today's rain goes well with music

squarepusher

Telepopmusik - Breathe

Nina Simone - sinnerman

Radiohead - Street spirit

Bjork - all is full of love (plaid remix)/u can ignore the images but they work just fine on the track

Joe Hisaishi - spirited away (one summer day) I have to thank Felipov for introducing me to this and many other tunes

and a little loop of Sebastien Tellier's La ritournelle

and once more ... more groovy, for the feet

PRtea

Been to a PRime workshop, one in the PRtea series organised regularly at Carturesti (a very nice book&tea shop in Bucharest). I went to see what everything was about because ...well, because I like the idea of having a nice talk over my most favourite drink (and they have the best Sencha Elfentau at Carturesti!!!). And then I was so curious of what Marie-Rose Mociornita (one of the hosts at the last evening tea) would say about ethics in PR).

Although, to my shame as a professional, I had no idea that such gatherings were taking place, PRime had three PRtea meetings so far and with good themes as well. The first PRtea was about trends and practices in the Romanian PR, a discussion hosted by Crenguta Rosu (DC Communication) and Sorana Savu (Premium Communication) Thhe second meeting was about creativity in PR, a PRtea made by Gabriela Lungu (The Practice) and Andrei Bortun (Millenium Communications)

So I went last evening to listen to practitioners and students talking about Ethics in Romanian PR. A few conclusions/ideas/dilemmas/wishes, if I may:
1. youngsters are more and more interested in acceding in the PR business. especially girls :)
2. they are also extremely naive
3. Everybody agrees that it is not very important how you look in PR ... as long as you look good. At least that's the impression "PRists" give me lately
4. it was an 99.9% female audience. Scary. Especially if you consider the "have a life" rule, humourously communicated by Mociornita. Where are the boys? Are they not interested to learn. Don't they like tea? :)
5. PR professionals/practitioners don't open up and don't give examples. It was too a warm and comfortable discussion about real and uncomfortable issues in Romanian PR, especially when talking about ethics. Very little truth spoken. Very few points made, even fewer taken :)
6. 90% of the hosts conclusions started with "in my view, in my world, I'm not speaking for my PR agency but for myself" In my opinion, you can not prepare for objetive rules and act responsibly on the market within the industry if all you can decide upon is what you deeply believe. I wouldhave liked to see a PR agency leader openly taking some of the responsibility of fighting unethical PR - a reality that was acknowledged by everyone present, including the speakers. How can you tell some students to be fair and firm and reject any unethical practices at work when no head of agency has the courage to break the chain and speak up.
7. Ethics in Romanian PR is more about common sense and less about real rules, and rule enforcement. And not surprisingly so. nobody (or very few) within the industry take the responsibility of reporting the ethic infringements and of educating the stakeholders. Very little time remains for seeing to a sound industry where lie, fraud, paid news, false PR, false CSR and fowl practices are being fought and punished.
8. The press has a pile of examples of bad PR. Liliana Seban sais she hopes that at least some of them would appear on a blog, for education's sake. And then again? Why do papers keep silent about these big DON'Ts? Why don't PR professionals fight the bad practices that are affecting the whole industry's reputation and sound development by exposing them? I guess we are all waiting for the natural selection to do its job. And for the rotten apples to eventually die.
9. Meanwhile PR people in good respectable agencies work hard, stay anonymous and get low wages while the bad PR guys get all the fun, sparkle, fame and money just by playing by the "laws of the land". They will be disqualified in time and with more and more powerfull and serious competition. I'm certainly looking forward to seeing that happen. But my fear is that there will also be innocent casualties. Youngsters with no experience and no maturity to decide whom to follow. The industry itself, suffering from negative perception, wrong understanding of its areas of action, of what it can and cannot do etc. This is why I'm also hoping for more responsibility from Good PR agencies. A discussion like the one last evening would shure have been a good place to start. Maybe next-time.
10. Professionals tend to leave regulation to time and nature laws...hoping that the long time effects of bad PR will eventually turn against the currently rapidly ascending bad PR embracers. Because good PR believes in good PR's self sustainability and longevity, in the benefits of a good reputation instead of the charms of fast great image.
11. Reputation is not the same as image. The first is long term, slowly built and carefully consolidated. Reputation takes consistency, persistence, no mistakes, fairness, seriousness and patience. That's why PR is not about short term results.
More conclusions to come...

