Dark Abyss

NDP@Marina Bay 2007

2007-08-09T11:00:00.000+08:00

The Hippocratic Oath 希波克拉底誓約

2007-06-08T16:13:00.000+08:00

I swear by Apollo, Asclepius, Hygieia, and Panacea, and I take to witness all the gods, all the goddesses, to keep according to my ability and my judgment, the following Oath.

To consider dear to me as my parents him who taught me this art; to live in common with him and if necessary to share my goods with him; To look upon his children as my own brothers, to teach them this art I will prescribe regimens for the good of my patients according to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone.

To please no one will I prescribe a deadly drug nor give advice which may cause his death.

Nor will I give a woman a pessary to procure abortion.

But I will preserve the purity of my life and my arts.

I will not cut for stone, even for patients in whom the disease is manifest; I will leave this operation to be performed by practitioners, specialists in this art.

In every house where I come I will enter only for the good of my patients, keeping myself far from all intentional ill-doing and all seduction and especially from the pleasures of love with women or with men, be they free or slaves.

All that may come to my knowledge in the exercise of my profession or in daily commerce with men, which ought not to be spread abroad, I will keep secret and will never reveal.

If I keep this oath faithfully, may I enjoy my life and practice my art, respected by all men and in all times; but if I swerve from it or violate it, may the reverse be my lot.

According to NOVA, the Oath is, as follows:

Hippocratic Oath -- Classical Version

I swear by Apollo Physician and Asclepius and Hygieia and Panaceia and all the gods and goddesses, making them my witnesses, that I will fulfill according to my ability and judgment this oath and this covenant:

To hold him who has taught me this art as equal to my parents and to live my life in partnership with him, and if he is in need of money to give him a share of mine, and to regard his offspring as equal to my brothers in male lineage and to teach them this art - if they desire to learn it - without fee and covenant; to give a share of precepts and oral instruction and all the other learning to my sons and to the sons of him who has instructed me and to pupils who have signed the covenant and have taken an oath according to the medical law, but no one else.

I will apply dietetic measures for the benefit of the sick according to my ability and judgment; I will keep them from harm and injustice.

I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody who asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect. Similarly I will not give to a woman an abortive remedy. In purity and holiness I will guard my life and my art.

I will not use the knife, not even on sufferers from stone, but will withdraw in favor of such men as are engaged in this work.

Whatever houses I may visit, I will come for the benefit of the sick, remaining free of all intentional injustice, of all mischief and in particular of sexual relations with both female and male persons, be they free or slaves.

What I may see or hear in the course of the treatment or even outside of the treatment in regard to the life of men, which on no account one must spread abroad, I will keep to myself, holding such things shameful to be spoken about.

If I fulfill this oath and do not violate it, may it be granted to me to enjoy life and art, being honored with fame among all men for all time to come; if I transgress it and swear falsely, may the opposite of all this be my lot.

-- 摘錄自Wikipedia

有鑑於身邊許多的親戚朋友都趨之若鶩地朝向成為醫生的道路邁進，在此貼上Hippocratic Oath, 提醒各位:

1. to live in common with him and if necessary to share my goods with him

當醫生的本質不在功名利祿，而在救濟他人。

2. to regard his offspring as equal to my brothers in male lineage and to teach them this art

謙虛待人。醫生確實偉大，但保持謙卑仍是醫生助人之本。

Its CTC all over again

2007-05-29T14:55:00.000+08:00

I've had much time these couple of years to get over the last ordeal in my army tour -- The CTC course. I took this OC course as part of my obligation to the SAF as an OCS sword winner, to prepare me for NS Company level command.

I have to say it was a great experience, having enjoyed the intellectual challenge from unceasing ops planning and recces. From morning runs to late night ops order writing and talc drawing, it was the ultimate officers' training course. The MBA of an SAF Officer career path. (I'd call BTC the EMBA equivalent...)

So now i'm repeating that course all over again. Only this time, its the real thing. The real MBA.
If an MBA is really what i expect it to be, I'd not be surprised to see fellow trainees burn the midnight oil discussing "strategy" and "tactics" on the business equivalent of a battlefield. I'd expect nothing less than that, and i'm more than thrilled to go through that challenge.

However, if the MBA was similar even in the back-stabbing, attention grabbing aspect, then I'll certainly suffer the aftermath trauma once again, having been deprived of the top trainee award from the AIOC course, partially due to malign peer evaluations, driven by self pride and fear of jeopardizing their own career advancement.

It was just CTC. I'm willing to accept the result. Afterall, its not my career at stake. But this time round, my career will be on the line. So theres no way I'm gonna let this get in my way...
But i'll just have to bite the bullet and trudge forward.
Like the old army saying " lan lan, suck thumb, and push forward"...

三隻小豬的語言教育

2007-05-29T13:15:00.000+08:00

「我要以『三隻小豬』的精神，學習語言，才能有堅固的成就！」

雖然有點lag，但是對於教育部成語辭典將一些莫名其妙的童話故事、寓言故事、典故納為成語這件事，仍舊讓人Orz...

教育部成語辭典 -- 電影及小故事參考語料

不僅成語的選擇讓人覺得無厘頭，連造句都「非常的符合時事」。
ie. 立委質疑電視偷拍節目是在創造楚門世界，嚴重侵犯受拍者的隱私權。

看著看著，就讓我聯想起從前新加坡國中的「成語300條」，總要我們背一些這一生可能都不會用到的詞語。但或許，這也成了我們這一批所謂EM1學生的共同回憶吧。幾個月前，國中的兩位恩師 (剛好都是國文老師) 來台造訪。敘舊的過程中，不免提起了成語300條的內容，大快朵頤的「虧」了一番；去年，目前任職新加坡新聞界的朋友來探訪，也提起了這些構築我們國、高中中文基礎的「棟樑」。這群與我一起蠻啃那本EPB出版的藍色小冊子的朋友們，不下10個人都稱為了新加坡新聞界的後起之秀。也難怪，翻閱著「聯合早報」電子報，總會看到熟悉的用詞。

新加坡的教育不夠創新，中文掌握能力也只能一板一眼。國小中文教育，只要你跳脫出課本的範圍，用流行語的方式詮釋「成語」時，立刻被老師予以嚴厲的、紅色的「X」。到了台灣，中文的變通性變高了，教育卻被「廣告」與「媒體」所塑造出來的流行語主導。以後的成語辭典，乾脆讓廣告公司比稿來承包好了；中文課本就用時報金句獎來做參考算了。

我並不反對語言「流行話」。畢竟，這也是我會來台灣唸傳播的初衷吧。語言的靈活性，與「創意」之間蘊含著顯而易見的關聯。但是，對於學童的教育，我仍然並持著「一步一腳印」的觀點，先穩固基礎，再試圖展翅飛翔。Picasso也是在掌握了傳統學派素描基礎之後，才打破框架創造野獸派的。同理，如果真要讓語言「天馬行空」至少也要先有足夠的基礎，字裡行間，才能夠刻骨銘心。

或許還是應該回歸「三隻小豬」的精神，多用心、不偷懶地打下語言基礎，才能培育出「魔豆」般語言創意吧！

戰場在哪裡，凱薩就在哪裡。而羅馬，永遠在凱撒的心里

2007-05-24T10:45:00.000+08:00

不論身處何方，「Home」永遠是Where the heart is...

自稱全球人、國際人，未來也憧憬過著世界流通的生活；有挑戰的地方，即會是我努力的方向。
但，風箏如果斷了線，就不再有方向的飛翔，而只能隨波逐流。

所以切記，心永遠要繫著自己的「根」。

Wii would like to Play

2006-12-01T01:39:00.000+08:00

遊戲的核心，本來就是遊戲本身。
最近，次世代主機巨子SONY PS3 vs. Nintendo Wii的戰爭，觸發了遊戲圈激烈的辯論。而辯論的核心，即在於兩者的本質差異。這場戰爭，Sony似乎打的是規格戰，而 Nintendo則走入了內容戰。

Sony憑藉家電、通訊界龍頭老大的地位，總以優質的graphics, 附加功能來吸引玩家。這次的PS3更是結合了BlueRay HD技術、一貫的高畫質、以及其他遊戲主機上的附加價值，形成一次到位的「娛樂」系統。畢竟，SONY雖然稱為家電龍頭，其觸角卻已深入整個娛樂產業。與其稱之為家電業者，不如稱為「娛樂」。

反觀任天堂，以電玩起家，現在仍然以電玩為主力商品。其競爭策略當然更是回到電玩的本質 -- 「好玩的遊戲」。雖然這麼一說，「好玩的遊戲」似乎還算在「娛樂」的範疇之內，但我還是認為，focus在遊戲本身的娛樂性，才算是長久挽留顧客的方式。

況且，以Web 2.0的思維來看，內容才是消費者最主要關切的主體。儘管在Web 2.0的時代，有人追求電腦顯示卡、電腦功能的多樣性，但真正稱霸的Web 2.0明星都是以內容取勝的。擁有一流的內容，才能創造無止盡的稱頌與口碑行銷。

再者，高規格的戰爭或許能夠吸引追求High Specs的科技創新族群，但好玩的遊戲才能聚眾同樂。就像以上那隻Wii的首賣廣告，遊戲應該是老少咸宜，平易近人的。這麼看來，PS3的TM應該是比較孤獨的一群。

儘管我對於遊戲的content本身的讚許，我仍然認為在規格上，Wii才真正的走入所謂「次世代」主機的境界裡。所以，不論規格、內容，我個人是判這局由Nintendo勝利。不過實際的結果，還是要由真正的消費者來定奪。

Procrastination

2006-11-30T23:32:00.000+08:00

Its been a semester full of procrastination and emptiness that it seems the right time to wake up and move on. Perhaps its the dreary senior year schedule -- slow paced, less hectic, less friendly; Maybe its the consequence of having no clear direction in life at the moment.

I guess i've been having too little exercise lately. The adrenaline-deficiency seems to have brought my hype notches down. I wanna feel excited again. About school that is.
Work is always exciting. At least till this point. Most of the projects and assignments I've done has been fun. The advertising industry, or rather the innovation industry still lusters its immense appeal on me. Perhaps its that desire to innovate, create and be different that drives me to continue loving this industry despite the unusual work hours and tough pay.

Well. This post seems to have veered away from its original intended destination. But what the hell. The point is, i'm sitting back here in the library, panged with a desire to procrastinate from GMAT Verbal workouts.

This procrastination has got to end. I shall drag myself to work then...

抗戰

2006-11-24T19:06:00.000+08:00

「革命尚未成功，同志仍需努力」

與GMAT奮戰搏鬥也有2個都月之久。屈指一算，才發現其實為時並不長。2個半月卻走的很漫長。
功敗垂成的兩次戰役，雖有方寸的進步，但近在咫尺的理想分數還沒達成，始終不敢鬆懈。

有些想法，如果有在看的人要考GMAT，可能有些幫助吧。

1. 選對時間，調整勝利時鐘
畢竟是個早上相條蟲的人，第一次考試竟然選了早上的時段。雖然前晚早睡了，但終究還是無法調節過來，習慣這麼早把頭腦操的那麼兇。

2. 選對日期，飽讀JJ
有時候不得不對大陸同胞倍感尊敬。竟然集結全球華人的勢力，把各次考試、各月份的考古題被下來，與網上同袍分享備戰。累積了幾年、每個月的考古題讓大家參考。這就是JJ了。
註: JJ = 機經 = 機上考聖經

3. 知己知彼，切莫輕敵
每個考過GMAT的人都認為數學很簡單。只有我這個笨蛋都敗在數學手上。現在狂K大陸人的數學JJ，也不知道有沒有用。

4. 掌握時間
我想，如果二戰的時候，時間掌握的好些，可能分數已經到700了。數學剩下5~7題沒做；英文雖然做完了，但是後面因為太急、太慌，READING根本沒看清楚，就隨便作答了。不過，每次作模考的時候，時間掌握其實還算充分，不過上了考場，為了步步為營，時間就變成最大的敵人了。

以上是自己這次考試要注意的重點了。供其他朋友參考吧。

話說，因為一直放不下GMAT這個結，這個學期開學以來一直無法專心做事。心底總是有某處拉起警報，像是戰備中每日的防空警報演習一樣，每日警惕週遭戰爭尚未結束的慘痛事實。

考試成績醜的真希望快點考上研究所，不然這個成績根本不能看；
期待已久的課根本不想去上，只想躲到球場上或影音實驗室同胞們的慰藉中；
功課沒交、課沒上，連脾氣好的老師都威脅要當人了。

這樣下去實在不行。這一役再不把700之巔攻下，我也只能放下顏面撤軍回鄉了。

「塞翁失馬」心態

2006-11-24T18:40:00.000+08:00

昨天晚上，本想到信義誠品補一些gmat的惡補書籍。沒想到當兵足兩月的好友Beagle突然來電，說結訓了。就這樣跟他約在信義威秀聊了好一陣。

他這人，天生明好。不論多麼不如意，在人生的大節骨眼上，總是會有令人驚奇的好狗運。(可能因為他是beagle吧。)入伍前，當兵對他來說，簡直就像人間煉獄一樣。拼命的希望能夠抽到憲兵，沒抽到還覺得是老天注定妖磨練他。誰也沒料到，因為某些特殊因素，他新訓過的很涼。這樣就算了，下部隊的籤竟然也給他抽到他夢寐以求的職位。不但清閒，更對他的未來事業有重大幫助。

他人生的路途中，似乎已經發生過無數次這種際遇了。所以說他Lucky真的不是講假的。

聊著聊著，不禁也提醒了我，我的人生不是也如此?
在每一個重大挫折、轉折背後，總是能夠「柳暗花明」來到「意想不到」卻又「有過之而無不及」的新階段。

聯考失利決定回來台灣求學、當兵被兵變結果拿到榮譽劍、L'oreal沒上結果現在在CMS。

環環相扣得天衣無縫。

於是，本來還對McK的結果懷著淡淡哀愁的心情就這樣結開了。

深信這一步棋走到這裡，是上天為我下一步更精采的棋所佈下的局。

Ended before I started

2006-11-22T14:29:00.001+08:00

Went for the McKinsey Scholar Program interviews on Saturday.
And before I had time to blog about the interview itself, i was rejected by the selection committee.

I guess in a word, i was ill-prepared for the interview.
I had no idea they were going to interview me on cases, so i spent my prep time on reading the business news and understanding how Citigroup intends to buy down the GuangDong Development Bank. But it all came down to analytical skills in the end.

My market stratification test was very straight forward. A test on how my thoughts flowed. Yet, my beverage question was much more complicated than the "Starbucks" question all the other applicants i heard from received. How was that possible? How is that fair?

While i question the equitability of this interview, i question myself on suitability.
If I were truly "McKinsey" calibre, i would have been able to answer both questions easily.
So in retrospect, i'd rather blame myself for not waking up to the exam, than point the finger at a well established organization.

So here it is. The Learning Points for the McKinsey Interview.

1. Understand the process : How many stages would there be? What sort of questions
would it entail?
2. Do not panic under any circumstances: I suppose i was a little panicky when i heard the case, and my thought just started to
flow in such an unruly manner, it was
difficult for me to manage it in an organized
manner.
3. Think! : I suppose i wasn't thinking. Or at least, I believed myself to be thinking. But i was simply not thinking enough.

As optimistic a person as i might be, its still hard to be absolutely happy with the result. Afterall, many others have made it past this round, but i didn't.

Perhaps, i'm not as great as i perceive myself to be. So maybe its time to eat the humble pie anyway.

Cheers.

Ended before I started

2006-11-22T14:29:00.000+08:00

When one door closes, another door opens

2006-11-14T04:04:00.000+08:00

I was sort of reminded of this phrase while watching "Sex and the City" just the other day.
Somehow, it puts into perspective, what I think i've been doing with my life.

At certain points in time, i just feel like shutting out a part of me. A part which might not necessarily be bad, but more of a random portion of myself I don't seem to fit into for the moment. It sounds something like a recurring temprament i used to suffer from in JC. But i wouldnt take it that far.

So, probably, I've just been trying to "close one door", in hopes of "opening another".

Perhaps its the attempt to acclimatize myself to the next step in life. Embracing a working environment, a new environment altogether(if i DO make it to the states). In either case, i havent exactly sorted it out very clearly yet. Perhaps, its just denial.

As you might have probably noticed, my mind isn't functioning at its normal capacity right now. Due greatly to the fact that its 4a.m., and i'm still unable to finish preps for the 2 crazy papers i have tomorrow -- Financial management and Commercial Law.

I regret underestimating the full prowess of the finance paper. I've spent hours turning the book upside down, and still find it impossible to solve some incredibly easy questions. And the commercial law paper? Lets just say i'm definitely not prepared as yet.

I have 2 hours before sunrise, 4 hours before the Commercial Law paper.
Do pray that my mind clears up tomorrow, enough for my last burst of fire before the Finance paper.

*Pray*.................................. damn hard....................

Its been 10,000 years

2006-11-10T10:58:00.000+08:00

Its been 10,000 years since i last posted a msg here. And since its my birthday today, i shall update those who remembered with what i've been doing. ...

In the twinkle of an eye, the mids are here already. Which simply means, half the sem has gone by with nothing significant done; I am officially closing in on 13/16 of my college life, and i now have 3/16 before i either step out into working life, or move on to another institution.

So it seems that i've gone through 2 GMAT attempts the last half a sem, with nothing close to what i'd need to guarantee a safe MBA application. And these results seem to follow a arithmetic progression that suggests i might get my desired 700 points in 2 more attempts. This is really depressing. To think that the aspect in the test thats getting me down is Maths, the one thing evveryone else does well. This sux, and there seems to be nothing much more i can do to remedy the situation, than getting more practice questions done.

Also, for the first time in college life, i was warned by a prof about my absenteeism rate. He even threatened to flunk me this sem. Well, lets look at it this way. If I can apply for my MBA entry safely this time round, i'll only need my results for the past 6 sems, which is a surprising 2/49 in class. Surprising indeed. Thats impressive enough for me. So, i really can't be bothered too much if i do badly, so long as i pass the class. HOWEVER, if i don't get into MBA this round, i'll need the results for the whole 4 years here. THAT's going to make it care enough to no miss any classes. Sighz... Boring...

'Nuff of waning in self pity.

Other than the depressing GMAT, and an even more depressing absenteeism rate, life has been quite happy. Been cheerfully spending time at my new company as a Strategic Planning Assistant. Despite what the name suggests, the terms of reference aren't exactly what it suggests. The work has entailed brainstorming sessions on an incredibly diverse clientale, nosing around on what others are doing, looking up on information, simple graphic design and film editing, and basically, Listening....

As much as that sounds like alot, those are probably a days work for some people. Hopefully when my GMAT is completely cleared, i'll be able to devote more time and effort into this ad hoc job.

After numerous sessions of introspection, thats pretty much all i've been doing with my life.
Uneventful and plain.

And to all my well-wishers. Thanx for remembering.
Cheers to a great 24, and a successful ever after....

