Today I got to sit in on my first radio recording session. I've been a part of photoshoots, film making, and (more recently) a tv commercial shoot, but never an official voice session. It was pretty cool to see the talent do their thing. The guy voicing the lion character was a perfect match. We got a kick out of his full body black leather wear though. He looked very put together. I certainly wouldn't be able to pull that off.
Today I want to feature FoundMagazine. Similar to the style of PostSecrets and Dear God, readers post random photos and scraps that they have found discarded by their original owners. The finder of the post-it below said the note brightened his day. Hope you guys all got to enjoy Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry's! Check out these great "museum plaque" cards that you can randomly stick around the house. Buy them at ReadyMade.
Currently listening to: Sweet and Low- Augustana (who have a new album out!)
Check out the newest addition to the Disney campaign featuring Julianne Moore (by photographer Annie Leibovitz). [Source: Just Jared] Jung von Matt (Hamburg) always does great work for the French crime channel 13 Eme Rue. Some of their stuff is a tad violent (which is why I haven't posted about it before) but this guerrilla campaign is relatively tame but very effective. Knowing me, I would be freaked out for sure.
Speaking of blood and guts, check out Banksy's artwork on Who Killed Bambi (the site features pieces that are a little more gory, so view at your own discretion). Also featured are the works of Sarah Illenberger, who has a wide range of design creations. I found a fantastic photographer on the site, but I think that's enough gruesomeness for today so I'll save him for a later post. Instead, I wanted to feature photographer Howard Schatz, who has an impressive portfolio and does particularly beautiful movement and underwater shots. I've been able to catch up on a few of my favorite shows this weekend. Everything is back to running full force since the writer's strike. I was particularly surprised to see Desperate Housewives tackle the usually taboo-on-TV issue of faith and, more specifically, Christianity. The episode discusses thankfulness, Jesus, and faith being an anchor in hard times. Very cool.
(Bree, with Bible in hand, going over Lynette's questions about the Good Book)
Currently listening to: Calabria - Enur ft. Natasja (didn't realize this was sung in English until I checked out the lyrics)
Happy Friday, everyone! Sorry for being MIA. These last few days have been rather sleepless. I am looking forward to the weekend to catch up on that!
Don't you hate how yogurt likes to spit at you everytime you open the lid? I am a messy eater as it is, and those yogurt splotches always end up on my shirt.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, YouTube is getting so fancy schmancy. New tabs, search capabilities, channels, and sharing. I'm rather impressed. It's come a long way since I started using it in college.
Check out Wire & Twine's 50 Ways to Help the Planet. Turn off your computer at night, use one less paper napkin when eating out, don't buy bottled water, use glass bottles rather than aluminum cans (and then recycle them), matches instead of lighters, voicemail instead of answering machines, pay bills online, and go to the car wash instead of rinsing your vehicle yourself. These are my two favorite:
Currently listening to: It's Not My Time - 3 Doors Down (the video is very cool (shot in Ohio and features Parkour using/free running Gabriel Nunez from Team Tempest) - drive safely everyone!)
Google, Yahoo, and YouTube all got on board to celebrate this special day. Read about the progress we've made towards a greener world within the last twelve months here.
Whole Foods kept its vow to do away with plastic bags by today. A plan to get rid of all bags, paper or plastic, is following closely, and soon you will either need to BYOB or purchase their cloth 99 cent ones. Germany has been doing this for awhile so hopefully it will be successful here too. To do my part, I'm keeping this short and heading to bed to save some energy. Woot!
Currently listening to: Always Be My Baby (Mariah Carey cover) - David Cook
Check out the electronic string quartet girls group Scala. They are competing in this season of Britain's Got Talent (see their live performance here) and remind me of Bond, an Australian/British group of the same premise who've been around since 2001.
I got a kick out of this handmade portable thought bubble. Poke around the mother site, Instructables, for more Do-It-Yourself projects, which includes recipes, furniture building, printmaking, and a plethora of geeky fun tasks. Check out The 99 Cent Only Store CookBook. Pretty great idea for a book, especially for those on a budget. Makes me want to get it and check out the recipes (get a taste on the author's blog). The website is simple but pretty cute and nicely done.
