SOCIAL BRANDING

Company's are "listening"... and listening very closely. 

Have you ever wondered why facebook offers you so many deals/coupons/discounts if you "like" a particular company's fan page? It's because these companies are spending a good amount of money for social marketing (and in return, making a LOT more money). By "liking" a deal you are essentially surrendering your personal information as well as access to your network. Your personal information is then used in market research to define a target market, and advertise the crap out of it. Youth in particular are one of the biggest target markets with a large disposable income. So access to youth's network is powerful. When a youth has seen that a friend has "liked" a particular product or service, that youth is more inclined to give credibility towards said product or service. And so this youth "likes" the deal and the chain goes on.

Twitter, another popular social media platform among youth now uses celebrity endorsed twitter posts to advertise certain brands. Youth strongly look up to athletes/celebrities/socialites and at such a fragile age, and can even govern their behaviours according to them.

So why is this so important?

To address my initial statement, companies are listening. Which means they seek networks to obtain personal information and conduct extensive market research. Listening then turns to "talking", which is advertising to a particular niche community or target market formed from listening. Talking then leads to "energizing" which is exciting the customer base with further deals/specials/exclusive information. Energizing then leads to "supporting" which enables companies to take feed back and provide better product support thus propelling the "embracing" stage, which is new product development. An entire cycle resulting in new products, new customers, and new revenues.

Since youth are the fastest to divulge and absorb information in this information-based world we live in, simply "listening" can create an exponential amount of these cycle occurrences. And for the most part, youth don't even think twice since knowing and releasing information is such a generally accepted practice for them, in this day-and-age. Traditional means of advertising would have taken much more work to obtain the same amount of information in such a short and efficient time.

If not careful, youth could end up being the target of big brand name corporations, where a youth may obtain the newest, coolest and don't forget- most expensive- gadget on the market.

But then again, which youth wouldn't want THAT?

I'M PRETTY MUCH A MILF

Cus 19 year olds hit on me....... ALL the time.
.....................................and i'm pretty sure i'm old enough to be their mom =|


well not really , LOL but you know what i mean. i'm too damn old for this shit..!!!
LIKE SERIOUSLY--> guys, do i look 19?? cus apparently i look 19.. to EVERYBODY.
Cus no body believes i'm 25 here..!

i mean i don't blame them tho, i DO dress like a child, and talk like a dumb ass.?
sooooooooo.......... i guess i AM 19.

...yay?

actually, proof that i'm old as fuck --> WTF IS "F'RALZ"??? and do i have tumblr.?!?!? NO? guess i'm not really 19 and "hip with it!"

...yay?


(Exhibit A, napkin left on the table by some hooligans that i served.)

.............. i guess i should start wearing suits every where and also talking like i know something.
huh.

Bubble Tea Me!

I started my new job!!

At a bubble tea house :) teeeeeeheheheheheh!

It's so much fun :p so far.. it's adorable. so cute i love it <3
And i'm happy there the people are really nice especially my boss!

I get to learn how to make allll the bubble teas, and i get to eat and drink what ever i want, when ever i want!!
FREE BUBBLE TEA FO' MEEEEEEEEEE :D:D:

EEEYAYYYYY!

LocaLOVE

No, it's NOT a dating site ;)

So basically for my entrepreneurship class I had to put together a legit business and run it for a week.! After our prof reviewed our business proposal she had it approved by the Haskayne School of Business, registered with the city of Calgary and allowed us a maximum of $50 for start-up capital.

FIRST THINGS FIRST --> CHECK OUT OUR EVENT!! (more on this event later) This was my baby that i slaved over for half the semester :):) SO MUCH FUN!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yH3VmCPC_s

So 4 guys and i decided to start a consignment business promoting local vendors here in Calgary. We sold their products on consignment during "selling week" on campus. Here was our set up over a few of the days:

We sold eco-friendly hemp & bamboo t-shirts, artist prints, jewelry and watches.

Our main event however was the night market that we put together..

Which was a SHIT TON OF WORK.!! Omg.. it was nuts. but it was ALL WORTH IT! and a glorious success :):)

We had live music provided by AMAZING local talent, DELICIOUS local food caterings (--> a PIG ROAST!!) and of course, the vendors set up their awesome products to show case.

Each ticket was $15 so that's how we made most of our revenue. Overall we sold about 85 tickets, and made almost $300 worth in consignment. Even after all of our profits, we STILL didn't come in first place :( but we came close ;)

ANYWAY, here's a quick video of our big event!! It was held in this HIPPY community area called "The Area" which from the outside looked like the shantiest of shanty shacks, but upon entering had the most rustic charm with chipped paint and aged pieces. This was the PERFECT atmosphere for our clientele who were super granola and rediculous artsy-fartsies. We set up the pig roast outside near the bon fire, had the live music playing in the old-school school-house converted stage, and the vendors set up in the main bar area. And it was a super blast!! ANYWAY, lesson of the day, i freaking love hippies. they're so. just. freaking. hippy.!! and awesome!

yay :)

Boom badoom boom

..................i was nicki minaj for hallowe'en.

steps to transforming into nicki:
1) colour yourself black --> side note, super awkward walking into shoppers asking for "african american" make-up.
2) hair spray paint a blonde lady-gaga wig pink.
3) walk into SIRENS and ask for the cheapest/sluttiest dress
4) stuff an obscene amount of towels around your bumb
5) talk in crazy tones all night long

nuff said.

