From A to Zeny

Brooklyn Street Art - Part II

2012-03-10T17:56:00.000-05:00

Sunshine means more time spent outdoors

Brooklyn Street Art

2012-03-04T20:06:00.001-05:00

Started the day with a beyond satisfying full English breakfast at the Chip Shop in Brooklyn Heights. I'm so glad I finally went because now I know where to go for my English breakfast cravings or I miss London moods. Spent the rest of the day exploring and shooting photos around Brooklyn.

Cooking Popo's "Kau Yuk" Dish

2012-03-04T18:47:00.000-05:00

When I was home in Hawaii this Christmas, my popo made her famous Kau Yuk (Steamed Red Pork with Taro). Kau Yuk was one of those dishes like bittermelon that I HATED as a kid. Wouldn't touch the stuff, but now that I am adult, I guess I can appreciate the unique starchy texture of taro, richness of fermented red bean curd and of course--PORK BELLY. I stubbornly thought I could remember the recipe in my head as I watched my popo prepare the dish, but after coming back to New York... I could barely remember the ingredients.

I ended up finding the recipe in a cookbook I had called Hawai'i's Best Local Dishes and decided to make it for the Oscars.

Kau Yuk (Steamed Red Pork) - yield: 8 to 10 servings (I halved the recipe below)

Ingredients:
3 pounds pork belly
1 pound taro, sliced 1/2-inch thick
oil for frying

Sauce:
1 bottle red bean curd sauce (8-oz.)
3 Tablesppons brown sugar
1 teaspoon Hawaiian salt
2 Tablesppons hoisin sauce
2 Tablespoons oyster sauce
1/2 teaspoon five spices
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 whole star anise (mashed)
1 Tablespoon sherry

I found the red bean curd at Hong Kong Supermarket in Manhattan Chinatown

Heat oil and brown sliced taro. Set aside.

Parboil pork belly for 15 minutes. Rinse and paper towl dry. Puncture skin with knife or fork. Heat oil in heavy pot and fry skin side down until brown and crisp. Remove from the pot and cool. Cut into slices, approximately 1x4-inches.

Arrange in large bowl, alternating taro and pork slices.

Mix all sauce ingredients. Pour over meat and taro in a bowl. Marinate for 2 hours or overnight.

Steam for 2 1/2 hours. And wha-lah! Looks disgusting but trust me it's delicious.

Kau Yuk on the upper right was my contribution to the spectacular Oscar dinner which included char siu bao, browned brussel sprouts in bacon, teriyaki meatballs, lime shrimp, grape tomato and onion salad and bacon and cheddar deviled eggs

What I Got Right (and Didn't Get) About Facebook Timeline for Brands

2012-02-29T22:54:00.001-05:00

Hooray! Facebook Timeline is finally here for brand pages and I can't be more excited. Five months ago, I wrote an article for Mashable about the implications of Facebook Timeline for brands and majority of the changes predicted were positive--such as the "cover" photo real estate, infinite scroll of wall and timeline storytelling aspect. Moment of truth, today Facebook revealed what brands can expect by allowing pages to preview in Timeline. All pages are expected to rollover to the timeline format after 3/30, so it's nice to see Facebook allow time for brands to understand and prepare for these timeline changes.

Now it's time to see what I predicted right (most of these are obvious based on personal timelines):

Cover Photo
Infinite Scroll/Timeline
Access Apps through Icons beneath the Cover*

What I didn't see coming:

Guidelines on Cover Photo - According to InsideFacebook.com, CTA, arrows, references to price or purchase or asking people to like or share is not allowed--which is understandable to avoid terrible ad-like cover photos; however, this is a huge bummer because the potential for brands to use that space creatively to feature a promotion is enormous
Pinning Posts (or the "Sticky" Posts) - ability to highlight a post at the very top of the timeline for seven days. This is Facebook's fix to not allowing CTAs or call outs in the cover photo
Doing away with Like Gates and Default pages - Brands need to work harder to earn those likes!
Private Messaging to Page Fans - Finally!

The next big push for brands is to build open graph Facebook apps that live within the timeline versus hidden in a square icon. This will increase visibility of the app on personal profiles but also force brands to increase the value and improve the experience of these apps to make it worthwhile for people to use.

*I don't think I actually wrote this in the Mashable article but this is where I expected "tabs" and apps to move to

Cosmic Opera with Axwell, Thomas Gold, NO_ID

2012-02-25T10:58:00.000-05:00

After four days of non-stop work, I looked forward to seeing Axwell of Swedish House Mafia at Cosmic Opera last night. What NY Times and Rolling Stone hyped as the next-level of electronic dance music shows in America, Cosmic Opera entertained with suspended acrobatics, strobes, smoke and snow. Yes, it snowed in Hammerstein Ballroom. The Parisan-themed stage had a "Cosmic Opera" Paris subway entrance and the acrobats dressed in burlesque. My one complaint is all the "opera" pieces of the show seemed disjointed--from the occasional acrobatics, opera singing and moving giant chandelier. It was difficult to take it in bits and pieces and I wish the acrobats, dancers or characters were present more often. We'll just have to see with Act 2 & 3 coming up. Beyond that, Axwell's set was amazing. He opened with "In My Mind", played "Antidote", covered Coldplay's "Paradise" and Rhi Rhi's "We Found Love" and of course ended with "Save the World". It was a fun night and now I'm really just excited for the summer to come and EDC to come to NY!

Snow and sexy acrobatics in the video below

11BKLYN Coming Soon to Etsy

2012-02-19T12:34:00.001-05:00

Peeta is a Pouch of Bread

2012-02-12T15:15:00.003-05:00

I still can't get over this Lana Del Rey Video Games parody. HUNGER GAMES!

Who is Jeremy Lin? Tell Me Facebook.

2012-02-10T19:46:00.000-05:00

On my way home on the 4 express train to Union Square today, I was cornered against the door by two 30-something tie-wearing men talking loudly about Jeremy Lin. The man closest to me complained about Linsanity and how all the fanfare around Jeremy Lin was unwarranted because the games that Lin scored 20+ points was against bad NBA teams (I have no clue since I don't watch basketball, let alone care about the Knicks) and how he's skeptical about Lin's ability. The other man told an interesting story of how large-size Lin jerseys were sold out at a Modell's and stores are rushing to produce more. During this time that I was eavesdropping, I first thought to myself, "this man's a racist", then I thought about how the only reason why I know who Jeremy Lin is because my Facebook news feed has been flooded with pro-Jeremy Lin video clips the past week. Who is Jeremy Lin? He's a basketball player on the Knicks who went to Harvard and is Asian American. I found that out through Facebook.

While I don't think that man next to me on the train is truly racist, I do think Linsanity has a lot to do with Lin's race. The fact that Jeremy Lin kicks ass makes me pretty proud to be an Asian and now I sort of very minimally care about the Knicks or at least in Lin's story. Any NBA team that had a small window to gain greater press coverage and buzz would take it, explaining the rush in printing Lin jerseys and madness that is the Jeremy Lin internet memes: http://www.quickmeme.com/Jeremy-Lin/?upcoming

I've always said this (many times sarcastically): Asians don't know how to fail. I used to yell this at BU hockey games when #18 Brandon Yip was on the ice and he always delivered. Whether or not social media and the internet blew the significance of Jeremy Lin's recent success out of proportion doesn't really matter. What matters is a week ago no one knew who Jeremy Lin was, and now, he's become all New York and Asians across America can talk about.

I'll Give Bridgestone, Chevy, Chrysler and Budweiser an "A" for Effort

2012-02-06T20:31:00.000-05:00

Last night's Super Bowl commercials left me feeling "ehhh"--the way I've felt about Super Bowl ads the past decade. Nothing stood out as the funniest or craziest ad or even very memorable. As expected, Danica Patrick made more bad sex references in Go Daddy commercials, Doritos went the user-generated ad route, eTrade baby is pretty funny and somehow Jerry Seinfeld is still relevant. The most disappointing ad hands-down is Pepsi's Elton John X-factor medieval mess. Seriously, Pepsi went from having Britney, Beyonce and Pink rock gladiator outfits to this? Sad.

There were a few advertisers that delivered strong ads with rather interesting stories. My favorite goes to Bridgestone's "Performance Football and Basketball" spots, a follow up to the Bridgestone's "Performance Balls and Puck" commercial that debuted during the Winter Classic in January. I also admire Chevy's use of Rob Dyrdek and OK GO in the Sonic "Stunt Anthem" spot; Chevy really went all out in pulling off these crazy car stunts and the effort is noted. Bud Light Platinum managed to make its new product feel sexy through music, using Kanye's Runaway track and Levels' DJ Avicii's unexpected cameo. Again, effort noted. I particularly liked Budweiser's America through time in"Eternal Optimism", mainly because it referenced the 1980 Winter Olympics "Miracle on Ice". Instant winner.

Like Budweiser, Chrysler also played off the sentiment of "America" in it's Gran Torino 2 "Halftime" spot (wait.. you're telling me Gran Torino is not even a Chrysler car?). The spot featured Clint Eastwood being Clint Eastwood--it was serious and attention grabbing, and for a second I felt patriotic until the next ad with a moon-walking dog snapped me out of it.

This year's ads were slightly better than lasts, so I'm hopeful that next year we'll be see brands take their ads back to Super Bowl levels of epicness.

Bridgestone Performance Balls

Chevy Sonic "Stunt Anthem"

Budwesier "Eternal Optimism"

Bud Light Platinum "Work"

Chrysler "It's Halftime in America"

What Was Left of #JasonWuForTarget

2012-02-05T13:57:00.003-05:00

I did it guys, I woke up super early at 7 a.m. this Super Bowl Sunday to catch a ride with my friend Amber to hit up a Target store in Jersey for the launch of Jason Wu for Target Collection. We ended up leaving Brooklyn around 7:30 and made it to Bridgewater, NJ by 8:37 a.m. to find the target parking lot pretty empty and hopeful... until I stepped through the automatic doors and saw two middle aged white ladies exit each with a trash bag sized target bag filled with Jason Wu clothes--I COULD SEE THE FLORAL PRINT THROUGH THE WHITE PLASTIC! Nervous, Amber and I rushed to the Jason Wu racks to find it completely empty. Gone. Just a few rods of steel, cold, empty. What?! Target opened at 8 a.m.--it was a half hour later and there was nothing. No cute pleated shift dress in blush stripes with a black belt. Still hopeful we scoured the racks in the changing room for what was left, and surprisingly I found two tops, one small the other medium, that was cute. Yay, success. I was looking for ladylike pieces to add to my work wardrobe, which contained too much of the opposite, so I was happy with our purchases (Amber and I ended up with the same tops). You know what I'm also happy about, I bought 48 rolls of toilet paper for $12 bucks!

