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Is DA too commercialised nowadays?

Journal Entry: Wed Apr 22, 2009, 4:45 PM

I have had a subscription for more than a year now, and I don't know how I'm going to continue using DA without one. While signing up for a new account for a friend, I was shocked to find every corner of DA filled with ads and marketing messages, especially for a non-subscriber. With my subscription expiring in 2 months, I really have no idea how I can continue using this site without being frustrated by the not-so-subtle clutter of marketing messages. And no, I'm broke, so renewing the subscription is not an option.

I've been on DA for 2 years now, and I find the art community concept gradually being diluted with the company taking every single opportunity to market to us deviants. First, it started with the ads. More ads started popping out, and the only way to get rid of them is to subscribe. And then, DA started selling merchandise! It sounded like a great idea: an opportunity for deviants to display their community spirit! Then much quirkier stuff popped out, like the plushie and now limited edition posters! And then, when DA started offering new features like the critique... and you want to try it? GET A SUBSCRIPTION!!!!!! What happened to the support community genuinely promoting art, artists, and friendship among like-minded people? All I see now is DA promoting DA!

I know DA is not a charity organisation, and that DA needs the ads and subscriptions to sustain its activities. But I'm sure there are ways to market to us deviants without plastering ads in every nook and cranny or shouting "GET A SUBSCRIPTION" every opportunity it gets!

As a marketing student, it sounds kind of hypocritical for me to criticise DA's marketing efforts which are obviously working extremely well for DA. However, I do feel that I'm not the only one frustrated by all these hard-sell messages. After all, one of the golden rules of advertising and marketing is to avoid clutter - it puts people off!!!!

I'm having a bad day and I need to rant.

Opinions, people?

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16 Comments

Mood: Frustrated
Listening to: Poker Face - Lady Gaga

Two-Oh-Oh-Nine

Journal Entry: Thu Jan 1, 2009, 3:20 PM

Dear all,

Happy New Year!!! 新年快乐! Szczesliwego Nowego roku! Buon Capo d'Anno! Selamat Tahun Baru! Bonne année! Maligayang Bagong Taon! 明けましておめでとう! Feliz Año Nuevo! Godt Nyttår! Gutes Neues Jahr! Hyvää Uutta Vuotta!

Just wanted to greet fellow deviants in some of your languages. _{If you know how to say Happy New Year in other languages, please let me know!!}

Two-oh-oh-eight came and went, so quickly that it's hard to believe it's a brand spanking new year already. Hope all of you had an awesome 2008. For me, 2008 had been a bittersweet one.

Since young, I've always wanted to experience life in a foreign country, and the opportunity came for me in 2008 - thus explaining my disappearing act for the second half of 2008. I am now pursuing a Marketing degree (final year) in the UK, and it has been a life-changing experience for me so far.

Some things in the UK that I still need to get used to:
1. Spicy food in the UK is not spicy at all!
2. Some eateries charge extra for dining in ... (whereas in Malaysia, they charge extra for takeaway)
3. When some places say they are open 24 hours, they actually mean 24 hours on weekdays, but not on weekends

UK Behind the Lens of a Budget Camera

When people ask me to describe what my life is like in another country very different from mine, I'd show them some piccies. After all, pics paint a thousand words!

Image Description
_{The Big Ben!}

_{The Tower Bridge}

_{Chinatown - You'll find one everywhere you go!}

_{Bonfire Night}

_{October snow in Hatfield, Hertfordshire where my uni is located... It's the first time I've seen snow... snow as in real snow, not those foamy white stuff churned out by stupid machines}

Image Description
_{Fellow deviants, fellow Malaysians - From left: Me, ~tanlammy, and ~madis0nz}

_{London Cosplay Ball 2008 - The girl in red is me. In this costume, I was attempting a combination of the Elegant Gothic Lolita and Wa (Japanese/Oriental) Lolita look; hence the wide obi-styled belt and oriental floral motives. My matching Elegant Gothic Aristocrat (middle) is ~tanlammy.}

My family has seen some of my pics and concluded that I'm 'holidaying' in the UK rather than studying... which is true to a certain extent... But hey, just because I don't show pictures of my sleep-deprived self after burning the midnight oil to finish up an assignment doesn't mean it's all play and no work... o3o
As the education system is very different here compared to back home, I find the assignments rather difficult. Back in Malaysia, our assignments are usually practical work, such as planning advertising campaigns, etc., whereas here in my uni, we are asked to write loads essays and reports... which is bad for me since I always have writers' block.

New Year's Resolutions

No, most people don't and can't stick to their new year's resolutions. Some people make them just to break them anyway. Yet, we still make them every year. Mine this year (which I will try not to break) are:

1. Be more active on DA
My DA has been under-performing for the whole of 2008, without only 2 miserable deviations throughout the year. Since coming to the UK, none of my modules require the use of graphic softwares, unlike my course back in Malaysia. This probably explains why I have so little artworks to put up on DA.
This year, I will try to put up more stuff. Ganbarimasu!

2. Stop procrastinating and be more optimistic
It's gonna be my big two-one in another 3 weeks. It's time to turn over a new leaf, stop procrastinating, sleep early, and stop being pessimistic.

