MANILA, Philippines - Status message is the new status symbol.
This has been the battlecry of the ME generation as it continues to look inside, outside, sidewards and backwards. The most important part of your day is when you type on the box of your Twitter or Facebook page that asks “What are you doing?” “What’s on your mind?”
With this in mind, Samsung wants to know what the ME generation has in their minds by launching The Samsung I Imagine Shout-out Making Contest. The task? To pick your brains for the best interpretation of Samsung’s “When passion meets imagination” theme. It’s as simple as making a shout out. We live in an age of freedom. Our voices, no matter how small, can reach a global audience. In ancient times, people whose voices got stifled would stage rallies where they can express fully themselves in words and actions. We now have the luxury of sitting down on our own little corner of either our own room or at an icafe—type away and there you go, instant shout out to the world.
“Express, don’t impress,” that was what a wise guru of lifestyle journalism always advocated. To this day I try my best to uphold her ideals, as I translate each word from my mind, heart and soul onto this page. There is magic there somewhere. You start with imagination, and then you add passion, and it takes a life force of its own, like two lovers destined to be with each other.
Power Of The Written Word
Before it was all about work and patience. That was all we needed to succeed in life. While this still holds true I really think that in these fast times, it is passion and imagination that will save the world. And as was proven by our fellow Filipinos this past few weeks, even our words can save lives. Welcome to the power of the word.
And with each day we log online, we practice the power of the word. We can change our feelings, mindsets and perspectives based on the words we use. In the light of the recent incident, I thought I wanted to change the words used on the front pages of our broadsheets and what we see in the news—it all seemed quite negative to me. So I decided to change it. Instead of victims, let’s call them survivors. Let’s do rebuild operations instead of relief operations. It’s not just about giving, it’s more about sharing. Instead of calling it a tragedy, let’s call it a challenge. See, words can make a difference.
This contest on the words we work with is what its all about. It’s a contest that is open to all college students15 to 25 years of age currently enrolled in any Metro Manila university who want to shout out something to the world. Students must log-on to www.samsung.com/ph and click on the banner ad, which will lead them to the samsungimagine.com microsite to register and upload their shout-out. You can also checkout Folded & Hung stores, Samsung’s shout out partner. All uploaded shout-outs are subject to screening prior to posting in the website. So what must they shout out?
Talk, play, love — sounds like a words meant not just for the poet and the dreamer that you are, but also for the mover and shaker that we have become. These three categories comprise the shout out contest. Talk is a shout-out that expresses emotions, ideas, thoughts, dreams, hopes, and ambitions, while play is a shout-out that expresses how life is experienced through love of music, sports, fashion and the arts. And love, a shout-out that expresses how bonds are formed with family and friends through shared interests and passions. Remember, your words can change the world.
Speaking of passion meeting imagination, Supreme sends out a big shout out to Rocio Olbes a 23 year old bag designer who is making waves in the scene right now. Her Rocio bags, masterfully crafted, are true works of art. So much so that Member’s Only put them on display, with her muses in tow. I happen to be one of the muses. I am a proud owner of a Rocio murse along with Solenn Heusaff, Koby Parcell, Alexandra Rocha, Heart Evangelista, Cristina Hernandez de Cacho-Olbes, Lulu Tan-Gan, Mikaela Lagdameo-Martinez, Steph Zubiri and Alessandra Perez-Rubio, all keepers of the purse.
I met Rocio in her early teen years as a shy young teenager, still happy within the comfort of her sheltered life. After Manila, she ventured into London where she was exposed to the world of fashion. When she came back to Manila she metamorphosed into a young sophisticate of global standards. She knew her passion, and knew how to play it. Rocio has moved up from being the shy, naive, sheltered, Southern belle into a fully empowered, passionate, creative soul. This energy translates into her mini treasure chests that’s making Manila, and the world for that matter, salivate.
That night was a parade of it girls that can make your imagination run wild. Supreme looked at the pictures and provided the shouts. It is easy to judge these people to be just blessed with good genes with a sense of entitlement — But no, behind the gloss and glitz lies a sure sense of hardwork, imagination and passion. And these qualities are invisible. A big shout out for all those who talk, play and love unconditionally. Continue to do so.
Now it’s your turn to do a shout out. Log on to www.samsung.com/ph
Shout it out, follow me at www.twitter.com/iamtimyap