Year of the Dragon Definitely Won't Be A Drag

2012-01-28T18:36:00.001-05:00

Craving a bowl of won ton mein, my roommates and I headed to our go-to roast duck and jook (sometimes referred to as congee by less cool people) joint Big Wong's in Manhattan Chinatown. Just our (bad) luck, Chinese New Year celebrations were going on, so the streets were littered with little kids, confetti and silly string. If I wasn't so hungry, the lion dancing and cymbal banging wouldn't bother me but it was preventing me from my noodles. It's a good thing Big Wong's is so quick at serving food. Instantly our won ton mein, char siu chong fun and jook was devoured and our bellies satisfied--all for only $15!

The Chinese New Year festivities reminded me that today is my brother Zadrian's 14th birthday!! Zadrian also lion dances and does kung fu in Hawaii and will be performing at the 63rd Narcissus Coronation Ball at the Hilton Hawaiian Village today. I'm so amazed and proud of how quickly he has learned the jongs--lion dancing on 8 ft. poles--you can watch his awesome performance from a few weeks ago at the end of this post.

After grocery shopping, we stopped by Quickly's for some Bubble Milk Tea and mini cakes from the food stand outside.

The video below is of my brother Zadrian and his lion dance company Gee Yung at the Honolulu Academy of Arts. He's the head player in the pink lion. Warning in advance, my little sister Zoe filmed the video which explains the low angle:

Want to Work in Advertising? Here's 5 Traits You Need

2012-01-25T00:00:00.001-05:00

Before I get into this post, I want to clarify that I'm not writing this because I think I know it all or claim to--I'm writing this because I want those who are passionate about working in the ad industry to succeed, and here are some tips I've gathered from my experience in the agency world:

1. Question Wisely
At first I wanted to phrase this as "question everything". If you're on a call and someone is talking about implementing a "pixel" to a website for tracking purposes and you don't know what the hell they're talking about... speak up and ask. What's a "QSR"? Don't know? Then ask (QSR are quick service restaurants like Quiznos). No question is a bad question BUT the point is knowing the best person and time to ask. If you're in a 10-person meeting, it's probably not the best idea to ask every question. List them in a notebook and only ask the ones you can't ask someone after the meeting or google. You can't learn, if you don't ask.

2. Learn to Simplify
It's amazing how stupidly tedious certain processes can be because no one was smart enough to fix them or everyone was just too lazy. If a process is frustrating and unnecessarily time consuming, fix it. Find a way to make it easier for yourself and others. Also, we're in the business of getting a point across quickly, so we (myself included) should exercise some restraint and editing of powerpoint slides.

3. Keep Busy
Seriously if you're online shopping or catching up on last week's episode of The Bachelor on hulu, you probably should ask around for work. If your manager doesn't have anything and your team doesn't have anything--venture to a different department, consider submitting ideas to an open brief, research new business opportunities or "simplify" something. Boredom is a terrible thing.

4. Be Positive
Sounds simple but you'd be surprise how easy negativity flows through agencies. It's tough being the person to challenge creatives to see the opportunity in a low-fi microsite or work with a miniscule budget--but you just have to keep pushing for amazing work. And amazing work rarely happens unless everyone believes in it.

5. Be Fearless
Of all 5 traits, this one is most important. Dive head first into projects. Believe in something? Then just do it.

It's no surprise that most students out of college aspire to work for the Wiedens, Drogas, BBDOs and Crispins. I know I did and still do; however, it's not the agency that makes good people, it's good people that makes an agency. And good people are everywhere, therefore strong advertising can come from any agency. I'm grateful to wake up each morning hungry and happy about what I do and hope the people I work with are just as hungry and happy too.

Totally Late but Rooney Mara is My Best Dressed For The Globes

2012-01-21T14:16:00.001-05:00

Overall, I thought most of the dresses at this year's Globes were boring and uninteresting (compared to last year's awesome Old Hollywood ensembles). My predictions were "weird holes" and "beading" which I did see some of and all on Zooey Deschanel. My favorite look of the Globes goes to Girl With The Dragon Tattoo actress Rooney Mara for her feminine goth inspired Nina Ricci dress. I absolutely like the cut-outs on the sides, mini-bows in the front and use of tulle to soften the dress. Her simple hair and make up went perfectly with the dress--not distracting and not too casual. Argue away but I was never a fan of the red carpet princess dress and this was definitely not it.

VW Proves You Can Pick An Un-related Theme (Like Star Wars) And Run With It

2012-01-21T13:59:00.003-05:00

By now everyone has probably seen the VW "Bark Side" teaser commercial and thought to themselves this is frickin awesome. What most people aren't thinking is, "What does VW have to do with Star Wars?" or "I don't get how barking dogs has anything to do with German engineering?" The point is that IT DOESN'T MATTER. A good commercial or campaign idea that engages an audience doesn't always have to make sense for a brand, in some ways like VW, it's better.

This reminds me of two advertising lessons I learned at BU:
1. Make the ordinary feel strange and the strange feel ordinary
2. When in doubt, babies and puppies

Deutsch LA must have taken the same course because last year's 'The Force' commercial with mini Darth Vader was an instant hit and gained a ton of earned media mentions--morning show interviews, news articles, shares--and was one of the more memorable/talked about Super Bowl TV spots. This year, the 'Bark Side' teaser uses the "force" of dogs put us under a viral video spell.

The only similarity between 'The Bark Side' and last year's commercial is: 1) Imperial March theme song 2) Star Wars costume, and again ≠ to VW, Cars or German engineering but still absolutely brilliant. I hope advertisers see that a strong campaign idea doesn't always need to stem from a theme or topic that is highly relevant to a brand. I mean, the only similarity I see between VW and Star Wars is the Passat is the color of the Death Star.

Watch 'The Bark Side' again below:

Rewatch last year's 'The Force' commercial and/or read my commentary post here:

While the Star Wars theme feel a bit "forced" (haha) onto the VW brand--see the Intergalactic Invite at vw.com/star-wars-invite below--I'm eating it all up. Can't wait to send out Star Wars invites to my possibly Star Wars themed Super Bowl party.

I Don't Eat Chinese Often But When I Do I Eat At Cafe China

2012-01-19T23:53:00.000-05:00

Chinese New Year is this Monday and since I am full Chinese and don't want to dishonor my family, I really should start consuming massive amounts of Chinese food. Thankfully my roommate Ben had his 25th birthday at Cafe China, located in the Midtown East/Murray Hill area, which served authentic Szechuan (the spicy kind!) Chinese food. I can't explain how extremely satisfying, delicious and spicy-in-a-good-way the food was. All the dishes were served family-style and everyone had a bowl of rice in hand; it was like eating a home-cooked meal.

My favorite part was the appetizers, which we ordered pork in garlic dressing, mouthwatering chicken, dan dan noodles and jellyfish in scallion pesto sauce (a personal request). For entrees, I recommend ordering the fragrant fish fillet, pan-fried lamb and braised pork (the pork belly!). Ugh, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

I rarely get Chinese food outside of Chinatown--with the exception of M Noodle shop across in my hood which has become the go-to late-night dumpling and scallion pancake joint by default--but I would actually venture to Cafe China on 37th between Madison and 5th Ave and that's saying A LOT. For those who like a little culture with their cuisine, Cafe China's decor is reminiscent of a Wong Kar-Wai movie and to top it off you can order an In the Mood For Love cocktail.

Hannah & Noah with the Birthday boy

Jason's rocking the pose

So is Sean but not Jack

Ted and Gabs are so professional with their (wine) glasses
Sauteed String Beans and Pan-fried Lamb With Scallion

Chungking Braised Fish in Red Soup

Fragrant Fish Filet, Braised Pork Szechuan Style and Ma Po Tofu

Watch a quick clip about Cafe China from CHOW:

Deadmau5, Tiesto--Tech Brands Love Affair With DJs

2012-01-16T16:12:00.002-05:00

Deadmau5's live 4D performance on the Thames River for Nokia and Tiesto's first ever live streaming concert on Twitter for HP and Intel proves that big name DJs are the next big super endorsers for tech brands, especially in America. Both of these marketing stunts are farrr from cheap, demonstrating the confidence brands have in DJs to give their products massive exposure and "cool" value. Today in the ad industry, DJs are to electronics as Basketball players are to shoes. If anyone's seen TRON then you'll know how electronic music can help push sales and/or save your product.

Benjamin Franklin Would Have Liked Our Golden Globes Eating Party

2012-01-16T14:55:00.000-05:00

Benjamin Franklin once said, "There can't be good living where there is not good drinking." I learned this from one of those bathroom books I bought this weekend called Keep Calm and Drink Up. I won't argue with The Benj but I'd have to add "eating" to the quote as well. Last night, my friends and I somehow pulled out of our asses a really "good" Golden Globes dinner party on the inspiration of "appetizers" (we were too lazy to plan an actual dinner). The Benj would have been proud: we ended up drinking Manhattans and appetizing on two types of spinach dip, bbq chicken wings, fried cornishons, caesar salad, goat cheese brie and jam crackers, garlic bread bruchetta and red carpet red velvet cupcakes. All made from scratch and all delicious.

Thanks to everyone who trekked through the cold to make last night a success, unfortunately, I can't say the same for majority of the red carpet choices made at the Globes. More on that later, but for now, some food porn:

Another Post Dedicated To Marisa Lynn Star

2012-01-16T14:03:00.002-05:00

I've been a very lucky girl recently because all my favorite people who live far away have made a stop in NYC. Last week was sushi, sake and dancing with Sindoni and this week my dearest Californian Marisa Lynn Star is here! Like the times she visited before, a weekend with Marisa is nothing short of "celicious" (you'll have to ask her what that means). Due to freezing point temperatures, we've opted to stay in Brooklyn--dumplings at M Shanghai, dancing at The Woods and brunch at Rye. Dumplings, dancing and brunch--how could that go wrong?

Photo recap:

Updated the scrabble message board just for Marisa

Awesome Beef (this really is what the dish is called) at M Shanghai

Pregame at Sophie's

Brunch at Rye! I was super disappointed they no longer have the pork belly sandwich on their menu :(

But they do have the Rye Benedict, which has pork belly

I demolished the House Smoked Sturgeon

Ted photobombing

If you can't tell by our frigid expressions, it was pretty cold out.

A to Zeny Jewelry Piece No.2, The "Sophie" Bracelet

2012-01-14T15:15:00.002-05:00

Happy birthday to Sophie, the first friend I ever made in college! Sophie always had the best accessories and is probably the most stylish person I know. So when I was brainstorming a piece to make her, I wanted it to be unique and sweet like her! The "Sophie" bracelet is made out of glass heart beads (no heart is the same), iridescent crystals and a braid made of the multi-colored knitted rope and suede. Hopefully Soph and I have the same wrists size because I kept cutting it shorter to make it fit perfectly around the wrist.

Can't wait to celebrate with my favorite German tonight in Brooklyn! The pic of Soph below is circa Sophomore year Toga party night... jello bowl, classy.

