filling up the gaps of certain incomplete information (p. 202). Moreover, corporate sponsorships, private entrepreneurships and NGO engagements can be utilized as a “more prudent and pluralistic approach” to facilitate the Korean Wave in a balanced way (p. 202). Not only that, the target audience can be as vast and inter-disciplinary as possible for example through student exchange programs (p. 202). This all means that the state should lessen direct involvement with the dissemination of Korean culture to the entire world and that the Korean Wave can be effectively used to educate about Korea and that it should aim towards the broadest audience. On the other hand, Lee (2011) stressed the need to resolve any unpleasant reactions showed by other countries in order for the Korean Wave to continue to flourish (p. 91).  According to Kim, in order to quell this discontentment, the companies in the Korean cultural industry have begun to look seriously at international co-productions and  be enthusiastic to pursue co-productions which can enter into local markets easily and be more open towards foreign cultural products (as cited in Lee, 2011, p. 91). That said, Lee (2011) merely warned not to be complacent about the massive success of the Korean Wave and suggested to get rid of any ill feelings towards to the Korean Wave displayed by any countries but did not elaborate on that suggestion. Since Jang et al clearly demonstrated a lengthy list of recommendations whereas Lee only provided a short solution that was also not her own, I agree with Jang et al’s view for that reason.

            That said, I agree with Jang et al’s view more because I find that their claims were overall more thoroughly discussed and supported with plenty of information and historical evidence as compared to Lee’s. Jang et al has deeply explored the origins of the Korean Wave and added its recent developments to their research paper. Also, they subsequently drew an interpretive conclusion and provided a variety of sound solutions which Lee did not, making her view superficial as compared to Jang et al’s.

References

Jang, G., & Paik, W. (2012, September). Korean Wave as Tool for Korea's New Cultural Diplomacy. Advances in Applied Sociology, 2(No. 3), pp. 196-202. Retrieved July 15, 2015, from http://file.scirp.org/Html/22229.html

Lee, S. (2011, Spring). The Korean Wave: The Seoul of Asia. The Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications, 2(No. 1), pp. 85-93. Retrieved July 15, 2015, from http://www.elon.edu/docs/e-web/academics/communications/research/vol2no1/09suejin.pdf

Essay #2: My IPhone Addiction

Second essay and this time it's a division-classification essay.

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When my friend, who was one of the first IPhone owners in my secondary school, told me that using the smartphone can be addictive, I thought she was exaggerating. However, when I actually owned an IPhone, I realized how true her words were. When I had my first IPhone in 2010 after my O-Level Examinations have ended, I started to use it more frequently than my previous phone and gradually, I become addicted to using the smartphone. My IPhone has seeped into my life so much that I have become a slave to my smartphone to the point where I carry it along with me almost everywhere I go because I would feel naked without it in my possession otherwise. Needless to say, my IPhone addiction has drastically changed my habits at home.

As a result of my IPhone addiction, I have been sleeping later than before. Sleeping at 10p.m. on the dot every day is unfortunately a thing of the past for me. Now, I have a bad habit of sleeping at 12 a.m. and the latest being 4a.m. My IPhone is the last thing I use before I sleep every night and the first thing my hand grabs every morning when I wake up. Even when I have already laid on my bed, I still use my IPhone with the lights off in my room at night. Even though I know this is bad for my eyesight, I still do it. Due to a lack of sleep, I would constantly feel tired the next morning and my work performance is lowered as a result leading to a poorer quality of work. As such, my addiction to IPhone has caused me to have fewer hours of sleep.

            Because of my IPhone addiction, my tendency to procrastinate has worsened. I used to be a very hardworking student who would start to complete my homework the minute I arrive home. However, now when I reach home, I would immediately start using my IPhone because I wanted to take a break after a tiring day at school. Before I knew it, a five-minute break had turned into an hour-long one thus leading to a delay in the completion of my homework. As I rushed to complete my homework, the quality of my work has deteriorated due to lesser time spent on it. In addition, when I have important tests or examinations to study, I would delay the studying time unintentionally as I would be using my IPhone to pass the time away. At worst times, I would actually start studying hours before the test itself, making me less prepared for the test which leads to lesser marks. Afterwards, I would regret not putting a lot of effort but I would then quickly forget about it, reverting to my bad habits and making the same mistakes like a vicious cycle. The procrastination takes a turn for the worse when I even delayed my meal times to the point where I only had one meal a day. Nowadays, I experience gastric pains more frequently and the pain has worsened as time passes. As such, I procrastinated my meal times and homework times as a result of my IPhone addiction.

