The Ting Tings Profile

Similar to my previous post, this one is another celebrity profile but from a different approach. Compared to the researched-Hollywood news feel from the Daniel Craig/James Bond article, this one is supposed to showcase my personal writing style. That means I have the green light to sprinkle it with my opinions, as long as it ends up appropriate for a US audience. As mentioned earlier, I am not too familiar with this particular theme so I again used my central tenets of writing plus one additional rule: No bashing. I think it is important to keep articles hate-free, especially if you are oblivious to the subject, which I am with The Ting Tings. I certainly broke some of my rules, like using parentheses and starting sentences with conjunctions. Still, I think I did an OK job with it and hopefully, so did you.

Description: Not required.

In a music generation where new acts are mostly stereotypes or copycats, it is tough to find a unique sound to enjoy and follow. Meanwhile, those who don’t fall in either category try to be inventive and make up something, only to end up as an embarrassment to their fellow musicians. In the rare event that the experiment works, we dub the act as a musical masterpiece. The same can be argued for The Ting Tings. When you have an indie pop band that blends original British New Wave groove with simple disco-punk riffs, you either have a hit or a miss.

Making up The Ting Tings is front woman/guitarist Katie White and drummer Jules De Martino. Before getting a taste of the bitter reality of the music industry, this Manchester-bred duo was rocking out with their own respective bands. White was in a punk rock girl band named TKO, while De Martino played for indie bands Babakoto and Mojo Pin. The twosome’s first attempt to make music together actually included another member, but creative differences and management issues eventually caused them to split.

Yep, that's the whole band.

Since White and De Martino still had common music interests, they decided to form The Ting Tings. Currently, when you think of a two-piece band, the first group that jumps to mind is probably The White Stripes. However, besides number of members, the only thing similar between the two bands is the surname of their main vocalists. Even the beats of Meg and Jules are completely different, even if your first impression says otherwise. At this point, comparing The Ting Tings’ plucky, pop assault to The White Stripes’ powerful blues style is pointless and downright unfair. Still, The Whites Stripes isn’t a bad measuring stick if Katie and Jules are aiming for success.

The Ting Tings started out playing small gigs at Islington Mill, Salford. Little did they know, those frenetic gigs at The Mill would lead to We Started Nothing, the band’s debut record under the Columbia Label Group. Despite White’s rudimentary guitar skills (as seen in their live performances when she strums only one chord for the whole song) and De Martino’s minimalist approach to drum beats, their music is surprisingly catchy and appealing. Try listening to Great DJ or That’s Not My Name and you might find yourself bobbing your head and shaking your shoulders in no time. Even if you don’t see Katie’s propulsive energy during live performances, you can certainly feel it through the band’s music.

In the Philippines, tingting is slang for thin.

Jules and Katie have developed a musical identity that represents their snappy personalities and do-it-yourself attitude. This is completed by a backing track to give the band a fuller sound that allows Katie to go crazy in live shows. The Ting Tings knows exactly what they want and they are making it happen their way, their rules. They know they are pop, but that doesn’t mean they can’t change the way it is played. The Ting Tings have a sound that is immediately identifiable and purposefully perky. So call them the pop version of The White Stripes or the two-bit versions of Franz Ferdinand or The Killers. But that’s not their name. They are The Ting Tings.

WORD COUNT = 532 (500 word minimum)

Daniel Craig/ James Bond Profile

Finally! A post after a loooooong hiatus. I just completed the following article very recently and isn't part of the files from my previous work. This is one of the many exercises required by the company I recently applied. I was to create a well-researched, professionally done article that is entertaining for casual readers. I wasn't really sure how to make a profile of a Hollywood star since I haven't really made one before, hence the barrage of movie titles. Additionally, they wanted me to make an emphasis on Craig being the newest James Bond. In the end though, I still applied the same general writing rules I adhere to. I think I did a decent job on this one so I decided to put it here. Besides, it's been ages since my last post.

Description: Not required.

The newest face of the James Bond franchise is none other than English hotshot, Daniel Craig. Despite being in the industry since the early 90s, he wasn’t exactly a household name even after signing on for his first Ian Fleming adaptation. But thanks to his training in London’s National Youth Theatre and the famous Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Craig proved his detractors wrong and helped the spy series get back on track with thrilling scenes and gritty action.

Believe it or not, one of them is actually Simon Pegg.

After proving his worth in the theatrical ranks, Craig finally made his film debut in the direct-to-video release of The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Daredevils of the Desert. His big screen debut was in the gripping 1992 drama, The Power Of One. He then continued his acting career on television movies, such as Anglo Saxon Attitudes, Genghis Cohn and Sharpe’s Eagle. His TV stints continued extensively, landing one-time gigs in Covington Cross, Boon, Heartbeat, Between The Lines, Drop The Dead Donkey and even HBO’s Tales From The Crypt. However, his most notable roles in the small screen were as Lieutenant Hidalgo in Zorro and as Geordie Peacock in Our Friends In The North.