I Won't Be Watching Season 5 of Jersey Shore

2012-01-06T01:02:00.001-05:00

Tonight was the premiere of MTV's Jersey Shore Season 5, as Snooki and crew head back to Seaside Heights to party at Karma and sell statement tees at the boardwalk, and I didn't care to watch it.

No, I am not a Jersey Shore hater and don't judge anyone who watches it. As matter of fact, I was pretty obsessed with seasons 1-3 (watched 4, not so obsessed) and even wrote a blog post defending and commending the Jersey Shore crew a year and a half ago. But since the Italy season, I started losing interest. Maybe it was because Sammie and Ronnie finally got along or there weren't enough grenades in Florence, but the show started to get repetitive and old. Team Meatballs' drunken antics were extreme but expected, you know, the Lady Gaga effect--when you consistently try to be over the top it gets tiring to watch at some point.

This combined with the fact that I recently turned a quarter century and am making changes in my life to grow up--the last thing I need is to watch a bunch of late 20 year-olds trying so hard not to. I have no doubt Season 5 will be entertaining, Deana will flash her "kuka" and Pauly D will coin some genius phrase ("Yeah Buddy!") but this is my sincerest farewell to my dearest Jersey Shore cast, it's been nice knowing ya. Stay classy Jersey Shore.

From Indian to Beach, the 2011 Weddings That Rocked

2012-01-03T07:22:00.003-05:00

I remember being a summer intern and my manager who was in his mid-20s told me how he was attending multiple weddings a year. There was something about his tone that made me think I shouldn't be looking forward to these "multiple weddings" when I hit my mid-20s; however, from my very first wedding in 2010 (Greg & Erin's) to the two I attended in the last two months--it is safe to say that WEDDINGS ARE AWESOME.

On November 5th, I attended my friend Jalpa's wedding in Virginia and experienced my first Indian wedding. I attempted to wrap my first saree (which I rented from Borrow It Bindaas), binge ate Indian food and danced my feet off. Everything about the wedding--the ceremony, family, music--was so lively and joyous... I can't wait until my other Indian friends get married!

Last Friday, my friend Peter graciously invited me to his sister Shelly's wedding reception in Hawaii. His invite said, "there will be a sand castle building contest" and "there's gonna be an adult pinata with adult stuff"--this was more than enough to convince me to go. Located on Kalama Beach in Kailua, the event was beautiful and low-key. I wore a tank top, shorts and slippers. Best part of the wedding was the bride and groom designed custom shirts that said "I Lava You", which everyone put on.

These two weddings are so different and unique to the two couples, but both were filled with so much happiness and celebration. I had an amazing time and very grateful to have been able to share the special moment with both couples. Congrats!

Jalpa and Amish's wedding in Chantilly, Virginia:

David and Shelly's wedding reception in Kailua, Hawaii:

#JustDance3 NYE

2012-01-03T06:11:00.001-05:00

No fireworks? No worries! We have Just Dance 3 on New Year's Eve, which is all anyone really needs for a good time nowadays. I'll take partial (okay, full) responsibility for the Just Dance craze. Can't wait to get back to Brooklyn so I can play with my Kinect I got over Black Friday.

Best Zoe Faces of Christmas Break

2012-01-03T04:46:00.005-05:00

I'd like to think that I'm a great influence on my little sister Zoe, and over the past two and a half weeks I'm starting to believe that this is true...

This is Zoe.

And, this was me.

The Annual Christmas Family Photo Sesh

2011-12-24T17:17:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays from the Huangs!

A to Zeny Jewelry, Inspiration Behind Piece No.1

2011-12-21T23:54:00.002-05:00

Over this winter break I started to create my own one-of-a-kind jewelry. I found a spool of multi-colored knitted rope which reminded me of two things: 1) My brother and his girlfriend who rock climb and 2) the Big Bambu exhibit at the MET two summers ago.

My first piece, which is named "Mariah" after my brother's girlfriend, is a two-strand necklace that falls below the collar bone (good or layering) and is made out of knitted rope and cube-shaped glass beads in blue, turquoise and yellow. I was inspired by climbing knots and tied a few knots in the necklace. I'm making a limited number of the necklace and will be selling them on etsy soon. If you're interested in buying or requesting a custom-necklace, feel free to contact me or leave a comment. More pieces to come!

Pic below is Mariah with my brother Zack at Lanikai beach in Kailua, HI

From Cattelan to Santacon, Why I Love New York

2011-12-11T09:10:00.001-05:00

It's my final weekend in New York City for the year and I had no intention of wasting it. Friday was sort of shot for me as the night before was the JWT holiday party... you know how that goes... but I had promised my friend Jason I'd attend Art After Dark at the Guggenheim for the Maurizio Cattelan "All" exhibit. The massive scale of the exhibit hanging from the center of the Gugg was a sight in itself. Can't really explain, so you'll just need to go see the exhibit before January 22 when it closes.

Not a surprise but I really liked the floating "Z"s

Then my weekend went from high-brow to low-brow pretty quickly with SANTACON on Saturday! Last year was pretty awesome so I was definitely participating again this year; however, I think my old age is catching up to me and this year will probably be my last. We met up at South Street Seaport and head uptown to Bryan Park. Like Cattelan, I can't really explain it so you'll just have to look at the photos:

My favorite moment of Santacon, Tyler being spanked by Santa:

This weekend pretty much sums up everything I love about living in New York.

#YourCampaignIdeaHere

2011-12-07T21:27:00.001-05:00

Does your campaign have an official hashtag? Is your campaign cool? Well it should be both. It's safe to say when #ThingsLongerThanKimsMarriage trends for days on twitter, hashtags have reached mass usage in the US (unless you're targeting the 60+ crowd). Most campaigns aim to generate buzz and awareness through social channels, and to do that, marketers need to do some preparation in seeding the conversation by designating a campaign hashtag in the creative. Sometimes (rarely), campaigns are EPIC enough to sprout and carry conversation on its own but most brands can't afford to use Justin Bieber.

Hashtags are innately social as its intended use is to create a thread of conversation around a specific topic on twitter, and now, photo sharing sites like Instagram also have tag searching functions.

Here are some recent hashtagged campaigns:

1) #WalkofShame - Harvey Nichols

2) #BasketballNeverStops - Nike

3) #SWATH (Snow White & the Huntsman)

Does Being "Big In Japan" Still Matter?

2011-12-03T10:11:00.001-05:00

My awesome coworker Nick picked me up my favorite Japanese fashion magazines ViVi and Glamorous on his recent trip to Tokyo. I can thank my fashion-obsessed girlfriends Hannah and Tiff for getting me hooked on these magical retail bibles, which has helped me through many layovers in Narita airport. I remember as a teenager thinking how fashion-forward the Japanese were--leopard skin tights (no way!) or neon windbreakers (can't be!)... but the Japanese were always somehow ahead of the times when it came to trends.

As I excitedly flipped through the pages of my new magazines, I started to realize... I'VE SEEN ALL THESE TRENDS BEFORE. But where? ON THE INTERNET. THAT'S WHERE. With fashion bloggers growing like weeds and tumblrs reblogging images like the way I consume bubble tea--fashion trends are spreading globally + rapidly. It's probably why fashion trends more recently (color blocking, studded leather jackets, etc.) seem repetitive and recycled, because everyone is beginning to dress the same. The Japanese are dressing like the French who are dressing like New Yorkers who are dressing like the Brits who are dressing like L.A. who is dressing like the Japanese?

As the globalization of fashion continues it will become harder and harder to distinguish style by geography. Street fashion in Tokyo may look like the streets of Orlando, Florida (okay maybe not). The worst part is if you're trying NOT to be trendy, you may just be mistaken for being uber trendy--talking to you hipsters!

Nokia Launches New Phone With Deadmau5 and Sick 4D Projection in London

2011-11-30T20:48:00.001-05:00

Nokia takes its LUMIA 800 new product launch to a whole new dimension with a public 4D spectacle on the Thames river in London. Breakthrough marketing ideas like this is necessary to help Nokia regain some of the smartphone market share it is losing to Android devices and iPhones. Will dropping the bass and throwing an electronic light show help sales? We'll have to see... but for now watch the mindblowing event below:

So My Parents Know I Didn't Starve On Thanksgiving

2011-11-29T00:18:00.001-05:00

Tommy Hilfiger Finally Gets Hip With Preppy Holiday

2011-11-28T21:55:00.001-05:00

The struggling-to-be-relevant and fresh American lifestyle brand Tommy Hilfiger has finally found a way to make ridiculously good-looking "waspy" people less douchey and more fun with their new holiday campaign themed "House Par-tay". The creative which came from Laird and Partners (you may remember them from the short-lived Gap Logo redesign) stays true to the brand's iconic red and blue color scheme, diverse and oh so gorgeous cast of models while being humorous and fun. What is different about this campaign is the concept of "family", specifically defining who "The Hilfigers" are, and the range of age, race and hairstyles.

How can you dislike a family that parties during the holidays in their underwear?

Congrats to Creative Director Trey Laird of Laird + Partners, Film Director Francis Lawrence and Stylist by Karl Templer for job well done. This campaign makes me want a pair of plaid jammies!

Holy BOW-loney Part 2

2011-11-24T13:28:00.001-05:00

I can never get tired of the big wide bow. Here's an homage to my Holy BOW-loney post two years ago and some of the bow-y things I'm currently obsessed about:

1. Blair Waldorf's Christian Dior Embellished Bow Gown

2. Chloé "Lily" wallet in red leather

3. Hair Bow, source
4. Navy Striped Bow Bandeau from Amourouse on Etsy

Best Digital Idea Ever: A Britney Spears Music Video Bracket

2011-11-22T22:37:00.001-05:00

MTV's Britney Spears: 30 Videos for 30 Years music video bracket is probably the most time I have ever spent on a bracket (even more that last season's SYTYCD bracket that I made) and maybe even the most time I've spent on a branded digital idea/site. The bracket is simply brilliant. You click on a box that pairs up two Britney videos which you can then watch the videos and vote for your favorite to move onto the next round. After you submit your vote, you can see what the results are thus far.

As an avid Britney fan, having to choose the number one Britney Spears video is like asking your dad what his favorite Nicholas Cage movie is... there's just too many favorites. Britney has so many iconic videos and hits but if I had to choose I would go with her old stuff that had lots of choreographed dance. My favorites are Crazy, Stronger, I'm a Slave 4 You, Toxic and Piece of Me.

Sad to see "Born to Make You Happy" wasn't on the bracket but I guess the video did kind of suck.
Click here for the bracket

5 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Take Your 5 Year-Old to a Katy Perry Concert

2011-11-21T21:38:00.001-05:00

Last Wednesday I won 2 free tickets to see Katy Perry at MSG through a Twitter Contest from @JustDance_Game. How could I say no? I mean, after all, it was Katy Perry's Firework that launched my TV commercial career.

I was surrounded by girls no older than 15 and as young as 5 dressed in sequined tops, fish nets, pink wigs and way too much silver eye shadow accompanied by their middle age moms and dads. Some girls even had to stand on their seats to see the concert.

