Map It - Where on earth have you been? [via Silent Dreams]

Just found out I've only visited 22 countries ever in my life (not counting that transit in New Delhi), a teeny-weeny 9% out of the 250+ that makes up the human world. And I realised I've never crossed the equator into the Southern Hemisphere.

Countries that ought to be on my list of "I've-been-there!", but aren't:
(not counting all the countries that I hope to visit in this lifetime)

Austria
Australia
Belgium
Germany
Ireland
New Zealand [Aaahemmm... sky-diving parents]
Singapore
Philippines

Plus I just realised Andorra is a country between France and Spain. So much for my 12 yr overseas education.

As for US states, I've only been to 11 out of 52.

I should get out there more.
------------------------------------------------------------
Other than learning how ignorant / poorly-travelled I am, I've been busy revampling myself as a food, in the name of job-hunting:


Wanna eat me?
That and, online-summer-shoe-browsing.... I need to join Online-Shoppaholics Anonymous for the sake of that-thing-formerly-known-as-my-career, if there is such a group.

New Year, New Undies:

Kawaii!
Undies by Singaporean label, ButtOn Trendy for celebrating New Year's.

On a side note, been having weird cravings for new lingerie.... must be the hormones at work.

Happy New Year, boys and girls:



AAAaaah. Me monkey girl. Supposedly intelligent, quick and witty. Me no monkey girl traits.
and My "hui ling" [fake age according to Chinese] is now 25. AAaaaah!!!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bugger bugger bugger!!! [Tis New Yr, or I would have used more obscene terms]

Called Gran for new year greetings. Was promptly told to return to HK for:
a) family [understandible]
b) job
[tried to explain, to no avail, that all my friends are about to resign as are unhappy due to i) bitchy office politics; ii) bitchy bosses]
c) boyfriend => marriage
[tried to reinstate my plan to stay unwed till the age of 30; Gran's immediate response was, "Aiya, you'll be an old maid by then!"]

As if Feminism never existed; as if my parents paid $$$$$ for my schooling just for me to be a trophy MRS.

Want to bash head against wall~~~~

How would you sell ice tea?

Plan to go to France for internship does not seem to be working out, as:

a) have trouble reading career websites in French - cannot understand the qualifications;
b) am being rather lazy on the initiative front

So, have resorted to scrambling for advertising summer internships in Boston, in an attempt to sell out to the corporate world. But first, I have to come up with an ad campaign, as requested by my app:

"Description: XXX Iced Tea comes in a 16 oz. bottle and is available in multiple
flavors ranging from blah to blah to blah.

Target Audience: Men and women who are [Banana Republic / Kenneth Cole uniform-clad no-life office workers] (down-to-earth thirtysomethings).
� They�ve hit their own personal stride. They are making their own decisions (career, friends, family) and sticking to them: life is getting full and satisfying. [questionnable]
� They�re surrounded by things that help them feel happiness from the outside in (i.e., money, clothes, coffee, trips), but the best moments are when those things are not needed�a great chat with old friends, singing along to a favorite song in the car, laughing at a joke you told yourself.

Market: With new entrants every day, the beverage category is becoming more and more fragmented. XXX brand�s competition is not restricted to other teas, it includes all drinks (e.g., soft drinks, water, etc.). The role for advertising is to make XXX meaningful within the context of the category as a whole � not just among other teas.

Trend/Fact: 30 percent of the U.S. population drinks between 1 and 7 servings of tea per week. [then why is Starbucks taking over the world?!]

How is XXX Brand different: XXX Iced Tea is the only tea on the market that�s brewed from real tea leaves. This gives Lipton its bold, real-tea taste�and it�s that real tea that helps you feel a sense of natural vitality, letting you bring your best, most genuine self to the world around you.

Challenge: Give XXX some soul. Communicate it as a brand that strikes a deeper chord. Encourage people to bring their best, most genuine self to the world around them."

Man, this fluff is so "yuk mah". Someone please strike my brain with lightning.

Back in a cold, dark, windy, miserable Boston, [Wind chill -25'C!!!] 8 days away from Chinese New Year.
Looks like I'll be some hibernating reptile this month. Should have just stayed at home.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just before I came back, I....

1. Went to check out the HK Art Biennial at the HK Museum of Art. I was actually mighty impressed. HK Artists reprazentin' ;)

Amazing / fun things I saw:
- clothes and balls of rope made out of the thinnest white porcelain, by Tse Suk-ting.
- "Wayward", three life-size, wall-length colour portraits of the homeless in China by Wu Kin-Yat.
- mobile furniture made from those red-white-blue nylon bags that ah-mo's (obasans, or frumpy old grannies) and Philippino maids use when they pack tonnes and tonnes of stuff home, titled 移家家俬 [Moving house furniture = same sound as Ikea in Cantonese]
- dozens of giant mechanic dragonflies and fireflies made from laser cut MDF board, motors and LEDs, by Hsu Soong-Wei
- paintings of those really drab, old fashioned 祝君安好 hand towels (as seen in Chungking Express)
- giant cream cracker sandwich and wafer made out of respectively stained sofa padding and plywood boards

2. Walked my lil' doggie, Molly.

My my am I shocked. The Shihtzu that used to transform into a floormop whenever I took her on walks (being that she clawed to the ground and I had to drag the fluff ball), is now a very curious enthusiastic lil' doggie. She sniffed everywhere, trotted along on her cute but unproportionnate short legs and POOPED. Thinking I wouldn't be able to get her further than 10 feet away from the house, I didn't bring newspaper with me. A woman jogger witnessed my crime - not cleaning up after Molly - and yelled at me. I lied and said I forgot to bring newspaper :P

A Belated Happy New Year:

With love from the Chinners
-------------------------------------------------

If you happen to be in Hong Kong circa mid January to mid February, do check out the new Onedotzero Moving Image Festival at the Arts Centre, featuring some cool animation, adverts and music videos.