AdverBarbie WORLD TOUR

Coastal Ramblings

2011-06-22T22:38:00.000-07:00

Lately, we’ve been excruciatingly busy, but that hasn’t stopped us from hittin’ the road. Our first trip of the year took us to San Francisco, a 5.5-hour car ride away from LA. We cruised along the Pacific coast, Highway 1, ripping around turns, curves, and cliffs. At one point I was confused if we were actually on the autobahn filming the next mini cooper commercial.

The sole purpose for our trip was to partake in the final Miami Ad School experience: a portfolio review. It was awesome having our “team table” and walking potential employers through the world of AdverBarbie.

Our trip to San Fran was also privileged enough to coincide with the first day of Chinese New Year! Paper firework remnants were strewn about the sidewalks. We engorged in a feast at some random Chinese restaurant with a name I can’t even try pronounce. More or less, it was an excellent place to bring in the New Year (again).

By the time we even had a chance to soak in the San Fran culture, we were on the road, blasting back to LA. It was a quick but neat trip, and we definitely accomplished what we needed to. When we return, I think a trip to Napa Valley will be on the menu. It was so agonizingly close, I could almost smell the vineyards from my hotel balcony. Next time, my friends, next time.

Tripping on Roads.

2011-01-03T13:36:00.000-08:00

Where have we been and what have we been doing? Per usual, we’ve been traveling. This time however, we kept our adventures stateside. After driving a combined 5, 181 miles, we finished off the World Tour with a cross-country road trip.

Picture this, Alicia behind the wheel of a massive 18 foot Budget Rental truck, coasting along good old Route 66, headed out to the West. Tourist traps and junk food included, we made it in under 5 days and 4 nights. Pretty poetic isn’t it? The entire trip went exactly to plan (for once)! I guess were getting good at this whole traveling thing.

Question to all the readers, if you just returned from traveling the world for 15 months straight, would you be up to this challenge? Would you really want to pick it up, and make another trans-continental move? To top it off, what about landing a job in the most competitive industry in the nation? Either we are crazy or we’re hell-bent on experiencing life at lightening speed. Must be a bit of both.

To digitally live out your fantasy of a cross country road trip, see pics below.

This ain’t no disco...

2010-11-02T16:25:00.000-07:00

Guess what? WE DID IT. Who would have thought that after the whole world tour, we would end up docking in SoCal via cruise ship, then taking the 'Surf Liner' train all the way up to Santa barbara- our final destination...for now.

But its true, we are now officially for HIRE, so just take this link right back to our portfolio (www.adverbarbie.com) and look at the awesomeness (hehe).

At the moment we are checked in at Hope Ranch. No...its not a rehab center...it’s Alicia’s parents new place in Santa Barbara! It’s a mind-blowing view of mountains, oceans, and a plethora of organic vegetarian fare. How are we ever gonna leave? Life has been ridiculously good to us. Thank you EVERYONE who has made this possible. We love y’all forever :)

Our first week or so was spent driving to-and fro to LA, hittin’ up some ad agencies, letting our presence be known. Everyone we’ve met with has been more than welcoming, and I gotta feeling, that we are going to land our first gig very shortly. LA is definitely the place we want to be, and I cannot express how badly we want to start the job and get that first apartment!!!!! Signing that 1 year lease is going to be the golden moment we’ve been waiting for!

Hawaiian Bliss

2010-11-02T15:49:00.000-07:00

At first, the best part of Hawaii was getting to Hawaii. It wasn’t until I was on top of a volcano, looking down into a crater, that I fully realized how amazing this island was. Not only did it look picture perfect, but we couldn’t get over how awesome the volcano steam smelled. It smelled like 20 different herbs were cooking below the earth’s crust. We jokingly called it “earth curry.”

In total we visited 4 islands; Oahu, Hawaii, Maui, and Kauai. Each having their own characteristics and vibe, it was like each represented a different element; earth, wind, water, and fire. Waterfalls, cliff jumping, beach strolling, all in a days hard work. Also, those Hawaiian macadamia nuts are like crack...couldn’t get me enough of those little morsels. We are so happy we moved to California, because now Hawaii is just a 4 hour plane ride away!

As we left the islands, the ship got shockingly close to a place where the lava was pouring into the water. It was one of the coolest things we have ever seen in our lives! Live flowing lava is sooooo beguiling and graceful, we were in a trance-like state while staring at this natural spectacle. Everyone needs to see something like that at least once in their life.

Living at Sea

2010-11-02T15:44:00.000-07:00

Our home for 1/2 a month was the MS Zaandam, a vessel belonging to the Holland America Cruise Line. (How ironic that we started and ended with a big Holland experience?) We were generously given this voyage as a gift from Alicia’s mom for graduating MAS. Literally 2 weeks after finishing up school, we were off on another adventure that took us 1/2 way back to Australia!
Imagine your only view for 10 days being 360 degrees of oceanic horizon, and the occasional flying fish. While hitting up the gym one morning (true AdverBarbie style) we saw from a distance, a pod of 300+ dolphins heading straight for the ship. They swam right up next to us, and it was like out of a dream to see so many blue-gray dolphins leaping from the water. Needless to say, we now have a small idea of what it was like for Mr. Magellan back in the day.

After all that time, we obviously made good friends with all the staff... shoutouts to Ashari aka ‘I’m Sorry’, Nico, and Iman and all of the other Indonesian crew members. lol.

THE BIG CANUCK POST.

2010-11-02T15:31:00.000-07:00

Coming in close contact with AdverBarbie may make you susceptible to a contagious virus, aka the “travel bug.”

Michelle’s brother is only 19 and he had to begin a little world tour of his own, enrolling at Simon Frasier University in Vancouver, Canada. Could you imagine going to college not only out-of-state, but out-of-country? He wants to be a naturopathic doctor, so that he can cure people without the use of side-effect laden pharmaceutical drugs. How good is that?!

Check out some of the things we did, and pics we took while visiting our northern neighboring nation.

What feels better than Christmas morning?

2010-09-24T08:59:00.000-07:00

It’s the morning after you graduate MAS! You should have seen us packing up our 5th apartment: giddy as can be, while running on pure muscle memory, because we’ve done it so many times! Even though it was a little weird trying to explain to people what the heck we were up to these past 2 years (“No, its not a masters program.” “No, its just fake advertising for real companies...ect”), it was well worth it. Just thinking about it gives me vague feelings of vertigo.

Here’s a list of the top 10 things we learned these past 2 years:
It is possible to arrive to your first day of work, homeless and hungry, and still make a good impression.
Brain food WORKS. Always eat something approximately 30 minutes before concepting.
Always bring a pen. You’ll look more prepared than the guy who didn’t.
Never underestimate the time it takes to render a project out (usually quadruple it).
Never EVER wear shiny jewelry in Rio de Janeiro.
If you work in advertising, you must be ready to drink alcohol at any moment.
Different day, different judge. Submit, and re-submit your work to award shows.
It’s perfectly normal to get food shipped in from Whole Foods from across the planet.
The cloud ceiling looks like it’s 10x higher up in Australia than the USA. Very distracting.
We work well under pressure. Really, its the only time we actually work.
A better you=A better planet :)

Are you tearing up right now because you think that the World Tour is over? THINK AGAIN. As far as we’re concerned its only half-time folks. Check out what we’ve got in store. First, we are going to Vancouver. Hitting up some autumn activities, hiking mountains, eating pumpkins, you know, whatever they do in Canada. Then, thanks to Alicia’s Mom and Hans, we are blowing out on a huge graduation cruise! We shall embark on a 15 day journey, crossing the Pacific, all the way to Hawaii! Last port of call is San Diego, California, and literally, it’s the last port of call for AdverBarbie as well. Can someone say, Hallelujah! The goal is to land a job in LA, so if you know anyone in the industry out there, ...send them our link www.adverbarbie.com or have them email us adverbarbie@gmail.com.

Thanks guys for reading along through our journey! And prepare thyselves for the big “Canuck Post” coming soon!

Check out our FINAL Reel, this is what we presented to everyone at Graduation...enjoy :0

2010 AdverBarbie Reel from AdverBarbie on Vimeo.

This photo compliments of Paola Lleneza

This photo compliments of Paola Lleneza (AdverBarbie with some of our fav. guys from MAS Miami)

(Our book would not be where it is today without all the help we got from Martin, our portfolio teacher. Thanks again for all your time and help!)

The MOTHERSHIP

2010-09-06T09:12:00.000-07:00

You’ve officially been abducted into the world of AdverBarbie! Whether you’re a die hard Barbie fan, or hate her plastic guts, this post is guaranteed to conjure up those old childhood sentiments.

We wanted to create some print ads for AdverBarbie, and what better place to pick up our subject matter, than from the Mothership. Two of the greatest toy stores in the galaxy, FAO Schwartz and Toys R Us NYC have absolutely awesome Barbie sections. You can immerse yourself in a hot-pink oblivion, and marvel at one of the greatest in-store displays a brand has ever created.
If you get the chance to develop a POS experience; keep this example in mind. These stores sell more barbie product than anywhere in the world. Invite the consumer to slow down and experience the essence of the brand. They won’t be able to leave without taking a piece of the experience home.

Wanna Race with Tri-AdverBarbie?

2010-08-30T10:37:00.000-07:00

Out of all the things we’ve done, here is one of the craziest. Sunday was the Staten Island Triathlon, and we competed in full force. Not many can pull off such a rigorous training schedule while also traveling, working, and schooling. But low and behold we did it, and we even placed in the top 5 in our age group (18-24), with Michelle getting 3rd, and Alicia getting 4th! In addition, Alicia was the first female to complete the swimming portion for the entire race.