Currently listening to: No Air (Jordin Sparks ft. Chris Brown cover) - Marie Digby
Today was full of fun and eating. Goodness. It feels like I've just been eating pie these last twenty-four hours. Got included in a family birthday celebration. The last time I was there was almost two years ago, so being in the house brought back a rush of old memories and also creation of new ones.
To improve your sleep cycle, check out these five tips from Reader's Digest (T~'s favorite reading material). Stanford researchers found that the light from your monitor can make you less sleepy, which is bad news if you're on the computer right before bed.
Amazing animal fact: The hogfish, found in the Keys, is born a female and changes into a male later on in life. Another photographer today. Introducing Jason Odell.
Currently listening to: Pie Jesu (Live) - Hayley Westenra
I am so incredibly tired but it has been a good day. It is great to have A~ visit and poke around downtown with me. We were able to make it through the day without much rain until right before dinner time. There was a pit stop in Chinatown for some dim sum (decent...not Hong Kong, but what do I expect?) and stock up on choi sum (veggies). Checked out the art museum and got a healthy dose of Seurat, Hopper, Leger, and a dash of Grant Wood. Impressed by how much art history both of us retained. I was disappointed that the museum took down one of the photorealism artists that I really like but oh well. We topped the night off with some great signature pizza and staggered home after ingesting too much.
Wanted to feature two artists today. French photographer Brigitte Lacome New York-based photographer William Heuberger I'm off to bed but it was great fun to explore today and spend time with an old friend. I hope you all had a great Saturday!
Currently listening to: Belief (Live) - John Mayer (I know, I know, I'm a bit ashamed)
It amazes me how much YouTube refines its broadcasting system. Those Flash geniuses are always polishing it up to make the best possible user experience. Some of the new things that don't really work (e.g. pressing the "Favorites" tab and having to click another button to add the video to your Favorites) are immediately changed the next day. They really know what works and what doesn't, and they're not slow about getting rid of those that don't!
For good reason, PSAs for car safety really freak me out now. It makes sense to be more graphic to get the point across but I keep thinking how so many things can go wrong. I'm not in the mood to post those ads here, but that doesn't mean they aren't amazingly done. Click here and here (can't remember if I've posted this one before or not) to see them. And drive safely!
Been meaning to post about the blog PhotoshopDisasters for a long time. Pretty self explanatory and some of the mistakes are hilarious. See below. Check out the work of artist Marguerite Sauvage.
Whether you hate or love Miley Cyrus (I'm a little apathetic), you can't deny her ability to grab views. Her latest dance battle (to Madonna and Justin Timberlake's 4 Minutes) has garnered over a million views since I first watched it when it came out two days ago. Some YouTube vids take two years to get the same number of hits, if ever. Much respect for her because she totally delivered. And a little Channing Tatum never hurts.
It finally feels like spring. The sun is up, the weather is warmer. Yay!
I spent the better part of the day doing comps and breathing in marker fumes. It was a nice little break from working on the zoo.
It's been a crazy busy weekend. I hope everyone had a restful one! C~ came to visit and it was so good to just chat and catch up, even if we had to tread through rain and storm.
Just a heads up, Dunkin Donuts is celebrating Tax Day (tomorrow) with free donuts (when you buy coffee)! Hop over to the store nearest you for some sugary goodness.
Check out the new website for got milk?, White Gold. It's hard to top the success of Get The Glass (which you all seemed to enjoy playing), but no one can call the site boring. In a sort of surreal bizarre time frame, I am sure a world like this exists. Scope has come up with a cute microsite to "test" your breath according to what you ate last. It gets boring after the first time, but it's still a nice idea. Check out the site, Test Your Breath. As the Olympics draw closer, the two biggest sporting brands are already butting heads. You saw the Nike viral from yesterday's post. Here are Adidas and Nike's new Olympics-geared ads. Adidas' fun fake events (by 180 Amsterdam)
Nike's more emotional spot (by W+K, Tokyo)
Currently listening to: Piano Scene - James McAvoy (from Penelope)
I spent the day brainstorming and catching up with the ad world.
