Prop 8: A Fearless TV Ad Response

The Supreme Court upheld Prop 8. Sign the pledge to repeal Prop 8 and restore marriage equality to California: http://www.couragecampaign.org/Equality

This provocative new TV ad was created in the spirit of Harvey Milk's call to "come out, come out wherever you are" and proudly tell the stories of the people most affected by the passage of Prop 8 -- in moving images set to the beat of Regina Spektor's beautiful song "Fidelity".

This video has been viewed by more than 1.2 million people, making it the most-watched video ever in the history of California politics.

Join the movement to repeal Proposition 8!

Get hit in the face with DIRT!!! FREE COOKIES!!!

WE NEED YOUR TALENT!!!! (In exchange for FREE COOKIES!!!)
Facebook Event: http://tinyurl.com/dirtintheface

Some friends and I are shooting a commercial on Saturday, May 30th for the Cannes MoFilm User-Generated Content Initiative, judged by Spike Lee!

Come get hit in the face with dirt, and we'll give you free cookies! We are making a video montage of 100 people reacting to the goodness of dirt in their faces!!!


The commercial is for Omo, a Unilever laundry detergent brand and one of the top 12 brands in the world.

Meet us in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1000 5th Avenue at East 82nd Street) on the steps at 9:00am for our first shoots. Or call us throughout the day to see what our location is in Central Park!

I will be updating my Twitter and Facebook statuses with our location on the day of the shoot! So, if 9:00am is too early to wake up for you, just check in on my status and see where we are! Or call me at 870.565.5200!

If we win the contest, you could become famous, as the video would be shown at Cannes! Woooo! So, come join us for some dirty fun!!! AND FREE COOKIES!!!

RSVP on the Facebook Event: http://tinyurl.com/dirtintheface

Pepsi's Throwback with YouTube Poptub

I'm not much of a soda drinker, and I'm usually not in-tune with what soda companies are up to. But, when Pepsi started their new branding campaign last fall (as pictured above), I took note. But furthermore, when I discovered Pepsi Throwback today, I was pretty intrigued. Unfortunately, it reminds me of Xanadu, my Mom's favorite movie. Scarring.

Anywho, I thought I'd share Pepsi Poptub with you. It's an innovative way for a brand to interact with a group of fans via social media. Basically, Poptub's mission is stated as: "We make YouTube videos about YouTube videos on YouTube. It's not that complicated." Of course, we all know the real mission is to engage an audience in the Pepsi brand in order to achieve higher sales. But who would say that? That would be blasphemous.

On a positive note, I think the new branding campaign that's been underway since October 2008 is well-integrated. They have the new brand image. They're tying monochromatics with retro vibes and throwbacks. But at the same time, they've got the refresheverything.com thing going on, as well. So, they've got a neo-retro vibe going on.

Regardless of my sarcasm, you should check out Pepsi Poptub. Take a look at the imagery below for a taste test!

(Above: YouTube.com/PopTub)

(Above: Pepsi's website, refresheverything.com)

(Above: Limited edition Pepsi Throwback in can and bottle)

Apartment Jargon: Pied-à-Terre

A pied-à-terre (French: "foot on the ground") is a small living unit (typically an apartment or condominium) typically located in a large city (such as Paris or New York!). It typically is used as a temporary second residence, either for part of the year, or part of the work week.

Specific to New York City: Many co-op buildings in New York City prohibit pieds-à-terre because they want full time residents.

Best Pied-à-Terre Cities: A 2007 Forbes magazine article deemed Manhattan and Hong Kong as the top choice cities for a pied-à-terre. Woot woot! Go New York!

Stuff Thats Going On in NYC

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CamelAmmo: Waging War on the Front Lines

(Above: CamelAmmo product sample)

Hey All! Remember my post about Kamelflage? (If not, check it out here.) The ladies over at Kamelflage have rebranded and launched a new website. They are now known as CamelAmmo. What is this product you may ask? Well, it's a panty insert that helps you "Wage war on the front lines". That is, it prevents the dreaded cameltoe. Basically, for all you gals out there who have a pair of spray-on jeans or tights that you just can't seem to stop wearing... this product is for you! It keeps that area looking smooth.


