On Tuesday, November 17, GINA PERFORMA sat down with composer Luciano Chessa for a one-on-one confab about his reconstruction of Luigi Russolo’s Intonarumori, which were played in a concert at New York City’s Town Hall as part of the Performa09 biennial on Thursday, November 12, 2009.

This is what happened.

Para os que adoram um bom fluxograma mas que não ligam tanto assim para uma alimentação saudavel.

Está sem tempo e precisa ir até um fast-food qualquer, mas não sabe ao certo qual escolher? Está viajando e com a grana curta a única coisa que você pode comer é um lanche. Mas qual? Não se preocupe mais com isso. Agora, basta seguir os passos deste fluxograma e pronto, você sempre vai acertar na escolha.

A única coisa que você tem que pensar agora é se vale mesmo a pena ficar comendo esta porcariada toda, mas o fluxo… este sim é ótimo! E funciona!

Fluxograma do fast-food

… so hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and that it was everything that you wanted it to be.

Mine was relatively quiet :: for the life that I live anyway :: .. Chief cooked a fabulous turkey, made fresh cranberry preserve, mashed potatoes and that green bean thing that has those crunchy deep fried onions on. My father in law brought over these sweet potatoes that Chief’s brother makes that were SO FUCKING GOOD! There were apples in there and pineapples and OMG.. it was SO FUCKING GOOD!

We ate around 3.. my father in law was out the door by 4:30 :: he can’t see well at night to drive so as soon as the sun moves behind a cloud he’s on his way :: and then the boys went off to the Crack Whore’s.

Beings that we were going to be home alone, I had visions of some porn and pokin’ but the stuff that’s in the turkey that makes you tired kicked in and after the emergency run to get sewer main unblocker :: yes, the sewer backed up into our basement again :: I was down for the count.

NOTE: Yes, we wound up getting a turkey late Wednesday night.. because, yknow, tradition and all. Shame you can’t see the eye roll I just gave right then!

Anyway.. so 4:30AM .. read that again.. 4:30AM.. my cell phone starts ringing. I jump out of bed.. trip over Bella.. slam my knee into the foot board.. step on the cat and drive for the phone in the dining room.

It’s Bird.

YOU UP??? I’M UP! WE STILL GOING SHOPPING??????

Ok.. so earlier on Thanksgiving, I was going through the circulars and one of the department stores had 50.00 flannel shirts for 8.00. So I happen to mention to Bird that I SHOULD get up at be at the store when they open to grab a few since that’s what I was going to get my father in law for Xmas anyway.

The ONE time that the bitch takes me seriously!!

I kind of feel bad because her sleeps schedule is all fucked up so for her to be up at that time either took some serious effort on her part OR some serious meds.

Fine. So I tell her to come pick me up and she said that she was going to wake up her daughter, Peep, to come with. Peep is home from college and I’m sure the last thing she wanted to do is wake up at 430am to go shopping on Black Friday.

Anyway.. so they get to my house by 5 and Bird is WIRED.

I mean W.I.R.E.D

She’s like a bobble head anyway but OMG.. she was all over the map. I asked her if she had had coffee :: because coffee makes her seriously spaz :: but she said she didn’t even take an energy pill. She’s doing fifty things at once.. pulling out all the circulars from the paper and showing me what she needed to get and all I’m telling her is that she BETTER stop at a Dunkin’ Donuts because I can’t get through this without some serious caffeine.

I should have known what she had issues ordering two large coffees, one with milk and sugar and one with extra sugar and cream that this how adventure was NOT going to be good.

Further proof was when she goes speeding the three blocks from the DD to WalMart and is YELLING at the guy at the red light to turn when he had NO intention of turning and then playing chicken with an old lady for a parking spot.

She has this BIG silver truck and between the old lady trying to jockey her little Toyota .. cars trying to get down the row and cars trying to get up the rows and the poor guy just trying to get out of the parking space, I just knew I was going to die and it was the one time that I voluntarily put my seat belt on.

Then the old lady starts yelling at her.. she starts yelling at the old lady and my chin is literally on my knees because as rough and tumble as I am.. I’d rather just park at the farthest end of the parking lot and walk just to avoid all the drama.