I liked this print piece by Next Nature. NBA Playoffs begin next Saturday. This ad, featuring opponents Dwight Howard and Chris Paul rolled out yesterday to advertise the event. Nothing earth shattering but cool technique.
This (what appears to be) Nike viral featuring Kobe Bryant has been making its rounds nicely across YouTube. A ton of hits already, considering it was launched yesterday.
For some reason, I get such a kick out of these. They are for Parodontax, which helps bleeding gums. Really bizarre viral and campaign for Zoo York skating company involving roaches. I would hate to be one of those people on the street. Ugh.
Currently listening to: Innocent - Our Lady Peace (such a great band that brings back good memories; thanks to yuyu for introducing me to them so many years ago)
I've never watched an episode of American Idol but I've been following the songs loosely this cycle. I found out that for the group closing song (which I think they do every episode?), they sang Shout to the Lord. Of course "My Jesus" was changed to "My Shepherd," but I thought it was very cool. How very unlike typical American TV.
If you have heard Fergie's (horrible) song Fergalicious, check out this parody, Mathmaticious. Anybody who's fallen in love with math at least once in their life (pre-calc, woot!) will appreciate this.
This old SNL skit came up today at work. A bit violent in theory but still hilarious.
Currently listening to: Untrust Us - Crystal Castles (who my roommate introduced me to today)
Sorry again for lack of posting. This month has just been such a flurry of activity. But the real reason is that I have fallen ill. Nursing a cold and will be back on full force (hopefully) soon!
I am sorry I've been MIA for so long! Been here, there, and everywhere. I think I just successfully got over the jetlag but now I am falling sick, so I'm going to go to bed early anyways.
First day went well, for those who were wondering! We're working on a car dealership. Not the most fun client in the world, but my partner and I got to go around and check out dealers. I know nothing about cars and he knows everything (I am not kidding, I could point to a car far away down the street and he would know the brand and model and often the year), so it was a nice learning experience.
Today I had (my first) two Asian sightings. One at a bagel shop, another at the train station. Where are they hiding?
I also got to try the train for the first time. I must say, what a frustrating experience! I guess for anyone who grows up with Hong Kong MTR, everything else pales in comparison. Come visit and I'll prove it.
S~ showed me this great site for the foodies out there, Taste Spotting. It neatly compiles recipes from multiple food blogs. Everything seems so fancy, so I mostly enjoy the site for its food photography. My baking instincts have been itching again though so I might try my hand on some soon, particularly these mixed berry muffins from Cook and Eat. Yum. Check out this cool typeface by Lowman. New crazy (as per usual) Skittles ad, Pinata. Hmm, chocolate flavored skittles. I'm intrigued. I hope they're not as disappointing as the chocolate covered Altoids.
Weird Farmer's Insurance ad. Not sure what they're trying to communicate but the art production is very cool.
Currently listening to: Any Other Day - Norah Jones ft. Wyclef Jean (as you know, I normally cannot tolerate Norah, but Wyclef Jean does wonders (see Shakira's Hips Don't Lie))
I gave my first little advertising talk today at my alma matter. It was quite the experience and I had my own supporter with me (thanks K. Mok!). I was smart this time and brought my camera so I got a few shots. Woot!
My audience was eager to check out the ads. I made sure to cover all the bases (guerrilla, viral, direct mail, you name it). They were great listeners and seemed to soak it all in. That's thanks to everyone in the industry who keeps churning out great work. Props!
But most of all I felt a bit old. I could totally see myself in their shoes but I knew it wasn't like that vice versa. It's always that search for the "right" direction.
Hope everyone had a great April Fool's Day (and no one got rickrolled on YouTube like I did)!
Currently listening to: I Hate Leaving - My Thoughts
Terribly busy but I thought I'd still post some fun videos.
Great ad for Thorntons (Stuck)
Very cool plug for Gmail used to raise awareness amongst Russians (Saatchi Moscow). Gmail users (who tend to be very loyal) will be able to fully appreciate this.
Awareness Test for Think! Do the test.
Schweppes ad using slow motion cameras (10,000 frames/sec). [Source: Adverbox] Soundtrack sound familiar?
Currently listening to: Kissing in the Rain - Patrick Doyle
