of Made in China

I have nothing against China, infact  the name is kind of ubiquitous already. If you were like me who got caught off-guard once because i remarked "Made in China?", then hold your fire. We are not alone in the society.


I've asked my mentor once about the evolution of the derogatory Made in China thingee, he expounded that the history of it all came from the fact about being low-quality both in produce and service. I have reflected sometime that if this has been the case eversince i came to wit about all these fuss, and yet, the image has neither changed nor improved at the least, then somewhere along the line is at fault.

The baffling stuff if you'd see the logic here is, the way it was able to maintain that trademark after all these years. Despite the bad publicity, not to mention it's spreading like wildfire. That Made in China philosphy is now a never-ending talk of the tongue when it comes to the attitude of buying applicable to almost all consumer goods available in the market. There is no denying that when a gadget falters, someone would blurt-out "is that Made in China?".

I could not resist myself asking the salesman one time when i was buying an angle grinder, he cautioned me immediately that the grinder i'm eyeing for is made in China, giving an implied effort in my subconscious to think twice before heading to the cashier. My 80/20 decision about taking the product which was made in china came spiriling downwards leaving me buying the Bosch which was made in Germany.

The same is true when i had a customer once raising his voice why the iPhone he bought got some Chinese characters scribed from the back of the phone, with the message "assembled in China".  It made me think that not only Filipinos have this mentality but accross continents, the Made in China pun seem like a disease that is so contagious.


Seriously, if you're reading this, you might be checking your watch, your gizmo, your laptop or even your clothing if it has this brand on it. You may feel awkward and sullen, with catastrophic worrying that sooner or later, the product would die on you suddenly without even reaching the product's warranty life.

It may seem sad and a full-frontal blow to China about the never-ending saga of these disparaging thoughts on their products, but the effect is totally positive when it comes to consumerism. How come, more and more people could not resist buying at all - these made in China stuff? Awesomely, when it comes to product availability, a lot is an understatement, actually, almost all stores nowadays compose their goods as made in China.

It's inexpensive! - this may be the magnetic banner why consumers feel at ease in resorting to China made materials. Or is it really? The "no choice" impediment could also be the reason, as i've said earlier, outlets nowadays are bombarded with China products, and these are widely available to the average consumer - and they are the ones who take a larger cut on the pie when it comes to consuming.

The trend is not going to stop, i suppose it's going to intensify, with the rise of China as the next superpower in the world. It's safe to say and it's not surprising for their "slowly but surely" way dominion in the trade. I'm wistful at the thought that in the future, the remark about Made in China would still linger, would still echo as a negative compliment to the minds and hearts of every individual consumerist.





MAC

Random Acts of Kindness (II)

My post before about random acts of kindness quite struck me level-headed with the scenario i've had in my mind - which i couldn't shrug-off lately. I was thinking if being kind is really a human-nature? Was it part of our nerve-producing attitudes ever since the beginning of time?

So, when's the last time you've practiced random acts of kindness? Or when's the last time you've unwillingly shared-out your innate skills or knowledge per se, without the tinge of remorse and regret upon knowing the impressive outcome from where you've extended the help. Sometimes, we barely notice that we are jealous already and yet, most of the time, this jealousy is overshadowed by the overwhelming effect of inspiration once we get to know the results of what we've done. In spite of the uber positive aftermath which could have been our very own crowning glory, the happiness tries to linger, soothing and extending through our senses, telling with satisfaction that we've done it, although the reward isn't directed verbally at us. There is no disconnect or whatsoever, but a feeling of euphoria where the only need to un break the questioning is the profound atonement of sharing your own knowledge and wisdom.

Maybe, it's what you call learning through sharing. You learn when you impart what you've known; the knowledge get enhanced as you try to deliver and share. The more application you do on that acquired knowledge will further you in the perfection of that skill. Maybe it's that effect that keeps us sharing, that keeps us generous and compassionate, no matter where we came from, no matter how our own cultures raised us, and no matter how we have arrived to what we are today in time.





MAC

Cone-ing / Coning / Whatever that is!

This post was inspired because of licking an ice-cream, seriously! In actuality, i saw this viral vid from Newser and CNN windows desktop app. If you've got a glimpse of planking viral videos before, and if uh!, you found it eye-popping, just out of curiosity's sake, then Cone-ing is definitely a must-see, or a must-experience thing to do.

Cone-ing, as the verb implies (sounds like sleazy thought), has something to do about cones, and speaking of cones, you'd imagine the twirls and soft coldly smoothie ice-creams from macDonalds or Jollibee. This in mind, cone-ing is eating the coned ice-cream starting from the bottom of the cone, instead of the old-fashion way -- licking the twirly creams on top. Or, so they say, in a manner where  you eat upside down.

Below's the vid from the originator of this viral trending craze which has started in Australia.

It would be a messy thing to do, rest assured no matter how many tissue papers you've got, cuz the ice cream is sticky and would only worsen when you wipe it with tissue, not to mention, super softy tissues.

For more videos of certified coners, hit the link below.

http://cone-ing.com/

The Script - Talk You Down

If you're tired of Gaga, Black Eyed Peas and Bieberific music, get a hands-on to The Script. The two songs below are some of the most played tunes on my playlist, may it be on the iPod or iTunes Player. Yet, i still couldn't compare it to Coldplay or New Radicals.

It dawned on me at this age that music is like a wine, it's a like a bottled poetry that you can't get enough of once it's opened.

Talk You Down is by far my most admired and listened to song of The Script. It's bringing me the youthful years of adoration for music and alternative addiction back to the memory lane. One thing is for sure. It's like a medicine, a distraction to the ordinary, and a quencher for thirst.

MAC

Google Guitar Homepage & Website

If you were one of the unlucky few who hadn't experienced strumming, flicking, jerking, & ruffing the interactive Google Guitar which went on live as big G's doodle logo last June 9th, then you're in for a treat cuz El Goog has decided to sanctify an html page just so, fans could still play and record their ingenuity in playing the virtual guitar.

Honestly, i didn't care whom Google is trying to commemorate on that day when i saw and accidentally flicked the unreadable Google logo, only to find out later that a sound came out from my laptop after flicking the strings. It was a guitar! (aha my brain got frozen for a delayed response). Sending me back to nostalgia about the interactive PACMAN Google logo.

To get amazement and profoundness enliven, i checked these Youtube uploads from those who painstakingly recorded their tunes. And just so below are my favorites.

Reports show that Google's pageviews and page impressions that day were spiking high in an unusual stagnancy, beating the day when pacman interactive went live from the Google homepage.

I'm thankful for Twitter because i was able to find out the permanent homepage for the Google Guitar. You could check it out here if you're still itching to create one of your tunes out from the famous virtual instrument. Tell me Google, what's your next interactive Doodle? I've subscribed to your RSS already. Yeehaw.

MAC