Monday, October 4, 2010

The Death of Blogging, The Rise of Social Network

It’s kinda sad how blogging is dying these days. Funny – it used to be soo big back in college. That wasn’t too long ago (or so I would like to think) But we all know who to thank for the dying tradition of blogging. No, I am not talking about category blogs – but more of the original idea of a blog. The ultimate online diary. The one platform you trash your heart out about anything and everything. The one place where you share your pictures and brag or drag.


Oh yes. The people to thank for the death of blogging are Evan Williams and Mark Zuckerberg – founder of Twitter and Facebook.


The birth (and ever growing) of Twitter and Facebook, and the many many other social network out there now, has changed the way people express themselves really. What used to be private is now public. What used to be proper and long is now short and to a certain extend - too direct.


Don't bother sending postcards - just tag your friends in your holiday pictures.  
What? A divorce? Build a case with his/her Facebook contents.
Want to know your customer better? Forget about superficial overcharging research agencies – just scan through their social media sites and see what are their likes and dislikes.

Now as marketers, how do you leverage and make full use of this free service? Here’s 2 awesome case studies that won big time in Cannes this year. Watch and learn!

Case Study #1
Twelpforce by Best Buy



Case Study #2

Ikea Launch @ Facebook

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

The incite life

Words that are in play today…

Insignificant.
Irrelevant.
Out-of-reach/touch.
Not exactly needed nor good-to-have-around

Nope. Not exactly sugar coated but I suppose as life goes on, people move on too. But it kinda sadden me to see that out of few hundred ‘friends’ in my Facebook Friend list – only a quarter or so you interact with today.

*sighs*

Anyhoo...The past few weeks, work has been craaziieee! and there were some extended family drama which I am not suppose to disclose here but some might already know *Shhh* :p

Me being busy and all kinda rope me off my social life. Sad to say, I don’t have much of a social life anymore. I suppose after saying NO a little too many times, people just give up calling or assume you’re busy. Yes, I have demoted to the bottom rank of the social chain. I don’t even hang out at Putrajaya anymore with my hommies, the drinking session has came down to almost zero…I think Jon is facing the same thing too. That poor boy over work la…

Sometimes there are soo many things that I want to blog about, but when it comes to penning it down - I just get constipated. But....

I am angry and frustrated. 
I hate seeing others being taken advantage of. 
I don't like it when people say one and do the other. 
Whatever happen to honestly. 
I hate it when people do not greet back. 
I don't like it when people do not listen. 

I miss the one person that knows knows exactly what to say or do at situation like this...



Wednesday, September 1, 2010

My Life sung out loud~

I think I probably should put a template to each of my post by now - always start by apologizing for not blogging. I know I have not been keeping my promise but I am making an effort. There are many things that I want to blog about but just haven’t got around to do it..

Life has been a roller coaster since my last post. I suppose my life has become boring in a way. Its either age is keeping up or I’m just loosing the jest in life!

But since I’ve been blogging about nothing but music of late, I might as well post acoppa songs that kinda “sings” what has been happening in my life recently…



 

Ok, not exactly word by word, but the first few lines says a lot :)

I am definitely loving this...

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Music that time life

So yes, I have no been blogging as often as I promised. Its only Q2 now….still atleast. Mua still have like another half year to blog :p

Life has been aight I suppose. My personal life has been a roller coaster ride this year and it is a lot to blog about so I’ll save it for the next… but work has been awesome!!! I don’t rant about it now. I guess I’m happier in a way … no regrets making the switch despite the hesitance at first. I guess I’m just running against time and worry too much about wasting yet another year to find out what I really really want to do…. (except for being a Lawyer that is) but I have to say, strategic planning has way exceeded my expectation. I have learnt so much about advertising as an industry and business itself, learnt about my clients, hell…I learn a lot about myself too.

This is random but significant change in music. I know I know….all I do is kutuk Ashley’s idol but I can’t help it. Im sorry…Today I was just browsing through Youtube and found Queen’s I want t break free – funny how music video revolution goes...

From man dressing up like the cast of Hairspray and dancing around a white box half naked, tight leather pants HIGH CUT……

…entertaining video too

….to the boy band era where center parting semi long hair boys rule the pop world, and wearing oversized  POLO and ADIDAS printed T-shirt and super baggy semi high cut pants with lots of pockets was in…

…and today, everyone insist of wearing a size smaller, ice their nipple before going on stage and wears plastic in music video that covers only the crucial bit.  I have to admit, Lady Gaga making guys wear hot pants and fish netting beats Mariah dancing in rain hands down….

Monday, May 3, 2010

Creative Juice

Have you ever wondered where creative juice comes from? Imagine if there is a "Creative Farm" that harvest Creative Directors and team..... I recently bump into this video that gives quite a clever  (and where they farm creative directors), this video from South West England gives a very clever synopsis with a little twist of Brit slapstick humor....