So I’m yelling at her to stop acting the way she is.. Peep is yelling at her to stop acting the way she is.. and the evil demon that has possessed poor Bird turned it’s head and spewed green pea soup before telling us both to shut the hell up.

WalMart is usually a mad house but this was even worse then my vivid imagination could conjure. There were cattle shoots sets up with sadistic cops from three counties welding electric prods to keep the masses in line.

And there were masses.

BELIEVE ME .. there were masses.

The majority there to pick up flat screen tv’s at ridiculous prices all with their nickers in a twist because they were sold out. If you ask me, there were never any tv’s to sell out but that’s just my Wal-Mart Conspiracy Theory thought.

Bird was pissed but figured while we were there getting pushed and shoved and prodded, we might as well pick up a paper shredder.

A paper shredder? Are you fucking kidding me?

But a paper shredder she grabbed and then it’s standing and standing and standing and standing in line to purchase it and I swear I should have just walked the five blocks home.

We finally get out of the line and it was on to the next store. Kohls.

I have to say that even thought Kohl’s was crowded, the were organized. To me, WalMart people don’t usually shop at Kohl’s and so the whole experience was completely different. Then again, Kohl’s doesn’t sell tv’s and radios and the like ..

So Bird and Peep go running around grabbing this and that and I’m just wondering when the hell I’m going to be able to just go buy the flannel shirts. Bird keeps telling me to buy things.. do some of my shopping.. but I’m not prepared financially to do that so basically I’m just there to carry bags.

Kohl’s had a great check out set up. You stood in the main line away from the cashiers and when one was free, a Kohl’s person directed you to the open cashier. It made things move along a lot quicker and was less stressful then having all these people rolling their eyes and shifting right behind you in your personal space. We spent around an hour and a half in there but really, it wasn’t so bad.

Then on to Sears. Apparently, Sears was selling flat screen tv’s at a ridiculous price too and Bird was able to scoop up the last one. But that was a WHOLE process in itself and by this time, I really just wanted to go home. But I sucked it up and got through the sale. Next stop, Boscov’s because Bird wanted to buy herself a ring.

I think I have to state for the record that indecisiveness is a huge pet peeve. Especially indecisiveness while shopping. I’m the kind of shopper that scans a store and if nothing jumps out at me, I move on. For Xmas shopping, I have a list. And I stick to my list. And if something on my list isn’t available, I do a quick scan and move on.

Bird buying herself a ring from her husband for Christmas was the epitome of indecisiveness and by this time, I was ready to crack and on the verse of a breakdown.

The funny thing is, a woman also buying a ring asked me how old I was. When I told her 44, she was shocked because she thought I was in my early 30’s. Then she commented that Bird must of had me REALLY early in life.

Bird looked like she was going to blow a gasket and I just chuckled to myself at how sweet revenge really is.

We FINALLY got out of there and FINALLY made our way to JC Penny’s to get my flannel shirts.. which took all of… I dunno.. 15 minutes? Most of that spent in line?

Then back to Sears to pick up the tv and then to the supermarket to pick up clams and clam juice for the New England Clam Chowder that Chief was making.

By the time I got to the store, I had been with Bird and Peep for 5 hours and it was literally the worse 5 hours of my life.

I’ll never do that again…

EVER!!!

My Life as a Realtor ~

Day 125:

Oh my – Thanksgiving Eve! I can’t tell you how much I have to do!

Jonathan and I set out to go grocery shopping at Costco and Shaw’s – but before getting started, we made a quick stop at Dunkin Donuts…

I was relieved that I had accomplished some of my work early this morning and would continue later in the evening since there was lots of prep work to do!

Dear Bloglets,
Why doesn’t that have the same lovely ring as twittlets? Alas.
My sincerest aplogies for the incredibly long delay since wif’s last post. Life has been a bit rollercoastery (alrighty -fine – whose isn’t?). So wif has been exhausted and not-so-much-in-the-Christmas-spirit.
The late-breaking news, however, is that hubby and wif are MOVING tomorrow (yes – you may cheer:]). Wif had forgotten what an incredibly exhausting and tolling process that can be. Wif’s left knee and right foot are shot and the u-haul hasn’t even arrived yet.
That all prefaced – wif would love any last minute-making-your-move-easy (or not so incredibly Hurculean would be nice). And if you were wondering – we’ve already run out of boxes and tape.

