black is beautiful

i have been meaning to post this for a while, but in all honestly, i was waiting till i had something worthy to say about it. i don't. and i don't think i will ever understand the article published in blick on january 20, 2009 - the swearing in of obama.

as my colleagues explained, this is a great example of bad swiss humor. ironically, i am finding it hilarious. if the most important man in america is black, so should be the most important swiss politicians and promis. that is, before we start undermining their authority/power as result of their white skin.

* note the name changes: roger federer = barack federama. out of control.

(photo taken at the switzerland for obama inaugural party in züri)

music & advertising

slumdog millionaire

absolutely amazing examination of the slums of world: the places we live



via good (boing boing & neatorama)

the art of happiness, or lack thereof

as usual, i am on a new business project. i have spent the last several weeks exploring one of the most over-examined, over-analyzed and over-pursued human emotions: happiness.

i am not about to begin tackling the topic via blog post, but i couldn't help but be intrigued by an article in the new york times (2003) . Harvard psychologist, Daniel Gilbert (among others), says that we as humans often have trouble determining how we will feel in the future. in other words, the decisions we make today might not necessarily produce the effect we are looking for, or we "overestimate the intensity and the duration of our emotional reactions." so our major long-term life moves: education, career, love, etc - are more often than not, made in vain.

on one part, it is a bit depressing. but it's also not so surpring. i think of it like our eyes adjusting to the darkness. after flipping the light switch from on to off, we experience total disorientation. yet within the following minutes, we begin to adapt to the change, slowly we are seeing shapes. similarly, our ideas of happiness adapt, evolve and take another form.

and i can't help but to reflect on my own experiences. i find so often that the material i happen upon or people i talk to ultimately add to my own growth moments. in respect to this article, i think about the decision to study communication planning, to move to minne, to climb the ladder, to drop everything, to move to zürich, to to to...it always seems to be about the next step, as the last one gets so comfortable so quickly.

i am interested to see how the financial crisis affects this mentality - in me and my fellow millennials. as young americans, we were taught that "the future is in our hands," but for many people, this no longer possible. you need a means to dreams, and the reality of the situation is growing bleaker. the options for jobs decrease, travel plans falter, the down payment on a house dissolves. perhaps we will slow down and finally just be happy with what we have the moment.

switzerland is not sweden

i would say one of switzerland's biggest beefs with the us is that americans often mistake switzerland for sweden. that and europe's churches for castles. i couldn't help but laugh when i came across this recent swiss blog post:

Dear US-Citizens
Switzerland and Sweden are not the same. Even though they are both in Europe. The small one in the center is Switzerland (That’s the one with the watches, the cheese and the banks). The big one in the north is Sweden (That’s the one with only blond girls, knäckebrot and Schwedenzpanzer Volvo).



via pixelfreund

phantom of the opera

one thing about living in a country full of skiers and snowboarders is spontaneous freestyle shows. that's exactly what happened last night after zurich turned into a winter wonderland. swiss freestyle-snowboarder markus keller flügel rocked the opernhaus.


via 20 minuten
for more on zürich in the winter check out ron orp's anleitung für die stadt

sleep before you drive

i am currently doing research for a nb pitch and came across this intense campaign out of new zealand. clearly they have a problem with sleepy people behind the wheel. it is an interesting new take on the ole crash scene tactic - people often distance themselves from crash protrayals by demonizing the driver as a drunk or an speed-hungry idiot. however its hard to ignore the message in this execution.



well done.

stifler's mom

mom jokes will never get old.

gifting

while shopping around for the "perfect gift" for everyone i know, i came across this amazing hoodie. the insight hits way too close to home.



via dieselsweeties

love in the 90's is paranoid

one thing lead me to another this morning and i landed here:



one stellar piece of distracted videography. ah, damon. one day we will meet...

but it all comes down to coincidence. spin mag reports blur reunited last week, plus they kissed & made-up with oasis after a decade long feud after noel deemed the quarrel "pathetic." woohoo (sing it like song 2).