Maybe it's Katy Perry's sweet bubble gum pinup image or parents just don't listen hard enough to her lyrics but parents who take their kids to a Katy Perry concert must not care how sexually charged Katy's songs and stage presence are. For example:

1) Katy opens the concert screaming "slut! slut! SLUT!" as a dancer dressed in a slot machine costume runs around stage

2) Katy takes a bite out of a giant "magical" pot brownie

3) Katy jokes about infidelity by kissing a boy in the audience

4) Katy rubs her crotch, spreads her legs and moons young girls all around her

5) She sprays water into the crowd in the finale - This is more of a concern for everyone's cell phones

Although Katy might be extremely dirty, the concert surprisingly made me respect and appreciate her as a singer, performer and artist. Her set was decked out like Alice in Wonderland and her outfits was literal eye-candy (she wore candy buttons and candy cane inspired dresses). She cracked jokes that were actually pretty funny, played guitar, did a Whitney Houston cover and was an overall blast--maybe that's why parents takes their kids to see Katy Perry because secretly they just want to have some fun themselves. If you're a fan of her hits and above the age of 13, I recommend checking out her concert!

Pearl

Thinking of You

California Gurl

Finally Got a Table at St. Anselm

2011-11-17T21:05:00.001-05:00

I've had the Metropolitan Ave. restaurant St. Anselm on my must-eat list since this summer. I'd walk by the abnormally dim restaurant (they're not open during the day) every time I went grocery shopping at Foodtown and would eye the whole grilled fish on their menu. Just my luck, the New York Times reviewed the restaurant in late September making it impossible to get a table at any hour since. They don't take reservations so I've tried to stroll by for dinner a couple of times, only to find the restaurant packed and wait times greater than I can tolerate.

The birthday gods must have been very generous with me this year, as I arrived Tuesday around 7:30 pm to find only 2 or 3 tables filled. NO WAIT. No way!

Time to feast! We ordered grilled artichoke hearts and garlic butter clams to start. For my entree I had haloumi salad with pea greens and green beans and grilled whole trout with butter garlic sauce. Sean ordered New York strip and a side of pan-friend mashed potatoes with truffle oil. I burnt the top of my mouth pretty badly on the pan-fried mashed potatoes--it's really hot. Everything was delicous. There literally was no food left on our plates. I will definitely be coming back to try the grilled sardines with pickled lotus root and the bourbon brined pork chops. Oh man, can't wait.

Party Like It's 11.11.11

2011-11-12T10:58:00.001-05:00

I can't thank everyone enough for making my 25th birthday so special. Thanks to everyone who called, texted, FB messaged to wish me happy birthday and everyone who came to Brooklyn Winery to celebrate. It's mindblowingly amazing to see my JWT, Digitas, BU, Punahou and NYC friends converge. Also, big thanks to Brooklyn Winery for their awesome space & service.

Being a quarter century has been awesome so far, can't wait for what's to come...

This Moment Is Too Surreal, It's Almost 11/11/11

2011-11-10T22:45:00.001-05:00

The day I have been waiting for, I want to say 3 years, will be here in half an hour and I'll be sound asleep. Before I sleep and wake up a year older, I just want to say that I've thoroughly enjoyed every moment of the past 5 years. From Boston, New York, London to Brooklyn, I have been sooo fortunate to meet amazing kickass people, reunite with the best friends anyone can ask for and bond with a family I can only describe as 'crazy' (the good kind).

I would not change anything. Not even that Godzilla night.

From this day forward, I want to put the "chase" aside--the constant need to plan ahead, move quickly, think fast--and enjoy what I feel is and will be the happiest moments of my life.

Thanks to everyone (especially the 2009 BU Hockey Team) and Happy 11/11/11!

Laptop is in the Shop

2011-10-30T22:46:00.001-04:00

I haven't been able to blog because my MacBook Pro died two weeks ago. Should get it back soon but in the meantime here are 11 (it's my favorite number remember?) things I've recently been obsessed about:

Oh and I forgot, YURTS.

Solving Problems 1 Clothes Pin At A Time

2011-10-09T10:30:00.000-04:00

My desk at @JWTNewYork has a very pretty turquoise wall. Unfortunately I can't tack papers, pictures or posters on my wall since it is made of metal, so I thought of a SOLUTION: magnetic clothes pins!

Using magazine clippings from NYLON Japan and Vogue, I turned boring wooden clothes pins into artsy fartsy clips! I was pretty impressed with how the first batch of clips came out, considering I haven't used Elmer's Glue since the 1st grade. The magnetic tape I bought from the hardware store is pretty weak, so the clips can only hold one sheet of paper max, unless you double/triple up the clips.

I think these clips are a great idea for wedding favors or birthday gifts since you can personalize what goes on them (i.e. name and date of event or picture). Plus, clips are so useful... they close half-eaten chip bags, keep bills together, hold up clothes on a clothes line... who doesn't like clothes pins?

The Late Night Happy Hour #HowToMakeIt

2011-09-30T08:29:00.003-04:00

This week, HBO's show How To Make It In America is launching its second season big with one straight week of free "Late Night Happy Hours" leading up to the season premiere on Oct. 2nd. The synopsis of the show: "How To Make It In America follows two enterprising twentysomethings as they hustle their way through New York City, determined to achieve their vision of the American Dream." A fitting plot for almost every person living in NYC.

I attended the one hour Hudson Whiskey sponsored event last night at Nitehawk Cinema (my new favorite place with $3.50 Allagash White drafts for happy hour), sipping on custom cocktails called Brass Knuckle, Morning After and White Manhattan. That last one was particularly rough being it was straight New York Corn whiskey on ice with a twist of lemon peel, but one has learned not to complain when there is free booze in NYC.

The last Late Night Happy Hour is tonight at Happy Endings (10pm-11) in LES and Figure 19 (12am-1). RSVP here: https://www.facebook.com/howtomakeit?sk=events

HBO has always had very creative and buzzworthy tactics to promote its shows like the Sopranos Taxi Cab and Boardwalk Empire Subway Train. The Late Night Happy Hour is just as brilliant of an idea, especially the "hook up" napkins scattered throughout the bar. I'll probably watch the first season this weekend because the main character Brian Greenberg is pretty cute and it looks like my type of show... it's so tempting to order HBO.

Weekends By Foot.

2011-09-28T20:52:00.000-04:00

Technicolor Billyburg

2011-09-12T23:11:00.000-04:00

I took a much needed walk down Kent Ave towards the Williamsburg Bridge this Sunday to clear my head and explore the neighborhood. I'm embarrassed to say I haven't taken this route before and was pleasantly surprised by all the street art, particularly the "Plan Ahead" yarn piece.

"Dead Rabbit" by Roa

"Plan Ahead" by Magda Sayeg

"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by How & Nosm and RRobots

ELECTRIC ZOO Friday [PHOTOS]: Tiesto, Rusko, Benny Benassi, Gareth Emery, MSTRKRFT, Felguk

2011-09-05T12:17:00.001-04:00

Best decision ever.

Should Burger King Have Endorsed Anderson Silva?

2011-09-01T01:46:00.000-04:00

I am not an MMA expert but do occasionally watch the pay-per-views; most recently I watched UFC 134, which took place in Brazil--home to some of the greatest mix martial artists in the world including current UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva. No surprise, Anderson Silva won the fight and defended his title.

I have no complaints about the actual fight or outcome, but my biggest qualm about the Silva fight happened in the first minutes when he entered the octagon and very prominently across his left thigh was a giant Burger King Logo to accompany the giant Burger King logo on his banner behind him and the giant Burger King logo beneath him on the octagon floor. This is the first time I have seen the fast food chain represented during a UFC fight, and to be honest, I was a little upset.

The same week, Silva premiered two TV spots for Burger King promoting the "Mega BK Stacker"--a three patty bacon cheeseburger the size of my face. The spots aired in Brazil, I think, but haven't made it to the States. While blog posts and YouTube comments for the new spots are mostly positive... I still can't forgive Burger King for pitching the partnership to Silva. I regard MMA as a sport that requires discipline and strict training, especially when it comes to staying fit and cutting weight--and no where does that align with the values of fast food. There are other sponsors like Bud Light and Energy Drinks that don't align with the MMA lifestyle--but somehow I find Burger King's step into the UFC space more offensive and inappropriate, as if Burger King just sold-out the sport like it was NASCAR or something. Just another opportunity to raise awareness among growth consumers--a perfect opportunity to sell more burgers. Period.

UFC fans are very loyal to the sport and I think Burger King is taking advantage of that loyalty. My point is obesity is a very real problem and brands, especially fast food chains, and even Athletes and Celebrities need to consider the effects of their partnership beyond just sales. Strangely, I don't find Paris Hilton, Kim Kardahsian or Audrina Partridge's Carl's Jr. ads offensive so maybe I'm just taking this Burger King/Silva thing too seriously? What do you think.

High Fashion Fun: How LANVIN's Newest Campaign Changes Everything

2011-08-31T18:16:00.002-04:00

I am obsessed. Obsessed with LANVIN's Fall 2011 campaign featuring two gorgeous models (Karen Elson and Raquel Zimmerman) dressed head-to-toe in ornate floral and no doubt absurdly expensive creations dancing to Pitbull (Gasp! Not even a recent hit... "Calle Ocho" from 2009)! I first noticed this awesomely addicting campaign as a print spread in VOGUE's September issue and at first, couldn't figure it out. I took an extra minute to decipher the story behind the image, then realized the models were in mid-dance and, god forbid, possibly having some "innocent fun". In contrast to Prada's serious(ly) underage models dressed like they are bored 40 year-old school girls--LANVIN LOOKS LIKE A PARTY.

The best part is the 1-minute video, which changed my entire perception of the high fashion world, and literally oozes with brillance--from the music, editing, styling, direction. That spot could not be anymore perfect than it already is, except watching it a few hundred times more. I may be biased a little since it's no secret that I am a huge fan of Wii and Kinect dancing games, which I'm guessing was the inspiration behind this idea.

Famous fashion photographer Steven Meisel shot the campaign and you can see the entire print campaign and video here. What tops off all this brilliance is LANVIN's Artistic Director Alber Elbaz makes a very cute cameo in end. Watch the spot here:

Waiting For Hurricane Irene [PHOTOS]

2011-08-27T20:24:00.000-04:00

I went up to my 7th-floor roof around 7 p.m. today to take a look at what mother nature had in store for NYC and you could see a long stretch of dark grey clouds looming over Manhattan from the Financial District. An obvious sign that the rain was coming soon. Besides heavy rain, I'm not expecting too much action in the area that I live in Williamsburg but have taken the advice of Mayor Bloomberg and am staying indoors the entire weekend. It's a good thing my coffee table has about 30 different new magazines and I just received the second and third books of the Hunger Games series... my weekend is set.

