The Terminal - People watching is fascinating

It is now 11.00pm. 

My eyes struggle to stay open even though my mind is still juggling hundreds of ideas while, at the same time, I worry about my visa and what will happen in the next 24 hours.  I will try not to be too particular in regards to my observations, but being in an airport for a longer period of time is, believe it or not, quite philosophical. My time here has mostly been about “people watching”. 

From the moment one arrives at an airport there is a sense of excitement. Whether you’re on your way to a new destination, or to pick up friends or family, the heart starts racing just as you pull into the parking lot. The smell of fuel and exhaust from the airplanes and cars, and the runways overpower the senses with images of exotic escapes and a sense of freedom that can only come from being at an airport. I can feel the rumbling of the jet engines at takeoff and the vibration from the planes passing over the airport while being outside. I watch people as they listen to their iPods, smartphones, type on their computers or play video games. 

Behind me is an older couple talking about the weather in Florida and the possibility of rain. I can faintly recognize the smell of perfume and cologne as people pass by; the smells clash with the aromas generated by KFC, Starbucks, and Pizza Hut. In the main terminal I can hear the sound of luggage wheels on marble mixed with the always formal, ever pleasant, voice from the loudspeaker reminding us to stay with our luggage at all times, or announcing that flight 1234 is now ready for boarding. 

Having traveled extensively in the past I can’t say that I’ve really taken notice or interest in everyone else around me. Nor have I really thought of where everyone’s journey is taking them. This time I’m not visiting the airport for traveling purposes; but to stay for a longer period of time. Watching everyone go by and hearing bits of conversation from those passing me on their way to the departure gate, I can’t help but wonder where everyone is going. Is the family of two adults and three children taking a family vacation? What about the elderly couple I heard talking about their anniversary? Are they celebrating by escaping to someplace exotic? Perhaps, they’ve just ended their trip and are on the way home. While as exciting as some trips to the airport are, it’s very obvious that this is not a place one would consider calm and carefree; in fact, quite the opposite.

As I sat and observed, I immediately took note of the frazzled mother attempting to calm down her children, the complacent business man roving through security control as if he were playing a computer game, and the nail-biting woman who I would imagine hasn't flown in fifteen years. These waiting people and I have only a few things in common that I know: we are all in transit. We will all share a period of time at this airport before we fly to faraway lands. Why are they here? Where are they going? They all have their own stories, lives, intentions, problems, and dreams. I realize that the world is overwhelmingly big; exponentially larger than the limited view of my daily routine. As I have flown over wide expanses of homes, cars and streets, I think of the thousands living below me that did not even realize I existed 30,000 feet above their heads. The world is so much bigger than we think. It is a gentle and humble reminder that I hope others perceive.

Back to my airport adventure. Overnight I managed to rest for almost 7 hours. Surely I woke up from time to time to check that my luggage was still with me, but I slept unexpectedly well on those hard wooden seats. At 7.00am, the highlight of the day, breakfast! Nothing extraordinary, but the $6 Starbucks cappuccino (!!) and a warm ham & cheese croissant made my morning. Quick catch up with friends and family letting them know I was safe & sound before taking a walk around the terminal to stretch my legs.

The Terminal - reproduction.

It’s 9.30 pm, Changi Airport, Singapore.

I’m at the international terminal and the airport is slowly getting emptier and quiet. Outside, the sky is dark and behind the sliding doors, taxis are still dropping off travellers from all corners of the globe. I arrived here at 4.00pm and I still have plenty of hours to go. I actually don’t know how long I have to stay, could be a day, could be 3, 5, 6 or 7.

I am currently sitting at Starbucks to charge my computer, iPad and iPhone for the night before finding a “cozy” and silent spot to curl up and fall asleep. Other passengers are already scattered in the seating areas not too far away, either in semi-sleep or randomly observing their surroundings with the resigned expressions of travellers in transit, travellers who are between worlds, the world of the ‘not yet arrived’.