Off the beaten track

2006-09-04T01:19:00.000+08:00

這一階段的實習結束了。在這段過程中，不斷的被灌輸一些想法。我也不得不承認，我一部分被說服了。

在大學三年多來，一直對於自己的方向與目標非常明確。也不斷的為這些所謂的目標不懈地奮鬥。
廣告這行路，也是一直吸引我，一直為之著迷的事。在這兩個月的實習中，不斷的被質疑自己是否該朝這個方向走下去；為什麼選擇廣告。我想「影響人心」、「洞悉人性」還是令我著魔的關鍵。在這些吸引力不變的前提下，我是否有其他的選擇呢?

我想，或許我真的把自己想的簡單了。

對於廣告界的認知、既定Career Path，都是前輩、學長姐指導的。也因此，我們都被灌輸廣告業的標準路徑(對我們這些比較不適合走creative的人而言)就是從AE做起，磨各一兩年，如果沒離開，就繼續一路做上去，總有一天熬出頭來。所以，我也這麼認為了。從AE，或許有機會轉為Planner。但，這些給予指點的前輩們，未必就最了解你。畢竟是「標準回答」的反應。但，這就是最適合我的路嗎?

What if, 所謂的Web 2.0是我未來的舞台? What if, 我就是開創新局面的pioneer?
我為什麼要甘於踏上成千上萬「過來人」走過的Beaten Track? 為什麼不嘗試創造「非凡」?

這曾經是我跟大哥的夢想。我們曾經那麼無畏的聲稱，我們可以奮鬥數載，如果失敗了，也沒什麼好後悔的；但如果成功了，會報將遠勝過金錢。我倆的祖先就是這樣，白手起家，為龐大的家族創造豐衣足食三代人的盛勢。我們有何不可?

或許我淡忘了那是年少的衝動。
但這幾天，我又重燃了那份熱情與衝動。
或許是因為有時間沉澱了；或許因為找到自己有興趣的方向了。我正打算TRAVEL OFF THE BEATEN TRACK.

未來的可能，無限。誰也無法確定。
現在，就以此為方向吧!

Change

2006-09-01T05:02:00.000+08:00

Its common knowledge that, there comes a point in life when the train on the fast track arrives at a station. Fellow passengers on the train alight, while others accompany you to the next station, till you arrive at your terminal. Some passengers who have left eventually board again, and all are rejoined in rejoice.

I'm there now. At the interchange.

I've come to forget if i've actually posted an article of the same emotions gushing through my nerves. Either way, life has just smacked me hard on the face once again today, so much so, I've found it hard not to blog it down at this late hour.

With the end of the previous semester (as you would come to realise, milestones in the life of a student is measured pretty much in semesters, rather than years), I've endured several changes in life. Some major, some not worth a mention.
The relocation of my significant other, the graduation of seniors who have been immensely dear to me, the promotion of a close friend to grad school, working life, Post grad applications prep ... so on and so forth. Just while i've come to adapt to these changes with my usual hectic-ist therapy ( the burrowing into workload to avoid emotional disorder), another significant change just struck this evening. *Wham*

My cousin -- A brother, a friend, a confidante, a comrade in arms.
Hes suddenly decided to pursue his education in Medicine in Czech, and will be leaving next week. Its all been decided just this evening. After several sharp turns and u turns in the story, hes forsaken the original plans to go to Poland or Japan, for Czech. This sudden turn in events has really been a shock. When we visited Czech three years ago, not once did we expect he would be spending the next 6 years in Olomouc, East of Prague, speaking a foreign tongue, almost as incomprehensible as German.

And hence, we spent the past 5 hours going through his personal statement and resume.
The details of how he got to this decision, we shall skip, and fast forward to the present.

So, he'll be leaving next week. For 6 years. In Czech. Its just too much for me to digest for the moment...

Another revelation struck me this morning while i was checking my results for the previous sem. The grades for that final class is finally out. And it was only then, that it hammered in the notion that i was only a month away from the application deadlines for US MBAs. Coupled with the end of my 2 month long internship at Publicis Taiwan, which suggests the beginning of a month long of mugging for TOEFL and GMAT, I've been harshly reminded of the next station in my life. The fruits of the past 3 years of mugging and perseverance will soon come to show in the next 3 months.

Back to the train metaphor.
There are some people on the same train, which wouldn't matter if they alighted. But others, you just wished they never will.

Cheers Bro. I wish you all the best for your subsequent 6 years, and may you excel both in studies and hitting on East European hotties.

Planner Resources

2006-08-31T20:17:00.000+08:00

"at the heart of an effective creative philosophy is the belief that nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature, what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action, even though his language so often camouflages what really motivates him." -- Bill Bernbach

This Page will be consistently updated with resources related to Planning and the art of "Influencing Human Nature".

What is Account Planning ?
Definition of Account Planning :
1986 (Sev d'Souza) pdf word
2001 (Merry Baskin) pdf word
-- links to Account Planning Group

Websites
The Account Planning Group

Market Research
Ad Asia Online
Millward Brown Knowledge Center
台灣AC Nielsen
東方線上消費者調查
全球華文行銷知識庫

Trend Spotting
Trend Watching Trend Unit -- An excellent guide to Trend Spotting for starters
Springwise -- Sleek, cool Trend Spotting site!
For Other Trend Spotting sites and resources, please refer to the GAZR menu on the left!

(to be cont')

MBA Applications

2006-08-30T16:18:00.000+08:00

School Application Deadlines Notification Interviews

Stanford GSB (Sloan) 25 Oct, 10 Jan, 14 Mar / 18 Jan, 5 Apr, 10 May /
Invites only Nov ~ Jan

Harvard Biz School 11 Oct, 3 Jan, 7 Mar /17 Jan, 28 Mar, 9 May / Invites only

NWU (Kellogg) 20 Oct, 5 Jan, 9 Mar / 8 Jan, 26 Mar, 7 May /
Request 18/12, 9/3, 16/4

NWU (Medill) IMC 1 Mar / 15 Apr / before 1 Mar

UPENN, Wharton 12 Oct, 4 Jan, 1 Mar / 21 Dec, 22 Mar, 17 May / Invites only

NYU, Stern N/A (Usually Dec) / N/A (Usually Feb) / Invites only

COLUMBIA U 10 Jan ~ 1 Mar / Within 12 weeks / Invites only

[Intern in Publicis] Part Deux -- The Last III

2006-08-30T10:35:00.000+08:00

AE的生活，有光鮮亮麗，也有不為人知的心酸。到現在為止，promised的廣告AE生活觀察還沒po出來。不過，今天還是要先把昨天的一些感想公諸於世。

昨天一整天耗在桃園龜山的鴻臣片廠。沉浸在從前嚮往的「拍片」、「跟拍」的生活中。
從上大學前對於MV拍攝的憧憬，到入學後發現廣告系不是在拍廣告的，到影音實驗室製作部經理。對於影片拍攝的興趣，依然不減。只是，未來的路未必是這條。

昨天看到了李汪霖導演、名模林嘉綺、新人張朝閔、還有李旺達的親戚，製片公司的老闆JOE。其實，真得很興奮! 去掉高名氣的演員、十幾人的工作團隊、高階攝影器材，仿佛回到高中當導演的時代。導演引導著演員的情緒，指導動作，對品質的要求相當高。我也看的樂在其中。
佈景更是厲害的可怕。在荒蕪的攝影棚裏面，竟搭出了一個百變的房間、伸展台、後台。藝術指導不愧是去年時報得獎的美術阿福(也是羅導Kymco Moscow到Mexico的美術指導)。

除了拍片本身給我的快感之外，其他就是與公司同事的交流與認識讓我最開心吧。

昨天跟著AM"R" (人物新登場) 從早就跑到龜山。從不認識，到可以聊很多HBO影集、廣告作品的觀點與垃圾話。看到他如何應對突如其來出現在片場的客戶，還有不配合的客戶與合作夥伴。外加遠端遙控手中的WIP。這種Multitasking與人際溝通的能力仍然是值得學習的。Multitasking或許還可以，但是人際溝通似乎還需增強。

還有文案小班。人真的很nice. 從上次IKEA的PPM到IKEA的旁白試錄，他無疑都是很照顧實習生的人，也沒有所謂creative的怪癖。還發現，他根本不是本科系出生，更不是文字相關科系畢業的。畢業後，就到某知名百貨做行銷。沒多久，就轉到廣告公司當文案了。班認為，當文案真的是要機會的。或許會碰到無錢聘請資深文案的廣告公司，碰巧就進來了；又或者廣告公司很有錢，可以揮霍在一個資深文案+新人上，那就Lucky了。如果堅持要走這條路的話，就要硬著頭皮堅持下去。不過，要知道，creative的升遷加薪不如Account那麼有彈性。
對那些有意要走文案這條路的人，小班建議要對所有的廣告或商品都能有想法。廣告公司面試時，重視的未必是華麗的文字，反而是對行銷的常識、對事物的想法。這讓我回想到一個從前聽過的履歷表形式 -- 把那家公司的作品拿出來，將廣告上的文案用自己的方式填回去。如果你真的能夠寫得比她好，而且策略正確的話，或許就是有那分機會。

昨天的明星還有製片Ellen. 8月實習以來一直坐在他旁邊，但從來沒有交談。昨天到是喇賽的很盡興。從新聞系肄業後就投身製片公司，磨了多年後，走入了Agency。似乎是條漫長的道路，而且還要料理龐雜的瑣事。Not my cup of Tea.

當然還有去到中午的CD棠哥。昨天，或許是在場很多人第一次與棠哥聊那麼多閒話的一次。平常在公司非常嚴肅的他，談論到他有興趣的「點」之後，他就非常興奮的談論起來，毫無架子。唉，人真的是要對到tone之後，就會敞開心胸了。
消費者似乎也是如此。又回到了Insight這把鑰匙上了。

最後，談一點小點滴。
1. 片廠裡，女性是不能碰器材的。
這是古老的迷信，卻有被男性主義的行業持續捍衛，宛若堅守男性尊嚴那最後一丁點的城池。

2. Agency區 vs. 導演區
每一個導演都需要自己的空間。這一點，我從前就體會過了。尤其是一些客戶會很勞力嘮叨的要求一些奇怪的細節，影響到導演的心情。
所以，片廠會分兩區 -- 導演區 (導演+工作人員+製片公司的製片) 還有Agency區 (Account + Creatives + Producer + 客戶)。所有Agency還有客戶的想法，都由廣告公司的製片去與對方的producer溝通。雖然流程有點太長，但是我想這為彼此都保留了尊重與空間。

3. 名模好像真的很難搞
也要看情況、看人吧。個人是覺得昨天名模還ok。而且在鏡頭前有令人驚訝的親和力。但也有可能是因為對這個片子、導演的重視吧。畢竟，這或許是他開創新的局面、新市場的機會。不過，經紀公司方面似乎就沒有這麼好搞定。合約、價碼等等等都非常難搞。身段vs.機會的磨合，還是要靠AE的斡旋吧。

太長了... 太長了...
但昨天也似乎就是這麼的長。拍到凌晨130。15.5小時的時間，大家請多多見諒。

Follow your Heart.

2006-08-28T06:51:00.000+08:00

年輕總是充斥著「夢想」的衝動。卻無數次被現實擊敗而低頭。有多少次，我們是真正能夠克服自己的惰性，不屈服於現實，勇敢地Follow your heart而追求夢想的?

日本人力仲介品牌RECRUIT之前做了一則廣告，其中的文案如下。(感謝N老大提供)

「比起堅強的自己，或許軟弱的自己，才是真正的自己。
比起說謊的自己，或許誠實的自己，反而更容易傷人。
比起疑惑的自己，或許堅信的自己，反而顯得更懶惰。
比起思念別人的自己，或許思考自我的自己，發現更能夠讓別人幸福。
今天的自己，只是此刻的自己。明天的自己，一定有所不同。
自我摧毀，自我創新。邂逅某個人，然後自己又會重生。

答案不是只有一個。
FOLLOW YOUR HEART. RECRUIT」

或許，人生充滿了「What if?」。What if I were Bill Gates? What if I were Ian Batey? What if I were neither?
又或許Planning這條路崎嶇坎坷?
不論如何，在我看到另一個Irresistible的可能性之前，我要勇敢的懷抱理想。
勇敢就是拋開那些What if 的Opportunity Cost，正視自己的選擇。
像Recruit這篇引人深思，耐人尋味的廣告，就是我想做的廣告! 影響眾人，感動人心!
我不怕作廣告的辛勞，我只擔心沒有辦法做到最好。

If Theres a Will, Theres a Way.

聽聽你的心聲。你今天想做什麼?

[Intern in Publicis] -- Part Deux XXII

2006-08-25T17:37:00.000+08:00

Suggested Book List for Planners :

1. The tipping point Malcolm Gladwell -- How trends happen
2. Eating the big fish Adam Morgan -- basics of good strategies
3. The Blank Slate Steven Pinker -- human nature and why it rules
4. The Wisdom of crowds Surowieki -- how to defend research
5. Freakonomics Levitt and Dubner -- Great on the USA and strategies
6. The Mental World of brands Franzen and Bouwman-- A must!
7. Truth, Lies and Advertising Jon Steele -- think big

( to be cont')

Revamp

2006-08-25T04:04:00.000+08:00

翻新。
Been wanting to do up this blog for quite some time now.
So I guess tonite just happened to be the night.

This new theme is based on the designs for my portfolio "Dichotomy" which is actually still WIP. But since its such an accurate portrayal of my character, and even more adequate display for the name "Dark Abyss", I touched the site up with a tint of Black and Grey, to lever up the mystique. Even so, i still wish to upkeep the vibrant side of my personality with the touches of Orange. Hope you guys like it.

Cheers

P.S. I've also added an "Announcements" bar at the top, which should theoretically be updated according to my mood. So Watch this Space.

[Intern in Publicis] Part Deux XXI

2006-08-24T10:29:00.000+08:00

The Lord works in Mysterious ways.

這是與許久不見的新加坡學妹美蘭見面時，他給我的感覺。
一個曾經如此積極進取、追求機會的女孩子，如今卻將生命、際遇交由上帝來主宰。認識他這麼久之後，突如其來的轉變，實在令我一時難以習慣。不過，這並無害。因為它看起來快樂多了。

On a personal note, 昨天跟老闆N聊到未來時，不免想起前日與美蘭的對談。
究竟我的人生目標在何處? 這個問題，一般的同學都會拿來問我，要我以心靈導師、過來人的角度，提供意見。畢竟，我是那麼的清楚我的方向。過去在大學中的三年，每日也都義無反顧的追求這個目標。

但，我的目標中的insight到底是什麼呢? 是「大學-> 西北研究所 -> 廣告 -> Planner -> Planning大師」這樣的路徑嗎? 還是，對於廣告業的夢想，其實是建立在某一種更核心的追求上。而這個追求，是否能在其他的舞台上實現呢? 這個問題，我自己都還無法回答。就回到前一篇 [Part Deux (Dreams)]的關鍵問題，個人Insight了。

無法回答的問題。這時候，是否應該祈求上天來給我一些signs? 又還是，老天爺會如同高中聯考那年，武斷的幫我解決煩惱?

當年，高中考大學，成績一蹋糊塗。第一志願高中吊車尾的。心目中的「傳播學院」離我遠去。就連被我說服去上這個科系的前女友都考上了。我只考上第二志願，社會科學與文學院。儘管政大廣告系的名額呼喚著我，我還是毅然決然入伍，準備上第二志願。怎麼知道，當兵未滿一年，兵變了。而當時在台灣受訓。台灣的美、對我自己的根的不認識，使我又再次毅然決然的決定回來政大。

當時，一切是如此的陰錯陽差，但又如此不著痕跡的環環相扣。
我相信這是神的旨意。雖然我相信的神跟我學妹不一樣。
「阿彌佗佛」

Anyway, 這個決定最終還是由我來主宰。不過，as serious as this post is already becoming，來談點這兩天其他人對上帝的談論吧。

最近，跟著幾個創業魔人吃飯、討論，才發現「神」真的無所不在。
與其說是「神蹟」，不如說，有些事情一定要「撩落去」做，就會柳暗花明了。
在自己為一些可能性甘苦惱的當而，世界另外一端可能有人正等著我們去跟他合作，供創未來。一切就這樣迎刃而解了。

神，不由得你不信。
在這個前提之下，我還是覺得God helps those who help themselves.
想要成功，絕對要靠自己!

[Intern in Publicis] Part Deux XX

2006-08-22T17:33:00.000+08:00

Test

測試看看新的manual Blogger categories 是否可以用?
在test一次

[Intern in Publicis] -- Part Deux XVIII (創新更須創心)

2006-08-22T01:29:00.000+08:00

今天的實習日誌不在Publicis, 而跑到內湖的CMS辦公室。
創業家的衝動與衝勁，在籌備中的辦公室皆可看到。
對辦公室佈置的討論巨細靡遺、對BUSINESS MODEL的揣摩，議論紛紛。而且，一切都要快快快!

今天談論未來的BUSINESS MODEL，談到創新的概念。最後回歸的，還是人性。有一本談論廣告人的書，就稱「做廣告不要忽略人性」。廣告就是做「人性」的生意。尋找人性的弱點，加以剝削。尋找人性的夢想，小題大作的渲染。但，我想很多廣告人做到最後，總忘了人稱「衣食父母」的消費者。忘了消費者對我們大聲的「吶喊」他的需要。
於是，我們提出一支又一支「迎合客戶」、「滿足評審」的作品。但，消費者，卻無動於衷。

在討論創新、創業的書中，多屬於技術層面、觀點面。是否談論到「人性」。我想應該有吧。
一個膾炙人口的發明，除了讓消費者按耐不住想要嘗鮮以外，更需要觸動到消費者「心」。
搞個專業一點的行頭，就成他為那個「Insight」吧。

Web 2.0、GPRS、3G、等都有待開發。其中，WEB 2.0、3G都被視為明日之星。但他們的BARRIERS都在於創造所謂的「殺手級應用」(KILLER APPLICATION)。沒有好的CONTENT，自然沒有足夠的社群力、自然就沒有跨越市場16%那道「鴻溝」的X-FACTOR，只好功敗垂成。而所謂的KILLER APP，當然要從消費者中挖掘。至於怎麼挖? 怎麼開發呢?

我個人以為，WEB 2.0的精神即在於由使用者成為作者。內容由消費者創造。眾志成城。
所以，這個球是不是應該丟給消費者來揣摩?
CONTENT PROVIDER的工作，更應該是PLATFORM PROVIDER，提供一個平台，讓每一個消費者發揮。這也是當年跟大哥討論出來的BUSINESS MODEL。那是還沒有WEB 2.0，還沒有YOUTUBE。那時候，我們叫STAGE。現在，STAGE就是WEB 2.0的基礎。所以我認為，一個開創性夠大的技術或概念，不應該自己先束縛他的可能性。先從系統建置做起，提供平台。然後將技術開放給消費者自行取用，也就是所謂的OPEN SOURCE。
怎麼用，任你玩。但最好是再我這裡玩。

這樣，人就跑不掉。畢竟，人才是網路商真正的獲利動因(PROFIT DRIVERS)。只要有人來，就一定有商機。只是如何做的不著痕跡呢? 如何做的有效呢?