Product Review:

I tried the CamelAmmo with just my undies, and I have to say it's a pretty interesting idea. On the positive side, it hid any trace of a cameltoe, as you would imagine. Also, the pink camoflage is a really great design for the branding effort. Well thought out, ladies!

Admittedly, I don't have pants tight enough to need CamelAmmo, so actual product testing was a little difficult. However, I found a pair of black tights that I have yet to wear. You know, the ones that all the hipsters are wearing with plain white tees? I haven't found the courage to wear them yet. I probably won't ever get around to wearing them, unless I find a top that covers my toosh. BUT, nevertheless, I tried them on with CamelAmmo and can report 100% coverage on the front lines. Thanks, CamelAmmo! If I ever get around to wearing these tights, I will be needing some friendly coverage!

Overall, I think this product is well-suited for anyone with a love of tight pants or tights. Ladies, if this is you, get to CamelAmmo and buy one for the low price of $10! If anything, you'll get to have fun with it like I did and maybe even right a product review!

How to Open Wine without a Corkscrew

Above: All you need to open a bottle of wine is a screw, screwdriver and plyers!

Have you ever gone to open a bottle of wine, but then suddenly realize that either (1) you don't have a corkscrew or (2) you can't find the friggin' thing?! I have! And that's why my boyfriend (Weikai) and I got inventive with our household tools and discovered a way to open wine without a corkscrew!

All you need is (1) a screw, (2) a screwdriver, and (3) plyers! If you have those things, you'll be good. We found out that it's actually better to have (1) a screw and (2) a hammer with a claw. However, we couldn't find our hammer at the time!

Below we'll illustrate just how it's done!

1.) Insert the screw into the cork and screw it with the screwdriver.

2.) Use the plyers (or hammer) to pry the cork up.


3.) Once the cork is almost out, use your hands to pull it out.


4.) And voila! You've done it! Your wine is ready to enjoy!!! Now, maybe you'll go all MacGyver on your wine more often!


Enjoy the new tip!!! Let me know how it goes for you!

China Care Foundation Launches New Homepage

During my four years at NYU, I had a huge involvement in the China Care Foundation. My roommate, Alice, and I, along with three other friends, founded the NYU China Care club. During my time there, we helped dozens of children receive life-saving surgeries and feel loved from thousands of miles away.

This week, China Care launched their newly designed website: www.chinacare.org. It is much more user friendly and explains in detail the new program that they have with Half the Sky, their new partner. We even have a whole new Youth Empowerment section dedicated to clubs, in which I'm actually featured in numerous sections! NYU is listed as a recipient of the first annual Club Awards(in which I won an Outstanding Leadership award); they used an NYU photo for the Fundraising section (which features our Treasurer Amanda Fuller, as seen above); and they even feature the newsletter story about my 2008 summer internship with Saatchi & Saatchi (which you can read about below, or click on the photo to go to the webpage), in which I led a team to create a pro bono ad for China Care that was placed in CosmGirl magazine!

I hope this new homepage brings lots more attention to the China Care Foundation, as they touch not only the lives of they children that they save, but also the lives of so many others, like myself, that help in the process.

Don't Balloon this Summer!

Today I saw the oddest advertisement for Yushi Bento Bar, a Japanese restaurant in New York. Floating down 8th Avenue was a balloon that read "Don't Balloon this Summer! Yushi." I believe they were trying to say something like, "Don't get fat over summer, you disgusting pigs. Eat sushi at Yushi and stay lean." But somehow, I'm not sure it got across.

Interestingly enough, the balloon holder was stopped by a police officer and asked for identification and a permit to float the balloon down the street. When I first saw the balloon, it was actually floating down the middle of the street! Then, as the officer approached, the balloon holder was escorted to the sidewalk.

I'm not sure exactly how effective the balloon is, though, because it says nothing about what Yushi is. The only reason I looked it up was because I'm an advertising fiend.

Hopefully it turns out for the best. And if anything, I was just excited to chase a balloon down 8th Avenue to catch this picture!

I'm a Gilman Scholar! Are you?

Above is an interview that I did with the Institute of International Education about my experience as a Gilman Scholar. I discussed my Gilman experience as an NYU in Shanghai study abroad student in China and offered advice to current applicants for the Gilman Scholarship. Wish I was more interesting! I need to start reading a dictionary!

To learn more about my time abroad, check out my China Adventure website.