I have a feeling I'm gonna break Resolution #2 within the first week of 2009.

What are yours?

S'all for now. It feels good to be back...
Please take care!

P.S.: Do you guys have Facebook? Mine is vynnie_dafreek@yahoo.com

Something Random
Someone was browsing DA and came across my deviation and decided to tattoo it on her arm. I thought it looks pretty gothic!

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_{Header illustration graphic produced with resources by =Della-Stock, ~r3plicant, and ~gtsat.}

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Mood: Neutral
Listening to: Leona Lewis' "A Moment Like This"

Paris Missed, Bangkok Journeyed, London Beckons

Journal Entry: Sat Jun 21, 2008, 10:37 AM

After being MIA for months, I’m back again… So beware, I’ll be ‘spamming’ your inboxes with lots of messages… Nyahahahaha!!!!

It's been ages since I last updated my journal that I was unaware of the changes in DA's journal application. It's now a lighter greyish green, which is, in my opinion, less gloomy.

Anyway, I’ve just graduated from college. I had a wonderful but busy two-and-a-half years, and the final semester was the busiest. Sometime in May, I missed a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Paris. Two friends and I joined the L’Oreal Brandstorm, an annual international marketing competition organized by L’Oreal which awards the winning team a trip to Paris. We missed Paris by an inch, as we finished 1st runner up.

Earlier this month, right after completing my final semester, I traveled to Bangkok, Thailand for a short break (and shopping! ) with a couple of friends. Bangkok is a beautiful, vibrant, and culturally-abundant city, known for its good food, affordable shopping, gemstones (yeah, baby!), openmindedness towards and tolerance of transgenders and transexuals, traffic jam, sacred temples and palaces, and colourful taxis! Their taxis come in green+yellow, blue, orange, red+blue, and (omg) pink!

Image Description
_{Ronald McDonald says Sawadee Kap}

_{Pink taxi LOL!}

Right now, I’m waiting for my university application to be finalized. And if all goes well, I’ll be attending the University of Hertfordshire, 25 minutes from London by train. I'll be doing final year in Marketing with Advertising, starting September this year. I'm really looking forward to the UK, esp the London Movies, Comics, and Media Expo in October! Anyone here living in the UK? Maybe we can meet up sometime...

S'all for now. It feels good to be back...
Bye for now, and please take care!

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Mood: Sorrow
Listening to: Alanis Morisette
Watching: X-1999 (such a sad anime)
Eating: Pocky

R.I.P. Old Friend... T____T

Thu Apr 17, 2008, 12:16 AM

Yesterday, around 7 a.m., an old friend left forever. I've known him for more than 6 years. He was a loyal friend, and had lived with my family throughout these years. He watched over us, protected us, entertained us with his silly antics, annoyed us, and caused a little bit of damage here and there.

His name was Billy, and he had the gentlest and most beautiful eyes. His hair was soft and silvery white with random patches of black. He was friendly, and we could always hear his loud booming voice from afar as he talked to his good friend who lives in the house next door. He also liked to spy on us when we were having our dinner.

All dogs go to heaven, and I hope Billy has gone to a better place now. It was heartbreaking when he left, but it was a relief as well. He had been suffering for months from a tumour on his back and kidney failure. He couldn't eat, and we had to send him to the vet. The vet couldn't make him eat either, so he had to be force fed. The vet told us to take him home, to see if he'd get better. But he didn't. In fact, his condition got worse. He couldn't eat, couldn't move, and urinated on himself. His sight was affected, and rashes developed all over his body. It was a pitiful sight. Finally, the day before yesterday, we decided to send him to the vet to be put to sleep. Before we could, he left.

Yesterday morning, as I left the house, I saw his tiny body lying sideways on the floor - the same spot that he had been sitting since he got home from the vet. His body was stiff and his legs were rigid. He was gone. I couldn't even say goodbye. I cried in the car, cried in class, and practically the whole day whenever I thought about him. It was also a relief as he left naturally without having to be put to sleep.

This morning, as I got out of the house, I saw a patch of his silvery white hair on the doorstep. Almost like he's back for awhile to assure us that he's alright.

Well Billy, I'm sure you are. Wherever you are, I'm sure you'll be okay. Thank you for all that you've done for us. You don't have to worry about us anymore. Goodbye Billy, and may you rest in peace.

_{If anyone has anything insensitive to say, please refrain from saying it. I'm sick of people telling me that he's just a dog, or go get a new dog, etc.}

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Mood: Sorrow
Listening to: The sounds of the downpour
Watching: The computer screen =(
Eating: McD's apple pie

Orphan Works - No Reason to Panic, For Now

Sat Apr 12, 2008, 10:14 PM

**********************EDIT**************************

Currently there are many sources out there reporting this issue and some of them contain differences. Some said that we need to register each and every piece of our work, while some say that the DA copyright is good enough to protect our works. Some, on the other hand, said that the law will protect our rights, not destroy them.

Whatever it is, there is no reason to panic. At least for now. What we can do is to raise awareness about this issue, not panic.

Please read this for more info: [link]

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