Happy Easter/Spring Time,
Jennifer Yemu Li from Element 7 and myself at a cool fashion show. I just became the newest "Sassy Bee" special event news reporter for the Vancouver Observer, as well as the Bee VanCity weekly events listing curator. Hooray! So don't be a stranger if you bump into me at a social function, and feel free to invite me to cool gatherings!
Form & Fashion: Xsenia & Olya Fashion Show
I arrived at the Auto Form car dealership with my hair coifed in sexy-layered blowouts, wearing a pink silk lame dress. Under the iconic East Van sign, my eyes lit up at the array of lust-worthy cars like a GTE Mustang and a Red Maserati. Who was I kidding? I was purely there for the fashion and people-watching. And boy did I get doses of both on Friday night, March 15, at 1885 Clark Drive. The venue was very spacious, with smooth concrete floors and white walls. It was the perfect backdrop for fashion. As I walked in further, I saw the area for coat check and the media wall for photos.
Just a bit further was the sexy-as-hell female DJ Adoriana, who was spinning hot beats that were leading the pace of the night's socializing. The food and booze station was packed with people, with salamis and fruits for consumption.
There must have been 300 to 400 people in attendance—men in sleek suits and ladies all dolled up in their best cocktail dresses. A lot of media were in attendance, from Fiona Forbes of The Rush and her entourage of five friends to Amy Yew of The Vancouver Courier, Catherine Barr of The North Shore News, Brian Graham of SNAP and fashion blogger, Nadya Vlassoff. All sitting in front row with moi. READ MORE at HERE
Unstuck challenges old notions about love, marriage and monogamy
Picture a modern condo, a sleek office desk behind a lavish queen size bed, adjacent to Le Corbusier le grand sofa set. Located opposite to a mini bar area complete with classic 1950’s bar stool sensually lit with industrial style silver metal lights hung from the ceiling. A clean cut man in a blue dress shirt and jeans is pacing around the room, irritably typing on his laptop while looking over his lover who is deeply asleep in a beautiful tuxedo on the sofa. The tension is thick, and we are only just getting started.
As the story unfolds, this night -- marred by a very loud protest against gay marriage outside their windows -- happens to be the couple’s 10 year’s anniversary.
They have not had sex in six months, and despite the love that runs deep between them, the gulf is ever widening to the point all communication is a form of complaint.
All of these back and forth arguing and passive aggressive avoidance was interrupted by the arrival of a hot young stud that was meant as a present to spice up their love life.
That's the intriguing plot of the new play, "Unstuck" starting Sean Harris Oliver, Ari Solomon and Kevin Kraussier. To call them hot and talented is an understatement, so let me shed some light on the story. READ MORE HERE
Board of Change Vertality 3
On Thursday March 14th,close to one thousand of the movers and shakers in the Vancouver environmental, innovation and business community came out to mingle at Club 560. When I walked into the room, I was greeted by the President of Board of Change, a very friendly Sonny Wong. Sonny is an iconic business leader, running the Hamazaki Marketing Group (www.hamazakiwong.com ). The place was packed with people, with plenty to see and do. At the entrance there was a photo corner where you could dress up as a super hero, with funky coloured wigs and colourful costumes. You could also make your own funny sayings, if I were a superhero I would eliminate pollution and ocean acidification. There were also two clowns on stilts are walking above the people for entertainment, and of course there were delicious nibbles served by beautiful waitresses. The stage was a hub of activity as people shuffled in and out to grab chocolates and roast beef. READ MORE HERE
Buyology ~ Martin Lindstrom
"But what do rituals have to do with what we think about when we buy? A lot. For one thing, products and brands that have rituals or superstitions associated with them are much "sticker" than those that don't. In an unsettled, fast-moving world, we're all searching for stability and familiarity, and product rituals give us an illusion of comfort and belonging. In an increasingly standardized sterilized, homogenous world, rituals help us differentiate one brand from another. Indeed, buying a product is more often a ritualized behaviour than a conscious decision. The ritual of collecting makes us feel safe and secure. When we are stressed out, or when life feels random and out-of-control, we often seek out comfort in familiar products or objects. We want to have solid, consistent patterns in our lives, and in our brands.
What I discovered was that despite their differences, almost every leading religion has ten common pillars underlying its foundation: a sense of belonging, a clear vision, power over enemies, senory appeal, storytelling, grandeur, evangelism, symbols, mystery, and rituals.
Advertisers inplant inexpensive and easy somatic markers associating cute animals or babies or a soft colour to allow the consumer an emotional attachment to the brand's product, so next time they need toilet paper, they just have to remember fluffy soft puppies to buy Andrex Toilet Paper.
Colour is hugely important in helping to sell products, because of the emotions it conjures up for the public. The colour pink, with its associations of luxury, sensuality, and femininity, is used to sell everything from sleepwear, underwear, parfume and soaps, to drugstore remedies to toys to computers. That's right, thanks to the unexpected success of a pink laptop manufactured by the Hong Kong company VTech, marketers from Toys "R" Us to the NFL, the NHL and NASCAR are starting to roll out pink versions of their best-selling toys and sports clothing."