Craig made the jump back to the silver screen in the 1997 German flick, Obsession. He then followed this with notable leading performances in Love And Rage and Love Is The Devil. Slowly but surely, this English actor was carving out a name for himself by top-billing in films like Hotel Splendide and Some Voices, as well as more TV movies such as Shockers: The Visitor and Sword Of Honour.

Before and after? You be the judge.

The whole world finally noticed the international appeal of Daniel Craig when he joined Hollywood stars Kim Basinger in I Dreamed of Africa, Angelina Jolie in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Tom Hanks in Road To Perdition and Gwyneth Paltrow in Sylvia. However, it was his performance as a retiring cocaine dealer in the 2004 crime thriller Layer Cake that finally cemented Craig’s star status in the movie industry. He then went on and showed the world his wide array of acting skills in The Jacket, Munich, Infamous and yet another TV movie, Archangel.

Despite having an already enviable career, none of them would compare to what was about to follow. His performance in Layer Cake was so brilliant that producer Barbara Broccoli decided then and there that Craig was going to be the sixth actor to portray Agent 007. It seemed that the producers were right as Craig steered Casino Royale as the highest-grossing James Bond movie ever. The movie also received nine BAFTA award nominations, easily surpassing the previous high of two.

Seriously though, this guy could beat me, and probably you, in his sleep.

Although already a household name after his stellar performance in his first crack at the 007 franchise, Craig did not stop here. Instead of resting on his laurels, he continued doing quality films, such as The Invasion, The Golden Compass and Flashbacks Of A Fool. His latest endeavor is Quantum Of Solace, the much-hyped sequel to his first Bond roundabout. With his potent track record combined with three more 007 films on the horizon, this dashing Brit certainly deserves to introduce himself as “Craig, Daniel Craig.”

WORD COUNT = 523 (500 word minimum)

From Murder to Boxing

Here is another boxing article before we leave this topic temporarily. I really didn't do much editing on this one. For a theme as detailed as boxing history, this is the most informative I can get without overly exceeding the required word limit. Consequently, I decided to use a more serious tone rather than a comical one to emphasize how much the sport has changed throughout the years.

Description: The early years of boxing was a great way to commit murder with no consequences. Today, a black eye and a fat lip is already considered too painful to look at.

During the early days of boxing, when it was still referred to as pugilism, the sport was far less complicated than what it is today. There were no judges to give points as winning solely meant beating your opponent to a pulp until he dies or quits. However, as the sport evolved, a ton of new rules was enforced, while boxers were required to wear a lot of protective gear. Despite the significant downgrade in blood and pain, modern boxing still has its thrills and exciting moments, especially if a knockout takes place and the boxer goes out in a stretcher.

Based on several archaeological studies, boxing has been around since 3000 BC. Still, the combat sport didn't get off until it reached Greece a few thousand years later when random men were chosen to honor the nation's fallen warriors by engaging in a bout. There were no weight divisions then, and every part of the body was fair game, though wrestling moves and grapples were prohibited.

Pugilism gained popularity in Rome and even became part of the Olympics later on. However, the sport was banned by Roman leaders because it destroyed the boxer's face, which Romans considered the image of God. The sport eventually reached England and became known as bare-knuckle boxing or prizefighting, whose first champion was James Figg. To lower the death count among boxers, the first official set of rules was unveiled by heavyweight champion Jack Broughton in 1743. Broughton also created padded gloves or mufflers to soften the effect of a punch. The immense popularity of the sport during this time eventually gave birth to the term boxing.

James Figg versus modern-day Mike Tyson: who you got?

Another bunch of rules was created in 1867 called the Marquess of Queensberry rules. These regulations became the blueprint of all the intricacies in boxing today, such as weight divisions, rounds and referees. As years passed more rules were added like the prohibition of hitting below the belt, TKO and safety requirements. Although boxing has certainly mellowed down throughout the years, it still is one of the more violent, yet entertaining sports we have today.

WORD COUNT = 348 (300 word limit)

The Deadly Sport of Ancient Boxing

Another post from a series of boxing articles. This time, the primary phrase given to me was ANCIENT BOXING. Compared to its original version, the editing on this one was very minimal, including the italicization parts. Also, this one has a more serious tone than the first posted article here. Finally, note that this article was entirely written in a third person perspective, which is usually the case when I make rather formal compositions.

Description: Ancient boxing paved the way to the combat sport we know today.

Boxing has long been considered one of the toughest sports in history. As merciless as boxing may seem today, the combat sport was even more unforgiving in its early days, to the point that the only way to win a match was to literally kill the opposition.

