Compassion Awake

Some hot eats & cool treats to get things started!

Hot Eats = Best I Ever Had (Matamatics Remix) & Kids feat. MGMT by Chiddy Bang

Cool Treats = Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (Cover) by Greg Laswell, Use Somebody (DJ Slink Mix), and Ghosts N Stuff (Deadmau5 Cover) by Tits & Clits.

Next (and last) on the agenda -- charity, activism, and human rights.

I'm taking a course this term that is really getting under my skin & in my head... in a good way. Hell, in a GREAT way! It's about human rights and the representation of them in various forms of media. I think that's a pretty good way of explaining the course, at least. Anyway, we're reading some mind-blowing articles and books, watching some interesting docs, and generally immersing ourselves in the study of human rights and the violations of them - throughout history and NOW.

I'm getting pretty energized by this course. I wanna make changes, do my part, and not fall into "compassion fatigue".

I'm afraid that after this term ends and this course is over, that I won't continue to be energized by these issues...

...but being afraid is stupid, because if I truly want to make a difference, if I truly want to stay energized, and I don't want to become desensitized to human rights issues, then that is my choice.

I'll keep you posted on how I'm getting involved... because I will get involved.

Today's Gravy Boat

Alright, here's what I got going on today.

1. My show of choice right now? "Entourage". Holy shit, this show is GREAT! I'm addicted. Now don't go on spoiling anything for me, 'cause I'm only half-way through season 4. I can't wait to get caught up. I hear the season 6 finale is a doozy!
2. I wish I had a video game console because DJ Hero looks INSANE! My gf sent me a link to the site today and I spent a while checking out tutorial videos. My God, it looks like a blast. I wonder if you can be Steve Aoki. He is my DJ Hero, no doubt. I think they're doing an awesome job marketing the product, too. They've got DJ Tiesto as a European ambassador for the game (I believe), and Jay-Z and Eminem supporting the project in the US. Unreal.
3. Today is a Sugar&Gravy day (at least for the next couple of hours). I have the whole day off, a bunch of things to cross off my to do list, and the energy to do it.

PEACE!

Electrooooo

Even though this article isn't perfect, I'm still really proud to be from Toronto.

[The Lytics] Hansel

I hope that this is a crew we can all look back on and say, "Sugar&Gravy said it first!" Just kidding, my ego isn't that big... or is it?

Anyway, not the point...

I've been listening to the 2 songs I could find by a group from Winnipeg called The Lytics. Today I found out they have more tracks on their MySpace, which is great, but I need them on my 'Pod. Anyway - check them out! The Lytics... so hot right now, The Lytics.

http://www.myspace.com/lytics

http://twitter.com/thelytics

Social Media + Marketing = Mind-Blowing

Before I say anything else, check this out: This is the official YouTube blog. I checked it out for the first time today and yesterday they posted a great entry. It segues pretty well into my topic today:

Social Media and the concept of "Accidental Spokespeople".

I'm reading this great book right now that my boss lent me. It's called *Personality Not Included and it's written by Rohit Bhargava. I haven't read many (if any) marketing books, and I'm feeling like this book is a great intro. I'm only 60 or so pages into it, but here's what I figure it's about - "why brands need personality in this day and age to be successful". Bhargava talks about social media and the birth of the "accidental spokesperson". This person is someone inside or outside of a company that discusses the company just because they want to, and presumably are enthusiastic and passionate about it. Examples he uses are Intel employees who keep blogs about research, updates, and news regarding the company, Jared from Subway, and this guy named Armand who LOVES Moleskine notebooks. In fact, Armand loves the notebooks SO much that he keeps a blog called Moleskinerie where he discusses all the great things you can do with a Moleskine. Just a sidenote: I have a Moleskine notebook, too. They are the best.

Anyway, what Bhargava is saying is that all these people keeping blogs are amazing assets to the companies they belong to or are enthusiastic about. In this day and age, we rarely look to TV ads (if we even watch TV), newspaper ads, or flyers when we're thinking about buying a product, WE LOOK TO PEOPLE. We ask our friends, we check comment boards online, we ask a Yahoo! question and get a Yahoo! answer... We make it our status on Facebook, we tweet about it to our tweeple... You get what I (and everybody else) am saying. The world is changing, and these bloggers/tweeple/Facebookers are now our authorities.

How cool is that? We have so much power. If I write that I love Diet Pepsi SO MUCH (which I do... I was just drinking it while reading this book), and you read my blog and have never tried it but figure if I love it SO MUCH that maybe you will too, then maybe you'll drink it. I'm not saying you will for sure, but my blog might actually inspire that action. It's a really cool thing.

Social media is something I'm really starting to get into. Not in the sense that I'm registering for all the sites (because I mostly have already... at least all the popular ones), but I'm starting to reflect on its power more than ever. These aren't just sites that we waste our time on anymore. They are legitimate and powerful tools that we utilize to learn, help make our decisions, and keep in touch.

My mind is officially blown. Is yours?

While we're on the topic...

OMG. After finding those sexy commercials, I thought I'd try and find my favourite commercial of all time.



It came out in 2002, which means I was 15 at the time. Don't ask me why, but I always LOVED that Pringles commercial. Random, I know, but it has stuck with me since.

I love YouTube.

Commercials with S-E-X

Commercials are usually pretty annoying, but every once in a while you see a few that make you laugh, cry, or perhaps feel a bit aroused?

So sweet and so cold.

I've never had a favourite poet, but if I were to choose, I'd pick William Carlos Williams.



P.S. I think it's REALLY jokes that "All the Things She Said" by TATU is playing in the background.