Poly says her back hurts

27. back hurts. not from the snowboard, not from paragliding, from the chair in front of my desk.
This is where I dream of writing my texts swinging in a hammock, or at least, in style, in a vintage rocking chair. Having my prohibited coffees, my full-of-callories creamy-cinnamon milky&foamy or cointreau-spiced cofee, the almond cake, the chocolate sponge, virginia wolfe and comics, rahmaninov and the cure, thick, fulltexture, coloured napkins, a light sunny breeze or a warm cashmere blanket and a window open to the freezing cold dawn. Images found here and here as they say, the rocking chair to give as present to a retiring friend.

Discriminarea se invata acasa

Un mic raspuns la o problema complexa, cu care autoritatile lupta pe mai multe fronturi. Si daca tot trebuie sa incepem undeva, sa incepem prin a fi noi in ordine.

Stay hungry, stay foolish

a great speech from Steve Jobs (a total opposite to the Microsoft chief motivational speech

when freedom makes people less equal

It's something I saw on the street just a few days ago. A woman, coming from the grocery market passing calmly by the many strangers on the street. At some point she noticed a family coming her way. A young man, a young woman (probably his wife) and two kids, one on foot and the other in his mum's arms. The woman immediately pulled her purse closer to her body and gave the group a suspicious, aggressive look. They were a little bit darker than her and knew exactly that this was why the woman reacted like that. They passed her by - the lady seemed relieved - but at some point the young man changed his mind. He stopped and asked her: "do you really have to react like that just because we're gypsies? " The lady blushed. Do we discriminate without knowing, without even questioning our opinions? But of course! Even Mr. President does it. On TV!!!

IAA Summit, Bucharest, 2007 The learnings

1. Romania is not there yet. We are some good years behind the Western capitalist advertising world despite our hectic tour de force where local advertising has grown in 15 years as much as other in three decades (it's the Prislea way - Prislea = local version of Prince Charming)
1.1. their speakers are better than ours. Even when it's formal, academic and long, their presentations are full of content, relevant examples and conclusions. They were raised to make presentations and public speaking is a must for any high profile representative of the communication industry. This doesn't really apply to our local Heads of comms/agencies/professional bodies.
1.2 they have great study material. Great work. Real unconventional media. Breakthrough solutions.
1.3 our market is not yet that ready to embrace out of TV communication. But it will be so we'd better prepare
2. some speakers did not know where they were. But they didn't have to salute either so no "Good afternoon Budapest!" this time.
3. CSR is really being taken seriously abroad whilst, in my opinion, in Romania it's just something fashionable to talk about. the branding guru did say "giving is the new buying" and it makes sense in their world. In ours it's not that vital to support a cause to make your products sell. U still get through with a TV ad and an aggressive media strategy. That explains why the local cause branding initiatives I know didn't care as much about getting results as about owning a theme/stealing it from the competitors. This translates pretty much in themes that have been confiscated and that are never-to-be embraced by any other company. Well, CSR practitioners at IAA summit talked about how everyone (every company) is responsible to add up to a CSR theme until it becomes a general trend, making more and more people react and starting to generate effects. Out there there are campaign ridiculing SUVs found on the city streets. In Romania you are being laughed up if it occurs to you to support a theme. There are, of course, exceptions. Vodafone bought helicopters for SMURD, Whirlpool employees spent one week building houses for those in need, other companies are recycling paper. ..

emotional spillover

It's one of those days when you feel that too much has been adding up, that life is made up of too many wires, that so many feelings and hunches, and thoughts and conclusions are left un-structured and un-tamed. that holding on is just another problem and that you just want to burst into emotions and express the not-to-be-expressed. Today I'm Virginia Wolf, Edward Norton in Fight club, Great Expectations (the whole movie!!!), Tori Amos in all of her writings and singing, Tarantino's Bride, my worst self.

Are you crazy?

I work in PR&advertising&communication. This is why people tend to think there are some (limited) ways I should behave: dress serioussly, talk corporate-like, know VIPs and be able to slip in anything in newspapers. Wrong, people!!! I love jeans and trainers, coloured dresses and stockings, artsy and unconventional apparels (involving or not the high heels), baroque chats about anything that's interesting, I KNOW MANY WORDS AND LOVE TO USE AS MANY, I don't call famous people unless it's really relevant for the communication project I'm working on (and also only if the project is relevant to the vip in question) and I don't do "little PR" nor "free advertising". Communication and PR is not only about media relations and, yes, PR has a lot to do with strategy and planning!!!! d'oh! I still believe in the advantages of being different as opposed to moving in heards. I believe in questioning more than in fallowing. And I think that taking chances, putiing yourself out-there and busting your ass to be the best at what you do or the first to do something is better than staying on the safe side and fallowing others' rules. So, when a fellow PR practitioner asks me "are you crazy?" I say "ma'am, I sure hope so!" Hurray for the crazy, restless inds!