Wednesday, March 31, 2010

The Gaga Syndrome

There are lots of Gaga news out there these days, I’m sure that makes Ashley very proud.

When I first came across the Hey Ey Ey song, I had no idea it was from a weird freak who name herself after Queen’s hit Radio Gaga, but I kinda like the song and soon, I too became a fan! But the stations overplayed it as usual and made me kind of sick. But that aside, Lady Gaga has become a phenomenon! She is everywhere from MTVs to Interview with the freaks and constantly appear on Fashion Disaster column thanks to her “distinctive” fashion taste. I think it is safe to say that I am overfed with Gaga and I believe I speak for others on the same boat - the world is getting tired of her.

And since we are on the same context, I notice MTV is slowly becoming more of an AXN channel filled with celeb related reality shows, and I believe from what I have gathered, they made a conscious decision to decrease if not slowly fade off music videos. This kind of brings me back to the Gaga Syndrome that everyone has now. (I just found out that she is actually an anak orang berada – hey, money really can’t buy you fame aight?) Because airtime is limited, musicians has raised the bar on music video production and in my honest and humble opinion, no one has raised the bar higher than Lady Gaga herself. Making music videos are not cheap especially when it is so competitive. If you haven’t seen her latest porn episode, opps! sorry, I meant music video Telephone which is kind of like soft porn anyways, please go check it out. *This is the full uncensored version, a dreadful 9 mins long porno teaser*

I have to give it to her despite the fact that she’s weird and all - she sure knows how to make EVEN more money. Her Telephone video is filled with product placement. I guess that is how she funded the music video. If the Poloroid placement was not obvious, you would be blind to miss Virgin Mobile’s too – unless of course you are blinded by the nakedness, which I do not blame you.

All I am saying is, product placements in music videos sucks. And if it continuous, in a rather obvious way, will surely destroy the advertising AND entertainment industry. Brands really shouldn’t be too desperate. If so, the next music video you will bear the logo on Lady Gaga’s head instead of a telephone hairstyle


On a completely different but somewhat related topic, one anti piracy org did a really cool campaign banking on Lady Gaga too. They made a voodoo out of her….which comes as no surprise =p

.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Sighs

Sometimes I get really tired of communication breakdowns and complications - but where do one draw the line?

Monday, March 22, 2010

Tailor Make Swift


Dear Miss Swift,
Yesterday you were singing about how Drew broke your heart and how sad and sappy you were. Then you went on talking about how naïve you were when you were fifteen, how you believed everything boys tell you.  You don’t need a rocket scientist to know that.

Today.  Today you made it to the chart singing about how today is a fairytale. Oh lord help her please. All you do is sing about the past, and what you dreamt of. Miss Swift, do you have anything current at all?? We do not want to know about your fairytales and how naïve you were. You keep on dreaming and make shit load of moola while doing that, but what happen one day when you finally wake up?
Take Lady Gaga for instance…. She sings everything current and even reinvented new words from the GaGa Dictionary.  I am even convinced that Bad Romance was about the state of Sg.Wang and how “Gaaa…Gaaa” that place is….
Wake up Miss Swift, even your bestie Miley has moved up…..

Thursday, March 11, 2010

The Boyle-ling Success

I know it’s not actually very me to blog about choices and life (Yes, yes – I’ve established long time ago this blog is mainly for rantings). But in continuation of the earlier post……..
I was browsing through the net and came across this really nice verse;
 
The road to success is not straight. 
There is a curve called Failure, 
a loop called Confusion, 
speed bumps called Friends, 
red lights called Enemies, 
caution lights called Family. 
You will have flats called Jobs.
But, if you have a spare called Determination,
an engine called Perseverance, 
insurance called Faith, 
a driver called Almighty God, 
you will make it to a place called Success.
The one person I can think of that made it through is Susan Boyle. Imagine, a grandmother, close to retirement taking a leap OF her life.
Just take a look at her then and how she has transformed now.
No, I’m not just talking how money can change one’s image. It’s more of the confidence she has gained and the hope she gave the nation......I say her like has just begun!

Monday, March 8, 2010

Life little choices


Sometimes, I wonder how people invented words. They made words like  “Aequeosalinocalcalinoceraceoaluminosocupreovitriolicwhich technically only used to describe spas  so complicated…and then decide to leave the most difficult task one have to do with a simple term  like “CHOICE”  - it sounded almost like JOY too, only in reality - the opposite!
People hate making decisions/ choices. I personally hate them. If I had to choose, I will just live on a straight road, highway to heaven or hell (we will leave that to the big guy)
The truth is, as simple or easy choices or decisions may be, it is what make you – slowly framing memories of your past and molding your future.
 I have taken a step back and reevaluate the choices I have personally made in life….. and if I had to take a test – will would have failed miserably!
·         Smoking in high school, mixing with the wrong group
·         Playing truant, School fights, Plagiarism
·         Screwing up the scholarship speech
·         Taking up Mass Comm
·         Saying no to a bf of 3 years simply because I blurted it
·         Not telling grandparents how much they meant to me
·         Leaving my very first agency who taught me to love the industry
·         Rejecting Berjaya University offer – my then only chance to join corporate
·         Accidentally fell into events
·         Leaving an awesome account in Grey
·         Being a planner

