Gwennie Space

NO WORDS NECESSARY

2011-12-19T17:42:00.000-08:00

DOODLES: The Path of a Sharpie

2011-12-16T13:35:00.000-08:00

Last night was the special showing of Doodles, an exhibit of collaborative work between two of my very talented friends Ric Ovelar and Santi Rivillas. Doodles is the second exhibit for Taller Perro de Calle, a small gallery opened by another buddy of mine, Saul Escobar, for the monthly Venice Art Crawl in Venice Beach.

My boys made me proud and Doodles was a total hit! And thanks to Saul for hosting an awesome night full of fellow creatives, friends, wine and bonfire :)

Here are some photos from the exhibit.

What is Doodles about?

Nightstands illustrated by Ric Ovelar

Baseballs illustrated by Santi Rivillas

Ballerina. Illustration by Santi Rivillas

Santi’s itsy bitsy spider

Ric and one of his pieces

Skatedecks, illustrated by Santi Rivillas and Ric Ovelar.

Santi, Ric and I :D

Taller Perro de Calle

SUPERSONIK ELEKTRONIK

2010-08-12T08:30:00.000-07:00

Let me take you back in time. I want for you to experience Big Bang

DO THE COSMONAUTY

2010-08-12T08:26:00.001-07:00

Move over Macarena

H.E.B HIRING TRANSLATORS

2010-08-09T10:37:00.000-07:00

JAPPY MONDAY

2010-08-09T08:15:00.001-07:00

GREAT DAY!

2010-08-08T08:28:00.000-07:00

Andy always makes our days great

MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING

2010-06-10T10:18:00.000-07:00

The countdown has started. In exactly 15 days I will be leaving to my best friend Katie's wedding in Barcelona. I'm practically on the plane already. Here's a little preview of the fun bunch that's about to take over one of the architectural capitals of the world.

The Roomies

The Bride and Groom/Spain vs. U.S.

SOME OLDIES FOR YOU

2010-06-10T09:58:00.001-07:00

I'm feeling nostalgic for commercials I grew up with as a kid. So I searched and searched the vast lands of YouTube and found a couple to share. Enjoy the trip down memory lane :)

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SHAKE IT SHAKE IT

2010-04-07T13:11:00.000-07:00

WOW!

2010-03-04T12:02:00.000-08:00

The Sandpit from Sam O'Hare on Vimeo.

RAMONA FALLS -- I SAY FEVER

2010-03-01T12:46:00.000-08:00

Amazing animation and new video by Stefan Nadelman

GET YOUR "GOOD MOOD" ON

2010-03-01T12:40:00.000-08:00

Super cool video that makes you happy, even if you have no clue what the song says.

Cheap Pop Song from Rhett Dashwood on Vimeo.

AMBIGUOUSLY GAY DUO

2010-02-26T11:30:00.001-08:00

Oh such a classic!

The Ambiguously Gay Duo @ Yahoo! Video

A BRIEF HISTORY OF PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING

2010-02-23T09:20:00.000-08:00

Very cool flip-book animation of the history of the world. Here's more info on the artist:

"This is the final piece for my AS art course, a flipbook made entirely out of biro pens. It's something like 2100 pages long, and about 50 jotter books. I'd say I worked on and off it for roughly 3 weeks.

Song is French Cancan by Jaques Offenbach.

Additional sounds credited to Valve, specifically from their game Team Fortress 2.

Other stuff is from the 300 trailer and O Little Town of Bethlehem.

All other content copyright Jamie Bell (aka DispleasedEskimo) 2010, I guess :P"

WE'RE FRIENDS!!!

2010-02-12T08:51:00.001-08:00

Yes!!! Jared Leto has finally accepted my friend request on Facebook!! I am one happy teeny-bopper :D

R.I.P. MUSIC TELEVISION ASSOCIATION

2010-02-11T12:16:00.001-08:00

Not that we didn't already know Mtv no longer stands for music videos, Mtv made it official this week by removing "Music Television Association" from their name. For those of us that grew up with this amazing channel, here is a little something down memory lane.

By Frances Romero -- Time Magazine

The first video the network ever aired was pretty meta — fittingly so, considering all the Gen-X viewers it inspired. "Video Killed the Radio Star," by British synthpop group The Buggles, aired on August 1, 1981 — the official debut date of Music Television. True to its word, MTV then proceeded to kill the radio star. Some 20 years later, once it mostly stopped playing music videos, it would pretty much kill the video star too. At least we still have Snooki.

Read more

WHEN FAST-FOOD GIANTS PARTY...

2010-02-10T13:44:00.000-08:00

RAD OMEN - "Rad Anthem" from Nicholaus Goossen on Vimeo.

Download "Rad Anthem" for free at radomen.com

thanks Omar for sharing this video :)

TOOOO FUNNY!

