We Surf The Internet, We Swim In Magazines

We Surf The Internet
We Swim In Magazines

The Internet is exhilarating. Magazines are enveloping, The Internet grabs you. Magazines embrace you. The Internet is impulsive. Magazines are immersive. And both media are growing.

Barely noticed amidst the thunderous Internet clamor is the simple fact that magazine readership has risen over the past five years. Even in the age of the internet, even among the groups one would assume are most singularly hooked on digital media, the appeal of magazines is growing.

Think of it this way: during the 12-year life of Google, magazine readership actually increased 11 percent.

What it proves, once again, is that a new medium doesn't necessarily displace an existing one. Just as movies didn't kill radio. Just as TV didn't kill movies. An established medium can continue to flourish so long as it continues to flourish a unique experience. And, as reader loyalty and growth demonstrate, magazines do.

Which is way people aren't giving up swimming, just because they also enjoy surfing.

(taken from Rolling Stone)

I'll get that house in the corner, with a pool please!

Me: "Dad, why don't you sell the house? I thought you were planning to? Don't you want a brand new environment. The house is getting boring."

Dad: "Well, I planned to but only a few attempted to make an offer, and price-wise, they're below what we're setting up. You know, it ain't easy to sell this kind of house. Beside, I think this house is more than enough for living"

Me: "But, don't you feel bored living in the same house for, like, (let me count) 10 years. Geez! It's a long time. Why didn't you buy the next house when it's up for sale so that we could turn it into a swimming pool and the much-needed car park?" You should have followed what mom said. Too bad, it's occupied already. Ugh. Dad, I want a swimming pool. It's so annoying going to public pool and all the chairs are taken. Even if there's a spare lounging chair, i won't be comfortable lying there to tan my skin amid a horde of pool visitors. And also, aesthetically, the pool is a bit 'blah'. I want to have my own where I could co-design it with the architect. It'll be dope, dad!!! Lounging chairs on each side, music in the surrounding, arghhh! It's just gonna be amazinggggg! Could you give me certain tasks and if I can accomplish them, I'll get a pool in return? Or you prolly could give it to me on my birthday?"

Dad: "No, this house is already convenient, and it's still in good condition. Yes, I should have followed your mom because we do need more car park, and you'll able to have a swimming pool in the backyard. We can't build a swimming pool somewhere just for your leisure. The maintenance will cost big bucks! Don't be ridiculous. Unfortunately, I didn't think about these earlier. At that time, I just thought that the price offer for the house was rather high. Had I purchased it, I could have use it as a land for your house as well. Kids these days, they're all about wanting these and that without a hardwill to earn money. If you want a swimming pool, you gotta work hard."

Me: *Sigh* (then walk away...)

Label me all you want (spoiled/snob/immature) but they're honest pieces of conversation that took place in my house yesterday. Yes I've been wanting to have my own house complete with a swimming pool for a long time. I always have these thrilling concepts and ideas for my ideal house, and I can't wait to make them real. In fact, I've saved numerous house photos in my pc as references from the so-called Minimalist, American Classic, Mediterranean, Balinese to Contemporary and Eclectic. I imagine it'll be so much fun to decorate the house - the layout, the furniture, the ornaments, etc, as it's a form of self-expression. Below are some random ideas on how my house's gonna be, at least for now.

1. It'll be 1 story
2. It'll be a floated house hold by pillars
3. Minimalist design with Eclectic twist and Mediterranean vibe.
4. The interior will consist of mild brown, broken white/vanilla, transparent for those made from glasses, gold hue (think of Tom Ford's stores + Mr. Chow restaurant)
5. Heaps of paintings (black paintings with silhouettes of people smoking, naked photos)
6. There'll be vasts filled with broken-white/vanilla flowers.
7. Tom Ford book would be lied onto a corner table along with the perfumes as an art piece.
8. Lots of candles, preferably, by Jo Malone.
9. Sleek book shelves
10. A couple of mannequins in the living room
11. A spacious room where all creativity is able to be poured, spilled, vomited out. Content: Dance Studio, Music Instruments, DJ Set, Lighting Set, Stage, Mannequins, Paintings, Flowers, Clothes, Accessories.
12.Entire glass windows separating the house from the backyard.
13. A swimming pool will be built on the backyard which comes in rectangular shape.
14. Dining table and chairs will be set up in an area inside the house overlooking the pool.
15. Another dining table and chairs will be placed by the pool in case outdoor dinner is favored.
16. A complete set of sound system will be set up in a backyard in a way that it's hidden.
17. Outdoor kitchen set
18. The roof will be asymmetrical (incline to one side)