            Spending too much time with my IPhone has led to a decrease in face-to-face interactions with my family. Back then, I would spend my time in the living room chatting with my parents and brother for long hours as I would miss them when I was at school. However, now I would stay cooped up in my room using my IPhone, preferring solitude. I would bring my phone with me everywhere in the house and be constantly using my IPhone which leads to me not being focused of my surroundings. When my parents are actually talking to me, it would take them a while to capture my attention and I would look up from using my IPhone with a confused look as I would not be paying attention to their entire conversation. However, the smartphone addiction is not exclusive to me as my other family members would also be engaged in playing with their respective smartphones while we are conversing so we would not be giving our full attention to each other when we talk. This is not good as it is important to maintain eye contact when people are conversing as a lack of eye contact shows a half-hearted conversation. That said, I have been spending lesser quality time with my family members due to my IPhone addiction.

            As a result of my IPhone addiction, my performance level, my health and my relationship with my family members have been adversely affected so I have to put an end to that. Since I am aware of how unhealthy my IPhone addiction is, I should set boundaries whenever I use my IPhone. I should learn to control my urges to use my IPhone when there are other more important and productive things to do. I would start by deleting all the games and social media applications in my IPhone, and gradually, I would stop over-relying on my IPhone. 

Essay #1: My Love For Writing

This is the first essay that I wrote for my module ESL 407 for my first sem. It is an illustration essay.

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Trapped between a hard wall and Butcher Dan, poor Daisy cowered in fear as she waited for her impending doom.  The killer approached her with an unusual gait and a demented smile. As he lifted his bloody butcher knife in the air, Daisy closed her eyes and thought of her long-time boyfriend to whom she would be marrying in a few days. A tear rolled down her cheek as her final thoughts were filled with her soon-to-be husband. The tranquil night was briefly filled with deafening screams as the killer mercilessly slashed her flesh, living up to his notorious name. This short fiction is personally created in spontaneity. In my head, I am always inventing ideas for my future stories and I get excited to pen my thoughts down on paper. I love to write my own fictional stories but I tend to face problems before I begin to write.

Firstly, I personally feel that I would be unable to express my thoughts into written form well. It is incredibly difficult to write a story with a smooth transition from scene to scene and with a perfectly developed plot on the first try. As such, it is important to plan a draft outline for the whole story. The downside is that it can be time-consuming and inspiration can strike at any time so I will continuously spend my time revising the draft thus it takes a long time for me to be satisfied. Even with a complete draft, it is hard to tie all loose ends of the story and to not leave any unanswered questions. Also, I tend to compare my stories with other stories written by professional authors which makes the quality of my stories pale in comparison. For example, my favourite fictional book is Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. I think the book is a masterpiece as he made a depressing topic such as suicide really interesting to read about and I could easily relate to the main character of the book even though I had no suicidal thoughts before. As such, I aspire to reach Asher’s level of writing. Previously, I tried to replicate his style until I realized that copying another author’s style is not the right way and comparing my stories with his stories is simply unfair as he is a professional writer with years of experience. Even though it can be a challenge to pen down my thoughts coherently, I have to be patient as in reality, a lot of drafts have to be made to achieve a satisfactory end-result.

Secondly, I tend to suffer from lack of motivation and inspiration to continue writing. This is called ‘writer’s block’ and the feeling of not knowing what to write can be terrible. When I open a word document or I am holding a pen poised on a clean notebook page, my mind simply freezes and that is a scary feeling.  If I am inflicted by personal problems, I will have no mood to write. Even if I were to force myself to write, the feelings would come out as insincere and that would only lower the quality of my story. Besides that, the topic of the chapter or story can be tough to write about due to my lack of experience or first-hand knowledge about certain subjects or topics. For example, when writing a romance story or sub-plot, it can be a challenge to me as I have no first-hand experience about love. As such, I am unable to convey the romantic feelings genuinely. Despite that, I try my best to accurately write about such subjects by basing those feelings from other people’s experiences and I would definitely not go to the extreme and forcefully get a boyfriend just to get an idea about love for instance. Therefore, it is hard to spur myself to write when I am faced with a lack of motivation and inspiration leading to procrastination.

However, there are ways to counter these problems. I can read more books and improve my vocabulary so that I am always inspired to write better. As I regularly expose myself to a wide variety of stories, I will have an active imagination and have endless amount of ideas for my stories, broadening my mind. Also, improving my vocabulary would also help me express my thoughts more coherently and effectively. Instead of comparing my work with others, I have to learn to accept that each writer has a unique way of expressing themselves. As such, I should constantly try to find my personal voice in my stories and subsequently set myself apart from other writers. In addition, I can set aside fifteen minutes every day to write so that I would grow accustomed to writing. Regardless of my location and the medium where I write, I can write anywhere at any given time. This will then lower the occurrence of having writer’s block when I am face-to-face with a blank page or word document. Thus, all of these solutions will help boost my confidence levels for writing.

It is normal to encounter problems when it comes to doing things that you like. In fact, these problems are actually important as they ultimately test the level of seriousness and passion you have for a certain interest. For me, my love for writing and the excitement I get from writing allow me to successfully counter the problems I normally face before I write. Without these problems, I would not be able to grow as a writer and learn that everything in life require a certain level of commitment, even the things you like. Admittedly, there is a small number of things that make me very proud of myself and one of them is when I manage to write a complete chapter of a story after spending hours on it.