IPOD ADVERTISEMENTS

There are a myriad of distinctive advertisements in our society today, which attract individuals on the freeway, buses, television, flyers, newspapers, and so forth. They all have some type of appeal that influences us to buy the selling product. In addition, the products often represent some type of satisfaction that consumers tend to believe but sometimes get fooled by, when they try it out. For example, you see an ad of a CD player sold by SONY with earphones selling at Best Buy for $29.99 compared to its original price of $49.99. The moment you load a disc in and test it out, it runs a couple of tracks and then burns out fifteen minutes later. As an end result, the buyer is disappointed about his/her purchase.

This past weekend, I came across an iPod billboard by Apple on the 10 freeway. We tend to see ipods everywhere we go, whether it may be on someone at school, library, party, gym, work place, bookstore, grocery store, or even someone driving next to you figuring out what song to play. People in society are always looking for the latest technology and ipods have certainly been around for a while in competition with products such as the Zune and iRiver. But what makes ipod advertisements by Apple so appealing? The black image that dances with the contrasting color on the background and the white ipod. In addition, the momentous variety of colors makes them appealing in comparison to the plain black and white ones. Nowadays, ipods come in different shapes, forms, and sizes such as the iPod shuffle, nano, classic, and touch.

When ipods by Apple first came out on commercials, the black figure was portrayed indistinct. It seemed the figure in black gives a shadow perception and can address any type of person. Although, why did Apple do this in their advertisement? It seems to me that by doing this, you cannot tell the specific race of the person shown or even tell the gender and the age of a person. With this visual depiction of the people and the different genres of music they put in the commercials, it allows for individuals like us to relate to the people in advertisements who are famous.

At the moment, these figures in black are now being depicted of recognized people. There are ipod advertisements with the black outlined figure of America’s Best Dance Crew, the Beat Freaks and commercials with individuals dancing to a certain song, such as Technologic by Daft Punk. These advertisements show a connection that relates to the people in society and a sense of what they enjoy. Not only do they recognize certain people but also are the best handy gadgets to carry around and listen to while killing time.

Ipod Advertisement:Technologic by Daft Punk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlHUz99l-eo

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ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRNKS

Do you have what it takes to become a rock star? Five words. . ."Party Like a Rock Star". If you drink a can, you will certainly be backstage with hot women all over you, people asking for your autograph, and blow as far as the eye can see. This ROCKSTAR energy drink commercial clearly illustrates rock stars playing in full blast and fully emphasizes on the ROCKSTAR cans close up. In addition, there are three women figures dancing like crazy and looking sexy to capture the audience’s attention. What I realized about this commercial and ad is that they always portray a party scene. Not only do I see ROCKSTAR energy drinks on commercial and in magazines, they are practically everywhere! From grocery stores, liquor stores, vending machines, gas stations, convenience stores, and on the hands of college students on campus. They come in a variety of different sizes, flavors, and colors that range from the original rockstar to roasted coffee or juiced pomegranate. It can also be found in a variety of forms, such as 8.4 ounces, 16 ounces, 24 ounces, and even 22 ounces Rockstar punched or 2.5 ounces energy shots. In addition, there are twelve different flavors and are sold in over twenty other countries since 2001.

More overly, I am completely sure that almost every college student has at least tried an energy drink or has consumed coffee in order to keep himself or herself awake to study for quizzes, tests, midterms, or whatever it may be. According to ROCKSTAR, their energy drink is the world’s most powerful energy drink and mentions the logo of Bigger. Better. Faster. Stronger. ROCKSTAR seems to claim if you want energy to party like a rock star then you need to have a rockstar energy drink before you do. Many celebrities and movie stars do similar things in excess and Rockstar Energy Drink itself was the first company to feature the 16-ounce cans, doubling the conventional size of drinks like Red Bull. These 16-ounce cans contain 110 calories per serving and there are two servings, therefore there is a total of 220 calories inside a Rockstar. Besides caffeine and sugar, Rockstar is enhanced with the potent herbal blend of Guarana, Ginkgo, Ginseng, and Milk Thistle and is scientifically formulated to provide an incredible energy boost for those who lead active and exhausting lifestyles-from athletes to rock stars.

Not only does rockstar give you energy to party like one, but also it gives you the kick for about four hours. Energy drinks, like rockstar, seem to be the best among the many others that have been created or are still in the process of becoming sold all over the United States and countries. I, for instance have tried Rockstar. It does not taste like all the other energy beverages since it has a citrus base, but like all other energy drinks it always has that medicine taste, such as Robitussin. Although, I do not think Rockstar energy drinks help with hangovers. Many people use energy drinks as chasers mixed with alcohol and substantially believe that Rockstar should do the trick. I believe that Rockstar just gives you an ideal boost to feel in place if you are exhausted or in lack of energy. With the variety in size and its two-dollar cost, I would recommend this because you get a good tasting kick for the money. In my opinion, Rockstars are better super chilled than warm. All in all, Rockstar seems to be the tactic among school, work, and getting over being tired. Energy drinks seem to be addicting, just how some people need to have coffee everyday as part of their fulfillment or do we buy it to blend in with other students because Rockstars address that it makes one feel like a rock star.

ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK COMMERCIAL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BUc6RVTOB4

Source: http://www.rockstar69.com/product.php?pdt=1 ; http://www.rockstar69.com/company.php ; http://www.galttech.com/research/health/energy-drinks.php

CREPES VS. PANCAKES

You find them similar to pancakes, their round shape on a circular cooking device, the way they form when the heat absorbs the pan, or how they turn out to look once they are done. You find them on 2^nd Street at La Creperie Café, at California’s Crepes and Pasta in Cerritos, Genki Living at Rowland Heights, at cafés, and of course Brittany, France where they originated from. What makes crepes a distinctively great cuisine? Why are crepes examined more precisely than pancakes? Crepes and pancakes have a prevalent difference, which happens to be that crepes do not have baking powder or baking soda in them. They tend to be lighter than American pancakes, and are usually served as a meal on their own as opposed to an accompaniment to eggs, bacon, sausages etc. In addition, they are cooked in an electric crepe pan or circular pan and do not rise so they remain thinner, lighter, and have more uses and meals they can be used in.

Crepes can easily be made with 1 cup all-purpose flour, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup water, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons butter, melted. They can be filled with numerous toppings and items, such as nutella (a type of chocolate spread) which makes them significant than pancakes. In addition, they can become breakfast, lunch, or dinner and even dessert crepes. Filling with fruit or most anything you wish then dusting them with confectioner sugar makes dessert crepes. On the other hand, pancakes are just known for their sweet toppings of fruit, butter, whip cream, and ultimately maple syrup on top. Essentially, you cannot add chicken and mushrooms on pancakes, but you most certainly can on a crepe. That is why I believe crepes are ultimately better than pancakes due to their sophisticated variety. Crepes are normally 10-12 inches while pancakes are 4-6 inches in diameter. There are two types of crepes, one is known as sweet crepes (made with wheat flour and slightly sweetened) and the other savory galettes (made with buckwheat flour and unsweetened).

Crepes came from a region of France and their consumption is nowadays widespread in France. They have been increasingly popular in North America and are considered a national dish. In Brittany, crepes are traditionally served with cider and with a variety of fillings, from the most simple with only sugar to elaborate savory fillings. Last week, I went to La Creperie on 2^nd street and the atmosphere inside the café was different from most café’s I have gone to. They had an amazing ambiance, just as if you were in France eating a delicious crepe. What fascinated me the most was the way they decorated my Romeo and Juliet dessert crepe and how I was also able to witness how chefs carefully prepared the crepes everyone waited to enjoy. The sweet crepes on the menu look good but they looked extremely better once the crepe was brought out.

Nowadays, almost every country has their own version of crepes. However Brittany, France is where they first started, created, and perfected, elevating the crepe to an art form. Back in the day, white flour was an expensive product, which was reserved only for royalty. That is why savory crepes were traditionally made with buckwheat , since it was a plant that was easy to grow. As farmers became wealthier, they began to enjoy sweet white flour crepes as an after-dinner treat or with coffee for breakfast. The word crepe is French for pancake, from the Latin crispus, meaning crisp. In France, crepes were originally called galettes crepes, meaning flat cakes. Lastly, crepes can be folded into a triangle and pancakes cannot, otherwise they will break.

So, why are crepes better than pancakes? There are several reasons I mentioned and hope this will actually catch everyone’s attention. Crepes come in a variety of different selections, which make it appetizing opposed to the plain boring pancakes!

Source: http://www.mrbreakfast.com/superdisplay.asp?recipeid=259; http://crepeclub.wetpaint.com/page/Crepe+Information

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DEVIN-FIVE DOLLARS OF WHAT ...

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FOLLOW THE TRUCK IF YOU'RE STILL HUNGRY.


Trying a new type of food that you are not familiar with is a difficult task most of the time, especially if you are nit-picky. Don’t you agree? It’s either you will like the food or you will waste money on something you wish you had not ordered. Last weekend, my cousins and I went to Baccali’s Café and Rotisserie, which is located in Alhambra, for dinner to catch up with one another. It was my first time there and the menu had so many different selections. I was told that Baccali’s Café and Rotisserie was known for their rotisserie chicken, which seemed quite obvious because of the name. Although, I wanted to try something different and was not able to make a decision, so my cousin’s boyfriend suggested that I try a baked seafood pasta. I went along with his suggestion and it turned out that the baked seafood pasta was not what I had pictured it to be. It turned out as a soup porridge as opposed to noodles mixed with seafood all around. I decided to give it a try and eventually did not like it. My facial expression showed my cousin’s boyfriend that I was not satisfied and he felt terrible. In return, he paid for my baked seafood pasta.

