Christmas time

Christmas is supposed to be a joyous time of year. So why is everyone the most stressed and grumpy at this time?

People groan and grumble about all their shopping, baking, gatherings and wrapping. So why do they even do it?

The malls are going to be insane and traffic to those places will be equally as packed. You know this before you go, so why complain about it? In my opinion, if you say you are willing to go shopping on a weekend, you accept these circumstances.

It's Christmas. It's the one time of year people people are half-expected to do something nice. So really, I know it sucks that someone snuck into a Walmart parking spot that you had been waiting for. But try not to let it ruin your mood for the day, and do not take it out on the poor people that work in retail during these hectic times!

Take this time to be with family. Enjoy recklessly eating without worrying too much about consequences. Be patient and kind. Do things because you WANT to do something, not because you think you should.

My blog will take a bit of a hiatus for the next few weeks because I will be on holidays and intend on relaxing and visiting with friends that are coming in from out of town. So, happy holidays!

Angèle

put em' up

When I was younger my mom would tell me that life isn't fair when I wouldn't get my way.

I always wondered why life can't be fair. Why do bad guys get their way sometimes? Why can't good people that do good things get rewarded all the time?

The question I have been pondering lately is when do you fight the injustice, and when do you just let it go?

Sometimes fighting the injustice pays off. But sometimes it comes to bite you in the bum.

There are some people that can be swayed by logical and rational argument, if it 's presented in a respectful manner. Things like proving your not at-fault for an accident or explaining what your motivation was for doing something questionable. But at what point is it important to clarify things and to open up something to a dialogue, and at what point can you say it really doesn't matter and just let it go?

Some people though, no matter how hard you try to explain, will never see your way.

Sometimes letting go and walking away means you are the bigger person. But sometimes it means you don't care.

So when do you know when to fight, and when to walk away?

Hey you, twit.

I am officially a Twit.

Or am I a Tweeter?

Okay, so I don't know all the lingo and I am still in the process of figuring out when to put at signs (@), the pound sign (#) and the like to direct messages to people.

I have been on Twitter for a while now under the alias of Afauch (not very discreet, I know). I am still very skeptical on the whole thing but I believe it really does have a place in business, especially PR.

Twitter has the ability to reach a mass audience and already has sub-categories and lists according to certain topics and interests. This makes it easier to find and follow target audiences and to tailor messages.

It also allows for you to see what people are talking about. A business can find out if their product, ad or whatever is being talked about, without the cost of focus groups and surveys etc. It allows for candid discussion, giving real feedback.

The world is definitely changing. I remember when all I did on the computer was Number Munchers. C'est la vie.

Happy tweeting, twitting, or whatever you call it.

Help, please?

They say a survey a day keeps the doctor away.

Okay, so maybe that's not true. But you should still fill out my survey for PR anyway!

Go to: http://bit.ly/3z51UU

Thanks :)

Often times, people fail to notice the importance of the 'little' things. There are good things that happen in each day, no matter how horrible you think your day is going.

Our lives are made up of small parts. There are more small things and gestures that happen in the span of our lives than big defining moments. So why don't we appreciate those, for they are a larger part of our lives?

Whoever comments on this blog post, I want you to say two 'little' things that happened to you that day that made you feel good about yourself. Show some love.

Today's 'little' things for me:
Today, my class gave me a CreComm round of applause (although I shouldn't be TOO flattered, since they clap for everything) for my Nana's Sugar Cookies and gave me rave reviews! I really appreciated that guys.

Stacia, today was the first day I have been in a car with you driving. You are a really good driver. I usually feel car sick, I did not feel car sick at all. So, kudos.

Right now I'm sitting beside Zach and Renée, two people from my class that I don't really hang out with too much. It's awesome to feel really accepted with my class, knowing I can hang out with whoever.

When I was waiting for the bus today, I was the first person at my bus stop. Two other women came to the stop, and were standing closer to the road than I was. But when the bus came, they recognized I was there first and told me to go ahead of them so I would have first dibs on seats. Thank you people who recognize Winnipeg Transit courtesies.