饒了一大圈，最後還是逃不開人，逃不開人性。
所以，切記「做生意，不要忽略人性」

P.S. 提案，真的應該越多圖越好。要找圖，請上www.corbis.com
P.S.2 可以做 flowchart，就做flowchart。一切一目了然。

[Intern in Publicis] -- Part Deux XVIII (Dreams)

2006-08-18T10:22:00.000+08:00

「夢想」，是人類文明史上最常用來煽動群眾，誘導消費者的工具。廣告經常都在販賣夢想。對買得起LEXUS的「好野人」，他是提醒、行動催化劑；對那96%買不起的人，他塑造夢想中的境界。「夢想」不用錢也能擁有；沒有錢也賣不掉當飯吃。但我常說「Dreams are the wheels of change」。

昨天與好友鴻少見面。突如其來的一通電話，鴻少的語氣中帶著欲言又止的屏息。見面後發現他和上個禮拜見到的鴻少截然不同。眼神中點燃一股無法藏匿的精神，一洗上週眼中的黯淡。

這幾天與公司的人困在時報大樓與廣告營學員奮鬥。老闆也越見疲態。但今天早上談論未來方向時，奪眶而出的興奮充斥了我們的交談。

我想，這就是「夢想」的力量吧。

佛洛伊德說，方向、理想、夢想是啟動潛意識無限能量的鑰匙。在身邊的人身上，印證了Freud的前瞻性理論。

我的夢想是什麼? 或長或遠。

研究所、廣告、Account vs. Planning、品牌管家、創業、家庭幸福、豐衣足食、飛黃騰達、全球首富、etc. etc. 這些無疑都是想要，或曾經考慮過的。如果一生中都能夠達成當然很好。但如果用Rokeach 的價值觀調查法檢視，這些「values」多數還是Instrumental Values。那我的Terminal Value是什麼?

身為行銷人、廣告人、策略人，我們不斷嘗試抽絲剝繭，窺探「消費者」的Insight。我們可曾問過自己，個人的insight到底是什麼? 用各種Values的質化調查，我盤問自己尋找「理想」的真諦。「成功」、「成就感」是否就是我的終極目標?

既然如此，我的舞台又該在哪裡呢?

從很久以前，這些問題就在bother我了。

廣告與否；Account vs. Planning；終老於廣告界；創業

這些問題來回盤旋，沒有一個願意自首承認自己就是我真正想要選擇。

有一些答案已經呼之欲出。

廣告: YES!

Planning: YES!

但最後兩題，或許不衝突，但還是值得認真考量的。

認清方向、勇往直前、有夢最美。這一直是我熬過過去幾年的動力。接下來，又該如何調整自己? 找出自己心中的insight似乎是當前急務。

你有多久沒有「作夢」了? 願天下所有的Dream Crusaders捍衛夢想有成!

P.S. 相隔一週沒有blog，不是因為Intern in Publicis Part Deux不精彩。恰好相反! 越實習，越裡面。千頭萬緒也還需要時間來沉澱。

HAPPY NATIONAL DAY!

2006-08-09T08:36:00.000+08:00

Woke up early this morning from an eccentric nightmare, only to discover the event of the day -- NDP 2006!

Its been years since i watched NDP(National Day Parade). Perhaps its never been such a big thing in the first place.
Afterall, I've always been more concerned about the holiday then the festivities itself.
That changed ever since i started serving NS, and realised how tough it is to put a parade together, and how much the NDP bonded the nation together as one.

As i was browsing through the NDP 2006 webpage , reminiscing the beauty of Singapore's people and artificial landscape, i also found it hard to conceal the thought that NDP is very much a well managed and carefully designed marketing campaign. A campaign celebrated and participated by the whole nation, aimed at creating a BRAND IDENTITY that the whole nation is able to share. Targeted primarily at the residents of Sg, Citizens and PRs alike, and targeting secondarily at the global market.

Hmmmm ... The more i think of it, the more interesting it gets.
Shall dwell more on this topic this evening.
In the meantime, HAPPY NATIONAL DAY, SINGAPORE!!!!!

[Intern in Publicis] -- Part Deux II

2006-08-09T07:52:00.000+08:00

翻譯速度 ↓ 學習 ↑

因為有外務的影響，今天翻譯的進度大減，不過還是把PPT2也給高定了。
不過，今天的highlight在於 N老闆給我上的一堂T&C的課。

把去年比稿，客戶給的background，交給我思考，提出問題點還有後續策略。這也是拿來面試新planner的考題。坐在老闆前面看ppt，而且還要提出想法，的確壓力不小。但T&C對我很客氣，沒有把疑點藏起來。問題，其實很直接。所以，提出來的障礙跟問題點，都有敲到邊。策略的方向也大體正確。第一關，OK!

看到用來比稿的PPT，看到提案的架構。
沒有SWOT，沒有所謂的EMCCI。看到的是思維邏輯的流程。一環一環，都圍繞著要傳遞給客戶的MESSAGE. 小路學長從前所謂的「一步步醞釀你的『爆點』」就是這個意思吧。不用受到學校那一套企劃架構框住自己的PRESENTATION。時間的分配，也就寬裕多了。不過，可能是案子使然，一些存在的環境威脅並沒有得到解決。或許誠如N老闆所說，「廣告沒有辦法去解決政府體制的問題，只能把BONDS的吸引力放大，把BARRIERS的抵抗力縮小」

我們都太習慣從頭到腳把一個案子做完。分析、INSIGHT、策略、活動、廣告、預算一腳踢。但昨天的案子，前端的資料蒐集，客戶已經完成了很多。而且JOB ASSIGNMENT也主要是廣告本身而已。到了廣告公司，工作的分工也比較精準了，不過會比較輕鬆嗎 ?

跳開案子本身，其他的一些LEARNING POINTS:

1. 定位、各種工具運用失當
原來不只是學生。客戶、廣告公司在描述POSITIONING STATEMENT的時候，也是模糊不清，甚至模糊了POSITIONING 本身的意義。其他一些企劃工具被亂用的情況也是有的。亂用的後果，或許不是客戶對你失望 (因為他可能被你嚇到了，覺得這個很厲害)，但換來的可能是行內人的輕蔑。

* 順便重提定位應包含的元素 :
WHAT AM I ? (我是什麼產品?)
FOR WHO I AM FOR ? ( 目標消費者是誰?)
WHY BUY ME? (提供什麼價值?)

2. 業務應該主動關心自己的客戶、商品表現
廣告的目的，是銷售。廣告的績效，自然與商品實際銷售的表現息息相關。因此，業務應當時時主動關心商品在廣告的曝光下，表現是好是壞。ITS ALL PART OF THE SERVICE。客戶對這支廣告的成效滿不滿意、對業務的態度滿不滿意，都是廣告主這個客戶CSI的重點。這就是服務業的精神。

3. 企劃工具
真的很酷。雖然很多人亂用，但有些MODEL真的是很酷!
今天學到了所謂的BELIEF DYNAMICS，挖掘CONSUMER INSIGHT 的 POWER TOOL。
ME belief -- 我怎麼看待這個商品? 他能夠給我什麼?
THEM belief -- 別人怎麼看待我? (可與商品無關)
IT belief -- 這個商品的本身有哪些BENEFIT? (好像是這樣)

今天就在豐收的心情下，趕著下班回家吃中元餐。可能一次太過超載，頭開始痛了。
祝老爸，還有全世界的爸爸們「父親節快樂」

P.S. 我老婆今早的惡夢，讓我不禁在電腦前心痛了起來。
P.S.2 感謝我的女兒群們今天「父親節」祝福。感動! (但不落淚)

[Intern in Publicis] -- Part Deux I

2006-08-08T00:21:00.000+08:00

續集通常都不比首部曲精采。實習的續集，相信會越來越引人入勝。

第一梯team work的大逃殺已經告一段落了。今天是轉到策略部跟著Coach N的新階段的第一天。10點到公司，入座後就開始馬不停蹄的翻譯手邊的企劃工具。將這2、3種陽獅集團在全球所使用的工具，從英文轉化為中文就是這一梯次的主要工作。英文雖然跟我還挺熟絡的。但就像久別重逢的知己，見面還是需要暖暖身，慢慢破冰，才能回到昔日熱絡的交談。擱置已久的英文，也需要熱身方能火力全開。擺脫早上的困頓，中午以前就已經把所有的ppt都看完、第一份也初步搞定了。

Tools本身其實是死的。比較引人深思的是這些工具如何在案例中come alive. PPT中有一大部分都是tools的實例。只有將tools的原則與實例比對之後，才看得出巧妙之處。不過，說實在的，這些工具也沒有顛覆傳統的創意。主要還是協助思維邏輯的依歸。只不過老外包裝這些工具的能力真的不簡單。

小老闆N(跟Coach N雖然是同一個人，但附屬位階已經有所改變，稱號也隨之改變)過了中午，找我跟策略部的同事們共進午餐。雖然都是同一個小部門，但老闆似乎跟部署們有些生疏，呈現與H team的Account們截然不同的相處模式。或許轉了部門，位階不同，與同事的互動模式也有了改變。

午餐時，發現J經理(新出現的人物，策略部經理)曾經是某本地廣告公司的一員，所以也認識敝校的同學 (阿福、大喵、a-fer、鍾小姐、先志)，評價也甚高。不過，午餐的HIGHLIGHT在於老闆所提供的新畢展概念。

畢展的障礙一直就是如何吸引業界人士來觀展。所以場地的選擇一直以靠近廣告公司為目的，儘量找到「價格」、「隔局」與「可及性」三者間的最大公約數。儘管如此，業界支持度仍然有待加強。對此，老闆的想法很簡單，就是以直效行銷的方式，把畢展「帶去給廣告人」。不受場地約束，與全國各地的廣告公司、公關公司協商，借用公司內的牆壁、空間來展示畢展的作品。畢展的作品，也都以表板、影片來呈現。省下來的場地費用就可以讓每組製作多個作品表板，讓展覽可以同時在多家廣告公司上演。想觀展的家長、親友則可等到「巡迴展覽」的尾聲，到學校內觀展。到時候可以在學校內辦校內展覽及提案，讓評審評論。展場中甚至可以匯集各公司的業界人士在巡迴展覽期間，在留言板上的祝福與留言。每一個作品的表板，都可以讓每一間廣告公司的業界人士留下意見與評論。這樣就不只提案現場的意見了。而且，如果作品夠好，廣告公司的老闆還可以從表板上取得組員的資料，算是發掘、網羅新人的好方式。

概念其實很簡單。但為什麼我們沒想到呢?

這個簡單的概念重燃了我對畢展的熱忱與使命感。成本也降低了、時間壓力也寬鬆了。這樣，大家會有興趣嗎?

很難說。畢竟不是每個人都抱著同樣的夢想與考量。

Anyway, 這是今天的highlight。

不知不覺，已經rattle on很久了。前面都是流水帳。以下才是今日「爐邊談話」的精華。

「The Fireside Chats」07/08
這幾天其實都跟N談到了廣告業的一些困境。

首先，就是四年級生的困擾。因為傳說中的五年級生，有很多都離開了廣告業。造成這個產業中空的局面。六年級生雖然勉強能接任，但畢竟還是資潛，不是最理想的做法。無奈的四年級生，像是敝校某位每年只開1堂給大四的課的梁總。不過，我自己認為，這或許正好是我們七年級生的機會點。趁六年級生補上頭的空缺時，基層必定落空。廣告業必定會掀起一波新人需求潮。所以大家快點作好準備吧! 但醜話說在前頭，做廣告還是要靠磨練的。最好還是一步一腳印的走過來，躁進不得。

再來，就是台灣廣告業微利化的問題。因為同業競爭過於猛烈，業者紛紛以價格競爭分割所剩不多的廣告預算。再加上預算、人才外移對岸，殘留下來的就是不完美的陣容。

台灣，為什麼就不能成為亞太區的廣告hub呢?除了政治動盪、三通遲遲未開放以外，就是以上提到的人才、預算外流的問題了。不然，身為「騰飛的龍」的鄰居，台灣應該算是最有資格成為進入大陸市場的跳板了。

跳開台灣的窘境，全球似乎還有一些比較樂觀的趨勢吧。

Brand Entertainment似乎蔚然成風。如The Apprentice、America's Next Best Model等都成為品牌或得曝光的新管道。而且還能擺脫大眾在看廣告時戴著的有色眼鏡。對於不屑打廣告的品牌來說，這或許是最高格調的宣傳方式吧。不然，利用公關的炒作，在產品上市前就先創造話題也是個有效的做法。能夠炒作多久，倒是需要拿捏的考量了。

那品牌究竟需要哪些條件，才有資格像Starbucks和Red Bull一樣，不靠廣告就能大紅大紫呢，兩人都沒有答案。

好啦。囉哩巴唆的說了一堆。把前幾天怠惰的心得都吐完了。也該去睡覺了。

明天又是向夢想狂奔的一天。希望能明天就把tools翻譯完，之後就可以看看策略部還有什麼事情是我可以做的了。

P.S. 因為位子再創意部，晚間7點聽創意部的人哈拉打屁。因為太好笑，有好意思笑出來，腹部承受的內傷頗為嚴重。

[Intern in Publicis] -- Day XXI & XXII

2006-08-04T09:25:00.000+08:00

這個影片雖然跟實習沒有什麼關係，但是真的很棒，所以分享一下。
(附註: 我是在這個Blog上方的RSS上看到的。所以大家有興趣可以常去點點看，會定期更新)

「Urban Spam」，算是「No Logo」運動底下的產物。一部向品牌主義、資本主義、廣告氾濫的社會現象作出控訴的短片。片中看到了廣告的無垠創意，也看到社會如何做culture jamming，去回應這些廣告。在這波「No Logo」的風暴中，我不持任何立場；一方面我還未全然了解NO LOGO的觀點，另一方面作為廣告人將我推倒了個尷尬的位置上。

不過，最吸引我的還是影片中那些令我嘖嘖稱奇的戶外廣告設計。這就是所謂的「媒體創意」以及「創意媒體」了吧!

既然今天恰巧跟創意總監還有副總(即將上任)在SC邂逅，高談他們對創意發想的觀點，就在SHARE今天的聊天內容前，給大家看一下那支影片。

今天的「爐邊談話」，與談者 --- 不知名CD 及副總 M

1. 創意發想，沒有時間限制的。明天要去提案，idea出不來，看你敢不敢走。
或許因為這次的實習，有些人覺得brainstorm沒辦法這麼久。也不應這麼久。就想文玲說的，來brainstorm之前，自己要先有準備，不然就不要來浪費大家的時間。
但，idea擠不出來，明天就要截稿，大家還是得拼一個，把他完成。

2. 如果想「雞」想不出來，想想「鴨」吧!
跳出那個無底洞，或許就能夠跳脫那個瓶頸了。有時候，想不到雞該怎麼做，就想想鴨該怎麼做，或許有辦法回推回去。

3. Big Idea，應該要平易近人
如何評估一個Big Idea好不好，就看跟TA的Relevance。如果TA一看就懂，就表示他可以體會，就表示成功了。太迂迴的邏輯、創意，是達不到效果的。30秒以內，他一定要能夠理解。

4. 要發想，就要能Switch ON/OFF，不然就讓自己變成一駝肉
有時候，發想中休息是好的。暫時放開手邊的想法，去看看雜誌、電視、出去走走、抽個菸，都是不錯的方法。但有時候，越想要Switch OFF, 就越難Switch OFF。最好，是能讓自己變成一駝肉，攤在那裡，想必你一定方空了。

今天的路邊談話，就到此為止。

Day XXI的事，實在不想重提。
今天，是Day XXIII了。嚴格上來說，也是這個team幾乎最後一個project了。如果順利通過，我們就合作結束了。希望今天的G Case有好轉的情勢。這次的提案架構的logic，我都已經跟外助教順過了，應該沒有什麼問題才對。

加油吧 !

[Intern in Publicis] -- Day XXI (D-Day)

2006-08-02T06:35:00.000+08:00

今天的提案，只能說「Rehearsal是不可或缺的!」。

一早趕著把PPT印出來後，就匆匆的到客戶那裡提案。資料都是自己準備的，內容也只有自己最了解，況且也提了數次，這個案子應該是得心應手的。結果，就這樣疏於REHEARSAL。

上檯心中是沒有一絲的緊張的。但台下的人都覺得我在公司的表現比較放的開，今天稍嫌緊張。可能是早上沒有演練的關係，上檯比較「卡」。而且，比較糗的是，用的PPT版本竟然不是最UPDATE的，還是少了幾張圖片。實在是很糗，也沒什麼好辯解的。

客戶。
看東西的觀點，畢竟就是「金錢」、「時間」。因為案子的急迫性，客戶還是認為執行性與效果的累積，未必來得及反映在實際狀況上。不過，比較機車、無奈的是，客戶的犀利。

AD W就這麼說「廣告人就是要變魔術。當你的魔術被客戶說『這個魔術我更會變』而拆了你得台，整個就糗了。」今天的客戶，是發明E-ICP這個概念的始祖。當我們support的依歸都是從E-ICP而來的時候，客戶竟然就說「這份資料，應該不是這樣的吧。因為這份調查問題的順序是我排出來的」。Orz

所以，今天的提案就在他含糊不清的嚼字中結束了。不過，也開啟了我們2007案子的新大門。下週，還是可能跟客戶提出明年的建議方案。

今天下午回到公司領錢順便開會。
碰到Coach N之後，他交代了我接下來8月的工作方向。
除了正常的日常工作外，會跟著Planning內部開會。客戶的話，就看情形。除此以外，比較特別的就是要協助N翻譯一些總公司、還有其他分公司用的Tools。因為接下來會教授給其他的同事，所以希望可以變成中文。那在翻譯的過程中，可以跟N討論這些理論的意義與使用，好讓翻譯更能夠切中要領。

這就是我接下來一個月的生活了。充滿了期待!