If you want motivation, and something to work towards, you should definitely do a triathlon! Foot races are cool and all, but there is no contest when it comes to being a well rounded individual, and excelling in multiple endeavors. Balance is one of the key lessons we’ve learned, and this triathlon proves our dedication to maintaining the body portion of the mind, body, and soul trifecta of life. Ok, enough preaching, time strap on your shoes, jump on your bike, and feel the wind in your hair. Life is happening, and you are a participant.

Masters of Resourcefulness

2010-08-23T13:10:00.000-07:00

Always looking for a new challenge, we signed up for a triathlon while we were back in Brazil. Now all of a sudden its this weekend. Since we have no gym membership, we’ve had to put our resourcefulness into high gear and figure out how we were going to cross train on zero budget. Thank god New York City has a renowned public park system. In Central Park there is an Olympic sized pool so we can practice swimming for free. Then along the “coast” of Manhattan is a bike route which serves as running track. Bike rentals for $10 an hour...you get the picture

Being resourceful in a new city is an awesome skill to develop. Here are some tips on how to hone in on yours:

1. ) Online Coupons. Where ever you are going always check for online discounts. If you can’t print out coupons, just show people them on the screen of your mobile phone, and it works out.
2.) Public Domain. Just go hit up anything that is free and public. Not only is it adventurous, but you can also find get linked up to more free stuff to do once you are there.
3.) Street flyers. Accept those pamphlets boys and girls, and you might just find out the coolest restaurant in your neighborhood, free yoga, or 2 for 1 cocktails
4.) Libraries for Movies. The DVD selection is amazing, you just have to dig. We have seen some of the best films of our lives ever since we got our New York Public Library Card.
5.) Eat Dinner Early. Many restaurants have lunch specials that go till 5:30 pm. You can literally get the same thing for 50% off. So have that pre-dinner snack...post-dinner instead!

The AdverBarbie “Reusable Book Piece Challenge”

2010-08-02T09:55:00.000-07:00

After our expansive travels, we realized that we have a huge desire to help all people and places that stand for positive change in the world. Why not flaunt ad skills for our book, while to reaching out to our community? Meet Eagle Street Rooftop Farm, the only organic rooftop veggie garden in NYC. Located in Greenpoint Brooklyn, Eagle Street Rooftop Farm is around 6,000 square feet and categorized as a greenroof because it uses compost and recycled shale as the beds for the crops. This is right up our alley! We plan on creating an ad campaign for Eagle Street, which we will then donate to them to use as they wish. Hopefully, we can drive more interest towards Eagle Street and organic urban farming. Thanks to our teacher, Martin from Grey NY, for giving us this awesome client to work on!

To fellow Students and Teachers: In a time where global consciousness is rising, why not create or assign a campaign that could be donated to a local cause? We are doing these things for free anyways, so might as well be helping. A successful, real-life piece, (maybe with some green-flare) would be a perfect topic to discuss with CD’s in a job interview. Doesn’t get more mainstream and pop-culture than that!

I LOVE NYC

2010-07-13T15:41:00.000-07:00

AdverBarbie is back in the USA, and the world capital of advertising, New York City. Its been an incredible journey thus far, and we couldn’t think of a better way to integrate back into American culture than returning to the mecca of fast living and fabulous shopping. Bright lights, big city, and of course Miami Ad School, Brooklyn. The Brooklyn location boasts full views of downtown Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge. We found an apartment in East Village, (while we were in all the way down in Brazil) and moved in the day before classes started.

This quarter we are not interning at an agency, but rather, we are taking the quarter to focus on our books. Dubbed “portfolio quarter,” we will be focusing on book, and building our network to land our first real job. After working full-time and moving around the world, we’re glad to be back in the classroom. Hopefully, we won’t get too distracted by this awesome city. From the pictures below, its going to be tough!

Tremendez Photography

American Beauty

2010-06-28T12:16:00.000-07:00

Not only does AdverBarbie have the brains to pull of a World Tour, multiple advertising awards, and get published, she is now known for beauty. Introducing, Miss Florida International 2010: Alicia Benz. Many didn’t know this, but Alicia was crowned Miss Florida 2 months ago. She beat out steep competition, and absolutely aced a tough interview, to win the title.  
What’s Miss International?
Its one of the top 4 pageants in the world, (just like Miss USA and Miss America) and has been around for over 50 years. Its main goal is to promote young women, and help them get word out about their causes. Miss International is known as the “smart girls” pageant!

Whats next?
She will now go on to compete in the national pageant, which is taking place in Chicago July 24th, for the title of Miss International 2010. She will be up against the brightest, most beautiful and most talented young ladies from across the globe. This is no ordinary beauty pageant, contestants represent all 50 States as well as different countries. These ladies are primarily judged on their spokes woman creds during an extensive interview round (counting for 40%) as well as fitness level. Not to mention over all confidence and poise while struting their stuff on stage in an evening gown and stiletto heals.

What’s the prize? She could win $10,000, access to a PR firm for a year to promote her platform, her picture up on the Times Square Jumbo-tron for a day, as well as free airfare to anywhere she wants. And of course lots and lots beauty loot.

Whats her platform? Living a green and eco-conscious life, of course!

Check her online profile for the competition under the "contestants" section of the national website:
http://www.miss-international.us/

Get ready for alot more exciting news, as we travel to Chicago in one month, to win that national title!

Loco for Coco: Our Rio De Janiero Trip

2010-06-11T08:13:00.000-07:00

On our final excursion, we headed to Rio De Janiero, the old capital of Brazil. It is the future host of the 2016 Olympics as well as the 2014 World Cup, so we wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Rio did not let us down! First of all, its like being in a 360 degrees panoramic postcard. Copacabana and Ipanema are the two most famous beaches, and they are astonishingly gorgeous! Raw coconut water, a Brazilian flag sarong, and you've got yourself the most refreshing and relaxing atomospheres in existence. In Rio, its really lame/gringo to bring a towel to the beach, so everyone sits on gigantic sarongs instead, just like the locals do.

Also, we had a big Brazilian dessert indulgence while we were there. The Acai sorbet and coconut cake are to die for! They seem to sell it on every street corner. Make sure to order it with granola, and don't forget the extra whipped cream. Mmmm. In addition, they have the wildest tropical fruit mousses. Light, fluffy, and beyond sweet: it was so sugary it felt like we had taken drugs due to the sugar rush we experienced after a sampler plate of these whipped delicacies.

The Pao de Azucar (Sugar Loaf) Mountain is one of the wonders of the world, and we took a cable car to the summit for some breathtaking views of then entire city. Its name is said to refer to its resemblance to the traditional shape of concentrated refined loaf of sugar. The Pao is the most recognizable landmark in Brazil, and they even have an entire chain of grocery stores named after it. You may recognize it from the 1979 James Bond movie, Moonraker!

Rio also has one of the largest "Urban Rain forests" known as Tijuca Forest, and it was teeming with Brazilian flora and fauna. The hotel we stayed at backed right up to it, and our favorite part was encountering the most adorable monkeys, the Saguis! You know the movie, The Gremlins? Well Saguis look just like Gizmo! However, the cuteness was short lived after we had a crazy Sagui ambushing during breakfast. I guess it wasn't smart having a bunch of bananas and jam next door to a rainforest. Those little gremlins were so sneaky and persistent and they would just not leave us alone. Luckily, I've watched plenty of episodes from the Dog Whisperer, and went all Ceasar Milan on them. That sure got their attention haha. The little guys knew who was boss by the time it was all said and done!

We can't wait to come back to Rio De Janiero! Its a definite must for everyone who comes to Brazil.

Brazilian Natural Sampler Platter, Anyone?

2010-06-01T10:11:00.000-07:00

As we explore this amazing country on foot, we always are running into the most intriguing and beautiful things. Good thing one of us is always carrying a camera to capture these moments. Here is an ensemble of moving images that show what we love about Brazil, au natural.

Brazilian Natural Sampler from Michelle Pokorny on Vimeo.

Soccer stars & Samba steps

2010-06-01T06:23:00.000-07:00

Its been 10 weeks and we have come to a cultural conclusion that there are 3 things that Brazilians love more than anything else

Food: In a land-locked city, you better believe they have some great restaurants. Check out some of the amazing treats we’ve been enjoying.

Party: Dancing + music + caprihinas = one wild time. Still trying to get the hang of Samba.

Soccer: To put it into American perspective; imagine if we had no baseball, basketball, or hockey, and we put all of our eggs into the “Football basket.” How

much would we be obsessed with it? Well Brazil only loves/has soccer, so you can imagine the fervor around here. We were even able to meet the soccer legend, Ronaldo, the other night! Most Brazilians would sell an organ to have that opportunity.

Next up? Rio De Janiero…stay tuned.

Silent Water

2010-05-19T10:59:00.000-07:00

Being the hard working girls we are, we also shot a short film for the Cannes Lions Youtube 48 hour Ad Contest while on location at Iguazu Falls. The brief was to make an ad for “WaterAid,” and get people to sign a petition so that leaders will further promote clean water and sanitation for impoverished communities. I guess it was meant to be, because we got to use the most spectacular waterfalls in the world as our backdrop! Can’t hurt our chances ;)

Check it out and vote here: http://www.youtube.com/canneslions
search: keyword “Silent Water”
vote: green thumbs up
Share: send it to everyone you know (votes count towards winning!)

We got another awesome addition to our book! We used the similar tone and execution, so it would match with our other piece “The Unraveling” as a campaign for non-profits.

AdverBarbie World Tour HIGHLIGHT: Hiking Iguaçu Falls

2010-05-17T14:14:00.000-07:00

Time to take detour from our daily routine, so we headed deep into the South American jungle. On the border between Argentina, Brasil, and Paraguay are the most spectacular waterfalls in the world, Cataratas de Iguazu. The waterfall system consists of 275 falls along 1.67 miles of the Iguazu River. Pictures are the only way to seriously explain the beauty of this spectacle of nature.