2010-01-11T15:02:00.000-08:00

This is the YouTube Doubler Beta Mash Up Handler!

How many hours of endless fun we can have with this!! Thanks jeffie for sharing :)

WE'LL MISS YOU DUCHESS!

2010-01-08T12:34:00.000-08:00

Rest in peace Duchess... this one is for you and your new friends in doggy heaven to dance to. Titanic and I will miss you. Hugs to my girl Gracie and her family.

Now if you're reading this, go and show your pet some love. And everyday, not just today.

SUICIDAL CHIHUAHUA

2010-01-06T09:12:00.001-08:00

A chihuahua with a death wish ran down a Brooklyn pier and dove into the frigid East River on New Year's Eve, only to be rescued by a vigilant member of the NYPD Harbor Patrol, according to 1010WINS. The brown and tan pooch hurled itself off the 62nd Street Pier on the border of Sunset Park and Bay Ridge on New Year's Eve, but an officer spotted the dog and fished him out.

The dog did not have an identification collar, but according to Suzanne Driscoll — who has been caring for the animal since the rescue — it appears to have been pampered by its previous owners. "Whoever this dog belongs to, spoiled this dog," she said. "He didn't want canned food, he wanted people food." The station reports that because the owners have not yet come forward, Driscoll has given the dog to the Forgotten Friends of Long Island, an animal rescue group. Anyone interested in adopting the canine — which a veterinarian has deemed healthy despite a few scrapes around the eye and one under the legs — can contact info@forgottenfriendsoflongisland.org.

photo by Suzanne Driscoll

I'M MELTING

2010-01-06T08:14:00.001-08:00

FOR HORROR MOVIE LOVERS

2010-01-04T09:22:00.001-08:00

I watched House of The Devil last night. Finally a really good horror movie (like they used to make them). It's in the likes of The Omen, Rosemary's Baby and Amityville Horror (the original ones). Highly recommend it!

WHERE'S THE LOVE JARED?

2010-01-04T09:02:00.000-08:00

Why don't you appreciate my brief regression to teenybopper years and accept my Friend Request on Facebook?

Where's the love Jared? Where's the love?

FOR A BETTER 2010

2009-12-30T12:36:00.000-08:00

Being the good Latin that I am, and friend, I share with you the following NYE traditional tricks for a better year. All of these to be done at midnight:

FOR GOOD LUCK:
1. wear yellow underwear on NYE

2. eat a leaf of cabbage

3. eat a spoon of black-eye peas

4. eat 12 grapes and make a wish for each one

5. mop part of your house, and then dump the bucket of water out the door (this cleanses your house of bad luck)

FOR $$
1. trade a dollar bill with someone and keep it in your wallet all year

2. leave a cabbage head under your bed right before midnight, and remove afterwards

3. eat a mandarin and save the seeds in your wallet

FOR LOVE

1. wear red underwear (instead of the yellow, or with the yellow... up to you really)

FOR TRAVEL

1. walk around the block with a piece of luggage/backpack with an item of yours inside. Through the years we have decided that if you run, you will travel by plane. If you walk you will travel by bus

I can verify that this works. Those of you that know me, know I am constantly traveling... so try it!

*******

Now it's quite a task to do all of these right at midnight. I suggest you start out like 15 mins ahead of time. It makes for lots of fun.

Happy Happy New Year!!!

EUROPE

2009-12-30T08:15:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving I spent it doing a mini-tour of Europe. My friend Jenn was living there for 4 months, so we decided to go visit her. I had been to Spain on a previous Thanksgiving, so this time I went Amsterdam, Florence and Rome. The whole experience was way different with hostels, meeting new people and riding the overnight train in a tiny cabin with 6 people.

I must say that the most fun I had was in Amsterdam. It was such a blast renting bikes and riding them all day, and even at 2 am in the rain. We couldn't seem to find the clubs, but it seemed that Burger King was the place to be. Everytime we walked by it, it was packed and jamming loud techno music. We walked down the street singing Bob Marley to strangers, and got harassed by a blind homeless man, who turned out not to be blind. Also walking through the Red Light District at night made me feel like I was inside the movie Bladerunner.

Rome and Florence are beautiful beyond words. Completely different though. Florence is much smaller, with beautiful architecture and gardens. We ran through the streets like crazy people at 4 am, the streets completely dead. The Duomo is spectacular, and so is seeing the David in person.

Rome is insane. Big city life, with the exception that you have Roman ruins in one corner of the street and Renaissance sculptures on the other. It's such an awesome clash of time periods. Of course, coming from an art background, I almost cried when I entered The Colosseum and the Sistine Chapel. The Fountain of Trevi was also incredible. We met some super cool locals who took us out to the clubs... and we are now Facebook friends... jaja. Hugs and thanks to Cristian and Valerio (even if they can't understand a word of what I wrote).

Here are the links to more photos:

Set 1

Set 2

BIG APPLE HALLOWEEN!

2009-12-29T15:19:00.001-08:00

Since I had too much fun spending Halloween in NY last year with my bestest bestest friend B... I decided to go again this year! I was dressed as a pregnant Quinciañera. Credits go out to my cousin Leandro for the outfit idea. Amazingly enough I found the dress for $8! Can't beat that with a bat.

We partied it up at some house partay in Brooklyn, and finished up the night jamming and dancing with the boys at The Rub. Hugs to DJ Åyres and Eleven :)

Pictures from the night and all other sorts of fun here.

M.I.A.

2009-12-29T15:08:00.000-08:00

No, not the singer... me. It's been a while since I updated my blog. But it's for a good cause... for me at least. Gwennie just couldn't seem to stay in Houston since pretty much Halloween. From Halloween in NY, to working in L.A., to Thanksgiving in Europe. That's right peoples... I am now a jetsetter!

Well... I wish... haha!

Pictures to follow

WEIRD SCIENCE OF WORK-OUTS

2009-12-29T14:52:00.000-08:00

So this week I officially started back on my workouts. I will be officially diciplined so I can officially be back to my super-toned self. However I have noticed how I am way hungrier and way sleepier than usual.

But isn't eating too much and sleeping too much what gets us fat in the first place???

SWEETER THAN SWEET CAMPAIGN

2009-11-05T08:42:00.000-08:00

I just got back from spending Halloween in NYC. In my many walks through the city, I kept running into the new New York Lottery campaign. I love the use of ridiculously cute images to catch the viewers attention. Here are a few images of the posters and 2 of the tv ads. Enjoy!

ENTERTAINTMENT FOR YOUR NEXT PARTY

2009-10-16T13:13:00.001-07:00

DOGVILLE COMEDIES

2009-08-13T08:12:00.000-07:00

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

From 1929 to 1931, the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer motion picture studio produced a series of short comedy films called All Barkie Dogville Comedies. The actors in these films were trained dogs, dressed up to parody the performers in contemporary films. The dogs' dialogue in these early sound films was dubbed by actors and voice artists including Pete Smith.

The films were directed by Zion Myers and conceived and co-directed by Jules White. Both Myers and White later worked on The Three Stooges comedies.

The series is somewhat controversial due to methods alleged to have been used to get the dogs to pose and to appear to "talk".

Queenie in Trouble

A Dog Milking a Goat

The Big Doghouse

So Quiet on the Canine Front

Thanks Belinda for introducing me to the most awesometastic videos ever!!

COKE'S COMING OUT WITH A CARBONATED MILK??

2009-07-30T10:30:00.000-07:00

From Time Magazine. Click here to read article

VACATION TIME!

2009-07-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

Taking my butt to L.A. for a week vacation today! Hopefully I will come back with stuff to post on here... not that I am very good at updating my blog as it is... hehehe. I got it stuck in my head that I want to be out of town for my birthday. My friend said I'm being stubburn and that's a sign of getting old. Anyways, I'm totally excited to do nothing but layout, get a tan and chillax! Laters people :)

WHY?

2009-07-17T07:58:00.000-07:00

Do people enter the freeway at 40 mph???? Are they homicidal and suicidal???

FUN CASTING VIDEOS

2009-07-02T09:33:00.001-07:00

Thanks to my friend Leo, who lately has been doing nothing but sending strange casting videos to me. Sit back and enjoy:

Shooting Casting for Xbox

William Ma

Yes, how can you do this to me William?

Casting Kung-Fu

No comment

HEART ATTACK

2009-07-02T09:18:00.000-07:00

Hollywood is trying to give me a heart attack this week, by releasing a movie with both Johnny Depp and Christian Bale. I don't care about the reviews. You know my eyes will be getting all the visual stimulation needed with those two.

NIKE "BEAR BUTTE RUNNING CLUB" VIDEO

2009-04-23T08:48:00.000-07:00

Turn off the video, and it sounds like a typical boring documentary on running. But with the pictures, whoa Nellie! It's like that Saturday Night Live skit with Rob Schneider, the Sensitive Naked Man, in which the character seems oblivious to the fact that he's nude and that that might be a problem for some of us. In this Nike clip, everyone at the Bear Butte Running Club is buck naked, but no one seems to notice. Instead, they talk in a rather deadpan manner about "really getting back to basics" and "natural running." Somehow, Nike persuaded runners like David Olds and Lauren Fleshman (yes, that's her real name) to go au naturale for the sake of a few laughs. In case you don't get the joke, a clothed Nike pitchwoman shows up late in the video and describes the company's Nike Free 5.0 shoes as "completely naked ... uh, natural" and then turns all sorts of colors when a runner (whose privates are obscured by the shoe in an angle from her point of view) asks if they come in a size 15. The video reveals the naked truth about Nike: The company isn't as humorless as many of us thought.

—Posted by Todd Wasserman

NIKE PRESENTS "ONWARD" BY JAMES JARVIS

2009-04-23T08:11:00.000-07:00

20 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT... DEATH

2009-04-22T10:24:00.000-07:00

By LeeAundra Temescu

Provided by Discover magazine

1. The practice of burying the dead may date back 350,000 years, as evidenced by a 45-foot-deep pit in Atapuerca, Spain, filled with the fossils of 27 hominids of the species Homo heidelbergensis, a possible ancestor of Neanderthals and modern humans.

2. There are at least 200 euphemisms for death, including "to be in Abraham's bosom," "just add maggots" and "sleep with the Tribbles" (a "Star Trek" favorite).

3. No American has died of old age since 1951.

4. That was the year the government eliminated that classification on death certificates.

5. The trigger of death, in all cases, is lack of oxygen. Its decline may prompt muscle spasms, or the "agonal phase," from the Greek word "agon," meaning "contest."

6. Within three days of death, the enzymes that once digested your dinner begin to eat you. Ruptured cells become food for living bacteria in the gut, which release enough noxious gas to bloat the body and force the eyes to bulge outward.

7. So much for recycling: Burials in America deposit 827,060 gallons of embalming fluid -- formaldehyde, methanol and ethanol -- into the soil each year. Cremation pumps dioxins, hydrochloric acid, sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide into the air.

8. Alternatively, a Swedish company, Promessa, will freeze-dry your body in liquid nitrogen, pulverize it with high-frequency vibrations and seal the resulting powder in a cornstarch coffin. They claim this "ecological burial" will decompose in six to 12 months.

9. Zoroastrians in India leave out the bodies of the dead to be consumed by vultures.

10. The vultures are now dying off after eating cattle carcasses dosed with diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory used to relieve fever in livestock.

11. Queen Victoria insisted on being buried with the bathrobe of her long-dead husband, Prince Albert, and a plaster cast of his hand.

12. If this doesn't work, we're trying in vitro! In Madagascar, families dig up the bones of dead relatives and parade them around the village in a ceremony called "famadihana." The remains are then wrapped in a new shroud and reburied. The old shroud is given to a newly married, childless couple to cover the connubial bed.

13. Sometimes, under the right conditions of temperature and humidity, fatty tissue of a buried body will turn to a soap-like substance called adipocere, or grave wax. Adipocere formation relies on a cold, damp environment and an absence of oxygen; once begun, this saponification can continue for centuries.

14. Well, yeah, there's a slight chance this could backfire: English philosopher Francis Bacon, a founder of the scientific method, died in 1626 of pneumonia after stuffing a chicken with snow to see if cold would preserve it.

15. For organs to form during embryonic development, some cells must commit suicide. Without such programmed cell death, we would all be born with webbed feet, like ducks.

16. In 1907, a Massachusetts doctor conducted an experiment with a specially designed deathbed and reported that the human body lost 21 grams upon dying. This has been widely held as fact ever since. It's not.

17. Buried alive: In 19th-century Europe there was so much anecdotal evidence that living people were mistakenly declared dead that cadavers were laid out in "hospitals for the dead" while attendants awaited signs of putrefaction.

18. Eighty percent of people in the United States die in a hospital.

19. More people commit suicide in New York City than are murdered.

20. It is estimated that 100 billion people have died since humans began.

HIT ME BABY ONE MORE TIME IN VIETNAMESE

2009-04-08T16:20:00.001-07:00

SEX IN THE DARK

2009-03-26T15:11:00.000-07:00

There was this couple that had been married for 20 years.

Every time they made love, the husband always insisted on shutting off the light. Well, after 20 years the wife felt this was ridiculous.
She figures she would break him of this crazy habit. So one night, while they were in the middle of a wild, screaming, romantic session, she turned on the lights. She looked down and saw her husband was holding a battery-operated leisure device... A vibrator! Soft, wonderful and larger than a real one. She went completely ballistic. 'You impotent bastard,' She screamed at him, 'How could you be lying to me all of these years? You better explain yourself!'
The husband looks her straight in the ey es and says calmly:

'I'll explain the toy. . You explain the kids.'

ADVERTISING HURTS

2009-03-10T08:37:00.000-07:00

Even dogs. Bark about effective advertising.

LITTLE VENEZUELAN FLAVOR FOR YOUR TUESDAY

2009-03-10T08:35:00.000-07:00

Thanks to DJ Sun for sending me this. Oscar De Leon is not only one of salsa music's icons and most beautiful voices, he's also a fellow Venezuelan. And his live performances are amazing (from personal experience). Hope you enjoy!

By the way, Oscar is the guy singing and playing the bass. It's his signature.

FUNNY TWITTER

2009-03-10T08:33:00.001-07:00

Pretty funny and creative. If you Twitter follow this person :)

http://twitter.com/TheMime

I'VE BEEN HORRIBLE

2009-03-09T11:02:00.000-07:00

At updating my blog. Sorry :(.

Soon!

I MADE IT!

2009-02-19T12:44:00.001-08:00

As promised... I made myself a T-Mobile

AWESOME!

2009-02-16T13:18:00.000-08:00

FOOD DANCE GETS NEW LIFE WHEN BEES GET COCAINE

2009-01-08T10:57:00.000-08:00

CLICK HERE TO READ ARTICLE

SHEPARD FAIREY'S MAKING OF TIME MAGAZINE COVER

2009-01-08T07:22:00.000-08:00

I WANT THESE

2009-01-08T07:13:00.001-08:00

These are so awesome! Found them in Flickr during one of my many image searches of the day.

He also provides a link with instructions for making your own.

AWWWWWW....

2009-01-06T08:04:00.000-08:00

Watch CBS Videos Online

So nice to watch after watching 2.5 hours of Armageddon Week on The History Channel.

I'M SO MAKING ONE OF THESE!!

2009-01-05T12:09:00.000-08:00

Found it while doing an image search on Flikr during work. So awesome!!!

HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY 2009

2009-01-03T12:21:00.000-08:00

Have a 2009 full of awesomeness everyone!!! Love... Me :)

MOM WON'T LET YOU PLAY VIDEO GAMES? DRINK SYKE!

2009-01-03T12:19:00.000-08:00

I WAS THINKING PART 2

2008-12-23T14:33:00.000-08:00

As I was going through the necessary evil of waxing the other night, I wondered: In the age of men on the moon, cloning and artificial hearts, how is it we still don't have a painless method of hair removal yet?

All methods are painful, tidious and none are permanent. If not technology, by now evolution should just make the female species be born with hairless legs, arms, underarms, face, perfectly shaped eyebrows and bikini lines. Human DNA should of figured out we are going to shave it, wax it, bleach it or laser it all off anyways... so why have it in the first place?

And why stop there? Human DNA should of figured out that men don't like going bald... so why not evolve with unbalding scalps! I guess since the world is supposed to end in 2012, technology and evolution don't want to go through the trouble. But should keep this in mind when creating the next civilization.

BLOCK PARTY DEC. 20TH

2008-12-16T07:55:00.000-08:00

Just like Ralphie Parker, Matt made me go back and decode this e-flyer. Truth be told, it had been a while since I saw A Christmas Story and forgot how some folks turn classics into nerd fests.

Anyway, in honor of Matt’s (aka Sizzle and DIRB! founder) holiday homecoming, we’re officially coming together to DJ as DIRB! for the first time. As the e-flyer states (thanks for that, too, Matt), it’s goin down on Saturday, December 20 at Block 21. [Check out the “cool” writeup we got in Houston Press, “21 Jump Street“.]

So, no secret circles. No secret meetings. No decoding. Just dip thru this weekend and DIRB with us (Matt, Gracie, Antonio, El Jeffe & Squincy Jones). Your life could hang in the balance.

Another crummy post brought to you by Dusty Crates, DIRB!, Awwwready, Grills/Frank151 and Ovaltine.

BORED RETIREE SPENDS $7,500 TO FIGHT $115 PARKING TICKET

2008-12-10T12:07:00.000-08:00

Wish I had $$$ to be as bored as him

Read full article here

COLBERT VS. KANYE

2008-12-05T15:31:00.000-08:00

Saw this last night. Funny!

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Operation Humble Kanye - Stephen Beats Kanye

Colbert at Christmas
Colbert Christmas DVD

Green Screen
Bill O'Reilly Interview

JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS

2008-12-04T15:26:00.000-08:00

and for the kiddies

INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL INCORRECTNESS

2008-12-04T13:19:00.001-08:00

My friend found this and took a picture while on a shoot in Mexico.

Translation: Milk "Little Black Person". Chocolate flavored.

So what race/ethnic group did they use for strawberry flavored milk?

TI, BETO, ME AND A MOPED

2008-11-24T08:01:00.000-08:00

Last night my friend Beto had a dream we were taking a tour of the jungle with rapper TI starring as our tour guide. We were riding with TI on the back of his moped on a hill. As we moved along, the hill kept getting steeper and steeper and steeper, until it was at a perfect 90° angle. By this point, Beto and I are falling off the moped. I try to hang on to TI's waist, as Beto hangs on to mine. However, TI just keeps on riding while we just dangle off of him.

Despite our efforts, Beto and I fall off the moped. As we fall, we manage to hang on to a ladder next us. But the ladder is full of Asian school children running up and down like it's an escalator. We struggle and struggle... after fighting the Asian school children for our lives, we make it to the top of the hill! There was nothing but a field of grass. No TI.

He was never seen again.

START THE WEEK ENTERTAINMENT

2008-11-17T15:14:00.001-08:00

PARIS... A MODEL CITIZEN

2008-11-07T12:35:00.001-08:00

Although I'm proud of Paris for taking time out of her super busy schedule to vote, I can't help but laugh at this picture. Just look at her pose and what she wore. Really, what a joke!

HELL TO THE YES!!

2008-11-05T18:21:00.001-08:00

'Change has come to America'

For those of you who might have missed it, here's Obama's acceptance speech. So freaking inspiring and motivational! It's an indescribable feeling to not only have witnessed history in the making, but to have participated in it by voting. This victory does belong to all of us!

TAKE ON ME: LITERAL VIDEO VERSION

2008-10-29T13:49:00.000-07:00

Ever wish songs just sang what was happening in the music video? Well now they do.

Lyrics/singing: Dustin McLean
Voices: Jason Nash, Josh Faure-Brac, Priscilla McLean
Thanks: Jonah Ray

DEDICATED TO ALL MY BUDDIES OUT THERE

2008-10-24T12:11:00.000-07:00

Thanks Oanh!!

UH OH!

2008-10-24T08:33:00.000-07:00

Why is the iPod doomed? Check out the article here.

GO VOTE!!

2008-10-22T12:00:00.001-07:00

I went and voted today during my lunch break. It only took 30 mins. Walking to the building I was bombarded with campaigners handing me flyers for who knows who. One of them gave me a nail filer. As a citizen in the world of advertising, I found it a very clever idea. It actually made me read it, and it's the only campaign piece I kept. All the other gazillion flyers went right into the recycling bin as soon as I found one (BE GREEN!)

Cool! We can do our nails while waiting in line! Awesome idea... thanks Judge Kathy Stone!

PEACHES FEATURING MISS PIGGY

2008-10-20T10:36:00.000-07:00

DEFINITELY ON MY "TO READ" LIST

2008-10-20T09:38:00.001-07:00

Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy
From Amazon.com

How much do we know about why we buy? What truly influences our decisions in today’s message-cluttered world? An eye-grabbing advertisement, a catchy slogan, an infectious jingle? Or do our buying decisions take place below the surface, so deep within our subconscious minds, we’re barely aware of them?

In BUYOLOGY, Lindstrom presents the astonishing findings from his groundbreaking, three-year, seven-million-dollar neuromarketing study, a cutting-edge experiment that peered inside the brains of 2,000 volunteers from all around the world as they encountered various ads, logos, commercials, brands, and products. His startling results shatter much of what we have long believed about what seduces our interest and drives us to buy. Among the questions he explores:

Does sex actually sell? To what extent do people in skimpy clothing and suggestive poses persuade us to buy products?
Despite government bans, does subliminal advertising still surround us – from bars to highway billboards to supermarket shelves?
Can “Cool” brands, like iPods, trigger our mating instincts?
Can other senses – smell, touch, and sound - be so powerful as to physically arouse us when we see a product?
Do companies copy from the world of religion and create rituals – like drinking a Corona with a lime – to capture our hard-earned dollars?

Filled with entertaining inside stories about how we respond to such well-known brands as Marlboro, Nokia, Calvin Klein, Ford, and American Idol, BUYOLOGY is a fascinating and shocking journey into the mind of today’s consumer that will captivate anyone who’s been seduced – or turned off – by marketers’ relentless attempts to win our loyalty, our money, and our minds. Includes a foreword by Paco Underhill.

OBAMA WINS AD AGE'S MARKETER OF THE YEAR

2008-10-17T10:31:00.000-07:00

Click on image to view article:

DID YOU KNOW (PART 2)

2008-10-15T15:04:00.000-07:00

If you scream for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days, you'll produce enough energy to heat a cup of coffee.

Good to know next time the power goes out.

HAPPY MONDAY!!

2008-10-13T08:50:00.000-07:00

THE BPA - TOE JAM FEAT. DAVID BYRNE & DIZZEE RASCAL

2008-10-08T09:05:00.000-07:00

Very cool video. Directed by Keith Schofield

THE BPA - TOE JAM FEAT. DAVID BYRNE & DIZZEE RASCAL

NEED A PRE-HALLOWEEN PARTY?

2008-10-07T19:32:00.000-07:00

What better than Spookybox with the dynamic duo Screepy Jones and Dayta Myers! Thursday, October 30th at the Backroom.

www.myspace.com/speakerboxxthursdays

JEAN JEAN THE FRENCH BEATBOXER

2008-10-07T07:26:00.000-07:00

Turn it up!

CONNECTION OVERLOAD

2008-10-05T16:13:00.001-07:00

In today's culture, does being so connected makes us feel lonelier?

I begin questioning this while doing some research for a project at work. Today's youth for example, and even the "not-so youth" are constantly connected to each other via email, texting, IM, chats, Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and so many others. Does all this connectivity mean the end of "alone time"? Will people in the future even know the feeling of being alone? And how will they handle it if they ever are? Is this connection overload a reflexion of a fear of being alone?

SEX ON THE FIRST DATE... WHAT'S UP WITH THAT?

2008-10-05T15:58:00.000-07:00

My friend (and co-writter of this post) had two experiences this past month with two guys expecting sex on the first date, if not the second... definitely the second. Resulting in these two men shutting down from great behavior after finding out they were not getting lucky that night.

So a question to you guys. Why is this such a common expectation? Is it because there's an increase of interaction with low-self-esteem women willing to sleep with you right away to get the so important approval of a total stranger? Has this majority of women ruined it for the rest of us?

And why is it that at the age of 30 and above, when we're supposed to behave like adults, we're still dealing with this?

That's my Carrie Bradshaw moment.

AWWWWW...

2008-10-03T09:52:00.000-07:00

Yay! for Jake the dog!!
Click here for the full story

OOOOH SOME SEXY FUN!

2008-10-02T21:51:00.000-07:00

Enjoy your weekend with this nice visual in mind! Love ... me.

IN CASE OF CIVIL UNREST

2008-09-30T20:30:00.001-07:00

From Woostercollective who took the photo from Jamie O'Shea's always excellent Supertouch blog.

TOOTSIE ROLL I THINK I'M IN LOVE WITH YOU

2008-09-30T20:28:00.000-07:00

THIS FRIDAY!!

2008-09-29T13:13:00.001-07:00

This Friday night my friends Gracie Chavez and Antonio are back with the rest of the DIRB! crew. Friday, October 3rd at Boondocks Bar (1415 Westheimer, in The H). They're also working on having a surprise guest DJ, courtesy of HMH (HoustonsMostHated.com)

Join us in Doing It Real Big!

AND HOUSTON PRESS 2008 BEST DJ IS....

2008-09-25T08:56:00.001-07:00

The very tall, one-and-only Squincy Jones!! Felicitations homie on a well-deserved recognition.

Check out every Thursday night at his weekly Speaker Boxx with Dayta at The Backroom of The Mink (3718 Main, Houston,TX)
myspace.com/speakerboxxthursdays

Also stay in touch with his whereabouts and download his mixtapes at:
www.awwready.blogspot.com
myspace.com/squincyjones

WHEN WILL THEN BE NOW????

2008-09-24T09:07:00.000-07:00

DID YOU KNOW (PART 1)

2008-09-24T08:59:00.001-07:00

In old England, people couldn't have sex without the consent of the king (unless they were members of the royal family). When a couple wanted to have a child, they had to ask the king permission. When granted, the monarchy gave the couple a plaque to hang outside their door while having sex. The plaque read "Fornication Under Consent of the King" (F.U.C.K.).

It's the origin of probably the most used and versatile cuss word.

TABLOID NATION

2008-09-23T09:55:00.000-07:00

By Jonathan Mahler | NEWSWEEK
Such is the strange place that America's premier scandal sheet occupies in our media landscape. The Enquirer doesn't compete with like The New York Times or newsweeklies like Time or NEWSWEEK, but with celebrity magazines like People, Us Weekly and OK! It uses methods scorned by the mainstream media—rifling through trash cans, stalking subjects and, most of all, paying for information. And it pursues the sorts of seamy stories from which most newspapers and magazines tend to recoil. Yet the Enquirer lands too many big scoops for the mainstream media to ignore—or, more accurately, that they ignore at their peril.

For a guided tour through the National Enquirer's checkered history, click below:

WHAT IF MODERN ADVERTISERS CREATED A STOP SIGN?

2008-09-17T15:02:00.000-07:00

http://view.break.com/542649 - Watch more free videos

I WAS THINKING...

2008-09-16T20:36:00.000-07:00

As I hid in the closet of my house during Ike while listening to the news on a Walk-Man... I wondered:

All this new technology, cool-ass expensive gadgets! We all survive on our iPhones and iPods, cell phones and cordless phones. They are supposed to make our lives easier. And they do... BUT NOT when you are hiding in a closet, with no electricity and a hurricane trying to knock your house down!!!!

At the end, there we were relying on what is now an "outdated" artifact for news and updates. A Walk-Man, and a traditional, old-school telephone. My iPod was of absolutely no use. An iPhone or SideKick would of been of no use either... I mean internet signals weren't working at that time. Cell phone service was practically non-existent, and it's still not working properly.

Haha! And I used to think my parents were strange for still keeping an old telephone when there are cordless phones now, or my mom for using a Walk-Man at this day and age.

So next time you are toying with the idea of throwing away your outdated technology, think about it. Those are our only reliable tech-friends in times Mother Nature decides to "shake-it to the ground".

IKE WAS HERE

2008-09-15T08:55:00.001-07:00

So Friday night our friend Ike decided to drop by our city and pay a little visit. He had us up all night making lots of scary noises and shaking our house. Of course he had to make the visit memorable in a couple of ways. One was by leaving our yard and neighborhood a mess, but also leaving us without power for 25 hours, and without running water for 48 hours!

It turned out he also tore down my neighbor's chimney and the gas pumps from the gas stations around the corner, dumping a business sign on top of a car, and blowing up all the signage from the car dealerships around the area.

Our left side of the fence

Our right side of the fence

A little fountain using street elements

Although not sure if I would do it again, in a creepy way I'm glad I did. I just love storms and was very curious about what it would be like (except for the afterwards parts).

Fortunatly my family and I are ok. Thanks to all who called in, texted and wrote to check on our status and express your support. It was a scary experience but we managed to remain calm through it all.

MISSION COMPLETED!!

2008-09-15T08:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I finished my body cleansing/detoxing! I feel proud of myself for actually going through with it. It wasn't easy let me tell you. As I mentioned on an earlier post, giving up red meat and taking 12 big pills a day was tough, but the real biatch was drinking 8 servings of water a day. I hate drinking water... I really do.

The suffering was worth it though. My body feels way cleaner now (reason 1 for doing it). But the best is that now I am in the habit of eating less red meat and drinking water all day (reason 2). I been told that all it takes is two weeks of doing something repeatedly for your mind to make it a habit. Funny how I thought I would go straight for a steak when finished but I'm actually not craving it.

I recommend it to anybody. Even if you eat pretty healthy like I do, there's so much processing and crap in our food now and toxins that your body can't get rid of on it's own.

The Chick-Fil-A cows would be proud of me.

WORKING WITH SHADOWS

2008-09-12T09:59:00.000-07:00

From Woostercollective.com

TOP TEN REASONS HURRICANE SEASON IS LIKE CHRISTMAS

2008-09-12T09:52:00.000-07:00

My friend Naida sent me this in the spirit of Ike visiting us in Houston:

10. Decorating the house (boarding up windows).

9. Dragging out boxes that haven't been used since last season (camping gear, flashlights).

8. Last minute shopping in crowded stores.

7. Regular TV shows pre-empted for "specials".

6. Family coming to stay with you.

5. Family and friends from out-of-state calling.

4. Buying food you don't normally buy .... and in large quantities.

3. Days off from work.

2. Candles.

and . . . ..
The number 1 reason Hurricane Season is like Christmas is …….. At some point you know you're going to have a tree in your house!

SPANISH ROMANCING, ONE SEMESTER AT A TIME

2008-09-11T08:44:00.001-07:00

First Semester

Second Semester

Have a little Latin mami you want to romance, but don't know how? No fear. You can make a beautiful serenade for her using the few Spanish words you know. Let Spanish Mike show you how.

You can also download the song and lip sync it to your amor...

One Semester of Spanish Love Song
Second Semester of Spanish Love Song

WHERE TO BE TOMORROW NIGHT

2008-09-10T12:40:00.000-07:00

With my boyzzzz Squincy Jones, Dayta and Jeff cMo! They'll make you "shake it to the ground".

STOP GLOBAL WARMING. EAT MORE CHICKEN!

2008-09-10T08:47:00.000-07:00

I can just see the Chick-Fil-A cows on a new billboard campaign telling us to "Stop global warming. Eat more chicken!"

Click on the picture to read the full story.

OLDIE BUT GOODIE

2008-09-10T08:20:00.001-07:00

MISSING RED MEAT

2008-09-09T13:47:00.000-07:00

Ok. So a week ago to be exact, I started doing a body cleansing/detoxing thing. Among one of the "Helpful DON'Ts" is red meat. I LOVE red meat. All I've been hallucinating about for the past week are nice juicy burgers and churrasco steaks. Instead, all I get is grilled chicken, fish and turkey meatballs (ewww on the last one). No fun!!! Now I can truly say I don't understand how people can be vegetarians.

Just one more week....... :P

CALLING VENUS, CALLING MARS

2008-09-09T13:39:00.000-07:00

By Elizabeth Woyke, Forbes.com

It's easy enough to spot a girly cell phone -- just look for bright finishes in shades of pink, purple and red. But is it possible to use a phone like a girl? Research says yes.

There are subtle but powerful differences in how men and women use technologies such as computers and Internet browsing. Men read more news; women drive e-commerce. Women typically do more semantic searches, typing in full questions rather than just keywords.

So, too, differences abound in how we use mobile phones.

Read the full article at Calling Venus, Calling Mars