Pow--> WOW. =|

Hi, How, Are, Yah?
...................... SO i went to a First Nations theme party.????


AND I WAS LIKE------------------- uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhmmmmm...... ohkay????

Question, what's up with white people and their theme parties.?!?!? I MEAN- DON'T GET ME WRONG, I LOVES ME A GOOD THEME PARTY. but ever since the good ol' waterloo days, i've been exposed to many a theme parties, including (but not limited to):

-Tight & Bright (Neons & Nylons)
-CEO's and Executive Hoes (Here in Alberta, its actually Oil Riggers and Gold Diggers)
-Trailer Park Parties
-Moulin Rouge Parties
-Country Club/ Yacht Club Parties
-Luau's

And the list goes on!!!
So, I was seriously like, okay, maybe a First Nations theme party is of the norm?? Maybe our Canadian culture deems it's sociably acceptable? But then something inside me was thinking--

NOOOOO!!! ITS TOO SOON!! ITS TOO SOON!!!! hahahahha..
Cus isn't the whole "First Nations" thing still a little bit too touchy of a subject to be making a novelty out of it? I mean sure, we have cow boys and indians theme parties.. but FIRST NATIONS PEOPLE?!?! Hahah canada isn't no where NEAR to redemption of these people, and here we are, making a theme out of them. hahah..

At one point, the cops came cus we were too loud, and they honestly looked so confused, almost, offended, to see a whole bunch of white people in legit ass chief head dresses (cus me and my gf were the ONLY coloured people there.. hahah) around a fire, with a teepee in the back ground-- yes, that's right. a teepee. it was there.

But then i thought-------------- wait a minute, who am i to judge, i mean, i AM the girl who DID throw a "chola" theme party for her 24th birthday:

HAHHAHAHA =P

And to be fair, it was a bomb ass time!! And i had loads of fun =) and the birthday girl was MORE THAN ADORABLE, so, in the end, all was good, and it was all in good fun :)

Here's a picture of the bday girl and a few of her friends..

Hahah, anyway, this weekend i plan on effing living it up. SOMEHOW. (HOW!!) haha get it.?!?! HAU??

oh dear.. ANYWAY.. till next time lovers <3 ;)

A Few Nom Noms

Monchin- its my fav thing to do.

I pretty much cook every day in calgary.. So i'll be posting pics of my creations that i actually remember to take pics of.. for the most part, less posty more eaty.!! So i won't be posting EVERY meal here.. haha.. but i'll try to remember to snap pics while i can..

1) Inspired by Angel Garden, i decided to venture into asian fast-food cuisine.. Turned out really fucking good! But not as good as Angel's ;) different recipe.. The fried rice is my specialty. I don't like using frozen veggies for this one. Not gonna lie, its pretty off the hook! 

2) Felt very Mediterranean this day. The greek rice was good, falafel will need some work but was delish none the less.. The best was the hot sauce-- plain ol' sriracha on a garlic sauce that i whisked up.

3) Gluten-free baking is always the toughest. The chemistry behind baking with certain flours is hard enough when it comes to the consistency, baking temperatures, and its all-over ability to hold together!! Not to mention the taste :( Wheat flour is so delicious and bakes perfectly. These red velvets were tough but the critics LOVED them.!! (I however, well, lets just say i'm picky as shit when it comes to red velvet. I've had some awesome reds in my life time...)

4) Green Curry Delight! This was pretty damn noms. Served over GF rice noodles of course.

5) Spam Sliders- ALOHA! This was inspired by "cooking on a budget" due to saving for a particular Hawaiian wedding. (lol) so what better than spam for true hawaii + budget flavour?? THESE WERE SO GOOD! I made a spicey mayo sauce and drizzled a little wasabi peanut sauce over them. so noms. I also added pineapple last minute which was OFF THE HOOK!!!

6) Gluten-Free peanut butter muffins with honey icing. Just thought that honey and peanut butter were the perfect combination- and they WERE. so gooey and soft and yummy!

7) Wing Night. Just wanted to veg out and be gross and eat as many wings as possible, hahah.. Went to T&T bought 3 lbs of wings, dusted them (gluten-free styles, of course), chilled them for an hour, deep fried them and baked them. 2 hours worth of wing-making LOL. Not to mention i had to make the sauces there in between! Made a japanese wing sauce (the best of all 3), salt & pepper wings and finally good ol' buffalo wings! Finger lickin' good! .................Kyle and i ate them all =|

8) Bubble Tea!. Now that i'm working at the tea house i'm trying to master making bbt.. the trick is in the syrup ;) 1:1 ratio of sugar:water. One spoonful of that mixed into your pearls and you've got the PERFECT bubbles!! Also, don't forget to spoon a little extra into the drink itself ;)

9) Teriyaki Chicken. Just took the marinade from the spam sliders (entry #5) and kicked it up a bit to create this AWESOME teriyaki recipe! Buttered up some Chinese Broccoli too :) Perfect combination for the pallet!