The brutal sport we know today traced its roots in Europe, particularly in Greece, where its popularity grew immensely. Compared to all the protective gears required in modern boxing, its ancient counterpart only needed two men and a mediator to begin. Participants were chosen randomly and weight divisions were nonexistent. Some of the very first boxing matches in history were even done barenaked. However, when boxing became part of the Olympics in 688 BC, competitors started wearing leather strips or himantes over their hands for stronger hits and body for protection.

Himantes equals pain.

Before coming to prominence, boxing matches were usually held to honor the fallen. There were no boxing rings back then so boxing fights can take place anywhere. This made weather conditions a factor in deciding the outcome of a match. A simple sun glare during a bout could spell life or death for a boxer.

Despite the barbaric nature of ancient boxing, there were unwritten rules upheld during matches. This includes no holds, grapples, wrestling and gouging. Additionally, there were no time limits and matches weren't split into rounds. Once both fighters have reached their limits, they can agree and ask the referee for some time out to recover. If no winner is decided after a lengthy period has passed, a klimax will be held. During this round, the fighters get to punch his opponent without the other blocking it. Whoever wins the coin toss gets to deliver the first blow. This exchange goes on until a winner emerges from the fight.

This boxing stance used to mean business. (Image stolen from here).

Ancient boxing was basically a no holds barred fisticuff. There were no judges, points and split decisions. The match went on until someone dies or concedes. Despite its bloody start, boxing eventually became more regulated and evolved into the exciting sport it is today.

WORD COUNT = 344 (300 word limit)

Amateur Boxing is Not Fighting!

The first topic assigned to me was BOXING. This particular article is about amateur boxing. Besides expanding a phrase like "amateur boxing" into 300+ words, we were also tasked to give each piece an attractive description, as well as unique tags and keywords.

I used to think my works were ok, to say the least. But after reading the original version of this one, I had to say it was a bit subpar for my taste. So I decided to improve a few phrases without messing up the tone of each sentence. I also added an image for additional visual stimulation. We all know that all words and no jpegs make websites a dull read. Anyway, this composition was one of my earliest attempts to be funny and informative at the same time.

Description: Amateur boxing can be more complicated than the pros. However, it can be easier to win if you know how.

Amateur boxing is not as easy as it looks. First, you have to memorize a lot of rules even before stepping into a boxing ring so to make sure that a boxer's brain isn't too damaged after a fight, there are only four rounds lasting two minutes each in amateur boxing. Furthermore, amateur boxing gloves should weigh exactly 10 ounces so once a boxer lands a punch to your headgear, it's like you didn't feel a thing.

You see, amateur boxing is more concerned in protecting the fighters. That is why referees get to stop a match if a boxer starts bleeding. This is a subtle message from the league telling you that “someone in the arena might have an infectious disease so we are protecting you from contracting it”. Boxers with hidden medical conditions will eventually be exposed. Better move up to the pros instead because people there thrive in cuts and lacerations.

An amateur match may be halted if the referee thinks you are overmatched, or in other words, a wimp. That means you have to make sure your knees are not shaking, though the referee won't notice if excessive perspiration is pouring out from your forehead. The good news is you can just fake a stomach ache and tell the referee you can't go on any further. The bad news is that you lose, your opponent wins and you'll probably be beaten down by your coach and teammates, without the boxing gear.

Ah, yes. If only amateur boxing meant these kinds of amateurs.

Another obstacle in amateur boxing is that minors should have a consent form signed by their parents. Just try and ask your folks if it would be alright for you to punch someone in the face. If they say no the first time, tell them that your opponent will have a helmet on. If your parents turn you down again because they don't tolerate fighting, tell them that it isn't a fight. In the amateurs, the technical term that refers to two people exchanging blows is a bout.

If there is any consolation, judges and referees have to memorize these rules too. However for the boxer, not only do you have to remember these regulations, you also have to wear uniforms that would make Tim Gunn vomit. The worst part is that losers usually get nothing so it doesn't make much of a difference if you quit or get knocked out.

Word Count = 396 (300 word limit)

An Intro On Writing

Thanks to the soaring popularity of blogging, writing is fast becoming one of the hottest gig in town. Writers are slowly turning to be the new wave of call center agents, without the high salary and lucrative benefits. It is the failsafe job you can get anytime, if your desired primary job isn't available. Like the call center industry, you need a good grasp of the English language to be accepted in a writing position. The difference between the two is that you don't have to be an English major or Communications graduate to be a writer. Additionally, you don't have to learn that ridiculous accent required by many call centers just to prove you speak good English. If you like sitting in front of your computer all day and hate social interactions prefer communicating through the keyboard, then creative writing may be your calling.

