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Been thinking about these 3 questions recently after it was articulated in a disection of advertising, more specifically their order of questioning.

The basic idea is that mediocre brands tell people

1. What they are selling
2. How they do it and either
1. never get around to saying why and ask you to buy one  straight  (call to action) or
2. Tell you why and then ask you to buy one (call to action)

Greater brands tell you

1. Why they do what they do
2. How they do it, then introduce
3. What they want to sell you
4. Call you to action (eg. wanna buy?)

Supposedly the why is called brand purpose, like Apple’s “Think Different”.

Haven’t thought much about it but just thought of the possibility of parallels between this and other things that are still floating in my mind. Perhaps a model of why some thought patterns are more attractive or common than others or why some things work and some things don’t.

Some messages also seem to be the same when you think about it both ways though but no examples today, too lengthy.

John 3:16 is presented in the second order Why, How, What:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life.

1. For God so loved the world (Why) that
2. He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him (How)
3. Will not perish, but have everlasting life (What)
4. (Call to action) Wanna get saved?

Re-imagining it in the first order sounds weird!

Have everlasting life, if you believe in him and that he gave his only son, because God so loved the world.

It really means the same thing just in a different order. I wonder if it sounds weird also just because its so well known.

Anyway, to reduce the greatest verse in the bible to good marketing principles is horrible! Just thought the parallel is interesting.

After church and some practice with the instruments, I went for lunch w yx and Eu at kallang macs cos we took a wrong turn trying to go to MBS. Had high tea with the Ngs, Gong Cha with the NGs, cycled w ZJ, then dinner with the Ngs and then supper/dessert with the Ngs. I think we spent alot of time with the Ngs. Anyway here are some pictures!

Went out to get Sandra’s hair cut. Haha.. kinda looks the same actually, but just slightly less messy. Wandered around orchard after YYM dinner for a short while then headed home.

Say hi to the Lam’s new kid

1. With the wife in bed and me finished working on my foot, I’ve been thinking about how me and YX relate to others around us. We’ve noticed that either we have changed or things around us have changed without us knowing or expecting it. The social dislocation is apparent to us but subtle enough to live with without breaking apart.
2. That aside, I finally found a cover worth uploading to FB of me and YX. I’m not narcistic or what but I love the photos I take, mostly because there is ownership and a story further than the image metadata like shutter speed and aperture.  There is value to me, whether it is the rubbish I upload to instagram all the time that only intrigues mostly myself or what some call my “serious” stuff in the studio and at work. Everything is play to me.. and if I’m the only one in the world who liked the way I took a certain picture, then it would still satisfy me.
3. I’ve changed my workplace for those who still do not know. I’m still easing into the job function which feels very foreign to me. Socially its been a really kind place as the people are really nice but I have yet to get on top of things which brings me to the next point.
4. I think I have a secret fear of being incompetent. Haha.. like lousy at anything. Which makes me want know everything and anything! Which might explain why I like to read stuff and cram useless knowledge. For now it manifests as a need to be able to be competent at my job. Not the greatest motivation but still a functional one.

Thats kind of all the late night thoughts I have. I want to cycle in the morning but I’m surely too tired. I want to stay up all night but I have no reason to. Going to bed!

Did a family photoshoot this morning. 3 hours in the studio flew by like nobody’s business! Incredibly hard doing a picture with number of kids >1

Did a couple of shots after for fun and laughter. Looks pretty serious and all but its really so easy with the wonderfully big and soft lights.

This day was spent entirely in the Resort. Woke up, lounged around, went for breakfast, went to the beach, went back for lunch, lounged around,  went for swim, ate dinner, lounged around then zzz.. The last few pictures were of us waiting around to leave and flying back to sg.

This morning was pretty much like a repeat of the morning before, ultra rushed getting ready and breakfast but at 730 instead of 11. First to reach the breakfast area! I didn’t mention it in the previous post but I LOVE the breakfast here. There is never enough stomach space to eat everything. Plus everything is so rich and yummy and quality. As with most hotels you can also order eggs, waffles, and pancakes in various styles with various toppings and sides. at least 6 different kinds of honey “good for *fill-in-blank*”. The joy ended when the breakfast staff came to remind us of our 11am appointment with the cycling pickup.

Once again, we jumped into a Subaru van-like vehicle and took a 2 hour journey to Kitamani, overlooking the Batur Volcano and lake and had light breakfast again at a restaurant while our cycling guide waited for us. We caught another ride up to the start point, the weather was really nice and cold. Long story short, after a very sandy and difficult track, it was all downhill from then onward. Super easy ride. About 25 kilometers later we reached the end point. In between were many things like Rice fields, temple stone carving production villages, wood carving villages, 1000 different temples and many kids.

The driver dropped us off at restaurant for lunch.. then we adjourned to eat babi guling (fried pig) at ibu oka and THEN eat fried duck at bebek bengil. HA. Now we were really stuffed. Walked about a market, bought stuff for nephews and neices then hopped in the van back to the Villa. Awesome food day. Packeted the pork back to eat with the cup noodles we brought over, really nice way to end the day.

The day started late getting up at 10am, hurrying to get ready and then hurrying through breakfast and then catching our ride a bit late at 11:10am. Mad rush. Our guide and drive from Bali jet set drove us down through narrow streets and one lane roads to Nusa Dua for the activity of the day which was a diving introduction. At one point the road was this thin strip of brick right beside the sea and it looked like we were on a cruise boat.

Anyhow, we got there safely in one piece and got seated beside the beach which was full of activity. Banana boats, this kite thing where you lie down on a giant float and get pulled by the boat like a kite, jet skiing and boat rides. No para-sailing though, the wind was so strong it could blow glass bottles from the table to the floor.

After some brief introductions, we proceeded to get a (glass) bottle of water, read about the hand signals, change into our wetsuits which were a big exercise and finally get into the instruction pool. After some orientation like how to grab your regulator back, clearing water from the mask and playing around with the buoyancy thing we took off our gear and got seated while waiting for our stuff to be loaded onto the (not so) speed boat.

Diving was mostly mixed feelings. It’s amazing to be breathing below the surface of the water but it’s dry, cold air (from the decompression) and I felt nausea after a short while because its like 360 degree movement, being in contorted positions to hold a position due to the strong currents. We were mostly 7-10m below the surface and our guide took photos and some (pretty bad) photos and videos but the point was just to document our dive which he managed to do to some degree. YX felt a little sick after 26 minutes which was a pretty long time already so we came up with plenty of air left and took a slow boat ride back. I felt plenty sick too but the experience was novel enough for me not to regret going.

We signed out, washed up and headed out to the streets with our guides who gave us incredulous looks when we said we wanted to just get down in the middle of their local stores and streets to walk around because there was simply nothing touristy. 1 hour of walking around, snapping pictures and heading into the local surf shop to buy a t-shirt or two and our guides we desperately looking for us saying the hotel called to find out why we hadn’t arrived back yet, we were pretty impressed. So we called the hotel and continued to seafood dinner at the Dewata Cafe, Jimbaran. The food was great! and not ridiculously tourist priced too. Picked out the seafood, then choose how to cook and sat down. Food came really fast. We ate as the sun set and had a round 2 of mussels because the sauces were so yummy.

Got a long ride back to the villa and reached after dark which was about 7pm. Looks more like 9pm though, considering the sun rises at 545am its kinda expected. The big public pool was deserted and the hotel restaurants were closed already. Headed back and swam then called it a night.