[BF] buck$freak » Students’ Pieces

The importance of face-to-face communication

mcdamas — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:24:59 +0000

As human being, of course, we need to socialize as it is one of ways to live our life and to survive. There are many ways to do so, be it directly or indirectly. We can socialize directly face-to-face with others like through chatting, discussing, debating, and many more. However, sometimes we also are engaged in indirect communication without facing each other like through the phone, sms, e-mail, morse, etc. From what we do in communication, we get not only advantages but also disadvantages.

Today, indirect communication is what we commonly do since this type makes our communication easier and time saving. For example, we can get in touch to tell someone about important things in a minute at real time by telephone, sms, e-mail, or fax. Easy and quick is all that people need in this modern way of life.

However, indirect communication -especially through internet- is so impoverished that much of the subtle, non-verbal messages that we normally rely on to govern our social responses are missing. The result has been labeled “the online dis-inhibition effect”, and it is the reason behind cyber rudeness.

It is obvious that indirect communication has to some extent transitioned to maintaining social capital through simple, cheap telephone calls. Indirect communication like internet online has often been tainted by the willingness of other members to be more caustic and extreme than they might in real life be. Online interactions often provide anonymity because it makes us able to edit our utterances until they fit the image we want to project, something which is not quite so simple in a real time environment. Since our words are our only connection to others, it is much easier to be duplicitous or even self-deluding. In other words, we communicate in an artificial and decorative way.

As mentioned, direct communication is a two-direction communication in which both interlocutors talk face-to-face. The effectiveness to convey the message is better than indirect communication because by being face-to-face, it provides us with access to identify and understand the interlocutor’s facial expressions so that we also can detect what feeling comes across during a conversation. Not to mention that we also can detect the lies.

Direct communication benefits us for improving our lives both biologically and psychologically. Having close and frequent connections with other members of a society makes us all healthier. It also does much to promote behaviors which are beneficial for the whole society and encourage a more socially oriented populace.

In short, we should keep in mind the importance of face-to-face communication. While we maximize the abilities and benefits of a new trend of (electronic) communication technologies, we need to keep in mind to always engage in local communities and physical interaction for the subtle and important benefits which they provide. (credit to Achlam, Arieadne and Shita, HI-2/311)

Technology brings us to engage much in indirect communications

Direct communication shows everything clear

mcdamas

An ordinary man pursuing extraordinary goal best describes who I am all about. I do my best, God does the rest.

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It Is About Mine, Not Theirs

mcdamas — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 03:37:20 +0000

Nowadays, movie has been a mainstream of art. In fact, movie is created not only to amuse people but also to expose the problems of a complicated real life. For over many years, movie has succeeded illustrating human’s problems on many aspects of life in such genres as romance, thriller, comedy, action, etc. I myself am interested in romance and comedy. One of my favorite movies is “Nanny Diaries”, a romance-comedy movie.

Nanny Diaries tells about Annie Braddock (Scarlett Johansson), a fresh graduate of a working-class neighborhood who is having a bit of an identity crisis. Her hardworking mother is insisting on her contribution to earning money. But she has more interest in anthropology. She tries to follow her mother’s wish but the fate determines her to get a job as a nanny because of an accidental event. She works for a Manhattan couple known only as Mr. and Mrs. X (Laura Linney and Paul Giamatti). She has to look after their son named Grayer(Nicholas Reese Art) , the spoiled, emotionally retarded, but redeemable child. Annie gets many problems when she works there because she has to rescue herself from a dysfunctional messy family. An authoritarian mother, a dishonest husband, a child who is lack of affection have made her life so miserable.

In the middle of her messy life, she meets a charming man named Hayden (Chris Evans), a student of Harvard University. Hayden succeeds to relieve a bit of her problems for a while by giving her a romance. However, because of her authoritarian employer, Mrs.X, her relationship with Hayden is broken. It makes her have more complicated life.
The climax happens when Mr. X tries to flirt her and that embarrassing event is discovered by Mrs. X. As a result, she gets fired and has to realize that all what she has done during working there has been recorded by Nanny Cam candidly on a teddy bear.

Although she is very desperate with all the problems, she realizes that she has got a valuable lesson about life. She quickly learns that money might indeed enable a person to buy a luxurious house in Nantucket but it certainly can’t buy an honest husband or an affection of a son. She tries to deliver that lesson to Mrs. X through Nanny Cam in order that Mrs.X will realize that affection and honesty are more precious than money.

The end of this movie is unpredictable. Finally, the stubborn Mrs. X realizes that giving affection to her son is more important than spending whole time to worry about her disloyal husband. She is so thankful to Annie and she feels sorry for every mistake she has made. Annie is so happy to hear that because she is not only successfully fixing her relationship with Hayden but also finding her self-identity as an anthropologist after ensuring her mother about it.

