We just butt heads a lot

NOTE: For the sake of keeping two of my very good friend's identity safe, the characters in this story are "Girl 1" and "Girl 2"

Me: "So are you living with *Girl 2* next year?" 

Girl 1: "Yea I think so, I'm just really afraid..."

Me: "Why? Aren't you best friends??"

Girl 1: "I don't know, we just butt heads a lot, it's not easy"

I could continue this conversation all day, but I'd rather not! In a nutshell, it just amazes and confuses me how despite being 'best friends' girls (tend) to treat friendships like light switches: turn them off and on whenever they want. Obviously this is just a generalization, but the other night when I asked one of my friends, who I consider to be one of the easy going people I know, if she is living with her best friend next yea (who I ALSO consider to be extremely easy going), there was so much hesitance. But why?? Is this environmental or genetic? I know I'm probably sounding like a sexist, but this is a common characteristic in almost all female friends I have. Why are my male friends not like this? In my limited experience, it seems like when guys have a falling out, it develops over time, however with girls there is so much boiling pressure underneath that it all just eventually explodes. Anyways, I just felt like throwing out the idea, and trying to comprehend why exactly this happens. One thing is for sure, no matter how hard I try to, I will never understand the complexity of female relationships!!

Where in the world has my money been?

When the friendly cashier says "thanks and have a great day!", giving you an old dollar bill, ever wonder the journey that the face of Mr. Washington has undergone? Was this bill ever stolen? Was it ever found on the street? What about change? What countries has it traveled through? Ever been fished out of a wishing fountain? How many filthy hands have touched this note (not a pleasant thought, but this is why my mom told me to ALWAYS wash my hands after I touch money)?  

I guess the cool invention would be tracking each coin or bill. While I'm not naive enough to think the government would ever spend money making such a device, it's an interesting thought to sit there and think where in the world has this quarter been??

Old school research, gross...

Many of my peers might be thinking "what the hell is this??" The answer is 'an encyclopedia'. While this may seem pretty obvious to oldies, I think I speak for Generation Y, when I admit that I haven't used a physical encyclopedia since elementary school (and that's because I used to live in England and India, where old school practices are still hanging on for their lives). 

That's right, despite writing numerous Political Science and Anthropology research papers, I have NEVER opened a densely packed, thousand page long encyclopedia. Although it scares me just to imagine, the wonderful world of google, wikipedia, and more hasn't always existed. How did our parents cope?? How were generations before us left with the daunting task of actually FLIPPING through pages? Just the thought gives me shivers...

Adidas: An underrated advertiser

The Adidas "Impossible is Nothing" campaign is one of my favorite ad campaigns ever. Obviously I am biased because a) I love Adidas b) I love soccer and c) I love sports, but despite these interests of mine, I feel this is such an underrated and under-publicized campaign. The Dove "Real Beauty" campaign has made headlines all across the industry, and for good merit as well, but why hasn't Adidas?

The target audience for both campaigns are similar; young children and particularly those facing external pressure from society. Whether it is looking aesthetically pleasing or being a sports superstar, the message both Adidas and Dove try to communicate with its audience is "be proud of who you are". So why ignore the famous 'All Day I Dream About Sports'?

Talk about bad advertising

Where do we start? Stereotypes? Absolutely no creative flair? Potentially embarrassing and insulting for certain ethnicities (including my own). Well, whichever point is addressed, this PennyTalk commercial has disgusting advertising written all over it. While the product and its attributes are well stated, this is a perfect example of an ad that crosses the fine line of cheesy and cute, into the boundary of stupid and ignorant.

I mean come on... depictions of a Mexican kid who likes to play soccer? And an old Indian woman who likes to gossip? I think anyone with half a brain who spends more than five minutes in any culture could easily write the script behind this pathetic excuse for an 'ad'. Then again, maybe it IS PennyTalk's mission to create such blatantly bad advertising. Maybe they realize through this they will create brand awareness, and along with mediocre brand attributes that are indeed highlighted, they will elevate sales. But if THIS is what people associate with advertising, then our industry has a long, long way to go...

Warm Thanksgiving... what???