Here’s to wif’s next post coming from her very own casa! Well, except it’s an apartment. And hubby and wif sure can’t afford any of that new-fangled technologic. Like internet. So, perhaps it will be coming from the DUNKIN DONUTS THAT IS WALKING DISTANCE:) That had to be in all caps because it’s the key reason that wif loves her new place oh-so-much. Stay tuned for picture and happiness updates and don’t forget to leave you’re bestest advices!

Berlin is a fascinating place: it is steeped in history which still resonates deeply throughout the city, from its wide boulevards around the Brandenburg Gate to its seamier quarters to the east of the wall.  The best way to orientate yourself and begin to experience the richness of the city is through one of the brilliant free walking tours.  I did one with New Berlin Tours and it was great; the guide, Mike, was funny and extremely knowledgeable, and the atmosphere was really friendly.

The majestic Brandenburg Gate

You meet close to the imposing Brandeburg Gate and spend the next three hours or so visiting all of the main attractions in the city as listed on the link above.  The new Holocaust Memorial, in the news recently after Easyjet ran fashion photographs taken there in its in-flight magazine, is a sombre and moving site, and the impact is probably sharpened by its proximity to the location of Hitler’s former bunker (which, unsurprisingly, is barely commemorated).

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

The museum is a terrifying reminder of the Third Reich, and is a difficult but truly worthwhile experience.  The personal stories which are told are evocative and harrowing, and a visit leaves you very contemplative for the rest of the day and a long while afterwards.

On a happier note, the memorial is next to a strip of truly dreadful cafeterias serving up second-rate reheated drudge to budget travellers such as myself.  I had the misfortune to eat a spaghetti bolognaise served up by a guy who looked like he was from the Village People, before being chased out of the bathroom by a very small woman wielding a can of air freshener and shouting at me in German.

I spent a lot of time in Berlin running away from toilet attendants who would attempt to extort half a euro every time as I so much thought about paying a visit to the loo.  I actually sprinted out of Dunkin’ Donuts near Zoologischer Garten station one day to escape from a particularly angry man who was brandishing a tip tray at me and making vivid gestures towards the toilet.

The Hotel Adlon

Opposite the Brandenburg Gate is the Hotel Adlon, where the late great Michael Jackson famously dangled one of his children out of the window.  The Presidential Suite on the top floor costs $12,000-a-night and has bulletproof glass in the windows among its many very cool features.  If I win the lottery…

The Reichstag is the home of the German Parliament, and its roof alone makes it worth a visit.  You can look down into the chamber when parliament is in session: “a reminder to the politicians that we are always looking in on them and that they are accountable to us,” an ageing Berliner told me.  Get there early to beat the crowds, and be prepared for a very thorough (in my case, patently illegal) level of frisking.  All I will say is avoid the security guard with the handlebar moustache.

The Reichstag roof

The Berlin Wall, which collapsed 20 years ago, is an integral part of the visit, though very few parts of it remain intact and those that do are protected by fencing.  As with many parts of the city’s history, there’s a residual feeling of shame and embarrassment about it amongst the city’s residents, who you feel would rather live without the permanent reminders of their country’s past.

Checkpoint Charlie

Checkpoint Charlie is very artificial and one of the few attractions in the city which is a little underwhelming.  But you can take your disappointment away by heading into the unbelievably decadent Fassbender & Rausch chocolate shop which has models of things such as the Reichstag and the Titanic, all made out of chocolate.  The only thing stopping me from plunging my face straight in was concern about how long they had been there.

The Reichstag - made of chocolate

My face upon being told not to eat the Brandenburg Gate

Pergamon Museum entrance

The TV Tower - all 368 metres of it

A penguin doing his best Marilyn Manson impression

The sign marking the death march

As with the Holocaust memorial in the city, it is a very graphic realisation of the horrors of what went on there less than a century ago.  The tour around is well-constructed and allows plenty of time for personal exploration and reflection.  Imposing, thought-provoking, and with a huge underlying unease, it in many ways replicates the city itself.

'Freedom through work'

Go here to see if your local Dunkin Donuts is giving away free coffee samples on November 27th and 28th, 2009.