廣告熱血。

[Intern in Publicis] -- Day XX ( Recall )

2006-07-31T01:15:00.000+08:00

怠惰許久，實習中間還偷跑去澳門混了2天。旅遊日誌晚些補上，今天先談正事。

今天原本只是在公館確認H case 2007年的建議方案。混水摸魚的我，還未把2006的部分完成，想說夜深人靜，思緒清晰的時候才來整理資料。
殊不知，公司一通電話把我們召了回去。

因為第二天要跟客戶提案，也算是實習的Highlight。Coach們自然也會緊張。下午就說要把2006年的成品給他們，而且只提2006年的建議，2007年的下次才提。這下子糗了。
2006年一直是我的「小孩」(我們這組人都這麼稱呼自己的IDEA)。別人也不多理會。現在一下子要生出新的版本，我自己也慌了。由於是七夕，願意奉獻這個午後的人只有政大三人行+1。所以一行四人回到公司，都儘量協助我完成2006的部分。其他人沒有電腦，說實在很沒有戰鬥力，根本沒有辦法做什麼。也因此，我沒有要求大家一定要一起來，我也不知道要大家做什麼。

Anyway, 就這樣，我瞪著2006 E-ICP，兩者面面相覷許久，從空虛中挖出讓提案多些說服力的support. 忙著忙著，7點多，Coach們也要去為team上的一位離職同事辦歡送。臨走之前，還是不忘帶著我到SC去聊個天。

顯然的，實習生的態度還是沒能讓Coach們的態度改觀。但至少，應該對貓大留下了不錯的印象吧。學弟妹明年可能有機會了。但，實習生態度真的很重要。就算沒有那麼高的水準，但熱血、虛心學習也應該要101分，不然也不知道能夠貢獻什麼了。

還討論就職後升學的問題。Coach C認為，人生的目標是最高指導原則。若是她，她會選擇在她現在這個階段去唸。Coach Q 頗有同感。然而，Coach N則認為，先唸書對自己，對工作都有好處。此議題並未深聊，詳細的以後再追問八 ~~

[Intern in Publicis] -- Day XVIII (Tribulations)

2006-07-27T05:35:00.000+08:00

套一句本期ADM中，資深廣告人向日葵對廣告新人說的話;「充滿挑戰的廣告界，你可能遭上會面對一個一直誇講你提出的案子Idea很棒的客戶，下午卻必須嘗到將稿子丟到一邊，罵你(稿子爛)的客戶，AE收起稿子卻不能生氣，接著回公司再繼續開會。

廣告人的EQ需求真的要很高。

今早就已為趕稿不可開交了，竟然還碰到AD第一次來聽提。提案人竟在前20分鐘才出現。種種的狀況接踵而來。提案是順利提完了。但需要修改的方向仍然很多。與前幾天H案子的得心應手形成強烈對比。AE果真是沒有時間沉溺於成功的光環中。

人說，AE的主要工作就是掌握案子的進度。
很顯然的，這一點一只是我最弱的一環。今天更是如此。與其point the finger，我更想知道我們的problem在那裡。

放下行政問題不談，提案的問題出在兩個重點上:

1. 資料蒐集、分析的目的是「提出建議」
這應該是理所當然的常識，但卻沒有做到。針對通路，我習慣動作地提出問題與進步的空
間，卻顯得前面的消費者分析與定位欠缺建議與解決方案的提供。雖然在brief中，AM都並沒
有提出所列出的幾點必須相互比較，也沒有要求解決方案。但，是我們不夠主動，責無旁
貸。

2. 定位與競爭者
定位的定義，我們都能倒背如流了。但找到定位(消費者認知的)之後，由該如何界定競爭者
呢?在追求market share之前，該如何鎖定競爭的對手呢?
精明的AD "C"認為，以單一Product作為競爭的主軸，可能是個冒險的做法。而且，Brand Positioning、Product Positioning是有差別的。應小心不要在產品競爭的壓力下，讓Product Positioning主導Brand Positioning。

今天的Learning Lessons如上。
本日Update : 已經開口8月要留下來去Planning了。接下來就是跟老闆談實際細節了。
看完了Account Planning Group(APG)2001年發表的Account Planner定義與要
求。有空再po內容綱要與心得。

以下談點心得好了。

做廣告很容易讓人「不安於室」。因為在策略上、創意上的發想中，會自覺不足。所以產生想多看多聽多想的慾望。想去放空流浪、想去環島、想去潛水、想去旅行、想去看書。

很多的「想去」欠缺執行的浪漫與動力，就草率的以「忙」來堂塞。

[Intern in Publicis] -- Day XVI (impaired)

2006-07-24T02:44:00.000+08:00

Due to the fact that I'm feeling impaired and incapacitated, creatively and physically, i've decided to blog in English instead, to give my worn out juices a rest.

Contrary to Friday past, this weekend has been unbearably inefficient. With an exception of the mkt research i conducted on Watson's, this weekend was an uncalled for break from necessary work done.

Am i resting on my laurels? Is it just a tat too early from our Wednesday deadline?
Or am i shagging out?

Beats me. But i'm dead beat.
Gonna take a rest and sort things out in the morning.

[Intern in Publicis] -- Day XV (Hasta La Victoria Siempre

2006-07-22T02:27:00.000+08:00

H case 的提案三結束了。
原本expect所有大頭都會到齊的，結果這個以往的entourage中只多了Coach N一個人。但對我而言已經夠重要了!

幾番的動腦會議過後，2006的案子終於看見曙光。2007的更獲得了第一次的nod.
從走進會議室開始，我們team今天整個很relax, 開始彩繪會議室遍佈全室的白板，刻意塑造夏天的氣氛，企圖把大家帶入夏天的溫藍沙灘上。

上次的訓話後，我覺醒了。
提案的邏輯，ppt的文字雕琢，把我折騰到早上730。不過，提案的流暢性與邏輯截然不同，也獲得評審的青睞。2007年的案子，更臨時配上了串場表演，讓觀眾更容易了解活動辦法。果然，評審看了開心，也更牢牢的記住我們的point了。

今天的精采，不僅止於提案。
真正的暴風雨到足球場上才傾盆而下。2組人不斷挑戰Nick + Ethan以及Claire + Quincy著兩個team的實力。果然，有來上班的人不一樣。我們會努力在桌上足球上解決掉這些老闆們的。

茶於飯後，跟AM E暢談進入業界的規劃。E 以為，在修了MBA之後，回到工作崗位上已經是27歲了。到時候只是個小AE對於一般人來說，衝擊會很大，也不值得。更妥善的做法會是先進入業界當小AE，磨練之後，才到國外。學成之後，自然可以以MBA的身價談AM的位子。這樣不但省下攀升的時間，也不會讓自己調適不良。
況且，要進入大陸市場，至少還要AM以上才有可能。

值得深省的新觀點。
不過，我也不可能因為這樣而放棄前面3年的努力。研究所計畫照實進行，不過就算失敗也無需悔恨。

很輕描淡寫的帶過這一天。頂著勝利的光環，的確雀躍。不過，我也累了...

評審團的各位對於今天的presentation

[Intern in Publicis] -- Day XIV (靜心)

2006-07-20T16:27:00.000+08:00

昨天, N在教學前提到我們這群實習生的態度問題.
實習對實習生還有coach兩方都是一種提升.

實習生學習公司業界的作業模式、經驗；Coach的AE們學習如何帶領一個Team.
實習生開始建立自己在業界的reputation；Agency在學校中建立知名度

原則上, 這是一種雙方互惠的關係. 因此, 如果有一方搞砸了, 就會影響到彼此的名聲.
實習生, 一般是不收歡迎的. 畢竟, 不一定幫的上忙, 還佔位子. 既然沒有業界的經驗與知識, 就要展現出年輕人的活力與熱忱. 如果兩項都沒有的話, 實習生就會永遠被討厭.

而且, 有句話重複的在不同的場合上聽到: 「Act like your next position」
如果你希望下一步成為一個正式的Planner, 就要學習不只收集資料, 還要學會提供分析與見解. 主管看到你已經ready去接受下一個職務的挑戰的時候, 你就會升了. 廣告業就是這樣. 想爬的快, 可以很快. 想養老, 也可以很養老.

因此, 我複習了自己在這段期間的態度與工作. 認定自己還不夠認真.
對於一個自己奮鬥爭取回來的position來說, 我不夠認真.
所以, 我趁難得的空日, 坐在學校中庭, 嘗試認真的思考G案子下一步要怎麼走 ..
不僅對我的「Reputation」重要, 更對成為一個「Planner」很重要.

[Intern in Publicis] -- Day XIII (目標)

2006-07-20T14:18:00.000+08:00

最近常在口邊掛著「Planner」這個詞, 但究竟Planner的工作是什麼? 好的Planner是如何的呢?

今天到公司去上Coach Nick的課. 話說出生自文大的Nick教得不錯, 讓我好心期待. 但在上課之前, 就在小房間裡面跟他聊了一下8月實習的事, 還有Planner的工作.

N 認為, Planner必須能有個Open Mind. 必須時時保持著「這樣做對嗎?」的疑問. 一般在做案子的時候, 我們常都戴著FILTER, 用Pre-Conditioned Mind看待資料, 所以分析的角度就形成了窄視.

職務上面, Planner的工作除了看大筆大筆的資料外, 最重要是把「Consumer」的觀點放在AE與客戶之間, 讓策略不離消費者. 因此, 在跟客戶提案比稿的時候, 陽獅的STYLE是把Planner跟Creative都帶去一起提案, 讓客戶看到市場、消費者的觀點.

這樣一來, Planning仍然是我奮鬥的目標. 這個目標並不是一踏入廣告業就能如願的. 畢竟, 臺灣Agency中有Planning的還是少數. 就連我們公司都只是3個人的部門. 況且N 說, 如果到公司面試就說要做Planner會被認為是「眼高手低」的而不討喜. 畢竟, Planner的觀點與敏銳度多數是從Account的經驗中累積而來, 想齊身Planner的行列, 除非經驗老道.

Anyway, 回到今天上課的內容.

主題是陽獅引以為傲的IMC觀點 -- 「La Holistic Difference」
如果說, IMC的精神在於整合所有的傳播管道(Touch Points), 傳遞一致的訊息, 達成AD + PR + SP的效果,
LHD的精神則在於整合所有的Touch Points, 製造一種Touch Points與消費者之間意想不到的關聯 (Amazing Relevance), 達成AD x PR x SP 的效果.

為了極大化LHD的力量, 就必須經過一系列的WorkShops, 從 Brand 到 Connections 到 Evaluation. Workshops中則嘗試使用各種不同的Tools如TABS Matrix 還有 Leadership Equity Model來了解品牌, 然後進行全方位的改革, 達成全面性的品牌差異化!

附帶一題, N 說廣告人其實真的是一個騙人的行業. 而且還用 BE - DO - HAVE的理論來證實?!
當你想"BE"一樣東西時, 或達到一種理想的時候, 通常你需要"DO"一些事情來達到這個目標. 要能夠"DO"這些事情, 或許, 你需要"HAVE"一些東西助你一臂之力.
然而, 現代人在廣告中看到買了某樣東西(HAVE), 就能夠"BE" 廣告中所說的目標. 然而, 中間DO的過程, 卻往往被忽略了. 因此, 廣告人的目的就是讓消費者相信 :

"to BE THAT, you got to HAVE THIS"

(以上就是這次大致的內容. 因為所謂的Confidentiality的關係, 其中的一些Matrix還有Tools就不細說了. )

上完課, 文大的人得處理一些廣告主的事, 所以就繼續跟Coach N 聊天. 時間是晚間830. 他說, 這才是參觀廣告公司的最佳時機. Account的人仍然忙碌中 -- Creative Briefing的、瞪電腦的、聯絡事情的... Creative的人看起來比較悠哉, 也比較空. 其他行政部門的人也都下班了.
廣告公司的生態, 這個時候才真正浮現.

明天放假一天, 不用開會, 不用去公司. 不過, 我還是得仔細的思考一下, 究竟我的G案子要如何進行.

[Intern in Publicis] -- Day XII (掛起來晾著)

2006-07-19T01:30:00.000+08:00

Garnier第一次提案. 落落長的Brand Map, 結果方向還是不對. 問題出在沒有比較的基礎, 也因此沒了分析的意義.

行銷的研究, 目的是為了要了解自己需要面對的行銷障礙還有競爭態勢. 然而, 我們這次的提案, 內容卻比較像是學校在作保養品市場的報告. 缺乏的, 是把客戶放在焦點中心的思維模式.
企劃的目的是什麼? 分析的目的在哪裡? 我最近似乎總是忽略了「目標確認」的重要性.

提完案子之後, 跟Coach Barbara聊到品牌代言人的選擇.
G牌選擇王心淩當代言人, 似乎沒有足夠的Impact. 但礙於現實考量, 包括預算、Availability, 適合的代言人未必就真的能夠如願為自己的品牌代言. 所以, 有時候不得不退而求其次. 就算最後選擇的代言人與競品代言人相較相形見絀, impact自然有影響, 但是代言人的聘用還是刻不容緩.
無魚蝦嘛好

與先前做的代言人研究相去不遠, 代言人選擇上面的主要考量因素有:
1. 除了漂亮外, 最主要還是靠人氣 (通常是人氣正在上升中的)
2. 與品牌形象結合的適合度
3. 正面形象
4. 價格
5. Availability

而且, 話說台灣人很吃代言人這一套...

Anyway, 提完案子, 離開公司轉戰光復北路的春水堂繼續為H的案子解套.
大家果然腦子都磨出洞來了. 儘管看得出大家都有些不耐煩, 不過解決方案總算還是擠出來了.

明天, 要到公司上Coach Nick的課. 主題: 未詳
但話說他的功力真的很強, 應該會很精采. 整個人很期待!

[Intern in Publicis] -- Day XI (Jammed)

2006-07-18T05:49:00.000+08:00

今天在公館的夢駝鈴咖啡店耗了一下午. 手邊工作的進展緩慢, 但夢駝鈴是個不錯的開會場所.

效率緩慢的開會進度詛咒又降臨了. 為了明年的的sp活動主題、獎項、活動辦法, 大家的大腦組織大概已經磨破了一層了吧, 結果還是空空的. 效率是這11天以來最緩慢的一次.

明天就是Garnier第一次的提案了.
說真的, 做著Garnier的case, 我又不知不覺回到當初Lancome作完了之後那種感慨. 畢竟是一個自己沒有Passion的產業, 慶幸自己最後還是踏入了廣告公司, 而不是L'oreal臺灣. G的案子, 統計方面看起來很驚人. 為目前排行前10名的每個品牌進行消費者認知, 畫出消費者心中這些品牌的brand map. 跟Excel搏鬥幾晚了之後, brand map出來了, 但是還有大筆的ppt圖要作.

今天晚上, 是實習以來第一次被迫熬夜爆肝趕工了. 個性好強, 不願低頭求助的後果就是, 自己一步一腳印地把ppt弄完. 又是一個魚肚白的早晨了.

(語無倫次了)

[Intern in Publicis] -- Day Ten ( Presentation II )

2006-07-15T01:11:00.000+08:00

已經是第十天了. 更公司里的人的互動終於比較多了.

從早上就到中天電視台去辦活動的抽獎. 影棚內塞滿中天、黑松的工作人員. Agency這邊只有兩位Coach還有我跟waiting兩個小實習生. Coach C 人很好. 碰到廣告主的人的時候, 都會順便介紹一下我們兩個, 讓我們跟客戶都有些小互動. 雖然還是躲在兩個AE的背後, 但是有被重視的感覺.

等待抽獎的過程中, AE就不停的跟客戶的窗口聊天, 感覺很熟的樣子. 或許彼此都是女生, 比較容易談起一些女生的small talk. 中間當然夾雜著新產品上市的談論還有最近一些彼此認識的同事的小八卦. 黑松張總的到來, 自然引起各方人士的圍攏, 必恭必敬的恭迎他的到來. 不過, 主持人郭子乾還是比較大牌, 比總經理還晚到. 他真的不高, 跟小氣大財神的小天使韋汝比起來, 真的顯得矮小. 不過, 感覺他是個很nice的前輩, 都不會刁難NG的小天使. 節目製作單位的人對於抽獎的方式也很注重, 對於抽獎進行方式跟遊戲的規則討論激烈. 到場的, 也一定要有律師作為公證人.
>> 結論: 雖然只是個抽獎, 但是每個細節都馬虎不得, 不然消費者以後就不再相信抽獎機制了..

為了頭獎, 參賽消費者真的是各顯奇招.
有些人把"明信片"變成磚塊, 還有任故意作的比較大. 更有一些人特地把明信片變得鼓鼓的, 讓抽獎人更容易抽到. 有些參賽者應該是小朋友吧, 很可愛的畫上小圖案, 或為明信片加上熊貓耳朵, 很可愛, 讓人就很想抽他. 當然也有一些為了降低自己參賽的成本, 用A4紙就拿過來了, 也有些人把信封封面跟被面分割, 變成兩張寄進來. 不過, 也有一些人傻傻的, 明明兩張印花就夠了, 竟然一磁貼了5張, 讓人不得不同情地抽了他...
>> 結論: 每人抽個300封也是一件累事.

(回到公司, 跟黑松TEAM的其他人一起去吃了頓只有菜單上1/3的菜色的一餐. 不過聽了些TEAM上的八卦, 也感覺的出來大家的感情其實不錯. 常常會一起去夜唱, 一起出去玩, 看不出什麼鉤心鬥角的明爭暗鬥. 感覺很好, 很想要融入. )

今天也是第二次的提案. 對於明年活動的提前發想.
根據Coach C, 飲料市場的淡季從每年的9月就開始了. 所以, 次年的活動可以從9月就開始提案了.
這次的提案, 比較針對的是Idea的部分. 也正因如此, 現實面就漸漸set in了. 儘管coach們都說不要對我們的發想設框框, 但是大家還是不自覺的對現實低頭.

接下來就是一系列的Learning Lessons 了:
>> 1. 誰才是主角?
永遠要記得, 客戶才是真正的主角. 在發想SP的時候, 雖然會想要為獎品們還有主題找出能夠跟消費者產生共鳴的系列獎品, 但是過分依賴某一個品牌的產品, ie. 蜘蛛人/哈利波特, 很容易會讓消費者把重點放在這個icon上面, 而不是你的客戶身上.

>> 2. SP 的 Communication 主題在於頭獎
也就是說, 頭獎要能夠掀起消費者的熱潮. 除了獎項本身吸引人之外, 獎項的數量也要讓消費者抱持希望, 有吸引力才行. 如果數量太少, 容易造成消費者提前放棄, 效果不彰.

>> 3. Out of the Box 的 Idea, 有時候能夠造成Out of the Box 的預算
客戶雖然通常比較保守. 尤其是談到預算的時候. 可是, 客戶也是想要塑造話題的. 遇到這種客戶的時候, 如果能夠提出一些具突破性的想法, 跳脫框架但又可行的話, 客戶可能願意從其他預算中變出一筆錢讓你執行你的idea.
這也是Account很重要的skill之一. >> 如何從客戶手中擠出更多的廣告預算!

>> 4. 有效掌握執行細則, 才能有效管理專案的可行性
時間是每個專案的競爭對手, 更是Account的天敵之一. 所以, 在提出執行方案的時候, 對於每個環節實際上會需要耗費的時間長度的掌握, 對於整個專案的成與敗也很關鍵的一環. 例如取得授權所需要耗費的時間, 會直街影響到廣告拍攝的Start Point, 也就直接影響到整個專案何時應該開始進行. >> PERT 還有 CPM 好像真的很重要哦!

>> 5. Account 應學習如何問客戶
每次的提案結束後, 都是Q&A的時候. 跟客戶提案, 不像Case Competition那樣限定QA時間. 每場QA都像是個戰場, 希望快點結束.
跟客戶的QA其實是過關與否的關鍵之一. 這一段時間, Account應當了解客戶對於整個Proposal是否完全了解. 如果有不清楚之處可以著重解釋.
而且客戶常常會不發一語的思考你的解決方案. 就算對你的proposal有所不同意, 也未必會直接了當的告訴你問題在哪裡. 所以AE的工作就是搔到癢處的把問題癥結問出來, 然後說服客戶你可以讓這個問題消失.