10) Garlic Shrimp. And i mean, GARLIC! whoooo goodness, felt like i was tasting garlic for DAYS! So yums. Used fresh garlic and butter. So simple. So divine :)

Round 2... DING!!

AND the bitch is back.!


Round two ready to go- Calgary ain't ready for all ah DIS right HEEYA! (hahah, more like, i ain't ready for calgary.??)

i ain't ready for the cold

i ain't ready for the boredom

i ain't ready for the lack of night life

i ain't ready for the study seshes

i ain't ready for the paying of my own cot damn bills

i ain't ready for a lot- but in the words of the wise, wise india arie---

(8) i am ready for love (8) <-- click there to watch the vid, ah hellll ye!

ANYWAY. so what did i do my first weekend in calgary... oh, yah that's right, i went to another PROVINCE! hahah.. spent the weekend with some friends in BC, we hit up the okanagan region.. weather was on point, 30 degrees and lovin it!!

i went jet skiing for the first time :) it was AWESOMEEE!!! so damn fast! and exhilarating! 

BC is so damn beautiful. In the morning the lake water was bright aqua.. not to mention the mountains. the immaculate mountains. just beautiful. stunning. i can't express how beautiful this wonderful country is. we're so lucky and blessed to be Canadian, i highly encourage all of you to see as much of Canada as you humanly can.!!

this was me trying to get a pic while resting on the water:

and this was one of the lakes we frequented while there:

anyway..
now that i'm actually back in shmalgary we'll see how the semester pans out..

so far i hate most of the people in my class--> LOL. i don't know why, i just do =P but more on that later.....

City Girl on a Mountain.

Like Britney, everyone needs a hiatus. And like Britney, I too took the necessary time of to recuperate, feed my soul, and just do me. So that i could come back with a blast in 2011 and be the best damn blogger that i can be =D
Now.. since my last blog (about the delicious Ryan Reynolds) I have been focusing on family, friends, myself, and my studies. So i apologise for the many missed entires (cus, ya know, you've been anticipating my every move since i've left ontario.... right.?)

So ANYWAY- this week was reading week and i had a hell of a week! First things first, i went snowboarding!!! =D now. being from ontario, it was never one of those things where i was like- "I HAVE TO GO SNOWBOARDING" and even though everyone and their MOMS have been skiing/snowboarding, as shameful as it is to say, i have never been before =(


.................until this past friday. Now let me tell you. the ski "hills" here in alberta are no joke. they're full blown freaking mountains. The one i went to was called Lake Louise and to put this into perspective, its longest run is about 7 times longer than the longest run at blue mountain.

SOOOOOO needless to say, i wasn't prepared for what was in store for me.

well after about 7 or 8 times down the freakin bunny hill (and barely making it) i decided to take the 12 minute gondola ride up to the very top of the mountain and attempt a simple green run with my roommate (BIG mistake). now, first things first. my roommate is way more of an experienced boarder than i. and second, a green run at Louise is more like a green to blue run at any other mountain. So let me illustrate my struggles to you via picture and caption:

1) At this point i'm feeling good, i'm feeling great, no guts no glory type of thing. I had a "go big or go home" mentality at the top of the mountain. Perhaps it was that fresh mountain air making me delusional?

 

2) 30 minutes later, of what should have been perhaps a 10-15 minute ride down the hill, we FINALLY make it 1/3 of the way down the mountain. At this point i take the opportunity to snag a photo of the lovely view of the remaining 2/3 of the mountain. At this point, my heart is sinking- SINCE MY ASS IS BRUISED and my arms are jelly from having to prop myself back onto my board from falling a million times. 

3) Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand 15 minutes after that, I finally make it to 1/2 way down the mountain, where i shamefully ask for a courtesy ride down the rest of the way- SINCE I CAN'T SEEM TO MOVE MY FREAKING BODY an inch further. lol. horribly embarrassing, but will admit that i wouldn't have had it any other way. who am i freaking kidding? IT WAS MY FIRST TIME. i should have done easier runs and not gone up to the very top of the mountain. LOL. this city girl clearly didn't belong there. and the nice gentleman named patrick who took me down the rest of the way, was so nice to me. he said it happens all the time............. probably not, i mean i was in freaking tears at that point hello. LOL. 

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anyway. this is me swallowing my pride and understanding my limits: jokes eh???

So that was my first mountain experience. Although i had an embarrassing finish, i honestly can say it was a freaking amazing time and i'm actually stoked to do it again. I realise i need to start small and build my way up. and i'm lookinf forward to that :)

And although i couldn't move my arms the next day- it was totally worth it. i went "big" before i went "home" and that's all that matters right :)

till next times my friends

<3 <3