nerdy nerd nerds...

Firstly - there is nothing, absolutely nothing none nil zip wrong with nerds.

In fact nerds often throw the best (industry) parties... it is one of the few professions that you can claim 'playing games' as work, that full strength Pepsi/ Coke is a food group and the femme fantale is exactly that (come on, who has the portions of Lara Croft... oh, yes, Angelina).

Though there is one thing nerdy nerd nerds don't do well - and that is vocalising.

First encountered this lack of vocalisation at my gatecrash of the Bay Area Ivy League social (see earlier blog, where i recalled trying to chat with 4 MIT grads and it turned into a monologue on my part)... and then again last night at the Netvibes party, as part of the Web 2.0 networking events.

Through some connections, I got into the party without an invite (and on the VIP guest list). Typical mix of people who are there for work (jeans, shirt) and those who are there for the free booze (girls in top like dresses, inadequate tops to hold their boobies in, men sitting in the corner drinking in quantities).

Even though its officially a networking event... no one broke up of their immediate circles to speak with people they don't know! And there were absolutely no desire to do so... what kind of networking is that? I mean, it takes more than one brave soul to make it happen...

This, btw, is not from the lack of trying on my part. There were these two guys who were standing right in the doorway of 111 Minna... I overheard one saying something about Darth Vader and from my years of Star Wars training*, I said something which could be interpreted as witty. Maybe its the accent, but he was just not quick enough to reply. I gave up and moved on.

So my conclusions;

Nerdy nerd functions are like Internet dating....
You email each other over months, maybe chat on the phone once or twice... pick a party you'll both attend, tell each other what you're going to wear, AND bring a posse with you. Your group will meet his group, and your combined group will pretty much stick together at the party for the entire night.

Advertising functions, on the other hand, is like speed dating...
You crash into a stranger, start with something witty, he'll say something witty back. You learn everything about his agency/ account he works on/ political view/ favourite drink/ next Saturday's plans in 5 minutes.
Then you both spot someone else on the other side of the room and end with a 'see you round' and go your merry ways. If they made good enough of an impression you might email them the next day.

Was fun, regardless :)

* = no I'm not a Jedi knight. I worked on the Star Wars product range campaign for couple of years. It was my job to know the characters... so I guess that makes me a nerdy nerd also.

What I do for work

Was stuck stationary on BART today for about 20 mins. There was an incident at West Oakland station and police cordoned off about 4 blocks, stopped trains from passing etc. In that time I was with a workmate, and pretty much were shooting the breeze since we were, well, stuck.

We were reminiscing what it was like back in the days of being an assistant. As he put eloquently;

"I was 22, fresh out of college and living in this massive share house. I swear no one knew what I did for a living... all they knew was that I come home drunk on Tuesday nights, and somehow managed to go to all these top notch restaurants on a 18K a year salary!"

Oh, those were the days...

SF is just not a big media party town. Maybe its b/c there aren't any major media sponsored events. Yet... I've been to some really, really good ones.

In honor of all parties the media has kindly put on for our industry, here are 5 top notch events I could remember (in my very, very tired state);

1) Nova969, Friday Happy Hour drinks at Zenithmedia, North Sydney

I ended up doing the splits on the work balcony...

2) Beyond the Blues ball - Luna Park

Not exactly a media event, but it was Pacific/Ch 7 sponsored and I was someone's date. Black tie, fun music and Tom Williams performing his winning DWTS routine in person!

3) Pacific Magazines carnival games

Oldie but a goodie. This was held at One World Sports Darling Harbour, Sydney. Mechanical bulls, putt putt golf, pin ball and lawn bowls. You won some really awesome prizes as well, like salon haircare products and manicure vouchers

4) Future Magazine gaming bash

One of the most memorable gigs thus far in San Francisco. It was at the super swish Westin, and Future Mags didn't let their English publishing roots down by having the best food, drinks and awesome DJs/ performers. For heaven's sake there were even acrobats dangling from the ceiling, doing spins on hoots, ribbons, ropes!!! Oh yeah it was awesome. We put the other IT party, which was housed next room, to shame (it was the same timing as Oracle Open World)

5) Hmm the last space. I could go with something high profile, like the Cleo Bachelor's Party where I met Megan Gale and some other big name models. But no... I'm going to nominate a lunch I had with a particular national radio station at Aqua Dining which turned into dinner. 

And THATS the way we roll in media... and I am forever grateful for it:)

agh

great weekend... headache at work. Tremendously glad new laptop arrived today so I don't have to blog from work anymore.

Its planning season and I am back to work level that I'm used to. LOVE IT! Stressful yes, but loving it.

Crust. Earnt, spent, etc

This morning was another session of the JFM-quarter Digital Media preach.

Don't get me wrong... I love digital. I wouldn't be blogging if I didn't like it (and to be one of the few in the office who actually blogs ROCK). I love how every session is making me think that I should move into straight digital as oppose to keep with general media... in saying so, I love radio, OOH and integrations. I am a project manage nut (just as anyone who's ever been on a trip with me). Just like online more...

Here's something new - I apparently got a credit card approved with my bank. As I currently have no US credit history, they think I am an illegal alien or something. In fact I have actually been denied a SAVINGS account. Yeah, you read right... a bank almost stopped me from giving them money.

Off to restaurant #2 of within the Dine About Town program. French place of my choice this time with a bunch of people.

Speaking of which - what is the correct way to approach a guy post date? Friendship, yes. Physical attraction? Not so. Not to say he's a bad looking guy - of which he is not - but still nothing from my end.

In unknown territories its always good to fall back on what I know. So I'm going to be totally Asian and passive aggressively avoid the topic.

Snowboard again this weekend, at Boreal, which is a tiny little field to hone my skills. YAY!

Children are more affordable in...

Sydney and Hungary, apparently.

Recently had US talent right regulations explained to me - which is one of the most inflexible in the world. To get around this, some agencies have taken to shooting the ad offshore, Europe or Australia is preferred since they can make it 'look' like the US.

Found out a junior counterpart of mine in creative is in my home town atm. SO VERY JEALOUS.

If you're curious, each kid could earn around the $30K a quarter mark by being in a high rotation commercial.

what I learnt today about tech gods

Whilst The Black Wiggle is a total tech god, he is a traditional media-nist...

The fruit likes it BIG... supersites, prime time TV spots.... even online campaigns are a bit of a struggle.

Though reality is that there are so many fan boys out there - as my buddies from Fruit Corp will tell me - advertising is kinda like... redundant.

Just interesting that the fruity team faces the same challenges as I do on FMCG.