Back in business!

1. long time no see! that's because we're living busy times and sometimes your own personal, intimate thoughts get lost in the clutter of what you should be thinking, resolving, organizing and implementing!We become multi-tasking only to find ourselves less and less free to think about ourselves!
2. It's autumn. although unexpectedly warmth is coming after equally unexpected cold weather. Summer's been long but fuzzy. I recently re-postponed my trip to Rome for reasons that shouldn't be even remembered. frustrating it is! So long, generous long days. Hello falling leaves, autumn dust, day-long traffic jams, polution triggered astma, cold feet, running nose (or no nose), loads of work, back to school, teachers carring flowers on the school opening day ( I meant to write about this earlier this month), students queuing to pay for tuition or for a room in the dorm, fresh wine and lamb pastrami, higher rents for poorer and poorer lodging conditions in over-saturated Bucharest.
3. I hate flat-owners in Bucharest! I hate those who ask you if you want to prolongue the contract and ask you to sign the papers "urgently" but omit to inform you that they decided to raise the rent twice as much as you have recently negociated. I hate that they have "zillions of better offers for this apartment" and that they consider that "this raise is nothing compared to what it could be"!!!! I hate the owners who have three shabby apartments and get away with living a good life merely on letting people live in those three flats. I hate it that we are so many in Bucharest and so desperate to pay as much as it takes for merely poisoning and imprisoning ourselves. I hate that we're not leaving for a greener, merrier place leaving Bucharest flat owners alone in their grey, small, 500 Euro/month "mobilat clasic" or 800 Euro/month "mobilat lux" apartments. The rents have exploded. The living conditions offered worsen. The offer-demand law of capitalism got things a bit ilogic. At the end of the day, one (who has been a longterm, quiet, I-need-an-apartment-where-I-can deposit-my-things-and-sleep-5/6 hours-per-night type of tennant) has to pay a 40% higher rent benefiting from 0 investments made in the apartment he's trying to hang on too. I'm from outside of Bucharest, studying and/or working in Bucharest for the last 6 years. I changed my "home" 5 times in the meantime and I'm currently screaming for a place of my own.

Tori the mighty dog

This is the dog and at the same time the reason I haven't really had any spare time for getting thoughts together, not to mention for blogging. Tori is a Labrador. Versatile and playful. And she never gets exhausted. Tori chews, as all little puppies do. And she grows. Quite beautifully. This is a recent picture. But it doesn't say shit about what it's like to have a dog like that.

truly true

Budăi beer as "true" for some Moldavians (in RO) as Budweiser for the guys who said Whazzeeaaap!

this is my church

take a look (but more over take a moment to think about it) at Kessels Kramer's headquarters. An advertising agency having a church for their office building. How about Creatives in the Chancel?

Happy birthday Tori

she is 44 and fabulous today. Today's soundtrack: Bouncing Off Clouds - American Doll Posse. Enjoy!