As we headed back to his place, we saw a Kogi truck on the freeway that ended up becoming a chase since dinner did not satisfy me. Kogi was written on three sides of the truck and was founded by Mark Manguera, who thought about Korean BBQ on a taco one night as he was eating Mexican tacos and drinking a beer. Besides Manguera, chef Roy Choi was classically trained and made Kogi tacos tasty. The Kogi truck in particular is a Korean BBQ taco stand that ventures off to at least three different cities a day for about three hours at each location. Isn’t this amazing? Who knew that Korean BBQ taco trucks would head out to different areas and reach out to people about their tacos. Furthermore, these tacos trucks would twitter out to everyone the time and destination every hour and respond back to individuals quickly. I thought that this was really impressive. They had the best Korean tacos with a juicy sauce and other mouth-watering selections that captivated everyone. What made them so unique was the way it tasted, as if you were actually going to go eat at a Korean BBQ restaurant.

The tacos were honestly different from Del Taco and Taco Bell. What fascinated me was the way Kogi invented tacos with kimchi (spicy cabage with varied seasonings). Whoever knew that their would be kimchi tacos sold to the public. This was definitely a highlight! In addition, tacos were two dollars and burritos were a few dollars more. I say these tacos were far better than the 89 or 99 cent tacos from Del Taco and Taco Bell. I was quite familiar with Kogi due to the fact it made a big scene this past April in Cerritos. Police cars were surrounding the intersection and telling everyone to go home. Aside from that, the lines were tremendously long which surrounded the building and there was a certain limit you can only purchase. The moment the Kogi truck stopped, I rushed in line and was lucky enough to be the second customer. There I ordered four short-ribbed tacos and got it right away. The night became a long adventure that extremely satisfied my stomach and knew that Kogi would not disappoint me. Later on, I thought about what’s next to come? Filipino Tacos? Japanese Tacos? Indian Tacos? Someone might invent a new type of taco that will be the next big hit, roaming different cities.

PANCIT

Everyone in the United States always celebrates his or her birthday with a special dish every year, whether it may be a family tradition or something that just has to be on the kitchen table. Pancit (a noodle dish of Asian cuisine) is a very important dish in the customary Filipino tradition, especially when it is someone’s birthday and of course on New Year’s Day. What I think makes pancit so unique, is that it can be incorporated in many ways. Other types of noodle dishes, such as pad thai, chow mein, crispy noodle are among many of the other cultures. The most common ingredients pancit includes are noodles, carrots, head cabbage, onion, garlic cloves, green onions, chicken broth, black pepper, chicken bullion, soy sauce, lemon juice, and boneless chicken breast. You can also substitute some veggies, if you dislike particular ones as well as other types of meat. It was also said that pancit originated in China and was brought to the Philippines by traders. Long ago, the wheat noodles used in China were not available in the Philippines, so the Filipinos used the resources that were available such as rice and mongo-bean starch. Nowadays, you can purchase ingredients at a local supermarket nearby your place to make your scrumptious pancit at home.

Typically, my mom would cook a tray of pancit for my birthday every year or specifically order from a Filipino restaurant. Every time she cooks this dish at home, my little sister and I would write down the directions step by step and carefully watch. She would always mention to “eat a lot” of this since it represented longevity (to live a longer life to celebrate more birthdays) and good health, according to my grandmother. Whenever I eat pancit, I never forget my pandesal (salt bread) and the squeeze of lemon to add flavor. In my opinion, the salt bread substitutes the rice and the pancit becomes the main dish. I believe pancit informs us Americans culturally by having this traditional dish signify an important part of our culture and on important dates each year. Pancit defines my Filipino culture significantly since this dish has been common for several years. Moreover, there are several types of pancit, such as bihon, canton, malabon, miki, palabok, sotanghon, and many others that vary from really thin noodles to very thick noodles. Not only does pancit come in a variety of forms and sizes, it can also be made in any other traditional way, whether it may be Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai and so on. Pancit can be found in Filipino restaurants and fast food places, such as Goldilocks, Red ribbon, Jolibee, and Pinoy Pinay. This Filipino dish is a quick and easy process and usually only takes a couple of minutes to prepare. Seeing this dish on special occasions makes me proud for the reason that it brings great significance in my family and culture. Lastly, this dish is filling and is definitely worth trying.