>> 6. 愛自己的客戶, 也愛自己的案子
在我做的每一份Proposal後, 我都會不由自主的愛上我的客戶. 完全的新人客戶的商品是好的. 所以就會告訴自己, 案子一定能成功.
而, 我們作出的每一份案子, 不論巔峰作與否, 都是整個Team努力後的結晶.
Account就是讓這個結晶能夠漂亮地展現在客戶面前的人, 也是推著它過關的前鋒. 如果案子讓客戶一質疑就被打下來的話, Account就辜負了大家的辛苦了. 今天看到文大的Teammates為了自己的idea, 非常執著的追問Idea的問題, 看出他們對自己idea的passion與信任.
我想, Account就是要有這份執著吧.

>> 「提案秘笈」>>
1. A Picture paints a thousand words.
客戶未必Speak your language. 哈利波特、蜘蛛人對你來說理所當然, 但對客戶來說未必能夠理解. 因此, 每一次的提案都必須把客戶與提案對象當成小朋友, 利用大量的圖, 將客戶帶入情境, 加速理解.

2. Don't put all your eggs in one basket
如果提出的各項解決方案都一賴一個環節的成立而成立 (ie. 宮崎峻), 如果客戶不喜歡這個點的話, 整個案子就完了. 因此, 如果提多項方案的時候, 可以儘量把base放寬一點, 讓整個proposal不會死在一個環節上. 又或者讓客戶知道, 除了這個點以外, 我們還有其他的替代方案可以運用.

3. Anticipate, Anticipate, Anticipate
客戶總是有千百種的worries. 所以在提案中就可以直接勾勒出客戶可能的worries, 然後answer這些worries, 讓客戶知道你已經anticipate到了. 儘管客戶並不會全然接受, 但仍會覺得proposal很完整, agency也很了解客戶, 很貼心.

今天的Learning Lessons真的非常多. 需要Follow up的也真的很多, 不過也真的體會到Account的重要性. 感覺Account很偉大, 但也不能說讓我直接決定Account就是我想做的. 我不能這麼衝動.

Account or Planning. 這仍是我腦中的交戰.

[Intern in Publicis] -- Day Seven ( Dress Code)

2006-07-12T03:09:00.000+08:00

今天跟Coach Claire在MSN上討論黑松的Presentation以及Friday的抽獎事項之後, 問了一些廣告公司上班服裝的問題.

基本上Claire認為, 場合及職位決定了一個人的服裝究竟應當如何. 原則上, Creative的穿著比較隨性, 沒有特別要求. 不過AE的話, 要求比較高. 平常時候, AE的服裝舒服就好. 可以參考AM "E" 的服裝. (我看到的是T-Shirt牛仔褲) 見客戶的時候正式一點就是了. 不過每個FRIDAY似乎都比較Special椅點. 大家都是T-Shirt, Polo衫就好了. 今天的討論大致都圍繞著服裝的問題. 還發現Coach "C"以前是另一加設計公司的, 對於服裝跟提案方式要求都頗高, 還有ppt教學, 很妙.

Anyway, 今天令人振奮的事情就是關於8月繼續實習的事.
Coach "C"人果然很好. 他說8月份要待在黑松Team上沒有問題, 還會幫我arrange位子, 坐在整個team的中間. 而Planning那邊聽說也沒有問題, 就看我到底決定要到哪邊去?

問題就來了. Planning好還是AE好呢?

這個問題就跟 "企業好還是廣告公司好?" 一樣棘手. 但Planning與Account的對決其實對我來說更加劇烈. 企業與廣告公司之間的選擇其實很直接, 畢竟廣告才是夢想. 但是, Planning跟Account之間則存在了孰適合, 孰不適合的問題.

原則上, Planning在做的是市場研究調查還有更重要的就是Consumer Insight的部分. 雖然是很累人也是我比較不適合的工作, 每天需要花上很多的精力與資料搏鬥, 但是對於分析能力的提升必定如虎添翼. 再加上, Planning的話, 可以比較不用擔心'打電話'的問題.

Account的部分, 其實說精采, 也很吸引人. 可以跟拍廣告, 可以(必須) 成為一整個case的火車頭還有銜接每一節車廂的樞紐, 同時也是把囊獲案子, 為公司拼業績的關鍵人物. 對於一個喜歡拍廣告, 喜歡(較擅長)提案的人來說, AE的工作應該比較適合我. 不過, 我這個人的確定就是沒有很喜歡一直打電話催人家的進度, 跟廣告主打關係的工作. 所以對我來說, 這會是令我怯步的主要原因.

姑且不談論未來實際進入廣告公司之後所期望的職位, 目前在實習的階段中究竟哪一個對我成為一個全面的廣告人來說有最大的幫助? 這才應該是我選擇的判定因素.

所以我還在考慮... 是應該找Coach "C"還有Boss"N" 來談談比較有幫助吧!

等一下要到中天去抽獎了. 這算是第一次跟著AE跑業務吧. 雖然很有可能被拒於門外, 但如果真的能進去攝影棚的話應該會很有學習價值. 至少了解一下AE跟廣告主的互動會到什麼程度吧.

p.s. An update on the war.
The uprising of the CCU adversaries have finally been quelled. (about 70%?). The
adversaries have recently become more open to advances from our side. Some of them
have even chosen to take our side during stifling stalemates, thus proving 張鴻's
observation that they are probably a mob within themselves.
As of today, it is safe to say that there should be no obvious threat from the CCU
challengers in the recent future. Hoo-yah ~~

[Internship Publicis] Day Six -- The happiest yet

2006-07-11T04:25:00.000+08:00

話說, 根據某人的實習日誌, 今天已經是第六天了.
Day three ~ five 就在沒有什麼事情發生, 自己過自己的生活中度過了
但過了一個百感交集的週末之後(見sidebar), 實習的第二個禮拜就從提案開始了.

公司今天早上放了足球假. 畢竟是法商, 就連總統席哈克都出席比賽了, 陽獅總公司也下令全球陽獅放假觀賽. 聽說公司的人昨天還訂了個pub, 一起觀賽. 叛逆的員工, 只有少數支持法國. 平白無故賺了個假.

Anyway, 原訂早上的提案就這樣改成下午4點了.

第一次在公司提案, 異常興奮, 異常緊張. Waiting提行銷問題的過程中, 我的心悸動難平. OS問自己LEXUS的時候有沒有這麼緊張? 沒有...
或許是覺得這是第一次以實習生的身分在廣告界提案吧. (第一次在廣告界提案是去年的奧美廣告營) 總之, 提案順利的結束了. 雖然沒有正式練習過就上場, 但輕鬆的氣氛讓我的思緒也流暢的滾出來.

報告結束的那一刻, Claire跟Quincy, 還有旁聽的AD "R", 隔壁Team的 "E" 還有 "R", 一共五個人都沒有反應. 沒有掌聲, 沒有話語. 一片冷場... 真是詭異的片刻.

今天的Learning Lesson來了:
1. Idea不夠Focus
沒錯, 我們的解決方案在在都針對消費者訪談所提出的問題進行處理. 然而, 從一開始就固執於年輕族群的我們, 忽略了客戶真正的目標對象.
況且, 在訊息上強調的點也似乎有所失焦. 焦點應是放在所謂的'代言人'而不是獎品的地點.
這也提醒了我, " 一個成功的AE是用心傾聽客戶需要嶼條件的傾聽者"

2. 即時的問題需要即時的解決
本次的CASE明明就是要提出5天內能夠刺激消費者反應的"魔彈", 而不是需要沉澱消化的"慢性病毒". 塑造話題性, 引起媒體報導的炒作的確有助於提升消費者的印象與知名度.
但是, 從"認知" 到 "行為"是有一段過程的. 就算 "態度" 可以速成, 也仍然需要給消費者時間沉
澱.

3. 天下沒有白吃的午餐。錢，真的不夠用
說真的, 在這個現實的社會中, 沒有什麼是不需要錢的. 而且客戶也不是慷慨的凱子, 絕不可能
讓你予取予求地配合你完美無間的計畫. 所以, 究竟哪些方案需要錢, 哪些真的不用, 這還得有賴實際操作的經驗.

4. 企劃邏輯的HOLY TRINITY
行銷目的 ----> 行銷問題 ----> 解決方案

所以, 絕對別忘了究竟客戶的目的/目標是什麼. 抓準目標, 提出行銷障礙, 解決障礙.

就這樣結束了第一次的提案. 總體而言, 還算順利的一次提案. 但總覺得, 提案後的discussion比較實際的提出這次case得解決方案. 希望真的有機會到貢寮海洋音樂祭上去. 不然的話, 中天也能心滿意足啦..

p.s.#1 AD "R" 很有氣質, 聽漂亮的
p.s.#2 Meeting後跟Intern計畫 i/c "N"還有Claire打Foosball. 看來當兵時磨練的技巧還是排上了用場. 可惜生疏了. 而且, 方向好像不一樣了. 是因為新加坡是右邊駕駛, 而台灣是左邊駕駛的關係嗎?
p.s.#3 Intern i/c "N"說, 我們nccu三個本來應該是Planning部門的, 後來有所調度. 不過8月可能還是有機會去Planning幫他們消化無止盡的英文資料.
p.s.#4 8月還有可能可以留在Heysong Team上, 負責其他客戶的case. 聽起來, 我的實習看到曙光了!!!

[Internship Publicis] -- Day Two (Life's a bitch)

2006-07-06T08:54:00.000+08:00

Lifes a bitch. And so are some of the people in our team.
Quotable Quotes of the day from our worthy teammates...

1. (yesterday) It has always been our goal, and actually we've already achieved it. That is to be the best graduation expo in the country.
(Note: subject did not visit any of the other graduation expos...)

2. When invited to visit the NCCU Ad camp,
B**ch 1: "你們連畢展都辦不成了, 還辦什麼營隊阿?"
Nincompoop: "蛤... 你們覺得辦得好嗎?"

Well, what can i say. Perhaps we're destined to being despised for the fact that we aren't even able to hold a grad expo. How are others going to respect and honor our works?

The meeting today was...efficient. There was nothing much to discuss in the first place. We only had to sort out the method of survey and the questions we needed to ask. Yet, the meeting lasted 3.5 hours.

Learning Points: None

[Internship Publicis] -- Day One

2006-07-06T08:37:00.000+08:00

Kick off.
The internship program at Publicis officially begins.
Arriving at the office 15 minutes before the official meeting time, i was greeted by at least 10 university students looking youngsters at the foot of the office building. Then, i told myself... Please let not these people be part of the internship as well. If not, the whole system would be over packed.

Over packed the program sure is. With interns from Culture University flooding the 18 men strong internship entourage. Some were ready-made teams who were already dressed in white collared uniform and a pool ball name tag on each and every of their chests. We were split into 2 teams of 9 each. Ours consisted of the 3 of us from NCCU, and another 6 interns from Team Baroque, Culture U. It was an odd combination, with the 6 of them each familiar with their own positions in the team, and none of them paid too much attention to the 3 of us. Anyhow, we were given 2 tasks to complete within this 1 month.

Garnier and HeySong. Our 2 clients for this term. One consists of only a fieldstudy of the bodycare youth segment, the other includes a more hands on program.

The day officially ended when the Account Executives for both clients finished their brief on the tasks that are set before us. But much discussion is required for our team to sort out some basic administrations. Egghead (as he calls himself) volunteered for the HeySong case, while i'm supposed to take up the AE position for the Garnier case. This sucks a little, but, i should do fine.

Affter a couple of hours of negotiation with my team mates. (Yes, the meeting was more of a negotiation/debate than a meeting) we're set for a pitching next monday. We'll see how things go then.

Enough of a chronological log of what happened.
Here're some quotable quotes:

1. For every purchase, our customers go through a journey. Each journey is different.

2. LHD -- La Holistic Difference 全面性差異
Using the most appropriate touch point at the most appropriate moment with the most appropriate message, hence delivering our brand message in a personalized and amazingly different manner.

In this manner, we seek to :
1. Turn heads
2. Talk to the heart
3. Engage their minds
4. Just ask...

Internship -- Publicis !!

2006-07-03T01:27:00.000+08:00

Tomorrow begins the first day of my long awaited Internship program.
After gruelling interviews with L'oreal and serious consideration of family values and current personal situations, i finally decided to forsake an internship opportunity out of Taiwan, and pursue an internship with an agency that values my qualities and talents.

So. Here goes...

Hope everything turns out well for my first day tomorrow. I'll be grouped with 2 classmates to form a team to perform field surveys and market analysis, of what market i do not know as of now. But i do intend to keep an internship log, recording the bits and pieces of knowledge that i pick up along the way.

Aller!

Voice It, Volume On

2006-07-02T22:28:00.000+08:00

Finally completed our piece for the LIA Awards.
Kudos to Vincent 歐陽 for the hard work.

Filming itself was relatively smooth, attracting curious stares from the passersby around 西門町. With our camera fixed onto the top of my Ford Escape, and the actors lying comatose along the sidewalks, its hard not to attract attention.
With and exception of the ridiculous rain that accompanied the scorching sun, the filming was completed in one days work. Leaving only the studio run to complete.
The extras were very helpful and tolerant, doubling as filming crew along the way, while waiting patiently in the hot sun.
Many thanks to 張有雄, 張大頭 and 吳搭!!!!!!!

Editing was the real deal, man. Ouyang and I spent 3 days trying to fix the Chroma Keying problems and colour correction feel. Not forgetting the music we created from scratch.

After countless attempts to burn the final copy and conjure up ways to overcome time and space in order to meet the deadline, we were finally given permission to send it in late.

And now, its all over.... Finally..
Will post a link to the final clip after results are announced, so as not to violate copyright.

London International Advertising Awards -- Young Creatives & Students Competition

2006-06-10T00:00:00.000+08:00

http://www.liaawards.com/competition2.shtml

這個期末, 終結期末考後就積極投入這個吧!
腳本概念已經有了, 但一直沒有進展... 希望期末結束後有時間好好思考腳本.

有歐陽大神的技術, 我們應該是沒問題的!
就只怕時間不夠

衝吧~~ 朝向CREATIVE的大門!

Where is This Place Man ???

2006-04-02T16:48:00.000+08:00

http://youtube.com/watch?v=KKFMJOIs4bg

They call it Club Seduce... My god... It REALLY IS!!!!

Maybe Zhiwei wanna go when he comes over? or maybe Qihao ??

Gee ... Damn power !!!

Resume de mi

2006-03-04T23:50:00.000+08:00

Aite. Its time to work on my Resume.

I had no idea its going to hit me so fast. Afterall, i'm still living life as an over-aged junior year college student.

However, in response to the forthcoming winter hols, and internship recruiting period. I suppose, i've no time to spare.

So here are a few things i believe i've got to get prepared for my Resume. And hopefully, i'll squeeze them in this little portfolio.

1. My standard form Resume
2. Letters for request on Internship position for respective companies. ( i believe i'll work on
a more or less standardized form... with minor changes to cater to the different
requirements of different firms)
3. Letters of Recommendation
( Preferrably 2 of my profs .. Wonder if its ok to replicate them in large numbers. )
4. A mini portfolio of my works.
Which includes a summary of the proposals i've worked on in the past.

I wonder of this will work..
I seriously hope so.

I know firms will probably not browse through the whole package. But i suppose i'll still cram in those stuff.

With enough time, i'll think of some way to package the whole portfolio with a single theme.

Those of you with experience, maybe you can offer me some advice?

Estaciones de Radio de Espanol

2006-03-04T23:47:00.000+08:00

http://www.sispain.org/english/media/radio.html#radio

An array of spanish radio stations as well as radio stations hosted in Spanish.
Good practice for mi espanol ~~

Voyeurism

2006-03-04T20:24:00.000+08:00

Prying into a world i was not meant to know off is seriously a sin. But i confess. Its exciting and bore-killing as much as it is sinful.

Exploring through the bulletin boards of friends and acquaintances that i've come across in the virtual world, has offered me an expanse of gossip, personal lives, unknown cross relationships, back stabbing etc. And on top of that, there has always been a secret desire to pounce upon a crticism uttered behind my back.

I admit. It sounds sick. I feel sick sometimes too..
Oh well. Its not a habit anyway. Just an occasional bore cure.

Lexus Case Competition

2006-03-01T13:24:00.000+08:00

Just to remind myself.

http://blog.yam.com/lexusleader

小P 馴車日記 -- Day One

2006-02-18T20:01:00.000+08:00

終於晉身有車階級. 繼上週考上普通重型機車駕照後, 這週我媽終於慷慨應允讓我買車了.
簡略的資料蒐集還有朋友介紹, 將目光縮小到Yamaha及Kymco身上. 最後, 還是選擇了這臺光陽新奔騰SR125.

從今以後, 他就是我的小P了.
P代表了 Pegasus. 銀白絨的飛馬.

在這之前, 完全不知道什麼買機車還要馴車. 有如一匹原野上捕獲的野馬, 渾身是勁卻需要好好調教. 於是, 從昨天買了車之後就展開了馴服小p的工作.

馴車的目的到底是什麼呢?
馴車主要是為了要磨合所有傳動機構的零件如齒輪等東西以及活塞環和汽缸壁....
新的汽缸和活塞環之間可能不是完完全全密合的....需要慢慢的將他們磨合....而其他齒輪的零件也是....

所以, 要做的是什麼?
1.不要讓轉速瞬間變化太大 (油門瞬間轉很多或緊急減速)....
2.不要拉高轉 (油門轉到底)....
3.不要長時間定速行駛

馴車的過程大致如下 :

200km內....4000轉以下(40km以下)
200-1000km....6000轉以下(60km以下)
1000-2000(2500)km....可以緩慢催油門至尾轉速....但還是不要急催....
2000(2500)km...換過機油後....可以說是完成整個辛苦的訓車過程啦~!

什麼時候換機油?
機油的選用方面, 使用最便宜的原廠用油即可. 保護性太好的油反而對磨合產生扣分的效果.
新車勤換機油(300km,800km等等)主要也是儘快的把齒輪等東西磨下來的鐵屑清掉....
免得鐵屑跟著機油活塞上去把汽缸磨的亂七八糟....
(四行程的車機油是會跟著活塞上去接觸到汽缸壁潤滑的....再由活塞環刮下來)
機油更換時間參考
1.300km
2.800km(1000km)
3.1500km(2000km)
4.2500km

就這樣, 昨天晚上拿車之後, 除了載女朋友去買安全帽外, 晚上到處繞. (包括動物園, 萬芳醫院, 木柵區, 木新路, 等).

昨日ENDING MILEAGE : 40.7km

要好好的馴車阿~

Back in School

2006-02-16T01:37:00.000+08:00

Its been a while since i last blogged.
A lots happened since the last time i appeared.

Endured a harsh round of L'oreal Preps, an even more harsh L'oreal pitch which was torn down easily by a light poke on our SWOT, started school, celebrated Valentines, and welcomed the long awaited return of my dear.

L'oreal was prob the second time a failed competition pitch didnt hurt me hard. And the first time since i started winning. Though the preps were indeed draining, packing in 20hours of meeting time per day, juggling AVLab, Grad expo and L'oreal all at the same time, the L'oreal preps were rewarding in very simple ways.