Wish I’d known about this freebie for last week’s Freebie Friday round up–it’s good for today only and for United States Postal Service workers only. So here’s the deal.

Dunkin’ Donuts is delivering a very special gift to the men and women who deliver our holiday cards, catalogs and presents. Today only, Wednesday, November 25, Dunkin’ Donuts will serve free coffee to any United States Postal Service (USPS) letter carrier. Any USPS letter carrier that is wearing an official uniform or shows their union card identification can visit participating Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants throughout the country for a free coffee, any size. No additional purchase is necessary.

I’m a firm believer in Dunkin’ Donuts.  I love their hot coffee, I love their iced coffee, I love their bacon, egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches and I LOVE their dunkaccinos.  There are SIX DD’s within a mile of my aparment and I am very happy about this.  For the longest time, I truly believed that America really did run on Dunkin.  But when I came to grad school and met kids from across the country I realized that, as it turns out, there are a lot of people that don’t “Run on Dunkin.”  Heck, they don’t even drink it let alone run on it.  I was shocked.  How can you NOT love Dunkin’ Donuts when they have a commercial like this:

Growing up in East Lyme, there was no Starbucks (we got our first one about two years ago).  It was only small mom and pop cafes/bakeries and Dunkin Donuts.  When I went to the University of Connecticut for undergrad, it was the same scene – most people I knew went to Dunkin’ Donuts.  We did DD runs every Sunday morning before recapping our weekends, before sitting down to cram for every exam and before every early morning class.  There was a Starbucks on campus, but I think I might have gone once in my entire four years.  So imagine my surprise when a look of pure disgust ran across the face of a friend of mine at the mention of this coffee chain (she’s from Michigan).  She turned to me and said, “No one from the midwest or the west coast likes Dunkin’ Donuts.  America runs on Dunkin’? Puh-lease.”  Another classmate hailing from the great state of Missouri confirmed.  I couldn’t believe it.

Had I been so closed off from the rest of the country, had so little interaction with those not from the East Coast, that I didn’t even know that brand as huge as Dunkin’ Donuts wasn’t liked everywhere? The thought hadn’t even occured to me.  I guess it wasn’t so much the idea that my friends didn’t like Dunkin’ Donuts as much as the fact that I now felt like I knew so little about that other half of the United States.  Looking back on it, until coming to graduate school, I had had little to no interaction with people from anywhere else in the U.S. other than New England.  Sure I’ve been on vacations in Florida and California, but even at UConn, most people were from the Northeast.  I was shocked to realize that I knew so little of my own American culture.  I’d travelled to Greece, Switzerland, Spain, Kenya even, and yet, I barely even knew what my country was about.

It’s not a big deal really, them not liking Dunkin’ Donuts.  It was more the fact that I didn’t even know that America didn’t run on Dunkin’.  I’d spent so much time in school learning how to not be ethnocentric and how to be open-minded to other cultures and other countries.  It’s funny that while schools try so hard to teach you about foreign cultures, they forget to teach you about your own culture.  It’s like we learn how American began and how its being run, but we don’t really ever learn about the culture.  I wish I had been able to learn more about my own country, so that I wasn’t so dumbfounded when silly Dunkin’ Donuts wasn’t as popular as I thought.

I woke up today feeling icky. I guess my tummy ache decided to stick around for a bit.

My mom gave me some medicine and by mid morning I was feeling much better. It looks like my Thanksgiving break is officially on!

With my appetite back, I enjoyed a late breakfast of Honey Nut Cheerios with milk and blueberries before heading to a Jazzercise class with my mom and my sister, Leslie. My mom is a regular Jazzerciser and Leslie and I love to go with her when we get a chance. The music is fun and the aerobic workout is always entertaining.

Getting into Position

The Ladies

Smilin'

We had a great time and worked up a nice sweat.

Afterward we stopped off at T.J. Maxx to find Leslie a planner for the upcoming year. Of course we left with some other fun purchases (namely black Paper Denim and Cloth skinny jeans for $25!). I felt bad that Ryan was hanging out at home alone (my dad is working today), so we swung by Dunkin’ Donuts to pick up a treat for him

Wanna know what Ryan’s favorite doughnut is? A glazed doughnut with pink icing and sprinkles. Manly, huh?