Only a few weeks away from my favorite holiday of all time: Thanksgiving. Despite no presents or luxurious vacations, Thanksgiving is my favorite time of year. Being with family and friends, having excellent food, and really being "thankful" (as cliche as this is), really means more to me than vigorously unwrapping presents or waiting in line to check into a Mexican resort.

A few days ago, I was explaining to a friend about the post-Thanksgiving tradition in my Chicago suburb. She seemed relatively bored up until I said "and then it looks so nice in the snow". All of a sudden that caught her attention. "Snow? During Thanksgiving?? What?!?" This Arizona native seemed so confused with the thought, but then I realized something. Without snow, Thanksgiving would have a completely different meaning. Without the sub 30 degree weather, staying indoors with warm food just wouldn't be the same.

At least not to me...

Meet the Jetsons!

I remember watching the show as a child, and just being glued to the television set. There's not much I remember about the program (apart from the ridiculously fast way Mr. Jetson would get ready in the morning, with the assistance of all the high tech gadgets), but what I DO remember is it was categorized as a "21st century family". It seems to strange but, here we are, nine years in to the new century, and I wonder... did people in the 60s, 70s or even 80s think life would be like the Jetsons in the upcoming century? If so, I certainly wish I had the awesome luxuries shown in one of my favorite childhood cartoons!

Language

Living with a French kid who has spent the last 10 years in Houston and a British guy whose mom remarried a good old fashion Texan man, my roommates and I all have interesting views on language and differences in various dialects. The three of us have had intense debates  about the evolution of language, beautiful languages vs ugly languages, easy accents to understand, bilingual cultures, and all sorts of other 'deep' conversations regarding language (clearly there is a nerdy side to us). Yet a dilemma the three of us agree on is whether languages shapes the way we view the world or whether the way we view the world determines language? For instance, in hot African nations, do they even have a word for "snowball"?

For advertising, understanding language and its connotations is especially important. In order to communicate a message effectively and appropriately, there has to be a deep appreciation and understanding for cultures. With the industry becoming cross-cultural, and with American agencies taking on prestigious international accounts, the importance of this cannot be underestimated. Anyyyyways, just some interesting food for thought (or for future account planners) : )

Grown men playing a child's game

Whether it is catching a ball, kicking a ball, jumping, splashing around in water or running as fast as you can, essentially all sports are silly, they just children's games. I mean, think about it. Besides a professional level, those who TRULY enjoy sports and the entertainment which they provide, more than anyone else, are children. Children who are oblivious to the pressure which the sport brings to so many people's lives. Essentially, sports were created as recreational activities in one's leisure time. To think that over the past few centuries, we have created these GAMES into professions (which pay a lottt of money too), is well... quite bizarre.

He's got a good heart

I'm sure we've all heard this expression, but being the equivalent of Ted from How I Met Your Mother (one of the best shows out there, FYI), I always find it funny when colloquial phrases used figuratively also have a literal meaning. I once made a rather inappropriate joke about my friend's brother who has a heart problem (nobody was really offended since it was just my friends, including the brother with this condition, but I did get some awkward glances). I said "Oh Julien's a bad hearted person". I forgot the exact context behind why I said this, but to defend myself from the glaring stares, I said "Guys, he does... he's got a heart condition". Hahaha I know, not very funny... but at the time it seemed like it. Anyways, what I'm trying to say is that what I said was literally COMPLETELY true. Sometimes the phrases in our language just confuse me!

Soccer hooliganism

With the 2010 FIFA World Cup approaching, fans around the world are getting excited, since this is the biggest sporting event in the world (that's right, bigger than the Olympics). An event which unites nations, forgetting political and social tensions, as a showcase of sport and talent, the World Cup possesses everything a great spectacle should. 

The only concern, especially among fans from less intense soccer nations, is hooliganism. Throughout history, particularly in the 70s and 80s, soccer showed the world its ugly side. Unnecessary brawls between fans before, after and even during matches lead to scenes we don't want to see. Passion is one thing, but violence is another. When a man is stabbed to death for wearing a rival team's jersey in the wrong pub (pertaining to England), or a little boy is beaten up for wearing red instead of blue (unfortunately, pertaining to most of Europe and South America), this makes me think, "are we really turning supporting a team into stupid excuses for gang violence?"