A group of Emirates pilots and cabin crew walk across the terminal, a gaggle of laughing women, weary by the weight of both traveling, working and by their heavy bags rolling after them, luggage tags bearing the characteristic red and white emblem of the airline. The airhostesses are glamorous, slender and tall in their uniforms, especially with their hat and scarf that covers half of their faces resembling niqabs. And here I am, as non-glamorous as one can be, sitting in my track pants, shoes off, baggy jumper, scarf, messy hair, no make up and glasses…  I feel GREAT.

I sit back and look around. This waiting in terminals is a world I know well. I have never counted up the hours I have spent like this, just waiting, but they are many. Too many to count or even remember.

It’s amazing how much waiting there is in a life of movement. Surrounded by luggage, tired from crossing continents and time zones, you just sit. You wait. You wait in transit, in the between, not always sure of the next piece of the journey.

Waiting for buses.

Waiting for train stations.

Waiting in airports.

Besides this, there’s the other waiting. Waiting for visas, that legal stamp of permission to enter a country as a guest and live there for a year. Waiting for decisions that are being made apart from you. Waiting to see what your near future will look like depending on this stamp.

And so I wait. 10.00 pm in the Changi Airport, thinking of the life, MY  life, MY future, (still) trying to figure out what to do with my life… Am I going anywhere with this thinking? Not really…. But I can summarise it as this:

We all seek happiness, simple as that. We as a human race desperately strive to be something, to prosper, to be revered and if nothing else to be noticed. But to what point? Happiness isn’t about fame, fortune, money or the amount of things we possess, because those things will eventually run out. We should live our lives to the fullest since life is short, yet ever so precious.

My life philosophy is centered around three things; three things that greatly govern my life, and the way I go about living it:

1.     Be who you are, not who everyone else wants you to be,

2.     Work hard to achieve your goals,

3.     Never take your friends for granted, true friends will be with you for life.

There’s a quote that says, “It is better to be hated for who you are than to be loved for who you are not.”

In today’s society I see more and more people desperately trying to conform the standards of others. We are simply too afraid to distinguish ourselves from the crowd; to be anything but normal. Through one of the most challenging times in my life, I came to the realization that by being myself everything else became so much easier. Learning how to love ourselves is an important aspect in life, but is also one of the hardest and most challenging tasks. Learn to love yourself for the person on the inside, not the person on the outside. Start loving your inside, then your outside.

Annotated Bibliography

 Annotated Bibliography

Text ONE: (academic text)
John T. Warren & Deanna L. Fassett (2011). Chapter 3: Public Advocacy: Commitments and Responsibility.
SAGE (Eds.) COMMUNICATION A Critical/Cultural Introduction (pp. 37-58). Chicago, USA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

In this chapter of the book, the authors, J. T. Warren (Professor of Speech Communication at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale) and D. L. Fassett (holds a PhD in communication pedagogy from Southern Illinois University) identify what public advocacy means and what the responsibilities of speakers and listeners are. They also describe the role of power in communication in general and in advocacy in particular, as well as defining logical mistakes and explaining how to avoid them. The authors express and discuss their personal arguments, ask the readers questions and justify their information by referencing all of their arguments, opinions and procedures. The authors’ style is conversational, it doesn’t influence anyone, and the approach encourages critical thinking. The facts are very credible and the examples are relevant and trustworthy.

Communication means taking responsibility for your messages and arguments but also for your silence. Communication has never been about just talking, it is also about writing, drawing and expressing yourself throughout your gestures and actions. Today, we have many ways of communicating, such as texting, sending e-mails, using the social media (such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.), which is discussed in the three articles below. Words are more than 'just words'. Words build, shape, sustain, position, and make an opinion about a topic which needs to be chosen very carefully, especially in writing (in either e-mails, text messages, notes, books, articles, etc.) so that the writer gets understood as he/she wants to be comprehended. 

