Reflections of my 12 weeks

Wow 12 weeks seemed to have zoomed past us just like that. What an awesome roller-coaster ride it has been for everyone in the Advertising class. Professor Armstrong really gave us something to remember about. The long hours that each group had put in and the sweat and blood that we drained during this period.

First and foremost I would like to applaud all our fellow classmates for this journey that all of us have gone through. To Addict, Avant-garde and Bigfoot who have already finished their presentation. You all can now take a sit back and relax while the last 3 groups give our best. It is always so competitive whenever we meet up to do this module. Everyone will always be on the ball. However, after every assignment, it was more of fun and relief.

(The first day of presentation)

Secondly, I would like to thanks my fellow Checkmate group mates. It has been a fun and exciting experience. Perhaps the only person that i've worked with the most is our "Lao Ban Niang" Felicia haha. We've been working together since semester one and know each others strengths and flaws. As for the rest of my group mates, I've only work with Huiwen and Angie once during Public Relations class and it was a blast scoring excellent marks.

For everyone else, it was the first time I was working with everyone. From day one since our first assignment, the bond was already building up. It grew even more thanks to the outstanding speech written by Jeremy that boosted our teams morale. From then on, Checkmate was ever so on the ball trying at all times to be different from others.

At times we were at our best, but there are also times where we have had our downfall. Anyway, I would like to thank all by group members for having put up with my desire for trying to get something as perfect as possible. Sometimes being too much of a perfectionist is not good. You'll suffer from burn-outs or irritate your team members. Thanks for being such an understanding bunch and for tolerating all my nonsense! As we close this chapter tommorow. I wish that Not only Checkmate but Spatiality and Kaleido Vision end our presentations with a blast.

Checkmate - Always a Step Ahead

Reflections on Assignment 4 & 5

Finally, we've come to the last and final assignment of this long anticipating fight among all the other teams. Firstly, I would like to congratulate everyone in the class for putting in so much time and effort in their individual groups. All the long hours we've worked together in the area we call our camp spot "The Student Lounge".

The brochure was turned out to be a blast with that involved everyone's effort. From the kids, camera shots, logistics and spelling errors. We learned hard from our television and magazine ad to double check for spelling errors before printing it out. It is really important especially in the outside world. One can't afford to make such mistakes as it may turn costly not only for yourself but for the company as well. With all the sleepless nights and effort that all of us put in. It sure did pay off indeed. A second win for our fellow checkmate :)

Our latest presentation I would say was not our usual. I would think most of us suffered from burn outs. The vibe wasn't as strong as before and as a result, we did not perform up to our own expectations. Well the teaches us one thing. We have to plan and strategize properly. Having to slack off a little or doing too much can cause one to pay the price. However, all is not lost. We still have yet another assignment to go. The last DRAW, the FINAL push, the LAST lap, the Last hurdle. This is the time where everyone should now step up the game. To end it off with a bang. It'll be interesting to see how everyone re-establish themselves again for the final presentation.

It has been so far an exciting journey with my fellow CHECKMATE members. The different houses we've travelled to spend late long nights doing project and thrashing ideas at one another. Everyones individual talent and strength have always given me inspiration and drive to work harder for the team. So my fellow checkmate members let end it with a band!

Checkmate Always a Step Ahead :D

Thoughts on Julie & Julia

The cast of Meryl Streep & Amy Adams who played the main roles were simply outstanding. A great story indeed about an individuals PASSION for something that they love to do. For both of them, its about making food. Julia Child played by Meryl Streep was a lady from the United States who followed her husband where ever he was posted for his job. She tries out different kinds of jobs but nothing seemed to be a fit for her. She later realized that the best fit for her is cooking. How she loved to spice up a meal for her supportive husband when he comes home.

On the other hand, we have Julie Powell played by Amy Adams. She moves into a run down little apartment in New York so that its closer to her husbands workplace. Every time she goes to her workplace, she feels that she is at a loss trying to cope with her work and having to deal with displeased customers over the phone. When she goes home, she vents her frustrations on cooking. However, little did she realize that she is actually able to cook a sumptuous meal. Determined to be passionate about cooking, she decided to set a mark for herself. She has always been inspired by Julia Childs cookbook and set a goal to cook 524 recipes within 365 days. With the help of her supportive husband, she set up a blog to tell the world her thoughts and feelings on a daily basis.

Things these to Ladies have in Common:

1) Passion for cooking

We can tell both women's passion for what they believe in which is cooking. Both Julie & Julia never gave up on what they did.

2) Supportive Husbands

Of Course, both of them would have their times of good & bad. The most important person in each of their lives to see them through are their husbands. Both of them are just as supportive to their wives and eat just about every meal that they cook.

3) Different ways of telling the public about their cooking

As for Julia Child, she wanted to get her book published. It took her a sum of almost 8 years to get 700 page book to be edited and published out. The editors target people were housewives that wanted to cook at home.

Julie on the other hand used the Internet. Since her era was more fast paced and the dawn of the internet, it was able to reach out to more people.

4) Both of them had opportunities

All both individuals needed was a break through, an opportunity that came knocking at their doors. This didn't come by just like that. They have to persevered on hoping that a chance would come by and it did.

In conclusion, Julie looks up to Julia when it comes to cooking. She is inspired by how she cooks every recipe. Both women in 2 different times but somehow, they are linked together. If not for print, Julie would never to able to see Julia Child's book. If not for the internet, Julie would not have been able to publish her post and get connected to the outside world.

Reflections of my first few weeks in Advertising

Hello blog! Honestly, this is my second time setting up a blog and typing in reflections. The first one that I set up was for COM 125 Abel Choy's class when we had to give reflections on our views on certain computer issues.

Here's my first entry on reflections about my first few weeks of advertising. The first thing I want to say is that so far it has been a roller coaster ride ever since the start of the first lesson. Everyone was expecting to go into groups with their own clique that they are comfortable working with. Who knew that we would have to draw lots although it was kind of anticipated. However, it turned out to be a good exercise because like mentioned in class, you can't choose your colleagues or who you want to work with. The society outside is definitely much different from what we experience in class.

The formation of Checkmate:

I must say, when we came together for our very first group meeting, there was some kind of vibe that this team had! Somehow it was great. Everyone had their different element of skills and qualities. After much brainstorming outside "Jun Hung" foodcourt, we finally came up with the name Checkmate.

(Our first design of Checkmate)

Our group was cohesive throughout the few weeks that we had come together. Despite everyone having different schedules, there would be at least 4-5 members on that day of meeting to discuss, brainstorm, critique, revise and collate what we did.

(Our Revised Logo)

Presentation on Brazil:

The client that we picked is definitely fun and exciting. What's there not to love about samba, festivals, food and soccer. I must say although everyone was physically and mentally drained due to extensive research, it was a blast. Our group gave the Brazilian feel to the class which was great.

By the end of all the presentations, the most important thing I have learned is the discussion we had after all the groups had presented. I must emphasize that Aaron brought up an excellent point which is to be 'Brutal and to Critic' one another. If not, everyone will just assume its fine and slack off. Lets all face it, the Truth is always hard to tell which makes it 'THE UGLY TRUTH'. However, at the end of the day, you'll know that it is beneficial.

In summary, it is always hard to please the client especially in Advertising. Therefore, one must be able to cater to their needs, have good patience, have a strong and cohesive team and most importantly be able to take critics.

CHECKMATE - always a step ahead :)