This movie is very inspiring and interesting because it is not only giving some lessons to go through the life but also amusing amidst the absurdity and hypocrisy of Manhattan’s upper-crust. Moreover, I learn about how to find self-identity without worrying about others wishes. My future is mine. It is about responsibility that I take happily without worry. Personally, I really judge that “Nanny Diaries” is a great movie that is worth watching since it can bring us to watch over the problems of a life.
(Credit and thanks to Annisa Nadya, HI-2)

mcdamas

An ordinary man pursuing extraordinary goal best describes who I am all about. I do my best, God does the rest.

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Reality, Love and Rock ’n Roll

mcdamas — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 12:29:52 +0000

Nowadays, Indonesian films have been back. People begin to come to cinema to see them. Some, especially teenagers, feel proud if they belong to a group of those who watch the premier. Besides that, the movies they see are also able to give them such a deep impression making them want to go to cinema again. The film makers seem to have successfully showered the moviegoers’ thirst for enjoying Indonesian films with their masterpiece. “Realita, Cinta, dan Rock ‘n Roll” (Reality, Love and Rock ’n Roll) is the example.

The film is another masterpiece of Upi (the scripwriter and director of 30 hari mencari cinta). Realita, Cinta dan Rock ‘n Roll features close-up commercial star Herjunot Ali as Nugi, model and actor Vino G. Bastian as Ipang and Putri Indonesia 2005 Nadine Chandrawinata as Sandra. Another actor involved in this film is Barry Prima, famous action actor in 1980.

Despite the different family background, two buddies, Nugi and Ipang are both crazy about Rock ‘n Roll and dream of becoming famous rock stars one day. “Live your life to the fullest” is their philosophy of life and going to school isn’t their sole idea. So, they skip classes often just to do more interesting stuff like hangout at pubs with the Svelte Sandra, a disco clerk. It’s a sort triangle. Nugie is soft on Sandra, who has a crush on Ipang. Ipang on the other hand doesn’t care much for Sandra.

In another part, Nugie was shocked at the moment when he knows that his father has a split personality. Nugie can’t accept it. Meanwhile, Nugie’s father tries to explain to Nugie that he has tried hard to be normal. But, Nugie’s father always finds it more comfortable if he could be a woman. In the beginning, Nugie got upset but after Nugie can realize the fact, Nugie accepts it.
Ipang, on the other hand, is confronting a problem too. At school, Ipang always gets bad score and his parents disagree if Ipung dreams to be famous rock star. Another problem, Ipang knows that his parents are not his real parents. Ipang is only an adopted child. Ipang feels very disappointed, angry and shocked. As a consequence, Ipang goes out of his house to leave his parents and brother, Ipung.

Finally, Ipung feels sad because he is so close to Ipang. He turns to be broken home child and chooses to stay with his best friend, Nugie. At the time they stay together, they learn about reality, family and love. So, Nugie and Ipung decide to return to their normal life: living with their respective family. However, they still dream of becoming famous rock star one day.
The film illustrates complexity of a person’s life. Reality bites, that’s what the film tries to tell. When the truth about some family secrets is revealed, we have to start being mature and accept the harsh fact of life. (Credit and thanks to Asih, HI-2)

mcdamas

An ordinary man pursuing extraordinary goal best describes who I am all about. I do my best, God does the rest.

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Your Guardian Angel

mcdamas — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 06:24:00 +0000

I’ve got a new favorite band again. Its name is The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Its genre is Post-hardcore, Emo and Pop Punk. It was formed in 2003 at Jacksonville, Florida. They had released 3 single demos for the first time, they are; Ass Shaker, Justify and Face Down. Later in 2006 they released False Pretense, Your Guardian Angel, and Damn Regret. I will tell about the one of their touchy songs which it can influence you to feel what they say and give inspiration about what teenagers’ life is all about. But sometimes, the lyric is teasing teenagers who have the similar story to it. In short, their songs are complete in teenagers’ life having many problems in romance.

The single Your Guardian Angel tells about someone like an angel who wants to keep his/her true love. Even if saving her/him until going to heaven, she/he still stays beside and inside his/her heart. The music is using unpIugged guitar in the first part, drum, electric guitar and bass guitar in the second part. The acoustic guitarist and also lead vocal, Duke Kitchens has successfully made me enchanted at the first time when I heard this song. I like his unique voice so much. I categorized this song into a acoustic slow rock because the main part is an acoustic. But the climax, they mix them all. This song was featured as Original Soundtrack of Final Fantasy XII. It’s a pride for them that their song was chosen.

To me, their songs are so touchy that I like them very much. If you want to know further about them, you can visit their website: RedJumpSuitAlliance and their official myspace at mySpace. And prepare yourself to download their songs if you like.

mcdamas

An ordinary man pursuing extraordinary goal best describes who I am all about. I do my best, God does the rest.

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