I also didn't have to wait to use the microwave today.

What are you 'little' things for today? Did someone make you smile, laugh or just generally feel good about yourself? Let them know.


Here are some other 'little' things that make me smile:

1. When the bus driver tells you to have a nice day. This always makes me feel good. Even if he says it to everyone.

2. On the bus, there is just enough people that no one has to sit beside one another.

3. When it's like that, and the 'overflow' person that comes on the bus decides to sit beside you. Although I don't like sitting beside people on the bus, I find it weirdly flattering.

4. When you put on shoes that were sitting on top of a heating vent before you leave the house. Clothes that just came out of the dryer are good too. And a warm towel right after a shower.

5. When you wake up two minutes before your alarm goes off, so you can shut it off instead off of waking up to BEEEP BEEEP BEEPP

6. Finding a parking spot at Walmart close to the doors.

7. Having a good packed lunch.

8. When someone says they like what you are wearing.

9. When you go to jay-walk, and the coast is clear.

10. When you hit the right 5-minute increment in Winnipeg rush-hour.

11. Getting a call,text or Facebook comment from someone you used to talk to a lot.

12. When someone keeps the door open for you.

13. When someone trusts you enough to ask you to look after their stuff while they go to the bathroom, smoke etc.

14. When someone asks you for help, because they think you know what you're doing.

15. Falling asleep on the couch.

I leave you with the song "My Favourite Things" from the Sound of Music. Enjoy :)

Land of the wacky and the weird

Last weekend I went on a typical Winnipeg holiday: Grand Forks, North Dakota. I did the usually things: packed my bag with only the bare essentials, making sure to leave enough room for my purchases, I filled my tank to half full (because that's how much it takes to get there, and gas is 2.69 a gallon there; translating to about 71 cents a litre!) and went on my way with my boyfriend, Taylor.

It's funny, Grand Forks is only two hours away, but things are so different in the states. When shopping at Hugo's Grocery store, I found the most hilarious things. One of the things that stood out were these instant brownies,cookies and cake. You just add water and microwave for 30 seconds and you have an insant baked goods. Gotta admit, I had one, and it was great.

Here are some of the other weird, wacky and beautiful things I found:


Diet Coke sweetened with Splenda. I love this idea and wonder when we will be getting it in Canada! A lot of people are apprehensive about Diet Coke because it is loaded with Aspartame, which some say causes Cancer (but really, what doesn't these days?) I wonder though..in regular Coke there is 26 grams of sugar. Is there 26 grams of Splenda in this? That can't be good for you.

This is an ad I came across when I was at Happy Joe's for their delicious lunch buffet (oh how I love buffets..). It was in the bathroom and it made me stop and laugh. The girl that is posing looks like she is some kind of adult-star. Her picture really doesn't contribute anything to the gymnastics program. The funniest though, is the kid in bottom right-hand corner. At a glance he looks like he is crying and flipping the bird. Again, not having anything to do with gymnastics.

This is a poster ad that was in Hugo's Grocery store. Someone is selling their Elvis Suit. It comes with belt, cape, wig, side burns, gloves, scarf and lies. It's $400.

Talk about a niche market.

Cherry 7-up with antioxidants! Really? Healthy pop?

Yes, there is MORE healthy pop! Coke Plus, enriched with Vitamins and Minerals. I don't know if this is absolutely insane or genius!

While I was in RRC, a 'cowboy' store in Columbia Mall, there was a radio ad for anti drinking and smoking. Only in America.

I'll share more pictures later!!

Dear Abby

When I was in high school, I was a member of MB4Youth, an advisory committee providing feedback on services to the Minister of Education, Citizenship and Youth (Peter Bjornson, at the time). It was a great experience and I got to do some really fun things. One of the projects I worked on suicide prevention for Aboriginal youth. With that, I had a lot of training on Aboriginal issues and history. We went to sweat lodges, Aboriginal Acheivement Awards, pow wows and talked to lots of elders. I learnt a lot about the past and about current issues facing Aboriginal peoples. It was a very valuable experience.