Spent lots of time walking the counters in Dept stores, zipping through the shelves in pharmacies and personal stores. Experienced how a field researcher should be in understanding the market first hand. That was probably the most entertaining experience.

The pitch was ill prepared, completed just minutes before our presentation, but the ppt wasn't even completed by the time we stood on stage. Those were but some of the minor details that hindered our march to victory. But more simply put, our work was not as impeccable as it should have been. Which is probably why i t doesnt matter that much that we didnt make it.

Oh well, its all over for now.

For now, i just wanna cool off for a while. Focus on the grad expo, and getting my semestre in tune. Other than that, more importantly would be to spend more time with those who are important to me.

廣告預算與 Activity Based Costing

2006-02-03T21:24:00.000+08:00

Pitch案子的時候

除了創意要好 idea要好之外

其實案子的price也是非常重要的

要切中廣告主自己逐年縮減的廣告預算額度

所以行銷預算的把關成為了標案成功要素之一

而這個責任則落在廣告AE的身上

如果可以發展出一套管理媒體廣告開支等的預算

利用目標成本管理法還有 Activity Based Costing的方法

應該可以再刪減廣告預算的情況下, 仍然保有完美的創意idea

而且可以甚至在媒體上達到更高的效益

重點在於把錢花在刀口上

The Eagles Mess

2006-02-03T03:22:00.000+08:00

( In continuation of my previous post. Since i seemed to have veered off my original topic, deeming the title irrelevant.)

Those nights were the best. The nights of wrestling, pool, Karaoke and caustic sarcasm at our very own Johnny Bravo, from Bravo Coy. Mocking at Pot-Bellied Monkey James, Kancheong spider Hos-peter, slamming certain unpleasant fellow officers, being wrestled AND slammed by our very own THE ROCK A-Wai, laughing our heads off at A-Nuo Kah Wee who also happens to be my buddy, looking over at the shag-cannot-think Ziqi, and recounting the numerous times that Julius turns out without his helmet. And more importantly, making jokes about our Rolling Super Man, Boon Pang. The list goes on and on and on.

Those nights at the mess were probably one of the very few things besides "Duty, Honour, Country" that spurs our lonely hearts and worn out bodies onwards, as we trudge through the Moon, the Mud, the Mosquitoes in our muddy, wet No.4s.

Our CO once made a point which turned out immensely true -- The mark of a successful battalion stems from a bustling Officers Mess.

He was certainly right.

A Bustling officers mess need not necessarily represent a mob of unruly junior officers indulging in a stench of alcohol and cigarette fumes. Instead, it represented the cohesion of the leaders of the Unit. Bonding through the nights, the camaraderie established amongst us junior officers, were one of the most instrumental factors which drove our Bn to immense success. Common knowledge of the battlefield has taught us that in times of unceasing battles, what motivates one to ward off enemy fire and unusual valour, is not for the purpose of protecting the sovereignty of our republic, nor the sustainability of the lives of our loved ones so far away. But rather, to sustain the symbiotic relationship that exists between the band of brothers who stands the front lines. The very man proned in the shellscrape next to you.

I humbly admit that we were quite a bunch of stuck up junior officers who believed that nothing was too tough to achieve. I also confess the existence of unseen competitiveness between companies and even within. However, the bonds that we've built through nights of brainless enjoyment together, and cramped together pillow talk throughout the night gave us a new spirit and determination to achieve something together. To leave a legacy both for our particular mono intake, as well as a bedtime story to share with our posterity.

We were soldiers, once so young. A Band of Brothers, re-creating the history of a NS Battalion, and leaving a milestone in our 19 yr old lives.

Band of Brothers -- The Most Outstanding Junior Officers Orbat, 10th Mono, 4th Bn SIR... Keep On Rolling!!

Van Wilder -- Party Liaison

2006-02-03T02:54:00.000+08:00

This ain't the first time i watched this teen farce, and i sure ain't gonna be the last.

Part of the National Lampoon Series of Trashy teen flicks, Van Wilder has got to be the most memorable, and as far as i recall, the last of the series, after years of silence. Starring the incredibly hot, crush-of-my-life Tara Reid and Van Wilder(whom i don't know who stars...)

With laugh points littered throughout the picture, splattered with explicit sexual connotations and insinuations, as well as scantily-clad babes, it thrashes the American Pie series hands down. But the whole memory of the flick is not solely retained from the sheer comedy of the show, but also the crowd whom shared the laughs with.

I recall my first viewing of Van Wilder very vividly.

Slouched in the comfort of the blue couches in the 4SIR Officers mess, Van Wilder was a continuation of a series of Book-In-Sunday-Movie-Galas. With the dreariness of booking in looming over us, and the reluctance to don our long 4s, SBOs and diving deep into the foliage of the S'porean rainforest for days of exercise. We quench our moody sundays with incessant laughter and brainless fun.

Even more vividly as i recall, it was ironic how Van Wilder jerking off his Bulldog to serve his filthy adversaries, matched the name of the major Bn exercise we were having the next day.

Honey

2006-02-02T22:35:00.000+08:00

By Jessica Alba.

First things first. Gosh, shes HOT! Just the kind of gal that catches my eye all the time. Cute innocent eyes, with a spicy sexy flavour to it. But, everyone knows that.

Well, the theme is relatively cliched. Based in New York, the land where dreams are always supposed to come true, a girl with passion and dreams for a bright future in dance and choreography struggles against the odds. Along the way, she loses her sights, but fortunately not her principles. Then finally, she makes it and all her dreams come true.
The modern fairytale that keeps the hopes of those with unfulfiled dreams up.

Sadly, i just happen to be one of those who's lost en route the pursuit of dreams. I guess the show has sort of spurred me on a little to keep striving for what i want. Which is why i enjoyed it. Which is also why, i'm sitting here at the table, forcing myself to carry on with work...

Buenas Suertes.

My Wish List

2006-02-01T22:57:00.000+08:00

Right. Heres my list of Ad Agencies that i intend to apply internship for. Some of them don't even have a tradition of accepting interns. Anyhow, i'll just send my resume in, and see how it goes.

Advertising Agencies (not in order of merit...)
1. Ogilvy Ad
2. I Am David Ads
3. Ogilvy Customer Relations Consultancy
4. 奧奇關係行銷
5. 群策行銷發展服務
6. John Walter Thompson (JWT) Ads
7. Leo Burnett
8. Batey/Red Cell
9. 聯廣
10. McCann-Erickson
11. Publicis
12. Saatchi and Saatchi
13. BBDO

Media Agencies
1. Mindshare/Maxus 傳立
2. Mediaedge 媒體庫
3. Initiative Media 極致傳媒
4. Universal McCann 優勢麥肯
5. Zenith Optimedia 實力
6. Carat 凱絡

--------------------------------------------------
Well, given i only have probably one internship opportunity during summer, due to my projected workload for the Graduation Expo, I'll only have one choice between ad agency and Media. My prerogative? Ad..

Maybe if it were possible, Sg would be a great place to try my luck in as well. If it were possible, i could arrange for interviews in Sg in April, and i'd pop back during my spring break.
We'll see about that...

... Whisk me away ...

2006-02-01T22:29:00.000+08:00

Lurking in the dark empty alleys
Awaiting a glimpse of novelty
Time creeps away with an unbearable slug
Yet unable to tear away the longing and weariness i should've shed off long before

Unmotivated and uninspired
the tides of time washes me to and fro
Lapping me slowly away from the welcoming shores of my objectives
Deeper i dive into the sea of tribulations
Entices to bait me off my intended course envelopes me with seducing grace

Like a fish in the net
I writhe to return into the arms of safety
Yet the struggles are responded with a tighter grasp
Gasping for breath i fear i'll soon breathe my last
Precarious, each inhalation becomes
Subdued i am not
Yet exhausted i have become
Drained from the asphyxiation of choking pressure

Whisk me away to greener pastures
Where i'm free to rest on laurels past
Ungreedy for the could be glory
I satiate with the silence of simple being

CNY is a season of thanksgiving ~~

2006-01-29T01:37:00.000+08:00

The CNY mood isn't exactly proliferating, but at least its got me motivated to catch up with friends around the world.

Going down the list on my MSN contacts, I've sent out greetings to friends i've not spoken to for way too long. And its been great catching up with them, checking out how they're doing, and simply to wish them a pleasant year ahead.

Being abroad for the past 2 years and separated from the life i once lived, the people i once met up ever so often, i seem to have left my shady past behind me. Even though its a brave new world and a challenging new life i lead now, looking back and reminiscing is always meaningful. And to be reminded of the life i once led, should in one way or another drive me to look further ahead for other greater achievements in life.

Anyway, to all those who've been checking in here. Happy Chinese New Year.
Its the year of the dog. So, for all those who've been my classmates, that means you're turning 24 this year. And if you happen to be Chinese, whether you're a stauch Buddhist or not, it'll be good to drop by a temple and 安太歲 this year.

Well, Feliz ano nuevo Chino ~~

等待

2006-01-29T01:20:00.000+08:00

有些事情就 just not waiting for
等到了, 反而會換來一種空虛的寂寞感

與其忍受 '等帶' 過程中的無助
以及
'等到' 之後換來的空虛寂寞

不如, 放下.......
別再等待

一個不會發生的結果
不值得等待的ending
不應該等待的someone

I AM THE KING!!

2006-01-26T18:14:00.000+08:00

I don't care if others tell me otherwise.
I don't even care if I'm not good enough to be King, yet.

Well, right now, i just want to keep reminding myself that "I AM THE KING!" and maybe, just maybe it'll set me in the right mood and motivation to work past this pressure point.

話說, 昨天飯後座車回家. 車子開往辛亥隧道的煞那, 我心突然一怔.
突然覺得累積已久的壓力澎湃的傾洩出來排山倒海
很少這樣甚至應該說我從來不曾突然這樣過
或許經過慈恩園的那一刻某位過路的仙人提醒了我
我還有數不盡的工作要做清不完的責任要背負
我竟然就這樣心寒了那一刻

想得到的太多想完成的太多放不開的太多捨不得的太多做不到的太多
做得到的太少能完成的太少放得下得太少懂得太少會的太少聽的進的太少

雖然我承認是時候認清自己的實力
不過我不願改變我冥頑不靈的任性
I AM THE KING !!!
我如是鼓動我自己

若我有選擇我不想當逞強的項羽
我寧願當沒有失敗的劉邦
造物弄人
也是沒有辦法的事只好接受

Today

2006-01-18T01:33:00.000+08:00

Was a great day, to a certain extent, i suppose...

With great news from many directions coming at the same time...

It was also a very productive night, accomplishing much of the work i set out to do .. 'cept for the minutes and the terms of reference for the Grad Expo.

But well, at least i had my first meeting as Productions Dept Manager, as well as the first L'oreal Brandstorm meeting.

But this great day has its downsides as well..

Cos my darling returned to M'sia today...
Thats enough to bring this day down to a meager "good" instead of "perfect"

Sigh ...

Ad Graduation Expo'07

2006-01-16T19:02:00.000+08:00

Well, I've taken up the provisional post of President of the Graduation Expo Committee.
Its subjected to the agreement of the rest of the class, who at this point in time, are not even sure if they want to participate in the exhibition at all.

Anyway, its the start of the winter hols. And its been so hectic, i haven't felt like its the hols yet.
This holiday, there are a few things going on.

1. L'oreal E-strat, which we're taking it easy, because its quite easy...
2. L'oreal Brandstorm, which i haven't really started on, but really should start tomorrow...
3. Graduation Expo.. The forming of my "cabinet" as well as the preliminary plans for the expo
4. Family trip, to 阿里山, 日月潭, and 台中... Afterall, after 3 years in taiwan, its about time to
travel a little around the country.
5. GMAT preparations... Should start a little of this, and get a feel of it...
6. ATCC preparations... well, we all know how tiring this promises to be... after all, theres little
time away from the opening session.
7. AVLAB... Productions Department Manager.. Thats what i'll be next sem.. so there're some
preliminary plans to prepare.

Thats about it for this month... But, by the look of it.. I'm better off studying in school ...

Phew

2006-01-13T23:14:00.000+08:00

The exams are finally over.
Days without sleep and a night of continuous staring at my Laptop LCD, whilst hitting away at the keys, i realised i was suffering from Techno stress ... My fingers were cramped, my eyes were blurry, my head was spinning, and most of all, i was vexed and irritable.

Well, with the semester behind me... Its now time to sleep ...

Hello Winter Hols ~~~

[Loreal] Estrat Period 2

2006-01-12T02:06:00.000+08:00

*Phew*
The results for the Period 2 are out.

Following our surprising International 146th ranking in Period 1, we managed to climb to 102nd for Period 2. Taiwan rankings are still stagnant at 4th.

Overall, our strategy was successful in pushing for one of the less popular brands, but we're losing steam on our former powerhouse. Especially with a new competitor in the Mkt.

Well, by the look of it, the semi-finals shouldnt be much of a problem.. But if we want to enter the National Finals, we'd have to climb further up the National Rankings ladder, and squeeze our way into the top 3.

Lets Keep On Rolling ~~

Pandora

2006-01-12T01:48:00.000+08:00

My God !!
This has got to be the most interesting software/website that i have visited in my life!!!

Damn !
All you have to do is enter your fav singers/bands/songs into the list, and they will immediately create a songlist for you, based on your perceived interests and genre.
The more entries you enter, the more accurate it becomes in recommending similar artistes, and songs.

And along the way, while you're enjoying the great music, you can also commend or slam a song that they're playing, so that they know you like it. And all this just works towards getting your profile clearer.

You can set up multiple stations, for different genres to suit different moods as well..
This is absolutely crazy man ...

I've been listening to it for the past 5 hours and i'm still excited about it ~~

I have 2 current favourite stations :

1. Contemporary
2. Soothing

You guys can check it out some time ~~~~

World Business Strategist Association (WBSA)

2006-01-11T20:31:00.000+08:00

http://www.wbsa.com.tw/chunfeng/front/bin/home.phtml

Considered the first actual Marketing related license recognised around the world.
Started by China, this license is one of the Golden 8 licenses, the enterprising Chinese world is after these days, and its also supposed to be recognised globally, especially within the Chinese Arena.

I AM tempted to take the course ...
I'll probably give a go at the weekday course, on tuesday and thursday nights, since i have no late night classes, and i definitely don't want to kill my saturdays this way.

Details of the Weekday class :
http://scedna.sce.pccu.edu.tw/webmarketnet/pay/ClassDetail.aspx?DispId=0402&ClassId=0W4595031

5:36 am

2006-01-11T05:36:00.000+08:00

It is now 5:36 am.

The library is unusually crowded for this time. Probably cos its Wednesday, and it is the day where there are most classes held in school. So... More people are here to mug for their papers today.

As usual, i'm trying to cram in whatever i can for the paper later at 9, which i should have done with my empty day yesterday. But then again, like i previously posted, i spent it day dreaming. But alas, it was an enjoyable day yesterday. So i shall not regret that much for my philandering ways ayer...

The Countdown timer to the winter hols is set to 3 days.
On Friday, i shall be relieved of my semester of mugging and shag-ness. Though its only going to be a one month break, it IS very much looked forward to. And yet again, i have much expectations and dreams for the winter vacation ahead. Hopefully i get to realise these proposed plans.

But for now, its back to wrestling with the numbers again, in the land of Strat Mgmt.

Cheers.

[Chill Out]

2006-01-10T03:59:00.000+08:00

Its been an extremely relaxing night, in the midst of the exams.
Here i am, spending the whole night surfing the net, exploring realms i've only discovered on BBS, listening to the familiar tunes on 98.7 FM over the net.
I've set my revisions aside, to relax for a night.

I enjoyed tonight. Despite the fact that i'm luxuriating in the library instead of the comforts of home, somehow, the library is the reason why i'm motivated to relax in a more intellectual manner.

With the end of the Spanish paper today, much of my battle this semester has come to a winding end. Strategic mgmt doesn't sound too tough, and besides i've still got the whole day tomorrow to mug for it. Then finally, Info mgmt shouldn't be too tough either, with another 2 days to prepare for it. Somehow, i'm drifting into the winter vacation mood already.

I like this sort of relaxation. Even though i spend some time posting our ATCC comp Ads over the BBS, i'm taking it at my own pace.

What a tranquil night. If only all nights were like this...

Larry Flynt

2006-01-09T23:33:00.000+08:00

A Freedom of Speech crusader, better known for his ownership of Hustler Magazine and several other pornographic publications, under Larry Flynt Publications, Larry Flynt is one of the odd idols that one can revere.

Share Video and Photos at DropShots.com

I have to admit that whilst watching The People vs. Larry Flynt(1996), i was touched deep down inside. For one, i admire his determination in pushing for what he believes is right. A trait lacking in most nowadays. For another, i admire the love and affection that he showered on his 4th wife, the AIDS stricken druggie, Althea(played by Courteney Love in the movie).

I recount debating with a senior a couple of months before, on the zest of local journalists in pushing for press freedom and an unintervened journalism. Given the intervention of political and corporate influences, the Taiwanese journalism is far from the democracy our nation claims. Established upon a history of press bans and restrictions under the reign of the pioneering President, Chiang Kai-Shek, the Taiwanese media has been unable to shake off a directorial board of political figures governing the directions of the publications. Despite laws that were passed years back, banning the presence of figures with political status to hold stock and governing control over any Radio, Television or Print media, there still exists hidden influences exerted on the media by stockholders without evident political status, yet are participating political activists.

One evident problem in the Taiwan media is the fact that it lacks a respectable Journalists Union to represent the rights of journalists across the island. As such, journalists are susceptible to blackmails on their positions when a controversial issue of a media stakeholder arises, and the affected editors are obliged to protect the interests of their bosses. Without a decent union, Journalists will never be able to rise to the occasion, to serve the fourth estate power of the media.

What is easy to say, and difficult to act upon, is to call out to journalists to stand united, and wage an open outcry, in order to lobby for a truly free press, in which journalists are at liberty to pry into the dark side of public figures, in the pretext of public interest. One would have to possess the fortitude demonstrated by Mr. Flynt, to disregard personal interest and fight for what is really "right" for the positive proliferation of the media industry.

Like i said, its more easily said than done. And even if there exists an individual with the sights and courage to walk down this path, it takes two to tango. And even more to form a rowdy crowd to actually create enough ruckus to garner the public's attention. Yet, it is still a vision members of the media can strive towards, in creating a respectable and ideal mediascape.

La Final Exams Carnival

2006-01-09T03:57:00.000+08:00

Here we are again at the Finals of the semester.
As another friend jokedly described, the finals is like a Carnival..
Complete with bumper cars, roller coasters and haunted houses...

After a week of exams, i've finally conquered the Mgt Maths roller coaster, the political PR wipe out and the Journalism Jap merry go round. Together with a whole lot of peripheral games like the Ad strat and media strat bumper cars.

After a fulfilling half time weekend break, I still have 3 papers to scale.
Which is why at 4am, i am still stranded in the Central Library, mugging for my Spanish paper tomorrow.

Despite the need for mugging, i've spent some time chatting with a couple of friends from Sg.
Albeit of a sudden impulse really. But it bore interesting results.