They are often compared to Victoria Falls in South Africa. Iguazu has been featured in several movies including Miami Vice, Mr. Magoo, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Upon seeing Iguazu, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt reportedly exclaimed "Poor Niagara!"

AdverBarbie came, saw, and conquered. We hiked every inch of the trails, and even trekked through the rain forest to a hidden waterfall. We saw two different types of monkeys, a flying toucan tarantulas, and some sort of “ground rodent.”

The whole park was like a scene out of Avatar. Full-on Rainbows EVERYWHERE. Tropical birds chirping. Cute bear-monkey-creatures pad-footing around. Just by being near the falls, you can feel your energy automatically realign itself with nature. It was a much needed rejuvenating experience.

After seeing all these incredible natural wonders; we feel so lucky and thankful to live on this beautiful planet! Us humans need to get it together and stop trashing the Earth, while there’s still time. See our Earth Day blog post for tips on how you can do your part!

Bom Dia!

2010-05-06T14:24:00.000-07:00

Wonder how we get to Ogilvy every morning? Its no easy feat. Alicia, Michelle, and Decker transport across São Paulo‎, and arrive at their desks, ready to start the day.

Bom Dia, São Paulo‎ from Michelle Pokorny on Vimeo.

Gringas on the Go

2010-05-04T13:54:00.000-07:00

Ibirapuera Parque de Sao Paulo & Modern Art Museum

Casual Sunday stroll through the park, or a vicious game of jogger dodge ball? Welcome to Parque Iberapuera, Sao Paulo’s equivalent of Central Park. It’s a Paulista hot spot, jam packed with over 20,000 visitors daily, and over 160,000 visitors every Sunday (oopsie went on a Sunday)! We also stumbled directly into the Sao Paulo International Marathon that same day. Talk about some heavy foot traffic. It felt like being in Disney World during Christmas break.

Also, in the middle of Iberapuera is the Modern Art Museum, an AdverBarbie favorite. It has pretty much the same vibe as Miami’s Art Basil, with wide-open layouts and collection displays. We noticed a definite eco-green premise to many of the pieces. There is an urgency inside many of the modern artists to reflect the current eco-crisis facing our planet. Their work serves not only as a creative outlet, but also as a way to inform and provoke action among the masses.

The Unravelling...

2010-04-22T07:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Earth Day 2010 everyone.

The Good News: We won 1st place in a film contest on Climate Change awareness, chosen by Al Gore, and featured on the youtube home page!

The Bad News: Woke up and saw the huge SMOG situation over Sao Paulo

Today’s blog post is dedicated to the cause we are most passionate about: raising consciousness on climate change. I know, I know you’re probably tired of the preaching and the protesting, but its time for everyone to step it up a notch, and start acting on what you already know. So…we’ve included 12 facts and 10 tips on to keep all of you guys informed & inspired on going GREEN.

12 True Facts: These scare us, and keep us up at night ☹

1.)The way that we breed animals for food is a threat to the planet. It pollutes our environment while consuming huge amounts of water, grain, petroleum, pesticides and drugs. The results are disastrous.
2.)The meat industry is a major cause of fresh water depletion. According to Ed Ayres, of the World Watch Institute, "Around the world, as more water is diverted to raising pigs and chickens instead of producing crops for direct consumption, millions of wells are going dry.
3.)Humans are pouring carbon dioxide into the atmosphere much faster than plants and oceans can absorb it.
4.)Average temperatures have climbed 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit (0.8 degree Celsius) around the world since 1880, much of this in recent decades, according to NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies.
5.)Manure. The tens of billions of farmed animals of the world produce massive amounts of manure, which emit green house gases such as methane, nitrous oxide, and carbon dioxide.
6.)Synthetic Fertilizer. Growing feed for farmed animals requires intense use of synthetic fertilizers manufactured with fossil fuels. This process emits a tremendous amount of CO2, and the fertilizer releases nitrous oxide[3] – a greenhouse gas that is 296 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
7.)Exposure to pesticides found in non-organic foods have been linked to breast and other types of cancer, immune system suppression, nervous system disorders, reproductive damage, and disruption of hormonal systems. U.S. consumers can experience up to 70 daily exposures to residues from pesticides through their diets.
8.)Eating a vegan diet prevents the equivalent of 1.5 tons of CO2 emissions every year, more than the 1 ton of CO2 emissions prevented by switching from a typical large sedan to a Toyota Prius. In 2006, the United Nations issued a report which stated that the livestock industry as a whole was responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than the whole of the transport sector put together.
10.) The average meat eater, eats around 95 animals per year, or around 200lbs of red meat alone. Oh No! That’s a lot of animals.
11.)Worldwide, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are used
# Although plastic bags are recyclable, less than 3% of them actually are. The rest end up in landfills, oceans, and as litter.
12.)Research has shown that up to 60% of what we apply to our skin may be absorbed into the bloodstream. So if we are concerned about the food that we eat and strive to eat more organic products due to a concern over pesticides and other chemicals, then we should also be concerned about the ingredients that go in to our cosmetics and toiletries. Many of the ingredients in conventional health and beauty products are very toxic chemicals.

10 Tips that seriously can change the world. We are doing EVERY single one of them. DAILY.

1.)Becoming vegetarian is one of the most important and effective actions you can take to ease the strain on our Earth’s limited resources, protect the planet from pollution, prevent global warming, and save countless species from extinction.
2.)Pass up one hamburger, and you’ll save as much water as you save by taking 40 showers with a low-flow nozzle.
3.)Take a break from driving. Consider walking, biking, taking a bus or carpooling whenever feasible. And if you have more than one vehicle, drive the one with the best gas mileage whenever you can.
4.)Think about your refrigerator. Don’t locate this particular appliance in direct sunlight or next to the stove or dishwasher. Also, unplug that extra fridge, especially if it’s just keeping a six-pack cold.
5.)Buy Local! Choose your meal based on what's in season now, and available locally. Aim to buy as much as possible food grown and produced within 100 miles of home, saves energy and gas.
6.)Reusing just one bag in your daily life (grocery/home shopping, trips to the beach/pool, gym, picnics, festivals, travel, etc.) can “eliminate” the use of approximately 6 plastic bags every week, that s 288 per year, 20,000 bags if you do it for life.
7.)Brew "certified" coffee. A USDA Certified Organic label means it was grown using sustainable standards. Not brewing at home? Take a travel cup to your favorite java joint; they may fill it at a discount.
8.)Compost your food and yard scraps. Yard trimmings and food residuals together constitute 26 percent of the U.S. municipal solid waste stream. That's a lot of waste to send to landfills when it could become useful and environmentally beneficial compost instead! We freeze our veggie scraps, then put them in the apt complex compost pile when the freezer is full.
9.)Buy Green cleaning products only. Many chemicals contain toxins, including poisonous elements, cancer causing irritants, skin irritants, and harmful products for your respiratory system. Each of these is likely in your cabinet right now. There is evidence that these products wind up in water sources where they cause reproductive effects in wildlife.
10.)Use energy efficient lights. Energy saving bulbs use around one third of the power that normal light bulbs do. Replacing a single bulb in every American home with energy saving bulbs would reduce pollution by the equivalent of one million cars operating on US roads. This is a lot of pollution, and energy saving bulbs can help prevent it.

It only takes 3 weeks to form a habit, so start making little changes today, and watch those karma points pour on in!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwlf5iF56Mo&feature=player_embedded

DTP

2010-04-16T10:44:00.000-07:00

Whether it’s a new account, or someone cool in town, Ogilvy Brasil is DTP (down to party.) Yesterday morning, one of our new friends at work, Amanda, excitedly came up to me and started speaking rapid Portuguese about something occurring that night. Eventually, after a congenial mix of Spanish, English, and probably Chinese, I figured out there was a huge bash at the agency, complete with open bar and catered food! Woohoo!

Sure enough, at 7pm the bass started pumping, and everyone scuttled downstairs to the lobby-turned-nightclub. Never ending caprihinas, bebidas de engergia, and cervezas were being poured by the dozen. Check out the very enthusiastic Brazilian bartenders.

My favorite quote that summed up the night: “These parties are like the carrot in front of the donkey. Gives us something to work for. Keeps us very happy!”
–unknown employee we were talking to

Brazilian Street Corn!

2010-04-13T13:11:00.000-07:00

“Go to Mercado Central for the AMAZING food.” –Rafa

This was the advice we got from Rafa at Ogilvy Brasil, on what to do our first Saturday in Sao Paulo. So we go to the market, expecting tons and tons of “amazing food.” Did we find it? Sort of.

By “AMAZING food” I guess he meant street corn and sugar peanuts, because we couldn’t find anything else but that.

Street corn is Sao Paulo’s equivalent to a NYC hot dog stand. Every corner has a vendor selling cobs out of a cauldron of hot water. For $2 rais, you can get a cob of corn, served to you in a bowl with butter and salt. Oh, and did we mention how each is complete with a corn husk napkin? Never have I seen so many people selling corn on the street! It’s a standard snack around here I guess. Then people are just standing around devouring the bowls of hot corn, lol. Maybe they got the inspiration for corn flakes cereal in Sao Paulo.

Also, on the streets you can buy these nuts, that are the equivalent of Chicago’s “Nutz on Clark” peanuts, with caramelized sugar and salt. They are cooking them right on the street, so it smells devine!

Needless to say, both options are indeed, AMAZING. Thanks Raf!

Brazilian Street Corn from aliciabenz on Vimeo.

Vegetarian in Paradise

2010-04-13T10:38:00.000-07:00

Vegetarian in Paradise

When we first arrived, we were pretty close to a panic attack when it came to the local grocery store; small, dingy, low ceilings, weird brands, and no organic anything. If you know AdverBarbie, we are kind of obsessed with living green and buying everything organic, so it was a pretty traumatic experience. You should have seen the email that I sent to my parents about the food situation! My mom had to FedEx a 26lb package from the States, ASAP.

Luckily, we found out why the grocery store had a pathetic excuse for a produce department. Every Sunday they set up VEGETABLE HEAVEN down the street. We’re talking the most luscious and abundant farmers market I have ever seen, and it happens only 3 blocks away from our apartment! Every fruit and veggie imaginable is lined up for a half a mile of pure vegetarian bliss. To make things even more delectable, the prices are obscenely cheap. We spent the equivalent of $20 USD on vegetables that would cost $100 USD at Whole Foods.

For dinner that night, Alicia concocted a gourmet vegetable succotash. The fresh vegetables and herbs were absolutely exploding with flavor. It’s incredible the difference in taste vegetables can have when they aren’t being genetically mutated and sprayed with pesticides. When we come back from Brazil, expect to see us glowing from all the wonderful produce we will be indulging in :D

Culture Shock, Sao Paulo Edition

2010-04-07T14:39:00.000-07:00

What you’ve all been waiting for:
Culture Shock, Sao Paulo Edition

It’s been almost a week, and we have some things to report. Here is a report on all the wonderful discomforts we have experienced thus far.

We stick out- Two blonde American girls in a city filled with 90% Brazilians. Its like we’re famous... but in the annoying, uncomfortable, everyone-is-always-staring at you famous. Sucks.

We can’t talk to anyone- Literally can’t ask for help, directions, how to get hot water, how to get from point A to B…nothing. They know absolutely zero English. And Spanish… does not translate due to an EXTREME difference in pronunciation, as well as vocab and grammatical discrepancies.

3rd World - Favelas, ghettos, poverty, it is definitely intermixing with the first world city life. It’s not developed like it is in the other continents we’ve been. You never know what’s going to happen when you turn the corner, or what you’ll see. Crazy crackheads, or cobblestone mansions, Sampa has it all.

Culture- The city has so many things to do it has our heads spinning. Luckily our friend at work, Rafa, gave us a great itinerary for the weekend, and we got a taste of the city. We hit up museums, city parks (which are actually like mini rainforests), Japan Town, and the old Central Mercado.

Friendly Paulistanos- The people here are so nice! They have great energy, and always smiling. They are patient with us when we attempt to communicate, even if it’s only sign language.

Crime- Tons of it! Its super dangerous around here*! As soon as we got off the plane, people couldn’t shut up about how we need to be careful about getting mugged on the street.

*So we are taking every precaution possible. I’m talking pepper spray, money belt, rape whistle, taser gun… you name it, we got it. Ok, maybe not the taser, but you get the point, we are watching our backs. I am even carrying around a decoy wallet. It's filled with random CVS cards, old student IDs, and a few small brazilian dollar bills, so that if anyone comes up to me, I hand over the fake and get the hell outta there.

Yeah, its rough, but we knew this going in. And you know what, not every place is a wonderful carefree-haven like the US of A. Some places you have to get a little down and dirty with the locals. Makes us appreciate our homeland seCUURRity even more!

Here are some pictures from the first few days in Sampa.

Note: the pictures might seem a little off, and a little less spectacular than the last few places we’ve been. Its because we have to be discreet and sneaky when taking pictures so that we don’t scream tourist, and draw anymore attention to ourselves. I even put an ugly piece of ducktape over my camera so it looks like garbage.

Ciao Sydney, Oi Brazil

2010-04-07T13:28:00.000-07:00

Oi, Sao Paulo.

Different day a different hemisphere, you know the usual routine for AdverBarbie. It was like déjà vu meeting up with Alicia again at the airport, except this time we’re off to probably the biggest challenge thus far: Sao Paulo.

Here are some quick facts for all of you who are wondering what we are doing down here:

27 Million People
3,000 Square Miles
3rd Largest city in the world.
Expected to be 6th richest city in the world by 2025 (currently its 10th)
Has a monsoon influenced subtropical climate.
They speak Portuguese (not Spanish) and definitely NO English.
Nickname of Sao Paulo is “Sampa.” How cute.

No housing hunt this time. Ogilvy set us up in a big "penthouse" apartment, which has 3 balconies, a rooftop patio, and stunning panoramic views. Also the complex has a nice pool, hot tub, and gym in the complex. Yay! We are settled in now, matching comforters and all, and doing fabulous. Decker, the other MAS intern, calls it our Barbie Mansion :)

Ciao Sydney!

Here it is, the final blog post in memoriam of our wonderful quarter away in Sydney, Australia. We will surely miss beautiful beaches, posh Surry Hills, the amazing people we met at iris, and of course the Australian accent. I’ll never forget watching the morning news and weather report, (which shows a map of Australia) and thinking “Damn, am I far from home!” every single time.

Our last week, we gave a presentation to the agency about Generation Y, since many of their clients target this audience. Iris was really impressed with our insights, especially about the BRIC’s (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) and their booming industry and prevalence in pop culture. We also talked about going green, technology, and how we find inspiration from the old movies, music and fashion. Of course with the presentation, we served up a big batch of vegan brownies with pink icing and organic green tea. Needless to say, everyone loved them and couldn’t even tell they were vegan. HA!

The last thing we did was visit the Botanic Gardens; a lush tropical menagerie of plants, trees, and flowers that border Sydney Harbour and downtown. Since the flora and fauna is so diverse, the garden is home to thousands of bats, which hang upside down from trees, making this painful squawking sound all day long. The garden was our last item to be crossed off the “Top 10 Sydney” guidebook list. We ended completing 8 out of the 10 total! In Amsterdam we did 7 of the top 10… so that’s an improvement in our book.

All in all we were extremely sad to go. We cleaned our god-awful apartment for the last time, and rolled a combined 340lbs of luggage out to the street corner and haven’t looked back since. Get ready for even more exciting and shocking blog posts as we take on Sao Paulo, Brazil for the next stop on the AdverBarbie World Tour.

New Zealand, it’s great advertising for planet Earth.

2010-03-09T15:39:00.001-08:00

New Zealand Adventure from aliciabenz on Vimeo.

Our final adventure whilst in the land down under, was to New Zealand. Talk about saving the best for last, it was absolutely breathtaking. It was the only place we’ve been where the pines and the palms grow right beside one another, and the sheep outnumber the citizens 5 to 1. Within the first 30 minutes upon arrival, our hostess, Kirsten, had us collecting organic eggs out of the chicken coop, and feeding the family cows. NZ is literally animal paradise, with countless miles of sprawling green hills and forests, the animals are living better than the average American. If thats not your thing, no worries, the beaches and coastline have the bluest water we’ve ever seen. No kidding, New Zealand’s water knocks the Caribbean out of the ball park when it comes to beauty and clarity.

One of the most positive and pure places anyone can ever visit, we recommend that everyone take a trip here at least once in their lifetime. If we were ever to create an ad campaign for the planet, we would shoot the entire thing in NZ, no questions asked. Makes us humans look like we are doing awesome!

Also, Meesh, being a huge Lord of the Rings fan (haha), dragged along Esh and Kirsten to Hobbiton, the movie set for the Shire, the place where the hobbits live in the books and movies. It turned out to be a great little tour of the inner island indeed! We learned about Peter Jackson and his non-existent budget for filming the trilogy, and how much careful detail went into each and every second of the films. The set was gorgeous, and it definitely felt like we were in Middle Earth. We found out they will also be filming “The Hobbit,” the prequel to the LOTR, at this location as well. They had just begun the process of getting the vegetation in order, which takes about a year to prepare for.

Gotta love that trillion dollar US entertainment industry, they do it RIGHT. The tour guide told us that because Hobbiton is in the middle of nowhere, director Peter Jackson had a massive 10 ton generator shipped in from the states, and brought to the location. It took the New Zealand Army approximately 6 months to engineer and build a road that would be sturdy enough to handle the transport of this massive machine. Also, at any given time there could be 400 people on set, all needing several 3 course meals a day, and without that generator, those meals would have never happened, hence no movie. You can see where our US priorities lie.

Anyways, we also visited beaches, hot springs, and forests. All the pictures can be found in this HD film we put together for all our American friends. Cheers, and Kia Ora from New Zealand.

Showin’ our Aussie mates... how we do in the States.

2010-03-07T18:24:00.001-08:00

What’s the one thing American males and AdverBarbie have in common? The Super Bowl of course! It’s the one place we meet in perfect harmony. We get to create slap-stick humorous commercials with massive budgets, and they get to sit back and yell at the TV with their bros.

We couldn’t leave Australia without sharing this tidbit of USA culture, so we planned an in-office Super Bowl party. Armed with beer, bean dip, and cheese balls, the Aussies had smashing good time, drinking and laughing at the commercial reel we put together. The event was a hit, and they we’re astonished at the amount of advertising dollars spent on a single football game.

All you MAS students who are interning internationally this quarter, this is our gift to you. Use this reel to refuel your love for the USA , in all its cheesy advertising glory.

2010 Super Bowl Ad Reel from aliciabenz on Vimeo.

AdverBarbie World Tour HIGHLIGHT: Diving the Great Barrier Reef

2010-02-28T21:43:00.000-08:00

If you ever make it over to Australia, I cannot recommend diving the Barrier Reef enough. It is one of the most perfect places on earth. An underwater tropical paradise that only exists in one other place, we hit up another bucket list item for sure! From our blue Avatar-looking stinger suits, to 3 exotic dives, this was one of the best days of our lives. The fish were not only boasting colors similar to a fluorescent rainbow, but they were massive! I’m talking parrot fish the size of stop signs! There was this one clam, it was so huge, could be used as a full size suit case. It opened up, exposed it’s insides, and I literally had a mini panic attack. Luckily I realized that clams are stationary, and it wasn’t going anywhere.

The coral reef was absolutely exquisite, truly alive with movement, yet so peaceful. It was a colossal spectacle of nature.

We splurged and rented an underwater HD camera, and went to town with below surface photography. After 6 hours we had blown through an entire 2GB memory card, and captured some of the most beautiful living creatures imaginable. We may or may not be selling the images as stock photography.

The Reef is so gorgeous, its such a shame that it is diminishing a little bit everyday. The reefs in Mexico used to be just as beautiful, but have been trashed by careless tourists. I hate to say it, but the GBR is on its way to a similar fate. Divers were crashing into the precious coral with their tanks, stepping all over the reef breaking it off and crumbling all over. It was absolutely heartbreaking. So if you do go, for the love of god, try to not leave a remnant of your visit. Look around and be aware of where you are stepping, turning, and diving. Basically don’t be an idiot. Because it took Earth billions of years to create, and once its gone, its gone forever. K, thanks.

AdverBarbie World Tour UPDATE

2010-02-28T21:40:00.000-08:00

After months of anticipation, we found out the next stop on the world tour: Sao Paulo, Brazil.

You’re looking at the newest creative intern team for Ogilvy & Mather, Advertising Agency. We are all set to arrive March 30th, and start work April 5th. We’ll be there for another memorable 10 weeks, yeah! If you haven’t realized it already, this means we have successfully circumnavigated the globe in 9 months, sampling advertising and cultures like wildfire. The World Tour has progressed far better than we could have imagined. This deserves a big Aussie, “Sweet As! How good is that mate?”

You’re probably wondering, how do these girls have the energy to keep traveling like they do? Don’t they miss their friends and families? Aren’t they running out of money? Yep, it does get super tiring at times, especially setting up and closing down shop every couple months, but it’s totally worth it.

Also, we would like to state for the record that we have the most amazing and incredibly supportive families. We are SO grateful for all their help along the way. We could not do it without them, and they are with us every step. Big thanks to both sets of our parents :)

Also a big shout out to our brothers and sisters, boyfriend (aka TreMendez), and best friends. We miss you, and thanks for keeping up with all AdverBarbie’s crazy antics.

Enjoy the next few posts, and we’ll be seeing you all soon. Get this, we leave Sydney Tues, March 16th @ 2:00pm, and we arrive in LA on Tuesday @ 9:00am! Hows that for a mind trip? Can’t wait to get some R&R stateside for a while. Ahhhh God bless the USA.

TopGear Live: Sydney Ferrari car show and event

2010-02-17T15:24:00.000-08:00

Ferrari: ultimate sports car.
Shell V-Power: the gasoline preferred by Ferarri drivers.
Top Gear Live: a car show/entertainment filled weekend.
Iris: the advertising agency commissioned to create the Shell+Ferarri activation event.
AdverBarbie: the team called upon to capture it on film.

TopGear Live: Sydney Ferrari Event from Michelle Pokorny on Vimeo.
What does all this equate? Well, one of our tasks this week was to hit up the Sydney Olympic stadium and shoot HD footage for an agency case study. We went around with all of our gear, and got some great images for Iris at Top Gear Live. People just love their sports cars, especially classic red Ferarris. It was kid in a candy store syndrome but for men & cars. At the moment we're in the post production process, so stay tuned for the final product.

Who's guilty for inventing box wine?

2010-02-14T16:08:00.000-08:00

Boozing and sly-grogging put aside, these Australians make some fantastic vino. We ventured out of the city and took a two hour trip to the beautiful Hunter Valley. The highest volume of wine in Australia is produced and exported from the valley, and is world renowned for its wonderful tasting Semillon variety. The Hunter Valley wineries take pride in producing almost all their wine using ingredients exclusively from this region. Rolling green hills and a glass of sparkling Moscato in hand, this was definitely one for the bucket list. To complete the cliche, we even saw wild kangaroos hopping in the distance.

We visited 3 vineyards, 1 garden, and 1 cheese factory all in the span of 10 hours. I said I wasn’t going to buy anything, but of course, ended up splurging on a bottle of some excellent Rose. And yes, the Australians were the first to box their wine. They still continue to low brow the industry by claiming screw caps keep the wine fresher than corks do. We'll see how that goes over in the States. Cheers!

Entertainment Experience of a Lifetime

2010-02-07T21:24:00.000-08:00

Once again, the stars have fallen into perfect alignment for AdverBarbie. We were given the privilege of seeing Avatar 3D, the most advanced special effects movie to date, on the biggest movie theater on the planet. “The IMAX Theatre Sydney in Darling Harbour is home to the world's largest cinema screen at 29.42m high by 35.73m wide – covering an area of more than 1,015 square metres. They just don't come any bigger! The film soundtracks are delivered through a mighty 15,000 watt digital surround sound system.” All they needed was a little olfactory stimulation, and I would have swore I was right there in Pandora. However, I’m not sure what glow-in-the-dark rainforest smells like, but I’m sure it’s quiet refreshing.

Considering our passion for all things film, technology, and fantasy, I was 100% willing to pay $27 for a movie that I had already seen. More good news, Alice In Wonderland is going to be playing there on March 4th. Baaaallin’.

Work Hard. Play Hard. Get Fit. IRIS Summer Forum 2010

2010-01-31T15:43:00.000-08:00

Iris Summer Forum is a semi-annual internal status report that is much more than keynote presos and pie charts.   Instead of just making it all about the business, Iris does it up Aussie style with a full day of fun activities, “sausage sizzle” BBQ, and an afternoon a sailboat trip around the harbour.

Included in this year’s forum was the launch of GET FIT, a program that allows each department to hold “classes” to so that everyone can learn more about the industry from each other.   The launch party allowed people to sign up for these fun presentations, and get pumped for the year ahead. From the creative department’s “Scamp Camp” or “Twitter for Dummies” GET FIT is a great way to learn about things you would usually never have an opportunity to. Even AdverBarbie is holding a class called “Gen Y; Insights from the Interns.”

Here is the video we created for Iris, that will soon be able to be found on the Iris global website (oh yeah!) It showcases the new office space, as well as clips from quite possibly the most awesome day of work humanly possible.

Iris Sydney: Forum 2010 from aliciabenz on Vimeo.

The Festivities have Begun

2010-01-19T18:58:00.001-08:00

Set in Hyde Park, is the 2010 Sydney Festival, which is a series of concerts, events, and programs set up the city. It was wonderful to hear the live Arabian music, and watch some acrobatics on a balmy summer “January” night.

Sydney Festival 2010 from aliciabenz on Vimeo.

The Hidden History of Surry Hills

2010-01-17T16:41:00.000-08:00

Picture this; it is 1920 and Surry Hills is an absolute miserable corner of Australia. Surry Hills has been dubbed “The Chicago of the South,” and it is titled rightfully so. It’s a time where illegal drugs, alcohol, and prostitution are the most lucrative industries. The streets are ruled by street urchins and gangs, who’s weapon of choice is a razor, rather a gun, solely because the razor proves more terrifying to victims, when extracted stealthily from coat pocket. This crime laden area is controlled, not by a man, but by one woman; the Queen of the Underworld, Kate Leigh. She came to Australia as one of thousands of neglected children, sent here to be put up in an institution. Kate married a young gangster, and used her connections to rise to the top. She was the best of the best when it came to pushing drugs, supplying illegal liquor, and was a champion at prostitute recruitment. Nothing went down in Surry Hills unless it went through Kate Leigh first. Her flat on 212 Devonshire was the head office of crime, serving thousands of customers their daily dose of liquor after 6PM when the bars closed down.

Kate ruled with a “punch stronger than a mules kick” and was the most memorable figure of all Surry Hills. She continued to live her life under the radar from police and imprisonment, due to her connections that ran deep within the law enforcement. Kate Leigh died in 1964, suffering from a major stroke, causing her to swallow her own tongue. Her infamous apartment still exists today, and cast around it is the spirit of the past. Most of Surry Hills has been demolished and rebuilt since the utter squalor and disgrace of the Razor Gangs and Kate Leigh.

Today it is an upscale neighborhood, vibrant with color, and an overall sense of peace. Crown Street is one of the most classy streets of all Sydney, and it is not to be missed by those who decide to make the trip down under. The coffee shops here are all fair trade organic, and have chic decor that sets a tranquil mood as soon as you arrive (a complete 180 from Amsterdam haha.) Oh, and the vintage fashion scene; top notch. Clothing stores chalk-full with a wonderful abundance of recycled treasures, it will make your heart flutter with joy. With so many unique restaurants, galleries, and boutiques, I don’t know how we are going to stick to the “budget!”

Welcome to our new neighborhood!

Taronga Zoo Adventure

2010-01-12T17:44:00.000-08:00

After years of hearing Steve Irwin blabbering about creatures of the outback, the first AdverBarbie adventure was to the ZOO. Taronga zoo is located on a hill/island overlooking downtown Sydney, and one can reach it via ferry. Taronga was chalk full of kangaroos, koalas, wombats, and platypuses. The best part about the zoo is that you can walk inside the kangaroo exhibits, and be up close and personal with these crazy marsupials.

It was blistering hot, and we got gross “zoo tan lines” but it was definitely a great place to spend our first weekend. We’ve put together our own episode of “Meerkat Manor” (sans the Rudy as narrator), for your viewing pleasure.

Taronga Zoo, Sydney from aliciabenz on Vimeo.

Bondi Beach=Heaven

2010-01-11T14:21:00.000-08:00

After hearing all about Bondi Beach (pronounced Bond-eye) from guidebooks and locals alike, we had to see this supposed “worlds greatest beach” ASAP. And wow, did it live up to every word of its reputation. Calypso blue waters, powdered sugar sands, and loads of fit Australian men. This place is Heaven! Every person under 30 heads out to Bondi every weekend to catch some sun, and troll the local markets. After one afternoon at Bondi, we know why people here are laid back and friendly; they have this incredible coastal oasis. See ya next weekend Bondi :)

Rightside Down Perspective

2010-01-07T21:00:00.000-08:00

After one week of being in Australia, we’re starting to look at things a little differently. For instance, the cloud ceiling is WAY higher here. The flora and fauna is a far cry from anything we have ever seen before. Australia has fruit bats the size of kittens. Take a look at this map we found. It really helps one gain a fresh perspective of where exactly everything is situated on Earth. Who decided what should be on top, and what should be on bottom? This point of view is awesome, and I can’t stop staring.

The Nightmare on Foot: Hunting for an Apartment Across the World.

2010-01-07T15:40:00.003-08:00

We walked approximately 30 miles in 3 days, had a roller coaster of emotions, and eventually found our new home. It is located in Surry Hills, and about a 15 minute walk from the agency. Its cute, furnished, and we have a really nice kitchen. Probably one of the hardest things a person can do in a lifetime, is find a place to live in a different hemisphere. And we’ve already done it twice! Move-in is next Monday, thank god.

The Rodent Quarterly: Sydney Edition

2010-01-07T15:31:00.000-08:00

As you may remember from our Amsterdam experience, we had quite a time with the rodent situation whilst living in the Netherlands (see post: standard grease hole). Here in Sydney, it’s a different ball game. Except these rodents aren’t small grey mice, they are PEOPLE. Yes, ladies and gentlemen we have a pack rat situation on our hands. During our apartment hunt, we discovered why Alicia’s sister, Brittany, thought that living in Sydney would be cheap. There are ads all over Gumtree (aka Aussie Craigslist) saying “2 bedroom apartment 200 per week! Downtown Master Suite” So we go and check out these supposed apartments only to find out that the Master Suite is a room with four beds in it, and each bed is costing 200 per week.

Let me break it down.
1.) Sydney is a huge city with over 4 million people living in and around the area
2.) This has caused rapid growth and therefore a major overpopulation issue, leading to a housing crisis and lower standards of living.
3.) Hence, it is 100% normal to pack as many bodies as physically possible into a apartments, which are usually tiny and only meant for 1-2 people. Now multiply that by a huge apartment building with thousands of units all housing up to 5 times the amounts of people they where meant for..

A standard two bedroom apartment, suitable for two, is actually home to 8-10 people. WTF!?!? This obviously produced our very first wave of culture shock this quarter. Woohoo.

This is what every place was looking like; two people in one bedroom, four in the master bedroom, and several people in the living room in a sheet tent. Errrrr :/ In the US of A, this is what we call a FIRE HAZARD. It was in this moment I realized we were not getting an apartment downtown, and had an immediate retreat to our lovely, trendy suburb of Surry Hills, where the agency is located. Phew!

Jet Lag

2010-01-07T14:59:00.000-08:00

The Adverbarbie Recipe for Jet Lag.

1.) 6 bottles of Water.
    Hydrate Properly. The air is SUPER dry on that plane, and they don’t have enough water on board to keep giving it to passengers.
2.) 10 Granola Bars
    You will need snacks, or meal replacements, depending on how awful the food is on board
3.) 2 Crest Brush ups
    Brush your teeth. Its been 24 hours, do it, you’ll thank us
4.) 1 Spa Gift Basket
    Bring face wash, lotion, and face mist. We’re talkin’ best stuff money can buy.
5.) 1 U-shaped pillow and 1 sleep mask
6.) 1 hot shower immediately upon arrival
7.) Sleep Aids
    Whether it be Benadryl or Ambien, indulge.
8.) 2 Carbolicious Meals
    One right before sleeping after the trip, and one for when you wake up in between rounds of sleeping.

Directions:
Tote along all the ingredients, use them liberally. Then most important, for every hour you were in-flight, you must match exactly with one hour of horizontal sleep in the hotel room. We were in transit for 21 hours, therefore we had to sleep 21 hours straight. It REALLY worked for us! We were able to walk 30 miles in the following days, find an apartment, and have a first day of work. Done.

This recipe has received the Adverbarbie stamp of approval, but has not approved by the FDA :P

Sydney, Australia, served with a huge side of Awesomeness.

2010-01-06T16:06:00.000-08:00

15 days, 4 continents, 11 countries, and a combined 100 hours of air travel, and Adverbarbie has made it to Sydney. I cannot even begin to tell you some of the things we’ve experienced here, and its only been 5 days.

First, the flight over here, smooth as can be, no delays, no lost luggage, everything on time to the second. The actual ride; miserable as hell. The air on the plane was so dry, I felt like I had been spoon fed a bag of sand when I woke up from my nap. Also, worst turbulence ever, I thought we were going down Oceanic 815 style. Two flight attendants were even severely injured. They had to ask on the intercom if there were any doctors on board to help them (aka Jack Sheperd). I did, however, love the apologetic email I received from United, “So sorry for the anxiety it must have caused” and that it was a “rare occurrence,” bla bla bla.

Overwhelmed with glee, we are so excited to start our new lives in this gorgeous continent. Enjoy some snippets of Sydney!

Amsterdam in Review

2010-01-05T15:27:00.000-08:00

Good Bye Amsterdam from aliciabenz on Vimeo.

To sum up our entire experience in the ‘Dam, I would have to say it was “interesting.” The quarter turned out to be the complete opposite of what we we’re expecting. Living, eating, and breathing the Dutch lifestyle was absolutely the weirdest thing for a twenty-something American girl. The American culture definitely clashes more times than not with the Dutch. After talking with few others who have lived in the Netherlands, this is a common feeling, so we’re not alone on this one. We’ve learned and grown from the opportunity, and left the country with no regrets. We are now experts on Amsterdam, so if you are ever interested in visiting, or want to hear a funny story, just let us know and we’d be glad to share (or probably just direct you to the blog).

With that being said, we’ll continue forward. Next stop on the Adverbarbie World Tour: Sydney, Australia. We are the creative intern team at Iris, who has clients such Sony, Adidas, and Shell. See you down under.

2009 EuroBest hosted by Amsterdam: Europe's most creative city this year!

2009-12-08T02:52:00.001-08:00

EuroBest 2009 hosted by Amsterdam from aliciabenz on Vimeo.

Amsterdam Poetry

2009-12-08T01:41:00.000-08:00

The Eyes of Amsterdam from aliciabenz on Vimeo.

Heineken Brainwashing, ahem I mean... Experience.

2009-12-04T10:46:00.000-08:00

The infamous “Heineken Experience,” which is nothing less than mini-amusement park for beer lovers. Heineken Bier was first brewed in Amsterdam, and the original factory has been turned into an interactive journey through history of the Heineken brand. I would love to meet the masterminds behind this establishment, we could learn a thing or two. People were literally lined up to watch commercials and buy merchandise. It was a branding goldmine in there. You felt like a real beer connoisseur, as you sipped on a glass of ice cold Heine. Yum!

The best part was when it got interactive. First, there was a ride where they “brew you.” We’re talking a full sensory experience of the brewing process. Also, you can create a goofy music video and then immediately email it to 5 friends, telling them how awesome of a time you are having being a tourist. We obviously loved this and sent it to everyone, knowing fully we were playing right into their marketing trap. Using the internet to spread a positive brand message, on the spot? Genius. Heineken took it to another level where visitors could sit in cool alien chairs and watch every Heineken commercial ever created. Its was total brand brainwashing, and we were loving every second. Definitely worth the 15 Euros.

De Bijenkorf aka “The Beehive”

2009-11-30T05:36:00.000-08:00

Here is the biggest department store in Holland. It is the size of approximately 3 Nordstrom’s, or 1/2 the size of a Harrod’s. Inside, Christmas decorations are in full swing, Black Peter’s scaling the walls and all. They have the highest quality goods and brands, making it an upscale and elegant experience. The escapade wouldn’t be complete without a trip to the wonderful gourmet restaurant on the 6th floor! We didn’t eat there, but you bet your ass we had the free espresso samples from the machine that costs 5,000 Euros.

2009 Eurobest Advertising Festival.

2009-11-28T05:35:00.000-08:00

Since day 1 in Amsterdam, we were told about Eurobest. For those who don't know, it is basically the "advertising championships" for Europe, held by Cannes Lions. The awards have been going on for the past 22 years, and was mainly based off of online judging and awarding. However, this was only the 2nd time that its been turned into a major week long festival. Amsterdam hosted it in the historic stock exchange building, Beurs van Berlage.

The event was spectacular and we were given the best job imaginable; were we inside the jury room, while the best creatives from Europe judged over 4000 entries. Needless to say, we learned a TON, and met all the big players in European advertising. What an experience to watch a group of 20 Creative Directors and Executive CD’s debate what is actually great and what is crap.

We now know exactly what goes through the top creatives head’s when judging for awards. Definitely expect to see this experience rub off on us (hopefully by wining a few awards ourselves).

Also at Eurobest, was the 48 Hr Young Creatives contest. Gustav Johannson, the most awarded ad student of 2009 was there, doing the contest. We always talk about his work, so it was really cool to see him in person. His book is incredible, check it out here: http://www.gustavjohansson.com/
Devon and Kunal, the MAS Portfolio students got to participate as well, and were one of the best teams. We tried to do it, but were told there wasn’t enough space/time errrr :-/

Eurobest made Amsterdam 100% worth it. We found out that we were the first ad students ever in to be in jury rooms for all of Cannes Lions and Eurobest. LUCKY us!

MAS World News!

2009-11-23T05:38:00.000-08:00

We just found out at 6:30am today that we have won Global Top Dog! Pros & People's choice awards!!! Check it out on the miamiadschool blog!

http://blog.miamiadschool.com/#posts/and-the-global-top-dog-is
the winning campaign can be found on our portfolio blog: http://adverbarbie.blogspot.com/

Houseboat Museum

2009-11-23T02:45:00.000-08:00

Living on houseboats has become so common in Amsterdam and such a staple to the Dutch way of life, that a museum has been created in their honor. AdverBarbie loves boats and couldn't resist such an interesting invitation to go onboard a fully furnished and preserved former houseboat. These houseboats may look very narrow and low from the outside but inside they are actually very much like a cute little house!

The Arrival parade of SinterKlaas and Dutch christmas traditions

2009-11-20T03:43:00.000-08:00

Culture Shock Alert! Read this first!

How the Dutch celebrate Christmas....

Picture this, you wake up one morning to see that the street in front of your apartment is closed off, due to a parade! Oh how exciting, a parade right out your kitchen window. What holiday could this be? Well, a few hours later, our questions were answered. Well, sort of. Here is what we learned:

Santa in the Netherlands is not the Santa we know and love. He is SinterKlaas, and he looks and wears clothing that is IDENTICAL to the Roman Catholic Pope. We’re talking tall, white, and skinny, with a tall red hat.

No big Christmas morning blow-out under the tree. Instead, only one present a day, which you get in your shoes. You get the present by putting a carrot and sugar cube in your shoes the night before.

No Reindeer. Just a single, white horse that SinterKlaas rides around on. Oh, and the horse can’t fly, he jumps around on the roof tops. (This makes sense, being that the Dutch architecture has all the roofs connecting)

No Santa’s little elves living on the North Pole. Instead, he as an army of “ Zwarte Piers” aka Black Peters, who have a gigantic workshop in Spain, where they make the presents.

Each year, the SinterKlaas and his Black Peters arrive in Holland via a big white boat to deliver the toys. Each city has their own SinterKlaas arrival celebration, where children come and watch the boat come into port. Sinter gets off and immediately mounts a horse and parades down the streets after the Peters.

Oh, and if you are naughty, you don’t get a lump of coal...you get kidnapped by the Black Peter, and are forced to go back with him to Spain. OH NO!

We couldn’t believe it! In America, our traditions are WAY different. I guess since Holland didn’t have that major brush with slavery, and all baggage that came with it, they are still using the black peters (and loving it.) Literally 500 Dutch people painted their skin black and paraded down the street! This would never go down in the US of A. What a Cultural difference! Very very interesting.

Belgian food!

2009-11-19T03:15:00.000-08:00

Belgium Waffles! Better than you can imagine!

Fully indulging in the Belgian spoils. Take a look at the these waffles and chocolates! They sell them on the street, and they are EXCELLENT. Word to the wise; don’t come to Belgium while on a diet :-P

Bruselles

2009-11-18T03:34:00.000-08:00

We took a day trip to the neighboring country of Belgium this past Saturday. It was great to get away and experience another country. As you can see, the buildings there are heavily influenced by French architecture. It was beautiful, and exactly what you would expect in a European city.

The most popular statue there is called Manneke Pis pronounced “Mannequin Piss” which literally translates to “little boy peeing” and he is undoubtedly peeing into a fountain. There are many stories about this statue, and here is the one we were told: One day a very rich man had lost his son in the busy square. The whole city of Brussels was looking for him, until he was eventually spotted, 3 days later, peeing into a fountain. The man was so happy that he donated a statue of this very incident to the city. Today, the Manneke Pis changes costume everyday. Our Belgian friend Karel, who is in the greenhouse with us, says that sometimes on a rare day, he is naked! Oh my!

MUSEUM NACHT

2009-11-10T01:00:00.000-08:00

How do you get young Europeans to go to the museums and enjoy culture? How about just turn them all in to raging dance parties with drinks, dj’s and live music! Museum nacht brings around 26,000 peeps to Amsterdam to run amok for one wild evening. The agency provided us with dinner and discounted tickets, so the greenhouse had full access to all the museums in the city.

Here we have a clip of the DUTCH Eminem. He does exist, and he’s a pretty awesome entertainer. Couldn’t understand a word he is saying, but it sounded like it rhymed. So I guess thats all that matters. Notice the full on string section, as well as the full collection of Van Gogh paintings in the background.

Medieval Times

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

Amsterdam is one of those rare cities that has stayed true to its original architecture and decor. Everything looks like you have taken a time machine back 300 years ago. How did this happen, why did no modern changes take place? To find out we visited the Amsterdam history museum. Albeit, some of these outdated methods have seriously hindered our addiction to convenience, it was still very interesting. Here are some pictures of the Amsterdam History Museum & Secret Church Museum that tell the story of Amsterdam.

Halloweentown. NOT so much.

2009-11-02T02:55:00.000-08:00

It was Halloween in Amsterdam, and they definitely aren't as gung-ho as the US of A. Not many places are decorating, no trick or treaters, and no one (sans the Americans) are dressing up. I think that MAS was the only place where Halloween was in full swing. The students had a nice get together at their place on Saturday night, and since The Card and Party Outlet isn’t happening in Holland, decorations had to be brought in from the states in someone’s suitcase.

Alicia’s was supposed to be a vampire, however the fangs were candy corn yellow, and the adhesive glue was puke green. So by default, she became Lady Gaga/Corpse Bride. Michelle went as masked Mardi Gras Queen.

Probably one of Adverbarbie’s favorite moments of the night, was when Decker, (MAS Hamburg) was out at this huge dance club, dressed only in his long underwear lol. You should have seen the look on the locals faces! They were not amused. Good thing he has an American sense of humor.

Some other mentionable moments:

Sneaking into private club and witnessing something similar to a scene from “Eyes Wide Shut.” No joke.

Accidentally leaving a big box of candy on someone’s bike :(

Dancing at a huge club that used to be a church

Biking in costume across the ENTIRE city where no one really celebrates halloween.

Drinking vodka made from the lakes of Siberia, that we bought from the Vodka museum

Seeing friends from MAS London

People being super Ad-School, and dressing as CMYK (yes the 4 of them were the colors for Halloween)

I ADverbarbie in Amsterdam

2009-10-29T06:01:00.000-07:00

We just happened to stumble upon the huge I AMsterdam sign during our afternoon cruise. Tons of pictures ensued, and we finally got to see the most modern area of the city. It was such a relief to take a break from the constant historical vibe that we usually feel. We will definitely be revisting Museumplein.

Adverbarbie gives the I AMsterdam city campaign an A+. Its the best branding of a city we’ve ever seen. Locals and tourists can both feel like they are a part of the city simultaneously, which is a brilliant way to keep both parties content. The campaign is modern enough to stay relevant for a long time, without dwelling on the past. It must have been a difficult task considering Amsterdam always wants emphasizes its rich history.

(FYI, we are working at the advertising agency that did this campaign. Baller!)

Happy Birthday Alicia!

2009-10-29T05:46:00.000-07:00

Turning 24 in Amsterdam is pretty exciting. Perfect weather, the bikes were in working condition (for now), and gigantic pink cupcakes. Check out our new wheels in this new video clip.

Hmmmm a little different from the Sebring and the Mini Cooper

Elephant’s on Parade.

2009-10-28T07:44:00.000-07:00

Amsterdam has been invaded by life-size elephants! From Sept-Oct, a over 100 hand painted elephants can be seen in the city streets. The benefits of the "Elephant Parade" are donated to the Elephant Family, the largest elephant charity in the world and was founded in 2002 by Mark Shand. He is a globetrotter, philanthropist, and writer and maker of the BBC documentary Queen of the Elephants.

In true AdverBarbie fashion, we are trying track down all the lil’ fellers, and taking a photo with each. Safari in Amsterdam woohoo!

I'm on a BOAT

2009-10-26T06:57:00.000-07:00

Whats the biggest tourist attraction in Amsterdam that doesn’t involve sex and drugs? The canal tours of course! These low riding-canal-cruising-wooden monsters, give you a 1 hour perimeter tour of the Dam, all for the cost of 8 euros.

Finally, some transportation where I can sit back relax, and enjoy the show! I can’t tell you how nice it was to get from point A to B, without having to death grip my bike and pray I can sneak across Dam Square without getting squished by a tram errrrr :/

Pink Light District (PLD)

2009-10-22T05:05:00.000-07:00

Times are tough. The US dollar is losing its value at a catastrophic rate. Exchange rates, ATM fees, 3% surcharges are forcing us to do something drastic. Its time to take measures into our own hands! Inspired by the oldest profession in the world, we’re settin’ up shop! Its called the Pink Light District, and instead of selling ourselves, we’re selling our creativity. So come on down, and we’ll make all your advertising fantasies come true. For the right price that is...

(This picture is no way, shape, or form real. Once again, just had to get it out of our systems. To have actually gotten into one of those RLD window booths, we would have gone directly to JAIL. Hooray photoshop.)

Its Cloggy Outside

2009-10-22T05:03:00.000-07:00

RAIN SUCKS. Can’t ride the bikes, soaked all day, nothing to do. What in the heck are these Dutch doing in this nasty weather?

Eating. Eating. And more Eating. Sweets, Fries, candies, pizza, you name it. This city has an eternal case of the munchies. To add insult to injury, the girls here are all stick thin, size two’s. What is going on! Is there something I’m missing.

One particular deadly sweet is called the STROOPENWAFFLE. It’s basically the most delicious fresh creamy caramel imaginable, sandwiched between two thin crispy vanilla waffle wafers with a touch of cinnamon. The StroopWaffs (as we’ve been calling them) share approximately the same dimension of an oversized cup coaster. They also come in mini size too, which I have been forcing Eesha to feed to me like the holy communion lol. (I know, I’m bad.)

The Dutch Black Market

2009-10-21T02:40:00.000-07:00

We finally got our own bikes. Albeit, the majority of surface area is a breathtaking shade of rust, they do the trick. Adverbarbie was stoked to finally be free of those tragic walks home through the RLD. Things were really looking up, until Meesh’s tire blew out on the maiden voyage. Couldn’t even make it home without the gears grinding, and the entire rubber part of the tire slipping off the rim. We’re talking sparking metal to cobblestone. Of course this caused hysterical laughter from locals. Errrr :/

Anyways, here is Waterlooplein Market where we bought these beauties. It is a Dutch shitshow of the most random things you could imagine. AdverBarbie was in heaven. From male fur babushkas, golden compasses, batteries, and spray paint; everything was there. They even were selling old pick-pocketed wallets in a large bin for 3 Euros each. These Dutch are just reselling everything physically possible. It was WILD. Enjoy the photos.

The Fair came to town

2009-10-18T04:12:00.000-07:00

Every fall a big carnival comes and takes over Dam Square. Adverbarbie took the opportunity to experience Amsterdam from the sky. We didn’t have too much fun :)

Amsterdam needs more bikes!

2009-10-15T08:07:00.001-07:00

Here is our entire MAS class working on a flash mob bike protest. Check out the video above.

Amsterdam does indeed, need more bikes. They only have 700,000 so far, and I would really appreciate it if the city could push it to 1 million by the time I leave. So for all you people who are walking and driving, you have missed the memo.

A few quickie Amsterdam bike facts: 80,000 are stolen per year. A whopping 25,000 end up in the canals. What does this mean? It means that all bikes here are UGLY as shit. errrrrr :/ Sorry girls, but that cute turquoise beach cruiser is outta the question!

Spray it, Don’t Say it.

2009-10-15T02:01:00.000-07:00

Amsterdam has a rich graffiti art scene going on. You can find street art in almost every corner. Some of it is stunning, some of it is awful. Groups of these graffiti artists or as they call them selves “bombers” go out at night and “put shit.” Amsterdam graffiti crews like USA (United Street Artists, TMP, 3rd Eye or LF (The Lame Face) have been putting shit in an organized fashion for over 15 years..

The interesting thing about Amsterdam graffiti is that if you get caught, your punishment is based on how much space/ how big your vandalism is. Punishments range from a fine of 150 EUROS to 3 days in jail + fines. Gossip Alert: The Amsterdam city mayor, Job Cohen, may have been a popular bomber in his youth, costing the city hundreds of thousands of dollars in clean up fees!

Adverbarbie’s advice to the bombers: Instead of paying fees and getting your hard work erased, just spray that canvas and have an art exhibition. You never know, maybe the city will commission you to do legit graffiti, and even PAY you. Done.

“Accio Firebolt”

2009-10-13T03:02:00.001-07:00

Normal brooms are not happening. The Amsterdam city cleaners are using the same brooms since the city was first settled in the 1200’s. Witch brooms, like those that recently starred in Harry Potter movies, are used every morning to sweep the streets. The only reason I can think of for them using those old school brooms is that they must work a heck of a lot better.

Now that I think of it, many scenes from Harry Potter have an uncanny resemblance to Amsterdam. Especially Diagon Alley. I deduce that J.K. Rowling had a big blowout weekend in Amsterdam, and came up with the whole Harry Potter scheme from trolling the streets while tripping.

Dutch Fast Food.

2009-10-13T02:56:00.001-07:00

They’ve done it again. The Dutch have one-upped us at our own game. They have successfully made fast food even faster. Its called FEBO, and it s revolutionary. The food there is so fast, that its actually sitting out all day in miniature microwaves which function like vending machines.

Instead of ordering food from a Bon Qui Qui like we do in America, (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJCVk0A0iIo), you just slip in a token, and BAM its done.

Here’s a little video I found on some dude buying a snack at
FEBO http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZr_KTriNf4&feature=related

Vllaamse Frites

2009-10-13T02:54:00.001-07:00

If you thought the fries were good in the US of A, you thought wrong. Here in the Netherlands, they are 100x better. The potatoes are freshly peeled, the oil they are fried in is natural with no preservatives, and each batch is always freshly prepared. Moreover, the Dutch are dipping them into a wonderful mayonnaise sauce that puts our American mayo to shame.

The vllaamse frites are sold everywhere! Little french fry stands are on practically every corner, and you eat them out of this ridiculously cute cone. And of course, each comes with a miniature fork for eating, because the Dutch would never eat anything without a utensil.

What I don’t get, is how these people are eating these fries + mayo combo, and staying ridiculously thin? In the US of A, we never dip our Mickey D’s fries into Hellmans, for fear of OD-ing on cholesterol.

Organic french fries everyday for lunch? Yes please!

Observation Deck.

2009-10-13T02:52:00.001-07:00

These next few entries are some observations that we have made on our walks around Amsterdam. Being American, we find them absolutely fascinating. Adverbarbie just really needs to share these few things with our friends from back home, otherwise she may self implode.

Follow us on twitter!

2009-10-11T14:23:00.001-07:00

Find AdverBarbie on twitter and keep in touch!
twitter.com/adverbarbie

The Diagnosis

2009-10-11T14:01:00.000-07:00

I never thought it was possible, but we have concluded that we have a bad bout of Culture Shock.

After a most interesting introductory week to Amsterdam, we have learned a few things NOT to do, at all costs while in the Dam. I share these, not as a criticism, but as a lesson we have learned, and hope others will too.

Talk about US of A: They don’t want to hear it. They despise hearing about it. Dutch don’t think America is awesome, and they never will. They sorta like Obama, and that’s it.

Talk about Wal-Mart: Huge mistake, its like talking about changing old people’s diapers. You just don’t do it.

Speak 5 decibels above a whisper while walking in the streets: Tattoo the American flag to your forehead and start shooting your pistols, because that accent is DEATH.

Say no to a drink: If they’re-a- offerin, you’re-a-drinkin’ It doesn’t matter what time of day or night, you are just plane rude if you turn down alcohol from someone.

Fill up a shopping cart at the grocery store: Nobody is stocking up for the next zombie apocalypse, they are just buying their meals for the next 2-3 days and thats it.

Ask why there aren’t certain amenities that you are used to in the States: They don’t have ‘em because they don’t need ‘em. American’s are lazy and need machines to do all their household chores, and by asking why you don’t have an oven makes you 100x more American than you ever thought. Errr :/

Superlatives: Not everything is “Totally Super Duper Awesome!!” In Europe there’s no need to add in extra words to describe something. Just tell it like it is and stop sugar coating it! God on a Wheel!

And, this is just week 1. I’m sure there will be more to come.

Dear Amsterdam- We are very sorry, and we will try to tone it down a tad!
Love,
Adverbarbie

We are Siamese if you please....

2009-10-11T13:53:00.000-07:00

Cats are everywhere in Amsterdam. We overheard someone go (British stoner accent please) “Look over there at the pretty white doggie” I looked over, hoping to see a Pomeranian, and realized it was just another well fed cat. The cats around here are HUGE, and Adverbarbie quickly found out why.

Amsterdam has a rodent problem. The mice are running rampant. We aren’t even allowed to eat indoors at Pindakaas because of this awful problem. Being the curious creatives, we investigated this issue. Sure enough, there are countless blogs written about encounters of the rodent kind.

The one sure way to tell if you have a mice problem is the standard grease hole. The “SGH” if you will. Those little jerks are chewing themselves some massive archways up in hurr. That mouse hole that you know and love from childhood movies is no joke. They make them just like that in real life. Except they forgot to draw in a gross black smudge surrounding it. Here is a picture of a SGH that we found at work. NEVER in my LIFE have I had to worry about SGH’s. now I am obsessed with spotting them wherever I go. Errr : /

The RLD

2009-10-11T13:41:00.000-07:00

(since you get arrested in the RLD if you are taking pictures, we bring you the RLD for birds!)

So where are we living in this crazy town? About two American football fields away from the Red Light District. I really don’t have a problem with this area. Its quiet charming actually, think a hybrid version of Vegas and the Epcot World Showcase. Think window shopping in Boston, except the mannequins are alive, and they are selling themselves.   Pretty neat huh? Supposedly 50 EUROs will get you 20 minutes of pure sin. Errrrr : /

However, with these live mannequins, comes the prospective buyers, and this my friend is where the problem lies. Its all fun and games until you are a girl trying to walk home at night, and the “customers” are traipsing along in herds.   They are in such a different world that they forget that WE are not for sale.

Needless to say, Adverbarbie is now going to have to engage the Cinderella rule: get home before midnight, because otherwise the magic of Amsterdam is wearing off. The bad guys are out to play, and we will not be leaving the same way we arrived.

After a particularly rough walk home, we dipped into our neighborhood bar, and asked some18 year olds (who were obviously enjoying a spliff), how you say “piss off” in Dutch.   They promptly told us...

“Rrrrot OP” (no idea how it’s spelled, its just how you say it :D )

Amsterdam 101

2009-10-11T13:32:00.000-07:00

So its been one week since we arrived, and do we have some stories for you. Meesh got here bright and early 6 days before starting at Bureau Pindakaas. Eesh 3 days before. Needless to say, we are suffering from major jet lag. My body is determined to go back to American time. Bedtime was a whopping 7:00AM for 3 days straight. Can someone say Vampire? We are going to be spending our days and nights in Bureau Pindakaas, the advertising agency responsible for the “I AMsterdam” campaign, and has a reputation for quality agency to agency collaboration in the Amsterdam creative scene. Pindakaas is owned by Peggy Stein, a no-nonsense woman (Yay!) who knows her shit. One of the most memorable quotes of her welcome speech had to be “I was in NYC 1 month ago, and let me tell you Manhattan is a third world country.” This was the first, and many things about Amsterdam that will be putting Adverbarbie into major culture shock. We say, “bring it.”

Welcome to Amsterdam

2009-10-11T12:58:00.001-07:00

Hi. Welcome to the Adverbarbie World Tour 2009-2010

We are starting our globetrotting trendsetting expedition now, and we are taking no prisoners. This is not the normal verbal vomit of the advertising student; but rather, a day to day shit-show explanation of what is actually happening and how we are handling it. From the good to the ugly, get ready for totally outrageous entertainment of our next 365 days abroad.

We will be referring to ourselves (Alicia & Michelle) as Meesh and Eesh 50% of the time, and the other half, well, you’ll see. Chao.