Since then, I have been very intrigued by Aboriginal culture. My mom used to work at APTN and it was really interesting to see all the stuff she was involved in. When she worked there, we went to Manito Ahbee and it was absolutely amazing, especially the chicken dancing - it gave me tingles up and down my spine. The costumes are all made by hand with great colourful beading. No two are the same.

Aboriginal culture is one that encourage kindness, selflessness, brotherhood, peace and a sense of purpose and meaning in this world. It also means a sense of pride, but also a broken past.

I was talking to a friend of mine, Thomas Edwards, about Aboriginal issues. Thomas is an awesome Aboriginal Role Model and has done great things in his community. We were talking about residential schools and the inequalities Aboriginal people have faced in the past, and he said something that really struck a chord with me. He said "It takes seven generations to heal, i'm only the second". A lot of people think that people really dwell on the past. But it's not really that far in the past. Aboriginal peoples only were granted voting priviledges in the 1960s, so a lot of people that are alive today still remember a time when they weren't allowed to cast a ballot. The last residential school to close was in 1996. These things aren't the past because it happened in our lifetime. So it can't just be forgotten that easily.

This weekend is the Manito Ahbee Festival for All Nations in Winnipeg. It is a GREAT weekend with SO many fun events! Last night I went to the First Night Awards at the McPhillips Street Station Casino and dipped my feet in to Media Relations working with RoseAnna Schick. It was absolutely amazing. Tonight is the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards at the MTS Centre with people like George Canyon, Charlie Major, Sierra Noble, Crystal Shawanda and is hosted by Lorne Cardinal (From Corner Gas). Saturday and Sunday is the International Competition Pow Wow with lots of crafts and art for sale on the main concourse.

I strongly urge everyone to go to a Manito Ahbee event this weekend. It's a great time!

Walk the walk, talk the talk, but can you blog the blog?

My first week as a Creative Communications ("CreComm") student at Red River College was a hectic one. As true Communications specialists, our teachers described the results that CreComm will give us, and not too much about the process. At the end of our two years we'd have so much momentum from all of our relentless networking, we'd be able to produce our own radio and TV shows, have no trouble writing a 30 second radio-ad in only an hour and streeters wouldn't make us want to vomit (don't think that'll ever change). Sounds great, but it seemed a long way from where my abilities stood on that first day.

Among the many assignments that were thrown at me, we received the on-going task of maintaining a blog. Not only that, they wanted it to be interesting!

I wasn't very familiar with blogs, their uses and how they could be beneficial to this program. To me, the blog replaced Livejournal and online diaries of the like. It wasn't a way to get noticed for a job or market a brand, it was just a way to vent and talk about your life. Boy, was I wrong!
One Thursday in our seminar slot, a few famous bloggers, like Colin Fast, came to talk to us. I was very surprised that some blogs stood out from the rest and that you could actually establish yourself through this.

Blogging is a way for people to see how you write. It's a way for people to learn about you, your personality and the types of things that interest you. This is valuable to employers, especially in the Communications world. It's another way of social networking, like Facebook and Twitter. This just actually involves effort.

We are required to post one blog by 6pm Friday every week. Like true students, most of us put it off and post Thursday or Friday. None of us are opposed to writing earlier though if a moment of genius came to us. As for me, CreComm has slapped most of the creative right out of me, so I'm usually the Friday-at-noon poster. My blog doesn't really have a central focus; I don't really have one thing I can count on every week to give me enough substance to talk about it weekly. So far it's just a wish-wash of things I see.

My Favorites
Some of my fellow Section 2 classmates (insert applause here, because that's how we do) have really found their niche though. One that I most enjoy is Stacia Franz's blog about her terrors of customers while being a server at Earl's St.Vital. It is always thoughtfully written, quirky and hilarious. It has opened my eyes a lot, because I'm a non-tipper. Now I just feel guilty.