Text TWO: (Media text)
Mellors, W. J. (date unknown). Text communication for all (DUST). WM Services UK. Retrieved from: 
 http://www.hft.org/HFT06/paper06/10_Mellors.pdf

Walter J. Mellors, the author of this article, reports and informs about text communication services. He writes about a guide that has been developed on Duplex Universal Speech and Text (DUST) services. The DUST services are communicating text, speech and video. Mellors begins his article with explaining what text communication services are and what the advantages and disadvantages are. Mellors continues by writing about how people use text communication, telecommunication, real time interactive communication and how, when and how they are used. He thereafter presents the DUST concept and describes it advantages, how it differs from other implementations and what contribution it will make to everyone that uses it. Text communication services such as chat, instant messaging, SMS and e-mail are now mainstream services and can be understood and interpreted in many different ways. A lot of elder think that because of the new technology and new ways of communicating (such as texting, e-mailing and using social media services), spoken communication and handwritten letters are being threatened. That is something that is written and discussed in the two articles below.

I believe that communicating via texts, e-mails or social media services is getting over-analyzed and that it has both a positive and negative side to it. The negative side is that the younger generation exploits it too much and is therefore negatively affected by for example misspelling or being unsocial. One of the positive sides with using this relatively new technology is that a message can be sent and received quickly from both individuals and companies.  

Text THREE: (Media text)
Hather, M. (14 August 2010). Twitter, email, texts: we don't talk anymore! The Guardian. Retrieved from:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/aug/14/texts-twitter-email-children

Michelle Hather, the author of this article, is a mother of three (3) and talks about her everyday lifestyle and way of communicating with her sons. She tells the reader about how her mornings looks like, by turning the computer on, first thing in the mornings to make sure she ‘doesn’t miss anything’.  She reflects about how she more and more communicates via texts, emails or social media services to her sons as she believes they ‘’have more chance of reaching his brain than actual, face-to-face human- being exchanges.’’ as she writes in paragraph number four (4). She seems to ‘blame’ her children to have sucked her into their hi-tech way of doing things. She is now communicating to them via message boards, phones and computers – just like their friends.

She worries about the family situation and is scared that her sons are not going to be capable to communicate as well as she did at her age because of this ‘modern’ technology, but what I find interesting in her article is that the way she is writing and explaining her lifestyle, she doesn’t seem to try to change anything in their way of communicating. She goes on and does whatever her sons do and doesn’t try to teach them how to communicate and spend time as a family, without all of these devices (mobile phones, computers, Xboxes, etc.). This kind of behavior is discussed in my last text choice, article number four (4).

Text FOUR: (Media text)
Gunther, R. (27 February 2011). Can text messages damage intimate communication? Psychology Today. Retrieved from:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/rediscovering-love/201102/can-text-messages-damage-intimate-communication

Randi Gunther, PhD., is a clinical psychologist and marriage counselor practicing in Southern California, USA. In her article she writes about how couples, because of text messaging, struggle more and more to understand each other and understand each others feelings.  She gives an example of a couple that has troubles communicating and to connect emotionally because of text messaging. She explains that emotional connection relies on facial and corporal expression and voice intonation, and that because of communication via ‘modern technology’, messages can usually and frequently be misunderstood and misinterpreted. Randi Gunther explains about the discussion that the couple, Michael and Ashley have and that it is because of the text messages that they argue.

In her article she does seem very hopeful and looks into the future positively and makes us understand that technology is going to improve even more than it already has, but that until then, we have to learn how to communicate in ‘the right way’ to NOT be misunderstood by our partner, colleague, boss, friend, or even family member. This article resembles a lot to my third (3^rd) article choice, relationships gets affected in a negative way because of this new technology (especially sending text messages). We all have to keep ourselves clear and write clearly so that we do not get misunderstood and can get in any kind of trouble. 

Sure moms deserves some extra attention, right?

Only a few people are as vulnerable as mothers. 

Mothers must stand aside, behind, and above, without actually being able to do anything. They have to stand and watch as Barbie dolls are replaced with mobile phones or when the girlfriends get replaced with boyfriends. When their teenage daughters return home late at night, drenched in the scent of cigarette smoke and beer breath; that always means trouble and fights:
“Therese, come here and let me smell your breath”
“But I just had a sip of a beer, and the cigarette smell is because everybody around me smoked, WHAT ELSE WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO? JUST GO? NO WAY! Leave me alone.”