Needless to say he was quite excited for his surprise treat!

Lovin' His Pink Frosted Doughnut

What a happy boy.

Our day’s plans include taking Sadie to the dog park…

Sadie Girl!

…and dropping off our wedding contract at the Vinoy!!! It’s 100 percent official… we’re getting married at the end of October at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort and Golf Club in St. Petersburg.

Vinoy

Hope you are all enjoying your Tuesday!

Day 72 on the Maersk Arkansas

I am not sure why it is but I have noticed that I tend to have more dreams while at sea. So far most of them have been good dreams but last night I had a frightening nightmare that I was still married. I am not sure what brought it on but I have a pretty good idea. It had to do with the horror film I watched the previous night, Jane Austen Book Club. I know your next question, what was I doing watching Jane Austen Book Club and not in the company of someone with two X chromosomes? There really is no excuse but the fact that it was a disk that said “Jane Austen Cook Book”

 I thought it was going to have something to do with food and by the time I realized what happened I had already invested too much time into the thing and decided to finish it. I would like to find the person who copied this disk and explain the difference between a book club and a cook book and thank them for stealing 90mins of my life that I can never, ever, ever have back. I believe watching 90mins of women crying and talking of marriage and divorce caused my nightmare. And on top of that they kept talking about the exes favorite movie “Pride and Prejudice”…eeewwwww. For some, watching Friday the 13th or Nightmare on Elm Street can do it but clearly Jane Austen is my Freddy Kruger.

 Still reeling from the horror and checking my ring finger I made my way down to the galley where I saw fresh donuts. This confused me because we were a day out from Jebal Ali, UAE and when we get Dunkin Donuts they are usually gone in an hour (apparently United Arab Emirates “runs on Dunkin too”). We are even blessed with Krispy Kremes presence sometimes in Kuwait, but these weren’t Krispy Kremes. There were about a dozen tan donuts with a chocolate topping and I was told the steward made them. Fresh made donuts onboard a ship are unheard of (except on cruise ships of course) but as I explained in my previous post Doug isn’t your ordinary steward and I believe he is on a personal mission have us leave with more mass than we came with.

The donuts were still warm and the smell of chocolate glaze was working its way around the ship. I took a bite and entered donut heaven, the glaze was tasty and rich. The donut was a little heavier than your average Dunkin Donut and the dough had a great taste and perfect amount of sweetness. I somehow resisted the urge to down a second but made a few trips back throughout the day. I asked Doug if he would allow me to watch the process the next time he made them and he obliged a few days later.

In my dedication to food I woke up early before my morning watch and trudged down to the galley and all I could think about was those old Dunkin Donuts commercials “TIME TO MAKE THE DONUTS”. When I got to the galley Doug was rolling the dough out. Watching him glide around the galley I actually got a sense he enjoys his job. Singing and whistling along to what sounded like Air Supply blasting from the radio he rolled, cut, and tossed the donuts in scalding oil with ease. I had never witnessed donuts being made and watching sugar laden dough tossed into a bath of oil was slightly disturbing but the first bite made me quickly forget and not care about what an unhealthy process making donuts is. I look forward to getting home and trying this out.

Dougin Donuts

4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 package active dry yeast

1 cup milk

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

Vanilla Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

In a large mixing bowl combine 2 1/4 cups of the flour and yeast. In a saucepan heat and stir milk, butter and granulated sugar and salt just until warm (120-130deg) and butter almost melts. Add milk mixture to dry mixture along with eggs. Beat with electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl. Beat on high for 3 minutes, stir in as much of the flour as you can.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough that is smooth and elastic (3-5mins) total. Shape into a ball and place in a greased bowl, turning once. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double (about 1 hour). Punch dough down. Remove dough to slightly floured surface and roll to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut into shapes using doughnut cutter (or empty coffee can for donut and water bottle for holes). Place on greased baking sheets, cover and let rise in a draft free place until doubled in size (about 1 hour).

Pour oil into a large, heavy saucepan to 1 inch depth. Heat to 350-375degF. Handle dough as little as possible to prevent falling. Place 2 or three doughnuts in oil. Cook about 1 minute on each side, until golden brown. Drain on paper towel, repeat with remaining doughnuts.