I also look forward to Kiran Dhillon's blog every week, because it always makes me smile and renews my faith in love and kind people. I really like the pick-me-up.

Blogging can also be pretty negative if you aren't careful what you say. Whatever you put out on the internet is there for anyone to see, take, and critisize. It can destroy you reputation and turn employers off, burn bridges and break ties. You have to be careful.

I love getting comments on my blogs, so don't hesitate to comment about anything! Happy blogging!

mediocrity killed the CreCommer

"You must not let your life run in the ordinary way; do something nobody else has done, something that will dazzle the world. Show that God's creative principle works in you"

Paramahansa Yogananda

I've always been one that strives to break from the pack; to establish myself as an individual and do things that nobody else dares to do. I was the one who took initiative and was the over achiever. I was known as "that" person.

Now, i'm in a program that hosts 75 of these people. At first I was so excited to be among people of the like, but now I am finding it hard to break from the pack. Marty from the movie Madagascar, knows exactly how I feel.

Coming in to this program, I felt really creative and good at what I do. I did very well in University but now i'm the dreaded AVERAGE! But now, everyone is like me. I don't know how to raise the bar. How can I break from the pack? How can I prove to be (sorry Kenton), unique?

I guess it's just about finding my own way. I love it here and I love what we do! Just the mediocrity is eating me alive!

Buyer Beware: Halloween Safety Squad

Trick-or-Treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat! Not too big and not too small, just the size of Montreal!

Witches, vampires and Hannah Montanas will be invading the streets of Winnipeg at the end of this month. Some of them will be wearing masks, and other will be using face paint to attain their goolish looks. Reports on the dangers of wearing masks on Halloween have been popping up frequently, so face painting has become the go-to option for many families. But families are busy and don't have time to compare brands and test which product can outlast a Winnipeg Halloween. That's why we did.

During the course of five days, me and my gang (Kiley, Kiran, Stacia and Jeremy) tested six different products purchased from Walmart, Superstore, Dollarama, Value Village and Party Stuff, what we believed to be the most popular Halloween outlets.

We tested the products using a grading template with the following specs:

- Ease of Application (because kids will be squirming and antsy to get Halloween on!)

- Longevity (because kids should be able to go from day to night without re-applying)

- Removal from skin (because what's worse than having your face scrubbed until it's blue while on a sugar high!)

- Skin Irritability (because kids won't hesitate to scratch your beautiful butterfly artwork if it's itchy)

- Exercise test (because kids want to still look like a clown after running around)

- Removal from clothing (because moms don't like stains)

Day one

Brand: Dollarama

Store bought: Dollarama

Cost: $1

Colours: black, red, white, blue and green

Age group: 3+

Confusion: Product claimed to be non-toxic on the front of the packaging, but at the back read "if swallowed, contact the poison information centre or seek medical advice."

Overall results: 3.076/10 (Yikes! Last place!)

Day two

Brand: Fun world

Store bought: Walmart

Cost: $2.93

Colours: black, white, red, yellow and blue

Age group: 13+

Confusion: On the front of the packaging claims to be hypoallergenic, however; on the back reads "some individuals may experience an allergic reaction."

Overall results: 6.408/10 (Honourable second place)

Day three

Brand: Rubie's

Store bought: Superstore

Cost: $2.99

Colours: white, black, red, green and blue

Age group: 8+

Confusion: No confusion on packaging. It even came with a sharpener!

Overall result: 5.872/10 (Mediocre Third) 

Day four

Brand: Seasons

Store bought: Value Village

Cost: $1.99

Colours: white, black, red, yellow and blue

Age group: 8+

Confusion: The packaging reads "Do not swallow or use blue makeup sticks on lips." Does that mean we can eat the red one?

Overall result: 5.412/10 (Right-in-the-middle fourth)

Day five (A)

Brand: Danson Decor

Store bought: Party Stuff

Cost: $2.19

Colours: green,white, yellow, blue, red and black

Age group: 5+

Confusion: Claimed to be non-toxic on the front, but on the back read, "contact poison control if ingested." It also claimed to be labratory tested, but we weren't really sure what that meant.