And that continues... Everything goes really badly for a few years years. Then it flattens out a bit... Things gets better, they are not yet entirely undisturbed, but still relatively relaxed. 
And suddenly, IT happens. 
I WANT TO BE WITH MY MOTHER. 
What? 
Well, I really want to sit at home with my mom on a Friday night, on the couch, with my feets in her knees, with a typical ‘mom music’ in the background (you know, the kind of music that you hated, but now thinks is really good).

The world is quieter and you feel that everything will work out for you. That is what your mom says at least, and you believe it. From the claim that my mom does not know me, to call mom and ask, “what do you think about it, really?” If mom says this is so, then it is so. 

My mother probably did not know that when, as a teenager, I yelled at her “you're ruining my life, what the hell have I done to you?” I still thought she was the best. That’s what I told people, even when I was 14. Because she was there, and she still is. 

Sometimes I find myself to behave in the same way as my mother, especially when I talk on the phone to someone that I want to make a good impression on. I then speak with a sweet, soft voice. It used to make me crazy when my mom did it, yet I now do the same thing myself. And when I do it, I get  a little satisfied with myself “Mom would have said the same thing, so it must be good”.

Given that it is Mother’s Day on Sunday, I would like to dedicate this short story to my mom because she’s my favourite woman. Smart, strong, wise, beautiful, cool, stubborn, funny and awesome are just some of the adjectives that comes to my mind when I think of her. 

My mother means everything to me. Sure we’ve had our battles and so on, but in the ‘big picture’, I feel that we are closer than ever today. Thanks for being there for me mom, I love you!

You are the world's best mom because...

... you are always there for me.
... you support me in difficult moments.
... you believe in me.
... you helped me with my homework.
... you cook the best lasagnes.
... you love me even when I don't deserve it.
... you held me when I was afraid of the dark.
... you've given me a wonderful childhood!
... you always wish me well!
... you comforted me when I was little and sad.
... you comfort me, even today!
... you taught me how to eat. 
... you taught me to never start a fight but always fight back.
... you taught me how to drive.
... you taught me SO much about life!
... you are YOU!

Love you Mom!!!

Work = No stupid thoughts

Of course I work to make money. And to have fun. But I find that I also go to work to not have to think about the questions that don’t have any answers to.

Everyone hope that some day, they will find and get the job they love, the ‘dream job’. A job where you own a lot of money and at the same time use your skills and love it. But because a lot of people don’t have their dream job, there has to be several reasons to why we work.

A couple of months ago I sat in my couch and looked at a Norwegian television show called ‘Skavlan’. Alain de Botton, an English philosopher who wrote “The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work” was the guest at the show. During that time, he talked about why we work.

From hard-work to desire

In the past we have been working to make money. To go to work wasn’t supposed to be a pleasure or a way to improve and grow as a person. You were considered lucky if you had a job that wasn’t unbearable, and that gave enough money to feed all your family members’ stomachs.

But in the 1700s, people changed the perception of work. From just being a necessary thing to do, it suddenly became a meaning of self-realisation and spiritual nourishment. As Alain de Botton said in the show, the same thing happened to love. The marriage would no longer be a practical arrangement, but something that would give us the passion and understanding.

I personally recognise myself in the description of the self-realisation description. I want to be creative at work. Be able to do something that feels good and be able to use my talents. I am fortunate to do so in my work. But if you don’t have that, why do you work?

It is probably to find a meaning in life. Alain de Botton says that the meaning is found among a lot of things when you do something that is beneficial to others. Nobody wants to be a ‘parasite’ that lives on the efforts of others, without self-help. Because then you will feel guilty and start feeling self-loathing.

When people complain that their job is boring and does not feel meaningful, it is a sign that they don’t understand what significance it has for others. They are also apparently not aware that they are creating something they value.  Alain de Botton argues that it is increasingly common that people think the job seems pointless. And that is probably a management culture issue. Companies want to have productive staff, but nowadays, you cannot whip people to get them to work harder, as they did in the 1700s. No, nowadays people have to feel desire to work for wanting to perform well. Whether the job is boring or not. It is now the manager’s job to make people feel that the work they do is important for anyone. A difficult task for you as a manager.

