Saturday 30 June 2012

Comparisons.

Everyone knows the Go Compare TV advertisement tune.
Everyone hates it.
Yet, this clever form of advertising is stuck in our heads for having the most annoying, yet cleverly-catchy melody; and for having the cheesiest Go Compare man in the world.

When I was walking around my local town centre on Tuesday I saw this billboard:

I thought, how clever. The charvas have really been funny and clever in their graffiti-ing of that billboard.
...Actually, it's a bit too clever.
That day, I noticed someone put up a picture on facebook containing the exact same billboard and laughing at the 'local person' who must have graffitied it. Surely this was not a coincidental graffiti choice that two separate, unknown charvas had made. This person did not live in the same town as me. Hmmm, I thought.

I googled (as one should always do when confronted in thought).
And I found this link.
Turns out that the charvas aren't so clever after all.
But Go Compare are with their advertising.

Go Compare must know we hate the opera-man and their adverts. Therefore they pre-defaced their adverts so that they were printed looking like they were graffitied. Clever. I quite like it. But at the same time, it's still just as annoying, yet slightly more humourous.




What do you make of it all? Clever advertising or just continued annoyance from Go Compare?

Thursday 28 June 2012

The big apple.

“I believe in the supreme with of the individual and in his right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I believe that every right implies a responsibility, every opportunity, an obligation; every possession a duty.

I believe that the law was made for man and not man for the law; that government is the servant of the people and not their master.

I believe in the dignity of labor, whether with head or hand; that he world owes no man a living but it owes every man an opportunity to make a living.

I believe that thrift is essential to well-ordered living and that economy is a prime request of a sound financial structure, whether in government, business or personal affairs.

I believe in the sacredness of a promise, that a man's word should be as good as his bond; that character-not wealth or power or position- is of supreme worth.

I believe that the rendering of useful service is the common duty of mankind and that only in the purifying fire of sacrifice is the dross (waste matter) of selfishness consumed and the greatness of the human soul set free.

I believe in all-wise-and all-loving God, named by whatever name, and that the individuals highest fulfillment, greatest happiness, and widest usefulness are to be found in living in harmony with His will.

I believe that love is the greatest thing in the world; that it alone can overcome hate; that right can and will triumph over might.”
-John D. Rockefeller.

I love this quote. It was etched into a big plaque at the Rockefeller Plaza, when I was in NYC.
Oh, by the way, did I tell you I've been to NYC? Yep, I have! I can now tick it off my dreamy to-do list that I blogged about previously. (see here for a fresh little reminder!)

What I learnt about NYC:
1. It's not all just a load of concrete, man-made buildings. There is a lot of natural beauty there, which seem to be heightened and emphasised more when you can see the jungle of buildings in the background.
(* All the images you will see in this blog post are my own.
I have no problems if you want to use them,
but out of politeness please let me know by commenting below!) 

2. American fast-food is proper fast food. And Shake Shack does good milkshakes.


3. (Mostly) all American ladies have their toenails manicured. (It looked so nice that when I got back home I manicured mine. If only England had the weather for flip-flops!)

4. It really is the city that never sleeps. And I feel sorry for those people who work in the shops/restaurants on the craziest shifts. I used to think finishing work at 8pm was horrific.

5. That if I had to live somewhere in Manhattan, I think I would choose Chelsea.

6. A lot of famous places have free selective opening times, so you can save a lot of money when you visit them! (E.g. MOMA is free on Fridays between 4pm-8pm!)

7. That the Rockefeller (Top of the Rock) really does have the better view of the city than the Empire State Building. However, I think they have figured this out, as now it's more expensive to go to the Top of the Rock than it is the Empire State Building! 

8. The Central Park Zoo does not contain any of the animals found on Madagascar (the movie). No zebras. No hippos. No giraffes. No lions. This movie deceived me. It did have penguins though. And I like penguins.

9. It is highly likely that you will see someone getting proposed too. I witnessed two proposals. One involved a fake member of a mariachi band. The other was a clichéd baseball game proposal.


10.(......I am starting to struggle here....) To you, this list is just a list. Of one person's opinion. This is not what New York is about. Therefore, go! Fly like a butterfly and visit the place for yourself!

Friday 1 June 2012

Bop for Liz

Yes, the name of my blog post comes from a sign posted outside of a pub that are having a party for Queen Elizabeth's 60 year reign. It made me laugh so much that I thought I would fossilise it into my blog post, then I will always have fond memories of that little moment!



What are you doing for the Queen's Jubilee?

I think this year is an exciting year to be English - the Queen's Diamond Jubilee + the Olympics being held in our own country = a lot of patriotic Brits. Why can't we be more patriotic? Sometimes, I wish we were more like the Americans and proud of celebrating and declaring our nationality!

My few favourite finds:

  • Kingsmill bread have renamed themselves Queensmill. And if you buy three of their bread products from Asda you get a free sandwich tray that says 'Keep Calm and Carry the Sandwiches'. Love it!
  • Fondant Fancies have been recoloured to be red, white and blue. They don't taste any different, just look lovely and patriotic.
  • Weetabix have the slogan 'Fuel Brittania' on their boxes. Genius. Genius.
(Have you noticed how all these relate to food? Man, I am a foodie through and through!)

Best places to buy anything red, white and blue or smothered in Union Jacks:
  • M&S. It really is the best British shop ever. They have everything you could possibly want. I love it all.
  • BHS. I'm not usually a fan of BHS, but they have lots and lots of delightfully British things, they have lovely wicker picnic baskets and pillows!
  • Next Homeware. Their range is so pretty and stylish. After all this hype has died down, I'm going to go and buy all their stock at half price (because, sorry Next, but you are a bit too pricey for me!) and decorate my house.
  • Primark. They have some really lovely Royal and English themed homeware items.

Embrace the Queen's Diamond Jubilee! I love the Royals. I am attending a few jubilee parties. I may even get dressed up. I might buy some more of those fondant fancies and eat one. Maybe.