Overall result: 5.195/10 ( Ouch! Second last)

Day five (B)

Brand: Lucky Art

Store bought: Party Stuff

Cost: $1.99

Colours: blue, black, yellow, green, red and white.

Age group: unspecified but says "children under six years old should use ONLY with adult supervision."

Confusion: No confusion.

Overall results: 8.915 (Tada! Our winner!)

Another thing we concluded was that face paints aren't meant for people with darker skin. The only one that actually worked well on our group member with darker skin was Lucky Art!

After our experiment was conducted we talked to dermatologist, Dr.Earl Minuk. He spread some light saying that "non-toxic does not always mean safe for the skin." He also said the hypoallergenic means it's free of the most common allergies, but it is not a guarantee. 

We also talked to Simbo the Clown who told us that if we wanted great quality, we'd have to dish the cash.

My advice for consumers would be: Trust us! We tested these products and Lucky Art won by a landslide. But as always, test the product on a sensitive part of your skin before putting it all over your face . Happy Halloween! 

If you want to know more about why masks are unsafe for children this Halloween, please visit the following sites (shortened by http://bit.ly)

http://bit.ly/tka4v

http://bit.ly/UIGuu

http://bit.ly/Ua7kh

http://bit.ly/IoAKa

& they live happily ever after.

Children’s literature is full of images of princesses meeting their prince. It’s a beautiful scene , and of course they always live happily ever after.
With these kind of expectations drilled in to my brain since I was a child, how can a regular relationship ever live up to my ideals about love?

Or are they even really ideals, or things we should all strive for?

I find a lot of people settle in love. Not so much at my age, but I see couples that are older that are nothing more than long time roommates. They have kids and a mortgage and joint bank accounts. But where is the love?
I find comfort often mistakes itself for love. Most times it makes love even better. People get used to the way they live their life and dedicate so much time and effort in to something. To suddenly drop that doesn’t even make sense. If you spent a year on a certain project, there would be no reason for you to give up on it forever. After dedicating yourself for that long, you find it hard to rationalize giving up. At what point does love become something you feel bad for giving up because you’ve spent so much time on it? And at what point do you keep pursuing it because you know how great it can be?

When you are on the outside looking in on a situation, you imagine the ways you would react. At those points you are strong and unbiased. It’s a product of what you truly feel. But when you are in those situations your biases come in to play that you never considered when you were on the outside looking through the glass. How do you go back to that time and try to look at your own situation with being swayed by emotion and commitment?

In love, what things are you willing to compromise? What things are you never willing to give up?
There are barely any real life prince-meets-his-princess-fantasy stories. People don’t usually live happily ever after without ever having anything go wrong, no arguments, no hurt. But just because that’s not the norm, does it make it okay?

In the song She Will be Loved by Maroon 5, it says “it’s not always rainbows and butterflies, it’s compromise that moves us along.” I really believe that. I think that there are some things you can never work at. Love, a connection and that twinkle in your eye, giddy feeling cannot be created or forced. It just is. That is the nucleus of a relationship. Every other detail you should be able to figure out. It’s about communication. Arguing doesn’t have to be destructive. A lot of the time it can be constructive for a couple if both people exercise active listening and constructive thoughts. And just because a couple argues doesn’t mean they are a bad couple. I think it’s the result that comes out of an argument that is a true reflection of a couple. And those things can usually be worked on.

 

Although every little girl dreams of being a Jasmine or Cinderella, it hardly ever works out that easily in the end. But the take home message, I think, is that love prevails through everything else. And that “love,love, love…love is all you need”. Everything else is just details.

 

….I think. I hope.  

just so you know

If you were ever in a position where you would have to eat a fellow human being, the liver would be the most beneficial part to eat. Although the brain has a lot of vitamins, it does not have nearly the nutritional quality of the liver. The spleen doesn't have anything. Bones are tasty but they are more like empty calories. So yes. Eat little jimmy's liver if it ever came to. 