You don’t have to think

Finally, the most surprising reason for why we work. According to Alain de Botton, we work to avoid thinking. We humans are here on earth for a very short time. Around this fact raises many concerns. Why am I, such a small person as myself, doing in this vast universe? Soon enough we will all be equally compressed as a fossil in a museum, as Alain de Botton described it. This type of thinking can do so that it spins in the brain of anyone!

I remember when I was little, I though about how the universe was. So big and without an end, I was told. I could not believe that though, everything will of course end somewhere. That idea led to the next question: what’s behind it?

You get it, because there was no end, either did my questions about the universe.

As an adult I don’t think about this anymore. But I have a few friends who don’t work. They have some ‘crazy’ thoughts sometimes. I kind of envy them for the time that they have, but when I heard Alain de Botton, I am grateful for the job that I have. My friends are a lot more anxious that I am.

So thank you dear job for your help. I cannot say that you are perfect. But I get paid,  I feel useful and I have a lot of fun while working!  But above all, I don’t have any annoying thoughts that have no answer. I don’t think about the universe's end anymore. I am too busy reading and writing emails, organise, serve and run events!

Media Use & Production Diary

THE OBJECTIVES:

Over a ten (10) days period I logged use and production of various types of media. The purpose of this was to find, look and analyse my media use and the implications of it. 

THE DATA (table):

I found it quite difficult to group media types into separate categories as today's electronic world makes media more accessible. For example, newspapers can be found on the internet, smartphones or tablets. 

But I tried to keep it relatively simple and grouped the media into four groups (print, television, Internet and audio). I then added subcategories and my own production. 

DETAILS:

Print Media

Books

Although grouped under 'print media', books can now-days be accessed in various methods. I usually read books that are printed. During the period that I recorded my media use, I mostly read books, texts (on the internet) and PDF files for my studies.  

Newspapers

Everyday, I catch the CityCat (boat in Brisbane) from the CBD to the university. Before I get on the boat, I always make sure to grab a free newspaper (mX) and read it through before I get to class. I unfortunately do not read the newspapers on weekends, but if I do, it is The Australian on my iPad. 

Television

I have never watch much television, but I try more and more to do so. Therefore, the poor amount of television during my days is usually in "the background" while I am cooking or doing other things, including other media use/production such as surfing the net, writing assignments etc. 

News

The 7pm Project was the news program most watched but some days I could turn on the television in the morning and have a quick look at some morning talk shows.

Entertainment

Entertainment included television shows that I turned on while cooking or doing other things. I rarely have time (or take time for myself) to watch a movie or "sit down and relax" watching a television show. 

Internet

I find it quite difficult to divide what you are doing on the internet into groups, but in the 'social media' subgroup, I related it to social media wedsites such as Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, Flickr, Instagram, Messenger, Linkedin etc.  

Social Media

Having a smartphone and an iPad, I regularly find myself using sites such as Facebook and Twitter a few times during the day. 

Other

Other includes 'everything else' than I did on the internet, such as news sites, internet banking, research etc. No site was more outstanding than another, which is why I do not specify any.

Audio

Music

Every time I leave my home, am studying or am driving, I listen to music. Music is something very important to me, I hate silence. I listen to it via my iPhone or my computer.

Radio

I rarely listen to the radio, only when I am driving, which is not very often because I do not have a car, but I usually get to drive my works' car during the weekends, and therefore listen to music during that time. 

Production

I found that my media production is much less than my media use. 

My media production consists of Facebook updates, internet chatting with friends, writing to my family and friends (that are overseas) on Skype, university assignments and workplace documentation.

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CONCLUSION:

   Media is a big part of our lives. We use it for communication, entertainment, business, education, journalism, common knowledge, news etc. 

   In regards to my own media and production use, the data above shows us that music and social media (such as Facebook) is my main aim when engaging with different types of media. 

   My lack of time (being a university student and an employee at a catering company) shows us in the data that I do not read or watch the news enough to be able to know everything that is happening around me. 

   As a communication, PR and journalism student, I know I should spend more time reading the newspapers, watch the television news and listen to the radio news; which I intend to do, but being a first year, international university student requires a lot of extra work in terms of finding all the right information and writing in an academic english level. 

   I will start to watch the news more regularly, once I find myself confident enough with the university and my english level to leave my studies aside and watch the news.