Vanilla Glaze:

In a small bowl. combine all ingredients. Beat until smooth.

Chocolate Glaze:

Blend 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa into Vanilla Glaze Dip Warm doughnuts into Vanilla Glaze, or let doughnuts cool, then spread with Chocolate Glaze. Drain on rack and set over waxed paper.

TORIANO

Dunkin Donuts is going to be giving away thousands of cups of FREE Dunkin Donut’s Coffee.

They are going to be in malls around the nation on November 27 and November 28.  Click HERE to find out if they’ll be giving away coffee at a mall near you.

Your Discount Queen LOVES Dunkin Donuts ANYTHING.  There aren’t any near me, but when I’m in Las Vegas my visit is NEVER complete until I get my Dunkin Donut fix.  There’s a location inside one of the Casinos on Freemont Street.  The way some folks swoon over Krispy Kremes is how I feel about Dunkin Donuts.

Have a wonderful day!!

The Discount Queen

My Twitter is @FOA2009

please follow me as all I want to do is spread truth and love. Thank you. and help us

What makes a memorable TV commercial? It’s all about messaging. When a piece of communication is to the point, relevant, worthwhile and compelling – it will move the viewer to action.

Moving people is not magic – it’s all about effective communication. It’s called the 4Cs model, which stands for Comprehension, Connection, Credibility and Contagiousness.

Brands like Dunkin’ Donuts, Suave Shampoo and Breyers Ice Cream use the 4Cs model to develop advertising campaigns that create an emotional connection with their customers.

Use the 4Cs to objectively evaluate your television commercials: what’s working, what isn’t and why.

The First C:  Comprehension

Does the audience get the message or main idea of the commercial? What does the commercial instantly communicate? Can the audience play the message back? This confirms that they “get it” and the first C is working.  Here are three tips for better comprehension:

1) Make the message sharp and clear

2) Repetition helps

3) Keep it simple – don’t go too deep

The Second C:  Connection

Making a connection with your TV commercial means not only that the audience “gets it,” but that it resonates with them, has meaning and significance for them and usually triggers an emotional response.

The Third C:  Credibility

The audience needs to believe who is saying it (the brand voice), what is being said, and how it is being said. Otherwise, any connection begins to break down – immediately.  Credibilty is the critical C, because the audience may completely understand an advertiser’s message, and even connect with it on an emotional level – but may not buy into it.  An example is Buick’s recent failure to attract younger buyers to the brand despite a more youthful image being put forth in its products and advertising.  It’s going to take a lot more than some well-produced TV ads to convince people that Buick is more than their grandfather’s car.

The Fourth C:  Contagiousness

You want your audience to “catch the message,” run with it, and spread it around. Think of the last time you saw a TV commercial that was so funny or clever that you discussed it with your friends, found yourself reenacting it or repeated the slogan in conversations.  That’s contagiousness.  To be contagious, your commercial needs to be energetic, new, different and memorable. And most of all, it should motivate the target to do something. 

Applying the 4Cs

So now play one of your TV commercials for a few people in your target audience and ask them the following questions:

1) What is the main message?

2) Does it evoke an emotional response?

3) Is the message believable?

4) Do you feel the message will “stick with you” and make you want to react in some way?

I assure you, the answers will be revealing – one way or another.

I remember a time, which seems many years ago but was actually not that far back, when I used to sit in my school common room during break time and watch or play on the Gamecube. I remember racing speedily along with zero gravity tracks, sweaty boys, pulses, and the sound of Biffy Clyro’s third album Glitter and Trauma. I remember slashing and hacking and generally button bashing Nintendo characters, and even further back, ducking and sniping the day away to the likes of Nirvana, The Smashing Pumpkins, and Rage Against the Machine, the likes of which were all extremely new (though old to the world) and strange to my ears but eventually came to constitute large amounts of my shelf space and my ongoing musical preferences. I remember a later time, huddled around the TV cheering along to a virtual football mega-tournament including half of the boys in the year, with the song, as titled at the top of this post, adapted to the currently favoured team. “I’m feeling so Iranian like you” has always had a hugely personal feel to it, despite having never consciously met an Iranian person, let alone imagined what it would be like to feel that way. I’m much more inclined towards Bohemia, but somehow it doesn’t feel as close.

