What is advertising?

To answer that question, one can turn to the New Oxford American Dictionary:

Or, one can talk to somebody who has been in the business for years. Who might tell you that the essence of advertising is all about giving people a break in their otherwise so ordinary day. Giving them a reason and a chance to laugh. 

Or at least smile.

Still learning: An odd secret of journalism.

Funny thing. Oh no, not funny at all, actually. But maybe a little bit like that irony life sometimes brings to us. During Friday's class – which is a mix of internship advice, journalism drills and public relations how-to-do-it – our professor told us that if or when we land our first journalism job, we are very likely to end up writing obituaries. And not only about people who actually died.

In fact, and here comes the revelation of the big secret, most obits are written when people are still alive. So I, the journalist, will have to make phone calls with the opening line "Hi, I'm writing So and So's obituary, would you care to give me a juicy quote?"

It's bizarre, isn't it? However, when you think about it, it kind of makes sense. I mean, people are probably more likely to give an accurate picture of somebody who is still alive. When people die, we tend to forget everything that was ever bad about them. Which is not, of course, a bad thing. I absolutely think we should choose to remember the good in people. But still.

And the irony of life? I guess nobody missed out that, today, we can all read Whitney Houston's obituary. Not so unexpected, perhaps, but obviously a tragedy. May she rest in peace, the woman who wants to dance with somebody. That's how I choose to remember her.

Winter back there and snow over here.

Friends! It's been snowing here in DC.

Last night was awful with cold wind and actual snowflakes. Kind of Gothenburg annoying, with an icy feeling that gets to your bones. Winter should be winter for real if it's going to be winter. You know what I mean? Oh maybe, you don't. So let me paint, or more so show, the picture for you.

Winter over there, back home. (NB! Product placement.)

Winter over here, my current home.

Sunday pondering.

Another café day. Things I should do. Decisions I need to make. Paths I have to choose. Things I need to plan. People I want to include. Goals I want to reach. I really don't know where to start. 

Pondering. With a venti cappuccino on my table. Pondering.

But I don't really stress. It will be alright. I know that. That's what my Bästis always tells me and what I always tell her.

It will be alright. Det ordnar sig.

My prince. My love. My best friend.

I have known you for two whole years now. How was life B. E. – Before Elvan? Well, I knew a lot less about changing diapers, giving the bottle, Ninkinonker, Teletubby gadgets, getting dressed for cold weather, the beauty of korv and other important matters of life.

Thank you for teaching me, my dear. Thank you for being the love of my life when life was upside down.   Thank you for the wet kisses and the unconditional love. I'm sorry for not being there with you. But remember, no matter what your mom says, I will always share my lollipop with you.

Happy Birthday, Min Lilla Prins, My Little Prince, Mon Petit Prince, Il Mio Piccolo Principe. 

(Yes, I'll keep working on our little language project.)

Is Facebook bad for you or does it make you happy?

The social media freak might have been reading about how Facebook and Twitter supposedly is much more addictive than cigarettes and alcohol. I don't know about you, but for me, the word addictive sure has some bad connotations.

However, HERE you can read about how to interpret these results in a slightly more positive way. The columnist suggests that we take a deeper look at the study, presenting that what it really shows is that people actually experience "intense engagement and enjoyment" while being social-network-active.

So what do you experience when you go online? I am proud to say that Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest – what have you – is just as sweet as chocolate for me. It's a hobby. It's a lifestyle. It's pure enjoyment.

Saturday Buzz.

What's better to do a cold Saturday afternoon than jump on a bus with your roommates and sit down at a warm, cozy spot? Laptops in lap. Coffe in cup. Cupcakes all over the place. And important business to deal with. That last thing – not so much yet, but will start. Soon.

Happy Saturday. Stevie. Coffee. Good friends. They all keep me warm this cold (snowy?!) DC day.

Buzz Bakery, just a short bus ride from our place.

What do you see?

"The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity.

The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."

– Winston Churchill

Mr. Storyteller and My Creative Me.

Music. Photography. Books. Radio. Poems. Sports. Cars. Food. Friends. From where do you get your inspiration?

I'm a very visual person, which explains my love for pretty pictures and fiery flea markets. Different colors, shapes and forms spark ideas in my head and my creative me wants to do backflips when it encounters odd objects, dorky devices, peculiar pieces or amazing artifacts.

In addition to all I can see, I have another source of inspiration equally important: people. And some people are just more outstanding than others. All pictures and visual impressions aside, when I meet with a great storyteller, my creative me sees no limit for my capabilities and fears no obstacles along the way.

I love listening to stories and with the right narrator, I picture myself in them. As we all know, the people in the tales can do anything they want. It will always end up well. How about that for inspiration and creativity.

No, this is not a result of boredom. 
It was merely what happened 
with a pen in my hand 
and inspiration in my head.

Fulfilled Feedback.

What did I do and what did I learn? Those are questions my professor want me to answer for the Internship Journal that I'm writing for class. But, that is also what I constantly ask myself as I leave the office at M Street every day.

This Thursday evening, I realized to appreciate the great value of feedback. As I was waiting for the light to shift to white for me to cross the street and walk towards my building, I evaluated the day as having been very good. And why is that? Because today consisted of two meetings and a lot of useful feedback.

Working with the one same project for a long time can feel like running around in a circle. Have we not touched upon this before? What more can we do? Enter: feedback. For the questions you can answer, you realize that you have done some good research. For the questions you cannot answer, you realize that you can always improve.

It becomes obvious what the heart of the story is and the small cracks appear for you to fix. It's rewarding as well as stimulating. So keep on working and ask for somebody's opinion on what you have achieved.