My friends and I took advantage of our last night before the storm and cooked a huge ass dinner. We decided our 'last supper' should be nothing short of epic and made bacon mac n' cheese with four times the recommended amount of bacon, BBQ pork ribs, spam musubis (a Hawaiian hurricane staple!) and blackberry buttermilk cake! Epicness indeed.

So far everything in my apartment feels strangely normal and familiar--cooking dinner, UFC prelims on TV and I even got to video chat my family earlier today--but I know the eerie black shadows on the other side of my taped up windows is something I've never experienced before.

The general attitude about Irene.

Stay safe New York!

Wow, Lockerz Has A Much Cooler Fail Warning

2011-08-24T16:01:00.000-04:00

Forget the Twitter fail whale, meet the Lockerz FAIL ASTRONAUT!

10 DAYS UNTIL ELECTRIC ZOO

2011-08-23T11:26:00.000-04:00

Now just waiting for my tickets to get here...

Magazines, A Girl's Best Friend

2011-08-17T00:31:00.000-04:00

Every boyfriend should know the best way to pacify their girlfriend is to give her a stack of magazines, particularly Fashion magazines. THAT should keep her busy for a few hours. Well, what do you know, I came home tonight to a 6-inch stack of September issues of Vanity Fair, Lucky, Entertainment Weekly, Nylon, Fast Company, NY Mag, People Style Watch and Cosmopolitan, which definitely shut me up for more than a few hours.

Although I'm a sucker for magazines, the only time I buy them is when I'm at an airport waiting for a layover flight, but when I see them in doctor's offices, laying on people's coffee tables or in the cashier aisle at Duane Reade, I can't help but pick it up and flip through it like a kid on candy withdraw. Flipping page by page, my eyes scan the ads, pictures, spreads for "things". These "things", I now realize are the "cool beautiful things I want".

I might be part of the small percentage of females that don't online shop, ever. I'm not on Gilt or Banana or Zappos. I do not do the online shopping. So today when I felt the familiar urge to want something new and beautiful, it felt exciting. As a teenager I would clip out my favorite fashion spreads or dresses or jewelry out of magazines and make collages. I know there's digital versions of that like Polyvore and Tumblr--digital versions of collecting images that inspire you--but it just doesn't feel the same, feels almost forgetful or lost with the billions of images stored in the cloud. Which is why I still keep a sketchbook overflowed with clippings, stickers, cards, etc. next to my bed.

With the increasing reliance on your Facebook and Twitter "anchoring" communities to feed you content--the content often feels repetitive and old. I admit that it felt refreshing to read features in Fast Company about David Lauren, neuromarketing and China's high school system. These are topics I probably wouldn't have otherwise stumbled upon online (unless I followed @FastCompany, which I do now). My point is, I respect publications that make an effort to curate good stories, topics and photo spreads, and there is magic left in print after all.

Balls Everywhere: The Meatball Competition Dinner Party [PHOTOS]

2011-08-14T17:13:00.001-04:00

Yes, I have the maturity of a 9 year-old and still find "balls" funny. I also have a serious issue of turning every dinner party into some form of competition. Is it to much to ask my guests to judge their dinner based on taste, presentation and originality? I need to layoff the Food Network for a bit.

Last night, I held the first annual Meatball Competition Dinner Party! Attendees were required make some form of meatball--or bring beer. We ended up with 5 different meatballs, all delicious, and a lot of beer. The whole idea for "battle of the balls"came about this past Thursday after the LMFAO concert when we ordered a "pot of meatballs" from Spitzer's Corner in the LES and was slightly underwhelmed by the small quantity. Also, I recently couldn't get a seat at The Meatball Shop on Bedford Ave. so all of this ball-related frustration led to probably the best dinner party I've had in a while.

I'm already brainstorming my next food-themed competition... Dumplings? Pot pies? Sushi?

Below are photos of the preparation and meatballs. Ball appétit!

Ben's Turkey Meatballs with Leek Sauce

My Curried Meatballs with Potatoes
Here's the recipe I used: http://soupbelly.com/2010/10/27/curried-meatballs-and-potatoes/

Sean's Traditional Italian Meatballs sans Sauce

And, Jason's large Buffalo Balls with Bourbon Reduction

Sadly I forgot to take a picture of Sean's Teriyaki Balls before everyone ate them. Yes, they were THAT good.

Party Rock Is In The House Tonight

2011-08-13T17:54:00.000-04:00

Teenagers today are lucky that they didn't have to live through the "Macarena" dance craze, instead they get cooler moves like the "Shuffle" thanks to LMFAO. I'll admit it, I'm a pretty big fan of the duo. I can't say that I haven't tried to Shuffle (unsuccessfully) or get really excited when Shots goes on at a club. This past Thursday, LMFAO headlined Billboard's Summer Music Blowout at Pier 36 in New York and also marked the sixth week that LMFAO's hit song "Party Rock Anthem" was #1 on the Billboard chart.

LMFAO knows how to throw a party, first by throwing fist full of glow sticks into the audience, then launching inflatable zebras into the crowd, not to mention Quest Crew was part of their back up dancers (I love Hok! Such a big fan since So You Think You Can Dance days). The free concert was awesome and I'm pretty sure everybody had a good time. You can watch their performance of "Party Rock" here: http://bcove.me/gqvhjybk

My Favorite Stride Record: Karate Kicks On A Park Bench, Break It for $500

2011-08-10T18:34:00.000-04:00

This has to be my favorite record yet, #51: Most Karate Kicks On A Park Bench in 30 Seconds. Probably because this is what I do every Saturday at McCarren Park. Kidding. My favorite are the Karate noises... classic. I'm a bit bummed I can't break this record since I work on Stride. But if I did, I would totally break the record and win the $500 prize. HIIIIIIIIIYYAAAA (flying kick, air suspension for 5 seconds).

London Riots Illustrate Exactly What's Wrong With Society Everywhere, Not Just London

2011-08-08T23:35:00.000-04:00

Photo from http://www.guardian.co.uk/

As Londoners witness the looting and burning of their own buildings and the rest of the world watches in confusion, the dire state of the London riots brings the issues of class division and high unemployment into the spotlight. But it's way more than that. It's an issue of how "excessive consumerism", celebrity worship and status symbols has driven society all around the world to forget about the real things that matter in life, such as education, patriotism and community.

An article by Alexandra Topping of the Guardian ("Looting 'fuelled by social exclusion'") summed it best:

A generation bred on on a diet of excessive consumerism and bombarded by advertising had been unleashed, he added. "Where we used to be defined by what we did, now we are defined by what we buy. These big stores are in the business of tempting [the consumer] and then suddenly these people find they can just walk into the shop and have it all."

This is a wake up call to big corporations, media networks and marketers that push excessive consumption and high value on material things on society, which at this rate, will run the world into ruins if not through riots than through the depletion of our resources. Forever, our generation has been taught to want more. It is reminded everyday through music videos, magazine covers, billboards, reality TV shows and websites of what we don't have or should have. We have been brainwashed to think that these material objects define our happiness, when it shouldn't.

Especially during hard times like right now, where people are struggling to pay bills, buy food or provide for their children--brands, companies and entertainment have a social responsibility to look beyond selling goods or services but how they can better the lives of their consumers. The bright side of the recession is that it has taught me that I don't need very much to live happy. This combined with the revival of the localized businesses, grass roots marketing and the idea of a self-supporting community are signs that society is slowly changing its consumption habits for good.

I am not advocating for people NOT to spend money on luxury items or that it is wrong to want things. I am advocating for people's energy to be channeled towards more positive causes like the well-being of their families, community and country--and this includes the government and big corporations.

I remember about five months ago, I had read about how even in one of the worst disasters in Japan's history, the Japanese people did not resort to looting. That fact stuck in my head. Sometimes it's not what you do, it's what you DON'T do that can have the strongest impact. Sadly this is not the case in London, and the worst part about the recent riots is that nobody will come out a winner.

There's No Better Friday Night Than One With Britney

2011-08-06T01:42:00.000-04:00

If Femme Fatale was a club, I would go clubbing every night. Tonight I attended my first paid Britney Spears concert at the IZOD Center in New Jersey (the only other Britney concert I've attended was a film-for-TV-special on Waikiki Beach about a decade ago). It was everything I imagined it would be--non-stop dancing, strobe lights, sequined bras, fireworks, sassy dance moves and lots of gay boys in attendance. I am a long-time Britney fan and was pleasantly surprised by the entire production--the lighting, costumes, song choices and just Britney's ability to get a crowd going the way she used to. I loved every second of it!

I'm Getting Tattooed For Good!

2011-07-29T00:45:00.001-04:00

Just kidding, I'm only getting a temporary tattoo but the "good" part is true! Last night, I attended the launch party for my friend Robyn's and her friend Lauren's charitable fundraiser called The Temporary Tattoo Project, where they commissioned 6 tattoo artists to design temporary tattoos inspired by 6 orphaned Kenyan children who the proceeds will go to. The organization that The Temporary Tattoo Project is supporting is called Flying Kites.

I'm such a fan of Robyn and Lauren's dedication to this project and am inspired by their creativity and intelligence. The tattoos are $12 each and you can purchase all 6 for $50.**Update: The tattoos range in prices depending on size of tattoo, see pricing list below. It's not a steep price considering you'll be improving a kid's life in Africa and will look really badass while doing it (consider going with a sleeve?). You can buy the tattoos this weekend at the Brooklyn Flea in Fort Greene on Saturday and at Brooklyn Flea in Williamsburg on Sunday. Everyone should stop by and get one or all!

I chose tattoo artist Robert Bonhomme's lotus flower which supports Miriam of Flying Kites. All the tattoos come in a beautiful envelope with a keepsake card so even when the tattoo fades you can remember the child you supported. I'm wearing my flower tomorrow so I may have to get more this weekend. You can view all 6 designs on their Facebook page here, Facebook.com/TheTemporaryTattooProject

I wish Robyn and Lauren the best of luck, but my hunch is they won't need it since a brilliant idea always sells itself.

The Old Spice Guy vs. Fabio: Hand in Hand in the Bathroom

2011-07-26T00:00:00.000-04:00

Who: Isaiah Mustafa (The Old Spice Man) vs. Fabio

What: Mano A Mano in El Baño (Translated "Hand in Hand in the Bathroom")

Where: YouTube.com/OldSpice

When: Tomorrow, 7/26 @ Noon EST

Epic Showdown? Or, Epic Letdown?

Met Model/DJ Harley Viera-Newton at The Standard NYC

2011-07-19T23:25:00.000-04:00

I do get starstruck when I see a celebrity I admire but usually don't do much about it since it's a common occurrence in NYC; however, tonight I attended a PopSugar party at The Standard Hotel in NYC and a girl crush of mine, Harley Viera-Newton, was DJing. I couldn't help but ask to take a picture with her and she kindly accepted and let me get behind the DJ booth and put on her headphones (coincidently personal favorite Empire of the Sun's "Walking on a Dream" was playing). As I had imagined, she's a sweetheart and like any typical girl--loves fashion. I became of a fan of Harley over a year ago when I saw her in Cole Haan ads around NYC and instantly admired her effortless sense of style. She's always in cute little vintage-inspired or tailored dresses. She's a real cool kid who has a real passion for music. You can catch her DJing in various NYC hot spots like Lit, Avenue and Jane Hotel.