All these memories are set to music. I seem to work that way… But today I think my evening formed a memory which will not be set to a soundtrack. This evening, though my Korean friends may not agree, I feel as though I had a very Korean evening. Here’s why:

This morning was unusually warm for Autumn, especially considering my girlfriend had warned me that today would be extra cold. Well, by the time I caught the bus home from school it had gotten unnaturally chilly, and the extra layer I had carried confusedly earlier now made a lot more sense. I, however, was not feeling all too great and was not particularly looking forwards to a quiet evening at home (which I feared would turn into an evening spent canoodling my computer and it’s associated gaming software) in what was now seemingly sub-zero weather. Relatively at least. To explain why I didn’t spend the evening conquering the virtual world, I must take you even further back than this morning.

Last night I stayed up unusually late writing unusually long emails to some of those back home in the UK, having no fear of needing to wake up because the next day was SATs day. This, from what I can gather, is a listening test which happens in High schools one morning every year, and all public offices – such as schools, government buildings etc – are closed until 9 40 so that the students can get to their (very important) tests on time, even if they happen to be running late. Apparently these are so important that if I kid is running late they’re allowed to ask a  policeman for a lift to school, whence they’re whizzed off on the back of a motorbike through the unusually traffic-less roads to their test. At any rate, this meant that I could get up a full hour an a half later this morning. Unfortunately this appears to cause my routine to shake too much, and I awoke at one thirty this morning and ate breakfast, thinking I’d better start getting ready to go. Thankfully I woke up properly halfway through, finished it off and didn’t get in the shower.

I also awoke at seven-thirty, eight, and quarter past eight thinking I was late for school.

When I finally did wake up at the (self-) appointed time of eight thirty, I finished off my cereal and showered and continued to school. This sounds inconsequential, however having eaten two breakfasts this morning, instead of one today and one tomorrow, meant that I needed to go shopping to buy some more this evening or go without breakfast tomorrow, which is, frankly, unacceptable. And so, there was at least one event planned for my evening which might otherwise have been spent neglectfully.

Before I arrived in my apartment, then, I swung by the Hana-ro mart and stocked up on various fruits and goods to restock my cupboards. After this I resisted the urge to buy a cheap and huge tub of ice cream, and instead bought a lovely doughnut from Dunkin’ Donuts! Unfortunately most people don’t realise that the name implies that you should dunk your doughnut in some coffee, however I occasionally fulfil this obligation. This evening, however, I didn’t, and continued they long journey to my room (Dunkin’ is in my apartment block). Before I got to the elevator though, I realised that, rather unlike me, I felt like buying some 떡볶이 (Ddeok-bokgi)!

This is a common snack in Korea and can be bought at roadside tents every fifty metres, and is effectively rice cake in rather spicy sauce. This I bought for the pricy sum of two thousand Won (one pound), and after successfully exchanging a few comments in Korean such as “Do you want it spicy”, “Yes, I like spicy Ddeok-bokgi!”, “Oh, you speak Korean well!” and ”Thanks”, I went up to my room.

Upon walking through my door I realised that the loud drumming and music I had heard outside (but haven’t mentioned until now) was actually across the road from my apartment block, and would continue to be loud and rhythmic for some time to come. You seem to be able to play extremely loud music on the streets occasionally with no consequences… I’m not sure if this is because they got a license or if it’s just the culture, however it provided a particularly Korean backdrop to my dinner, which was eaten whilst I sat cross-legged on my bed watching Power Puff Girls on TV.

Powerpuff Girls? Yes, but not as you know them, in fact, I watched 파워 퍼프 걸Z (Paweoh Peopeuh Geolzeuh), in which the girls were seemingly older than their English counterparts, had strange personal weapons, had as much leg showing as possible along with every other celebrity in this highly conservative culture and, in this episode, were fighting against strange mutant Sushi which had somehow gained consciousness, grown significantly and was devastatingly attacking the local city. After they had been defeated by the doctor’s clever chemical formula (one of which had probably caused the problem in the first place), the girls didn’t hesitate in eating the formerly-deadly fish. They celebrated in an appropriately cute Korean style as I happily munched on my chewy spicy ricey cakes and ignored the ever louder drums.