Sounds familiar?

Writing Made Easy

Writing entails a fairly direct process. To expand a topic, you simply need to:
1. Research.Usually here, here and here.
2. Write. This usually means rephrase to circumvent copyscape, plagiarism, copyright issues and other legal hullaballoos.
3. Proofread. For spelling, grammar and wordiness. Always look out for those red and green wavy underlines in Open Office and MS Word.
4. Repeat.

Public bathroom walls are now safe, thanks to blogging.

Personal Guidelines To Writing

Writers for Qool Media were given several guidelines to follow. Our Canadian editors also gave us tips every week to lessen their editing chores improve our writing. These are the rules that I never fail to follow with each article I create.

1. Never speak in the first person. I never use "I," "me" and "we." I even avoid quotes that have those words in them. This aims to make the articles more formal. Plus, we don't get any credits for the articles we do anyway. Maybe they should have changed the job description from Junior Writer to Ghost Writer. Hmm...
2. Avoid turning the article into an FAQ. Unless specifically requested, our articles aren't made in a Q&A format. The headings and subheadings of our articles are short phrases or statements, not questions.
3. No hanging statements. We have no need to leave out words or thoughts. This means no ellipses. Personally, I try to make do with commas and avoid using dashes as well.
4. Always check for wordiness. Everything in Kim Blank's list would definitely cure your wordy ways, but those list below are mistakes I am usually guilty of.

• a lot of = many, much
• a majority of = most, much of, many
• after all is said and done = DELETE
• all of these = these
• are/was/were able to = can OR DELETE
• as a matter of fact = in fact OR DELETE
• as a means to = to
• as a whole = DELETE
• at all times = always OR DELETE
• compare and contrast = compare
• considered as = considered
• in order to = to
• in the near future = soon OR DELETE
• in the not too distant future = soon OR DELETE
• in today's society = today
• it is necessary that = must/should
• the majority of = most/many
• whether or not = whether/if OR DELETE
• which is = DELETE (when possible)
• who are/was/were = DELETE

However, I deliberately bypass these rules when I need to use the wordy phrase several times within the article, which brings us to... (oops!)
5. Watch for word density. I learned about this when my editors started complaining about how frequent I use "can" or "will" in some of my articles. They told me to mix it with "could" and "would" but until now, I still don't know how and when to use "can/could" and "will/would". When I checked my articles that used the second person, I noticed that my auxiliary verbs total to 10+, which is too much for articles of up to 2,000 words. Anyway, I applied this to other words too, especially those directly related to the main topic. The next time you write about flowers, try replacing it with synonyms and adjectives like bloom or flora. This way, you optimize your use of word count by rolling a description/predicate and a subject into one.
6. Don't start statements with coordinating conjunctions. I really don't know much about coordinating conjunctions, but starting your sentences with "so," "and," "but," and "or" isn't pretty. Rather than beginning with "and," use "similarly," "additionally," or "likewise" instead. Similarly (see what I did there?), start with "however" or "on the other hand" instead of "but."
7. Don't conclude. We merely rephrase the ideas of others. Unless you are writing something original and your results are based on scientific deductions, you shouldn't conclude either. That means no "hence," "therefore" and "thus."
8. Count words. Nobody wants to read loooooooooooooooooooooong articles. That's my cue to end this post.

Hopefully, these pointers would help your writing as it did mine. Blogging is a completely different animal though, as no writing rule here is carved in stone. Nobody wants to be bound by rules. I know I skipped a few of them myself in this post alone.

What This Blog Is All Abut (sic)

Hi. Welcome to Crimson Collection. I've tried blogging once, nearly a decade ago when posting personal stuff on the Internet still wasn't considered meme. After doing one post, I realized that blogs, both reading and writing, isn't something I'm interested in.

Doesn't this contradict what I just previously said?
Well yeah, but the primary purpose of this blog isn't for personal indulgence, though there will be a few of those every now and then. Due to the nature of my work the past seven months, I amassed nearly 300 articles composed of 300 to 2000 words. Instead of letting all these works of art go to waste, I decided to put them here. Additionally, I'll probably include some images or videos to go along with the articles since most of them are bound to lull you to sleep. Other than that, the rest of the posts here will be rants and personal views on random issues, whether current or ancient.

Who I Worked For
I worked for Iwebmasters, a Filipino outsourcing company and our team was under Canada-based group, Qool Media, formerly The Guide Publishers (Yeah, you're welcome for the free plug). The topics assigned to us writers are usually very dry and mundane. However, our editors always consider what we would like to write and gave us options before finalizing. With topics like banking, stretch marks or passports, to name a few, we really don't have much to choose from anyway.

Anyway, I hope you're bored enough to give this website a read. I know I am.