Neon Zip Tie Lamp Posts

2011-07-18T23:45:00.000-04:00

I saw these lamp posts in the sculpture garden on Governor's Island and thought they were the coolest things ever. Who knew zip ties came in neon colors! The neon zip tie lamp posts are a part of a piece called 'Flaming Cactus' by ANIMUS.

Word of Photo--How Digital Pictures are Changing the Way We Consume

2011-07-18T00:34:00.000-04:00

Here's a mobile pic of my La Shrimp Curry Crepe at Pates et Traditions that I ate this weekend

What is "Word of Photo"? Word of Photo is a phrase I created to describe how we pass information from one to many through pictures, and how what we buy, eat, attend, etc. is influenced by digital pictures. In the last year, I've noticed a huge influx of people documenting everything they eat or cook through pictures and posting them on Facebook or Twitter. While this may be detrimental for dieters, I find it highly useful in figuring out where and what to eat. Plus, posting pictures of mouth watering food is a huge advertising advantage for food and beverage businesses. Gone are the days where we verbally ask: "What's a good restaurant?", when we can now Facebook status update, tweet, Google or yelp that question and get just as good or even better of an answer instantly.

In the battle between Word of Mouth and Word of Photo, the latter wins. As the saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" goes--a picture can communicate a thousand times quicker than text and often times more powerfully. Especially today with smartphone cameras, pictures play a much bigger part in the way we communicate daily. Living life through photos can be seen in the popularity of photo-based blog Tumblr, Twitter picture-sharing sites like TwitPic and mobile picture apps like Instagram. Word of Mouth is person to person communication, while Word of Photo is one to many... you tell me which one spreads faster.

As an emerging media enthusiast/integrated marketing nerd, the opportunity in "word of photo" communication or real-time mobile pic sharing excites me!!! Can't wait to see how Entertainment, Food/Beverage and Retail Brands incorporate picture sharing into their marketing strategies. However, I do have qualms about "digital over sharing"and the effect it has on real-life experiences (here's a NY Mag article with a strong argument against about taking photos at restaurants), but I'll save that rant for a future blog post.

Finally, I Have Found the Dress of My Dreams

2011-07-07T00:17:00.000-04:00

Every girl thinks about what her wedding dress will be like, and for me, it's a mystery. I can't seem to pinpoint exactly the type of wedding dress I want for that special day, whenever that day may be (definitely not soon but always good to plan ahead). All I know is that I want chiffon, lace, detailing and sleeveless NOT strapless. And while this may seem very specific, it's not. I have discovered from my former roommate's obsession for TLC's Say Yes to the Dress that wedding gown varieties are infinite and if you don't know what you want--you end up looking ridiculous.

However, today, I have finally found the dress of my dreams from Elie Saab's Fall 2011 Couture collection (see image above). I love the sheer confetti effect and would most likely cut the cape off, even though it is quite awesome. There were so many dresses that I loved from the collection. I had two other favorites that I would consider wearing with some minor tweaks i.e. cut down on the bling. I have finally found a wedding dress (or dresses) that is a reflection of me and what I would want to wear on one of the most important days of my life. I'm obsessed with 60s fashion and I want a design that's timeless (think Audrey-esque) but not costumey, and Elie Saab's couture dresses is exactly that.

Now the question is: How much does a couture dress cost?

My First Attempt at a Homemade English Breakfast

2011-07-05T13:28:00.000-04:00

Is it wrong that on the night of celebrating America's Independence, I was craving a full English breakfast? I went to bed dreaming about waking up to baked beans and a juicy grilled tomato, so when I got up this morning (my office gets the day off!) I went straight to the supermarket to find me some tomatoes, portobello mushrooms and sausage (my kitchen is always stocked with bacon, eggs, bread and surprisingly, baked beans). To my disappointment, I couldn't find pork and leek sausages in three different groceries stores, so I settled for chicken sausage... boo. I'm usually not this ambitious when it comes to cravings but I really really wanted an English Breakfast and didn't feel like spending $11 at Five Leaves for a semi-authentic one.

After three supermarkets and 15 minutes later, I cooked my FIRST ENGLISH BREAKFAST! It was delicious, and yes, I purposely did not include the blood pudding. I can do without that part. Here's a pic:

Was it as authentic as the English breakfast I had at the Breakfast Club in London pictured below? Not entirely, but it was definitely satisfying and now I'm really really full.

July 4th Fireworks on the Hudson River

2011-07-05T12:16:00.001-04:00

It rains gold in America.

So You Think You Can Dance Bracket is Finally Up! PRINT IT NOW

2011-06-27T23:16:00.003-04:00

I've been meaning to do this for a while and I've finally put together a bracket for the current season of So You Think You Can Dance. Laugh all you want haters, but this is a serious competition. So those of you who are fans and want to participate or compete with your friends, feel free to print out the bracket below and start betting or dance battling (whichever you prefer). There's a Facebook version of this called SYTYCD Predictions Game, but who wants a fancy app game when you can have old school paper and pen.

Click image to enlarge, then print to fit-to-page or download the PDF here

Nothing But PRIDE and Lady Gaga in NYC Today

2011-06-26T21:04:00.001-04:00

It was only days ago when Governor Cuomo passed a bill that allows same sex marriage in the state of New York, which gives even more reason to celebrate today's annual Pride Parade in West Village!!! I decided at the last minute to head down to Christopher Street where the parade ended to join in on the festivities, and as expected Lady Gaga's Born This Way was the anthem of the pack and everyone was in a joyous mood. As I read the signs "Our Next March Will Be Down The Aisle" and "It's All About LOVE", I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with happiness. I <3 New York.

Boston Bruins Parade, BEST DAY EVER [PHOTOS]

2011-06-19T05:30:00.000-04:00

It's 5:00 am and I'm still buzzing from the energy I gained earlier today at the Bruins Parade in Boston. The parade started at the Garden and ended at Copley Square where I patiently waited since 9:30 am for Captain Zdeno Chara and MVP Tim Thomas to arrive a little past noon with the Stanley Cup! I was joined by a million other Bruins and Boston fans, all decked out in Black & Yellow. This day along with Terrier Day (parade for the 2009 BU Hockey Champs) lives on as some the best celebrations in my life. Yay, Boston is back to being a hockeytown!

Cute Girls Are Taking Over Advertising

2011-06-16T22:48:00.000-04:00

No, I'm not talking about me. I'm talking about the T-Mobile girl in pink and the red headed Best Buy hipster chick--cute girls are taking over Advertising. No longer is it the days of Justin Long Apple commercials and Can you hear me now? Verizon man but the days of awesomely cute/hot/techie girls (queue Beyonce's Run The World (Girls)). Maybe marketers have finally discovered the hypnotizing power of cute girl looks that appeals to both males (girlfriend potential!) and females (I wanna be like her!). Also intriguing is how T-Mobile girl Carly Foulkes and Best Buy girl Wendy McColm are practically unknowns with little star power compared to past spokespeople like Luke Wilson and Catherine Zeta Jones. Carly and Wendy are the new advertising superstars, dressed in their uniforms like cartoon characters with big smiles and selling us the latest and greatest technology!!

Who run the world? Girls!

Boston Bruins are Stanley Cup Champs (& I Can Finally Get The Hat I Wanted)!

2011-06-16T01:23:00.002-04:00

Just when I thought I couldn't get back into hockey again, I witness my favorite NHL team the Boston Bruins win a Stanley Cup Championship in Game 7. My Boston friends always told me to not get attached to the Bruins because they will only break my heart, and they sure did year after year, losing 3-goal or 3-game leads. Painful as it was, there is no other arena than the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston that I feel at home in--the mustard yellow seats, fully loaded nachos and organ renditions of top 40 hits. Bruins are my team and the only professional team I have seen live; however, I have never seen them win in person. Nevertheless, I couldn't be happier that after 39 years the Lord Stanley's Cup is back in Beantown.

A year ago, I had the opportunity to touch and kiss the Stanley Cup while dreaming about the Bruins winning, and now a year later my dream has come true!! I'm planning to go to Boston for the parade and am pretty pumped to finally buy the Bruins hat I've been wanting for a while. I'm glad I waited because now there's a real hardcore version out with "2011" on the back and huge ass letters saying "Stanley Cup Champions" on the front, just the way I like it:

My Favorite Season is Here--SUMMAH!

2011-06-14T23:58:00.001-04:00

A photo I took last summer at the Frying Pan - what a yuppie cluster****. Yay Summer!

NYC Summers are the best (minus the heat) because you can actually take advantage of all the public spaces the city has to offer and not to mention awesome outdoor day-drinking spots!

Here are a list useful New York City Summer Guides:
Book Report: https://s3.amazonaws.com/book_report/summer_guide_pdf/SummerGuide_2011_BookReport.pdf
TimeOut New York: http://newyork.timeout.com/things-to-do/39008/101-things-to-do-in-new-york-city-in-the-summer
NY Mag: http://nymag.com/guides/summer/
Brokelyn: http://www.brokelyn.com/our-brand-new-list-of-everything-free-this-summer/
NYC Go: http://www.nycgo.com/

I'll be checking out W+K's pop-up shop SHOP on Thursday, celebrating two birthdays at two different beer gardens in the burg on Friday, checking out Crest Hardware Art Festival near my apartment on Saturday and taking my elementary school bestie Melodee on the East River Ferry for FREE on Sunday. SUMMERS ARE AWESOME! LET'S HANG!

Keeping Up With The Huangs [PHOTOS]

2011-06-09T19:18:00.000-04:00

I see my family for only about a month's worth of time in a full year, which is why I was super excited for my entire family (usually my dad doesn't make it on trips because of work) to visit NYC this past week. Originally we had planned to go to China to visit my dad's hometown, but due to some recent circumstances, my mom decided it would be best to visit me in New York.

I couldn't wait to take my family around Williamsburg, to the Brooklyn Flea market, row boats at Central Park and maybe catch a Broadway show (this didn't happen, so I guess I still have to check that off my NYC bucket list). My mom, dad, popo (grandma on my Mom's side) and three younger siblings Zachary (20, a Junior at BU and a hippie rock climber), Zadrian (13, does kung fu and is training for a lion dance competition in Malaysia this Summer) and Zoe (my 7 year-old sister who has way too much energy) all stayed at my apartment in Brooklyn, so the day before they arrived I bought new pillows, sheets, towels, an inflatable mattress and stocked up the fridge with snacks and milk. I wanted this vacation to be perfect.

