so nice. so nice.

it's cold in new york city, and it isn't unusual. more of a statement. the real annoyance with the cold though, is the amount of clothes you have to put on in order to leave the apartment. it's like, you have to pile it all on, and the second you enter a building, you have to take it all off. because all the buildings are warm. hot. so you essentially look like a bag lady carrying all of your luggage trying to find something in a store. plus, you have encourage your coats and baggage not to hit everything in sight, thus knocking down precious goods.

other than that, today has been pretty full of exercise and reading. i just started "the amazing adventures of kavalier and clay" and am hoping it's as good as they say.

hitting the pavement

today, i was keeping with my resolutions and called/emailed for jobs.

so, i begin school in two weeks. and i am excited. i can't wait to get back into advertising, being creative and thinking creative and being with people who love advertising just as much as me.

so, to keep me involved, i am searching for internships/jobs. it's a painful experience and one i don't wish upon anyone. ever. jobs are hard right now, and i am completely aware of the competition out there. i just wish someone was on the other end to answer my phone call. or reply to my email.

today, i think i applied for about 6 "opportunities". they are ones i actually feel passion for, and they made me excited to submit my resume. so i hope i hear something.

as for the rest of my day, i did nothing. i stayed in my pajamas. grueling. i know.

on a total side note, i am wearing my retainer and hope my teeth stay straight. random, i know.

so, i have been meaning to blog for a while, and never really got to do it. and i realized it's because i don't have a reason to really blog. while i know my life is hugely entertaining to basically no one but myself and my close friends, who don't really read this, i didn't want to bore people with tales of grocery shopping and walking to the subway.

BUT! i have a reason. now.

i have been a graduate from OU for about 1.5 years. which is a good solid time to be out and about on my own. i've had excellent internships and work experience. but now, i am going back to school (portfolio school). and looking for a new job as a copywriter in advertising. so this blog, for now, will be of those adventures.

my goal is to document my interviews, school, and at the same time, write. i won't name agencies, or name people unless they are super famous and it has nothing to do with my advertising endeavors.

i'm excited about this. and hope you are too.

today is the last day of 2009

2009 is winding down in a mere 12 hours. it's safe to say this has been one year of adventure, heartbreak, growing up, dreaming big, regressing and maturing. i've thought a lot about my future, and what it holds. and what it won't hold and how my dreams have changed. some things have changed dramatically, and some have slightly veered off into something new.

it's a new year, a new decade. i'm not going to be a "new me", i've already become the person i need to be. but i will make sure i never grow up and stay forever young.

i have some resolutions. and i think as we get older they become more practical and attainable. i plan on making mine a reality. and i can't wait.

so here is to you, and here is to me. let's make memories.

HSBC wants to be your friend.

HSBC has recently launched a campaign in New York. And I am not sure if it is global, or has reached other parts of the nation, but it seems to be a huge rebranding campaign. I remember them filming "soap box" in madison square park in the middle of july, asking everyone to choose a topic and state what they think about it.

an example would be bottle water. is it good? bad? apathetic? the individual could just rant or throw accolades depending on their views.

the tagline for the campaign is something along the lines of how they can't continue until they understand everyone. different values make us all different. my words are not as fine tuned as theirs, and i am having a hard time finding the actual ad for them.

side note, it seems in all the google searches i am finding different versions, so i think we were being tested. i could be wrong.

moving on, anyway. HSBC basically took the entire platform of advertising, and created a campaign using our very foundation! we try to understand people. and we interview people and try to find a consensus about them. we also try to figure out how they view things differently and then we create ads around them. but we don't expressly state that in ads. HSBC basically did that. like, could you imagine that board meeting?

"we need to understand our consumers. who are they? what do they think?"
"what a great campaign idea. we need to understand our consumers. use that. let's go."

it's like they went halfway, stopped and ran with it.

and it's annoying. i wish they could have come around and done something different. especially since they are taking these attributes that are not associated with banking and giving them this personality.

this is one example of the ad:

i understand a bank is trying to humanize themselves into a more friendly bank. but i think they should have just focused on banking. and worries about the future. not the bottle water or a shaved head.

what are your thoughts? am i wrong in this whole thing?

ps, this isn't against their banking or anything like that. just the advertising.

the start of something new

i am currently in my parents house in texas. the house that i called home for a small part of my childhood/adulthood. i say small because we upgraded into our new (which is now current) house during my freshman year of college.

while i would visit in college, it was home. my stuff was still here. i left my crap around without a care. i treated it as my own. it wasn't a vacation coming home, but just a normal visit. i think living in a college town that is 2.5 hours away didn't really cause a problem in what was home and "home". both norman and dallas were home.

living in new york though, i purchased my first plane ticket, with my own money, to come home for a visit. and not just to visit my parents, but to visit college friends who i have not seen in over a year. a real vacation.

so i find it odd, but also mildly exciting, to be part of this journey where i am growing up. and being in a place where a vacation is going to dallas. and not just for a holiday. sure, i have my room. but, it's not my room. i don't have these exciting memories anymore in that room. they are all in my bedroom in new york city.

and i find myself being a little more careful with the house. i see myself more as a guest. maybe because i don't breathe in the house anymore. or come home at 4 in the morning. but i do see how far i've grown. and how much more i will grow.

i am alive

i have so much to catch up on. birthday's. more birthday's. holy hot summer. my upcoming birthday.

so until then, you will have to hold tight. more of an update, grander and better, to come.