Once my house is built, I'll hire qualified maids & servants to help running chores, and most importantly, a chef, to prepare various daily meals - they're better be super delicious and relatively healthy! The meals should vary according to the day, for example, Monday - Indonesian food, Tuesday - Chinese/Japanese, Wednesday - Korean/Vietnam, Thursday - Greek/Indian, Friday - French, Saturday - Italian, Sunday - African/Afghanistan. I couldn't help but chuckle at the thought as I would need to be filthy rich since hiring a professional cook is incredibly expensive. Well, the variety of the meals doesn't have to be that many, A few would suffice to indulge my taste bud, and thus, makes my life so much better.

Then, I'll invite my friends, parents, dates for meals either lunch or dinner on a regular basis. We'll sit inside or outside the house depending on the mood. If we sit outside for dinner, there'll be a chef cooking the meals in front of us. The dining table will be beautifully arranged with fine cutlery, flowers and candles. The soothing music will be played in the background to turn on the mood. Good stories, juicy gossips and witty banter will fly across the table as we chow down the meals. If lunch is preferred, we'll have cold salad and eat them while we're sitting on lounging chairs by the pool on a hot afternoon. Mid-tempo, summery music will be the perfect companion. When sunset falls, we'll swim or take a dip in the pool, and we'll take photos in turn with Sergio Mendez 'The Look of Love', Sneaky Sound System 'Where Do I Begin', Kelis 'Lil' Star', David Guetta's 'When Love Takes Over' & Ayumi Hamasaki 'Sunset LOVE is all~' singing, one at a time.

Alternatively, we can immerse in our creativity in the art haven. We'll dress up and the girls can put on make up while the mannequin is being set up. Then, we'll push the windows open and turn the heater on. The sun is projecting its last ray as the song starts to play with the beats that are rare and the melody that makes us coo 'hey sexey'. 'A Slave For You' is heard in the background, we toss the clothes to the ground and moves like a horned-up python....frowned upon, the sensual nerves couldn't help but on. We'll rub, touch, grind our way to freedom, circling the mannequin in tops and thongs, and scream in unison "Huh, huh, huh, huh, huh..." Soaked up in sweats, all sexily wet, we'll do one last take and whisper 'you like that?'

You got a problem with Facebook?

A dear friend told me that he refused to jump on the Facebooking (Fb-ing) bandwagon regardless the current Facebook fever. He views Facebook as a mere means to show off one's strength & virtues in which they may or may not exist in real life. He also sees it as a veneer for those scared or not confident to act out in real life. Lastly, he considers it as one big fake outlet where lots of people upload their pictures to show as if they're having a ball, living a fabulous life, super-duper cool, etc. I hate to admit that - as much as his take on Fb-ing annoyed the freak out of me, they're partially true. I used the word 'partially' because not everyone is like that, am i right?

I tried to explain to him that most of his aforementioned opinions didn't make up my Fb-ing reasons. First, I use Fb to express myself in terms of personality, flairs, talents via writings, photos and ivdeos. This inevitably involves showing-off. What differs me from others is that - no cockiness intended, I actually own all these things in real life. There are some who, for instance, post pictures about clothes & accessories in a way that make people think that they're uber-creative, where in fact, they just commanded other people to make the items based on the renowned branded designs. Not the mention, those who blatantly copy others' status and paste it on to theirs as to appear distinctive or smart or arty. In fact, I know a guy from uni who seem nice and genuine on Fb but when you meet him in person, he's very pretentious.

Second, I use Fb to keep in touch with friends as well as to make new friends. Fb comes in handy because most of my good friends were residing in another country, and it allows me to keep track on what they're up to. Fb also helps in expanding my peer circle by having Add As Friend feature on all users account. Regarding his statement of Fb being utilized as a confidence mask for people, it might be the case for some yet it doesn't apply for me. I can certainly say that I'm a confident person on and off Facebook. I've, indeed, encountered a few who's rather shy in person than what's depicted on their Fb profiles.

Third, I use Fb to display my photos because I'm a *narcissistic kind - regardless the missing photogenic factor. My photos are the result, outcome & product of my expression. Sometimes it takes a while to understand them because some photos carry profound concepts or bear hidden meanings. Occasionally, an open-mind is required in viewing several photos as they are styled to provoke.

*I don't fully agree that narcissism is a gauge of self-absorption/selfishness/ shallowness. In other words, you can still be a narcissistic and tolerant and substantial at the same time. However, the self-loving group does have the tendency to project everything to themselves.