At the instant I heard my mom's loud voice echo through my apartment and my entire family flooded the living room, I knew this vacation was going to be crazy, like the first 18 years of my life living in the Huang household; however, things turned out to be imperfectly perfect: my dad ate his first Oasis $3 falafel sandwich and loved it, my mom drank more beer than I've seen in my 24 years of existence, Zachary was able to rock climb at Brooklyn Boulders and took Zadrian with him (converting him into a slack line enthusiast) and Zoe roasted her first marshmallow and made her first smores. My popo happily cooked me Chinese dinners every night. There were moments where I was stressed, tired, hot and annoyed but I couldn't have been happier than in the last seven days I spent in New York with my family.

My dad calls me and my siblings the "4 Zs", like we're some superhero team, and his only goal for the trip was to let the "4 Zs" reunite and spend time together. Mission Accomplished. Here are some photos of my crazy week vacation in New York with the fam:

Learning To Love NYC

2011-06-02T15:36:00.003-04:00

In a month marks my two years of living in New York City, and I can finally say that I'm comfortable calling this crazy place home at least for the next few years of my life. I can navigate the local and express trains without using a map, I have seen my share of celebrities (bumped into Chuck Bass smoking a cigarette in the LES, NBD, and ate lunch next to a real housewife of New York, you know the one that lives in Brooklyn) and I can't imagine living somewhere that didn't have a beer garden in the neighborhood. Am I a New Yorker now?

It's easy for tourists to quickly fall under NYC's enchantment and sport their "I HEART NY" shirts with pride, but it took me about two years and a lot of beers to come to terms with the chaos (overworking job, hobos on the subway, $6 boxes of cereal). New York City is a place that can destroy and save you at the very same time--and in this process I have learned to love New York.

Below are some interwebs stuff that capture what makes this city so great:

Mindrelic - Manhattan in motion from Mindrelic on Vimeo

Tiffany & Co. - Love Is Everywhere Map (especially in NYC)

Dear NYC - An interesting collection of personal notes to NYC, you can make your own as well

Ottavia Bourdain (Anthony Bourdain's wife) served me ice cream from a truck called the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck--only in NYC!

GSP Tweets, Late Adoption Better Than Thoughtless Adoption

2011-05-25T08:34:00.000-04:00

There is a lot of pressure for Advertising Agencies to keep up with emerging media, technology and whatever is the latest and greatest that many times the adoption of new trendy media is rushed into without much thought as to how it can be BEST used for a brand, company or campaign. I have seen brands demand to join Facebook without any idea of how they want to connect with their fans or what content will live on the page. I am not saying that there isn't a benefit to being the first to integrate with foursquare or the first to reach a million fans on twitter, I am saying that there should be smart thinking (if any thinking at all) behind the adoption of new media.

I bring this up is because one of my longtime favorite ad agencies Goodby, Silverstein & Partners joined twitter last week--somewhat late for an agency as innovative and creative as GSP--with the handle @GSP (not to be confused with @GeorgesStPierre the Canadian MMA fighter). GSP debuted their Twitter with a The Office-style documentaryesque video that captures the universal challenge of figuring out "How the hell do we use Twitter?!" while demonstrating the unique thinking the agency puts into their work. Great job GSP!

"What if we posted something really artful like a semi-colon..." - Rich Silverstein

My Just Dance Obsession is Now on National TV

2011-05-23T00:44:00.001-04:00

I received a text at 8:40 pm from my friend Alicia saying: Ummm just saw you in a commercial... A just dance 2 commercial.

Well SURPRISE friends and America, my slightly embarrassing obsession with the dancing Wii game is now made public in a new national TV commerical for the Just Dance Your Way to Katy Perry contest!! Me and my younger siblings Zadrian and Zoe are in the first few seconds of the commercial dancing to Katy Perry's Firework and Zoe has a pretty awesome close up towards the end (upper left corner in the image above). Beyond what this commercial could mean for my blossoming dance career (I kid.) or my professional status (there's no escaping the "nerd" title now), this clip means a lot to me because it reminds me of how special and fun spending time with my family and siblings is. I spent a good two weeks playing Just Dance "Firework"with them over Christmas vacation and to share this coincidental moment of commercial fame is pretty awesome.

All of this happened in the last two weeks, when the production company for Ubisoft commercial asked if they could use our YouTube video that I posted in December in a national TV commercial for Just Dance. Naturally, I consented. The commercial premiered today during the Billboard Music Awards, you can also watch it on YouTube, see below:

I video-chatted with Zadrian and Zoe today to talk about the commercial and seeing their smiles makes me really happy and at the sametime sad to be over 3,000 miles away from them.

Congrats to Zadrian and Zoe, you two surprise and inspire me with your talent everyday. Keep being the awesomely crazy, energetic kids we Huang children somehow turn out to be.

Love, Jiejie

How I Spent Judgement Day

2011-05-22T23:39:00.000-04:00

As I expected, the world didn't end this Saturday. As a matter of fact, Saturday was pretty awesome. I watched the sun set over a foggy Manhattan from my rooftop in Brooklyn with 15 close friends and reflected on all the people, experiences and opportunities I am thankful for. Plus, I ate fancy shmancy spam musubis:

And ended the sans-apocalypse night with a pretty intense watermelon eating contest, which I lost.

Judd Apatow Can Thank Me For Bridesmaids

2011-05-09T22:36:00.000-04:00

Two years ago when The Hangover came out, I had written a post ("Why Can't Girls Get Hangovers Too", 6/15/09) about the differences in male- and female-centric comedies and the ditzy, valley girl stereotype of female comedians. In my post, I challenged Judd Apatow or Todd Phillips to create a Hangover for women, and guest what?! Two years later we have BRIDESMAIDS produced by Judd Apatow himself! I'm really excited to see the movie, despite my dislike for the title and awful pink bridesmaids dresses, but PLUS SIDE, the manliest man alive Jon Hamm is in the film and he has great things to say about his female costars and the comparisons to The Hangover:

"I think funny is funny. It doesn't have a gender assigned to it." - Jon Hamm

B-Boys Be Ready! 5 Ptz Opening Party This Saturday

2011-05-05T20:44:00.000-04:00

Remember that awesome B-boy battle I stumbled upon last year? Well it's happening again at one of the greatest Graffiti spots in the world--5 Pointz in Long Island City. I'll be in attendance, so tweet/msg/call me if you want to meet up! For more info, click here.

Will History Be Made or Will Amazing Happen? The Battle of Playoff Commericals

2011-05-04T20:05:00.000-04:00

The "History will be made" campaign, a collaborative effort between NHL, NBC Sports, Versus and ad agency Y&R, perfectly captures the intensity and excitement of the playoffs. The 2011 NHL playoffs began with a bang--reigniting my love for the sport--as four out of the eight round one match ups were decided in Game 7 and three highly anticipated teams (Canucks, Bruins & Sharks) won their series in sudden death OT. Through a powerful montage, the TV spots relive pivotal playoff moments, capturing images and sounds of victory beautifully in sync with heart-tugging instrumental music. Every day until the Stanley Cup final, NHL will be releasing a new version of the "History will be made" commercials featuring a hockey highlight from the night before, demonstrating NHL's marketing sophistication in creating real-time content. My favorite has to be Nathan Horton's double OT goal against the Canadiens in Game 7 that advanced the Bruins to the second round:

There are obvious similarities between NHL's "History will be made" campaign and the NBA playoffs "Where amazing happens" campaign created by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, like the layer of crowd noise, reliving old sports moments and fading to black. You can see the similarities in the spot above and the one below:

However, the sentiment of "History" is different than "Amazing." Amazing speaks to a surprise, a moment that is temporary and quick, while History is forever. History has the ability to uplift Detroit, the Hockey Town of America, in one of its worst recessions. History has the ability to bring pride back to the Blackhawks in Chicago after almost a half century of not winning the Stanley Cup. There is only one trophy passed down from champion to champion, and the NHL successfully reminds its fans of the unique legacy that is winning the Lord Stanley's Cup.

Who Wore It Best--Princess Kate or Mommy Kathy?

2011-05-02T17:48:00.000-04:00

Not to steal Sarah Burton's thunder for designing the wedding dress of the century for Kate Middleton, but I think my mom wore that dress about a quarter of a century ago. Long sleeve lace, tight waist, A-line skirt, tiara--in this battle of who wore it best, Princess Catherine or my Mommy Katherine (yes they have the same name!), I think I'm going to have to give my mom's awesome 80s feathered blow out the win! My admiration for the late McQueen is great but my love for my mom is unmeasurable, but for you unbiased folks out there, who do you think wore it best--Kate or Kathy?

Spring! at McCarren Park

2011-04-26T00:03:00.000-04:00

Here are a few shots I took this sunny Sunday at McCarren Park in Williamsburg. Now that it's warmer I've been spending a lot more time here running, reading and hanging out with friends, which made me realize how important and underrated public parks are. Public spaces and parks is something I'd like to research further... so hopefully there will be a post soon. As for the pics, I'm not typically an effects type of person but I can't help the color boost--it's SPRING!

Dave1 of Chromeo @ One Step Beyond

2011-04-23T16:07:00.000-04:00

Last night, I attended the One Step Beyond live music series with Dave1 of Chromeo at the American Museum of Natural History's Rose Center for Earth & Space. Seeing Chromeo was a reason why I decided to go, but the real reason was I wanted to party in a planetarium! It's been years since I've been back to the AMNH and last night reminded me how awesome the Rose Center is--it's literally an Apple Store with a solar system in it. Doesn't get any better. While the music wasn't as loud as I wanted it to be (understandable since the place is HUGE), I had a lot of fun dancing to Heads Will Roll, Barbra Streisand and Fancy Footwork. I brought my junky point & shoot with me, so none of my photos came out but I jumbled them together to try to catch the spacey ambience of the night.

Is the NHL Marketing Hockey to Hipsters?

2011-04-20T22:45:00.000-04:00

Sure seems like it to me. If you live in or have been to hipster-central Williamsburg Brooklyn recently, you may have noticed the NHL playoff slogan "History will be made" stenciled on Bedford Ave or outside the Lorimer L stop. Initially I was confused at the logic of promoting the NHL playoffs to hipsters, because why the hell would hipsters care about hockey? They have better things to do like farm their own tomatoes or take hipstamatic prints of their favorite chai latte... I'm kidding. Most people probably think Versus, the channel dedicated to airing the playoffs, is better off stenciling Stanley Cups in frat-central Murray Hill; however, I really think Versus is onto something in trying to expand the NHL fan base among the hipster audience.

Here's why I think Hockey will grow in popularity among hipsters:
1) According to Wikipedia (yes, Wikipedia), "While the NHL does not hold one of the largest fan bases in North America, it does hold one of the most affluent fan bases." Perfect. Most Hipsters look like they have money.

2) Hipsters love vintage fashion (this includes the 90s) and what is more iconic than vintage NHL hockey jerseys. The NHL has embraced the throwback jersey in lots of big-stake games, so if hipsters aren't watching hockey for the fighting they can watch it for the fashion.