And when this had finished I flicked over only to find a strangely impressive Gordon Brown giving a speech at the Berlin Wall anniversary celebrations, which, if you missed them, included the domino-like falling of a huge amount of giant dominoes, which I can only assume was meant to symbolise the falling down of something a little more significant. And all this comes just a week before President Obama was due to visit Seoul to discuss a somewhat similar situation involving communists and a nation divided by a big line and political tensions. One couldn’t help but wonder how long it would take for the reunification of the Koreas to manifest itself, if, indeed, it ever does. I think I can hear on the wind that it might be becoming more likely in the near future…

Whilst I pondered these deep and complicated issues I sat and ate a persimmon.

Looking back, it was a completely ordinary day, but ordinary in what struck me as a Korean way. And, I guess, Korean is ordinary for me now. Come visit me, see if you can feel what I mean… And someone tell me how strange it is that being here is normal. I feel like it feels a lot less strange than it should.

톰

Tuesday night at midnight I went to a free showing of Fight Club. Not only did I not pay a single penny to sit in a theatre and watch a great movie (that I had only seen on DVD…and WOW does Brad Pitt look good that big), there were also free coffee and free donuts. I love free. I really, really do.

Lay off me I'm hungry

Nothing like coffee and a donut at midnight. Slept like a baby.

Have you ever been driving around and couldn’t decide where to stop to fill the belly of the beast? Worry no longer my friend. With this simple to follow flowchart you will never have to decide which to listen to, your brain or your stomach. Now you can save those precious braincells for better decisions…like plaid or argyle…or So You Think You Can Dance or NCIS.

You may also enjoy the What Should I Eat? Cereal Edition (Flowchart) or Where Should I Eat? Chain Restaurant Edition (Flowchart)..

Update: Just in time for Christmas, now you can purchase the Where Should I Eat? Fast Food Edition (Flowchart) Poster, it’s the perfect gift for your junk food loving friends.

Where Should I Eat? Fast Food Edition

“But from BlackBerry to the iPhone, the next level of engagement and connecting to your customers won’t come from a fancy website; it’s going to happen in the palm of our hands.”

-Mitch Joel, Six Pixels of Separation

The quote above is from a great book I recently finished titled Six Pixels of Separation. In his book, author Mitch Joel discusses the future of mobile advertising or “mobile marketing” as he refers to it and how its importance will only continue to grow over the next several years.

But why is mobile marketing going to play such a critical role in a brand’s business?

In a recent Adweek article, eMarketer published a study that predicted Mobile Content Demand Set to Soar. Their findings estimate that 68.6 million users will log onto the mobile Web at least once per month in 2009. By 2013, that number will increase to 126.2 million people.

Why such a large increase in mobile Internet usage?

First, networking and interacting online through social media channels is one of the fastest-growing activities among mobile users and is a large reason why Internet usage on mobile devices has increased so rapidly. Second, the introduction of the iPhone platform and the rising popularity of mobile apps has also contributed significantly to the higher number of mobile Internet users. Brands such as Nationwide, Dunkin’ Donuts and most recently Volkswagen, have already recognized the need for a mobile strategy and have created iPhone apps that promote their brand, engage users and address the needs of their customers.

The rising number of people accessing the Web from their mobile devices and the increasing popularity of mobile apps means several things:

1. Opportunity to Connect
There is a huge opportunity for brands to connect and share with customers like never before. We’ve started to see this already with social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and blogs but mobile channels and apps will take things to the next level.

2. Potential for Growth
There is huge growth potential in mobile channels for brands that are looking to increase brand awareness and overall sales. So pretty much every brand that wants to make a profit.

3. Mobile Strategy Necessary for Conversation
Brands looking to connect with customers and have personal conversations through online channels will have no choice but to create and implement some sort of mobile communications strategy. Not having a mobile strategy will make it difficult to stay in the overall conversation.

With new Internet ready mobile devices coming out every month and new apps being introduced it seems every week, there’s no better time than now to start thinking about and preparing your brands mobile strategy. Brands that wait too long or don’t recognize the importance of a mobile strategy will struggle to keep costumers and risk becoming lost in other brands mobile shadows. Don’t let that happen to your brand. Start thinking about your mobile future today.

So what’s your plan for a mobile strategy? Come across any interesting mobile campaign strategies lately?