A junior from Sg who is studying in Taiwan as well now will be going through her final year here. After 4 years in Taiwan, i've hardly met her here, but instead, met her quite many times in Sg. Ironic. But well, feel quite bad that i havent been to any of her productions throughout her time here. So am prepared to visit her FYP exhibition this year. What was more interesting was that shes converted to being a devout christian, and i'd be excited to listen to her salvation experience come next semester.

As for my other friend, shes a very dear JC classmate cum make-up artist. After 4 years of Jap, she actually graduated to work in my very beloved previous company. Or rather, enterprise. Well, in a very cliched tone, "thats life". You seriously never know where you'll end up.
Well, thanks JQ for the motivation... Its really hard to imagine you in a No. 3. But i don't think you'll have to wear that anyway... But i'd love to see your 11B.. hahahaha
Happy pay day..

Thats about it tonight.
Shall post more after i scale Mount Finale...

10 days and counting

2006-01-03T02:44:00.000+08:00

Its the final countdown to the end of the semester.
There are just a few obstacles lying between me and my well deserved break.

Tuesday 3/1/2006
1. Web Marketing Final Presentation
2. Management Mathematics Finals

Wednesday 4/1/2006
Political PR Finals

Thursday 5/1/2006
1. Ad Strategy Final Presentation
2. Media Strategy Final report
3. Journalism Japanese Finals

Monday 9/1/2006
1. Espanol Examen Finale

Wednesday 11/1/2006
1. Strategic Cost Management Finals

Friday 13/1/2006
1. Info management Finals

Though termed Winter Break, I don't really expect myself to be enjoying it very much.
With outstanding work from ATCC, L'oreal Brandstorm and Estrat to be taken care of,
theres not really much of a break.

Still, things to look forward this Winter :
1. Taiwan trip with family to 阿里山
2. Discussions on Gecko with my cousin
3. Brainstorming for 畢展
4. L'oreal E-Strat and Brandstorm
5. Possible Singapore trip

Hopefully these are sufficient to motivate me towards the end of this arduous fortnight

Happy 2006 ~~~

Luc Besson's Chanel No. 5 -- 小紅帽篇x2

2006-01-01T20:34:00.000+08:00

加拿大model Estella Warren, 在國際大導Luc Besson(盧背松)的指導下, 為Chanel No.5 香水拍的廣告. 廣告中飾演小紅帽吸引狼群的威力, 而在抹上了香水後, 連狼群都被馴服了.

筆者猜測, 狼群象徵現實生活中之男性. 不論多麼兇猛難馴, 都必須臣服在擁有Chanel No. 5的女性之下.

Enjoy...

仍然

2005-12-26T02:48:00.000+08:00

困擾仍然困擾
西文仍然沒讀完
心煩仍然心煩
不解仍然不解
工作仍然多的像山
理想仍然只是理想
思念仍然不能變成眷戀
距離仍然還得保持著距離
長夜仍然黯淡無光
討厭仍然更加討厭
喜歡仍然無法討厭
仍然仍然無法變成已經

但
圖書館已經沒有別人了

The comp is fixed

2005-12-25T16:46:00.000+08:00

Yes. My laptop is operating again.
Nothing was obviously wrong with it, but anyway, its working again.

Spent quality time with him for the past hour, zipping through the emails and blogs that i've missed out on the past 2 days, but its probably enough lovey dovey time with him.

Its time to ¨empezo en mi español.¨

Yo tengo que estudio mucho para el examen mañana. Hay ¨preterito indefinido¨y¨impreterito indefinido¨y muchas otras.
Tengo que ir a estudiar ahora mismo.
Además, tampoco tengo que hacer un composición de ¨Cuando era pequeño¨...
!Qúe Fatal!

Dark Abyss

2005-12-25T16:24:00.000+08:00

I seem to be falling fast into the crevasses of my dark side, plunging through a dark abyss, which i aptly named this blog.

As i veer head on with the pinnacle of taskload this semester, I realise i require nothing less than 100% concentration and dedication, in order to tackle this burgeoning hurdle. Yet, as it always seem to be, the greatest challenges lie not in the task, but in the mind. I am hardly prepared mentally to wrestle.

It has occured to me, that my inner devil descends upon me most frequently in times of dire need for mental strength. Whenever i encounter my final exams, it is when he strikes swift and deadly upon my ailing soul. I am distracted, from the objectives i've psychoed myself to undertake time and again, and much more pushing me off course from my goals.

It is the penultimate semester of the results i will be sending to apply for my postgrad. Despite my glorious battles won in the freshmen and sophomore year, i have failed to defend my position. My academics are backpacing, my fortitude weakened. I am in desperate need for a recovery in this semesters' academics, if i were to maintain my dreams of studying in NWU or any other premier institute in the US of A. Will i lose the War? despite the numerous battles won?

Diving in the darkness of my icy grave, i pray upon a beacon that will guide me through my dilemma. An unexpected diversion, threatens to extinguish the flames of passion that have steamed me onwards to pursue a dream of eternity. Lost at the crossroads, i hesitate too much. Much too long, to set me back on schedule on my course. Any longer, i might be drowned in regret forever. Yet, there is just too much to consider. The uncertainty of the developments for the new trail and the risk of switching. I am simply not up to this boggling mind game.

Perhaps, the choice is obvious. Take the safe path down the road. Even so, this path offers no guarantee. It is still a gamble. Yet, it is probably, the safer path. Yet again, i have a weakness for taking risks, and the curiosity of the next best alternative is asphyxiating.

I am trapped in this dungeon of dilemma. The key to set me free still lies concealed in the fog of uncertainty and hesitation. I dread this painful predicament. I pray for the guidance of another individual, yet i understand, there can only be me.

Unleash my alter ego.
The confident, decisive and fearless super being.

"Rescue me... I'm too young to die.... "

Crashed...

2005-12-24T13:13:00.000+08:00

For last night, i had an immensely satisfying sleep. Compensating the precious week of reports, reports after reports... But this good fortune, is built upon another misfortune.
The demise of my laptop...

Yesterday, when i came home from school once again, i turned to my laptop which i left switched on before i left for our AV Lab X'mas session. It stared blankly at me, remaining on the desktop, without any controls. It looked as if, my laptop(our 魚肚白poster) was an artpiece on LCD display...

I proceeded to switch it off. Booting seemed normal to me when the HP logo jumped into view, but after that, what returned onto the screen was a total freak out...
"Disk controller failure"
Screw this man...
Now, my computer is as if it were suffering from Alzheimers. I glance disappointed at it, while it returns a blank stare floating into nothingness..

I was about to purchase a new external hard disk, and a DVD burner so as to backup my files. Never did I realise, i was one step late...
I would have got it last weekend, if not for quarreling with my mum last week, before i was leaving for the IT Mall ...

My Life just crashed...
And its just gonna keep going down ...

I'll be leaving in a few moments time to purchase the peripherals i had intended to buy.
A new Printer, DVD burner, External Harddisk.
Although, they all look redundant, now that i don't HAVE a computer to use it on.
Or maybe, it just means i have a new item on my X'mas list --- A new Computer ...

Happy Again

2005-12-22T20:06:00.000+08:00

Its been a hectic yet happy past few days.

Been able to confide my feelings to a couple of friends, and faced up with my disappointments. The fact that i was able to brace myself to face the problem, was livening in itself.
Although i was still met with rejection in the end. At least we're at peace.

Once again, i feel great being around them, and her.

Having clearing the clouds, it still feels great to be around her, around them...

Mix

2005-12-18T21:24:00.000+08:00

The past few days have been coated with mixed feelings.

Happiness, from fun with friends.
Disappointed, from an involuntary upwelling of emotions.
Pride, from the unexpected victory of L'oreal E-strat.
Dilemma, from the crossroads i stand lost at.
Sweetness, from passion.
Anxiety, from what lies tomorrow.
Fatigue, from What lies beyond tomorrow.

Sounds a little vague and abstract.
But, so are my feelings right now.

Nows not the right time to discuss it.
Will do so in due time.

Right now, its time to clear work due this coming week

ATCC seminars

2005-12-16T08:18:00.000+08:00

The last session of our A&T Case Competitions Seminar is finally over.

We wrapped up the series of 4 sessions from the South to the North of Taiwan, including visits to the premiere colleges in Tainan, Hualien, Taichung, and Hsin Chu. It has been a draining process from the publicity stage, and a little disappointing in terms of turn out for MY session at Chung Hsing University. Still, it was a relief for this whole series to come to an end.

If there was something to remember it by, it was the difficulty of having to contact and organize and event long distance, in Taichung, when i myself am in Taipei. Well, i'm not a "contact" person in the first place. Not for work, at least.

Anyway, its over...

But i'll certainly miss the long drives down around Taiwan. To places I've not visited before, like Tainan City, and Taichung city. THAT was cool...

"And then... There was light.... " But...

2005-12-16T08:09:00.000+08:00

what if that light just diminishes forever ?

Never have i felt so realistically, how inseparable our life is from electricity.
Having suffered a electrical cut last night, due to some works, my apartment was pitch black when i returned late at night. Luckily, the power was cut barely after i stepped out of the lift. (luckily it wasnt cut BEFORE nor WHILE i took the lift.)

Groping around in the darkness, i could only rely on the gleaming weak glow of the street lights below, and the moonlight of the december night. It was then, i realised there was nothing i could do , while the night was still young. There were reports waiting to be done, emails waiting to be replied to, hot baths needed to be taken, TV shows to be watched... etc...etc... Fortunately, the supply in my laptop was still sufficient to last me 45 minutes. So i had to depend on my laptop for my MIS report as well as for light, while i read the text from the whitish blue glow of my Laptop.

Never have i realised how important electricity was to me. I suppose i shall stop taking it for granted. Though i have to admit, its hard to stay grateful to something I cannot materialise nor see usually. Sounds a little like God himself, huh ?
P>S> i'm not blasphemious. I'm a devout buddhist myself...

Delicacies a la Singapore

2005-12-14T16:11:00.000+08:00

Eating in Singapore, is one of the most nostalgic element that fades into mind whenever my memories set in. Nanyang Cuisine have been a habit, and pretty much for granted. Now, it is an essential portion of the memories of Singapore.
As i mentioned earlier in this blog, my very on-the-ball buddies back in SG were kind enough to usher me from the East to the West in search of the delicacies that call SG home.
For the sake of Renhua who missed out on the action while he braves the cold studying in Penn, i shall review the events of that very filling day.
( Note : All these were devoured in the span of ONE day...)

1st Stop : Changi Village Nasi Lemak

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Besides being notorious for the Bapoks (transvestite) who lurk the seaside carpark, Changi Village is also reputed for its Nasi Lemak. For the benefit of those unfamiliar with this delicacy, basically, its the dish that came straight from Allah's kitchen.

A malay dish in which the coconut scented rice is the prime ingredient. Other primary ingredients include ikan bilis (anchovies) with salted roasted nuts, slices of cucumber, and a generous serving of belachan (malay style chilli sauce). Other condiments include juicy fried chicken wings, a sunny side up, otah (fish pulp BBQed in pandan leaves), fish fillet, fried fish and sometimes fishballs.

Changi Village was well selected as the 1st stop, not only for its proximity to the airport. But also because its top on my list!

2nd Stop : Stall 51 Katong Laksa

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Reviewed as the best choice among the choices offered in the Katong string

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"Ta-da"Here it is... Katong Laksa is served!

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The maestro's recommendation

Katong laksa. I've long marvelled at its name throughout my years in Sg. Yet never have I tried the original Katong Laksa. Ironically, I tried it for the first time, after i left this country.

The origins of Laksa are unfamiliar to me. Probably malay. But either way, still incredibly delicious.
The magic lies in the soup. From what my taste buds inform me, its made from luxurious servings of coconut milk and spices, boiled into a pot pourri swirl of red and orange. Repulsively spicy as it may seem, the Katong Laksa is surprisingly spiceless.
We were given an option of Hum (cockels) for our serving of Laksa. And in JX's terms. He wanted a "hum-less" serving. *corny*

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What was memorable about this Laksa journey was in the journey itself.
Being a crowd of Westerners(a.k.a. dwellers of the Western area of Sg), we were pretty much clueless in the East. Leading the convoy of 2 cars was JX, and his Vehicle commander -- Me. So undoubtedly, we were lost. So we spinned around the Katong area, as well as experienced our Ship sailing trained JX's driving skills. (we were undecided on whether to get off the highway at one point in time. and in the midst of our hesitations, he drove straight at the road divider, only to swerve off the highway towards the exit at the last moment...)

Anyway, it was off to the next stop for high tea. So we were off to.........

The 3rd Stop : Geylang 永和豆漿

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Our feast of soya milk and you2 tiao2

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Lovers you2 tiao2. You'll LOVE it!

The second irony of the day was awaiting in Geylang. We actually went to 永和豆漿. A renown stall for soya milk and chinese desserts. The irony lay in the fact that, ITS FROM TAIWAN.
In fact, i often have it for supper back here in Taiwan.

Well, though same-named, the branch in Sg looks alot older than most of the branches here in Taiwan, and even in China. The taste is also slightly bland compared to our Taiwan Original Version.

Nevertheless, theres nothing like sharing drinks and chilling out with your buddies. Even if it were soya milk.

The 4th Stop : Lim Boon Seng Boneless Duck Rice
(South Buona Vista Rd, Pasir Panjang)

There're no photos for this stop...

After our 3 stop lunch, we headed to my place to drop my luggages and to rest our bloated tummies. Planning our next stop, I decided on my childhood la-la-land. The Lim Boon Seng Boneless Duck Rice stall has been my top pick for family dine outs. It even happened once, when asked where i wanted to dine at for my birthday celebrations, i chose THIS stall over other posh restaurants. Now you know how much i enjoy it.

The killer dish at this stall is none other than the duck. Sliced into fine portions, the duck is tender and juicy and coupled with larger sliced cucumbers. And to top it up, its covered in gravy of secret recipe.

Other must-eats include the Glory of Malaya (馬來風光) which is actually kang kong vegetables cooked with belachan. One large plate was simply not enough for the group of us. And even with 2 plates, we cleared it in a flash.

Special note should be taken on the owners of the stall, a family of brothers, who despite being dressed all the time in shabby clothes, actually drive Benzs. And the way he rattles on while taking orders and tallying up the price is always amusing to watch.

------------------------- The Eating breaks here --------------------------

We break for the day by mahjong-ing the night away. For details, please refer to post titled "Shag --> Depression --> Euphoria"

------------------------- The Eating resumes --------------------------

The Final Stop : Prata at Al Azhar, Upp Bukit Timah Rd (next to Wah Chang)

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Dinosaur ... Milo a la Capuccino style

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A Ber too indulged in her Nasi Goreng to bother about image

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Our gathering came to a finale with laughs, Pratas and Nasi Gorengs at Al Azhar's along Bukit Timah Road.

Roti Pratas, termed the Pizzas of India are one simple dish you can never get tired of. Made with nothing more than a glob of gluten, the globs are pressed and spun(yes... spun) and smacked on the stove to produce yummy treats of Gosong(plain), Egg, Cheese, Banana, Mushroom and a list of other flavours of pratas. Dipped in mutton or chicken curry, these pratas also go well with plain white sugar. Prepare for a trip to heaven and back upon sending these simple dishes into your watering mouth. Yummy.

In vogue, is also having Prata with Bandungccino, Teh-ccino, Dinosaur or Godzilla. All names of beverages primarily involved with foam, a la cappuccino. Traditonal favourites like Teh Alier (Ginger Tea) and Teh Bing (iced milk tea) are also all time favourites to go with Roti Prata.

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The accountants paying for our feasts with the clique fund

This ends the report on my 2 day Eat-away trip back home to Sg.
Hope you enjoyed it Renhua~~~

7 Musketeereens & Co.

2005-12-14T11:25:00.000+08:00

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Est. since 1993
The proposed Calendar for the current 7 Muskteereens & Co. formation.

The 7 Musketeereens is my closest clique of friends that has shared my weals and woes; joy and jubilance throughout my years since Primary School.

This group started out one fine day in 1993, while we were waiting for the excursion to The Road Safety Park. Roping in one anothers' favourite people, we established a lifelong bonding, which has seen us through a majority of our lives. Even with much of the clique leaving the country to pursue their studies, and maybe in the near future, leave the country to pursue their dreams, this group has been a fountain of inspiration and strength to fuel me through my sore depressions.

It has also occurred to me recently, that the peripheral members to the clique(a.k.a. the spouses of the core members) have undergone many changes since we first started out. We've seen wonderful people come and go in the clique, as the core members undergo tribulations in their romances. Its really like F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Only, this is REAL. And its happening to ME.

Its a train ride.
The 7 of us had boarded at the terminal, on the way to the final station. Picking up along the way, passengers from everywhere. Some disembark when they've arrived at their destinatons; Some choose to stay. Either way. The 7 original passengers still remain. Carrying on with their own activities. A smile and a bow, upon chancing an occasional glance at one another.

Well, they also happen to be the group of friends that i'm most proud of.
A ber working her arse off to save enough to pursue her future in dance.
Zhiwei, the outstanding Softballer with his own startup and career opportunities in the Big 4 acctg firms. Same goes to the love of his life, Merly.
Jixian, ever the brightest spark, emerging tops in every school he's attended. A radiant Naval Officer and budding lawyer. Brilliant as he is, his gal threatens to outshine him as an able doctor.
Qihao, the epitomy of a true entrepreneur with a prospering Internet biz and brilliant academics. And hes fortunate to have the support of his lovely GF, Sereen.
Renhua, the definite entrepreneur who never fails to inspire me onwards both in his role as an officer, friend, son and BF.
Pam, working as a journalist for a kids publication. I can't describe how proud i was of her when she showed me the mag that she was solely responsible for. Its simply ... impressive.

I love these guys. But we've been unable to gather in full strength ever since the guys left the country for studies. Despite the gradual return of those who've left, its uncertain when we'll be
able to hang out altogether again. This time, with our partners.

I hope it comes soon. I miss the feeling. I miss these pals. I miss the friendship.

-------
Dedicated to my closest friends.
I love you all...

Ad-tastic 廣告瘋

2005-12-13T19:55:00.000+08:00

廣告瘋子 Ad-tastic Delicacies :

13 Dec 05
AVLAB Culture Cup telecast CF

Adman Diaries 廣告人手札

2005-12-13T19:51:00.000+08:00

Adman Diaries Entries 手札筆記

10 Dec 05
Real Beauty - Fit or Fat ?

22 Nov 05
廣告人的責任

Personal Confessions

2005-12-13T19:29:00.000+08:00

罪惡告解一覽 List of Sins

14 Dec 05
7 Musketeereens & Co.

13 Dec 05
Project: A|X
Back in form...

12 Dec 05
書單 Reading list

10 Dec 05
Culture Cup is FINALLY over
Controversy@SG

06 Dec 05
Shag --> Euphoria --> Depression ...

30 Nov 05
Skipping Class
守信用
用心一點

29 Nov 05
The past few crazy days
This Blog, 那部落格

25 Nov 05
Momentum

23 Nov 05
Executability 執行力

22 Nov 05
上山打游擊 -- 游擊打到誰?
Another Night

21 Nov 05
光環舞集

 20 Nov 05
Personalization
New abode out of the mod

Back in form ...

2005-12-13T11:49:00.000+08:00

With most of my larger commitments this semester coming to an end (including the PA comp, the ATCC seminars, Culture Cup preparations), its about time to start getting back into form on my studies.

My performance in many classes recently have been disastrous as a result to frequent class skipping. For starters, I Missed out on reports that i didnt know of and even screwed up mid term papers.

If i still intend to be accepted for NorthWest U for my post grad, i'd better be pulling up my socks now. Afterall, i'm only have next sem's results left to submit for applications if i were to apply next year for the Fall sem in 2007.

If not now... When?
If not I... Who?

*panic*

Project: A|X

2005-12-13T11:32:00.000+08:00

Been wanting to launch a project on my own for a while. But haven't been able to decide on a decent theme to work on.

Recently, i've finally had thoughts about maintaining a blog relating to marketing, advertising and PR. More like Integrated Marcomm(Marketing Communications). Its actually a continuation of my previous blog, "Wagging Tongues", which was intended to be a collection of Web Rumours. Yet, due to a lack of time, it has been wasted for too long a period.

With my beloved cousin's completion of National Service, we intend to actively launch our plans for Gecko Productions. And Project AX is my intended first step.

Project AX, or in full, "aMoneyExchange", so named in a spoof of the sub-brand of the Armani Family, Armani Exchange. Afterall, Marketing in simple definition, is an exchange of money for ideas, products and services.

AX would be a blog targeted in the 1st stage, at students involved in the marketing field, participating in Marketing or advertising related competitions. The blog would aim at reviewing current marketing campaigns & advertisements, provide studies on marketing trends, links to some local and international adverblogs and other related websites to provide readers with both a local and international perspective on this industry. Also, it will also be a hub for information on current and past Marketing, Business and advertising case competitions for students.

If possible, it should also include a forum, in which readers can discuss or post questions relating to their cases or just campaigns in general.

Well, besides it being a sideline to generate publicity for our Marcomm startup, its also a personal bid to be more in touch with the marcomm arena. Needing to constantly post articles and reflections regrading local or even international marketing events and campaigns, i'd be compelled to constantly monitor the ins and outs of the field.

Hopefully its not another of those projects that i launch with great zest and end up pathetically.

AVLAB Culture Cup telecast CF

2005-12-13T03:23:00.000+08:00

The theme of this year's Culture Cup ?
Think Retro... And with retro, i mean this ...

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A well planned and even better executed CF screenplay and direction by our AVLAB members...
Basically, the copy is directed at attracting audiences to utilise the AVLAB web telecast feature to view the Culture Cup competition live, at the comfort of home...

I simply love this CF.

書單 Reading list

2005-12-12T23:03:00.000+08:00

買了, 想看, 沒時間看, 但還是希望能夠消化的書單 :

1. 藍海策略 Blue Ocean Strategy W.Chan Kim & Renee Mauborgne
2. 思考的技術考える技術　大前彥研一
3. Kellogg on Branding Alice Tybout and Tim Calkins(with foreword by P.Kotler)
4. Ogilvy on Advertising (who else, but ...) David Ogilvy

最後那2本, 都代表了我人生的夢想. 西北大學研究所, 奧美廣告....
或許會在書中, 看到我想得到, 又可能遙不可及的夢境...

無論如何, 很想在寒冷的冬天,
窩在沙發上放空...
喝者咖啡...

靜靜的看書

Culture Cup is FINALLY over

2005-12-10T23:29:00.000+08:00

The annual inter faculty choral competition -- Culture Cup, is finally over.
As part of our training and duties as a member of the Audio Visual Lab, we telecast the event over the net to whoever is interested to watch.

33 departments from across the school spent the past 3 months training, waiting for this day to pit their voices against one another. Some departments just keep emerging in the A list. Some departments like RadioTV, who has dominated the top spot for the past 7years, BA, which has also been in the radar for the past 7 years, since they were overthrown from the throne by RTV after 10 years at the helm.

Their has been a trend for the A list teams ongoing for quite a while. The RTV has challenged African tribal songs, Latin, no-longer used Japanese dialect folksongs have been in their list the past couple of years. Despite no one ever knowing what their songs meant, they never fail to impress the crowd and the judges likewise.

Anyway, this year, Our Fac actually claimed the Most innovative performance award. Though most of those present couldnt understand the innovation that they were awarded for, the far greater outcry was in the fact that neither the hot favs, Applied Mathematics dept nor the Info Science dept clinched it. Well, either way, i'm glad we were finally awarded for something at least. I DID think they did a great job this year.

Well, the telecasting is finally over.
After about a month of preparations as the Sound Engineer, the initial problems about the humming noise that was being sent to the PA team, was finally resolved this morning when the Technician came. Said something about the imcompatibility of the 2 systems and that their was different power supplied to both, resulting in a loud humming. But he solved it in the end anyway. HES DA MAN !!!

I'm shagged out. But glad this is all over.
Its time to move on to other urgent things in life.

Real Beauty -- Fit or Fat ?

2005-12-10T02:09:00.000+08:00

http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com.sg/
http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.co.uk/

The Dove campaign for real beauty...

Quite an innovative bid to invite more traffic, raise awareness, as well as reinforce the association between Dove and Beauty. The discussion will never end, since their is no objective solution to an open ended question such as this.

It basically challenges the parameters of typical definitions of beauty. And as the common adage goes, beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. So i guess, its pretty much subjective.

Yet, it still interested me to understand more about this campaign ...

Controvery@SG

2005-12-10T00:43:00.000+08:00

This trip back to Sg has triggered some very interesting observations of the Singaporean Mediascape.

Being a common netizen activity, Singapore has already been infected by the widespread blogging phenomenon. Given that the Internet has been perceived as a common domain and pretty much liberal, Singaporean bloggers have taken to blogs to unleash the wild, non conformist side of their ego.

Quite contrary to the stereotype that Singaporeans are the goody-two-shoes, too-afraid-of-the- government-to-speak-up species, Sg has proven to possess a proliferating and quite controversial Blogging scene. With the likes of Sarong Party Gal, Mr Miyagi, Sg bloggers have demonstrated their capabilities to clash in opposite directions with the government, exposing their private lives(and very private for that matter) on their blogs, expressing non conformist views and perspectives on society and life in general.

For the same matter, some bloggers might have been flirting with the fine line that distincts character and style from downright immoral.

Youths have been caned, punished and even convicted for violations from flaming of teachers openly on their blogs, to posting of racist accusations. And such cases has only brought to light the fact that the Media Development Authroity(MDA), a wing of the Government that screens and monitors net activity amongst Singapore locals, in search of outrages to the stability and harmony of the otherwise quiet Sg community.

Authoritarian or not, notwithstanding, i believe Singaporeans have plucked up enough courage and balls to express their own views. To possess and express is typically a sign that the people are finally thinking on their own. This, at the same time, brings a greater challenge to the government which is pretty much used to taming the obedient islanders. Yet, i believe both the government and the people are on opposite sides for the greater good of the society, and the maturity of a truly free society.

Either way, i've found it amusing and excited to discover this side of Sgs that i have not been able to uncover before this day.

Venture forward Sg ! In search of greener pastures to speak up. Pulpits to voice your ideas beyond the field at Hong Lim Gardens... (or what is it called?)

Shag --> Euphoria --> Depression ...

2005-12-06T20:02:00.000+08:00

Its been an eventful week, with an unexpected roller coaster of emotions and events.
From the hectic and incomplete preparations of the Performing Arts finals presentation, the very depressing and detesting results of the finals, to the most enjoyable return home to Sg( home... always home... ) and now ... back to my hectic schedule and a depressing irritable day.

The finals preparations, as usual, was last minute and rushed. With a lack of distinct effective work division, and my concentration on the wrong focus(the stoopid PPT), the preparations were a mess. We ended up having an empty showcase exhibition vis-a-vis the incredible displays done by the other Ad team(the Monk-ys). The rest of the teams were also incredible by the way, but well..

The presentation itself was stable, at least i thought it was. All except the 3min intro which i was reluctant to do, and the fact that we exceeded the time limit(and all the rest of the teams did too..). Yet, before the results were announced, a member of the National Arts Council actually approached one of my team members, and asked, " Didn't your school train you on presentations? Why did your team deliver such an awful presentation?"

It was utter disgrace. In all my presentations, i was never put down for my presentations, ever. With compliments here and there on my stability and confidence. Yet, it was not enough to impress the judges this time round, apparently. Still, i cannot believe how badly perceived my presentation was. He was not the only one to comment on our presentation. Wonder Lee came up to me and commented that this presentation was just not "me".

It seems i've developed my personal style for delivering presentations, radiating with the so-called confidence that i've been known for. And it just surprised me that my presentation for this finals, lacked my signature. Hmm...

Well, enough of my sulking, i returned to Sg a day after my finals, and was received warmly by my best of friends. The 7 musketeereens greeted me with a schedule of relentless dining.

Starting out with Nasi Lemak at Changi Village, which most of them shared with their spouses, we explored the eastern end of Sg in search of local delicacies. The next stop. Katong.

Katong Laksa was something i've never really tried in Katong itself. And this trip was indeed the first. I must admit it was DEEEELLLIIICCCIIIOOOUUSSS!!! Picking Stall 31, we soon realised it was reviewed to be the best of the string of Laksa stalls. And amidst the session, i was treated to a "HUM-Ful" serving of Laksa, (as quoted from Jixian... The Brain of the clique), since he doesnt take "HUM"s... (HUM = Clams in hokkien )... To think hes the brain of the clique....

Subsequently, its off to Geylang for Dou Hua(soya bean curd) at Yong He Dou Jiang(the famous soya bean chain, from TAIWAN). Nothing much to comment, besides that the peanuts looked rather plastic..

The afternoon session took a half time.

We went for Boneless Duck Rice, undeniably my favourite dishes from Sg, for dinner. The familiar faces of the Talkative boss, his brother and his caucasian looking wife were still there. So were the cars that always packed the parking lots. We went in quick and left quick for the Mahjong Session at JX's.

Mahjong....Never my best game. But well.. after about 10 rounds of losing and especially a continuous 4 rounds lost to Qihao.... Who returned with luck after his toilet session, I ROCKED the final game, with a 青一色滿貫!!! ( To those unfamiliar, it just means i won big time...)
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

The night ended with Roti Prata at Al-Azhars... It was the last time i saw my pals for this trip. And the parting sure was unwilling...

I'm glad everyone was there. EVERYONE... Everyone who was around at least...
It was indeed the best time i've had since i don't know when.. Laughing about silly jokes, losing at Mahjong, chit chatting with them, losing our way while looking for Katong Laksa, marvelling at JX's new car with non-key ignition and his indecisive driving, "di-di-di" to decide who went to which car, taking paparazzi shots of Qihao and Sereen, watching "true files" on TV, commenting on the Sg media regulations.... So on and so forth. Just recounting the events is enough to lure me to look forward to going back again in Winter....

But well... Life had to go back to normal.
Starting work upon arrival at CKS airport, heading for the studio upon arrival at home, settling the accounts today is simply annoying.

I'm simply pissed today... Simply pissed.
And for the record, i AM SO PISSED !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But well, life has to go on.

The Strategic Mgmt exam tomorrow has to carry on....
The seminar in Tai'Chung tomorrow has to go on .....

I'm asphyxiating.... Somebody save me.....

Skipping Class

2005-11-30T09:53:00.000+08:00

Been skipping too many of them recently.With the tight schedule and a slackening attitude, i've been too lazy to wake up early for morning classes. Afternoon classes aren't that bad. Still, the participation level isn't too great.

The greatest problem is that i lack compadres in the BA class to help me out when i skip class. Sudden class reports in the Strategic Mgmt class is really killing me. Just realised that we're due for a group report in class today, and it was given only last week. Skipping it last week was really a killer man. So, i'm left without a group, and therefore no group work done.

I have the following options:

1. Screw this report, and leave my 10% class participation results to rot. Then working my ass off to bring my exam results to top the class....
( That will mean no partying when i head back to Sg, instead, relentless mugging...)

2. Plead with one of the teams to help me out, with nothing to offer them in return. Then going to the prof and telling him that i've not been awarded results for the group report.

Options Evaluation :
1. Preserving my integrity and my couldnt care less attitude, i'll be pressed to do freaking well for my exams. Which would be a challenge.

2. Losing my integrity and pride, and take the odds of the prof not accepting my explanation.

P.S.
1. I really should stop skipping this class. I like it by the way. Its interesting.

2. This sem really isnt like the last when skipping class really doesnt matter.

3. the double major is taking its toll on my GPA. Bye Bye Northwestern U ...

守信用

2005-11-30T00:25:00.000+08:00

我想
魚跟猴子都是守信用的動物
曾經　乾杯慶功時誇下的海口　　

大家竟然依約履行
感動不在話下

敵對的競爭者　　竟然彼此間互相扶持
互相鼓勵　’’別擔心，你們行的’’

相信不會在那麼幸運　　遇到雙贏的局面
競爭　難免二元對立　　贏家的價值　來自於輸家的自卑

勝負心　？
ａ）還好．．．ｂ）不知道．．．ｃ）不想面對．．．ｄ）沒在怕的

ｂ吧
真的不知道
只知道　　很高興大家這麼守信用
但我也要履行我的諾言了．．．

＊希望＊

用心一點

2005-11-30T00:10:00.000+08:00

被直接了當的說我不夠用心
其實還挺傷的

徹底摧毀築起高牆的心防
殘垣敗瓦不知所措

已經很就沒有這樣慌張了
徹徹底底的慌張
聽到她的聲音無奈灰心欲哭無淚的嗓子
我似乎也辭窮了

除了在百般說不盡的對不起中挽回絲髮的信心對我們的

答應了她會更用心的

忽然一陣心痛把潛水已久的前女友從腦海中撈出
當初分手的原因不是這樣的
還是她給的理由只為補償我粉碎的自尊心
不用了 Keep the Change

是我對她不夠用心還是對她不夠公平

怎麼辦
她說我們現在處於很敏感的狀態因為最近常惹她心煩
我問我自己
是因為忙碌
是因為細水長流
還是因為老爸

真的慌了
我是真的很在意
在意與行動卻似乎缺乏默契

只好用心一點
儘管救不了海灘上所有的海星也要見一個救一個

力挽狂瀾

The past few crazy days

2005-11-29T20:17:00.000+08:00

Its been a crazy week. At least, till now. But its only Tuesday.

Following my accumulated momentum, setting my ill-oiled wheels in motion, I've been accomplishing several pieces of work due.
Besides attending the seminar in Cheng Kung University(成功大學) in Tainan, which was quite a success by the way. I've been busy setting the Chung Hsing University(中興大學) seminar that i'm in charge of in place. Finally contacted all the necessary part-timers, the speakers, as well as the venue and finger food, I'm left with only the publicity to take care of.
What a relief. After all, its only a week away.

And on top of all these, the heart of my busy schedule is the preparation for my Performing Arts Marketing finals. The execution phase is kind of tricky, with lots of contacting with publishing houses and other external units to do, which i have found to be my greatest nemesis. Luckily, my teammates are zealously completing these arduous tasks, leaving for me the organizational work. I like it this way.

The preps are going smoothly, with the Online contests, DM, Poster, Event booklet printing in place. The documentary that we've been filming is still WIP, but it should turn out ok...
My primary focus now is to complete the PPT presentation which in my opinion is the most magnificent PPT that i have ever designed, and probably one of the best the world has ever seen. (LOLz) The presentation should go well...

Well, as for now. I'm sitting on my bed, updating my blog, spacing out as i garner enough energy to continue with the PPT as well as wait for my online meeting later on.

*Shagz*

This Blog, 那部落格

2005-11-29T20:11:00.000+08:00

This blog, though not maintained everyday, is my attempt at training myself in several different ways.

1. To imbue within me the spirit of perseverance, and actually rising up to complete whatever i set out to accomplish.

2. To practice and maintain my English writing skills, as well as keep myself up to date with an English-oriented thought process.

3. To remind myself and my friends that i still exist. And miss them.

4. To be able to look back someday, at my life. This life that i'm kinda exhausted with. But also the one period of my life, that i am actually proud of.

Hence, i will try within my capabilities, to update this blog as often as possible

Dark Abyss

NDP@Marina Bay 2007

The Hippocratic Oath 希波克拉底誓約

Its CTC all over again

三隻小豬的語言教育

戰場在哪裡，凱薩就在哪裡。而羅馬，永遠在凱撒的心里

Wii would like to Play

Procrastination

抗戰

「塞翁失馬」心態

Ended before I started

Ended before I started

When one door closes, another door opens

Its been 10,000 years

Off the beaten track

Change

Planner Resources

MBA Applications

[Intern in Publicis] Part Deux -- The Last III

Follow your Heart.

[Intern in Publicis] -- Part Deux XXII

Revamp

[Intern in Publicis] Part Deux XXI

[Intern in Publicis] Part Deux XX

[Intern in Publicis] -- Part Deux XVIII (創新更須創心)

[Intern in Publicis] -- Part Deux XVIII (Dreams)

HAPPY NATIONAL DAY!

[Intern in Publicis] -- Part Deux II

[Intern in Publicis] -- Part Deux I

[Intern in Publicis] -- Day XXI & XXII

[Intern in Publicis] -- Day XXI (D-Day)

[Intern in Publicis] -- Day XX ( Recall )

[Intern in Publicis] -- Day XVIII (Tribulations)

[Intern in Publicis] -- Day XVI (impaired)

[Intern in Publicis] -- Day XV (Hasta La Victoria Siempre

[Intern in Publicis] -- Day XIV (靜心)

[Intern in Publicis] -- Day XIII (目標)

[Intern in Publicis] -- Day XII (掛起來晾著)

[Intern in Publicis] -- Day XI (Jammed)

[Intern in Publicis] -- Day Ten ( Presentation II )

[Intern in Publicis] -- Day Seven ( Dress Code)

[Internship Publicis] Day Six -- The happiest yet

[Internship Publicis] -- Day Two (Life's a bitch)

[Internship Publicis] -- Day One

Internship -- Publicis !!

Voice It, Volume On

London International Advertising Awards -- Young Creatives & Students Competition

Where is This Place Man ???

Resume de mi

Estaciones de Radio de Espanol

Voyeurism

Lexus Case Competition

小P 馴車日記 -- Day One

Back in School

廣告預算 與 Activity Based Costing

The Eagles Mess

Van Wilder -- Party Liaison

Honey

My Wish List

... Whisk me away ...

CNY is a season of thanksgiving ~~

等待

I AM THE KING!!

Today

Ad Graduation Expo'07

*Phew*

[Loreal] Estrat Period 2

Pandora

World Business Strategist Association (WBSA)

5:36 am

[Chill Out]

Larry Flynt

La Final Exams Carnival

10 days and counting

Luc Besson's Chanel No. 5 -- 小紅帽篇x2

仍然

The comp is fixed

Dark Abyss

Crashed...

Happy Again

廣告預算與 Activity Based Costing

Phew