3) MUSTACHES. Dude, hipsters love their mustaches (FuckYeahMustaches.tumblr.com) and so do playoff hockey players (NYT covers Boyle & Dubinsky's dirty staches).

4) Happy, Cameron & Wayne were hockey fans:

In Hockey's name, good luck NHL on the "Gain Hipster Fans" mission. I'm on your side!

Scrabble Notebook, No Big Deal

2011-04-17T18:12:00.001-04:00

YES BIG DEAL! My shopping drought is over because I finally felt inclined to buy something--A SKETCHBOOK MADE OUT OF A SCRABBLE BOARD. My college friend and now neighbor Gabs and I explored Williamsburg's indoor flea market Artists & Fleas and discovered these one-of-a-kind notebooks made out of vintage board games. Darrah/Dara, the shop owner of Another Work In Progress hand makes each book, and she allowed us to customize our books with personalized "Z" and "G" Scrabble Letter keychains. You can visit her Etsy site but I recommend going in person because the stock is different in store. I haven't decided what I'm using the notebook for because I have a few half-used sketchbooks to finish first. A few ideas are: 1) Scrabble Game Scorekeeper, I can document every game I lose, 2) That children's book I've been meaning to write, 3) A NYC scrapbook of all my favorite memories... whatever the use, I can't help but be inspired by the ingenuity of turning my favorite board game into one of my favorite things--a notebook.

The Brooklyn Tea Egg Party

2011-04-17T17:20:00.001-04:00

I blame the Bian Dang food truck parked outside my office every Tuesday for my new obsession over tea eggs or as the Chinese call it Cha Dan. My mom recently sent me a care package with some tea egg seasoning so I decided to make myself a home cooked Taiwanese dinner of tea eggs, minced pork sauce and baby bok choi.

The first step is to boil eggs, and surprisingly this is the first time I've ever hard boiled eggs so I had to look up how to do it online. After the eggs are hard boiled you crack the shell with a spoon to allow the tea seasonings to soak in.

Simmer the cracked-shell eggs in the tea seasoning with soy sauce, sugar and salt for about 1-2 hours

A family trick when cooking Asian vegetables is to drizzle sesame oil in the boiling water when you blanch the vegetables to give it some shine and flavor

I didn't have five spice for the ground pork so I had improvise with star anise, bay leaf and cinnamon stick. I'm sure that doesn't serve as a substitute but it will do. I also didn't have black shiitake mushrooms, so I think the minced pork sauce wasn't winning as hard as it could.

My friend Jason brought over a Plum Crumb pie from The Blue Stove nearby and it was amazing. I can't think of a better way to end my Asian Tea Egg inspired dinner then with a Non-Asian baked pie.

Quite Frankly My 7 Year-Old Sister Is Awesome

2011-04-12T20:29:00.000-04:00

I received a letter from Zoe today...

The Greatest Movie Marketers Should Watch About Themselves

2011-04-10T15:06:00.002-04:00

I am really looking forward to seeing Morgan Spurlock's--the Director of Super Size Me--new documentary The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, opening on April 22nd. It is a movie about product placement funded by product placement... genius idea right? I'm curious to see what angle Spurlock will take, whether he associates Brands with greed or with entrepreneurial passion. As a person who works in media planning for Corporate America, I often see media plan over media plan that focuses on mass reach, impression volume and GRPs (TV metric called Gross Rating Points), forgetting that Americans today live in an overly saturated advertising landscape and have been trained to tune certain ads out. It is not to say that Brand Awareness isn't important, but to stand out, Brands have to think differently--and this is where Spurlock's awesome TED talk comes in.

For anyone in the advertising and marketing industry, I highly recommend watching Spurlock's 20-minute TED Talk about the importance of Brand Transparency and Taking Risks. My favorite quote of the talk is "if you take chances, if you take risks, that in those risks will come opportunity..."

However, if you really just want to see a movie about product placement, then re-watch Talladega Nights with Will Ferrell ("Hi, I'm Ricky Bobby. If you don't chew Big Red, then f-*bleep* you."), especially the family dinner scene where eight brands: Domino's Pizza, Taco Bell, Country Crock, Wonder Bread, Powerade, Budweiser, Coca-Cola and KFC are consecutively shot in the first 7 seconds of the clip below:

One Two Many Asia Dogs at Brooklyn Flea Williamsburg

2011-04-04T01:00:00.001-04:00

There maybe one thing I love as much as open air flea markets--hots dogs covered in ridiculous Asian inspired toppings. I ate two hot dogs today from the Asia Dog food stand at the new Brooklyn Flea location in my hood of Williamsburg. I had "The Vinh", the banh mi inspired dog, and "The Sidney" which had a thai mango relish and crushed peanuts on top. The hot dogs aren't huge like what you would get from Nathan's so don't judge me because I ate two; plus, it was 2 for $7 and 1 for $4 (the Asian in me would obviously take advantage of the $1 difference). I'm really excited for the new Brooklyn Flea location and am pretty confident I will be making the market a Sunday tradition from now on, definitely can't make the eating-two-hot-dogs a week a tradition. That would NOT be good.

Sean had "The WangDing" (right), a pork belly covered hot dog

Went back for a second dog with Natalie, she too also ordered the "WangDing"

A sunny but still windy and cold Sunday. Can't wait for the weather to get warmer.

This Post is Dedicated to Marisa Lynn Star

2011-04-04T00:31:00.002-04:00

My college roommate and Californian bestie Marisa (aka Marisa Lynn Star) came to town this weekend, and we made sure all the necessary City activities were in place--brunch, dog park, day drinking, dinner parties and dancing. Here's a recap of all the reasons I will be sleeping very very well tonight:

Good Beer!

Homemade Burger, Broccoli Salad & Sweet Chili Doritos (these were not homemade)! Best pre-going out meal ever.

I didn't get the memo about taking off our heels, now I suffer the consequences of looking out of place (pic from Sophie)

Ted cooking his homemade (meat) balls

Marisa adding feather extensions into Sophie's hair

Jersey Shore-style Sunday Dinner--Caesar Salad, Garlic Bread, Spaghetti and Meatballs

Marisa made us ridiculously delicious Reese's Peanut Butter Cup cupcakes, because it's not a Marisa-visit if there aren't any homemade cupcakes involved (pic by Marisa)

Sassy Gay Friend Just Made My Day

2011-03-30T15:04:00.001-04:00

Probably the best video I've had to drive traffic to:

The Britney Phenomenon Explained by Me

2011-03-29T23:47:00.002-04:00

Before you judge me (boys especially) for being a Britney Spears fan, you have to understand that Opps! I Did It Again was one of the first CDs I had ever bought as a 13 year-old at which I listened to on repeat for weeks on my Sony Walkman CD player (remember CD books?!). Pop music, Britney Spears, midriff bearing tops--that was my life as a teen, and over a decade later, every new Britney song and album reminds me of how awesomely fun life was back then and can be when listening to pop music.

See, Britney defies traditional music stardom because for over a decade she is able to produce hit after hit and sellout concerts without fail. There is human quality about Britney--that want to "just have fun"--which she established early in her career and which all her fans identify her by. What she has playing on her side is the sentiment of FUN, the nostalgia of that high school dance, the college party or that epic night in Vegas. We remember moments in our lives based on her chart-topping hits ("Womanizer" fittingly came out when I was in London) and even moments in her personal life serve as milestones, like that time she married her friend Jason in Vegas, her awful reality TV show with K-Fed and her infamous head shaving.

Manufactured image, lip-syncing, weight gain--in our eyes Britney Spears can do no wrong as long as she continues to exude that fun, kick-ass Britney factor on stage. Am I right that Glee dedicated an entire episode to her? I don't watch that show.

Simply, Britney was the Bieber of my time.

Catch a one-hour MTV special "Britney Spears: I am Femme Fatale" this Sunday at 9 pm EST, and for all of you who wonder does Britney still have it? Watch a crowd-shot video of her GMA performance of Till the World Ends that captures that spark we crave in a Britney performance (starts around 0:55):

USMNT vs. Argentina, My First US Soccer Game and Freezing Tailgate

2011-03-27T14:26:00.001-04:00

I took work off Friday to complete my USA outfits for the US Men's National Soccer Team versus Argentina game on Saturday. The outfits were taking me longer than usual to complete due to some mechanical difficulties, but I cranked out a navy blue maxi dress with red and white stripes up-top and criss-crossed straps on the back. Modeled by Hannah below, I have to say the dress was quite a success! I also made a simple red and white stripped tank top to go with red jeans I already owned. USA outfits will surely get more face-time around July 4th.

1:50 pm: On our way to New Meadowlands Stadium from Port Authority

Tyler's repping Hawaii at a USA game...

2:15 pm: High-Five! The five kegs are here

Don't be deceived by the blue skies, the temperature was in the 30s and the parking lot a windy tundra

Smiles all around still...

and lots of USA Pride!

With high winds we couldn't play flip cup or beer pong, so we had to improvise--beer relays!

Lunch is here!

Corned Beef and Turkey Sloppy Joes from Town Hall Deli in Jersey is MONEY

6:30 pm: Heading into the NY Giants' New Meadowlands Stadium

The game ended in a tie 1-1, and according to people who actually watch US Soccer, it's a win for the US. I still don't like games that end in ties.

At the end of the very long and cold day (5 hours of tailgating, 2 hours of game and 2 hours of traveling), I had fun supporting the US and am glad they didn't lose, but I can now say with confidence that I definitely prefer hockey games over soccer games.

Polyvore x Hudson Jeans x NYLON = The Online Contest Revamped

2011-03-21T01:02:00.000-04:00

Nowadays, branded online contests is an overused and uninspired marketing tactic that struggles to scale; however, this week Hudson Jeans in partnership with publisher Nylon Mag and fashion trend tool Polyvore proves that simplifying the entry process in digital touchpoints that reach your audience can produce crazy high engagement levels. Polyvore's trend collage-building concept lends itself well to retail and its innovative Mini Editor unit lends itself perfectly to reaching audiences across the web. This week on NylonMag.com, Polyvore's mini editor replaced the typical 300x250 homepage spot so fashionistas can instantly create and submit their collages (sets) directly in the unit without leaving the page. In addition, you can browse and "like" entrees within the gallery tab of the unit. What amazes me is how dead-on the NYLON, Polyvore and Hudson Jeans audience fits right into each other, and in combination with the high interactivity and versatility of Polyvore's Mini Editor unit--the Hudson & Georgia May Jagger Style Inspiration contest is a sure winner.

Nylon tweeted to its 336K+ followers:

Polyvore's Mini Editor is also integrated on Hudson's Facebook page:

Impressive submissions like Denim Daybreak's below show that the contest reaches a very interested and passionate audience:

Polyvore has worked with other brands like Coach, Tommy Hilfiger and YSL in similar contest formats. What is really interesting is the engagement numbers are available on Polyvore for everyone to see: