My Big Fat Greek Wedding

Culture is very important to families who have strong bond or ties. Culture is critical in knowing and attending to the needs of a person. This can also affect the actions of a person when circumstances arise to an extent that he or she did not expect to happen or encounter. The movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding is about a woman who fell in love with a person that does not fit the requirements and preferences of her father in terms of an ideal man that he wants his daughter to marry and have a family with. He wants his daughter to marry a Greek man just like them because of their Greek family’s cultural upholding. Because of such conflict, the woman is confused on whether she has to follow her father’s desire in her own marriage or she should just let herself be happy with the person she wanted to be with regardless of differences in culture and personalities.

In perspective, the movie portrays how a person tends to get influenced or inclined by his or her family and the cultural upbringing that she used to subsist with. It depicts an identification of how culture influences a person’s deeds, outlook, inclination, and decisions in life. Hence, the movie gives an illustration on how significant it is to determine and resolve such conflicts concerning family heritage and cultural norms. It should give us learning that cultural differences should not affect how we interact with other people. We should learn to accept everyone who comes into our lives so that we can appreciate their worth and their identity regardless of our differences in culture and tradition.

Furthermore, the movie depicts how culture persuades consumer behavior and having a considerable outcome or end result on consumer buying decisions. Consumer behavior is profoundly influenced by means of cultural aspects and differences between countries, nationalities, religion, racial groups among others. In essence, culture is an element of the society that can convince people on how to act, how to interact and communicate with other people and how to decide or choose upon their buying decision. The decision people make will identify the factors that can influence them in their decisions in life and their choices in terms of their acquisition of goods and services.

Consumer behavior is also influenced or persuaded by some family members who have the authority or say among the other members of the family unit. In reality, when deciding on what and where to buy or obtain goods in the market, consumers come to a decision based on ethical criteria like race, educational attainment, social rank, profession or livelihood, and religious association.

Just like the protagonist in the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the woman represents the consumers who are puzzled in choosing what really matters to them and on what things they will be satisfied or pleased about. Indeed, cultural norms and differences of beliefs of people bring about the conflict in the choices of consumers on whether they need to follow to the norm or pursue their decision based upon their personal preferences or lifestyle. What matters most is how we give respect to other people who have different views and beliefs and on how we would take this differences positively without destructing or hurting other people’s conviction and principles in life.

Deep Cuts

Appreciating a work of art is no different from staring at a beautiful scenery, an amazing red rose, or a majestic sunset. Easier said than done, do we really know how to appreciate the things in front of us? Same with art - there are a lot to see, identify and understand.

For me, it’s so much easier to appreciate the art that I used to know, see, feel and relate to. But, there is really a challenge of appreciating the art that is more difficult to understand and has different aspects to vouch on. It’s really hard to relate on something that you’re not quite interested in. It’ll be a pain in the ass, however, I know for sure that it’ll be worthwhile.

The best art I can relate to is music. If you have not yet experience to attend and listen to a music concert, then you’re totally missing out. Since it’s easier for me to understand and appreciate it, I can give always give details and personal experiences that are close to my heart. And as an added fact, listening to music alone can reduce stress and anxiety. It can also help me concentrate and have a peace of mind just by having it beside me every time.

Apparently, the pleasure provided by music challenges our permissive view of the bigger world ahead of us and the knowledge we got from our own experiences in life. Listening to music can be a start of something new for us. We can aspire to become musicians or instrument players, we can be like the directors and composers behind the scenes or we can just settle in being an aficionado of music in general.

If You Want to Motivate Someone, Shut Up Already.

The article of Brandon Irwin talks about having a companion or a group of people sharing the same interests as you and on how you can deal with them to earn positive results. If the motivation appears to be disadvantageous, perhaps it needs modification and a mindset that can think of better ways to meet both ends. It will all depend on the goal of such motivation, our relationship to the motivator, and our own perception of how this motivation should affect us. The author also states facts regarding exercises, motivators, buddies and group activities that can show this kind of dilemma or issue.

Encouraging one another is a great undertaking when it comes to business or personal relationships and perspectives. However, there were times that these derivatives will become an offset to those who want to achieve them or become motivated or inspired because of them. Moreover, we cannot change the fact that our moods can swing the other way around when we often see or hear things that we don’t exactly want, but are way beyond our control. 

Complimentary remarks, words of encouragement or some flattering comments do not basically whip up support to people in order for them execute well at some point in their workout. The thought is that some people gets the meaning that they are low standard as compared to better workout mates and pick it out as non-motivational to them. Unpredictably, silent exercise buddies were more motivational than the spoken one. In this regard, comparing ourselves with somebody who is more capable than us motivates us, particularly when they aren’t really cheering us vocally.

RANT | hated and taken for granted

Why are you here? Do you really think you belong? Is there someone out there who can beat the odds and fight for someone like you? Admit it. You know it from the start. You're the type of person who wants to do everything. Hear you. Notice you. Compliment you with words. But at the end of the day, no one really cares. Why? You don't know. Or maybe what you know might screw you. It's hard to pull it off, make yourself proud, then realized that they did not bother to see your worth. They were busy underestimating you, they were interested and focused with the wrong moves you do, the wrong words you say, the fucking wrong personality you have. They find you unattractive and unpleasant. Is that it? No. You're not enough. Disheartened? Yes, that's the only thing you can do. Back off and cry alone. Hoping that there's this someone, a knight in shining armor, who will save you and transform you from an ugly duckling to a beautiful swan. Stop dreaming. You're not a fairy tale character. The reality is that you're stuck with that embarrassed body, striving your way to reach for the stars. Dead stars that fooled you. Broken dreams that hurt you. Oh, well. All you can do is sigh.

KLSP

I always wanted to be appreciated by people whom I love and treasure. I seek attention, wanted to be complimented for the great things I've done. I wanted to be rewarded for being able to achieve what I have now, to be regarded as the best daughter, the best student, the best friend, the special someone. But they ignore me. They don't give a damn.

URT | ENCHANTED

Through communication, we are able to send and receive messages to and from other people and transmit information in actual fact. This will result to interacting with others and knowing how they exchange few words and ideas effectively and give feedbacks after such conversation in order for them to understand each other. As communication nowadays has many medium and many forms, there are also many theories that lie behind it that needs to be addressed. 

One of those theories is the Uncertainty Reduction Theory. URT avows that humans habitually undergo vagueness, hesitation or uncertainty with reference to people they are not familiar with, thus, they are goaded towards conversing or opening up a discussion in turn to lessen or trim down such uncertainties that they have. The originators of this theory are Professors Berger and Calabrese. They invented the theory in year 1975 to principally state the importance in improving our human relationships. Moreover, the theory comes about being puzzled on new-fangled connection with people in an effort to congregate knowledge regarding how they act in order to foretell their behavior (Uncertainty Reduction Theory). 

A good exemplar of this situation presented by the Uncertainty Reduction Theory is the story of the movie, “Enchanted” by Walt Disney in 2007. In the said movie, the fairy tale world collided with the present day to day circumstances in Manhattan, New York City. The main conflict of the story was how the two main characters overcome the obstacles and hurdles if they decide to start a newly found romantic relationship albeit being fully aware that they live differently. But because they have solved the worries, fears and the conflicts of communication they had with one another, they have eventually succeeded with achieving what their hearts really want to scribble out through talking and listening to each other.

Relating to URT, Princess Giselle and Robert try to shrink uncertainty stuck between them throughout their first unexpected meeting in the real world. The extent is tapered along the fact that strangers take necessary paces to be able presume on the behavior of the other person. When the two main characters of the movie intermingled, they do not know each other at first, then they began to observe one another by asking some questions and having small talks to be able to know how each other is behaving since they are living in two different worlds, the one in an animated fairy tale kingdom while the other one is living in the busy city of New York. 

Hence, Uncertainty can be classified both as what they perceive on one another and what will they do about that perception. Also, the characters implied the passive and active strategies of the URT. Robert was very passive in observing Giselle as if he doesn’t want other people to know that he really wants Giselle to stay with them and know more about her. On the contrary, Giselle was actively asking other person in the real world about Robert since she is very interested on him. She tried asking Robert’s daughter about him in order to know how she can be able to help him communicate smoothly.

Meanwhile, the story made the viewers see the difference between the two worlds which the character got into. The magical theme that the setting offered contributed a lot to the atmosphere. The main problem of the story was the eagerness and anxiousness of the main characters to know how they can be able to overcome vacillations even if they know that they can never be together. The guts of Giselle in facing the challenges and changes in her life the moment she got out of fairy tale kingdom mainly portrayed the good heart and brave spirit that she has that’s why she made a great stay there though she encountered conflicts which is expected. 

The central point of the story is to be patient and have a sense of social interaction and observing how people on earth behave. The idea that the author wants to convey is to not do things in a hurry and for the main characters, Giselle and Robert, to fight against uncertainties with regards to how they will be able to communicate well with one another if they have two different worlds to think of. They learned to first consider the communication barrier or gap between them and prevail over it before doing something and they became responsible enough for the consequences that occur.

True enough that the Uncertainty Reduction Theory contributed important points to the theories and aspects of communication and it has positioned communication in a fundamental situation. Furthermore, it endows mostly with a continuing discussion and discourse about the soundness of the uncertainty reduction theory in helping to solve some predicaments and setbacks on the area under discussion of relationship improvement and communication development (West & Turner). 

In addition, relationships of people are full of doubts because of so many issues including communication. From first meet up of two unfamiliar persons to having a close tie between them, they experience difficulties in expressing themselves because of hesitations in communicating with one another plus knowing how the other person behaves. Uncertainty Reduction Theory presupposes that escalating stages of uncertainty can formulate more communication problems (Reis & Sprecher).

Works Cited

Uncertainty Reduction Theory. communicationstudies.com. Communication Studies. Web. n.d.

< http://www.communicationstudies.com/communication-theories/uncertainty-reduction-theory>.

West, R. & Turner, L. “Chapter9: Introducing Communication Theory.” mheducation.com. 

Online Learning Center. Web. n.d.

<http://highered.mheducation.com/sites/0073135615/student_view0/chapter9/index.html>.

Reis, T. & Sprecher, S. “Encyclopedia of Human Relationships.” sage-ereference.com. 

SAGE Publications, Inc. April 17, 2009

< http://www.sage-ereference.com/view/humanrelationships/n546.xml>.

BOLA

Basketball game reminiscence; surreal moments, reel highlights, indeed. This was the sport every one of all ages has learned to love. Professional basketball in the Philippines has always been consistent in pooling a group of undoubtedly talented basketball players with the kind of character that make their co-players want to play with them, the opponents to play their hardest against them and the public to love them big time.

Here are some tips basketball wanna-be’s need to follow and surpass:

• Do what you are good at. It won’t hurt to try and try until you finally get the rhythm of the game. Secure the ball always.
• Work hard and keep hustling. If you wanted to stay on the court for a long period of time, you have to get your game going.
• It doesn't matter if you can shoot or dribble. Just play tough defense. You can miss a shot at any point in time, but you can never settle for a sloppy defense.
• Rebound. If you do it well, you'll rapidly increase your chances of maximizing your playing time. Rebound is not just a skill, it’s discipline as well.
• Make the extra pass. You will also find yourself getting more passes from your team mates as well, because they make out and be pleased about your unselfishness in the game.