We are all guilty of making bad choices. Do I regret any of it? I’ll b e lying if I say no to all.
It’s true I make helluva bad decisions at given time.  I say the darnest things at the worst timing. People who knew me forgives, the ones that don’t take to heart and I am left helpless….  Although masked well, it is still not exactly the best feeling…..
They say life is beautiful, but then they also said Life if what you make out of it

See the word YOU in there? The owners is on YOU….so if you think your life sucks now, perhaps you should start thinking before you make those small little choices…. It all adds up!
Or else, you wake up one day too late to realize it


Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Clean Your Balls!!

This is just one of those mornings where you see something hilarious and tell yourself - Today is going to be an awesome day!

Was browsing through some current ads and I bump into this awesome one done Bartle BogleHagarty for Unilever Axe shower gel titled "Wash Your Balls!!". I think the way they did it was kinda cool - depicting around the idea of men are generally dirty and women/housewives are running out of cleaning solutions. What better way to portray men than to associate them with “balls”?


 

Creative or provoking, you decide! But one thing for sure, it will never run in a country like Malaysia. 

Thursday, February 18, 2010

The Love for Dogs

Lately I have been thinking a lot about things, it’s like I am having some kind of realization. No the world is not coming to an end. But what’s different about the world today is how I see it now as oppose to how I see it then. It is as though mother earth and I are connected somehow or other through an unsound channel. I don’t exactly know how to explain it in words, but it’s just the feeling. I believe it is in each and every one of us – a calling.

I believe as we grow older (and hopefully wiser) we think less of ourselves and more about people and things that surround our lives. Each one of us individuals has a passion for something. I think my calling is to help animals. I’ve always loved animals, big or small, fins or skin…

Hell – I ride on them.....


Feed them

Pat them


Take pictures WITH them


Take pictures OF them

And sometimes…I even behave like ‘em!! Oh wait.....that's the bf!

But there is one animal that I hold very close to my heart. =)

The furry 4 legged. No…not cats! I don’t really fancy them, plus they have 9 lives, so if they ran out of them – I’d say they had a good run. This entry is dedicated to all the stray dogs out there and people who have contributed to making a dog’s world a better place.

Yes, it is an eye sore to see strays. We do not like them when they come close to us when we are eating now, we do not like to see them in our neighborhood, he hate the sounds they make at night….hell, we even hate the sight of them dead on the highway. The question is, if we hate seeing them everywhere, where else can they go to?

They too were given a life to live. It’s sad enough that they have to make it in this cruel world all on their own. Not to mention in a country like Malaysia where dogs are considered non-halal, and the fact that dog meat trade is getting bigger and bigger not only in China, but also Rusia (I think it’s the results of Rusian marrying Chinese immigrants from the damn border – they don’t make very cute kids you know?)

It’s a pity that we see so little of them and yet, they think so highly of us. Dogs are intuitively trustworthy animals and are considered the most loyal amongst all. Sure, draw them with food and then make food and money out of them.

Just a few months ago, I passed by a pet shop and I saw a poor looking young cocker spaniel. He has such sad eyes and was just skin and bones. No, he was not starved nor abused – but he is a product of mutation.



Dog breeders these days do not share the common goal of the olden days breeders. Dog breeders came up with the idea of breeding dogs so children of the future – us – live to see an authentic breed of dogs and be blown away by each breed’s characteristic and behavior. But dog breeders today are all out for $$ and only $$, so they think of the cheapest and easiest alternative. Consider it trade dog prostitution. Mama dog forced to mate with her own pups, and siblings and well, you get the picture. Because it is not a natural thing for 4 legged to be forced to do what used to be nature calling, their babies result in sad pictures like the above.

The question is, what are we doing about it? Are you just going to agree what a sad world it is to be a dog and do nothing about it or are you going to go out there and do something about it. If you think about it, there are so much we can do. Save a stray, make them your house guard. Give them food if they come to your table. Try aid a wounded dog if not too aggressive. Volunteer in dog shelters on your free time. If you do not have free time, contribute via food or cash. Give out your used clothes or old shoes. You’d be surprised how happy a four legged will be to have one side of your shoe as toy. If you can’t help, go tell a friend who tell another friend who may be able to help.

I met a very nice lady recently. She has been volunteering in dog shelters around Klang Valley for the past 15 years. She said

“The world may not change if you help save a dog, but the world will surely change for that one dog”

and I can’t help but to agree with her….