I enjoy taking photograph almost as much as having my photograph taken. There's an element of surprises and thus, excitement each time I look at the pictures that pop on the camera screen. They might or might not turn out as what I've expected.

Whenever I go to places that boast beautiful scenery such as Dendy beach or Great Ocean Road or even some hotel's pool, I would bring a digital camera. Me & my friends would lie on a towel, getting our skin tanned while chit-chating, and immersing in the moment. Then, it's picture time! I'd take the digicam out of my bag and start clicking and snapping everything. I would repeat the process until I get good photos.

He said that I was rather weird for choosing to dedicate half of my time photographing instead of doing the actual activity. "Don't you feel annoyed having to take pictures most of the time just so you can upload them on Fb for others to see?" asked him. "No, I actually really enjoyed this" replied me, whilst continuously shooting myself using the self-timer mode. I told him that my ideal leisure occurs when I'm able to have fun and be productive at the same time. Lying under the sun is the fun part whereas capturing various objects with my digicam is the productive part. Life's too short not to create something. I didn't take photos and upload them on Fb so people think that I have so much fun sunbathing where in fact, I don't. I conducted such act because I love photography, as previously mentioned. And being is a beautiful environment is the perfect moment to actualize my photography interest.

Finally - after 15 minutes and 55 seconds of intense discussion, he couldn't help but succumb to my opinions by admitting that they are true. Apparently, I'm no different when it comes to being me on facebook and me in person. Well, you will never know...

Why Viva Salvatore?

Viva Salvatore means celebration of life - my life through ups and downs, bumps and grinds, twist and turns because no matter how low I've hit the bottom, how often I've encountered the bumps, or how drastic the turns are, I will come back to the place where I belong.

The same goes with you.

xx

Let the story unfolds..... (Intro part I)

I know that art is my forte, and I'm proud of it - not in conceited-snobbish manner, but in self-celebrating kind of way. And I stick to it no matter what people say because I immensely believe in myself. Now when I reminisce about my childhood, It made a clear sense to me why I wasn't prominent at school.

In primary school, I was a rather obnoxious brat with dual personality - masculine (rule breaking, peer taunting & fighting) & feminine (drawing female manga characters with big eyes, sharp nose, luscious lips wrapped up in fashionable clothes & enjoying girls companions) who's average on pretty much all of the academic subjects except one, drawing. Yes, a subject deemed so easy & unessential at the time, I tremendeously excelled in it. Hence, It became my favourite subject. It's the only class I enjoyed - so much I often forgot about the time. Ideas, concepts, colours, compositions, light & shade were all spilled onto a piece of paper through crayon or coloured pencils. Excitement, enthusiasim, focus & concentration accompanied the process.

At home, twice a week, I would have a drawing teacher tutoring me along with other students who mostly consist of my relatives. I also had a penchant for writing a round, big, beautiful hurut latin (our term of latin alphabet). Whenever I felt unsatisfied with the result, I would cover it with correction pen and rewrite it. I would repeat the process until I get the perfect outcomes (a slight symptom for OCD - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ).

In junior high school, my love affair with fashion begun. Donned in cream-coloured hoodie parachute vest, white shorts and a pair of white runners, the feeling was unmistakeable - it was love at the first sight (of my outfits in the mirror). I felt dope. Looking at it now, it'd be cringe-worthy to the absolute. The epiphany act as a big wake up call to my inner fashion monster that was dormant for long. With fashion, I'd also found one part of my identity.

Senior high school was pretty mundane. I still hadn't figured out what I was good at, which group of people I belonged to, what sort of person I aspired to be and how I wanted to live my life. Most academic subjects remain uninteresting to me although there would be occasional topics of such that spark my interest. English was one of my favorites regardless my broken grammar. As with fashion, I became more daring dressing up, nonchalantly ignoring my ballooning weight - as if I had no problem in the scale department. I was very unapologetic about my look to the extend where some people would see me startlingly yet too afraid to throw verbal critics. I didn't know where my confidence came from. It just appeared suddenly when I put on clothes just like the light bulb that beams after the wires being plugged into the power point. "I look fierce!" shout my mind, whenever my reflection came in the mirror.

*Continue to part II

Deviant Love

I wanna play with fire, even when the situation is dire because that high pleasure is all that matter. Let 'em say we are rulebreaker coz we wanna make it very clear that we like it bigger & harder, non-tender. Light up the lighter, wrestle in danger, i say "satisfy me fucker!" And when the end is near, we reach for climax together and the memory will last forever.