Oh, and ayyy all ye pirates. (Ack, my pirate is getting rusty). Instead of looking for gold on the ocean floor, you should look for whale vomit. It's actually more valuable than gold. You can sell it for $65/Gram. 1 pound can earn you about $30 000. They use it for perfumes and fragrances. Apparently it solidifies itself on the surface and turns in to a rock. 

These are two things I have found out after watching 7 minutes of "Manswers" on that weird guy channel. Thought it was valuable information to share. 

mom, I need vodka - it's an emergency!

Today I was wondering what the drinking age was in New Brunswick. It's not something I usually think about, but today it was bugging me that I didn't know.

So I went on Wikipedia, the professor's nightmare, to check. 

(Side note: Thanks Kenton for standing up for Wikipedia. I too have never had any problems with factuality. I always double check it and it's always right!)

I found some hilarious things about drinking ages across the world, which I would like to share with you.

In Egypt, you have to be 18 to buy beer. But you have to be 21 to buy wine and spirits. 

In some countries like Denmark, Cuba and well known Swaziland, there is no drinking age, only a purchase age, which is 18. But if you were to acquire alcohol or have someone buy it for you, that's okay. 

In some states in India like Delhi, you have to be 25 to drink! 

In Taiwan, the drinking age is 18 and "One shall not supply alcohol to anyone under the age of 6" I thought that was just common sense. 

In some countries like Finland, you have to be 18 to buy alcohol up to 22%, but 20 to buy anything with a higher percentage. 

But, my favorite is in the United Kingdom. You must be at least 5 to drink in private, 16 in public with a meal and 18 otherwise. But here's the kicker "Children under 5 must not be given alcohol unless under medical supervision or in an emergency". 

Charlie might need some to heal his finger. Come on mom, it's an emergency!

life always goes on

When I was younger, I would always look at people in College and University and imagined what my life would be like then. I’d look so put together and ambitious. I’d have a coffee in my hand about 90% of the time and I’d feel great about starting my life.

I’m in my third year of post secondary studies, and I don’t like coffee. And I’m scared out of my boots to “start” my life.

My classmate Alexa wrote a very interesting post on her blog about starting life. It got me thinking – when does your life as you know it and want it, start?

I always thought my life would start when I had my degree, a job and married my boyfriend. But it’s true, life started a very long time ago. Life is what made us want what we want now.

I have a quote I painted on the wall of my bedroom that reads “You are a product of the choices you make, not the circumstances you face”. I used to fall in that trap a lot – having pity parties for myself because of my circumstance. Then I realized things happen, and people deal and bounce back. There are all sorts of people in this world and I believe every single one has a story that could break your heart. Even the people with the most heart breaking stories somehow still seem to survive.  Some become world leaders, and some just find a new path to walk down.

Point is, humans face strife all the time. Things hurt, but they don’t last forever. Sometimes the residue of hardship lingers around for the rest of your life, but it does not throb with the same wrenching intensity forever. People adapt, they deal. And life always goes on.

I keep telling myself this when it comes to CreComm. So many people are trying to convince us innocent first years that this program is absolute H-E- double hockey sticks. That we will fail miserably sometimes, we will lose tremendous amounts of sleep and it may ruin our relationships. It scares me so much to think that’ll happen. Especially the latter. The work load is starting to build and it is starting to overwhelm me. Is this what I really want to do, is this where I should be?

I know this is where I’m supposed to be. I have known this is where I’m supposed to be for a while and it really feels right. It just seems very daunting and i’m feeling overwhelmed. The scare tactics have worked. But I’m a person, and people deal and adapt. One day at a time. I’ll deal. That’s the choice I’m going to make.

Okay Steve, now I understand the importance of proof reading.

Just saw this story on CBC National that made me really appreciate my teachers hammering in the importance of proof-reading.

Sex-service number given out as government hotline
"Maritime lobster fishermen in need of financial help got quite a surprise Tuesday when they were directed to a toll-free number that was supposed to detail an aid package but which connected them to a lusty sex line instead.

