Sunday, January 30, 2011

To Empower and Inspire

projectoo"Hello World!

Just to let you know, I am still in the running in becoming Project One & Only's Youth Ambassador! If you are clueless about what all of this is about, do read my previous posts first. The first post I talked about me getting into the semi-finals, the second post is about my photoshoot and the third one is about my idea on how to give back to the community.

Right now, I'm at Task #3 for the semi-final round, which is also the last task for this round. The accumulated points from Task 1, 2 and 3 will determine who will move forward to the Final Stage.

So it seems that the Charity Auction  have been moved to the Final Stage, which then brings a new task for this semi-final stage. For Task #3, the semi-finalists have to do good deeds throughout a 2 week period (26th Jan - 9th Feb) which will empower and inspire others.

Task 3 has been given the name as, Youth Empowering Another Human! (YEAH!)

For me, what I will be doing will be a little bit different. Rather than just doing a good deed, I'm going to Inspire and Empower others which then leads to them Inspiring others.

My aim in this competition has always been into creating awareness. What I will be doing is to create awareness on various real world issues which hopefully will inspire people and then empowering myself as well as themselves to act upon solving the issue. No matter how big or small the act is.

This I think will be a much better approach to this task.

Have I already started on this task? Of course I have. You would probably be receiving a text message from me or an email. Watch out for a new photo album coming up in my Facebook page. Much much more is happening!

If you want to know how you could help and contribute, do contact me. I can be reached through my email, zhengdhong24@gmail.com or you can send me a PM in Facebook.

Here's my first act on creating awareness about our dying culture; Do read about it in my blog post and let me know what you think.

Let's all help each other out on this one, okay? YEAH!

~~



Remember to subscribe to The Orange Banana and also follow me on Twitter @dylan3008.



Have You Ever Noticed That Our Culture Is Dying?

Sit down and think about the times during festive season. Think about Hari Raya, Chinese New Year, Deepavali and Christmas.

What are these festivals to you? What do they mean to you?

How many of you have actually lend a hand in doing preparations? Ever made ketupats before? Ever prepared fruits for prayers before? Ever visited the temple for prayers? Have you ever had the spirit of celebrating?

What are these festive season? It all seems to be just another public holiday for the youths.

Year after year, the spirit and mood have dimmed. Not much decorations are seen. People are least excited. Should we blame the economy for this? Who should we blame?

What will happen in a few generations to come? For the Chinese people, who will set up the prayers table and on which day? Do you know?

Am I stating a fact that our culture is dying or do you think I'm just randomly typing this out?

~~

My #PONO Jouney: I'm in the Semi-Finals! | Top20 Photoshoot | Giving Youths a Chance to Get An Education | 

Remember to subscribe to The Orange Banana and also follow me on Twitter @dylan3008.




Thursday, January 27, 2011

I'm Planning On Making Video Productions For A Long Term Basis. I'm Sponsorable.

About a couple of weeks ago, I came across an interesting article which was RT-ed by @quachee. It was titled, 'Want To Get Sponsored? You'd Better Be Sponsorable'.

The article was about how people were asking for sponsorships on social media platforms. It also talks about how the correct way it(asking for sponsorship) should be done. I've casually asked for sponsorships but I guess nobody cared. Or am I not sponsorable? Let's find out. You'll never know if you don't try.

~~
As the title above, I'm planning on making video productions for a long term basis and here's an opportunity for a company to gain some exposure.

I am looking for a sponsor to provide me with a video-camera which is able to shoot in High-Definition (HD), which will enable me to go on with my video-related projects. Currently, I have roughly 2 video projects in-the-planning stages.

I am studying Multimedia Design and I tend to choose 'video-design' as my path. Having said so, there will be more video-projects in the future.

For every video I make, I will include you(the sponsor) in the credits section. My video projects will be uploaded into YouTube and other video hosting sites.

I have 1487 friends in Facebook and 402 followers in Twitter. Both which I will update multiple times a day. Rest assured that, your company will be mentioned whenever I post a video up which was recorded with the sponsored gadget.

This is my fourth official year of blogging. My video projects will also be up in my blog with a mention of your company.

Here are two videos which I have directed and produced using my friend's DSLR.





You can contact me at my email (zhengdhong24@gmail.com).
~~

If this guy, Craig Rowin, who asked for one million dollars succeeded and got what he wanted. I think I can too.


I've always lived on this as one of my motto, 'You'll never know if you don't try'.

So now I'm asking you, will you sponsor me a video-camera, please?

Remember to subscribe to The Orange Banana and also follow me on Twitter @dylan3008.





Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Jothy's Fish Head Curry Sues Blogger SixthSeal.com and Google For Defamation

Just a couple of hours ago, theStar Online posted up an article on their website which then started to be the talk among the bloggers and social media users in Malaysia. Words of dissatisfaction towards the restaurant owner soon fills up Twitter and Facebook.
Google, blogger sued by restaurant for RM6mil
By MUGUNTAN VANAR

KOTA KINABALU: A popular Indian cuisine restaurant here that is recommended by travel guide Lonely Planet, is suing a blogger and Google for defamation.

Jothy's Fish Head Curry restaurant director Tharumaraj Sivaperumal filed a RM6mil civil suit at the Kota Kinabalu High Court here Monday, naming blogger Poh Huai Bin as first defendant and California-based Google Inc as second defendant.

The suit is arising from some allegedly defamatory statements about Jothy's Fish Head Curry restaurant posted in May last year by Poh, originally from Sibu in Sarawak and now residing in Kuala Lumpur.

Jothy's, represented by counsel Marcel Jude Joseph, is seeking exemplary or punitive damages to deter them from making similar statements in future and an order to restrain Poh from defaming the restaurant on the Internet.

Jothy's is also seeking an order from the court to remove the offending articles from Google and other popular search engines used on the Internet.

The company claimed that the alleged defamatory statements published by both the defendants tended to prejudice against the plaintiff in the conduct of its business and deter others from dealing with it and were injurious to the business.

As a result of the defendants' action, the plaintiff claimed it had suffered loss and damage, and its reputation had been affected both locally and internationally.

The plaintiff claimed that the good reputation of the restaurant, in operation since 1987, was known globally and reported as a well-known destination in Kota Kinabalu and Sabah, in the global television and book series Lonely Planet, referred to as an authority for tourists throughout the world.

The plaintiff also claimed that the posting and articles of the first defendant were available and read by Internet users throughout Sabah and Malaysia, adding that the second defendant conducted business within the jurisdiction of Malaysian courts because its search engine was used regularly by Internet users in the country.
Based on my knowledge, the blogger, SixthSeal has left a statement on his blog claiming that he had the worst fish head curry.

"The Worst Fish Head Curry and Banana Leaf Restaurant in the Known Universe."

"Avoid like a bad case of herpes."

He had posted this blog post sometime during May last year. However, his blog is currently down at the moment, which is why you will not be able to browse for the post.

Does giving bad remarks on food you've eaten serves to be a defamatory statement? Well, the basic knowledge of law tells us YES it does. There are a lot of other people out there giving bad opinions on food either libel or slanderous. How are you going to 'catch' these people instead? Seems to me that a blogger's freedom of opinion is getting lesser by the day. Food bloggers watch out! You might be next!

However, if you are standing on the plaintiff's side which in this case would be Jothy's Fish Head Curry restaurant director Tharumaraj Sivaperumal, the facts might be helping him out a little. The alleged statement is defamatory unless proven otherwise. For a statement to be not defamatory, SixthSeal needs to prove that he is only giving his fair comment. How is this going to play out?

But what I do not understand is this. Is everyone now sueing for money instead? Nobody likes to sue if they are not paid damages, isn't that right?

"Jothy's Fish Head Curry restaurant director Tharumaraj Sivaperumal filed a RM6mil civil suit.."

RM6mil that's alot! That's like a lot of fish head curry! Why sue Google? Is it because Google has the cash and not the blogger?

Right now, I do feel like tasting their fish head curry. It's been awhile since I've eaten fish head curry. After that, maybe I'll give my own opinion on it...or maybe not?

Now in my defence, everything I said here are based on my own personal opinion and are not meant to defame any person/company/ or equivalent. It's so scary these days...it's not safe anymore.

Just so you know, Google has taken down traces which leads to this particular case. So it will be hard to find any source of pictures or text. If anyone of you has a source, do let me know down below in the comments section.

By the way, such great publicity both of them are getting don't ya think?

Updated 7.51pm: Managed to get a screenshot of the blogpost from me.zestful.org. Click for better view.
jothy's fish head curry

~~


My #PONO Jouney: I'm in the Semi-Finals! | Top20 Photoshoot | Giving Youths a Chance to Get An Education | 

Remember to subscribe to The Orange Banana and also follow me on Twitter @dylan3008.










Wednesday, January 19, 2011

How To View All of Your Friends' Updates in Facebook

Are you getting status updates from the same friends everyday in Facebook?

The reason this is happening is because Facebook has set the default settings to show posts from 'Friends and pages you interact with the most'.

If you wish to view updates from all of your friends and pages, do follow the steps below.

Step 1: Click on the arrow beside 'Most Recent' on top of your Status input text field.
Step 2: Click on Edit Options
Step 3: Change settings in 'Show post from' to 'All of your friends and pages'
Step 4: Click Save

You're done!

I hope this helps you out a bit if you are wondering why you keep on getting updates from the same person each time. =)

facebook


facebook

When you're done, do read about the current competition I'm in which is Project One & Only. I really as much support as I can get. 

My #PONO Jouney: I'm in the Semi-Finals! | Top20 Photoshoot | Giving Youths a Chance to Get An Education | 

Remember to subscribe to The Orange Banana and also follow me on Twitter @dylan3008.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Giving Youths a Chance to Get An Education

project O&OWhat will you do if your parents tell you that they can't support you any further financially and that you would have to miss the chance to further your studies?

Is it possible for you to support yourself? It will be tough, really REALLY TOUGH.

Project One & Only came up with a segment which gave the Top20 contestants a chance to voice out our opinions on what we would like to accomplish to make a change in our country or at least help out charity-wise.

I have always believed that education plays an important role in a person's life. It is sad to see one's dream taken away just because money gets in the way. I don't come from a wealthy family but with the support from relatives, I am now doing my tertiary studies at Tunku Abdul Rahman College.

What I would like to accomplish is to give a chance to needy youths who needs monetary support in order to continue on in their education. Through Project O&O's task, I am proposing an idea to make this all happen.

Read all about it below and leave me a comment if you think that there are some flaws which I need to attend to. I really do appreciate your comments.

After accomplishing this task, there will be another task coming which will most probably be an online auction for the cause we have just proposed. I'll be needing as much support that I can get. I hope to make this a success.
Do support me if you think that I deserve to be your Youth Ambassador.

~~~

QUESTION:
Tell us about an event that you'd like to do sometime in the month of  March 2011. This event has to relate to the cause you believe in.

Guidelines:
1. The event should fall within the scope of environmental (eg. tree planting)/ social (eg youth related)/ charity (eg blood donation).
2. The event should reach out to the public as widely possible - in terms of physical presence, and news to the media to inspire the society.

Areas to cover:
1. Why do you choose that cause.
2. Why do you think that event can help the cause.
3. What kind of assistance will you need to run that cause, and how will you get them.
4. What are the ways you will spread the news out to convince both your friends & the public to take part in the event.
5. What are the risks/ obstacles involved in running this event. And how will you overcome them.


DYLAN'S ANSWER:

The event which I would like to proceed with is some how related to what I am going through. The event is to promote awareness towards the public which tells them about how youths these days are obstructed to fulfill their dreams of getting an education just because one has insufficient money.

I also plan to build up a new cause/charity to help youths to get their education and also fulfill their dreams, because as far as I am concerned, there is not a specific cause available now which serves the purpose of helping needy youths. Even if there are other organizations out there who offer monetary help to students but I feel that the procedures and requirements are too much of a hassle and too high for some.

The reason I choose to have this cause is because many youths out there are struggling with the need to pay a huge amount of money just to complete their studies. Many have stopped studying and have not entered the tertiary level of education just because the family could not give monetary support. However, this kind of situation does not only appear when students’ wants to enter tertiary level, it is happening even right from the early stages. Pre-school, primary and secondary levels.

So where does one go when one if faced with such of a dilemma. They eventually stop studying and go straight into working life. Why not seek help from available organizations to get loans or even scholarships? We all know how much hassle it is to apply for a study loan, even if you succeed, the amount given will not be sufficient.

The event will help the cause in many ways. First off, it will create awareness to the public telling them that this problem of youths not getting a chance to complete their education stages is indeed happening in our country. I am quite certain that many of us are not aware of this problem because we might think that this matter is not as important as other social problems out there.

However, my cause is just as important as any other cause out there. Why would you want to crush a person’s dream of being a doctor, engineer, accountant, business person, architect, scientist, reporter, journalist, broadcaster, graphic artist, fashion designer and many other wonderful occupations just because one cannot afford the tuition fees and living expenses?

Besides creating awareness, I also wish to tell people that it is not only the low-income families that can’t afford to send their child to school but also the middle-income families. Why is this so? It takes thousands for one to complete their diploma which includes tuition fees and living expenses.

A number of organizations are offering help but the help offered isn’t enough to cover for everything. They are only covering for tuition fees and not the living expenses. So to me, these kinds of loans are just not enough.
In order to make this cause come true and succeed, I will of course need the help and assistance of every single person available. The event will probably be run in a few stages. However, to give it a rough cut, I’ll divide it into ‘short-term’ and ‘long-term’.

During the short-term stages, would like to achieve the goal of successfully creating awareness to the public about the issue. With this I would seek help from the people having any access to the media.

I would probably start off with seeking help from the bloggers. The social media has been successful over these past few years. Many of us are somehow connected directly or indirectly towards social media. Having bloggers help to blog about the event will certainly boost awareness to users of the internet.

Then I would probably approach the media and press to tell them about the event and cause. This will then target the people who are used to the common media.

Besides getting help from the media, getting support from various schools and education organizations is very important as well. This would probably be the ‘long-term’ goal. 

Approaching different schools and telling them about the cause will indeed help to spread the message across. My cause could be made available to students studying in that school.

The fastest way to spread a message across is by the word of mouth. Having the public create a buzz about the cause will indeed boost its awareness. To achieve this, I would have to be successful in conveying the message across to people during the early stages of this project when I am spreading the news.

If I am able to create a buzz through social media and also the common media, I am sure that people would have the thought of taking part in this campaign of mine, which is why the media plays a very important. Most people often get influenced by the media, so if I can get the media to write about my cause, then I have played my role.

Of course risks and obstacles cannot be avoided. One of the main risks involved is to have the public not support or even shun the whole event; Mainly because they are not convinced that this cause will work. Some might think that there are better causes out there to support. How I would overcome this is by planning out the whole event to be as detailed as possible with statistics of youths not getting to further their studies and maybe some interviews from the public on their thoughts.

Having done so, if I’ve given out as much explanation needed to convey my message across and the public still is unsure, then I do not think that the problem lays in my hands.

One of the other risks involved is that the media and other organizations will not accept my proposal to the cause. If this is so, then I would probably start small and slightly slower to prove to them that I am capable of achieving my goals even if I am by myself, in the hopes of them seeing the need for this cause to be put to the next stage to receive a bigger attention.

Achieving such a goal is never easy but it is not impossible. My wish for now is to be successful in what I’m doing and with that be able to help other people too.

~~~

You can find my proposal in Project O&O's Facebook Page as well as proposal's from the other contestants.


Remember to subscribe to The Orange Banana and also follow me on Twitter @dylan3008.



Inventing My Own iPad Application for Maxis

The Situation
It gives you a headache whenever you go on a vacation out of town or maybe to another country and you can’t seem to figure out how to get transport from one place to another. You don’t even know where the tourist spots are located. This is when you take out that huge piece of map and compass and hope that you’ll find your way around.

What happens if you don’t even know where the tourist spots are? Now that is a great big problem. You’ll start wondering around until you see something interesting which in the end isn’t that much interesting at all.

So if you look around in Malaysia, there are a lot of tourists who come here for their vacation. I’m sure you have seen a few who has a map in hand looking all confused.

There aren’t much directory boards or information counters where tourists get to stop to search for information. Heck, Malaysians aren’t that even that helpful, which is why, ‘You are all on your own’.

The Solution
We are now living in a world where technology is of abundance. Smartphones, laptops and now the iPad. Wouldn’t it be great if there was an app which allows you to plan your vacation ahead of time?

An app which solves the problem of looking for transportation. It also helps a person to locate various tourists spots which then also explains and let them know what is there to do in that particular destination.

Introducing to you, iGuideMY. (‘MY’ stands for Malaysia)

ipad app

iGuideMY Concept
To have an all in one planner that is able to locate various tourist spots.

Target Audience
International tourists
Locals going on holidays
Smartphone users
iPad users

iGuideMY Functions
The iGuideMY can be summed up in five main parts, each with its own special feature which will work nicely together.
i) Map Function (with GPS)
ii) Places Locator
iii) Public Transportation Schedule/List
iv) Places Directory
v) Personal Planner

iGuideMY App Navigation
Places Locator > Places Directory > Public Transportation Schedule/List > GPS Function > Personal Planner 

How It Works
Let’s say that you are a tourist coming to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for a vacation but you do not know where the local tourist areas are and how to travel from one place to another.

-Step 1
So you take out your iPad and open up iGuideMY.
You type in the place you will be heading to. Example, Kuala Lumpur.
A list of tourist and entertainment spots will be shown along with a brief description.
Select your place of choice.
ipad app 

Step 2
Let’s say you have chosen KLCC.
This will then open up the ‘Places Directory’.
It will then show you detailed information on KLCC.
There will be a description on KLCC together with a list of things to do in KLCC. It will be like whole new directory.

It also includes pictures of KLCC. The best thing about this is that you get to see KLCC in a 360 degree view instead of a normal 180 degree normal picture view. Just slide your finger across the photo to turn the view around, even up and down!

You can even talk a virtual walk in KLCC by ‘zooming’ into the picture. Slide both your fingers apart to ‘walk forward’.
ipad app


Step 3
After you have decided that you are going to visit the place, click ‘Add to Planner’.
After that, choose another destination to go to.
ipad app 

Step 4
After choosing the second destination, you will now need to plan for your transportation.
Go to ‘Public Transportation’.
View the various public transportation schedules for buses, LRTs, taxis, etc.
Key in your destinations in the fields provided.
A list of suggested transportation will be shown.
Select your choice and add to list.
This will then update your ‘Personal Planner’
ipad app 

Step 5
Open up your ‘Map Function’.
Your whole route will be shown here.
There will be a GPS function to make sure that you are going the correct path.
ipad app 

Step 6
You’re done!
Book your flight tickets and enjoy your holiday!

*All images are for illustration purposes only.
~~~
Of course you will also need a data plan provider. Do check out the rates provided by Maxis (http://www.maxis.com.my/personal/broadband/ipad_postpaid.asp).

Yes! iPads are now available through Maxis! Get yours now!

Remember to subscribe to The Orange Banana and also follow me on Twitter @dylan3008.

Maxis contest participant badge

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Stop Complaining

It's human nature to complain about things or at least it's the Malaysian way to say that something is just not good enough.

We complain about how another person dresses, we talk about how bad one's personality is, we do not like how things are managed especially when it's not going our way and we do not like the decisions made for us. It seems like we are never satisfied with anything.

Since we complain about so many things, let me narrow the scope down just a little bit.

One of the many things that we complain about, there's always one topic which tops every other topic. It is when there are two sides/teams/leaders/companies/etc and we always complain about one side being useless.

If you are on Team A, why complain about how bad Team B is doing? Each and every individual will have their very own style of doing things. Sometimes it may be different that how you would usually approach things but if that's their style then That's Their Style.

A 'Sdn. Bhd.' is a registered company. One of the mission and vision of a company is of course to make money and grow. So there is nothing wrong if they are making decisions to increase their value. If you are hoping for them to be taking care of your feelings, then don't join a 'Sdn. Bhd.'. Join something else.

There's no point going back and forth comparing because you will never get a conclusion.

As a matter of fact, leaders will always get complaints and there will always be someone opposing them. It is always good to have someone to be your opponent. As long as there is a healthy competition, both parties will grow significantly.

Yes, we need competition.

What are your thoughts on this? More discussions could be carried out if the response is good. Do leave me your comments.

Remember to subscribe to The Orange Banana and also follow me on Twitter @dylan3008.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Top 20 Semi-Finalist for Project O&O

Today was the last day of examinations for me, so happens that today is also the day for the release of the Top 20 finalists for Project One & Only's photoshoot!

Project One & Only (aka Project O&O) is an online competition to search for the next Youth Ambassador.

Right now we are in the semi-finals stage of Project O&O. We have just completed the Stylo Segment with an awesome photoshoot!

All thanks to:
Virtigo Photo Studio - Official Photography Studio
Kai Image Academy - Official Make Up Artist
Callas Paris - Official Cosmetics
Cutting Edge Coiffure - Official Hair Maestro

and also to the organizers of Project One & Only!

projectoo

Do support me to be in the running of becoming the next Youth Ambassador! If you think I deserve it, do LIKE my photo and leave me a comment.

Thanks! More updates coming soon!

Remember to subscribe to The Orange Banana and also follow me on Twitter @dylan3008.

My #PONO Jouney: I'm in the Semi-Finals!

A TVC Attempt - F-Cup Tea


For the subject Video and Audio.



F-Cup Tea TVC

Tunku Abdul Rahman College
Diploma in Multimedia Design (Year 2)


Director: Dylan PhuahZhengDhong
Written by: Dylan PhuahZhengDhong
Storyboard by: Jack NgauJinLun
Cinematographer: Terance PuanChiaHao
Director of Photography: Michael OoiCheeWah
Video Editor: Terance PuanChiaHao
Props Master: Keimi NgYiTing

Casts:
Gill TanSinMay as Female Character
Jayren KwanHannYew as Male Character

Song: Turtles - Happy Together

**For education purpose only.

Remember to subscribe to The Orange Banana and also follow me on Twitter @dylan3008.