Toma Coconea si romanii

Ziceam in multe imprejurari ca nu ne meritam oamenii mari. Ca nu meritam sa avem alte modele decat Becali si Mutu. Aveam de fiecare dreptate, oricat de ingaduitoare as vrea sa fiu cu natia asta, ale carei randuri le ingros. Ieri, Toma Coconea i-a invitat pe jurnalistii romani sa-l cunoasca si mai ales sa-i afle isprava de la RedBull X-Alps. Jurnalistii de sport din mareata noastra capitala n-au onorat invitatia. S-au dus in schimb sa asculte ce avea de spus (a cata oara?!) Becali la intoarcerea in tara a fotbalistilor de la Steaua. Nimic gresit in interesul oamenilor de sport pentru fotbal - un sport de departe rege atat la noi cat si aiurea. Foarte trist este insa faptul ca pentru atleti exemplari precum Toma Coconea nu se gasesc manuitori de condeie in redactiile ziarelor de sport. Noroc cu mai sufletistii jurnalisti din provincie. Si mai sunt si sportmag si bolggerii.
Aseara l-am cunoscut pe Toma Coconea si m-a uimit inca o data prin modestie, bun simt si cumpatare. Am vorbit despre zbor, despre munte, despre oamenii care le indragesc pe amandoua, despre X-Alps, despre oamenii care l-au sustinut (zambeste cand afla ca exista bloggeri care l-au urmarit indeaproape si care au scris despre el) despre Hoffer, Martin, Urs (parapantistii din tara ceasurilor si a neutralitatii) si Aidan (britanicul caruia Toma i-a dat bateriile lui de GPS fara de care Aidan ar fi fost descalificat). Vorbeste simplu despre o reusita care noua ni se pare de domeniul SF-ului. 1000 km hiking prin Alpi, 300 km in zbor cu parapanta - totul in doar 14 zile. E realist si perfectionist. Viseaza si crede. E bucuros de rezultat dar mai ales de faptul ca a reusit sa se autodepaseasca. Ceea ce va face si la urmatorul RedBull X-Alps: "o sa fiu si mai antrenat, si mai puternic - fizic si mental. o sa ma antrenez mai mult in Alpi, o sa gresesc mai putin, o sa vreau si mai mult" E slabit dupa cursa dar e extrem de tonic: "ma refac repede!" Lucrurile care-l tin sunt prietenii si o vorba pe care o spune cu naduf: "Nu exista nu se poate!" Asa le-a spus si organizatorilor X-Alps si oamenilor (francezi, elevetieni, italieni) care il insoteau pe traseu sa-l sustina. Nu credea nimeni ca dupa o zi intreaga de mers va mai putea zbura. Dar Tomi a zburat si a intrat in plutonul conducator. Mai multe despre experienta lui cu Alpii aici. Bravo sis!
Pe Toma il gasiti de astazi in Parang cu parapanta, in elementul lui. E trist pentru ca oamenii de la noi din tara nu inteleg sportul pe care el il iubeste. Si-ar dori ca mai multi romani sa afle cat de minunat poate fi zborul cu parapanta si cum "stirile de la ora 5" care povestesc doar despre accidente (stupide si in genere cauzate de oameni neprofesionisti, nepregatiti) construiesc o impresie gresita despre acest sport. Am indraznit sa-l sfatuiesc sa vorbeasca, sa-si povesteasca pe larg experienta din Alpi, sperand ca asa mai multi romani se vor molipsi de exemplul lui. Cred ca avem nevoie de asemenea exemple ca sa indraznim sa visam si (mai ales) sa luptam mai mult. Inca o data, multumesc Tomitza!
PS: postul asta e in romana pentru ca e scris pentru romani. Strainii il stiu bine pe toma si-l apreciaza.

Toma Coconea is the RedBull X-Alps Man

for his never-say-die spirit reads the competition's site. Toma Coconea, the Romanian stamina king (as described by a French journalist), came in second, but proved that persistence can get you there. Something Romanians should take after more often. Congrats Toma! Congrats Alex! Thanks for the great lesson!

Bune si rele

Ieri a murit Motu. vocea de la Teleenciclopedia. cu care am crescut. pentru care prindeam mai usor documentarele despre animale. de la care am invatat cum trebuie sa sune o voce profesionista. pe care-l imitau amicii mei baieti strigand "sunt tanar, doamna!" S-a dus. S-a dus inca un reper, inca o figura care ma incuraja sa cred ca lumea e la fel ca atunci cand eram copil si urcam in fuga scarile blocului sa ascult Teleenciclopedia.

astazi insa, un tanar despre care am mai vorbit, Toma Coconea, a incheiat al doilea o cursa incredibila in Alpi. implinind un vis si arborand un zambet dupa doua saptamani de incrancenare. ma bucur ca la Monaco l-au asteptat prietenii lui si ca acum sarbatoresc o mare victorie. si ca pe lista lui de discutii pe site-ul competitiei s-au adunat sa-l sustina foarte multi romani inimosi.
am stat toata ziua intre doua emotii grele.life's full.

today's soundtrack

Jamie Lidell. Great performer. Seen him in Bucharest, last winter. He made a freezing-cold evening get really warm and magnetized Studio Martin, the performance venue. Here's Multiply, a track that I love and used recently to match up my thoughts.

Filminute

Filminute (besides a great name) is the international one-minute film festival. I love the idea, I hope I can make it and write a one-minute-film script, and then shoot, and then submit ..and finally finish something I start.
Last year, Anton's film won. Anton (Grooves) is a Brit that lives and works in Romania. And you can see his film, the Line ,on the festival's official site. Just enter the screening room.
This one-minute-film concept reminds me a lot about how you have to deliver an info and persuade in only 30 second of a TV commercial. Anton has also directed and filmed commercials in Romania. In costly advertising, less is best. Reduction. Common sense simplicity. Make every moment count.But don't make the logo bigger. Just this time.

We could stop global warming ...

Wired features a great article about how we could hack the atmosphere, engineer the climate changes ... as long as we're in it longterm! So impossible for the far-from-sigle-minded human nature.