One of the several toll-free information numbers released by Fisheries Minister Gail Shea hooks up callers to a sex line that offers fishermen nary a detail on the lobster stimulus package.
"Hey there hot stuff, I've been waiting for your call," a breathless female voice proffers. "Are you ready for some tantalizing fun?"

The phone message confounded some fishermen in the region who have been pressing Ottawa to provide financial support after a dismal season at sea.

"That's supposed to be the line the information's on?" said Ken Drake of the P.E.I. Fisherman's Association. "It don't sound very good."

The hotline — one of five for Atlantic Canada and Quebec — is supposed to offer details about a short-term assistance program for lobster fishermen that Shea announced this summer.
The department's four other numbers were working properly. The correct number for Maritime lobster fishermen to call is 1-877-525-7466.

Scott Cantin, a Fisheries spokesman, said the error occurred when two digits in the phone number were somehow transcribed improperly on the news release and the department's website.

The service offers to link callers with a credit card to "nasty girls" with "the hottest action."
"We're not exactly sure where the error occurred, but we know it was just a typo and we regret it and we corrected it immediately," Cantin said from Ottawa.

The incorrect number sat on the site for several hours, but Cantin said he didn't know how many people had called it before the correction was made. He said they hadn't received any complaints."

Somebody's getting fired...

unknown name

Having a name like mine means never finding a keychain, a coffee mug or a bracelet with my name on it.
So when someone sees my name on something, I get really excited! My mom once came home from Ottawa when I was about 13 and she bought me this rubber stamp that said "Angèle" (oh yah, with la accent grave and all!) in some Comic Sans MS font. I don't stamp at all. But I still have that because it is the first thing I ever saw with my name on it.
My parents were at the Boston Pizza in Canmore, B.C today and took a picture of this for me. Look at the boat on the bottom right. It doesn't have the accent but it has still gotten me all giddy inside!

new pepsi packaging

I was in Sobey's the other day and was so shocked by this (see picture). It's the new packaging for Pepsi! And it's red!

What's your take - smart move? dumb move?

My take - Weird move. Now, instead of having a sea of red and a sea of blue to distinguish between colas, it's all red. It's almost like they are trying to get the mindless Coke consumers to accidently grab their packaging in hopes that they can convert the faithful Coke-drinkers. It might sell a few more units, but at what cost to the integrity of the company?  

I have always lived with the binary of Coke and Pepsi. Pepsi is Pepsi because it is not Coke. It is part of it's identity that it is not like the other. Now, are they selling out because the other is doing better?

In Advertising class we were discussing what constitutes good advertising - good sales or creative integrity? 

What do you think? 

banjo bowl blues

There is a weird sense of community when it comes to being a Winnipeger. 

We love having socials, drinking slurpees and playing ice hockey. We love to complain about our situation to others, but we all know if someone were to start slamming Winnipeg, we'd be the first to defend it.   It's a weird love-hate bond we have with our city. 

We are a city of people that if you give us something to be proud of, we will run with it.

But if you bring shame on us, we will threaten your job, hunt you down and cover our faces.

Yesterday's Banjo Bowl was a testament to that. 

Hopefully Bomber-goers are just as angry on September 26th when my journalism class goes. Lots of stories to be written then!

the intro

pennies. the lowest end of the coin chain.
No one really cares or even notices when they loose a penny.
Pennies often sit in your pocket, your purse or on your dresser for a long time before you figure out what to do with them.
Pennies are my thoughts, opinions and my perspectives. They sit somewhere within me, with no place to put them to good use, although I do know they hold value.

what to expect:
I don't have a very focused topic. I like to look at people around me and notice things and write. It could be about anything that evokes emotion.
The other thing I will do lots is a series of something i'll call Writing on the Wall. I enjoy doing photography and lately i've been taking a lot of pictures of things that are written on the wall. Random quotes and jibba jabba written on bathroom stalls or bus seats. So you'll probably see stuff like that.

Hopefully I will become more focused once I start writing!